Devotionals on Exodus
Exodus 1
- Exodus 1:1-7 – According to Plan
The beginning of the book of Exodus makes it very clear that God’s redemptive plan is continuing, and that Exodus continues that story. It gives us hope to rely on…
- Exodus 1:8-22 – Oppression of God’s People
The exploitation and enslavement of people, or opposition to progress and blessing, seems to occur quite often to God’s people. As God blesses his Church, various foes arise to attack…
Exodus 2
- Exodus 2: God Remembers His Covenant
In Exodus Chapter 2 we see God's deliverance, of us through Jesus Christ, foreshadowed in the beginning of God’s delivery of his people from slavery. Moses, who will eventually lead…
Exodus 3
- Exodus 3: The Call of Moses
Exodus 3 records the Call of Moses by God, as God appears to Moses at Mount Sinai at the Burning Bush. There Moses encounters God’s presence, receives God’s commissioning, and…
Exodus 4
- Exodus 4:1-17 – Powerful Signs
Despite the powerful signs God gave Moses to perform, he still shows extreme reluctance to return to Egypt. In Exodus 4:1-17, we see God provide Moses with those signs, and…
- Exodus 4:18-31 – Returning to Egypt
In Exodus 4:18-31, we see Moses’ faithful response to God’s call in his return to Egypt to rescue God’s people. But before Moses can see God’s promises begin their fulfilment,…
Exodus 5
- Exodus 5 – Bricks without straw
Moses’ return to Egypt had gone better than he anticipated, as the Elders and God’s people accepted his message and calling. But Pharaoh had no plans to easily let God’s…
Exodus 6
- Exodus 6 – Promise-keeping God
In Exodus 6, we are reminded of how God is trustworthy. God keeps his promises. Responding to the cries of Moses and the Israelites as their burdens were made heavier…
Exodus 7
- Exodus 7:1-7 – Stubborn Pharaoh, Softened Moses
In our last devotion, we saw God remind Moses of his nature as a promise-keeping God. In Exodus 7:1-7, God reconfirms to Moses his divine appointment as God’s ambassador and…
- Exodus 7:8-13: Serpents as Signs
In Exodus, God is acting through Moses and Aaron to free his people from slavery in Egypt. In this passage, Moses and Aaron return to Pharaoh’s court to demand he…
Exodus 19
- Exodus 19:1-8: God’s People, God’s Presence, God’s Reign
In this passage, God’s people arrive at Mount Sinai, where God will arrive in all his divine glory. There, the God who chose them and rescued them from slavery in…
- Exodus 19:9-25 Preparing for the King
God, the Israelites’ divine King, was coming to visit his people at Sinai. They needed to prepare themselves for his arrival, getting spiritually ready for that special day when God…
Exodus 20
- Exodus 20: Looking Back to Move Forward
Whether we are facing a new year in these “unprecedented times,” or a new year in “precedented times”, it is still important to look back before moving forward.
- Exodus 20:1-21: The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are laws, yes, but they are so much more. They reveal the standard of morality God requires, and they reveal how a people freed from bondage can…
- Exodus 20:3 – The First Commandment
Idols are much broader than just (literal) religious figures, they are anything which takes the place of God as the highest priority in our life. Many of the ancient world’s…
- Exodus 20:4-6: The Second Commandment
God is not local, and certainly cannot be controlled. He is not to be worshiped as we desire, but instead in the way he commands, and worshiped as he has…
- Exodus 20:7: The Third Commandment
While we tend to think the Third Commandment forbids using God’s names as an expletive, the commandment covers more than that. It reminds us God is holy, and we must…
- Exodus 20:8-11: The Fourth Commandment
In the Fourth Commandment, the importance of rest and worship is highlighted. God positively reminds us to set aside work and to rest – instead focusing our time on the…
- Exodus 20:12 – The Fifth Commandment
The Fifth Commandment serves as a bridge between the first four commandments, which deal with obligations to God, and the last five commandments, which deal with obligations to each other.…
- Exodus 20:13 – The Sixth Commandment
The Sixth Commandment does not just forbid murder, but all forms of unlawful killing. More than that, it forbids the attitude of hate which is a type of murder in…
- Exodus 20:14 – The Seventh Commandment
While the world may not care about marital faithfulness, God does. The Seventh Commandment forbids all types of marital unfaithfulness, pointing to the ideal of the one man-one woman union…
- Exodus 20:15 – The Eighth Commandment
Since ultimately everything belongs to God and he dishes it out as he wills, God requires us to respect his division of material goods. The Eighth Commandment, which forbids stealing,…
- Exodus 20:16: The Ninth Commandment
We all lie, deceive, gossip and slander, and fail to stand up for the truth. The Ninth Commandment condemns us. Deceitful words destroy trust in society, in relationships, and offend…
- Exodus 20:17- The Tenth Commandment
