TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:1-4
In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son. - Hebrews 1:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
Fans of George F. Handel's Messiah know that during its premiere performance in 1742, King George II of England became so inspired by the exhilarating music of the Hallelujah Chorus that he stood to his feet. The rest of the audience, assuming that the performance was over and the king was leaving, stood up too. The tradition of standing for this great chorus took hold, but as it turned out the Hallelujah Chorus was not the last word in the Messiah.

When it comes to God's last word to His creation, there is no such confusion. God began speaking to His people in the Garden of Eden, and His message continued to come to our spiritual forefathers in a variety of ways.

These people included heroes of the faith such as Abraham and David, amazing people to whom God revealed Himself in incredible ways. But none of them heard His last word on the subject of salvation. That did not come until Jesus presented Himself to the nation of Israel and to the world as God's Messiah and Savior.

The reason for Jesus' superiority to any human figure is obvious. He is much more than human! We are made in God's image, but Jesus alone is the exact representation of God's being (v. 3). This is the language of deity. And only Jesus is qualified to sit at God's right hand in heaven.

Because Jesus Christ is God's final word to the world, those who brought the message of Christ to the Hebrews were worthy of a careful hearing. That was especially important for the readers of this letter to understand, since they were in danger of drifting away from Christ.

As he warned them against this tragic mistake, the writer used his favorite style of argument to prove the point. He argued from the lesser to the greater. If God held people responsible for their obedience to the old covenant, how much more would He hold us accountable for the word of His Son?

This is the salvation we have today. If you're ever feeling a little disconnected, sit down with your Bible and review the ""family history."" You are part of a story that goes back thousands of years and includes the greatest names in history!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God the Father gave us His definitive word when He spoke from heaven at Jesus' transfiguration: ""This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!"" (Matt. 17:5).

The command to listen to Jesus has never been canceled, and never will be. As we prepare to begin another month in God's Word together, pray that He will give you a listening ear and an open heart to hear what He wants to say to you. And don't forget to thank the Lord once again for our rich heritage of faith.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 18:1-30
God, have mercy on me, a sinner. - Luke 18:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
The July/August issue of The Saturday Evening Post included a list of notes to God written by little children. We can learn from, and laugh about, their honesty. One girl commented, “Dear God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.”

While this girl recognized her failure to love properly, the Pharisee in today's reading reveled in his malice. Jesus instructed His followers to ignore the example of the religious leader and instead mimic the reviled tax collector, the humble child, and the persistent widow.

The unique thing about the parable of the widow is how it begins. Luke explained beforehand why Jesus was telling the parable. His preface of encouragement and the final question from Jesus issued a challenge to the early believer: God will be infinitely more faithful than the unrigh-teous judge, but will believers show the endurance of faith?

In the example of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Pharisee's evil pride is obvious, but the humble prayer of the other man deserves a closer look. His plea for mercy was a request for forgiveness. In contrast to the Pharisee and the rich ruler later in the chapter, this man had no delusions of his own righteousness. His focus wasn't on entrance into the kingdom, merely forgiveness for sins he felt were extreme, as many scholars translate his assessment of himself as, “the sinner” (v. 13).

This sinner had an attitude like a child. He so appreciated God's grandness and at the same time realized his own weakness, he couldn't even look up to the heavens, like a child who is too shy to go face to face with a powerful authority figure. No one's righteousness can earn acceptance in God's eyes, so prayers should reflect an appropriate fear and submission to His unattainable glory.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It's nearly impossible to go an entire day without allowing the sin nature to shine through in some attitude, action, or thought. So imitate the prayer of the tax collector today. Ask for forgiveness and mercy from God for the sin that is so prevalent in the heart. Then with the unassuming reverence of a child, approach the throne of the king. Let's also rejoice that our holy Father shows more compassion than the wicked Pharisee!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 1:1-22
He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. - Proverbs 14:26
TODAY IN THE WORD
It has been almost twenty-five years since President Gerald Ford told the American people, ""Our long national nightmare is over."" It was August 9, 1974, and Ford had just been sworn in as president following Richard Nixon's resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal. In September, Ford pardoned Nixon, saying he hoped it would bring about national healing and reconciliation.

