'The Passover' and the 'Last Supper'.

'Passover and Exodus' (Exodus 12-14).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt, but they end up enslaved. Then God sent His mighty acts of judgement upon the Egyptians but the Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let the Israelites go. The Lord would send one final plague then Pharaoh would release Israel. This brings us to the ‘Passover’ story so watch the video and read the comments below.

Each Israelite household was to slaughter a year-old male lamb and put the blood on the door frames of their houses. They were to roast the meat and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The Lord would see the blood on the door frames of their houses and He would pass over the Israelites when He struck down every firstborn in Egypt.

Then after 430 years, the Israelites would leave Egypt with their families, their possessions and with many other people accompanying them. Then when the Israelites entered their ‘Promised Land’ they were to observe the ‘Passover’ for the generations to come. When their children asked the meaning of the ceremony they were to say, ‘It’s the Lord’s Passover, for the Lord spared the Israelites when he struck down the Egyptians.’

The Israelites had multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved until God struck Egypt with His mighty acts of judgment (10 plagues). In the final plague, the plague of the firstborn, the Lord spared the Israelites but judged their oppressors. When the Lord saw the door frames of the Israelites houses covered with the ‘blood of the lamb’ He passed over them and struck down the firstborn of Egypt. Then the Lord would bring judgment on the ‘gods of Egypt’ and He led His people out of Egypt by the pillar of cloud and fire. More than anything else this ceremony and its accompanying story defined the Israelites and shaped them into a community. In a similar fashion, as New Testament believers we are defined by and shaped into a community by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. One of the primary ways that these defining events are communicated to us is by means of a ceremonial meal (John 1:29, 1 Cor.5:7, Eph.1:19-21). 

The Lord's Supper (Matt. 26, Luke 22, Mark 14 and John 13).

If you are preparing for a ‘Maundy Thursday’ or a ‘Good Friday’ worship service you will do well to keep the story of the Passover in mind. Now in this story Jesus washes the feet of his disciples and then he is betrayed by a friend. After this Jesus institutes what we call the Lord’s Supper and exhorts his disciples to love one another as he loved them. Watch the video or listen the story and read the comments below.

A shared meal really does strengthen relational ties between people. The Passover meal did this for the Old Testament people and it retold the story of God rescuing Israel from Egyptian slavery. As faithful Jews, Jesus’ disciples wanted to know from Jesus where they were to prepare for the Passover meal (Exodus 12). Jesus told them to go into the city and follow a man with a water jar into a house and ask the owner about his guest room where they could prepare for the meal. The disciples went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. Jesus was well aware of all that was happening to him. Surely all these events were part of God’s plan and were by no means outside of His control.

That evening Jesus arrived at the house with his disciples. Then before the meal Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and challenged them to do the same for each other. Then at the meal Jesus told the twelve that one of them would betray him. Jesus knew of the passages in the Psalms which spoke of being betrayed by a friend (Ps.41:9) and he knew which one of the twelve would betray him. This news saddened the disciples and they each said, “Surely not I?” (Mk 14:19).  The betrayer would be the one Jesus would dip bread into the bowl with. Again this was all part of God’s plan but the one betraying the ‘Son of Man’ would be held responsible (Mk 14:19). These sad events turned the Passover celebration in a solemn event. 

Jesus’ words refer to Daniel’s ‘son of man’ and Isaiah’s ‘suffering servant’ and connect this death to the coming of God’s kingdom (Dan. 7:13, Isa. 53:12). Jesus exposed Judas as his betrayer and Satan entered into Judas. Then Judas left the room to go and betray Jesus. Then Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying that the bread was his body. The bread of affliction (Dt.16:3) in the Passover story would be replaced by the broken body of Jesus. The blood of the covenant would become Jesus’ own blood (Mk14:24, Ex.24:8). In addition, Jesus gave his disciples a ‘new command’ to love each other as Jesus had loved them and by this people would know them as his disciple (John 13:34). This is a command that none of us takes seriously enough and God only knows how different our world would be if we did . 

Jesus gave this meal to be perpetually observed in his church. By faith we are to look to Jesus to empower us to serve one another and to give ourselves sacrificially for the good others. Moreover, we can only imitate in this way as we rely on Jesus’ death and resurrection and on the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit. This story ends with Jesus and his disciples praying and singing a hymn, and proceeding to the Mount of Olives. There Jesus would prayerfully wrestle over having to drink the ‘cup of God’s wrath’ and there all the disciples of Jesus would be scattered and fall away (Zech.13:7).  

'God Promises His Presence' (Exodus 33-34).

God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants (Gen.12:1-3). Abraham’s family multiplied but was enslaved in Egypt until they cried out and God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. God brought out of Egypt by ‘His mighty acts of judgment’ and Pharaoh let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12, 12:12). Yet, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his troops who trapped the Israelites by the Red Sea. Then the Lord divided the sea so Israel walked through on dry ground, but Pharaoh’s army pursued them only to drown in the sea. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided them with ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’ despite their grumbling. Israel camped by Mt. Sinai and the Lord called Moses up the mountain to establish His covenant and give Israel the 10 commandments. Moses spent 40 days and nights with God on the mountain until the Lord told Moses to go down because the Israelites had corrupted themselves by making a golden calf as an idol. Moses interceded and the Lord preserved Israel. Moses went down the mountain and smashed the idol, ground it to powder and made the Israelites drink it. The Levites stood with Moses and at the Lord’s command they went through the camp putting 3000 people to death. Afterwards, Moses went back up the mountain to the Lord to see if he could make atonement for the Israelites which brings us to our story.

