Author: dgould77

“When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain,they gathered around Aaron. ‘Come on,’ they said, ‘make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’” v1
Idols again! Even though Israel had seen the invisible God in Action, they still wanted the familiar gods they could see and shape into whatever image they desired. How much like them we are! Our great temptation is still to shape God to our liking, to make him convenient to obey or ignore. God responds in great anger when his mercy is trampled on. The gods we create blind us to the love that our loving God wants to shower on us. God cannot work in us when we elevate anyone or anything above him. What false gods in your life are preventing the true God from living in YOU?

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Then God gave the people all these instructions:” v1
Why were the Ten Commandments necessary for God’s new nation? At the foot of Mt. Siani, God showed his people the true function and beauty of his laws. The commandments were designed to lead Israel to a life of practical holiness. In them, people could see the nature of God and his plan fr how they should live. The commands and guidelines were intended to direct the community to meet the needs of each individual in a loving and responsible manner. By Jesus’ time however, most people looked at the law the wrong way. They saw it as a means to prosperity in both this world and the next. And they thought that to obey the law was the way to earn God’s protection from foreign invasion and natural disaster. Law keeping became an end in itself, not the means to fulfill God’s ultimate law of love.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” v3-6
God had a reason for rescuing the Israelites from slavery. How he was ready to tell them what it was: Israel was to become a kingdom of priest and a holy nation where anyone could approach God freely. It didn’t take long, however, for the people to corrupt God’s plan. God then established Aaron’s descendants from the tribe of Levi as priest representing what the entire nation should have been. But with the coming of Jesus Christ, God has once again extended his plan to all believers. We are to become holy, “royal priest”. The death and resurrection of of Christ has allowed each of us to approach God freely.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.” v24-26
Moses was spending so much time and energy hearing the Hebrews’ complaints that he could not get to other important work. Jethro suggested that Moses delegate most of this work to others and focus his efforts on jobs only he could do. People in positions of responsibility sometimes feel they are the only ones who can do necessary tasks; bit others are capable of handling part of the load. Delegation relieved Moses’ stress and improved the quality of the government. It helped prepare them for the system of government set up in Canaan. Proper delegation can multiply your effectiveness while giving others a chance to grow.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.’” v4-5

“Then Moses said to Aaron, ”Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.” And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.” v9-10
After much complaining and questioning, God proved Himself once again to have thing in control by meeting the Israelites need for food. He provided manna from heaven for the morning and quail at night. Each person had enough for that day. On the sixth day they were to gather a double portion to last throughout the sabbath (seventh day, a day of rest).

Even though the Israelites directed the blame and questioned Moses, he still realized that they were questioning God not him. He was just the messenger. It is easier to complain than it is to trust. Moses had a great perspective on this and how he related to the people.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 16:1-2
It happened again. As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God provided fr their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and complaining is a natural response. The Israelites didn’t really want to be back Egypt; they just wanted life to get a little easier. In the pressure of the moment, they could not focus on the cause of their stress (in this case the lack of trust in God); they could only think about the quickest way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape. Instead, focus on God’s power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause of your stress.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” 14:10-14
Trapped against the sea, the Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. The Israelites thought they were doomed. After watching God’s powerful hand deliver them from Egypt, their only response was fear, whining, and despair. Where was their trust in God? Israel had to learn from repeated experience that God was able to provide for them.

The people were hostile and despairing, but Moses encouraged them to watch the wonderful way God would rescue them. Moses had a positive attitude! When it looked as if they were trapped, Moses called upon the God to intervene. The Lord told Moses to stop praying and get moving! Prayer must have a vital place in our lives, but there is also place for action. Sometimes we know what to do, but we but we pray for more guidance as an excuse to postpone doing it. If we know what we should do, then its time to get moving.

But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” 14:29-31
God has preserved these examples in the Bible so that we can learn to trust him the first time. By focusing on God’s faithfulness in the past, we can face crises with confidence rather than with fear and complaining. We may not be chased by an army, but we may still feel trapped. Instead of giving into despair, we should adopt Moses’ attitude to “stand still and watch the LORD rescue” us.

“So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron. And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.” 12:28-30
Every firstborn child of the Egyptians died, but the Israelite children were spared because the blood of the lamb had been smeared on their doorframes (passover). So begins the story of redemption, the central theme of the Bible.

Redemption means – “to buy back” of “to save from captivity by paying a ransom.” One way to buy back a slave was to offer an equivalent or superior slave in exchange. That is the way God choose to buy us back – he offered his Son in exchange for us.

In the Old Testament times, God accepted symbolic offerings. Jesus had not yet been sacrificed, so God accepted the life of an animal in place of the life of the sinner. When Jesus came, he substituted his perfect life for our sinful lives, taking the penalty for sin that we deserve. Thus he redeemed us from the power of sin and restored us to God. Jesus’ sacrifice made animal sacrifice no longer necessary.

We must recognize that if we want to be freed from the deadly consequences of our sin, a tremendous price must be paid. But we don’t have to pay it. Jesus Christ, our substitute, has already redeemed us by his death on the cross. Our part is to trust him and accept his gift of eternal life. Our sins have been paid for, and the way has been cleared for us to begin a relationship with God.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible