Day 53 – Moses & the Red Sea

Readings

  • Exodus 13
  • Exodus 14
  • Hebrews 11:24-29

Prayer

Pray… that God will deliver you from your attackers, trouble-makers and bullies too.

Day 53 – Moses & the Red Sea

Moses’ faith at the Passover & crossing the Red Sea

 

We’re about to start a period in the Old Testament where God’s people, the Israelites, are stuck in the desert (or wilderness) for over 40 years. During this time there is a whole plethora of events that take place, which we’ll be reading about throughout the rest of this month and all of March. By the end of March we’ll have ploughed through the rest of the book of Exodus, and Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy too – which, along with Genesis, are also known as the “Pentateuch”.

 

The period in the wilderness covers some famous events, including manna and quail from Heaven (showing God’s care for His people), the Ten Commandments (showing God’s Law), and a time when the people made a golden calf to worship (which God uses to show His judgement against sin). There are also lots of trickier parts which we’ll briefly work through, such as some of the Law that isn’t followed by Christians any more, following changes that have now been brought through Christ. Hopefully when we get to these parts you’ll learn lots of new things.

 

  • Well, the greatest escape that anyone has ever done has just occurred. Over a million people – probably two million – have just escaped one of the most powerful countries on earth. Make sure you let that sink in! God, in His grace and power, has redeemed His people. This is the beginning of the birth of a new nation – the nation of Israel.
  • Exodus 13 begins with God’s instructions for the Passover memorial feast, which has been celebrated by Jewish people ever since. What do verses 8-10 say about why they did this?
  • Why did God harden the heart of the Pharaoh again to send his chariots after the people? Exodus 14:4 will help you. How did God protect His people from the Egyptian soldiers?
  • The reaction of the people when they saw the Egyptians coming is interesting, isn’t it? You can see their comments and thoughts in Exodus 14:10-12. It’s panic and worry and moaning! Does that surprise you, coming so soon after they saw God work ten miracles in the plagues He sent? What does that say about their relationship with God?
  • Think about times when we might have demanded signs from God… but then forget about them even if we got them. What signs do we have from God? Do people still ignore them?
  • How did God lead the people? There is more than one answer – look in the last half of Exodus 13.
  • What are some of the ways God leads you? Do you allow yourself to be led by them?
  • Hebrews 11 gives us a list of ways in which Moses showed his faith in God. What evidence do we show in our lives that we trust in God too? Where is God in our priority list?
  • Do you think God took pleasure in killing the Egyptians in the sea? Why, or why not?

 

If you’re a clever clogs, and for a bonus chocolate:

 

  • Look at Exodus 13:19. Why were they taking the bones of Joseph with them? Where had Joseph requested this?

 

I’ve attached a timeline of events of the Old Testament up to now so you can see where the Exodus fits into the whole Old Testament. It will also encourage you, I hope, as it shows how far we have come already! Print it off – please! – and stick it in your journal. It *will* help you as we read on.

 

I’ve also attached a map of the approximate journey by the Israelites during the Exodus. You can see Egypt, the Red Sea, Mount Sinai (where they will receive the Ten Commandments), and the area where they went round and round in the “wilderness”. Of course, you can also see where they were eventually aiming for – Canaan, the Promised Land.

 

 


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