The Lord told Moses to take the people Moses brought out of Egypt, and go to the land the Lord promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord would fulfill his covenant and drive out the inhabitants of the land.  However, the Lord would not go with the Israelites because might provoke the Lord to destroy them because the Israelites were a stiff-necked people (33:1–6). So Moses wanted to know who the Lord would send with him to lead the people. Now Moses would meet with God outside the Israelite camp at what was called the “tent of meeting”. The people would watch Moses enter the ‘tent of meeting’ and the pillar of cloud would rest at the tent’s entrance. There the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend (11). This closeness enabled Moses to boldly ask God to go with Israel on their journey.

If the Lord was pleased with him then Moses wanted to be taught the Lord’s ways. Moses wanted to know the Lord and know the Lord’s favor. Then Moses reminded the Lord that Israel was the Lord’s people and the Lord responded by saying, “My presence will go with you.” But Moses wanted to be sure because if God didn’t go with them then how would anyone know that the Lord was pleased with Israel? Furthermore, what else would distinguish Israel from all the other peoples on earth? So God promises to be ‘present’ with the people because He was pleased with Moses. Then Moses asks to see God’s glory (18) and the Lord promised that His ‘goodness’ would pass by Moses (19). Yet, Moses would not be able to look upon God directly (20) because no one could look at the Lord directly and live (33:12-23).

So Moses was to chisel two stone tablets and to go alone up Mount Sinai in the morning and present himself to the Lord. Moses went up Mount Sinai and the Lord came down in the cloud and passed by Moses. The Lord proclaimed His name to Moses revealing himself as the merciful and compassionate God, who forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin (33:19), but who is just and will not leave the guilty unpunished (see Pss. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8).  Moses bows in worship and sought further assurance that the Lord would go with them to Canaan. They were a ‘stiff-necked people’ so Moses asked the Lord to forgive their sins and take them as the Lord’s inheritance (34:1-9).

The Lord confirmed that He was making His covenant with Moses and Israel and that He would perform His wonders before them. They were to obey the Lord’s commands and the Lord would drive out the inhabitants of the land. They were not to make treaties with them; rather they were to tear down their idolatrous places of worship because the Lord was jealous for their affections. The Lord would drive out these idolatrous nations, enlarge Israel’s territory, and protect their land when their men went up three times each year to appear before their God. So the Lord told Moses to write down these words, for the Lord was making His covenant with Moses and Israel (34:10-28).  

When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the tablets of the covenant his face was radiant from speaking with the Lord. They were afraid but Moses summoned the elders and after giving them God’s commands, Moses veiled his face (33). Then when Moses entered the Lord’s presence he would remove the veil and after speaking with God his face would be radiant again. Then Moses after speaking with Israel would cover his face until he would go back to meet with God again (34:28–35). 

The New Testament tells us that this covenant was glorious but that it is far surpassed by the ‘New Covenant’ in Christ. The glory of the ‘older covenant’ was a fading glory like the radiance on the face of Moses. The ‘new covenant’ is permanently fulfilled in Jesus Christ and will never fade away. Paul also tells us that as believers in Jesus we are being transformed by God’s Spirit into Christ’s likeness with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

'The Golden Calf' (Exodus 32).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3). Abraham’s family grew but became enslaved in Egypt. They cried out and the Lord God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and the Pharaoh let the Israelites go. But Pharaoh changed his mind and his troops trapped the Israelites by the Red Sea. However, the Lord divided the sea so Israel could walk through on dry ground. Then Pharaoh’s army followed Israel into the see only to be drowned. Life was tough in the desert but the Lord miraculously provided the Israelites with ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’. Then the Lord gave Israel ‘His Law’ and confirmed ‘His Covenant’ with Moses and Israel (Exodus 19-20, 24). This brings us to the story of the ‘golden calf’ which we find in Exodus 32. You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

The Israelites grew impatient with Moses being up on the mountain with God. They didn’t know what had happened to Moses so they went to Aaron to have him make them gods to go before them. They asked Aaron to make them gods to lead them so Aaron collected their gold jewelry and formed it into an idol in the shape of a calf. They were unwilling to wait for Moses to return from God and they resorted to an idolatrous expression of worship. Aaron was an eyewitness to the ‘exodus’ and the Lord’s mighty acts in the plagues. Surely he knew to wait for Moses yet Aaron made an idol and built an altar. He also announced that the next day they would hold a festival to the Lord. It turns out that the people were willing to worship other gods and they even gave them credit for bringing them out of Egypt. The festival Aaron called for was to the Lord but the idol Aaron fashioned corrupted their worship. Their worship became idolatrous and their behavior became immoral (Romans 1).    

