Exodus 39-40; Psalm 25:1-11; Acts 12

Exodus 39 - Completion of Work
1-31 - Vestments made for priests "as the LORD had commanded Moses."

32-43 - Tabernacle work completed

• 32 - Israelites had done everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
• 43 - When Moses saw they had done the work just as the LORD commanded, he blessed them.

Exodus 40 - Tabernacle Erected

• Tabernacle and equipment installed - to be done the 1st day of the 1st month. [See Exodus 12:1 - The Passover is to be observed the 10th day of the 1st month]
• God's instructions: 1) Place the vessels, set up the court; 2) Anoint it, consecrate it; 3) Anoint the priests
• Cloud and glory: Even Moses could not enter the tent when the cloud (the glory of the LORD) filled it. Again, the cloud would serve as a signal for moving or staying
  

Psalm 25:1-11 - Things for God to remember, things for him to forget (emphasis mine)
Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
According to your steadfast love, remember me for your goodness sake.

Acts 12 - Death of James, Imprisonment of Peter
1 - Herod kills James, encouraged by the killing because it pleases the Jews

34 - He has Peter arrested and thrown into prison, but God is greater than Herod.

• He sends angels to release Peter from prison
• He uses worms to kill Herod. Could there be any more humiliating death than for a king to be eaten up by worms?
  

Exodus 37-38; Psalm 24; Acts 11

Exodus 37 - Making the Ark of the Covenant and Other Vessels
Bezalel makes the following just as God and Moses instructed:

• Ark: gold overlay inside and outside
• Table for the Bread of the Presence
• Lampstand - one piece of hammered gold
• Altar of incense
• Anointing oil and incense

Exodus 38

• Altar of Burnt Offering
• Court of the Tabernacle - v. 13 - The east side is the front side
• Materials of the Tabernacle - Ithamar, son of Aaron, directs Levites in their work
• Gold - 29 talents and 730 shekels
• Silver - 100 talents and 1775 shekels (1/2 shekel per head for census of 603,500 men)
• Bronze - 70 talents, 2400 shekels
• Note: 1 talent equivalent to 3000 shekels, or 125 pounds. So the weight of gold was 12,500 pounds
• Shekel = 20 gerahs; Gerah ~ 3 cents American money; Shekel ~ 60 cents; 1 talent = 3,000 shekels ~ $1800.
  
• 29 talents of gold ~ $52,200 plus 730 shekels ~ $52,638 in gold. (The 3-cent value comes from Nave's Topical Bible, first published in 1917. I don't know whether or not values have been updated with more recent editions.)
  

Psalm 24
Question: "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?"
Answer: "Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully."

Acts
11:1-18 - Peter's Report to the Church in Jerusalem

• 2 - Immediately met with criticism by circumcised believers
• 4 - So Peter explains, "step by step."
• 13 - Peter's vision verified by 1) Cornelius's vision; 2) the words of Jesus
• 18 - Critics are silenced, then they praise God. "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life." This shows their trust in Peter and a readiness to accept his word. Rumor leads to criticism; firsthand testimony leads to faith.

11:19-30 - The Church in Antioch (of Syria)

• v. 19 picks up where 8:1 leaves off.
• Most of those scattered spoke only to Jews
• In Antioch, some from Cyprus and Cyrene also spoke to Hellenists
• Barnabas goes to Antioch and, impressed with his reception there, sends for Saul
• The disciples first called Christians
• With a prediction of drought, this young Gentile church sends relief to Jewish believers in Judea.
• What a heady period of time! Conversion of Saul; gospel opened to Gentiles; success among Gentiles in Antioch; unity of believers shown in the Gentile gifts to the Jews.

Exodus 35-36; Psalm 23; Acts 10

Exodus 35
1-3 - Sabbath Regulations

4-19 - Enumeration of all that would have to be crafted for the tabernacle

20-29 - And the people responded. Indication that even in the Old Testament, gifts were given out of gratitude, not compulsion

• "whose heart was stirred"
• "whose spirit was willing"
• "both men and women"
• "of a willing heart"
• Everyone who possessed blue or purple; could offer silver or bronze; possessed acacia wood
• All the skillful women
• All whose hearts made them willing

30-35 - Moses introduces Bezalel and Oholiah as major craftsmen chosen and gifted by God. (See 31:1-11)

Exodus 36 - The Israelites are too generous.