A quarter of a century later, we can say that the end of Watergate did not mean all was right with America. It's true that the transition in leadership in 1974 did give many people a sense of relief after several years of trials and controversy.

But things can change drastically under a new administration. The descendants of Jacob learned that hard lesson when they found themselves under the heel of a Pharaoh in Egypt ""who did not know about Joseph"" (v. . Before too long, God's people would cry out to Him as slaves, and He would raise up a new leader to set them free.

This is the setting for our subject this month, a study of leadership as it was practiced by Moses in the book of Exodus. Exodus tells of Israel's slavery in Egypt and its birth as a nation, a story that began when Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt (Gen. 37).

Since Egypt was the greatest power of the day, Joseph's position of great authority enabled him to rescue his father Jacob, his eleven brothers, and their families from famine in Canaan. Joseph brought his family to Egypt, settling them in an area called Goshen (Gen. 47:1) in the Egyptian delta. The Pharaoh even received Jacob and accepted his blessing (Gen. 47:7).

But Joseph died (Gen. 50:26), and several generations passed. The new Pharaoh, probably either Amenhotep I or Thutmose I, became concerned over the Israelites' growth and feared they could become part of an alliance against him. So he turned God's people into slaves and charged the two chief midwives to kill all newborn Hebrew boys.

But the two women feared God and refused to murder the babies. In the absence of a strong Israelite leader, they exercised godly leadership. If our generation would learn to do the same, a large part of our national nightmare could end.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If our studies in Exodus had a theme verse, this would be our choice: ""Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD"" (Ps. 33:12).

Whether this is still true of our nation, and the Western world in general, is debatable. But there is no debate that the only secure fortress for any people is the fear of the Lord. Our nation is becoming enslaved--not to a foreign power, but to greed, lust, and indifference. Let's pray that God will raise up a new generation of leaders who will follow Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 2:1-10
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months.... They were not afraid of the king's edict. - Hebrews 11:23
TODAY IN THE WORD
Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll points out that in 1809, the world's attention was riveted on the conquests of the French emperor Napoleon. That year Austria fell to Napoleon , as the ""little corporal"" swept across Europe, amassing a huge empire. But in terms of lasting influence on the world, Swindoll notes, the most important events of 1809 did not happen on battlefields but in baby cribs. Among the future leaders and influential figures born that year were William Gladstone, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charles Darwin, Edgar Allan Poe, and Abraham Lincoln.

The situation in Egypt in the fifteenth century B.C. was much the same. The Pharaoh was focused on kingdom business--protecting his empire and issuing royal edicts to keep his potential enemies in check. But the most important event of that era was the birth cry of a Hebrew boy born to a Levite family in Egypt.

Moses was arguably the world's greatest human liberator and the leader God had chosen to form a ragged collection of slaves into the nation of Israel. The fact that Moses was born under Pharaoh's death sentence was no obstacle to God. He put in the heart of Moses' mother Jochebed (Ex. 6:20) the same kind of daring and courage that the Hebrew midwives had shown.

Jochebed didn't have the opportunity to read the story of Noah, which her infant son had yet to record. But she did the same thing to save Moses that Noah had done to preserve his family. She took a ""basket"" (v. 3) and coated it with pitch to make it watertight. The word for basket is translated as ""ark"" in Genesis 6:14.

What a great picture of God's saving and preserving care! When He wants to save the righteous or raise up a leader for His people, neither a world full of water nor a king's command (see 1:22) matters to Him.

God not only saved Moses' life, but arranged for him to be weaned by his mother and raised in Pharaoh's court. The future liberator would spend almost forty years absorbing Egyptian education and culture. When it came time for him to make a choice, Moses would stand with God's people, although his first attempt at leadership was tragically misguided.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jochebed probably had two or three years to be with Moses. We can imagine the influence she had on him as she taught him about the true God. This is how Moses knew he was a Hebrew (2:11).

