https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Exodus+6
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 3 January 2025:
Exodus 6:1, 6 — But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land…. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.”
Moses had to go through incredibly hard times before God revealed Himself in power. Be patient. Wait upon the Lord. Obey and seek to glorify God in all you do, and let God reveal to you what He will when He will.
- 2 Peter 3:9-15 — The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him….
Exodus 6:2 – God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.”
We lose faith when we lose perspective on who God is. Sometimes we need to be reminded that God is God! He has got you! Now, obey!
- Romans 8:28-39 — And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Exodus 6:9 – Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
The Bible provides countless warnings to the church to be careful not to lose faith in God and sensitivity to the Spirit because of earthly conditions and circumstances. Again, read Romans 8:28-29. During difficult times, we must draw closer to God, not farther away. During a protracted time of persecution, Moses brought the direct word of God, a word of salvation, but God’s people would not accept it. Though they still worshipped God, they focused all their attention on their plight, which consumed their thinking and their spirit; they lost hope in God’s deliverance, and subsequently lost the faith required to believe and trust God in the moment. God was in the process of doing incredible, historic things in their lives, and though they were told of God’s salvation through a prophet, they couldn’t see it.
What is God doing today as part of His great plan of redemption? How is He at work in your country, in your community, in your church, in your family, and in your life in ways which can only be seen and understand by those who are truly receptive to the Holy Spirit? Does your unwavering love, joy, peace, and contentment through any and all situations communicate to everyone around you your confidence in the Providence of the Almighty? How is God using you to proclaim the truth to your generation? Is you using you to lead others to the ‘promised land’?
Exodus 6:14-26 – These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their clans. These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.”
God’s acts are done for and through specific people who are known by name. God has a specific plan for you; you have been hand-selected by God Himself, and you are by-name appointed by God.
Exodus 6:28, 29 – On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the LORD said to Moses, “I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”
God has chosen to use “ambassadors,” messengers, and witnesses to communicate His word to the world; Jesus told His disciples to make more disciples throughout the world under His authority as the Son of God, and through the His power. The ambassador of Christ need not fear but should be bold as the power and authority of Jesus has been given to him. Are you accomplishing your mission?
Exodus 6:2-3 — And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.
“As God has walked with His people through the generations, He has progressively revealed His nature according to His purposes and the needs of His people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew Him as God Almighty, because they needed His mighty power to protect them from their enemies. Moses and the Israelites learned that God was Lord, Master over every nation and every thing. God not only delivered them from the most powerful ruler in the world, but also brought them into the Promised Land. They came to experience Him as Lord, preeminently powerful over the pagan gods of their day.
God will continue to reveal His character to you according to your needs and according to His purposes. You will come to know more and more about Him as you obey Him. When you grieve, He will come to you as Comforter. When you are in need, He will demonstrate that He is the Provider. When you face a serious challenge, He will reveal that He is God Almighty.
Your understanding of God’s character ought to be greater now than when you first became a Christian. You ought to know Him today better than you did five years ago. Sadly, some Christians continue to live year after year with the same basic knowledge of God that they had when they first began walking with Him. Whatever your present situation, view it in the light of what God is teaching you, through circumstances, about Himself and you will come to know God in dimensions you have never known Him before.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 3 January 2025: Today, don’t just obey the Lord when it is difficult, do it with confidence, enthusiasm, and joy because God is God, and He loves you beyond your comprehension, is sovereign over all circumstances, and has appointed and empowered you to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission right where you are right now.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 