Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Exodus 14:15-31 NKJV

¹⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. ¹⁷ And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. ¹⁸ Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

¹⁹ And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. ²⁰ So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. ²² So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ²³ And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

²⁴ Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. ²⁵ And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” ²⁷ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸ Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. ²⁹ But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

³⁰ So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹ Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

Today’s reading comes on the heels of God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt after years of bondage and hardship. The Israelites had walked out of Egypt untouched. But they had a hard time believing they would be safe because they saw the Egyptians continue to pursue them and grew afraid. And now they seemed cornered between the Red Sea and the Egyptians with no way out, even complaining that Moses had brought them to that exact place to be slaughtered, thus forgetting very quickly what God had done for them already.

But God delivered them yet again in an astounding way by keeping them safe with the pillar of fire and smoke between them and their pursuers, and then leading them through the Red Sea on dry ground and destroying all the Egyptian army with its chariots and horsemen in that same Red Sea. God was the One who made the waters stand up and make a safe path. God was the One who allowed the Egyptians to continue to chase their prey. God was the One who took off the chariot wheels and then ultimately destroyed Pharaoh’s army. 

God both killed and saved through water. This is a picture of your Baptism! In Holy Baptism God drowns/kills you, the sinner, and then raises you up again to new life, for as Luther correctly states, based on clear Scripture, baptism gives “forgiveness of sin, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this.” (Small Catechism answer to What Benefits Does Baptism Give?).

At the end of today’s reading are these words: “Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.”  You too have seen the Lord’s great work, and you have it preached into your ears in each Divine Service – that God sent His Son to die for your sins and has given you faith to believe in His work for you. He has drowned you and raised you up in your Baptism in order that you may look in confidence to spending eternity with Him.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Baptism and deliverance. Help me to walk in Your grace every day. Amen.

Psalm 64:1-10 NKJV

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
² Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
³ Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
⁴ That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

⁵ They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
⁶ They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

⁷ But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
⁸ So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
All who see them shall flee away.
⁹ All men shall fear,
And shall declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

¹⁰ The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

In the first part of Psalm 64, David prays against those who were betraying and slandering him. He was referring to the likes of Absalom who committed treason in 2 Samuel 15, Ahithophel who plotted against David in 2 Samuel 17, and Doeg who was involved in the killing of many priests in 2 Samuel 22. These people and events in David’s life certainly caused him concern, and here he cried out to God that He would preserve his life and eventually stifle the evil plans of his enemies.

And yet, in great confidence, David also prayed that the words of the evildoers would come down on themselves, that they would “stumble over their own tongues,” and that their own actions would bring them down. David’s confidence in God is obvious. He does not trust in his own merits or abilities, but clearly turns the whole situation over to God for Him to handle. David knows and believes that God is bigger than all his troubles and will keep His promises.

You, dear saint, can take great comfort from this Psalm, even the same comfort that David had when he was inspired to write these words. You can pray to God in confidence that He will also deliver you from every evil, even as you pray in the Our Father, “deliver us from evil,” and know that God most certainly will do so. Your faith and trust are in the God who gave His Son into death to pay for all your sins and promised that you would be with Him in eternity when you die. Remember that “you are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4). And you who are righteous by God-given faith, “shall be glad in the Lord and trust in Him” (Ps 64:10).

Let us pray: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 63:1-11 NKJV

63 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
⁴ Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

⁶ When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
⁷ Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
⁸ My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

⁹ But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
¹⁰ They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.

¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

The superscription tells us that David wrote this psalm “when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” David was in the wilderness of Judah because king Saul was pursing him (1 Samuel 23:14; 24:2). In the wilderness, where shade is scarce and water is in want, David sees the landscape as a picture of his spirit. “My soul thirsts for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (1). Previously he had seen God’s power and glory in the sacrifices made in the tabernacle. But now he is far from there. He is cut off from his fellow Israelites, wandering the wilderness as a fugitive. He feels cut off from the LORD, thirsting for Him.

Despise both afflictions, David does not succumb to the temptation to think God has abandoned him. He confesses of God, “Your loving kindness is better than life.” David confesses that as long as he has God’s loving kindness and mercy, he has all he needs and can bear any affliction of body or spirit. He does not dwell on what he lacks, nor does he ruminate on his spiritual thirst. He directs his mind to remain fixed on the LORD and His promises, saying: “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” (6-8). He trusts that the LORD will deal justly with Saul and himself.

Christians face affliction in this life. Sometimes it is God’s will that we bear the cross on account of the gospel. There are times we may feel cut off from others and from God. When our soul thirsts for God and the desert landscape resembles our spirit, David’s example encourages us to fix our thoughts, not on what we lack, but on what God has given us already. By faith we have His loving kindness. By faith we hide ourselves in the shadow of His wings, by faith we follow after Him because we know that His right hand upholds us through every affliction so that we may bear them patiently until He grants deliverance.