Thank the Lord for godly parental influence! We need to pray today for Christian parents around the world, especially those who are raising their children in hostile and dangerous environments. And if you are a parent seeking to instill godly principles in your children, be encouraged by Jochebed's example.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 2:11-25
The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him. - Psalm 33:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
Recently, a 43-year-old businessman wrote to the career advice columnist of the newspaper in his city. The man described himself as successful and still rising in his field, but not enjoying life. Long hours at work and broken relationships, including a divorce, left him feeling unhappy. ""I feel I'm successful but not driving on the scenic route,"" he wrote.

This kind of problem sounds very modern. Our culture even has a special name for it: mid-life crisis. But the fact is that this crisis doesn't just appear from nowhere and suddenly knock unsuspecting people off their feet. More often than not, it is brought on by deliberate choices.

Moses was forty years old (Acts 7:23) when he made a disastrous choice that plunged him into a life-threatening crisis. He went to the area of Goshen and saw the Hebrews being oppressed by their Egyptian slave masters (1:11-14). It's obvious that this was not just a social call on Moses' part. His heart must have been stirred to see ""his own people"" being so cruelly mistreated.

So when Moses witnessed an individual act of cruelty against a fellow Hebrew, he killed the Egyptian involved and tried to hide his crime.

This was more than just an act of anger. According to Stephen's great sermon (Acts 7:25), Moses already had a sense that he was to be Israel's deliverer, and this murder was the way Moses chose to announce to the nation that their rescuer had come.

But instead of giving Moses a hero's welcome, his fellow Hebrews scorned him for his botched attempt at leadership. Now the man who had been born in Egypt under one Pharaoh's death sentence was sentenced to death by another Pharaoh. Moses learned that doing things out of rage was not God's way of developing leaders.

Moses ran away eastward, stopping in the land of Midian. These people were shepherds, descendants of Abraham through his concubine Keturah (Gen. 25:1-6). Moses delivered the seven daughters of Reuel, or Jethro, from some unruly shepherds, married Zipporah, and settled down to the life of a shepherd. Moses' real preparation for leadership had begun.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Doing things our own way comes so naturally that some of us can't imagine any other way.

Are you holding on to some area of your life that you prefer to run according to your own rules? That's not a hard question to answer, if you sincerely want to know. Ask God to show you if this is the case, and He will. The hard question to answer is, what will you do about things that God shows you? Pray for a spirit that is ready to respond to His will.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 3:1-22
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. - Psalm 105:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Robert Moffat was an excellent gardener by the time he left his native Scotland for England. He had even completed an apprenticeship in his vocation. In England Moffat met Jesus Christ as his Savior, and his life was revolutionized. He answered God's call to the mission field, arriving in South Africa in 1816. Except for a couple of years in England, Moffat spent fifty-four years in Africa, leaving behind a legacy of many believers and churches, a Bible translation in one language, and five children who became missionaries.

Much like Robert Moffat, Moses was living in his adopted homeland, working in an ""apprenticeship"" that lasted forty years (Acts 7:30), when God called him to free the Israelites from Egypt. We think of Moses as one of the greatest leaders in history, but on the day he encountered the burning bush, this adopted son of Pharaoh seemed an unlikely candidate for leadership.

The book of Exodus covers a lot of ground in a hurry--Moses was already eighty years old at this point! However, we need to stop and recognize that Moses, a highly educated man, at first had lived forty years in royal luxury, then had been leading sheep in the desert for another four decades. Even Moses himself, writing later about his life, called it ""that long period"" (Ex. 2:23).

With the perspective that God's Word gives us, we can see that God was pruning and shaping Moses during those years, cutting away the remnants of the self-styled leader who lashed out violently and committed murder in an attempt to free his people.

Now Moses was ready for God's assignment, although in Exodus 4 he doesn't sound ready. It was out of the bush that God revealed His covenant name to Moses: ""I AM WHO I AM"" (v. 14). This is the God who keeps His promises, who had prepared ""a good and spacious land"" (v. for His people.

Moses received an incredible revelation and call from the true God, and a mission that would require the ""mighty hand"" (v. 19) of God to be accomplished. He had to win the trust of Israel's elders, and then approach the Pharaoh to demand that he release the Israelites. No human leader ever had a bigger job.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We have a resource in common with Moses: the name, power, and presence of the living God.

