BibleVersity

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1    Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food ...

"An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.  If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.  And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it." (Ex. 20:24-26, ESV)     Immediately after giving the Decalogue (ten commandments) to Moses and Israel, the Lord cites some instructions in regard to the building of altars. These rules were important considering the worship practices of the time. The Israelites were not the only people who used altars. To distinguish between the two the Bible often referred to these as "high places." Molech, Baal, Dagon, and other "gods" mentioned in the Bible demanded sacrifices from their worshipers. Some worship went so far as t...

"Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them," (Ex. 14:19, ESV)    The Exodus of the Israelites from Egyptian captivity is both a well-known and powerful display of God's delivering power. As we play the event in our minds we usually see the mass of people standing at the edge of the Red Sea, with a cloud pillar behind them keeping Pharaoh at bay, and Moses (via God's power) parting the sea in front. Most of us have seen either a painting or some sort of depiction of this history-making event. However, there is one part that is usually missing from the image.    Chapter 14 records this event in great detail. When we get to verse 19 tells us that, we are informed that, In addition to the cloud pillar, the "angel of God" was present also. There has been a number of explanations of this phenomenon, but I believe the best explanation is t...

"Then Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." - (Ex. 4:10, NASB)    As far as biblical folks go, Moses is my favorite, but Moses had a problem. We are not certain what "slow of speech and of tongue" means, possibly that he stuttered or had some other physical malady. What we do know is that this was a major hurdle, at least to Moses. During his original meeting with God, Moses gave several excuses for why God should choose someone else. The final one was his speaking issue. This stands out in most of our minds, for this is where God brings Aaron on board and gives him the task of speaking for Moses, leaving Moses to performing miracles and leading the people.  However, this is not the only time his speech problem is mentioned. Twice in chapter six (6:12, 6:30) we find his struggle mentioned as bein...

"He said, 'But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.'” - (Ex. 3:12, ESV)    Earlier in this chapter we are told that Moses had taken the flocks of his father-in-law to a location west of the wilderness and came to Mt. Horeb, where he met with God. It is here that the LORD tells Moses that he, Moses, will bring the Israelites out of Egypt (through God's power), and will return to the mountain. You are likely familiar with the rest of the story, for Moses does indeed lead them out, and they do return to Horeb.     There are two thoughts I want to share that we may not always connect with. First, Mt. Horeb and Mt. Sinai are two different names for the same mountain. I am aware that there are those who view them as two separate mountains. In that case, these would be two separate mountains in very close proximity of each other, possi...