Let us pray: Satisfy our souls with Your loving kindness, O LORD, so that in our afflictions of body and spirit we may rejoice in the fact that we have all we need. Amen.

Exodus 14:1-14 NKJV 14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. ³ For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ ⁴ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵ Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶ So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. ⁷ Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. ⁸ And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. ⁹ So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

¹⁰ And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

At the end of yesterday’s reading, Moses wrote, “The children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt,” (13:18), and, “The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night” (13:21). In today’s reading, the LORD tells Moses to make Israel camp before Pi Hahiroth by the sea. Pharaoh hears of this he assumes Isarel is bewildered and lost in the wilderness, as if the LORD, who had brought about the destructive plagues on Egypt could mislead His people. In his unbelief he had forgotten everything he had recently learned about the LORD’s almighty power. The LORD further hardens Pharaoh’s heart to bring him to punishment for his unbelief. “He pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness” (8).

When Israel hears of Pharoah’s vengeance, their boldness melts into unbelief. They complain, imagining that they will die in the wilderness and that they would have been better off as slaves of Pharaoh. Moses, the faithful shepherd, rebukes their fear and directs their hearts to trust the LORD. He will accomplish salvation for them on this very day. This will be a sign to them: “For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (13). Israel will not accomplish their salvation from Pharaoh. The LORD fights for them, even as He had with the ten plagues. Israel is only to wait.

Both Pharaoh and Israel are tempted to unbelief. Pharaoh arrogantly refuses to belief the LORD’s judgment on him and Egypt, while the Israelites fearfully refuse to believe the LORD’s goodness toward them. Pharoah disbelieves God’s law. Israel disbelieves His gospel. For Christians, Pharaoh’s example reminds us that we are not to arrogantly dismiss God’s threats to punish our sin, while Israel’s example reminds us that we are not to dismiss God’s promises of forgiveness, new life, the Holy Spirit, and eternal salvation. The LORD is almighty, both to condemn the impenitent and rescue the faithful. Let us pray: Keep us from arrogantly sinning on the one hand, O Lord, and from doubting Your promise of salvation on the other. Amen.

Exodus 13:1-22 NKJV

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”

³ And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. ⁴ On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. ⁵ And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. ⁶ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. ⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. ⁸ And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ ⁹ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰ You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

¹¹ “And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, ¹² that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. ¹³ But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ¹⁴ So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶ It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

¹⁷ Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

²⁰ So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. ²² He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

Because the LORD saved the firstborn of Israel from the destroying angel during the final plague, every firstborn male of Israel—child and animal—was consecrated to the Lord for His service. The firstborn animals were consecrated by sacrificing them to the Lord. Unclean animals, which could not be sacrificed, were redeemed with a lamb. Israel’s sons, however, were to be redeemed. So that every firstborn son was not conscripted into service at the tabernacle, the LORD chose the Levities to signify the redeemed firstborn (Num 3:12). Therefore, the firstborn sons of Israel were redeemed with five shekels of silver (Num 18:16).

Practically speaking, the consecration and redemption of the firstborn provided for the Levites and the Divine Service of the tabernacle. Spiritually, it remined God’s Old Testament people that they escaped the final plague by God’s mercy and the blood of the Passover lamb, and that the LORD had consecrated and redeemed them for His service.

In Luke 2, after Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and completed the days of her ritual purification, she and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple to consecrate Him to God’s service, “as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD’” (Lk 2:23). However, Luke does not say that they redeemed Him with five shekels. He was presented as a sacrifice, the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

All who believe in God the Father’s firstborn Son and His sacrifice for their sins are declared righteous in God’s sight. He also makes them sons of God—younger brothers and sisters of Christ—and gives them His Holy Spirit so that they may live sanctified lives. Since the God has redeemed us by the work of His consecrated Son, we now present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God.

Let us pray: We give You thanks, O God, for consecrating Your only begotten Son to be our redeemer from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, to live holy lives today. Amen.

Exodus 12:29-51 NKJV

²⁹ And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. ³⁰ So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

³¹ Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. ³² Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”

³³ And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” ³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵ Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. ³⁶ And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. ³⁸ A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock. ³⁹ And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. ⁴⁴ But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. ⁴⁵ A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. ⁴⁶ In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. ⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸ And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. ⁴⁹ One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

⁵⁰ Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ⁵¹ And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

At Moses’ first encounter with Pharoah, he said, “I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go” (5:2). Now that the LORD has struck the firstborn of Egypt—even the firstborn of Pharoah—he knows the LORD’s power, as well as His mercy toward Israel, His firstborn (4:22-23). Pharoah now knows the LORD, lets His people go, and even asks Moses to bless him.

