Welcome to a group of women who's goal is to encourage each other to put down some serious roots in the Word of God. This blog is dedicated to reading through the Bible in a year. Hopefully you will find the encouragement and accountability here that you need to push through the tough parts- or when life just gets in the way. The reading plan is located at the bottom of the blog. It contains links to the passages we are reading through biblegateway.com. You can use those links or read your own Bible, whichever you prefer.
We are all members of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Griffin, Georgia and felt the need in our own life for a little bit of the Lord's splendor. Please join us!!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Journey Begins

At the end of the last chapter we learned that the "Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Now they are to begin their journey to the land of milk and honey. As they begin their journey, Moses reminds them to remember this day in which they came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage by the strength of the hand of the Lord. He tells them that the Lord is leading them to a land flowing with milk and honey. They are to eat unleavened bread for seven days and on the seventh day they shall have a feast unto the Lord. This is still practiced today in Jewish homes as the celebration of the passover.
The Lord led them through the wilderness with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. We all know the story of how God led them through the Red Sea on dry land as he parted the waters. When Pharaoh's heart was hardened once again, he went after the Israelites. Pharaoh's armies followed the Israelites into the sea and God closed the waters and the army perished. Once back on land and seeing what the Lord had done, they sang songs of praise and danced in happiness and joy.
This journey will lead them through good times and bad times. When times were bad for them, they would whine and complain. Better to be in Egypt as slaves than to die in the wilderness. We read this and wonder could they not see all the miracles that God had already performed. How could they not think God would not lead them safely through the wilderness.
We are just like the Israelites; it is easy to praise God when things are going good for us but do we praise him when times get rough; or are we like the Israelites whinning and complaining when things don't go our way.
"For the God of the mountain, He's still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He'll make them right. For the God of the good times, He's still God in the bad times. For the God of the day, He's still God in the night."
God tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us so why is that so hard to believe when things aren't going our way.
Posted by at
Labels:

5 comments:

  1. JaybrenaFebruary 6, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    ooooooo, Ms. Boots, SING to me some of that Gaither Homecoming goodness!!! :-) The song printed in that 15th chapter bears reading twice...I loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. NatalieFebruary 6, 2011 at 9:07 PM

    (God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. )
    God knew this hod-podge group of slaves used to following orders everyday didn't yet have the faith to conquer the land God wanted to give them. So, he led them to a place where He could demonstrate His power yet again. God is so good to not give us more than we can handle- and so kind to lead us to places where He can remind us of His power.
    He won't ever leave us or forsake us. Mrs. Boots, you are so right! And Jaybrena, I can just hear them shouting "Sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea!" I bet it was a paaaarrrrtaaaayyy!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Althea NanceFebruary 6, 2011 at 10:27 PM

    DID YOU NOTICE IN ALL THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON AND PEOPLE WERE DYING GATHERING THINGS AND PREPARING TO LEAVE PHARAOH ASK MOSES TO BLESS HIM.EXODUS 12:32. LORD BLESS US INDEED AND WE WILL SEE THE MIGHTY WORKS OF YOUR HAND. BOY DOES HE HAVE THINGS TO SHOW US.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TerryFebruary 6, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    I think this Pharaoh was a glutton for punishment :) Had he not had enough already? As I suspected, Pharaoh did not want to lose the man-power he was using to build and maintain his empire (14:5). Again, God used this man for another miracle to display his power to the Israelites. Wouldn't you have liked to be there to see the sea parted?!?!?

    Elim must have been a sight for sore eyes. I imagine it was like a paradise... maybe a glimpse of things to come.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MindyFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:24 PM

    I wonder EXACTLY what the pillar of fire by night and the cloud during the day looked like? What would it be like to have God leading you like that in such a tangible way? I think I like the way things are now with the Holy Spirit living inside of me and knowing that He will NEVER leave me!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)