Exodus 1-18
Moses
Week 8 September 9 – 13, 2019
Monday September 9
God Chooses Moses – Exodus 1-4
Moses was given a very difficult job. He felt less than qualified, but it was the job that was set before him to do. We all feel this way at one time or another, at work, at home, in our relationships. A task becomes overwhelming, we end up on the receiving end of criticism or rejection, nothing we do feels like enough and we don’t see how a good outcome is possible. Moses was given the job of freeing an entire people from slavery, but he wasn’t going to do it alone. What a relief! As you move through life, remember that you are not alone either. It’s important that you acknowledge God’s presence, tell Him what you’re facing and how you feel, ask Him to show you the right thing to do, and follow His guidance even when it seems hard or impossible. Life requires us to do hard things, to work hard and sacrifice. When we do those things in accordance with God’s will, we get a much greater reward and success than if we had tried it on our own. Even when the outcome doesn’t look like success to the world, our perseverance and obedience to the Lord is the proof. Our goal should be only to please God and bring worship to His name, and when we follow Him then our goal is achieved. How are you measuring success in your life? Have you considered God’s opinion? When you make room for God and His supernatural power in your life, you open yourself up to so much more than you could ever do on your own. God will give you everything you need as you follow Him.
Activity: What is the big thing in your life right now? Choosing a college to attend, making new friends, a project at work, parenting children, working through a difficult situation. What is your big thing? It’s easy to get caught up in asking other people for advice, googling the answer, researching whatever you can to help you make your next step. Today, ask God what to do. If you can, kneel at your bed, couch, coffee table, wherever, and humble yourself before God in prayer. Prayer doesn’t always have to look like this, but this is the exercise we are doing today. By placing ourselves in a physically humbled position, we are preparing our hearts to be humbled. Now pray. Tell God your thoughts around this “big thing”, your struggles, your feelings. Submit yourself to God’s will in this area by telling Him that you want be obedient to Him and opening yourself up to receive direction from Him. Understand that the direction you receive may not be what you expect and you might not even like it, but it is your responsibility only to be obedient and God will take care of the rest.
With Children: Show your child how they can kneel in prayer and ask them what they need to ask God for help with in their life. Then pray with them and help them to submit this to Him. With younger children, model prayer for them and pray to God to help them to follow Him and be obedient to His guidance as they grow.
Tuesday September 10
God Sends Moses – Exodus 5-9
Moses did not allow himself to be intimidated by Pharaoh. Even when Pharaoh mocked him, refused to listen, and punished the Israelite people because of what Moses said about God, he did not back down. Moses did not snap back at Pharaoh, he didn’t make it personal or start attacking Pharaoh’s character. Instead Moses understood that Pharaoh wasn’t rejecting him, he was rejecting God, and Pharaoh was going to pay the price. Even though God wasn’t working as fast as Moses wanted him to, God never went back on His word to Moses. Pharaoh made Moses look like a fool, mocking his signs by replicating them with tricks and laughing right in his face. Moses stayed humble, he simply obeyed God, and continued to do what God told him to do. We often face consequences in the world because others don’t understand our commitment to the Lord, but we must not allow ourselves to be intimidated into backing down. We can firmly stand our ground as Moses did, while continuing to respond with love and humility. God’s work speaks for itself and all we have to do is be faithful and understand that when our neighbors, family members, co-workers, or friends seem to reject us for desiring to walk in righteousness and speak the truth, it is really God who they are rejecting. We don’t need to worry about proving ourselves right or getting revenge, because God always wins in the end. Our response should be to intercede in prayer on behalf of the person rejecting God and seek to win them over with an unwavering love and commitment to our faith. Is there someone you know who has rejected God by either outright speaking against God or through their actions and lifestyle? Reach out to that person in love. Instead of allowing them to sway you into intimidation, move forward confidently, knowing that you represent the same God who showed himself so powerfully through Moses.
Activity: Be intentional today in your interaction with someone who is far from God. As a representative of God, how can you be a blessing to them today? Whether it be doing them a favor without them asking, writing them an encouraging note and telling them you’re praying for them, giving them a gift of a cup of coffee, or simply being a friendly face, persist in your interactions with them instead of being intimidated. Ask God how to be effective in your words and actions.
With Children: Help your child think of a way that they can step out as a representative for God today. It can be scary to be the “good” kid when everyone else in their class chooses to do the wrong thing, to use a gift for music to worship the Lord publicly, or to be a friend to someone who’s been outcast. Encourage them to follow through and remind them that God is always there with them. For younger children, you can include them in your interaction with a neighbor or family member, modeling a loving act in the name of Jesus.