The people of Egyptian also want Israel to leave. The plague struck every house “from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock” (29). Fearing for their lives, the LORD moves them to give the Israelites articles of silver, gold, and clothing, fulling God’s promise to Moses in Exodus 3:21-22. The LORD had even promised this to Abraham centuries earlier in Genesis 15:14, “And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”

The LORD fulfills His promises. He frees Israel from slavery and enriches them. Like the Passover and Unleavened Bread, the exodus is a type of the salvation which the God works for all people through His Son. Christ Jesus destroys the power of our Pharoah—the devil—by making satisfaction for all sins by His death on the cross. He leads all who believe in Him out of the devil’s kingdom of sin and death. Our exodus from the power of the devil means that God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins “(Col 1:13-14).

As Israel left with the riches of Egypt, so believers exit the kingdom of the devil and enjoy the riches of full forgiveness of their sins by which the devil kept them captive. They enjoy the riches of a good conscience, the Holy Spirit, and the promise of the eternal inheritance in the Promised Land of everlasting life. By this mighty deliverance we know the LORD’s power, as well as His mercy toward His Israel—all who put their trust in Him.

Let us pray: We give You thanks, O LORD, for our exodus from the kingdom of our Pharaoh and His power. Amen.

Exodus 12:1-28 NKJV

12 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ² “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. ³ Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. ⁴ And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. ⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶ Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ⁷ And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. ⁸ Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹ Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. ¹⁰ You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. ¹¹ And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

¹² ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. ¹³ Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁵ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. ¹⁷ So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁸ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. ¹⁹ For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. ²⁰ You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

²¹ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. ²² And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. ²³ For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. ²⁴ And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. ²⁵ It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. ²⁶ And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ ²⁷ that you shall 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.’ ” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. ²⁸ Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The Lord institutes the feasts of Passover and Unleavened bread as yearly reminders of God’s salvation and Israel’s identity as His people. Israel was to keep these feasts “by an everlasting ordinance” (14, 17). While the word “everlasting” can mean “forever” in an absolute sense, it often means “permanent” in a relative sense, so that these feasts would endure until God fulfilled them.

St. Paul writes, in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” For the Old Testament church, theses feasts served as yearly reminders of God’s salvation from Egypt. For the New Testament church, these feasts remind us of this and foretell our Lord Jesus Christ. Every Passover lamb slaughtered point to the slaughtering of Christ on the cross. The blood on the doorposts and lintels point to the fact that His blood covers all who believe His atoning death for their sins, so that God’s judgment passes over them so that they live. The blood also looks forward to the cup of wine over which Jesus says, “This cup is the New Testament in My blood” (1 Cor 11:25), blood which we receive for our forgiveness and new life.

As the Israelites were to eat unleavened bread—and purge all leaven from their homes—St. Paul tells us, “Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor 5:8). Leaven (yeast) symbolizes sin and falsehood in the Scriptures. Since Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed, all who are covered by the blood of the Lamb work to remove sin from their lives and instead live in sincerity and truth toward God, their neighbors, and themselves.

Since these feasts prefigured Christ and His work for us and in us, God’s people no longer observe them. Instead, we live by faith in our Passover Lamb who was slain—and resurrected—and purge the leaven of sin. This is now our everlasting ordinance until Christ returns in glory.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, our Passover Lamb who was slain for us, give us Your Holy Spirit so that we daily rejoice in your promises and purge the leaven of sin from our lives. Amen.

Exodus 10:21-36; 11:1-10 NKJV

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. ²³ They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

²⁴ Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.”

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”

²⁷ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”

²⁹ So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”

11 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. ² Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” ³ And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴ Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵ and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. ⁶ Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. ⁷ But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ ⁸ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

⁹ But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

The Egyptians worshiped several idols as gods of the sun, the stars, and the sky. They “served the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom 1:25). The true God demonstrated His superiority over the idols of Egypt by inflicting the land of Egypt for three days with a darkness so thick it could be felt. The Egyptians “did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days” (10:23). God’s judgment on Egypt’s idols extended to those who worshiped those idols. The plague of darkness showed the Egyptians that, because of their idolatry, they “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Rom 1:21). The plague showed them the foolishness of their idolatry, the darkness of their thinking about God, as well as their sins against Him and His people Israel.

This judgment is heightened by the fact that “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” (10:23). As with so many of the plagues, God wanted to make a difference between His people and Pharaoh’s people. The fact that the Israelites had light in their homes demonstrated that the Lord’s face shown upon Israel, and they walked in the light of the Lord’s countenance (Ps 89:15). His face shown upon them in love, and they trusted in His promise to deliver them.