This makes all the difference when it comes to doing what God asks. God has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ and in His Word. We have all the strength we need to obey God in anything He asks of us (Phil. 4:13). Why not draw on God's promise as your strength to obey Him today? A good place to start might be in that area of self-sufficiency we talked about yesterday.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 4:1-17
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. - Isaiah 59:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
We all like to hear stories of people who overcame handicaps and obstacles to achieve something great. It's well known, for instance, that Thomas Edison's early teachers gave up on him as too dull to learn. We are amazed to discover that Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper for a ""lack of ideas."" It is also surprising to know that Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson, and Albert Einstein, as well as many other distinguished leaders and thinkers, were considered to be lacking in mental abilities at one time in their lives.

Moses was also thought to have deficiencies that would keep him from being a great leader. The difference is that Moses was his own critic. In spite of God's personal revelation to Moses, and the assurance that He would use him to free the Israelites, the shepherd from Midian was hesitant.

To answer Moses' objection that the Israelites would not believe him, God gave him three miraculous signs. Snakes were a symbol of power in Egypt, so Moses' ability to turn his shepherd's staff into a snake and back again was a direct sign that God could overcome Egyptian power.

The Egyptians also considered leprosy an incurable disease, so Moses' second miracle again demonstrated God's overwhelming power. And last but not least, the Nile River was the source of life and productivity to the Egyptians. Turning the Nile's waters into blood would be still another testimony to the Israelites, and later to the Egyptians, that the God of the Hebrews was in fact the true God, the Covenant Keeper Yahweh.

Moses did all this, but then pointed out his lack of eloquence in speech. God countered by reminding Moses that He was the Creator of the human body, including the mouth. All Moses had to do was go, and God would give him words to say (v. 12).

Out of excuses, Moses got down to his real bottom line. ""Send someone else to do it"" (v. 13). That kindled God's anger, but He did send someone else to Moses--his brother Aaron, who was already on his way to stand beside Moses.

Humanly speaking, Moses didn't have much in his hands except his staff. But in God's hands, a stick is enough!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If enough of God's people say, ""Send someone else,"" pretty soon there won't be anybody left to do the job.

We are the people God has sent to the world with His message of repentance and redemption. And tomorrow, all of us have a special opportunity to say to the Lord, ""Send me,"" as we observe the National Day of Prayer. In preparation for this event, why not look at tomorrow's schedule and write down the time you will give to special prayer? Tuck your note in your Bible, or clip it to tomorrow's Bible study page.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 4:18-31
To obey is better than sacrifice. - 1 Samuel 15:22
TODAY IN THE WORD
Albert Barnes said that at the time of his conversion to Christ while he was in college, he ""was entirely ignorant on the subject of religion [and] had never owned a Bible."" But God called Barnes into His service, and the young man obeyed. Albert Barnes served effectively as a pastor from 1825 until his death in 1870. He also gave us a written legacy in his well-known work, Barnes' Notes on the Old and New Testaments, which is still a valued resource for Bible study today.

Moses heard and obeyed God's call, and we share in his legacy today. However, Moses' obedience wasn't complete at first, which is obvious from a strange story in today's reading. It teaches that true leadership begins with full obedience to God.

Moses received the blessing of Jethro, his father-in-law, to return to Egypt and see about his people's welfare. He took Zipporah and their sons Gershom (Ex. 2:22) and Eliezer (Ex.. 18:4), and headed for Egypt. But evidently, Moses had neglected to circumcise Gershom, in direct violation of God's command to Abraham (Gen. 17:10).

God struck Moses with a deadly illness for his disobedience, and Zipporah acted to save her husband's life. This incident taught Moses that disobeying God was far more serious than dealing with Pharaoh or any other human leader. Once the circumcision was performed and Moses had recovered, he was ready to meet Aaron and continue the trip back to Egypt.

God made it clear to Moses that he would meet stubborn opposition from the Pharaoh. Bible scholars agree that most likely it was Amenhotep II. The amazing thing is that God revealed to Moses the death of the firstborn in Egypt at the very beginning of his trip (v. 23). To the Egyptians, firstborn sons had special value. God, on the other hand, valued Israel, His ""firstborn son"" (v. 22), and Pharaoh's refusal to let God's ""son"" go would cost him and all of Egypt dearly.

