October 20 | Exodus 23:20-33

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DAILY READING

Exodus 23:20-33

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REFLECTION

God as Protective Angel

by David Thompson

This is a very interesting reading, the latter half of Exodus chapter 23. God says there will be an angel guiding and avenging for the Israelites. It is sometimes hard to fathom what God had in mind for moving back into the Holy Land (chapter 14:19 of Exodus). The commentaries say that this was no ordinary angel, but God Himself leading the Israelite army on to victory after victory. He promised to protect them and love them as long as they did not follow the idols of the people they would defeat.

What idols are in your life? As Aaron Thompson stated in his September 29th sermon, maybe one, or more, of the following could be our idol, "footballs, bulls charging through banks or many other things." These and many others could draw us away from the true God.

He also said what I fear are stumbling blocks for many and that was secretive habits that put a wedge between God and us. It's like borrowing money from another person and not paying it back quickly. The person you owe money doesn't say a word about repayment but we try to avoid that person and we make excuses to ourselves why we hide from him or her.

With God, it is as easy as asking for forgiveness for those things and He will gladly accept it. Not only will He accept it, he promises in Psalm 103:12 "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." That is good news. He not only forgives us, but he promises He will toss the whole matter out of His mind. As usual, we are not so good with our forgiving. We might forgive a transgression, but it is something that we remember. Oh, to be more like God, so when we say "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." (Matt. 6:9-13 and church liturgy) we too forgive and forget.

God is our protector and promises us He is there when the hard times come. Our thanks to Him is breaking down the sacred stones of our idols. And, it is important to walk away from them. He finally finishes the passage with these wise words, "Do not let them live in your land (heart) or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you" (Exodus 23:33).

PRAYER

Dear God, I am in awe of your attributes. You are a loving and caring God. Help us internalize today's message and help us identify what are our "stumbling blocks." We want to have a close relationship with you, but find that in the hidden corners of our mind and heart other things draw us away. We love you, Lord, and want to live for you. Amen.

OCTOBER 19 | EXODUS 23:14-19

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DAILY READING

Exodus 23:14-19

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REFLECTION

Only the Best

by Judy Webb

Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. (Exodus 23:14)

I read these 6 verses over and over. This often helps me to discern what God is trying to tell me. Occasionally it is obvious after reading and praying, but often I need to sit with the text and study the words, maybe even put them into the context of what is happening around me. For whatever reason, this passage took longer than usual to grasp. This means God wants me to listen to what He is saying.

Christians celebrate a few festivals every year, like Christmas and Easter. Why do we do this? Christmas is to remember the Birth of our Savior, and Easter commemorates Jesus’ death and resurrection. They are reminders for us, a way of telling us to prepare for the return of Jesus and they introduce us to the Gospel.

For the Israelites, these three required celebrations were for the same reason, to serve as a reminder of all God had done to rescue them and lead them to freedom. These celebrations helped the Israelites to stop and periodically reflect on their blessings, and freedom in their new land of promise. These three festivals are each symbolic of God’s faithfulness and mercy:

• Festival of unleavened bread commemorates the Exodus and immediately follows Passover.

• The second is the Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost and the formation of the Church.

• Third is the Festival of Tabernacles which is a thanksgiving festival and held in early autumn.

Followers of Jesus also need to pause now and then and consider all God has done. We know everything can change in an instant and we must be ready—we must get our hearts right with God. Verse 19 sums it up for us: “Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD.” God has given us the very best when he sent is Son, Jesus to save us. We should do likewise.

Give God only the best!

PRAYER

Dear Jesus,

We need to stop and remember all you do for us each day. We awaken in the morning and take our first breath of the day and should thank you for that breath. Help us never take things for granted, but to relish and appreciated each gift you provide. Amen.

October 18 | Exodus 23:1-13

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DAILY READING

Exodus 23:1-13

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REFLECTION

Follow God's Laws and Flourish

by David Thompson

There are numerous laws in the books of Exodus and Leviticus. Through my study of the Bible, I have felt the laws to be overbearing and many times outdated. However, most of the laws in today's reading are really helpful and will make a person's life much easier if followed.

Verses 1 and 2 bring back an embarrassing time in my history. I wish I had used God's wisdom. I was 13 years old and in 8th grade when we boarded the bus to go home. Outside the window were about 30 bike riders getting on their bikes and heading out. Somebody on the bus yelled out that a friend of mine's bike was being ridden by one of the school bullies. I strained to look but I couldn't make out who they were talking about. The chatter on the bus mostly agreed with the first reporter. When I got home, I headed directly to my buddy's house and found out that indeed his bike had been stolen. I immediately shared that "I" saw a bully named John riding my friend's bike and likely he was the one who stole it. To make a long story short, I was contacted by the police and again had to share the story (only once again I stated that "I" saw the perpetrator). The police confronted the boy and his parents about my testimony, but nothing could be proven. Time passed until one day, the friends of John confronted me with what they believed to be false statements that I had made. It was a tense situation, however I lived through it.

That should have taught me to follow God's admonitions and not one situation that I was going to repeat. Likewise, verses 4-8 speak about making restitution to an offended person when possible. Again, words of wisdom, not words of burdening law. Verses 10-13 speak to Sabbath Laws and how they should be carried out. A farmer that I worked for used crop rotation. It was not what God was speaking about when he said to let the fields give crops for six years, but let the fields lay dormant on the seventh year. A similar rest period was specified in verse 12, where it says to work for six days leaving the 7th day for rest and for God. Again this was modeled for me by my friend (a Mennonite farmer). If we went to the farm on Sunday, we found him in prayer and reading his bible. He had to milk the cows, but all other work, was put off until Monday. He was an older man who had a big heart. Are we learning from our mistakes, things that God could teach us? f not, we will make many mistakes that are avoidable.

PRAYER

Dear God, help us see that you know what is good for us and your wisdom is greater than man's. I am sure there are a great number of laws in the old testament that do not apply to us today, but the ones that do, help us to adapt our priorities to follow these as closely as we can. Amen.