• 1-7 - Bezalel & Oholiah receive freewill offerings.
• v. 5 - "The people are bringing much more than enough!"
• v. 6 - Moses to people: No more offerings! "So the people were restrained from bringing."
• 8-38 - Construction of tabernacle - according to God's pattern as given to Moses on the mountain

Psalm 23
Verse of note: v. 6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long."

Acts 10 - Peter & Cornelius
Cornelius:

• Prayed constantly
• Obeyed immediately

Peter:

• Was praying when he fell into the trance
• Objected to the command at first
• After command was repeated 3 times, he was still puzzled
• Immediately obeys the command to go down to meet Cornelius's men and invites these Gentiles in

Cornelius:

• Knew Peter would come
• Had gathered friends and family
• Fell at Peter's feet

Peter:

• Makes Cornelius rise - "I am only a man."
• Cites the illegal nature of the meeting
• Preaches to the Gentiles for the first time: Jesus' baptism; signs he performed; his death, resurrection, and ordination as judge of the living and the dead
• After Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit, Peter commands them to be baptized
• Stays several days with these Gentiles

Exodus 33-34; Psalm 22:22-31; Acts 9

33:1-3 - God's Command to Leave Sinai, but without Him

• Leave Sinai, go conquer the land I will give you
  
• My angel will lead you, but I will not be among you, because I would consume you on the way for being stubborn. God's restraint, knowing his own power and his jealousy for his people.
  

33:4-11 - Past Procedure for Receiving God's Instructions

• Moses would meet God in a tent outside the camp, accompanied by Joshua.
• God would descend in the form of a cloud, and all the people would stand at the entrances of their tents until God and Moses finished speaking.
• Then Moses would return to the camp, but Joshua would stay at the tent.

33:12-17 - Moses' Intercession

• v. 16 - Moses' argument. "How will people know I (we) have found favor in your sight if you don't go with us?" In other words, if you don't go with us, you'll be just like other [local] gods!"
  
• God agrees for Moses' sake and promises to reveal himself to Moses.

33:19-23 - God's Promises

• I will make all my goodness and glory pass before you.
• I will proclaim before you the name YHWH.
• I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. God limits his capacity to withstand sin and rebellious attitudes.
  

34:1-27 - Replacement Tablets and Renewal of Covenant

• On God's order, Moses cuts two new tablets, rises early the next morning, and goes back up to Mt. Sinai to meet God.
• The LORD declares himself and his character: merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving iniquity BUT by no means clearing the guilty.
• God's promise: To drive out the Canaanites.
  
• God's requirements: No idols, keep feasts, sacrifices, the Sabbath, no leaven in sacrifices
• In this 40 days and nights, Moses writes the words on the tablets

34:28-35 - The Shining Face of Moses

• Moses did not know his face was shining.
  
• After he realized it, Moses veiled his face when talking with people after he had been with the LORD.

Psalm 22:22-31
Prophecy about Gentiles:

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

Acts 9 - Conversion of Saul

• v. 1 - Saul still on a rampage. Stirred up - by death of Stephen? - for more persecution.
• v. 5 - Saul an unlikely candidate for conversion in our eyes, but not in God's.
• v. 10 - Ananias does not seem surprised to receive a direct message from God.
• v. 13 - Like Moses and other Old Testament faithfuls, Ananias starts with "But Lord...." and like with Moses, God says "Just go!"

9:5-31 Progression of Saul's Conversion

• 5 - Revelation
• 9,11 - Fasting and prayer
• 17 - Human messenger
• 18 - Sight and baptism
  
• 19 - Physical sustenance
• 20-22 - Proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues of Damascus, "proving" that Jesus was the Messiah
• 23-25 - Persecution and escape
• 26-30 - In Jerusalem, suspicion; Barnabas' defense of him; bold preaching; more persecution; escape to Tarsus, his hometown
• 31 - Meanwhile, the church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria [See 1:8] had peace and was built up

9:32-42 Peter in Lydda & Joppa

• Heals Aeneas
• Raises Dorcas from the dead
• Seems to have been called to Joppa for that purpose. [See 5:15.]