The Lord knew what was happening below so He told Moses to go down to Moses’ people who Moses had brought out of Egypt. The Lord couldn’t identify the Israelites as His own people because they had corrupted themselves by turning from the Lord’s commands. The Lord wanted to destroy the Israelites and turn Moses into a ‘great nation’. God had promised to make Abraham into a ‘great nation’ but now He was willing to abandon Abraham’s family with the exception for Moses. However, Moses sought the Lord’s favor to preserve Israel even though they had grumbled against Moses several times. Moses interceded for Israel by first referring to the Israelites as the Lord’s people that the Lord had rescued out of Egypt. Then Moses argued that if the Lord destroyed the Israelites then the Egyptians would say the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt only wipe them off the earth. Finally, Moses reminds the Lord of His promise to give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and a land as their inheritance forever. After Moses’ appeal we are told that the Lord chose not to bring about the disaster He had threatened.

After successfully interceding for Israel, Moses went down the mountain with the two tablets of stone engraved with the commandments of God. When Moses saw the calf and the people dancing and partying he threw the tablets of stone and they shattered at the foot of the mountain. Moses took the calf, burned it in the fire, ground it into a powder, scattered it on the water and he made the Israelites drink it. Moses was shocked that Aaron had led the people into such a grievous sin. But Aaron tried to avoid responsibility by mentioning how prone to evil the Israelites were. Aaron also claimed that when he threw the Israelite’s gold into the fire somehow a calf idol formed itself. Then Moses called whoever was for the Lord to stand with him and all the Levites stood with Moses. Moses said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man should go back and forth with a sword through the camp killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” Three thousand people died and the next day Moses went up the mountain to see if he could atone for Israel’s sin. So Moses pleaded that the Lord forgive Israel’s sin and if not then Moses requested that he be blotted out of the Lord’s book. But the LORD said that whoever had sinned against Him would be blotted out. Then the Lord exhorted Moses to go lead the Israelites and the Lord promised that His angel would go before them. The Lord said that in time He would strike Israel with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

We may never fashion an idol and seek to worship it or seek to worship the Lord through it. However, all too often we turn to things other than God. We can also very easily drift into ways of worshiping God that are contrary to His will as revealed in his word. Moreover what we need is someone to make God present to us, to intercede for us and to make atonement for us when we violate or neglect His commands. Surely this greater mediator than Moses that we all need is our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus, unlike Moses, can fully atone for all our sins by offering to God his perfect life and his own death on the cross on our behalf.  In addition, Jesus alone can lead us into all the realization of all the promises of God.  

The 'Mosaic Covenant Confirmed' (Exodus 24).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3). Abraham’s family grew while in Egypt but they became enslaved. They cried out under oppression and the Lord God called Moses to lead the Israelites and brought ‘His mighty acts of judgment’ upon Egypt and their gods. Pharaoh let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12, 12:12), but Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his troops to pursue Israel. The Israelites appeared to be trapped by the Red Sea until the Lord divided the sea and the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Pharaoh’s entire armies followed Israel into the see only to be drowned. The Israelites trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses. Then the Lord miraculously provided the Israelites with ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’ despite their grumbling and complaining. Then in Exodus 19-20 we have the account of the ‘giving of the law’ and that brings us to the story of the ‘confirmation of the Mosaic Covenant’ from Exodus 24. You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

The Lord told Moses to come up to him, but the Israelite people were not to come up the mountain. Moses was to take Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, but only Moses could approach and draw near to the Lord. God wanted the representatives to come up to him but they were to stay back and worship from a distance. When Moses told the Israelites all the Lord’s words and laws they agreed with one voice that they would obey all that the Lord had said. The Lord revealed his will directly to Moses who made it known to the representative leaders of Israel. Then after they agreed to obey the Lord Moses committed everything the Lord said to writing. So Moses had the unique role of receiving the direct revelation from God and he was responsible to preserve the revelation in writing.  

Early the next morning Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars; one for each Israelite tribe. There they sacrificed bulls as offerings to the Lord. Moses gathered the blood from the sacrifices, sprinkled half of the blood on the altar and he put the other half in bowls. Then Moses read the ‘Book of the Covenant’ to the people and once again they agreed to obey the Lord. After this Moses sprinkled the blood on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” God used this ceremony to show the binding nature of the relationship between God and His people. The shedding of the blood communicated the ‘life and death’ seriousness of the covenant bond so that their oath and the blood bound them to be faithful to the Lord of the covenant. 

Moses’ read what the Lord required of them, the people took an oath to the Lord and the covenant ceremony sealed their commitment to be faithful to what the Lord had said. The shedding of the blood symbolically represented the consequence for disloyalty to the covenant. Now that the people were bound in covenant relationship with the Lord we’re told that their representative leaders, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders went up with Moses and they saw the God of Israel. What exactly they saw is unclear but beneath it was something like a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky. So these representative leaders of God’s people saw something of the presence and glory of God and they ate and drank and the Lord did them not harm them.

The Lord told Moses to come up to the mountain and wait upon Him. Then the Lord would give Moses the tablets of stone on which the Lord would write is law and commands for their instruction. The people were bound in covenant with the Lord and their leaders had seen something of God’s glory. Now it was time for Moses to go up the mountain and receive further revelation of God’s will for His people. Aaron and Hur stayed behind to settle disputes while Moses and Joshua went up on the mountain of God. The cloud settled on Mount Sinai for six days and it looked like a ‘consuming fire’ to the Israelites at the base of the mountain. On the seventh day God called Moses so Moses entered the cloud and stayed on the mountain 40 days and nights.

