Text: Exodus 4:18-31, Exodus 5:1-23, Exodus 6:1-13
When was the last time you had one of those days where things seemed to go from bad to worse?
My most recent one started with a phone call from my mother. She called to tell me my grandmother had only a few hours left to live. I immediately picked up my laptop, abandoned my latte, and headed out of the coffee shop, rushing to get home and start packing. I’d driven to the edge of the parking lot when a passerby mimed for me to roll down the car window.
“Your tire,” he said. “You know it’s flat?”
“Yeah,” I lied, heartbroken. “I know.”
That evening, my grandmother passed away. It was sudden. Shocking. The older I get, the more I brace myself for times like these. When it rains, they say it pours. And when things are hard, it’s possible they’re about to get a whole lot harder.
Things were bad for the Israelites: enslaved, baking bricks in the hot sun, suffering from ridicule, racism, and genocide. The news Moses brought was like salve to the their ears. Hearing that the Lord saw and remembered them, had seen their misery and was concerned about them, they bowed down and worshiped Him (Exodus 4:31). But little did they know, things were about to go from bad to worse.
The Lord’s plan was coming into fruition, though it wasn’t all rosy. The signs “I AM” gave Moses included blood and snakes and leprosy. And as Moses opened his mouth to speak, he watched Pharaoh’s grip tighten around the necks of the Israelites, the people he’d been sent to save.
Can you imagine? The situation was so ridiculous—so absolutely fraught with hatred—I wonder if any of the Israelites had to laugh in the midst of their tears. They were already slaves, already broken, ridiculed, and beaten. And now, this? No straw? Forcing a slave to gather his own straw was like asking a construction worker to make his own boards.
The rug was being pulled out from under the Israelites, and let’s be clear: God was doing the pulling—not because He was cruel or cold-hearted or enjoyed watching them suffer. He did it because He loved the Israelites too much to leave them in slavery.
After living under Pharaoh’s oppression for so long, enslavement had started to feel normal. It had become the everyday rhythm of the Israelites’ lives. They had forgotten what it means to be free. So God’s first step in freeing them was to make slavery even more unbearable. In His mercy, He lifted the veil from their eyes and made it clear: there was no future for them in Egypt.
God does the same for us. His concern and love for us dictate that He use all means necessary to wake us out of the acceptance of our own slavery—to comparison and greed, lust and selfishness and joylessness—whatever it may be. In His mercy, God refuses to let us bear it any longer.
Here’s a hard truth: God’s mercy does not require His treatment of us to be comfortable or safe (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). But in the midst of our pain, God’s plan is still good and His promises remain true. He will deliver us. He will free us. He will redeem us (Exodus 6:6). And come what may, He promises to be with us (Isaiah 43:2).
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
Claire Gibson is a freelance writer and editor whose work has been featured both locally and nationally in publications including The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and Entrepreneur Magazine. An Army kid who grew up at West Point, New York, Claire is currently growing roots in Nashville, Tennessee. She loves her husband, Patrick, and their dog, Winnie.
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61 thoughts on "Israel Prepares to Leave Egypt"
I needed this passage this morning. Life is hard and we all encounter difficult times but I know God will bring everyone peace.
Had no idea how much I needed to hear this today. Thanks
I have never seen it this way, and it makes so much more sense! Thank you for making this childhood story from the Bible alive and so relevant!
Indeed God’s nature doesn’t change. He is good and his pln is perfect. Thanks for this!
God is always good and His promises are always true.
What great words of assurance! I have found the more I suffer in this life, the deeper my desire becomes for God’s kingdom. Egypt was not home for the Israelites: God wanted to bring them into the promised land. In the same way, my suffering and pain remind me that this is not my home and that God has a promised land that I can hope and yearn for. Until I lost my father last year, I was growing content in this world of sin: I didn’t have a kingdom mindset. Less than two weeks ago, my older brother was called home suddenly to be with my earthly father and my Heavenly Father and now my desire for His kingdom has only grown stronger. I hurt so much but I know that one day God is going to bring me into the promised land and I will be reunited with everyone I have lost and He is going to take away this earthly pain, just as he removed the physical pain of slavery from the Israelites. Hallelujah!
Wow! This days study really spoke to me!
At the end of a long day. At the end of my first month trying a new medicine. At the end of a week that has been exhausting. It is so hard, but so good to be reminded that while my God is for me, He is not concerned with my comfort. He is willing to do the hard for the holy. He is refining me, even if it hurts. Oh Father, let me see the love and the beauty of your relentless, burning love.
Wow! That last paragraph was hard hitting but exactly what I needed to hear. Walking through a difficult season in my life right now, and there are so many times where I have doubted God’s love because if He really loves me why do I have to walk through this very difficult trial? I’ve never even thought about how God’s mercy is sometimes painful. Thank you for sharing this hard truth with us.
