Bible Reading Made Different

The following are the judgments that God told Moses to set before the Israelites. Hebrew servants - If a Hebrew servant is bought, he is to serve six years. In the seventh year he is free to leave at no cost. If it is only him when he becomes a servant, then only he can leave. However, if he has a wife and becomes a servant, then he and his wife are allowed to leave. If he is given a wife by the master during the time that he is a servant and they have children, the wife and the children shall remain and only he is allowed to leave. If the servant decides to stay because of his love for his master, wife and children, then the master shall take him to the judges and bring him to the door or doorpost.  Google sources state that the door could refer to the gates of the city where the judges are or the door(post) of the master's house.  The master shall pierce his ear with an awl  (a small pointed tool used for piercing holes, especially in leather and wood). Based on the def...

  Exodus 19 ended with Moses going down the mountain to speak to the people. Chapter 20 begins with God speaking and giving the Ten Commandments. So, I wondered if God was speaking with all of Israel or just Moses. So, I googled. Enduringword.com - a. And God spoke: It is proper to believe that God spoke these words to Israel as a whole, as they assembled together at the foot of Mount Sinai. Biblehub.com refers to Deuteronomy 5:22 which reads "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice..." The verses before Verse 22 are the Ten Commandments reviewed and verses after Verse 22 talk about the people being afraid to hear from God in His glory and His greatness. They feared that they would die. This research has changed my thinking that God only spoke to Moses when He initially gave the Ten Commandments. Now, on with the summary - God spoke saying, "I am the Lord your God, w...

  In the third month after Israel left Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. They left Rephidim and came to the Wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness before the mountain. Moses went up to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain  (first trip up the mountain) . God told Moses to tell the Israelites that they had seen what He did to the Egyptians and bore them on eagles' wings and brought them to Him.  The imagery of eagles' wings conveys the idea of a loving Father lifting His children far beyond their inherent capacity. He sustained them through tribulation while magnifying their best efforts and endowing them with power to attain His desires for them. Also, the imagery shows the care and protection that eagles instinctively give their offspring learning to fly (source: thechurchnews.com).  God told Moses to tell them that if they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant, then they would be a special treasure to Him above all ...

  Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard all that God had done for Moses and the Israelites. He heard that the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. Jethro took Moses' wife Zipporah back to Moses with their two sons, Gershom (for Moses said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land") and Eliezar (for Moses said,"The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"). Jethro took them to the wilderness, where Moses was encamped at the mountain of God. Jethro sent word to Moses that he was bringing Zipporah and the boys to him. Moses went out to meet Jethro and bowed down and kissed him. They exchanged "niceties" and went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law all that God had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians on Israel's behalf. He told him all of the hardship they endured on the way and how God delivered them. Jethro rejoiced for all the good God had done for Israel by delivering them out of the hand...

All of the congregation of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin as commanded by the Lord and camped in Rephidim. There was no water for them to drink in Rephidim. The people contended with Moses, saying, "Give us water, that we may drink." Moses' response was, "Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?" The people were thirsty for water and they complained against Moses. The people asked Moses, "Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?''  I guess they forgot that it was God who actually parted the Red Sea and who led them with the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. Moses was just the easy target for them, I guess! Contending with God was going to be a lost battle.  So, Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!" God told Moses to go before the people and to take some of the eld...

  After leaving Elim, the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. They arrived at the Wilderness of Sin on the 15th of the second month after departing Egypt. The entire congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron.  The name, "Wilderness of Sin" is just the name of the region. "Sin" in this sense is not speaking of immoral behavior. However, it is ironic that the Israelites are continuing to sin by complaining while in the Wilderness of Sin.  The children of Israel said, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."  Here they go again, glorifying their time in Egyptian bondage because they are seemingly facing adversity in the wilderness! Didn't God just provide them with twelve wells of water at Elim? Once aga...

Below are parts of the song broken down into sections. Singing God's Attributes and Promises God is gloriously triumphant. The Lord is my strength, song, and salvation. He is my God and my father's God. The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name. God's right hand is glorious in power. There is greatness in God's excellence. A blast from God's nostrils caused the waters to gather together; the floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. God is a merciful, strong Leader and Redeemer who led the Israelites to His holy habitation. There is greatness in the arm of the Lord. God would take His people and plant them in the mountain of His inheritance, the place He made for His own dwelling, the sanctuary His hands established.  (A Promise Keeper) The Lord reigns forever and ever. The children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.  (A Way Maker) Defeat of the Enemies God threw the horses and riders into the sea. God cast...

