Moses and the 10 Commandments

Devotions on Exodus 19:1-6, 20:1-2

 

 Monday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“They … entered the wilderness of Sinai” (Exodus 19:2).

Jim dropped his lunch in his backpack and headed off to the office. He had a long day ahead of him. There’d be a few challenges, but most of his time would be spent on boring paper work, as he paid his dues as a newbie attorney. Jaylene arrived at her classroom forty-five minutes early. There was a lot she had to do to prepare to teach her five classes of high-school math. Connie grabbed a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, enjoying a few minutes of quiet time before her three pre-school children woke up. Her day, like any other day, would be challenging and exhausting.

Like the Israelites, all three entered the wilderness. The triumphs, trial and tribulations of Israel’s forty years in the wilderness have often been compared to those of daily life. The wilderness is not an easy place to live. It is filled with danger, but it is also in the wilderness where we meet God.

Lord, as we enter into our daily wildernesses, enable us to encounter you in the people we meet and the situations we face. Amen.

Tuesday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“Then Moses went up to God” (Exodus 19:3).

Many of the stories in the Bible tell of times when God’s showed up. God surprised Noah one day and commissioned him to build an ark. In the same way, God appeared to Abraham and called him and his wife, Sarah, to follow God to the Promised Land. An angel surprised Mary and told her that she had found favor in God’s sight. While serving in the Holy of Holies, an angel appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

The story of the exodus started with the Lord appearing to Moses in a burning bush. Moses didn’t wait for the Lord to appear, when the Israelites came close to Mt. Sinai. Instead, he approached God. Though there are occasions when God might surprise us and appear in our lives, it is more likely that we will find ourselves in God’s presence, if we approach God. We can do this in prayer, meditation, in the study of scripture. When we do approach God, we discover that God welcomes us with open arms and a listening ear.

We thank you, Lord, that we have the ability to approach you like children coming into the presence of their loving parents. Amen.

Wednesday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians” (Exodus 19:4a).

Tia believes that she is alive today because of a miracle. She had an aggressive form of cancer, which her doctors didn’t think could be cured. After two treatments of chemotherapy and lots of prayer, the cancer was gone and hasn’t come back in five years. Lamar was an alcoholic. While in a treatment program, he began to live in a relationship with God and committed himself to serve God in whatever manner the Holy Spirit opened up to him. From that time, he never wanted other drink. That was fifteen years ago.

Some of us, like the Israelites, can look back on our lives and see how God has moved powerfully through physical healings, restored relationships and other miraculous occurrences. Such memories give us encouragement, as we face the challenges of life today. For those of us who have not experienced such theophanies, we have our baptism. Whether we were baptized as a small child or later in life, our baptism was a time when God moved powerfully in our lives. Our sins were forgiven, we became a new creation, we were adopted into God’s family and we were filled with the Holy Spirit. God claim us as God’s own in a cascade of water.

Now as we enter into the fray of daily life, we can look back at what God has done and the transformation that has taken place in our lives. We can take comfort and gain strength in the knowledge that God is with us and will never leave us.

Thank you, Lord, for your presence and power in our lives. Amen.

Thursday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4b).

Three year old Clint Edwards was having a hard time walking with his dad through the crowded streets. His dad reached down and swung Clint up on his shoulders. What a change! Suddenly, Clint was literally riding high and could enjoy the view. When Clint and his father arrived at their home, his father brought Clint into a tight embrace and then handed Clint to his mother for another hug. Clint was home with his family.

The Lord lifts us up on eagle’s wings and enables us to soar above the turmoil of life. Being brought into God’s presence, we are to bask in God’s steadfast love and overwhelming grace. It is in God’s presence that we are able to be refreshed, renewed and prepared to return to our journeys through the wilderness.

Draw us closer, Lord. Never let us go. Amen.

Friday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“You shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).

Grandma Carol had a doll collection. The collection consisted of over sixty dolls that she had gathered over the years and now displayed in cabinets and arrangements around her house. Grandma Carol’s dolls were quite different than her granddaughter Carla’s doll. The dolls in the collection were not to be touched. Carla’s doll was a constant companion.

When the Lord announces that the Israelites were to be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation, God was not saying that the Israelites would be like a priceless doll collection. No indeed! The Lord was moving in the lives of the Israelites so that they could be used. As a holy nation they were set aside for God’s purposes—to serve God and accomplish God’s will. As a priestly nation, the Israelites were to serve as God’s intermediaries for the nations around them.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit moves in our lives. The intent is not that we simply look good, but that we are made useful instruments for the Spirits work.

Lord, we are you priestly kingdom and holy nation. Move in us and through us to your glory. Amen.

Saturday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“I am the Lord Your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:1).

The Lord had moved powerfully in the lives of the Israelites. God had heard their cries of slavery and had led them out of the land of Egypt. The Lord had saved them from the Egyptian army, fed them with manna and quenched their thirst from a rock. God had done all of this before giving the Israelites the gift of the law. The Ten Commandments were never meant to establish our relationship with God or to please God so that God would grant us a pleasant afterlife. Rather, the law was a gift to enable the people of God to enjoy an abundant lives—the lives God created them to have.

God has already proclaimed God’s love and commitment to us. God has claimed us as God’s own and adopted us into God’s family. We do not need to do anything to win God’s love, but how do we not respond to such steadfast love, overwhelming grace and unconditional forgiveness? Returning that love and sharing that love with others is an appropriate response.

You shower us with your love, Lord. Let your love flow through us so that others may be touched by it, also. Amen.

Sunday–Moses and the 10 Commandments

“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2).

The competition to be top god is intense. One would think that after the Lord has moved so powerfully in our lives, loving us without reservation, providing for our daily needs, and using us to serve others, that we would love in a single minded, single hearted fashion. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Several idols appear attractive to us. We are drawn to the glitter of the god of materialism and we are easily swayed by the god of wealth. The god of exclusion grants us a feeling of superiority, while the god of career lures us with promises of power and influence.

Martin Luther wrote that a god is anything in which we place our hope and trust. Cars, homes, toasters and 401k’s are necessary items in our modern lives. Jobs and careers are a part of life. They do not need to be god’s that we serve, but rather items that help us serve the one true God. The Lord is the only one who is worthy of our love and devotion.

Lord, move within us so that our hearts and lives are always devoted to you. Amen.