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We are nearing the end of my posts from the book of Exodus, but there are a couple more things I want to point out to you about who God is and how He keeps His promises. Today, we will rediscover something each of us has experienced with our loving, merciful God. He is a God of second, third, fourth, and infinite chances. I have chosen Exodus 34:1-2,4, 27-28, and 35:1 to illustrate how God offers the obstinate, rebellious Israelites a second chance to fulfill their role as His chosen […]

I’m an avid college sports fan, and am often amazed at the depth of skills some of the young men and women display in their pursuit of an individual or team victory. Something about the level of their play inspires me. I’ve watched some of these young warriors “will their team to victory,” by giving an almost heroic effort against a stronger opponent. The crowd goes wild, and the teammates hoist the hero on their shoulders in jubilant celebration. I am captivated and encouraged watching a person spend all their […]

Who is God? What is He like? In many of my blogs on God’s promises, I’ve asked readers to consider what the particular story or incident says about God. After all, the Bible is God’s written revelation about who He is and what He purposes for His creation. Although God isn’t always center stage in many of the stories, He is always the main character. We have seen God’s love, compassion, mercy, patience, and long-suffering on display throughout our scriptural journey together. But, in last week’s blog, we saw another […]

After Moses had Aaron and his sons kill three thousand people who had supported the making of the golden calf, he said to the people, “I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Exodus 32:30. Moses pleaded with the Lord to forgive the Israelites for their idolatry, telling Him to “blot out” his name from the book of life if He would not forgive them. How did this go over with God? “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of […]

Moses had a great heart. He proved himself to be deeply devoted to God and to the Israelites, the obstinate people he was called to lead to the Promised Land. You may recall that he was eighty years old, tending his father-in-law’s flock on Mount Horeb when God called to him from the blazing bush. Although he had grown up in the luxury of the pharaoh’s house, his heart was with the enslaved Israelites, his people. In a passionate effort to help a fellow Israeli, he killed the Egyptian who […]

In the two blogs immediately preceding this one, we have considered the questions, “What was the sin of idolatry that Israel committed?” and “Why did they do what they did?” Their fear and lack of faith in God led to their blatant attempt to replace Him with the statue of a golden calf. What’s even more incredible is that they credited the calf for bringing them from Egypt. “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Exodus 32:4. While this act of rebellion was […]

In last week’s blog, we witnessed the tragic response of the Israelites as they impatiently waited for Moses to return from the mountain. It seems almost unthinkable that after all God had done for them that they would deliberately sin against Him. But they did, committing idolatry, one of the Ten Commandments, they had agreed to live by. You can review what they did at https://www.cosdavis.com/the-what-of-idolatry/ . As we will see in the third blog on this subject, there will be dire consequences for many who promoted this rebellion against […]

At this point in this series of blogs about God’s promise to bring our Savior into the world, we have completed a brief overview of the Ten Commandments, given to the covenant people through God’s chosen leader, Moses. The Israelites have heartily agreed to God’s plan to be a “holy” nation, His selected people to bring a blessing to the whole world. What happens next? Beginning with  Exodus 21 and extending through chapter 31, God gives His people instructions in three areas. Chapters 21-23 are a kind of “fleshing out” […]

The Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites to instruct them how to live holy lives under God’s rule. As we’ve learned earlier, God chose Israel to be His special nation, chosen above all the nations to inherit and advance the promise God made to Abraham to bless all nations through him. At this point in this marvelous story, God has made a covenant with Israel, chosen Moses to lead them, and has given them the Ten Commandments. We have considered the first four commandments about how God is to […]

Today, we resume our investigation into God’s preparation of the Israelites to participate in the promise God made to bless all nations through Abraham and his offspring. Through His miraculous power, God worked through Moses to free them from slavery, deliver them by parting the sea, and bring them to Mount Sinai, where He made a covenant with them. The covenant, to which the Israelites agreed, stated that God would choose them as a special nation, favored above all others, and that they would live under His authority as a […]