In this spirit of consumerism and desiring what others have that we do not, the Tenth Commandment hits like a hammer. Instead of sinfully desiring in our hearts what God…
- Exodus 20:18-21: Fear and Trembling
When Israel gathered at Sinai to hear God’s Law, they came to God’s presence, demonstrated to them by a booming voice, thunder and lightning, trumpets, and smoke. It was too…
- Exodus 20:22-26: Only As God Required
After the people appointed Moses as their intermediary, God spoke to the people through Moses to remind them to worship him only. They had seen and heard God directly; in…
Exodus 21
- Exodus 21:1-11: Servants and Service
In this section of Exodus, we are seeing practical advice from God on how to live in the ordinary. While some of it is culturally distant and distasteful to us,…
- Exodus 21:12-36: Crime and Punishment
While some societies could be very cruel, God’s laws were not. In this passage, God addresses a variety of crimes of different severity, and the penalties for each.This passage not…
Exodus 22
- Exodus 22:1-15: Protection of Property
Because theft is a perpetual problem, in addition to laws which punished harm against people and sought to protect their essential dignity, the Law also contained various laws to protect…
- Exodus 22:16-31: Protecting The Social Order
True social justice is about protecting a just social order, based on a sacred order. God’s laws given to Israel were focused on precisely that. In this passage, God provides…
Exodus 23
- Exodus 23:1-9: Showing Justice and Mercy
True Justice and Mercy were goals of the Israelite system of justice as well. Both Justice and Mercy reflect God’s character, and should radiate in the lives of God’s people.…
- Exodus 23:10-19: Putting God First
Not many of us are called to the mission field or the pastorate, but all of us are called to put God first. In this section of the divine laws…
- Exodus 23:20-33: God Giving Victory
Sometimes the Christian walk feels like a slog. You feel like you never get anywhere. Enemies without, and your own attitude and actions within, make you feel like you are…
Exodus 24
- Exodus 24:1-8: Confirming the Covenant
God had provided an historical context for their relationship, expressed his terms, and highlighted the benefits and curses of obedience (or not). All that was left was the ceremony, which…
- Exodus 24:9-18: Seeing God
In this passage, the covenant ratification ceremony is completed by Israel’s representatives enjoying fellowship with God. Then, following their return down the mountain, Moses ascends again to commune further with…
Exodus 25
- Exodus 25:1-9: Contributing to God’s Sanctuary
After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and entering into a covenant relationship with them at Sinai, God begins to explain to Moses the requirements for his dwelling-place with…
- Exodus 25:10-22: The Ark of the Covenant
In the first verses of chapter 25, God instructed the people to provide materials for the building of God’s Tabernacle, his dwelling place with them. In verses ten to twenty-two,…
- Exodus 25:23-30: The Bread of Presence
Moses receives instructions to build a table, which will belong in the outer room of God’s tent. This table serves as the home for the bread of presence, which symbolised…
- Exodus 25:31-40: The Golden Lampstand
God gave Moses instructions for the construction of a lampstand for the tent. After all, it is difficult to serve God in the Tent of Meeting when you stumble into…
Exodus 26
- Exodus 26: Building God’s House
If God was going to dwell with his people, he needed a residence “fit for a king”. And so in Exodus 26, instructions are given about the construction of God’s…
Exodus 27
- Exodus 27:1-19: The Altar and the Courtyard
The area surrounding God’s tabernacle, his palace amongst his people, also made clear that you were not entering any ordinary household. The expansive, walled off courtyard surrounding the tabernacle, reminded…
- Exodus 27:20-28:14 Priestly Duties
Up until now the instructions given to Moses have focused on the construction of the tabernacle, its contents, and the surrounds. But houses do not keep themselves; they need someone…
Exodus 28
- Exodus 28:15-30: Lights and Perfections
How do we know God’s Will? Do we consult with a couple of people then go with our gut? Roll dice? Allow circumstances to lead the way? There are lots…
- Exodus 28:31-43: Clothed for God’s Service
Throughout chapter 28 of Exodus, God has instructed Moses on the proper clothing fit for those serving in his house. In these final verses, further instructions are given on the…
Exodus 29
- Exodus 29:1-21: Ordaining the Priests
Standing as their representatives before God, and serving in holy places, the priests needed to be properly ordained. In this passage we see the materials needed, the ceremony, and the…
- Exodus 29:22-46: Continually Cleansed
In our passage this week we see the ongoing requirements that continued the ordination process, and were repeated whenever there was a new High Priest. And we see the repeated…
Exodus 30
- Exodus 30:1-10,34-38: The Altar of Incense