Exodus 30-32; Psalm 22:11-21; Acts 8

Exodus
30:1-10 - Altar of Incense.

• 18"L x 18"W x 36"H.
  
• Acacia wood, overlaid with gold
• Golden rings for transportation
• Poles of acacia, overlaid with gold
• Aaron to offer incense on it morning & evening
• No unholy incense, or burnt offering, or grain or drink offering
• Once-a-year rite of atonement

30:11-16 - Half Shekel for Sanctuary

• Given at time of census
• A "ransom for their lives to the LORD, so no plague may come upon them."
• Half a shekel to be given by both rich and poor
• Designated for service of the tent of meeting

30:17-21 - Bronze Basin

• For Aaron and sons to wash hands and feet so that "they may not die."
• Placed between the tent and the altar

30:22-38 - Anointing Oil & Incense

• Oil - Myrrh, cinnamon, aromatic cane, cassia, olive oil - used for consecrating vessels
• A holy oil - not to be used for any other purpose
• Incense - Spices, seasoned with salt, beat into powder.
• Likewise not to be used for any other purpose

31:1-11 - Craftsmen Bezalel and Oholiah

• Bezalel, of tribe of Judah, filled by God with divine spirit, ability, intelligence and a knowledge in every kind of craft
• Also Oholiah, of the tribe of Dan
• Skills given by God to all the skillful

31:12-17 - Sabbath Law. To break this law is punishable by death.

31:18 - Conclusion of 40 days on the mountain: God gives to Moses two tablets of the covenant, written with the finger of God.

Chapter 32 - Golden Calf

• 1-6 - Aaron agrees to people's demands without hesitation.
• 7-8 - God to Moses: "Your people...have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" This is an astounding example of forgetfulness.
• 9-14 - God threatens to kill them all, but Moses convinces God to change his mind.
• 15-18 - Joshua, upon hearing the noise from the camp: It's a battle! Moses: No, it's a party!
• 19-20 - Moses breaks the tablets in anger and makes the people drink gold powder
  
• 21-24 - Aaron blames the people
• 25-29 - Levites kill 3,000 people
• 30-32 - Moses pleads for forgiveness of people, or "blot me out."
• 33-34 - God: "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people...."
• 35 - God sends a plague.

Psalm 22:11-21
Prophecy: "They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." (See Mark 15:24; Matthew 27:27-31 for fulfillment.)

Acts 8
vv. 1-3 - Death of Stephen seems to embolden persecutors of the church.

vv. 4-25 - Philip in Samaria

• Crowds eagerly listen to him
• He performs many signs. NRSV - Unclean spirits come out with loud "shrieks."
• Amazes Simon the magician, and he believes
• Simon tries to buy gift of the Holy Spirit from Peter & John
• He is told his heart is not right; he needs to repent
• Philip obeys the angel -- without hesitation -- twice: "Go to road to Gaza" and "Go join that chariot."
• Eunuch is teachable, believes, is baptized
• When Spirit snatches Philip away, the eunuch goes on his way rejoicing
• Comment: Simon is impressed by signs; the eunuch is convinced by scripture.

Exodus 28-29; Psalm 22:1-10; Acts 7

Exodus 28-29

28:1ff - Vestments for the Priesthood
Nothing but the best for the "glorious adornment of your brother Aaron: gold with blue, purple and crimson yarns, fine twisted linen, skillfully worked."

28:35 - The bells at the bottom of Aaron's robe would prevent him from dying as he entered and left the holy place.

29:1ff - Ordination of the Priests
A lot of gore and smoke and blood--some of it sprinkled on the priests and on their vestments of gold and fine linen. Oil and blood would stain these fine garments (v. 21), which were to pass from generation to generation (vv. 29-30). Any significance in this?