We are going to read a lot about the hardness of Pharaoh's heart (v. 21). Pharaoh was responsible for the condition of his heart, and God judged the king of Egypt for his sin. Moses is an example of godly leadership, while Pharaoh's example shows what happens when leaders refuse to obey God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We hope you will join believers across the country as we pray for America and for the church on the National Day of Prayer.

Along with your own requests, we urge you to pray for national, state, and local leaders. Let's uphold those leaders who follow the Lord, claiming His promise that He will honor those who honor Him (1 Sam. 2:30). We also need to pray that God will turn the hearts of other leaders to Himself (Prov. 21:1). And finally, we need to ask God to begin His work of repentance and revival in the hearts of His people--beginning with us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 5:1-23
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28
TODAY IN THE WORD
Although the uncertainty of the Y2K problem seems to be playing havoc with some people's optimism about the future, opinion polls show that most Americans remain upbeat. According to one of the polls, three-quarters of the people said they were satisfied with their lives, and the same number said they were excited about the future. The researcher said one reason for this was the strong religious faith expressed by the poll's respondents.

There's no doubt that faith can bring a sense of security. However, we need to be careful where our confidence is placed. It's human nature to feel safe when life is humming along smoothly, but sometimes God turns life upside-down and shakes our world to the core. At times like this, we need to keep the truth of today's verse in mind. God always works with a purpose in mind.

Moses must have wondered what God had in mind after his first meeting with the king of Egypt seemed to backfire. Not only did Pharaoh scoff at God's command to let His people go, the Egyptian ruler also took out his fury on the Israelites, making their lives more miserable. Then the people Moses had come to set free lashed out in anger at him.

That's an overview of the action in this crucial chapter. Notice several important details of the story. First, Pharaoh defied God's authority. The people of Egypt considered their king to be a god, so he reasoned he didn't need to bow to any other deity. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and God's judgment was brought against him.

Second, Pharaoh's angry response toward the people of Israel, and their increased workload, were also part of God's plan to bring about their ultimate freedom (see 6:1). God was making the Israelites such a ""stench"" to the Egyptians that they would be glad to see God's people go. Of course, no one understood this at the time, not even Moses or Aaron.

Third, through prayer, Moses went to the right place after the Israelite foremen vented their anger against him. His cry to God (vv. 22-23) was honest anguish, not angry disbelief. Moses' own sense of inadequacy and the hard circumstances in Egypt made him depend on the Lord.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you ever feel like you're making bricks without straw?

Life gets that way sometimes. It's great when things are fine and we're comfortable--but it helps to remember that God's will for us is our holiness, not just our happiness. This helps to explain why He often allows things to happen that we don't see as beneficial. Today, as an expression of our confidence and trust in God, let's thank Him for His wisdom and love in His dealings with us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 6:1-13, 28-30; 7:1-7
Arise, O Lord, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. - Psalm 9:19
TODAY IN THE WORD
As the weather in northern France worsened in early June of 1944, United States General Dwight Eisenhower faced an agonizing decision. The plans were in place for Operation Overlord, the invasion of France that the Allies hoped would turn the tide of World War II against Nazi Germany. More than 2꺜 ships and 175ꯠ troops awaited the command. Eisenhower hesitated, fearing the rough seas and bad weather would hamper the beach landings and limit visibility for the aircraft providing coverage. But the next low tide along the beaches of Normandy was two weeks away, so Eisenhower finally gave the go-ahead for the D-Day invasion on June 6.

When a great leader wavers on a decision, it's often because of what is at stake. Moses wavered at several points in God's plan to deliver Israel from Egypt, partly because it seemed like his efforts were causing the Israelites greater suffering.

Twice in this conversation with the Lord, Moses expressed doubt about his ability to persuade anybody of anything. Pharaoh had rejected the Lord's command as delivered by Moses, and had turned on his Israelite slaves in anger. They, in turn, lashed out at Moses, their would-be deliverer, in anger.