While the Lord shows us His almighty power in the plague of darkness, He also presents us with a picture of what He does for all who believe the gospel. The world is in darkness due on account of its idolatry, but those who believe the gospel of Christ, the light of the world, no longer walk in the darkness of their idolatry and sins. Jesus enlightens the darkness by forgiving our sins and dwelling in our hearts by faith. So that we do not venture back into the darkness of our sins and idolatry, St. Paul writes, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). God still shows a difference between His people—those who know Him, trust His promises, and walk in His ways—and the people of the world who walk in darkness. Today, walk was one who has the light of God’s favor in your heart. Let us pray: Grant us, O Lord, to forsake daily the darkness of our idols and sins and walk in the light of Your favor. Amen.

Psalm 60:1-12 NKJV

O God, You have cast us off;
You have broken us down;
You have been displeased;
Oh, restore us again!
² You have made the earth tremble;
You have broken it;
Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
³ You have shown Your people hard things;
You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

⁴ You have given a banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
⁵ That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

⁶ God has spoken in His holiness:
“I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
⁷ Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
Judah is My lawgiver.
⁸ Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”

⁹ Who will bring me to the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰ Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
¹¹ Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
¹² Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

David’s path to victory against the nations was not without defeats. David acknowledged the Lord had shown His people hard things that confused them, tempting them to doubt His promises. Rather than letting that confusion grow into doubt and unbelief, David prays that God would restore Israel and confidently proclaims what God had said in his holiness: “Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast My shoe; Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me. Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?” (8-9). David used this word to exercise himself and his men, so that despite the hard things and confusion God had shown them, they would yet trust God, not the help of man. By God, they would do valiantly. With His help, they would gain victory over their enemies.

Christians are not called to wage war against the unbelieving nations. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, even when it is flesh and blood men who persecute us. Our fight is against the devil, the world’s oppressive influence, and our own sinful flesh. St. Paul reminds us, “The weapons of our warfare arenot carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4). Our weapons are the words God has spoken to us in Holy Scripture. Trusting in God’s promise of victory over our enemies, our faith shields us from the fiery darts of the devil. Using God’s word against our temptations and the world’s suggestions, we use His word as the sword of the Spirit.

Our enemies are very real and pose far greater threats than any unbelieving nation poses. They may take our property and life, but the devil, the world, and our flesh want to take our faith and lead us into unbelief so that we lose our eternal inheritance. Though at times we suffer defeat and fall into sin, we can steel ourselves with God’s promised forgiveness and strength. We say with David, “Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies” (12). Relying upon the Son of David, we fight our spiritual enemies valiantly, trusting Him to give us the victory.

Let us pray: Give us Your Holy Spirit, O Lord, to fight valiantly against every temptation and give us victory by faith in Your word over every hard thing that You allow. Amen.

Psalm 59:1-17 NKJV

59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Defend me from those who rise up against me.
² Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

³ For look, they lie in wait for my life;
The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
⁴ They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

Awake to help me, and behold!
⁵ You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the nations;
Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah

⁶ At evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
⁷ Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
Swords are in their lips;
For they say, “Who hears?”

⁸ But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
⁹ I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense.
¹⁰ My God of mercy shall come to meet me;
God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

¹¹ Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
¹² For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride,
And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
¹³ Consume them in wrath, consume them,
That they may not be;
And let them know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah

¹⁴ And at evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
¹⁵ They wander up and down for food,
And howl if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶ But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
¹⁷ To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

When studied more thoroughly, the structure of Psalm 59 is divided into halves, each of which contains, near their conclusions, the refrain “For God is my defense.” Each half also speaks of the psalmist’s enemies as a pack of vicious dogs threatening to devour him.

The context of this psalm is that sacred Passion of the Christ, by which redemption came, and the psalm’s voice is that of Christ our Lord, the only One who could make the claim of innocence found near the beginning: “They run and prepare themselves through no fault on mine.” (vs. 4) The innocence of Jesus appears frequently in the Book of Psalms, beginning as early as Psalm 7. It is one of the Christological themes shared by the Psalter and the New Testament.

Just as St. Paul was inspired to write that God, “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Surely sinlessness, blamelessness, and innocence (as such words apply to Jesus) designate far more than a merely moral trait. God’s making Jesus “to be sin” means that He was God’s chosen “sin offering,” the sacrifice for the atonement. His blamelessness, His freedom from blemish, is a quality of that offering by which we believers have been delivered from the power of sin.

Ultimately, of course, all of those Old Testament sin offerings were but a prefiguring of the truly efficacious sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross, “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4) Psalm 58 is a prayerful description of those sufferings of the Lord Jesus, innocent but hounded by His enemies, blameless but pursued unto death, trusting in the righteousness of the righteous God to vindicate His innocence by the acceptance of that unique sacrifice by which, as the unblemished Lamb of God, He makes full satisfaction for the sin of the world.

Let us pray: O Lord, so govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your judgement, we flee to Christ in faith. Amen.