29:38-46 - Daily Offerings

1. Morning - lamb with flour, oil and wine
2. Evening - lamb with grain and wine (drink offering)

Psalm 22:1-10 Messianic Psalm of David

v. 1 - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [See Mark 15:34 for fulfillment.]

v. 8 - In derision: "Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver -- Let him rescue the one in whom he delights!" [See Mark 15:29-33 for fulfillment.]

Acts 7 Stephen's Speech to the Council: Succinct history of Israel, beginning with Abraham

Note vv. 19, 21 - The cruel Egyptian leader "forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so they would die...when [Moses] was abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter...." [NRSV] A different take on Moses' bulrushes story -- he was laid there not to be rescused, but die." Reading the Exodus 2 account gives no different indication.

v. 35 - Those we reject as unworthy God sometimes chooses to use for His purposes.

v. 35ff - "It was this Moses" who

• Was rejected by his own - "Who made you a ruler and a judge?"
• God sent as both ruler and liberator
• Led his people out of Egypt
• Said to the Israelites, "God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people"
• Was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai
• Received the living oracles to give to us [the Jewish nation]
• Our ancestors pushed aside

v. 51ff - Stephen's accusations [Any wonder why they wanted to kill him?]

• You are stiff-necked
• You're uncircumcised in heart and ears
• You're forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors did
• Your ancestors killed those who foretold of the coming of the Righteous One
• Now you have become his betrayers and murderers
• You received the law as ordained by angels, yet you have not kept it

v. 54ff - Stephen's Vision and Prayer - Faithful to the end.

• "I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
• "Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit."
• "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Exodus 25-27; Psalm 21:8-12; Acts 6

Exodus
25:2 - Offerings for the tabernacle were not required, but would be from all "whose hearts prompt them to give. Where did all this finery come from? Must have been from Egypt.

25:22ff - Mercy seat: In the future, God would speak to Moses from above the mercy seat. Dimensions in feet: 3-3/4L x 2-1/4W x 2-1/4H. Not that big!

25:27ff - Table of the Bread of Presence would also be carried by poles inserted into rings at its legs. It was smaller than the mercy seat, but the same height. In feet: 3 x 1-1/2 x 2-1/4.

25:40 - Lampstand. Reminder: All these instructions regarding the tabernacle were given to Moses while he was up on the mountain.

26:1-14 - Tabernacle. Where did the craftsmen that would construct the tabernacle learn their skills? Had to be in Egypt.

v. 1 - Added quality of workmanship: Cherubim would be worked into the linen curtains.
Details of curtains and framework:

• Total width of curtains: 40 cubits (60 feet)
• Height - 28 cubits (42 feet)
• Inside curtains: Fine linen with blue, purple, and crimson yard, with clasps of gold
• Outside curtains: Goats' hair with clasps of bronze
• Framework: Acacia wood, overlaid in gold, 15 feet high, with gold rings and silver bases

26:33,36 - Inside curtains:

• For enclosing the mercy seat (holy of holies) and screening the entrance into the tent
• Pillars made of acacia overlaid with gold, with gold hooks and bronze bases.

27:1ff Altar

• Dimensions in feet: 7-1/2L x 7-1/2W x 4-1/2 H
• Acacia wood overlaid with bronze
• Bronze utensils
• Would also be carried on poles through rings at its four corners

27:9 - Court:

• Enclosed by linen hangings
• Pillars and bases of bronze with hooks and bands of silver
• Dimensions in feet: 150 feet on north and south; 75 feet on east and west
• Gate was a linen screen with pillar bands of silver, silver hooks, bronze bases. Height: 7-1/2 feet
• The tabernacle is much smaller than I usually picture it--somewhere between a basketball court and a football field. Compare its outer dimensions of 150 x 75 to a high school basketball court, which is 94 x 50. The inner tent (holy place and holy of holies) was a mere 45 x 15.
  

27:20 - Lamp oil: to be olive oil, tended by Aaron and his sons from evening to morning - a perpetual ordinance.

Psalm 21:8-13
Verse of note: God is always victorious. v. 11 - "If [your enemies] plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed."

