Tag Archives: the book of Exodus

June 10
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“Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ But Moses said, ‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it.'” (Exodus 4:10-13, NIV)

To be available to God, in spite of our physical disabilities, our personal shortcomings, and our fears (as real as they may be) is what pleases God — and broadens our horizons.

Every day, we have before us the option to make ourselves (and all that we have at our disposal) available to God — or we can, like Moses, make excuses.

One lesson that we can learn from the exchange between Moses and God, as recorded in today’s scripture passage, is this: God doesn’t care as much about our ability as He does our availability.

Do we make it our ambition to be available to God?  – Luther

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February 7
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“Then Moses said to them, ‘No one is to keep any of it until morning.’ However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.” (Exodus 16:19-20, NIV)

The Lord’s prayer includes these words: “Give us this day, our daily bread.”

The daily bread of the Children of Israel’s 40-year sojourn in the desert was called manna. The wanderers were commanded by Moses to take only what was needed each day (except on the day before the Sabbath, when they were to collect two day’s worth so they could keep the command to refrain from labor on the Sabbath). But some of the wanderers paid Moses no mind, and hoarded the manna. They should have saved the effort: The manna became inedible by morning.

Believe it or not, something as simple as eating can be an exercise in faith. Do we trust God to supply all of our needs, or do we have our own ideas about what we shall eat, drink, and wear? And if we’re set in the food and clothing department, do we reveal our insecurities about the future of our children, the state of our health, or the various other uncertainties of life?

God knows that we need the necessities of life, and he wants us to trust Him to provide them. We need not hoard; God has not forgotten us. We need not fret; our heavenly Father has not left us alone to fend for ourselves.  – Luther

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February 6
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“Then Moses said to the Israelites, ‘See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.'” (Exodus 32: 30-33, NIV)

Let’s hear it for the fine arts!

According to today’s scripture, when God commissioned the work for the tent of meeting and all of its furnishings, He chose, inspired, and equipped Bezalel — and others — with the genius, the knowledge, and the skills to make something magnificent.

Without musicians, writers, poets, painters, sculptors, dancers, and designers, our world would be much less beautiful. May our Father forgive us for minimizing the artistic gifts of our brothers, sisters, and neighbors; and may He help us to celebrate the work of all whose labors make visible the invisible; audible the inaudible; and tangible the intangible.  – Luther

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