Today's Reading:

Exodus 14
Exodus 15
Exodus 16
Exodus 17
Exodus 18

 
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, siblings who miraculously crossed the Red Sea running from Pharaoh’s army, led the Israelites with grace. The three worked together. Moses led the people, Aaron was the speaker/co-leader, and Miriam was there to worship and praise God through song and dance after the events. There was richness in their unity and in the inclusion and honor of Miriam, being forever recognized as a prophetess. There was no rivalry, jealousy, or division. Just family working together for His glory, reminding us that divine deliverance not only saves people but can heal and unite families.  
 

When Moses followed God’s command and turned the Israelites around to go back and camp by the sea, appearing boxed in with the desert around them and the sea on the other side, they likely felt panic-stricken with no escape and regretting leaving Egypt as Pharaoh’s army closed in. Pharaoh had 600 of his best chariots and all the other chariots in Egypt pursuing them yet Moses held back his fear as he told the Israelites to “stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord” (14:13). The Israelites would have preferred to stay slaves than to die in the desert and this complaint began their nature of complaining throughout the book of Exodus. The Lord said to Moses to move on, and the pillar of cloud (God’s presence as the Son/pre-incarnate Jesus) moved to protect the Israelites with darkness on one side and light on the other throughout the night.  

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove back the water to form walls all night in order for the Israelites to cross by dry land. Once the entire camp of Israelites crossed by dawn, the waters returned, drowning the Egyptian army. This was not a 10-minute holding back of the waters; it lasted all night.  You had a million people with all their belongings and animals to get across the seabed.  

Moses and his sister Miriam (remember her from watching baby Moses float down the Nile in a basket) praise God through song and dance, expressing their gratitude for bringing the Israelites through the Red Sea. Miriam became the first woman prophet in the Bible, leading the Israelites in worship. 

How quickly the people grumbled after being delivered from slavery, barely 3 days later, they started their favorite past time, complaining. First of thirst, then that the water was bitter, and then of no food. The Lord provided safe drinking water and manna from the sky , proving He will provide for His chosen ones. The beautiful flakes of bread each morning taught the people how to rely only on God and have trust and faith in His provisions, collecting double on Friday in order to have food for the Sabbath (Saturday). Yet some of the people of Israel still did not listen. On the seventh day, they went out to gather manna and found none, so the Lord rebuked them for not keeping His commandments. The entire community moved on and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water to drink. As usual, people complained to Moses and grumbled against the Lord. Moses cried out to the Lord, who told him to strike the rock and water flowed at Mt. Horeb. This is the first of two incidents where God tells him to strike a rock to provide water for the Israelites. Note how Moses obeyed perfectly.  

As chapter 17 continued, The Amalekites (a nation of nomads from the descendants of Esau, Jacob/Israel's redheaded brother) attacked the Israelites without motive. Joshua was introduced here as he fought the Amalekites, while Moses had help holding his hands up from Aaron and Hur in prayer and dependence on the Lord for help.  

Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) heard of the Lord bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and came out to Mt. Sinai to bring his wife and sons back to him after approximately a year of separation. Jethro, a Midian priest, started to follow the God of Israel — he confessed the Lord's supremacy, praised Him, and offered sacrifices in worship. The next day, the toll of sitting as the judge for the Israelites was seen in Moses. Jethro suggested setting up a court system to teach people the laws and appoint righteous leaders in a tiered hierarchy system. God’s abundant grace shone through as He reunited Moses with his family, gave Jethro the ability to worship and come to Him, as well as help Moses with the difficulties of running a community of people. As Jethro humbly recognized the Lord’s supremacy, what might this teach us today about being willing to receive life-changing guidance or spiritual insight from unexpected people in our own faith circles? 

Today's Discussion question: 

As Jethro humbly recognized the Lord’s supremacy, what might this teach us today about being willing to receive life-changing guidance or spiritual insight from unexpected people in our own faith circles?

 
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