Acts 6
v. 1 - Church growth does not preclude complaints within.

v. 3 - Even physical duties within the church require men "of good standing, full of wisdom and prayer."

v. 7 - Some priests obeyed, so not all of them were closed-minded.

v. 10 - If you're dishonest, how do you deal with someone whose "wisdom and spirit" you cannot answer? Accuse him of blasphemy!

v. 15 - What the council saw: "Stephen's face was like the face of an angel."

Exodus 23-24; Psalm 21:1-6; Acts 5

Exodus
23:1-9 - Laws regarding:

• Legal matters - honesty without partiality, even to the poor
• Finding a lost or hurt donkey belonging to an enemy
• Bribery
  
• Oppression of resident aliens

23:10 - Sabbath year and day; other gods

23:14-19 - Festivals

• Unleavened bread in the month Ahib
• Harvests
• Ingathering
• Also - No leavening; no kid boiled in its mother's milk

23:20-33 God's promise to the people: I will give you the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, from the wilderness to the Euphrates.

His expectation: Make no covenant with these people; do not worship their [local] gods.

24:3 - The people promise: "All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do."

Blood of the Covenant: Moses offers sacrifices and dashes the blood on the people, and they repeat their promise.

24:9ff - Summary of mountain experience - precursor to the giving of the Law:

• Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu go partway up the mountain
• Moses and his assistant Joshua go further than the others
• A cloud covers the mountain for 6 days
• On the 7th day God calls Moses out of the cloud
• Moses goes up and disappears from sight for 40 days and 40 nights
• To the people below, God's appearance on the mountain looks like a devouring fire.

Comment: v. 12 - When God says wait, he means wait! Note the patience of Moses and the others as they wait for those 7 days, anticipating but not knowing exactly what is going to happen. And of course, I want details: How did they eat and sleep up there? Did others bring them what they needed?

Psalm 21:1-6
Verse of note: v. 1 - David gives the glory to God for his victory in battle, as should we all. "In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in your help how greatly he exults!"

Acts 5
1-11 - A terrifying and troublesome account of punishment for deceit. Could it be that Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives not only because of their dishonesty -- showing a lack of trust in God -- but because this was in the early stages of the young church and was a reminder to all that God was in their presence?

Possible lessons from this incident:

• Gifts to God (or others) are given through our own free will.
• Gifts to God are for Him, not for show
• We may fool others about our motives, but not God.

12-16 - Great numbers added to the Lord. Could it be that a negative sign, i.e. the death of Ananias and Sapphira, be more powerful than a positive sign? That fear is a greater motivation than wonder alone?

17 - Jealousy also a powerful motivation - the high priest and other Sadducees imprison the apostles. Comment: Nothing impresses these people -- not the death of Ananias and Sapphira, not the apostles' miraculous release from prison. They are blinded by jealous rage.

29 - Peter and John do not back down. "We must obey God rather than any human authority."

33-39 - Gamaliel's influence was amazing.

• He appealed to the council's trust in their own set of beliefs: If this is of man, it will fail, so don't worry about it.
• At the same time, he gave the apostles the benefit of the doubt - But if this is from God, you won't be able to stop it.
• Those who were upset were Sadducees, who denied resurrection from the dead.
• Gamaliel was a Pharisee, who accepted resurrection.
• But Gamaliel was a member of the council and well respected, a teacher of the law.
• Psalm 21:1 would fit well in this victory: "In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in your help how greatly he exults!"

Exodus 21-22; Psalm 20; Acts 4

Exodus
21:1-11 - Laws about slaves. Considering our present views on slavery, I am astounded at this passage. It speaks of owning other people as if they were but animals. These do not apply to foreigners conquered but to Hebrew slaves -- apparently those who could not pay their debts.

21:12-27 - Laws about violence. Punishable by death:

• Premeditated murder
• Striking a parent
• Kidnapping
• Cursing a priest

Financial liability:

• Injuries resulting from a fight
• Miscarriage resulting from a fight - if no further harm follows
  
• Slave's loss of eye or tooth results in his freedom.

vv. 20-21 - An owner is punished for killing a slave only if the death is immediate. [???]