But none of these people had the authoritative word on the subject. You can sense the divine decisiveness in God's statement to Moses: ""Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh"" (6:1). No wavering or hesitancy here! Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, and the entire nation of Egypt were about to see an unforgettable display of Yahweh, the promise-keeping God of Israel, in action.

Up to this time, God had revealed Himself to His people primarily as God Almighty, El Shaddai, the Provider. But now the people of Israel would witness the Covenant Keeper stretching out His mighty arm to bring them out of Egypt and lead them to the land He had sworn to give them.

We might think that after this announcement of God's power and purpose, Moses and the Israelites would be shouting for joy. But the people couldn't see past their circumstances. Their discouragement infected Moses, but God restated His great purpose and commanded Moses and Aaron to go back to Pharaoh (7:1-7), and they obeyed.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One of the key phrases in this section is repeated several times: ""I am the LORD.""

Look at each of these occurrences (6:2, 6-8, 29; 7:5) and you'll see that God delivered Israel and judged Egypt so that people might know of His power, majesty, and holiness. This is known in Scripture as God's glory--and we are called to demonstrate it to the world (Eph. 1:12). How are you doing as a revealer of God's glory in your world?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 7:8-24
I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is there anything too hard for me? - Jeremiah 32:27
TODAY IN THE WORD
The mother of the great composer Johannes Brahms raised two sons and a daughter amid grinding poverty in the slums of Hamburg, Germany. The love in the Brahms home contrasted sharply with a neighborhood that one writer described as filled with ""narrow, crooked streets and grime-encrusted 'blackened' frame houses,"" a place in which disease was common. Brahms's mother prayed for him daily and wrote him long, tender letters after he left home.

The effects of his mother's nurturing on Johannes Brahms and his music can't be measured exactly. But it's hard to overestimate a mother's impact, as witnessed in the life of Moses--and Aaron too, for that matter.

Moses' mother Jochebed (Ex. 6:20) probably didn't live to see her son's return to Egypt. But as we read today's verses, we need to keep in mind Jochebed's courage in saving Moses, and her influence on Moses in the few years she had to nurture him before having to return him to Pharaoh's daughter.

At the Lord's command, Jochebed's son had to go before another Pharaoh a second time to present the Lord's demand. This second encounter with the king of Egypt would be different, though. This time, Moses and Aaron performed the miracle God had given to Moses earlier.

In Pharaoh's presence, Aaron's staff became a snake--and although Pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate the feat by their Satan-inspired powers, God demonstrated His superior power when Aaron's staff swallowed theirs.

But the king turned a hardened heart toward God, so Moses and Aaron turned the waters of Egypt into blood. Again the Egyptian magicians did the same, and Pharaoh became more unrepentant than ever. He simply walked away as if nothing serious had happened, refusing to let God's people go.

The plagues of Egypt followed, the details of which we do not have the space to cover in these studies. We encourage you to read Exodus 7:25--10:29 on your own. Tomorrow, we will resume the story of Moses and Israel as the tenth and last plague of death is announced against Egypt.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If your mother provided you with spiritual as well as physical nurturing, you are doubly blessed.

As we thank the Lord for the influence of godly mothers, we suggest that you also focus your prayers on a mother you know who is in the process of raising her children. Ask God to give this mother His wisdom and strength to point her children toward Him. And if you are a mother seeking to bring up your family in the nurture of the Lord, thank Him that ""your labor in the Lord is not in vain"" (1 Cor. 15:58).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 11:1-10
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse. - Genesis 12:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
There have been many famous ""showdowns"" in history, but none more dramatic or important than the final confrontation between Moses and the Pharaoh of Egypt.

The nine miraculous plagues devastated Egypt and struck at every aspect of the nation's pagan religious system and beliefs. It finally seemed that the Pharaoh was willing to let the Israelites go. But he proposed one more compromise to Moses: take the people, leave the livestock behind (Ex. 10:24).

But Moses flatly refused the deal, prompting Pharaoh's angry outburst, ""Get out of my sight!"" (10:28). He then threatened Moses with death if the two ever met again.