Wednesday September 11
Leaving Egypt – Exodus 10-13:16
Just like a perfect sacrifice was required to save the Israelites from slavery, we need freedom from the slavery of our sin. Sin enslaves us to an eternity without God, and it’s something that we have no power to save ourselves from. The Israelites could not save themselves from enslavement by the Egyptians, either. For us, the perfect sacrifice has already been given, in the perfect person of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to the earth, lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross, transferring all of our sin and punishment onto Him. We have a perfect lamb. Our part is simply to believe in Jesus Christ, repent and confess our sins to God, and thank God for His forgiveness of our sins as we move forward living our lives according to His will. God takes care of His people and just as He saved the Israelites, He will save you, too! Are you living out your salvation every day? Have you allowed God’s redemption to work it’s way in every part of you life?
Activity: Write a letter to God, using a piece of paper or a journal, thanking God for saving you from the enslavement of your sin. List the sin in your life that used to have a grip on you, or that you feel yourself drawn toward, and thank God for removing that sin from your life replacing it with every good thing that comes from Him.
With Children: Help your child write down a list of the sins that they struggle with or a tempted to do, and then talk to them about how God helps them to choose to do the right thing instead of choosing to sin. Practice saying aloud to God, that you are thankful to Him for His forgiveness and His help! With younger children, you can write a list for them and talk to them about our actions, right and wrong, and how God can forgive us for wrong actions and help us to do what is right.
Thursday September 12
Crossing the Sea – Exodus 13:17-15
The Israelites have now seen miracle after miracle. They watched Moses perform signs, they saw God send incredible plagues, and were freed from slavery! Yet every time they faced even a small discomfort, they complained and blamed God. If they had only been patient, they would have seen that God had a plan to take care of their every need. What miracles, signs, and freedom has God given to you? How quickly do you forget the ways He cares for you when something doesn’t go your way? Do you immediately despair and complain when faced with criticism, low funds, problems at work, frustration in a relationship, health struggles, or any other setbacks big or small? When one of these things pops up in your life, how much time do you give God to work it out before you start getting discouraged? The Israelites could immediately find something to complain about, even when they were fresh off a recent miracle. They downplayed their blessing and emphasized their problems. They were quick to reject God only hours or days after singing His praises. In your life, do you make a point to remember God’s blessings? Or do you only see what is directly in front of you, forgetting all that the Lord has already done and promises to do in your life?
Activity: Cut up several sheets of paper or use index cards, and on each piece write down one miracle that the Lord has done in your life. Once you get going, you may realize that you need more paper! Write down God’s many miracles, blessings, freedoms, that you have already seen done in the past. Now remember that God’s character does not change and He will continue to do these things for you in the future, because He loves you! Place these cards in an area where they will remind you to emphasize how the Lord has blessed you. When you are tempted to complain, remember that God has taken care of you up to now, and He will continue to do so if you just trust Him and give Him the opportunity to do so in His perfect timing.
With Children: Help your child as they cut up several sheets of paper or use index cards, and on each piece write down one miracle that the Lord has done in their life. Talk with your child about the importance of remembering all that God has done for us so that we don’t get discouraged and lose hope in a current or future situation. Help your child hang the card, put them on the refrigerator, or lay them somewhere where they will be a regular reminder of God’s blessings!
Friday September 13
The Wilderness – Exodus 16-18
God provides once again! It is easy to get discouraged when life gets hard, and for the Israelites life had gotten very hard. Living in the desert cannot be an easy thing and the Israelites were quickly running out of food. At least in slavery, they always had enough food and a comfortable place to live. It was easy to remember a more comfortable situation and wish things were like that again. They forgot for a moment that even though they had some things in the past that they don’t have now, they were enslaved and mistreated as well. Have you ever been in a tough spot and wished your life was how it used to be? We always hear the familiar term “in the old days” and then whoever says how good life was back in the day. It’s easy to look back and wish for what we had, while forgetting how far we have come. We can try to go back to how things used to be, but we will only be moving backward and putting on the old things that used to weigh us down. When you’re in a tough spot, it’s better to remember that there is a future ahead of you that is full of hope. God has your own manna prepared to see you through the hard times, you just have to keep moving forward, instead of living in the past.
Activity: As you eat a snack today, think of the manna that God provided for the Israelites. Maybe you’re eating some chips or pretzels, a piece of fruit, or vegetable sticks. Whatever your choice of food, think about the texture and flavor as your take a bite, and enjoy the food you eat. The Bible tells us that the manna for the Israelites tasted like bread and honey. It was sweet and enjoyable.
With Children: Choose what your child will have for a snack today. Tell them to pretend that it is the manna that God gave to the Israelites. You can even have a piece of bread with honey as a snack to help them understand the flavors of the manna that God provided!