21:28-35 - Laws concerning property:

• If ox gores someone to death
• If livestock falls into an uncovered pit
• If one ox kills an ox belonging to someone else

22:1-15 - Laws of restitution:

• Stealing an ox or sheep. If thief cannot make restitution, he sells himself.
• Killing a thief
• Grazing someone else's land
• Arson of grain
• Robbery of goods left in another's safekeeping
• Disputed ownership of lost property
• Death of an animal left in another's care
• Death or injury of a borrowed animal

16-31 Social & Religious Laws regarding:

• Seduction of a virgin
• Female sorcery
• Lying with an animal
• Sacrificing to any god but the LORD
• Abuse of aliens, widows or children
• Loaning money to the poor
• Reviling God or cursing a leader
• Sacrificial offerings
• Eating of meat mangled by beasts in the field

Psalm of note:
20:7 - "Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God."

Acts 4
v. 1 - Priests, captain of the temple and Sadducees were the ones who are annoyed with Peter and John's preaching. Resurrection of Christ did not seem to change all minds.

v. 12 - Verse of note. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

v. 13 - We shrink from proclaiming Jesus for fear of social rejection. These men faced imprisonment. What made them so bold? They had been "companions of Jesus."

4:29 - The people gathered together and prayed for boldness.

4:31, 32 - Results of their prayer:

• v. 31 - They spoke the word of God with boldness
• v. 33 - Great grace was upon them all, demonstrated in their generosity and selflessness.
  

Exodus 17-20; Psalm 19:7-14; Acts 3

Exodus
17:2 - In 16:4, God was testing the people; now the people test God. A difference, though, I think in the testing. God was testing their ability to obey; they are testing His patience.

17:7 - "Is the LORD with us, or not?" (NRSV) Shouldn't it rather be, "Are we with the LORD, or not?"

18:2 - Question: When did Moses send Zipporah back to Jethro? When he left for Egypt?

18:11 - Jethro believed that God was "greater than all gods" because of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. Question: Did that mean Jethro still believed in the existence of other gods?

18:13-23 - Note: Wise counsel of Jethro and tact he used when he gave it. Note also Moses' willingness to take Jethro's advice.

19:13, 16 - Unseen messengers of God?

• Warning that if any person touch the mountain they would be stoned or shot with arrows. Who would shoot them?
  
• Trumpet blast. Who blew the trumpet?

19:16, 20 - Thunder & lightning; thick cloud; trumpet blast. The scene for the giving of the 10 commandments is set

20:18 - Result of their witnessing the manifestation of God's power in the giving of the 10 Commandments? To Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Just as God had promised in 19:9 - Respect for both God and Moses.

Psalm of Note:
19:11 - "Moreover by [the ordinances of the LORD] is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."

Acts 3
Summary: Peter to those who gathered: The God who did this [healed this lame man] is the God whom you have always worshiped. But now he works through His Son. This wonder was done through faith in Jesus -- the Messiah -- whom you killed. Continue to have faith in the God of Abraham; repent and rid yourselves of the guilt of killing the Messiah. You have an opportunity to make things right.

Exodus 14-16; Psalm 19; Acts 2

Exodus 14-16
14:5 - Follow the money. The Israelite departure was bad for the Egyptian economy.

14:10-14 - Fear led Israelites to backlash toward Moses, but Moses stood firm and told them - Do not be afraid. Be still, and watch God deliver you.

14:19-21 - The parting of the sea was not instantaneous; it took all night, during which the Israelites were hidden from the Egyptians' view by the pillar of cloud that had been leading them.

14:25 - The Egyptians appeared to be running from the Israelites when the sea overtook them. They started trying to flee after God disabled their chariots.

14:31 - refer to vs. 10 - Now the Israelites feared the LORD, not the Egyptians.

15:1-2 - See Meditation Moments for article on "The Song of Moses."

15:14 - "The peoples heard, they trembled." The account of the Red Sea crossing would go before the Israelites and prepare their way to Canaan. (Note the source of Rahab's faith in Joshua 2:10.)

15:20 - Miriam - a prophet (teacher) of women? That's who followed her.

Training Period
15:22 - Three days without water led to complaining to Moses, who cried out to God.