Pharaoh's hard-hearted reaction was not a surprise to Moses. God had warned His spokesman that it would take one more plague to bring about Israel's liberation from Egypt. Verses 1-3 of today's reading appear to be a parenthesis that Moses added before resuming the story of his final dialogue with the Egyptian king.

Moses' last words to Pharaoh were, in effect, ""You're right. I will never see you again. But before I go, let me tell you the judgment God has decreed for your people. At midnight every first-born son in Egypt will die, including yours. But no harm at all will come to the Israelites. And when the plague is over, your officials will beg us to leave"" (10:29; 11:4-8a).

Verse 8 ends with the interesting note that Pharaoh wasn't the only angry person in this exchange. Moses was ""hot with anger,"" a trait he displayed in the wrong way by killing an Egyptian forty years earlier.

But this time, Moses' anger was righteous indignation over Pharaoh's unbelief. In fact, Moses was mirroring God's attitude toward Pharaoh. The proud monarch had taxed God's mercy and patience for the last time. Now he and his people would pay a horrible price for defying the Lord and mistreating His people.

There are some things we don't understand about God's dealings with Pharaoh. Clearly, God was exercising His sovereign right to bless or judge people as He sees best. And it's also equally clear that Pharaoh was responsible for his actions. The best thing we can do is bow to God's wisdom and obey His Word.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As the Israelites were about to enter Canaan, Moses presented a crucial choice before them. You can read about it in Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

Notice the choice: ""Life and death, blessings and curses."" Then Moses gave the people this advice: ""Now choose life."" Have you chosen the life and blessing God offers in Jesus Christ? We pray that's the case. But if not, don't wait any longer to seek out a pastor or Christian friend who can show you what it means to ""[pass] from death to life"" (1 John 3:14) by trusting Christ as your Savior.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 12:1-20
When I see the blood, I will pass over you. - Exodus 12:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Here's a short Bible quiz for you to think about today. Do you know the Bible's first two specific references to animals being sacrificed as substitutes for human beings?

If you read the verses listed for today, you know part of the answer. The Passover in Egypt was the second occasion on which we are told that an animal was killed and its blood used to spare human life. The first time we see this happening in Scripture was at Abraham's offering of Isaac (Gen. 22).

Both of these events are pictures of Jesus Christ's saving sacrifice for us on the cross. Paul even says Christ is ""our Passover lamb"" (1 Cor. 5:7). Passover was such a defining moment for Israel that its observance was to mark the beginning of a new year (v. 2). From this point on, Israel's religious calendar began with the month in which Passover occurred.

The key to Passover is stated in today's verse. God was going to pass through Egypt (v. 12) with the sentence of death, but He would pass over every Israelite door marked with the blood of the sacrificial lamb.

Every element of the Passover meal was important. The ""bitter herbs"" (v. reminded Israel of its years of bitter slavery in Egypt. Bread without yeast, called unleavened bread, suggested the fact that the people must be ready to leave in a hurry when permission finally came from Pharaoh (see vv. 31-32). There was no time to wait for the bread to rise.

Even the people's attire for the meal (v. 11) carried a message. After more than 400 years of bondage in Egypt, God's people were about to be set free in one night. The people ate with their traveling clothes on and their long robes tucked in their belts for faster movement.

Then God commanded Israel to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread (v. 17) immediately after the Passover feast to commemorate God's redemption. Later, the two events became so closely linked that they were often referred to as one feast (Luke 22:1).

Moses was faithful to communicate all that God commanded to the Israelites (see Heb. 3:2). The Passover was definitely one of the high points in Moses' leadership of Israel.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The apostle Peter also pointed to Jesus as the true fulfillment of Passover. Our Savior was ""a lamb without blemish or defect"" (1 Pet. 1:19; cf. Ex. 12:5).

Dear friend, because of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, our sins have been ""passed over"" not for another day or another year, as was the case before Jesus came. Our sins are taken away forever--forgiven and forgotten (Ps. 103:3; Jer. 31:34)! This calls for a celebration of praise on our part today, wouldn't you agree?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 12:21-36
By faith [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood. - Hebrews 11:28
TODAY IN THE WORD
When we read the story of the first Passover and the plague of death God brought upon Egypt, we understand better why the writer of Hebrews made the statement contained in today's verse.

