The waters divided (Exod 14:15-31)
Exod 14:15-31 God’s address to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me?’, sounds surprisingly accusatory. Surely it is not wrong for Moses to seek God’s help! Perhaps, his reassurance to the people is short-lived and he, too, needs encouragement.…
Take a stand and stay still (Exod 14:13-14)
Exod 14:13-14 Israel’s complaints at the end of our last reading (Exod 14:11-12) are the wild accusations of a slave people who were not in control of their lives and so had learnt a mentality of not taking responsibility for…
Red Sea or Sea of Reeds?
If we look at a map tracing Israel’s exodus journey (such as we might find in the back of our Bibles), we may be surprised that the Red Sea does not feature as a stopping point on most of these…
Why did you bring us out of Egypt? (Exod 14:1-12)
Exod 14:1-12 Having avoided the coastal route where Israel might have encountered heavy military opposition, God now seems to manoeuvre His people deliberately into a corner. By doubling back on their tracks towards Egypt, they give Pharaoh the impression that…
The roundabout way (Exod 13:17-22)
Exod 13:17-22 Have you ever looked at your life in retrospect and wished you could have arrived where you are earlier? I know I have. Whenever I think of the recent change I have made in becoming freelance, I remember…
Consecration of the firstborn (Exod 13:1-16)
Exod 13:1-16 Due to the Covid lockdown this year, many celebrated ANZAC day in April by standing at dawn at the end of their driveway or at their letterbox to remember those who have given their lives for the country…
Why were the Passover lamb’s bones not broken?
This post originally appeared as part of the reflection on the post about the Passover celebration (read it here). What is the significance of Passover lamb’s bones not being broken (Exod 12:46)? As is common with ritual, once again there…
Participation in the Passover (Exod 12:43-51)
Exod 12:43-51 A missionary couple serving in South America lost their daughter at a young age there. Medical care was such that once she fell ill, she could not be saved. It was particularly heart-rending knowing that had she received…
Did two million Israelites leave Egypt?
Commentators have long been puzzled by the astounding figures given in Exod 12:37 of the Israelites leaving Egypt. If this is a rounded number of the military-aged men (compare Exod 38:26; Num 1:46), then the total for men, women and…
Leaving Egypt in haste (Exod 12:29-42)
Exod 12:29-41 As C.S. Lewis famously said, pain is God’s megaphone and, on the night when the firstborns died, God shouted His wake-up call into Pharaoh’s ears. How sad that it took him the deaths of thousands, including his own…