https://feeds.castos.com/nxp3 God instructs Israel to honor the Sabbath day by keeping it holy—setting it apart. The seventh day, Saturday, was to be a day of rest from labor. Toil was to be done in six days. On Saturday, the people were not to work themselves, anyone, or anything else. They were to rest. God rested... Continue Reading →
Do Not Take God’s Name in Vain- Exodus 20:7 (Daily Devotional)
https://feeds.castos.com/nxp3 God instructs Israel not to take His name, Yahweh, in vain. The Hebrew word translated as “take,” here ((נסא, means to raise up, exalt, or carry—literally covering every way in which God’s name can be taken—merely spoken, used in praise, or carried as the name of a people (e.g. Israel, Christian). To do anything... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional- Exodus 20:4-6
https://feeds.castos.com/nxp3 Along with having no other gods besides Yahweh, Israel is not to make any idols. Of course, if the people obey the first commandment and worship only Yahweh, they would not make idols anyway. Toys, statues, and images are not always idols. What makes these items idols is our service to them as if... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 20:1-3
https://feeds.castos.com/nxp3 God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are a summary of the whole Law. God first describes who He is and what He has done. His own character and action are the bases for the imperatives. God identifies Himself as Yahweh, Israel’s God. As Israel’s God, He brought Israel out of Egypt... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 19:18-25
https://feeds.castos.com/nxp3 There are many things we see here in Exodus that translate to the apocalyptic imagery we find in books like Daniel and Revelation. For instance, God “comes down” in the storm or in the clouds. He is coming to His people. He responds in thunder. There are earthquakes. Trumpets resound at His coming. All... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 19:9-17
https://feeds.castos.com/nxp3 God doesn’t hide what He does. He instructed Moses to bring the people so that there would be witnesses. While no one can see the essence of God, the people would see a manifestation of God in a cloud. God so organized the encounter so that the people would trust in Moses as their... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 19:1-8
God now covenants with the nation of Israel, after saving them out of Egypt and bringing the people to Himself (Exodus 19:4). Like we saw with Abraham, the call to obedience follows the gift of salvation. In Abraham’s case, salvation was the gift of righteousness—credited to him on the basis of his faith. In Israel’s... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 18:17-27
Jethro implores Moses to delegate some responsibility because Moses’s way of doing things is not sustainable. He will wear out, or burn out, himself and the people of Israel. Moses listens to Jethro’s advice. There are many good applications to make from this part of the text, even knowing that it is narrative and descriptive.... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 18:1-16
After their flight from Egypt, while Israel is at the Mount of God, Jethro brings Moses’s wife and children to the encampment. Jethro, a Midianite priest, heard about what Yahweh had done to Egypt. As if there was a doubt in his mind about Yahweh, he exclaims “Now I know that Yahweh is greater than... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Exodus 17:8-16
Here, we see an interesting story as the Israelites are in or near Raphidim. The Amalekites come out of Southern Canaan to fight Israel. Israel prevails, and God promises to utterly blot out Amalek from under heaven. During the battle, it is written that as long as Moses held his hand up, presumably holding the... Continue Reading →