You will be stronger, Pam and be able to bless someone else because you have “been there”. Blessings to you ♥
Ex 6:9 stood out to me. “Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor”
Lord, in the midst of trials and hardships allow me to accept the Hope you provide through your word and others. I pray that I would not focus so much on the trial and pain itself that I am blinded to the hope I could have. Allow our spirits to be receptive to your truth.
You make a great point Steph….sometimes just the journey of life, even the small routine things of daily living can become all consuming and blinding….I too pray I’ll be receptive ro Gods goodness and hope and not consumed only by what I see with my eyes. God bless
This is so true for me as well, can’t seem to focus thru the hurt, yet I know he is with me! Praying with you!
“But in the midst of our pain, God’s plan is still good and His promises remain true.” Amen Amen
Thank you very good writing ……..
My own slavery right now is joylessness. I find I have to work harder than everyone else to find joy in everyday things. But I refuse to let the Devil hold me down any longer. Since this plan started it has been speaking to me. So grateful!
“God’s mercy does not require His treatment of us to be comfortable or safe”. Amen!
Wow! Thank you for that hard truth today, Claire.
Just the reminder I needed today. God does not call us to the comfortable or safe but to trust Him and abandon everything we find security in for HIM.
I love this perspective on our hard times in this world. Especially after the Resurrected Life series, where our eternal, lasting, imperishable promise is in heaven with Christ. Though trials may come, Lord, let them perfect us and draw us nearer to your beautiful plan.
This is exactly what gets me through the pain and trials. He is still good. He is still on the throne. He is still for me.
http://Www.In-due-time.com
“Let my people go ..”
Moses on God’s command to pharaoh –
And
Jesus on God’s command to satan !
I love this!
this brings to mind a prayer in the Valley of Vision
“I have longed for Egypt and have been given a wilderness…”
Love this, Sara! Thanks for sharing today!
xoxo-Kaitlin
Oh how I love the Confession and Petition prayer. It brings to mind Ex 14:14 … Moses’s response after the Israelites complaint that they’d rather still be enslaved rather than wandering: “God will fight for you, you have only to be silent.” So important to rest in stillness and allow God to fight for us and through us because we are incapable of victory on our own.
In the study book, after the Exodus 6:1-13 section, Exodus 4:18-31 is repeated. Im sure it was a typo, just wondering if there is another intended reading that was supposed to be there or if theExodus selections are all that’s on the agenda for today! Thanks!
Hi Jacki,
We’re so thankful for your grace! It was a typo and there are just 3 reading passages for today.
xoxo-Kaitlin
Love this! Heard a sermon one time about trials and why we go through them. The minister kept repeating the phrase, “God can OVERRULE it, REDEEM it or UNDO it for His purpose!”
1 Peter 5 is a great example of why the Lord would allow us to go through trials. “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
This verse used to confuse me. I struggled with the “…after you have suffered a while…”, always thinking, “Why would He allow us to suffer? Why would He want us to suffer?”
But I was missing the verse before it. “…knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
Everyone suffers! The world is full of suffering! It is a sinful world, full of sinful people, evil deeds and wickedness…it’s been that way since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.
But He can redeem it for His purpose…verse ten tells us how He will accomplish it.
Perfect. Establish. Strengthen. Settle you.
Perfect us, other versions say “restore”. Where we were once perhaps fading away, this trial can restore us to where we need to be! It will establish us; put us on a firm foundation, believing God for who He says He is and what He can do. It will strengthen our faith, root us and ground us in scripture and in confidence of the God we serve.
And it will settle us. Calm us. Give us a peace that passes all understanding. So thankful that our trials bring glory to the Father and strength, wisdom and growth to our walk with Him. ♥
Oh my goodness! Didn’t realize how long I had gone on :( forgive me. ♥
So glad you did! Such a beautiful addition to the devotional today! I love how the Kingdom of God functions so beautifully together!
Don’t apologize! I appreciate your thoughts! And I’m thankful because I normally don’t get to come back later in the day, so it’s a blessing that I even saw your words. (I miss the days when we got an email to alert us to a reply!)
Lives your encouragement!
Loved*
Your words right here right now have blessed me so much. Thank you
THANK YOU!!!! This really hit home for me today <3
Candacejo, thank you so much for your insight. Just this morning 1Peter 5, was on my heart as I am going through. Perfect, Establish. Strengthen. Settle you. Prayerful that after suffering for a while, God will get the glory & I will gain strength, wisdom & ever increasing faith as I walk with him. Have a blessed day❤️
This was very helpful – i am glad you brought 1 Peter into it. Satan wants us to be fearful, anxious, defeated … Everything that our Father tells us to cast upon Him – all the trials in which He promises to sustain us through (Ps 55:22). And yes, there is suffering everywhere in this sinful world. But our sufferering will only be for a little while, and He is faithful to strengthen us so we can endure and bring Him glory. We have nothing to fear ! There is nothing too big for our God. He has overcome the world. He lives!! Let’s go forward another step today in His great power.