The Lord Jesus instituted a new and better covenant with his people when he gave his disciples what we call the ‘Lord’s Supper’ (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 8:6). When we take this ceremonial meal by faith we are renewing our oath to be faithful to our Lord. By faith we also participate in the body and blood of Christ and we proclaim that our Lord bore the curse due us for our unfaithfulness (1 Cor.10:16, 11:26, Gal. 3:13). When Moses sprinkled the blood on the people Moses said ‘this is the blood of the covenant’ (Ex. 24:8) but when Jesus inaugurated the supper he said, ‘this is the new covenant in my blood’ (Luke 22:20). The curse that would come upon the party violating the covenant relationship is symbolically depicted by the blood or wine in the ceremony or meal. Moreover, in better new covenant Jesus himself experienced the death due to us for breaking the covenant and we, as believers ‘in Christ’, receive the blessing due to him (Gal. 3:12-13).

               

'The Giving of the Law' (Exodus 19-20)

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved. They cried out to the Lord and the Lord called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord brought ‘His mighty acts of judgment’ upon Egypt and their gods so that Pharaoh let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12, 12:12). Yet, Pharaoh changed his mind and he pursued Israel pinning them in by the Red Sea. The Lord divided the sea so that the Israelites were able to walk through on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them into the sea and Pharaoh’s entire army drowned. So the Israelites trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses. However, they quarreled when they faced the difficulties of life in the desert. The Lord miraculously provided the Israelites with food and water and He gave them a military victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17). This brings us to the story of God giving Moses and the Israelites His law at Mount Sinai. You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

 This is a great story because it shows us something of the holy and awesome character of our God. However, it is also a disturbing story because you get the impression from the story that God is so ‘holy’, and so ‘far above and beyond us’ that He is unapproachable. Moses was told to put a boundary around the mountain to keep people from going up and approaching God; or they would be put to death (Exodus 19:23-24). The story also teaches that God is a God of grace which we can miss among the ‘thunder and lightning’ and ‘fire and smoke’. Remember that the Lord God had already graciously delivered Israel out from slavery in Egypt. The Lord carried the Israelites ‘on eagle’s wings’ and He brought them to Himself. Then God bound Himself ‘in covenant’ to Israel and Israel was to be God’s ‘treasured possession’. Consequently, among all the nations Israel was to be a ‘kingdom of priests and a holy nation’.

The story tells us how God so loved Israel, that He graciously saved them out of Egypt and brought them to Himself to be His people. Consequently, as God’s people the Israelites were to ‘obey Him’ and seek to reflect the character of their redeemer God. As God’s people they were to ‘Worship the Lord as the only true God’. In addition, they were not to misrepresent God by making an idol of any created thing to represent God and they were not to misuse the Lord’s name. They were to ‘work six days and then rest’ in imitation of their God who created everything in six days and rested on seventh day.  Also, they were to honor their parents and love their neighbors as themselves. As the Lord’s ‘treasured possession’ and a ‘holy nation’ they were to reflect God’s character and in so doing they would show the nations what God was like and that they were God’s special people.

The story also tells us something very important about man. Man cannot simply approach God any way old he wants. God came down on Sinai but, only Moses could approach God. Israel was to keep their distance (Exodus 20:18-21). When God manifested Himself on Sinai, Israel only wanted Moses to speak to God because they feared that if God spoke to them they would die. God was saying, ‘I’m the Lord the ‘gracious and compassionate God’ and I’m coming down but ‘I’m holy’; so ‘stand back’. God was saying, “I’m coming down to ‘make myself known’, but they could not approach the Lord any old way you wanted (Exodus 20:22–24). God called Moses up the mountain and gave him His law. Among all the nations God was revealing ‘His will’ and ‘His character’ to Israel. Israel was free to approach the Lord as ‘His People’ but they could only approach Him through a mediator and by means of a sacrifice. God revealed Himself to Israel though ‘His Law’ which was like a portrait of the ‘Holy character of God’.  Now when we look at the portrait of God’s holy character, ‘the Law’ becomes for us something like a mirror. In this sense ‘the Law’ exposes our sin and imperfections and our need for a Saviour who we know to be the better new covenant mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the embodiment of Israel’s God.

Gal.3:24 ‘the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith’.

Water from the Rock (Exodus 17).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied but ended up enslaved in Egypt. They cried out and the Lord used Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt by His mighty acts of judgment. The Israelite community left Egypt with the Lord leading them by the pillar of cloud and fire. Then when Pharaoh and his army pursued Israel, Moses stretched out his staff over the Red Sea and the Lord divided the sea so that the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them into the sea but the Lord drowned Pharaoh’s entire. The Israelites trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses but then they quarreled when they faced the difficulties of life in the desert. This brings us to the story of the Lord providing the Israelites with water from the rock and giving them a victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17). You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

The Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt with mighty acts of judgment and led them by the pillar of cloud and fire. Then the Lord provided the Israelites with plenty of ‘manna and quail’ to eat. In this story we find that the Israelites had been led to camp at Rephidim where they had no water. Now instead of trusting the Lord to provide water for them the Israelites tested the Lord and yet the Lord graciously provided water for the people to drink from the ‘Rock at Horeb’.