15:26 - God: If you listen carefully to my voice and do what is right, I won't bring disease on you.

16:3-4 - Complaints of hunger. The manner in which God provided their food was a test to see whether or not they would follow His instruction.

16:20 - Some failed the test. They did not listen and tried to keep the manna until the next morning.

16:20 - Some failed the next test: They did not gather double measures on the 6th day, and there was nothing there on the Sabbath for them to gather.

Psalm 19:1-6
See Meditation Moments column on this passage, entitled "Divine Show and Tell," published 1/26/08.

Acts 2
v. 5 - "Every nation under heaven" referred to the 15 nations listed in verse 8.

v. 19 - What seems to be devastation language in Joel refers to a kind of creation in Acts 2. One kingdom dies so another can be born.

vv.29-32 - Peter uses a progression of "facts" to help his audience understand David's prophetic psalm and the grave nature of their recent actions.

• David is dead
  
• David prophesied that one of his descendants would sit on his throne.
• This descendant would die, but his body would not decay; he would not remain dead.
• This prophecy could not apply to David - he remains buried.
• You are all witnesses of the resurrection.
  
• This man – Jesus – is the fulfillment of David's prophecy.
  
• This man – Jesus – was the Messiah. And you crucified him.

Exodus 12-13; Acts 1

Exodus 12-13
12:21-22 - What a strange night it must have been for the Israelites! The lamb (or goat) blood on the hyssop applied to doorposts and lintels; staying inside all night in, I would suppose, fearful anticipation of what they would find the next morning.

12:27 - The Israelites' response to Moses' instructions: they "bowed down and worshipped."

12:31 - Contradiction? Moses' instructions to the people were that after they applied the blood to their doorposts and lintels, they were not allowed to leave their houses. Yet Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and told them to go -- worship the LORD. So where were Moses and Aaron? Did not this require them to come out of their houses? Or did this instruction not apply to them as well?

12:42 - A "night of vigil" -- to be kept for the LORD by all the Israelites throughout their generations.

Acts 1
v. 7 - Some things are not for disciples to know.

v. 12 - How far is a Sabbath's day journey? According to Matthew Henry's commentary, " a little way; no further than devout people used to walk out on a sabbath evening, after the public worship was over, for meditation...not to journey on the sabbath any more than in order to do the sabbath work." According to other commentaries, it could have been from just short of a mile to two miles.

Exodus 9-11; Psalm 18:26-27; Luke 24

Exodus
9:1 - 5th plague - Disease of livestock - no promise from Pharaoh
9:8 - 6th plague - Boils - still no promises from Pharaoh
9:13-16 - 7th plague - Thunder and hail. v. 15 - God's message to Pharaoh: "By now I could have killed all of you, but I have let you live to show you my power and to make my name resound through all the earth. 9:19 - God warns of hail so Egyptians can shelter people and animals. 9:28 - Pharaoh's response: "Enough of God's thunder and hail! I will let you go; you need stay no longer." v. 35 - He reneges again.
10:1 - 8th plague - Locusts. After receiving the warning of locusts, Pharaoh's officials beg him to give in, so he relents and promises they can go -- but the men only, no children. So the locusts come, Pharaoh asks for forgiveness for his sin, the locusts go, and Pharaoh reneges again after the LORD hardens Pharaoh's heart.
10:21 - 9th plague - Darkness. After this plague (with no warning), Pharaoh promises again, but Moses wants to take their livestock. The LORD hardens Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh tells Moses he never wants to see him again.

Chap 11 - Warning of the 10th plague, but Pharaoh's heart is too hardened.

Psalm 18
v. 26-27 - Another part of this psalm that pertains to our Exodus reading today:

...with the pure you show yourself pure and with the crooked you show yourself perverse. For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Luke 24 The Good News!
v. 11 - The apostles thought the women's account of their encounter with the angels was just idle talk. [Some things never change. They had to see it for themselves.]

v. 13 - Two on the road to Emmaus - I wonder who they thought he was. No introductions were ever made. I've always thought this was a curious insert into the middle of this story. Maybe this is explaining where Jesus was immediately after the resurrection. While his disciples were looking for him, he was on the road to Emmaus, instructing and amazing these two travelers.

v. 36 - Jesus appears to his disciples (apostles?). At first they are frightened. Jesus sits and eats with them, relates OT prophecies to what has just happened, tells them to stay in Jerusalem, leads them to Bethany, blessed them, and ascends to heaven.