  The Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel that they should camp by the sea; they should turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Midgol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh would think the children of Israel are wandering around the land confused and that they are boxed in by the wilderness.  Has God ever directed you in such a way that your enemies assumed that you were clueless as to how to handle their antics?  The Lord said that He would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would pursue the Israelites. God is doing this so that He will gain honor over Pharaoh and his army and the Egyptians will know that He is the Lord.  In other words, God was letting the Egyptians know that He is in control of this situation. Verse 4 ends with the words, "And they did so." Of course, the different commentaries indicate that this means that the Israelites camped where they were instructed in obedience to God. I also like to think that since this verse was talking ...

  God told Moses to consecrate all of the firstborn to Him. He said whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, whether of man or beast, they belong to Him.  So does that include the females if they are the firstborn? Yes, I googled. Most sources concur that this only applied to the firstborn males that opened the womb. So if the firstborn was a female, and a son was born afterwards, the rule did not apply to that son. The reason being that the firstborn son in this case didn't open the womb. Now, what did it mean for the firstborn to be consecrated to the Lord? For humans, this meant that the firstborn male would be sanctified for the Lord's service. For clean animals, like sheep, this meant they would be sacrificed to the Lord. For unclean animals, like the firstborn of a donkey, a clean animal could be sacrificed. Moses told the people to remember the day in which they were brought out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. It was by the strength of the hand of th...

  The Israelites were instructed that when their children asked them about the reason for having the service, they should say, "It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households." The people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then they went and did as they were told by Moses and Aaron regarding getting the lamb just as the Lord commanded. At midnight, the Lord killed all of the firstborn in Egypt, from Pharaoh's palace to the captive who was in the dungeon. All of the firstborn of the livestock died too. Pharaoh, his servants and all of the Egyptians got up during the night and there was a great cry throughout Egypt. Every household had a dead family member. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in the night and told them to leave from among his people and to take the children of Israel with them and go serve the Lord as they wanted. Pharaoh told them to take their f...

  The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt telling them that this month will be the beginning of months for them. It would be the first month of the year.  Google sources indicate that this month is Nisan.  They were to tell the congregation of Israel that every family was to take a lamb on the tenth of the month for their household. If the household was too small for the lamb, then they were to share it with a neighbor. Each family would take a portion suitable to the number of family members and their needs. A year old male lamb without blemish could come from the sheep or the goats. They were to keep the lamb until the fourteenth of the month. Then the entire assembly of Israel was to kill the lamb at twilight. After killing the lamb, they were to put some of the blood on the doorposts and lintel of the houses where they ate the lamb. The lamb was to be roasted in fire and they were supposed to eat it that night with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. They weren...

  The Lord told Moses that He was going to bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt. After this plague, Pharaoh will let them go, driving them out of Egypt altogether. Moses was to tell the children of Israel to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold. God gave the Israelites favor in the sight of the Egyptians.   Moses was very great in Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and the people.  Moses' fame in Egypt probably ticked off Pharaoh too.   Look at how God elevated Moses in Egypt, whereas, in the beginning Moses was using every excuse possible to not be the "chosen one" for this call to lead the people out of Egypt. Has God ever elevated you in a particular situation even though you initially were hesitant to accept the assignment? In Verses 4 - 8, Moses is still in Pharaoh's presence. If you remember at the end of Chapter 10, Moses and Pharaoh had words in which Pharaoh told Moses that he wouldn't see his face anymore and thre...

  The Eighth Plague: Locusts God told Moses to go back to Pharaoh. He said that He had hardened Pharaoh's heart and the hearts of his servants, so that He may show Pharaoh His signs. Also, these things were done so Moses would tell his sons and grandsons about the mighty things that God did in Egypt. These signs would also show them the Lord is Who He says He is. So, once again, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.' This time if Pharaoh refused, the next day, the Lord would bring locusts into the land. The locusts would be so thick that no one would be able to see the earth. They would eat the residue of what was left from the hail. They would also eat every tree out in the field. The locusts would be in everybody's houses in such a way that had never been seen by their fathers and grandfathers to that day. Then they left Ph...

  The Fifth Plague - Diseased Livestock - Once again, God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him that the Lord God of the Hebrews said, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me." He was also to tell Pharaoh that if he refused to let them go and continued to hold them, that the Lord would have a very strong pestilence to come upon their cattle in the field, the donkeys, camels, oxen and the sheep. The Lord would differentiate between the livestock of Israel and the Egyptian livestock, so that none of the Israelites' livestock would die from the diseases. Then He set the appointed time of "tomorrow" to bring this plague on the land. Obviously, Pharaoh didn't let them go, because the next day all of the Egyptian livestock died, but none of the livestock of the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent  (men to check) , and just as God said it would happen, Egyptian livestock was dead and the livestock for the Israelites was still alive. As usual, Pharaoh's heart was...