The Israelite community were traveling place to place and the Lord led them to camp at Rephidim where there was no visible source of water. However, rather than trusting God the Israelites quarreled with Moses and demanded he give them water to drink. Moses questions why they were quarreling and putting the Lord to the test since it was the Lord who had led them to the camp. By quarreling and demanding that Moses give them water they were actually ‘putting the Lord to the test”.

With no water in sight they assumed that there was no water available. They definitely needed water so they chose to quarrel with Moses and they even accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt only to make them, their children and their livestock die of thirst. They quarreled to such an extent that Moses actually thought the Israelites would stone him to death. Moses was at a loss as to what to do so he cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do… the Israelites are ready to stone me.”

The Lord’s answer was for Moses to walk ahead of the people accompanied by some of the Israelite elders. The Lord would stand before Moses on the “Rock at Horeb’ and Moses was to strike the rock with the same staff which they used to strike the Nile and bring judgment upon the ‘gods of Egypt’. Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel and the Lord provided water from the rock for the people to drink. So Moses called the place Massah, which means testing and ‘meribah’ which means quarreling because there they questioned whether or not He was with them. The Lord allowed Himself to be put on trial by having Moses strike the rock with the staff with which Moses had brought judgment on Egypt.

God calls His people to trust Him to provide for us. Yet in this story we find the Israelites testing the Lord’s patience by doubting that God was with them (Ex. 17:2, 6-7). This happened at Horeb which is another name for Mount Sinai and is the same place where Moses encountered God at the burning bush (Ex. 3:1; Deut 4:15). We find water flowing from God’s presence in other places in the scripture (Gen. 2:10; Ezek. 47:1–2). The New Testament tells us that the Israelites drank from the rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:3–4). Today, we are to look directly to Jesus the mediator of the better new covenant to provide spiritual water for our thirsty souls (Hebrews 9:15, 12:24, John 7:37b–38).

After they quarreled and putting the Lord to the test the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites. First came the infighting and then came the attack from the outside. Moses tells Joshua to choose some of their men to fight while he would go up the hill with the staff of God to intercede. So Joshua and his chosen men fought the Amalekites while Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. While Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning, but whenever Moses lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired Aaron and Hur held Moses hands steady till sunset.

Moses lifted up his hands to the throne of God and Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. The Lord told Moses to write this account down on a scroll so that the event could be remembered. Moses was to make sure that Joshua heard it since the Lord would blot out the memory of Amalek. Then Moses built an altar and called it ‘The Lord is my Banner’ and he said that the Lord fought for Israel when hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The story shows how quarreling can make one vulnerable to outside attack. It is curious how being attacked can motivate people to work together to overcome a common enemy. Facing opposition can stimulate cooperation and divert attention away from quarreling and bickering. The story makes it clear that the battle is the Lord’s and that spiritual battles are won by lifting up hands in prayer to the throne of God. Moses interceded for the Old Testament people and we look in pray to the better new covenant mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ.  

"God Provides Manna and Quail" (Exodus 16)

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved. They cried out in and the Lord remembered His covenant (Exodus 1:7, 2:23) and He called Moses to help deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord sent several plagues upon Egypt to deliver Israel and to reveal Himself to both the Israelites and the Egyptians (6:6-7, 7:3-5). The Israelites were to slaughter a year-old male lamb and put the blood on their doorframes. Then the Lord ‘passed over’ the Israelite households and brought judgment upon the ‘gods of Egypt’ by striking down every firstborn in Egypt (12:12).

Pharaoh let the Israelites go and the Israelites left Egypt and many other people accompanied them. The Lord led the Israelites to camp by the Red Sea and the Pharaoh sent his troops to pursue them. Moses stretched out his staff over the sea and the Lord divided the sea and the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them into the sea but the Lord downed the Pharaoh’s entire army in the sea. The Israelites saw the Lord’s power and they trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses. After a celebration, Moses and the Israelites continued their journey through the desert towards their promised land. This brings us to the story of the Lord providing the Israelites with ‘quail and manna’ (Exodus 16) so watch the video and read the comments below. 

In the Exodus the Lord delivered His people from Egyptian slavery and led them towards their promised land by the pillar of cloud and fire. In this story God miraculously provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness and tested them to see if they would follow his instructions. The Israelite community came to the ‘Desert of Sin’ where they grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They selectively thought back to Egypt and remembered having food had meat to eat. Then they accused Moses leading them into the desert only to starve them to death. They don’t recall crying out in their slavery and God delivering them out of Egypt and drowning Pharaoh’s army in the sea. Yet, despite their grumbling the Lord promised Moses that He would “rain down bread from heaven”. Then the Israelites were to gather enough for each day, and twice as much on the sixth day. In this way the Lord would test the Israelites to see if they will obey Him.