For example, the Passover was a demonstration of faith on the part of Moses and Israel. The story is so familiar to us that it's easy to forget the Israelites had no precedent for such a ceremony. They had nothing to rely on but the word of Moses as he had received it from the Lord.

That's a lot, for sure. And it's true that Israel had watched God bring nine miraculous plagues against Egypt. But the point is that Moses and the nation carried out the Passover by faith. They believed God would keep His word, both in striking down the first-born of Egypt and in passing over the houses where the blood was on the doorposts.

Another striking feature of Hebrews 11 is that the act of faith in keeping the Passover is credited to Moses. That's not just a literary device to keep things simple. It's a tremendous statement about the man whose leadership we are studying--and, we hope, learning from--this month.

This great story of Israel's redemption from Egypt began with God's selection of Moses as His representative. The instructions for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the warning against disregarding them, came first from God to Moses. And it was Moses, along with Aaron, who carefully relayed God's message to the elders of Israel.

In other words, because Moses was faithful to his calling, the Israelites were saved from ""the destroyer"" (v. 23) that God sent among the Egyptians. We could say that like Abraham, Moses believed God, and salvation followed (see Gen. 15:6).

The reaction to Moses' leadership is worth noting. First, the Israelite elders believed Moses and bowed in worship and obedience to God (vv. 27-28). And when morning revealed the horror to the Egyptians, Pharaoh gave Moses and Aaron permission to leave and even asked for their blessing (vv. 31-32). Then the Israelites obeyed Moses in plundering the Egyptians (v. 35).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
David said in his great prayer of confession, ""Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean"" (Ps. 51:7).

David knew hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the Israelites' houses (v. 22). David was asking God to forgive his sin and cleanse him from his guilt. This is a picture of the righteousness we have in Christ, the true Passover lamb. His blood saves us, and continues to cleanse us from sin. All we have to do is confess our sins and accept Christ's forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Is your ""sin account"" up-to-date with Him today?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 12:37-51
Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land. - Psalm 37:34
TODAY IN THE WORD
Researchers for the French military are said to be developing new clothing to protect their soldiers from harm. This special gear includes boots with four-inch heels designed to protect a soldier who steps on a land mine, and a bullet-proof vest that will stop almost any bullet. The problem is that these protective devices are so heavy, they prevent the troops from moving rapidly, making them an easier target for the enemy.

The Israelites who left Egypt on the night of the Passover had no such equipment problems to slow them down. We read earlier that they ate the Passover meal dressed for quick movement (v. 11). They even had their unleavened bread dough wrapped in clothing and slung over their shoulders, ready to leave Egypt (v. 34).

The departure must have been quite a sight. Judging by the fact that there were 600ꯠ fighting men, the best estimate is that Israel's total population was about two million people. It was 430 years to the day after Joseph had first brought his family to Egypt.

Moses reported that ""many other people"" (v. 38) also left with Israel, a mixed group of foreigners who would later cause problems by their complaining (Num. 11:4).

It was partly because of this crowd that the Lord gave Moses further regulations for the Passover celebration. The fact that these foreigners followed Israel meant they were following Israel's God to some degree. But the covenant sign of circumcision was required if these aliens wanted to share in the Lord's Passover. Circumcision was an act of identification that would signal their identity with the God of Israel.

Did you notice the regulation in verse 46 that none of the Passover lamb's bones were to be broken? Look at John 19:36 and you'll see that this was a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in His crucifixion.

John knew the Old Testament well, and he realized as he wrote under the Spirit's inspiration that this detail was further proof that Jesus was God's promised Messiah. This is exactly what the rest of the nation should have realized.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Some Bible teachers believe that the foreigners who traveled with Israel, and the way they helped get God's people into trouble, are a picture of the world and its influence on the saints.

The Israelites' trials in the wilderness is a good warning to us not to be conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2). Be honest: when it comes to your relationship with unsaved friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers, who is exerting the greater influence upon whom? Let's pray that God will help us to be salt and light in our world.