Week 6; Day 2

Exodus 10-13

Two incredible acts of Almighty God are witnessed in today’s reading; the Passover and the Pillar.  The Israelites started off with obedience. Take a look at Exodus 12:28. We will read tomorrow that this obedience did not continue. What amazes me about this is that they saw even greater acts of God, as if these two weren’t enough for God to prove Himself, but they begin to doubt and whine and disobey. Let’s save that conversation for tomorrow. I want to quickly point out the importance for us to keep in mind the significance of the Passover meal and the death angel. We will refer back to this throughout our reading, all the way into the New Testament. This is a prime example of needing to know the entire story of redemption. We cannot fully understand the new covenant without understanding this pivotal event. Today, I want to focus our attention on one verse tucked in our reading; Exodus 11:7, “so that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” As we have read and will continue to read, God creates very specific rules and guidelines. This verse gives us the why. It’s hard to get lost in the trees and miss the forest. Do not get lost in the mundane laws and miss the big picture. God’s entire purpose was to set His people apart as just that; His people. They were to bring glory and honor to Him. They were to be a witness of His power, His faithfulness, His love, His holiness. No, we don’t apply the law today. They are strictly Old Testament and Old Covenant. However, we have learned that when something is restated explicitly in the New Testament, it is a direct command for us today. In Romans, we are commanded to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood. My sweet girls, just as Israel was called to live a life distinct of the pagan culture around them, so are we. Just as Israel was to live displaying the glory and love and faithfulness and holiness of Almighty God, so are we. We have a holy and humbling calling, but if He is our Savior, He is also our Lord. We must live lives worthy of bearing His name. We must live lives that proclaim Him to the lost around us. When Christ came and extended salvation to all, it was extending this command to live as God’s distinct people.