So the Israelites grumbled but God graciously provided them with meat so that they would know the Lord had brought them out of Egypt. In the morning they would see the glory of the Lord when they were provided plenty of bread. Then when Aaron was speaking, the Israelites looked up and saw the glory of the Lord in the pillar of cloud.  So God promised to graciously provide for them and He manifested His presence among them so that they would know that the Lord is God. God did as Moses said and in the evening quail covered the camp and in the morning a fine, flake-like thing was on the ground. The Israelites asked what it was and Moses said, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat”. They were to gather what they needed and share what they gathered so that no one had too much or too little.  Moses also told them not to leave any of it until morning. Earlier they had seen the power of God displayed in the drowning of Pharaoh’s army and they had trusted Moses. But now some of them ignore Moses and when the ‘bread’ they kept smelled bad and was full of maggots. Then they were told to gather twice as much as usual on the sixth day because the seventh day was a day of Sabbath rest and there wouldn’t be any to gather. They were to cook what they wanted and to keep what was left over for the next day. Some of them went out to gather it on the seventh day and they found none. The Lord considered this to be a refusal to keep His commands.

Now the Israelites called the bread that God rained down from heaven ‘manna’. It was white like coriander seed and it tasted like wafers made with honey. Aaron put some of the ‘manna’ in a jar to be kept before the Lord so that generations of Israelites could see the bread the Lord had provided in the desert when He brought them out of Egypt. The Lord provided the ‘manna’ for the Israelites to eat for forty years till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Surely, the story teaches that God is fully capable of providing for his people. God even provided graciously for them despite their grumbling against Him. The way God dealt with the grumbling of the Israelites reveals God’s great patience. It also shows us that the Israelites didn’t deserve God’s gracious provision and guidance (Ex. 16:2, 7–9, 12). So God wants us to trust Him to be the one who provides for us. Therefore God expects us to obey him particularly because of all that He has done for us. 

'Passover and Exodus' (Exodus 12-14).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants, Jacob and his twelve sons, end up in Egypt where they multiplied but they became enslaved. They cry out and God remembers His covenant (Exodus 1:6-12, 2:16-25) and called Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord sent a variety of plagues to show His superiority over the gods of Egypt but the Pharaoh stubbornly resisted the Lord’s request to let the Israelites go. Yet, the Lord orchestrated the plagues to multiply His mighty acts and reveal Himself to both the Israelites and the Egyptians (6:6-7, 7:3-5). This takes us to the last plague so watch the video about the ‘Passover and the Exodus’ and read the comments below. 

 The Israelite households were to slaughter a year-old male lamb and put the blood on their doorframes. They were to roast the meat and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. Then the Lord would bring judgment upon the ‘gods of Egypt’ by striking down every firstborn in Egypt. When the Israelites entered their ‘Promised Land’ they were to observe the ‘Passover’ throughout the generations and they were to teach their children that in ‘Lord’s Passover’ the Lord spared the Israelites when He struck down the Egyptians. When this happened there was loud wailing throughout Egypt because the Lord took the life of the firstborn in every Egyptian household from the house of Pharaoh to that of the prisoner. Pharaoh told Moses and the Israelites to take their flocks and herds and go worship the Lord. The Egyptians urged the Israelites to hurry and leave Egypt so they left before they could add yeast to their bread dough. The Lord caused the Egyptians to give the Israelites articles of silver and gold and so the Israelites plundered Egypt.  

After 430 years, the Israelites left Egypt with their families, their possessions and with many other people who accompanied them. The Lord led them on the longer route through the desert because the Lord knew that if they went directly through Philistine territory and faced war they may return to Egypt. Moses took Joseph’s bones with them as the Israelites had promised Joseph they would. The Lord led them out of Egypt by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Then the Lord challenged the Israelites by having the Israelites camp by the Red Sea and hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that Pharaoh would pursue them. Yet, the Lord would overthrow Pharaoh and his army to display His glory and to reveal Himself to the Egyptians. Pharaoh realized that their slave labor was gone so he sent his troops with their chariots to pursue the Israelites. Apparently he had forgotten the connection of the plagues to Israel and how the various plagues had left Egypt in ruins.

When the Israelites saw the Egyptians they cried out in terror and they questioned why Moses had led them out into the desert only to die at the hands of the Egyptians. They showed that they doubted God’s good intention towards them by telling Moses they were better off as slaves than corpses in the desert. Moses told the Israelites to stand firm and they would see the Lord deliverance. God through Moses told the Israelites that the Egyptians who they feared they would never see again. They only needed to be still and the Lord would fight for them, but they were not to sit immobilized in fear. The angel of the Lord, leading Israel, went behind them and the cloud went between Israel and Egypt bringing darkness on the Egyptians and light to the Israelites. Moses stretched out his staff over the sea and a strong east wind divided the sea. Then the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Pharaoh’s army followed the Israelites into the sea. But the Lord jammed the wheels of their chariots and threw them into confusion. Again Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord swept Pharaoh’s army into the sea. None of the Egyptians survived and the Israelites saw their dead bodies washed up on the shore. The Israelites saw the Lord’s power in the destruction of their enemies and they trusted in the Lord and in the Lord’s servant Moses.