While God does not have a literal nose and sense of smell like us, he does enjoy the fragrant smells of prayer lifted up to him. In Exodus 30, we…
- Exodus 30:11-16: The Census Ransom
The census was a useful tool in centuries past as well. In this passage, we see an example of a census taken of Israel’s men, and the specific requirements that…
- Exodus 30:17-33: Cleansed and Anointed
While the priests were symbolically justified by the altar sacrifices, they still had to be cleansed to come into God’s presence. Also, they and the items needed to be anointed…
Exodus 31
- Exodus 31:1-11: Art For God’s Glory
God blesses many of us with artistic ability, as one means in our lives by which we can glorify God. In Exodus, God calls and equips two men to lead…
- Exodus 31:12-18: Worship and Rest
week to rest and worship God? Not surprisingly, bombarded with the world’s desire for constant go-go-go, we are tempted to view a faithful interpretation of the Sabbath rest as a…
Exodus 32
- Exodus 32:1-6: The Golden Calf
Sin is impatience, disobedience, distrust, and corruption of the good. And we all do it. We might laugh at the absurdity of a people who literally saw God descend on…
- Exodus 32:7-14: Interceding For God’s People
Something was rotten at Mount Sinai. After forty days of waiting for Moses to reappear, the hard hearts of Israel had led them into sin, denying the God who had…
- Exodus 32:15-24 – Confronting Sin
o far in Exodus 32 we have seen the Israelites create and worship and idol, and Moses intercede on their behalf before God up on Mount Sinai. In verses 15…
- Exodus 32:25-35: Sin’s Consequences
put sin to death, and acknowledge that sin has consequences. Thankfully, God has placed the worst of those consequences on Christ, not on us.
Exodus 33
- Exodus 33:1-11: Displeasure and Fellowship
The Golden Calf incident resulted in a confrontation between God and the people over their grievous sin. It resulted in consequences for Israel. In this passage, we see it also…
- Exodus 33:12-23: Seeing God’s Glory
God’s declaration that he would not go to the Promised Land with his people, because their sinful nature might result in their destruction, led to repentance from Israel. But this…
Exodus 34
- Exodus 34:1-9: Encountering God
In the first nine verses of chapter 34, Moses encounters God’s glory in a way he never had before. We see the preparations for the encounter, read of the encounter…
- Exodus 34:10-28: Relationship Reset
After seeing God’s glory, Moses was able to renew the covenant relationship with God. In this second chance, God makes quite clear yet again the standard he requires. They are…
- Exodus 34:29-35: Moses’ Shining Face
Moses’ shining face reflected God’s glory to all of God’s People. But his glory caused fear for Israel when they gazed on Moses’ face. Thankfully, now that Christ has come…
Exodus 35
- Exodus 35:1-29: Everyone Pitching In
In Exodus 35, the narrative shifts from Moses receiving instructions from God on how to live in a way that pleases God (especially after the disastrous Golden Calf incident), to…
- Exodus 35:30-36:7: Generous Gifting
ommissioning Oholiab and Bezalel to commence the construction task. We see God’s anointing and their commissioning for their role, and the generous freewill giving of the Israelites towards the extension…
Exodus 36
- Exodus 36/John 1:14-18: The Better Temple
We remember that Jesus is the better temple. Where the tabernacle was layers of beautiful fabric, and the temples were made of timber and stone, the better temple was made…
- Exodus 36:8-38: Under Construction
In Exodus 36:8-38 we see a rather more successful building project get underway. The Israelites built the Tabernacle where God would dwell with them. But this tent looked forward to…
Exodus 37
- Exodus 37:1-29: Furnishing God’s House
In the previous chapter, we saw how the Israelites began constructing the tabernacle which was God’s dwelling-place with them on earth, pointing to the greater fulfilment in Christ. In this…
Exodus 38
- Exodus 38: Landscape Design
The outside of God’s House was also carefully landscaped to reveal what is important to God and teach Israel what they needed to know about living in his midst. In…
Exodus 39
- Exodus 39:1-31: A Forgiving Outfit
Holy Place? By a Forgiving Outfit. An outfit which demonstrated the forgiveness he received, the forgiveness he sought on behalf of his people, and the forgiveness they and we receive…
- Exodus 39:32-43: Quality Assurance
If quality assurance is something that’s essential for a mere road, then it should not surprise us that the dwelling-place of God with his people would be subject to strict…
Exodus 40
- Exodus 40: When God’s Glory Arrived
One year to the day after God led the Israelites out of Egypt, God instructed Moses to “erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting” (vv.1-2). God’s miraculous rescue of…
Other passages
- Ezra 6:19-22: New Exodus, New Passover
The returned exiles had finally restored and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem, and in March 516 BC celebrated its completion. In April, they celebrated the Passover for the first time…