Exodus
On the King’s business (Exod 6:10–7:7)
Exod 6:10-30; Exod 7:1-7 Despite God’s encouragement, Moses is still struggling with a sense of failure (Exod 6:10-12). He communicates God’s affirmation to Israel, but the people in their despondent state (the Hebrew says they are ‘short of spirit’, Exod…
The LORD, our Redeemer (Exod 5:22-23; 6:1-9)
Exod 5:22-23; Exod 6:1-9 After such a bumpy start, the focus returns back to Moses and his reaction. Once again, he loses courage and bombards God with questions of why (Exod 5:22-23). I am grateful that Scripture recounts these setbacks…
God’s people, servants of Pharaoh (Exod 5:1-21)
Exod 5:1-21 When I was growing up, my family lived in an apartment next door to a man who regularly abused his partner, an intelligent woman with a secure job. It was distressing to hear her running footsteps and screams…
Redemption and a foretaste of what’s to come (Exod 4:24-31)
Exod 4:24-31 This post concludes my reflections on God’s attack on Moses (you can read Part I here and Part II here). The question left to be answered is Zipporah’s action: what exactly is she doing and how does this…
Under attack – Part II (Exod 4:24-26)
Exod 4:24-26 In today’s post I want to address some uncomfortable questions that we might have about God’s attack on Moses (see Part I here). Why did God want to put Moses to death when He has just sent him…
Under attack – Part I (Exod 4:24-26)
Exod 4:24-26 As we continue the story of Moses, we come to one of the most obscure incidents in Scripture. Although translations often identify the characters in order to make sense of the events, the original leaves much of it…
Israel, my firstborn (Exod 4:21-23)
Exod 4:21-23 Despite the difficulty in understanding the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (see my post here), we should not allow it to take over our understanding of the passage. God is speaking to Moses on the eve of his return…
Please, Lord, send someone else! (Exod 4:13-20)
Exod 4:13-20 Despite the Lord’s repeated reassurances, the bottom line is that Moses feels too inadequate to take on the job God called him to. One can almost hear the panic in his voice as he says, ‘Please, Lord, send…
Qualifications for God’s work (Exod 4:10-12)
Exod 4:10-12 Only days after I decided to give up my job as an English language teacher, I went to a friend’s party where a casual conversation with a new acquaintance led to my applying for a PA job at…
Getting to know you (Exod 4:1-9)
Exod 4:1-9 At one time I was listening to the conversation of some Christian friends from a charismatic background, who were bemoaning the fact that the initial glow of God’s presence seemed to have faded from their experience: they no…