The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt until God manifested Himself in the plagues. In the final plague the Lord spared His people and brought judgment upon their oppressors. When the Israelites covered the doorframes of their houses with the ‘blood of the lamb’ the Lord passed them over when He struck down the firstborn of Egypt. So the Lord brought judgment on the ‘gods of Egypt’ and led His people by the pillar of cloud and fire. Yet, when they ended up pinned in by the Red Sea they were full of fear and they complained against Moses. Moses exhorted them to be still and he assured them that the Lord would deliver them. The Lord parted the ‘Red Sea’ so the Israelites could pass through on dry ground. Then when the Egyptians followed them into the sea the Lord fought for Israel (Ex. 14:14) and drowned their enemies in the sea. God is perfectly capable of overcoming any obstacle and delivering His people from any trouble. However, this doesn’t mean that the Lord promised to rescue us from every difficult situation. In this story God displayed his power when the way out was humanly impossible. God intervened and when the Israelites saw the power of the Lord they put their trust in the Lord and in the Lord’s servant Moses. In the same way, when we see the demonstration of the Lord’s power particularly in the death and resurrection of Jesus we are to put our trust in God and His servant the Lord Jesus (John 1:29, 1 Cor.5:7, Eph.1:19-21). 

The 9 Plagues before the Passover (Exodus 7-11).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s grandson Jacob and his twelve sons end up in Egypt where they multiplied but they became enslaved. They cry out and God remembers His covenant (Exodus 1:6-12, 2:16-25) and called Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. After spending 40 years as a shepherd, the Lord called Moses to rescue the Israelites out of Egypt.  Through His mighty acts of judgment the Lord would redeem Israel. Moses was to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go even though Pharaoh would not listen and through this process the Lord would show His superiority over the gods of Egypt and reveal Himself to both the Israelites and the Egyptians.  Pharaoh stubbornly resisted the Lord’s requests but the Lord orchestrated the plagues in order to multiply His mighty acts so that Israel (6:6-7), their children (10:1-2), Egypt (7:3-5) and all the earth (9:16) might know that the Lord is God. Watch the video or listen to the audio of the first six plagues then read the comments below. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dz2zmb6xm7bxw4v/19-20.%20The%20First%20Nine%20Plagues..MP3?dl=0

1-3 ‘The Plagues of Blood, Frogs and Gnats’.

The Lord was concerned for the Israelites and sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Lord’s people go. The Lord wanted to free His people from slavery to Pharaoh so they could worship the Lord. In these first three plagues the Lord began to reveal that He alone was the ‘true Lord and God’ (Exodus 7:5, 16-17). The Lord sent Moses to confront Pharaoh to let the Israelites go to worship the Lord. Then the Lord turned the water of Egypt to blood and while the Egyptian magicians did the same thing by their magic arts they could only make the matters worse (7:22). But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn’t listen so Moses warned Pharaoh and then the Lord plagued Egypt with frogs. The Egyptian magicians again did the same thing but Pharaoh needed Moses to pray to the Lord to remove the frogs (8:10-14). Pharaoh hardens his heart and without further warning the Lord turned the dust of the ground to gnats. When the magicians couldn’t reproduce the gnats they concluded this was the ‘finger of God’, but Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn’t listen. (8:17-19) 

4-6 'The Plagues of Flies, on Egypt’s Livestock, and Boils'.  

In the next three plagues the Lord would show that He was in the land and that He deals differently with His own people, and makes a distinction between Israel and Egypt (Exodus 8:22-23, 9:4). Pharaoh is warned and swarms of flies pour into Pharaoh’s palace and throughout Egypt. Pharaoh summons Moses and tells Moses to go and worship the Lord but not to go very far (8:28, 32). Pharaoh wanted Moses to pray, Moses did and the flies left Pharaoh and his people but Pharaoh hardened his heart. Then after another warning the Lord sent a plague that killed the livestock belonging to the Egyptians but none of livestock of the Israelites died (9:6-7). Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn’t let Israel go. Then without further warning the Lord brought festering boils on the Egyptians. The boils were so bad that the Egyptian magicians couldn’t even stand before Moses. Yet, the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron (9:10-12). 

7-9 'The Plague of Hail, Locusts and Darkness over Egypt'.

In the next three plagues the Lord would send the full force of His plagues against Egypt so that it would be known that there is no one like the Lord in all the earth. The Lord could have wiped Pharaoh and Egypt off the earth but the Lord actually raised you up Pharaoh so that the Lord’s name might be proclaimed in all the earth (Exodus 9:14–16). The Lord has Moses confront Pharaoh to let Israel go or Pharaoh would have to face the most severe hailstorm ever seen in Egypt. The Egyptians are warned to shelter everything in their fields but only those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord sheltered their slaves and livestock. Moses stretched out his staff and the hail struck both men and animals and beat down everything in the fields. But it didn’t hail where the Israelites were staying in Goshen. The Pharaoh acknowledged that he had sinned and he wanted Moses to pray. Moses prayed, the hail stopped but Pharaoh hardened his heart and he would not let the Israelites go (9:33-35).

