EXODUS PART 3 BEGINS TODAY!

Our reading plan in Exodus resumes today, with Exodus Part 3: The Road to Mt. Sinai and the Revelation of the Ten Commandments (chapters 15-20). Part 3 will run for six weeks, concluding on Friday, May 10.

The opening letter below appears in the print version of this reading guide.  We include it here. (Today’s scripture reading can be found after the MONDAY, APRIL 1 header below.)

WHAT’S FREEDOM FOR?

Everyone knows that Exodus tells the story of the miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. The accounts in the early chapters of Exodus are some of the most memorable stories in the Bible: Moses in the bullrushes, the burning bush, the plagues, the Passover, and the parting of the sea. By the end of chapter 14, Pharaoh’s army lies drowned at the bottom of the sea, and Moses and the Hebrew people are on the far side of the Red Sea, ready to walk forward into freedom. But this is chapter 14, and there are 40 chapters total in Exodus. So, here’s the question:

What is their freedom for?

The whole purpose of the exodus from Egypt was to set free God’s people for a purpose. That purpose will be given to the people at Mount Sinai.

FIRST MOSES, THEN ISRAEL

Remember that everything that happens to Moses prefigures what will happen to Israel. Israel’s story expands and elaborates on Moses’s story.

For example:

• Moses is oppressed by Pharaoh → Israel is oppressed by Pharaoh;

• Moses is saved through water and the reeds → Israel is saved through water and the reeds;

• Moses is shaped by his wilderness wanderings→ Israel is shaped by its wilderness wanderings;

• Moses meets God on the mountain in the fire → Israel meets God on the mountain in the fire;

• Moses is commissioned by God on the mountain and given a new identity → Israel is commissioned by God on the mountain and given a new identity.

ISRAEL RECEIVES ITS MISSION ON MOUNT SINAI

This reading guide covers Exodus chapters 15-20. Our account starts with Pharaoh’s army drowned in the sea and the children of Israel ready to move forward into the desert.

1. We’ll first read about Israel’s journey through the desert to Mount Sinai.

2. Then we’ll read how the Lord makes a covenant with the people at Sinai and gives them the Ten Commandments.

Their time in the desert will shape and make the Israelites into God’s people, but it is on Mount Sinai that Israel will receive its purpose from the Lord. That purpose is to represent the Lord to the nations, and the Ten Commandments and the laws at Sinai give Israel guidance on how to do that.

HOW THIS READING PLAN WORKS

Remember, consistency is more important than intensity! That is, don’t try to read the whole Bible in one sitting—rather, pace yourself and make a commitment to be consistent. To that end, the readings are parceled-out on weekdays only—if you get behind, catch up each weekend. Each day I’ve written brief commentary to help you get something out of your reading; the commentary is NOT the point, the Bible is the point. If the commentary helps you, great! If it doesn’t, no worries—just skip it.

WHY EXODUS MATTERS TO YOUR LIFE TODAY

As we will see, the Ten Commandments are guidance from God about how to live well. The Ten Commandments (and the other laws that follow) are revealed from God to His people so that they can be His representatives to the nations.

The church has that same purpose today (see 1 Peter 2:9-12)—we represent the Lord to the world. It’s my prayer that these readings will show us how to live well so we can be a blessing to our neighbors and to the nations.

P.S. What are we supposed to do with all the Old Testament laws? Are Christians supposed to follow all the those laws about fabrics and livestock and sacrifices? I’ll be teaching an All-Church Bible study on these questions on April 3, 6:30-8:00 PM in the Asbury Sanctuary. (Dinner available beforehand, 5:00-6:30 PM. 18 and under are free on Bible study evenings!) Going to be out of town? Catch the livestream: www.asburytulsa.org.

Monday, April 1

Exodus 15:22-25a

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

Our story resumes after Pharaoh’s army has been drowned at the bottom of the sea, and the Hebrews have walked through the waters on dry ground. They have praised the Lord and sung their songs of thanksgiving. Now it’s time to move forward in freedom—their first steps as free people.

And they immediately run into trouble! Just three days into the desert, and they find themselves without water. As everyone knows, if they go without water for three more days, they will all die. Why would the Lord bring them out of Egypt just to have them die of thirst in the desert?

Remember that the process is the point. That is, the entire point of Exodus is about the formation of God’s people into Israel, God’s nation. The people needed to be set free from Egypt, but they are not yet ready to bear their charge as God’s people. And, perhaps the essential lesson they will need to learn is to trust God.

So, they run out of water, and they begin to panic. The Lord does not immediately supply the water—they have to wait for it. Note that Moses is forced to turn to the Lord, and the Lord then promptly provides relief.

How does it shape a people for them to have to learn to wait on God?

What about you? Could there be a lesson for you today when you find yourself with a gap between what you have and what you need?

P.S. A fun note: the Nile was drinkable until the Lord—using Moses’s staff—turned it into blood during the first plague and made it undrinkable; here, the water is undrinkable until the Lord—using a piece of wood—makes it drinkable.