One of the ways that Bible study has come to ‘life’ for me through the years is to imagine myself living in the shoes of the people in the Bible. I think about what events would look like, sound like, feel like, smell like, etc. Rightly dividing the Word (correctly handling the text within context) comes first, but I also like to think about the audience as I read. That’s what I’ve done throughout this series. What was it like to live during the events we’ve studied together?

Devotion and Celebration

God heard the ‘cries’ of His people who were suffering in Egypt and chose Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt with great ‘signs and wonders.’ Imagine standing on the other side of the Red Sea and watch as the water returned to its place, drowning all of Pharaoh’s mighty army. Egypt was a destroyed nation because of God’s ‘Mighty Power.’ God demonstrated His ultimate Authority over every Egyptian ‘god.’ He didn’t just beat them – God destroyed them. Remember these words?

Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed? Exodus 10:7

Egypt was destroyed and Israel was free. God was teaching His people that He was the Only True God. His victory led to what is known as ‘The Song of Moses’ –

I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation. The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of Your arm They will be as still as a stone, Till Your people pass over, O Lord, Till the people pass over Whom You have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O Lord, which You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. ‘The Lord shall reign forever and ever.’ For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. Exodus 15:1-19

Teaching Rule #1

Rule #1 is to ‘Believe in the Only True God’ (Monotheism). The Egyptians worshipped ‘gods’ made by hand from wood and stone. They physically had to move them, dress them, and pretend to feed them because their ‘gods’ were not alive. The God of Israel, on the other hand, was very much Alive. He is Self-Existent (I AM WHO I AM.). He is All-Powerful and Everywhere-Present. He is All-Knowing and Unchanging. He is the One True God among the many ‘false’ gods that people worshipped.

Notice how the ‘Song of Moses’ emphasized that point –

  • The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation
  • He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him
  • Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces
  • And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You
  • You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together
  • Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
  • Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
  • The Lord shall reign forever and ever

The God of Israel was unlike any of the ‘gods’ of Egypt or any other nation. All nations would one day learn that lesson, but the first step to ‘reigning’ with God was for the children of Israel to believe their God was the Only True God.

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Next Time

Did they learn that lesson that day? That day that God destroyed the ‘gods’ and armies of Egypt? We’ll look at that in the next part of our series – Train to Reign.

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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