Totally blessed by your words today friend….Thank you…
Sending love across the pond…to all,especially sweet Norah Jayne…xxxx
I am spending the entire week with Norah Jayne, Tina! I am enjoying every single minute of it. She is a blessing to be sure. All is well in their little household. The Sweetheart is on his way down this evening and we will be looking at houses tomorrow and Saturday. If you have a moment to say a prayer for us it would be so appreciated. We anticipate to move the first of June if the Lord makes a way. Love back to you my faraway friend ♥
Holding your ask up in prayer dearest….Praying the Lord God Almighty provide just the right house, on the right street ,in the right area….He is faithful, He is good, He is God Almighty….and He WILL make a way….Amen…
Hugs, love and prayers…xxxx
Thank you candacejo! :) the lord seems to keep beating me over the head with this truth lately… Thankful I can rest in his promises and goodness to not only get me through this season but to establish and strengthen me! Praise be to God!
Amen! Thank you!
This devotion is hitting home today! Through some very mundane work I’ve been doing at our home, I’ve been brought face to face with lots of memories and past hurts that I’ve been living with for a long time. God’s been working on me to deal with them and move on, and today’s reading helped me understand why. I’ve been living in bondage to these hurts and regrets. And God doesn’t intend for me to live in bondage- Jesus died to set me free from such things! So as I’m feeling the pain again, God is reminding me that I’m supposed to deal with it–not be comfortable living with it– and move on in Freedom! Thank you, Lord!
I’m broken under the “bad to worse” right now – praying to hold onto hope in the plan that He’s working!
Praying for relief for you Abby.
Lord, have mercy on you.
Praying for you this morning.
Hold on…. He’s working ❤️
Hold on… He’s working ❤️
Laugh in the midst of tears…
GOD Loves us too much to let us stay
Good words today;)
Jesus let me not forget what it means to be free today!
You will find His peace in due time. Hold on, a change is coming!
Going to be sitting with this devotion for today, head in hands. What is my Egypt? What have I grown comfortable with which does not please the Lord? To what am I enslaved? What am I clenching tight in my first, essentially telling God, “Not this. You can’t have this . I won’t let this go.” Lord, reveal it all to me. Make it clear to me that there is no future for me in my Egypt. Wake me out of my acceptance of my slavery. Be merciful. Thank you that Your plan is good and that Your promises are for me and are true. Uncurl my fingers. Let my hands be open to all You are and all You have for me. Let me not be afraid but full of trust in You, my good and loving deliverer. Amen.
Wow, your words have touched me this morning and convicted my heart. Praying this right along side of you.
What is my Egypt? Powerful. Thank you for sharing this wisdom.
Amen.
Whoa, Churchmouse. Powerful words, indeed.
Thank you for sharing this powerful reminder & imagery. I love that the Word of the Lord is active, and can be applied to our lives today!
No words. Except, amen.
This passage always used to frustrate me. How could God be so cruel and make the suffering of the Israelites even worse? Why couldn’t He just save them? Today, this passage gives me hope. God is not only there when times get bad, He actually has a plan. And His plan is good, though our circumstances might not be. I can trust Him especially when I feel deserted. I pray today that my reaction to suffering will not be faithlessness and doubt but an even stronger faith in God’s plan.
But apart from that, there is one passage in today’s reading I still struggle with a lot, and that are the verses 24ff in chapter 4. Why does God try to kill Moses? What is it with the “bridegroom of blood”? Any insights on that?
Elisabeth, my study bible says, “God was about to kill Moses because Moses had not circumcised his son. Why hadn’t Moses done this? Remember that Moses had spent half his life in Pharaoh’s palace and half his life in the Midianite wilderness. He might not have been familiar with God’s laws, especially since all the requirements of God’s covenant with Israel had not been actively carried out for over 400 years. In addition, Moses’ wife, due to her Midianite background may have opposed circumcision. But Moses could not effectively serve as deliverer of God’s people until he had fulfilled the conditions of God’s covenant, and one of those covenants was circumcision. Before the could go any further, Moses and his family had to follow God’s commands completely. Under Old Testament law, failing to circumcise your son was to remove yourself and your family from God’s blessings.” Hope this helps.
Thanks for this info, Nancy! I was confused by those verses, and your study Bible note is quite helpful.
Thank you for this. I was very confused by that verse.
This is the first time I noticed that as well. I’m looking for insight as well