Then Moses was to go to Pharaoh, but the Lord would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that the Israelites could tell their children how the Lord struck Egypt with miraculous signs. The Lord would send the worst locust plague ever to occur in Egypt. Pharaoh’s officials pleaded with Pharaoh to let the Israelites go for they realized that Egypt was in ruins. Pharaoh tells Moses to go worship the Lord their God, but Pharaoh wanted to know who would go. Moses said that their young and old, their sons and daughters and their animals would all go, but Pharaoh would only let their men go. So Pharaoh had Moses driven from his presence. Then the Lord caused a strong east wind to blow a mass of locusts into Egypt that devoured everything remaining after the hailstorm. Then Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh admitted that he had sinned. Pharaoh asked for forgiveness and he wanted Moses to pray that the Lord would remove the locusts. Moses prayed and the Lord sent a strong west wind carrying the locusts into the Red Sea but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go.

With no further warning Moses stretched out his hand skyward and total darkness covered Egypt for three days, but the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. Pharaoh summons Moses to let the Israelites go and worship the Lord with their women and children. But Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Israelites take their flocks and herds with them, but Moses said that they would need to use their livestock in their worship. The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and Pharaoh ordered Moses out of his sight and to never return again. The Lord would send one ‘last plague’ and this time Pharaoh would actually let the Israelites go. The Israelites were to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and in this way they would plunder Egypt (Exodus 3:21-22). At midnight the Lord would strike down every firstborn son in Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh to that of the firstborn of the slave girl and even the firstborn cattle would die. There would be such loud wailing heard throughout Egypt like never before in their history. The Lord would make a distinction between Egypt and Israel so that not even a dog belonging to the Israelites would bark. Then Pharaoh, the Egyptians, the Israelites and their offspring would all know that the Lord is God and that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel (Exodus 7:5, 8:10, 22-23, 9:14, 10:1-2). Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go.

End of Year 2015!

Dear friends and family,

Thanks for your prayerful support over the past year. We hope you have had a ‘Merry Christmas’

season and ‘Happy New Year’ to you. In South Africa they have modern grocery stores and nice restaurants but ministry can be very challenging. The history of the Church in South Africa is troubling which makes the ‘Story of Christianity’ here a confusing one. While South Africa is called the 'rainbow nation' the people seem to be separate and suspicious of those outside their group. At the end of the day, South Africa is a beautiful but it also a very complicated place.

Pastor Yoms receives his Ph-D. 

Over the last few months there have been a number of protests at the University of Stellenbosch.  Local South African students started a movement called ‘Open Stellenbosch’ demonstrating against the use of the Afrikaans language and the dominance of the Afrikaans culture at the University. The majority of South Africans who don’t speak Afrikaans consider the use of Afrikaans a hindrance to them and others like them. Then students of all different backgrounds protested across the country against a 10% increase in student tuition. Students blocked buildings, disrupted classes and took over the main library before the exam week. In response to the demonstrations the government withdrew the increases in tuition. After this, workers on the university campus protested the practice of Stellenbosch University of hiring third party contractors to work on campus.  These employers pay lower wages and without any benefits. These last demonstrations got out of hand when trash cans and even a couple of vehicles were burned.  

These events happened right around us although those we’re working with are a little removed from these issues.  We’re working with 'international students' coming from outside South Africa who are doing their graduate studies in English. The students we are trying to serve are coming here from across the continent of Africa and also as far away as Korea. Many of these are Pastors so our emphasis on teaching Biblical Theology through the Bible’s own stories can have a far reaching impact. We’ve made a number of dear friends from places as diverse as Nigeria, Botswana and Korea. We all share English in common and we’re all in one stage or another of transitioning to life in a foreign culture.

Koreans and Africans learning stories. 

Our story group has been meeting for about 10 months now and it’s slowly progressing, but not as rapidly as it would in a pure ‘oral culture’. I'm working with Masters and Ph.D. students who are not typical Africans or typical oral learners. However they are still finding the ‘Biblical storytelling’ helpful and those in our group enjoy the approach and see the merits of it. We’ve been able to story through the gospels and Genesis and we’re currently up to the Exodus. So telling the Biblical story along with having students over to our house, meeting with students and showing basic hospitality is essentially our philosophy of ministry. We are doing this through the local church, Christ Church Stellenbosch, where I’m on staff and my role has expanded so that now I'm also the missions’ pastor. I've been invited to teach Biblical storytelling in Malawi, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Gambia and South Sudan. Malawi and Nigeria are the most likely stops for me in 2016.

Christmas Eve at our flat. 

Today we moved into a new house.  We looked at a least nine different places and when the house we really wanted fell through we were a bit discouraged. We were one of the last 5 potential renters down from 13 when the owner decided to sell rather than rent. The same day the place we wanted fell through we received a call from a couple in the church who had decided to go to the states for a year so to make a long story short we staying in their house. The rent is a little more than we had hoped but it’s a nice house and it will be great for entertaining and showing hospitality. It’s also fully furnished and it’s only a 10 minute walk from campus. Our girls are excited about the move since they’ve been a bit cooped up in relatively small apartment for a year. We’ve suffered some severe setbacks lately, so we are asking that you would please pray for us and our children. We feel particularly needful of prayer as we enter this ‘New Year’. Have a great a ‘New Year’ and thanks again for your prayerful support.

With Love from the Stoms Family,

Jay, Laura, Clara, Katherine and Lauren.