Paying My Own Ransom

Exodus 30:12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted” (NIV). Observation: God was in the midst of establishing patterns for the Hebrews’ spiritual lives. After much detail, the...

The Ultimate Bouncer

Exodus 23:22, 27 “If you listen carefully to all that he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation that you encounter.” Observation: God...

His Deepest Longing

Exodus 17:2 “Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?’ ”(NIV). Observation: The Hebrews had recently begun what would be a forty-year odyssey of desert wandering. Having satisfied their need for food, they then quarreled with...

How Awl-ful

Exodus 21:6 “He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (NIV). Observation: Moses had just received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. The people’s attention was riveted toward the mountain where...

Stuck in a Birth Canal

Exodus 14:13–14 “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still’ ” (NIV)....

Victimization Cancelled

Exodus 9:19 “Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die” (NIV). Observation: We...