Exodus 6-8; Luke 23

Exodus
6:9 - "...they [the Israelites] would not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery." In other words, they had lost all hope. Since this escape from Egypt is used often as a foreshadowing of our escape from the slavery of sin, could this verse also apply to our world today?

6:16,18,20 - Notes on ancestry:

• Levi - Kohath - Amram (Jochebed) - Moses
• Jochebed, the mother of Moses, was also his great aunt. (Amram married his father's sister.)
• According to Ruth 4:18 (and other sources), Aaron's wife Elisheba was of the tribe of Judah: Judah - Perez - Hezron - Ram - Amminadab - Nahshon, who was Elisheba's brother. Nahshon's name is mentioned often as a leader among the Israelites. It doesn't mention that here, but I thought the name sounded familiar!
  
• Aaron (Elisheba) - Eleazar - Phinehas (priests we hear about later, as I recall) His other sons - Nadab & Abihu - are infamous for offering strange fire before God.

7:3 - God says, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders...The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." Hard times ultimately show God's power.

Notes on plagues:
7:14 - 1st plague - Water turned to blood - 7 days - duplicated by Pharaoh's magicians. Pharaoh makes no promises.
8:1 - 2nd plague - Frogs - duplicated by Pharaoh's magicians. V. 8 - Moses to Pharaoh - "When do you want the frogs to go away?" Pharaoh's people could make them appear, but not disappear. Pharaoh promises, then reneges.
8:16 - 3rd plague - Gnats (not duplicated by Pharaoh's magicians.) Pharaoh makes no promises, but his magicians believe - "This is the finger of God!"
8:20 - 4th plague - Flies (except in Goshen). v. 25 - Pharaoh suggests compromise - "Sacrifice here." Then v. 28 - "Okay - leave. But don't go far. And pray for me." He reneges again.

Luke 23
vv. 1-5 - Accusations against Jesus before Pilate:

1. He perverts the nation
2. He forbids us to pay taxes
3. He says he is the Messiah - Then, when Pilate is not convinced -
   
4. He stirs up the people by teaching throughout Judea (from Galilee). Then Pilate passes him to Herod.
   

vv. 6-12 Herod views Jesus as some kind of circus act. Jesus refuses to answer his questions.

vv. 13-25 - The mob prevails over the leader, Pilate.

Reactions of witnesses to the crucifixion

• Simon of Cyrene forced to carry the cross behind Jesus
• Women wail and beat their breasts
• Those who crucify him cast lots for his clothing
• People stand by, watching. Leaders scoff.
• Soldiers mock him
• One of the criminals derides him
• The other rebukes the first and appeals to Jesus to remember him in His kingdom

Witnesses of his death

• Centurion recognizes him as innocent
• Crowds go home, beating their breasts
• Acquaintances stand at a distance and watch

Witnesses of his burial

• Joseph of Arimathea buries the body in a tomb where no one has ever been laid
• Galilean women follow Joseph and observe the place of burial
• Women go home to prepare spices and ointments
• Women rest on the sabbath
  

Exodus 3-5; Psalm 18: Luke 22

Exodus
3:17-19 - Amazing promises of God that Moses was to deliver to the Israelites:

1. I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt
2. I will compel the King of Egypt to let you go
3. I will bring you into such favor with the Egyptian people that when you leave you will take with you their silver, gold, and clothing

3:18 - God told Moses to ask to leave on false pretenses (?), i.e. "3 days' journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices."

4:18 - Moses left Midian on false pretenses (?), i.e. to see how his family was doing.

4:24-26 - I don't understand anything about this passage. The LORD was trying to kill Moses? Zipporah circumcised their son, then told Moses he was a "bridegroom of blood" to her. The LORD's trying to kill Moses, then, apparently had something to do with their uncircumcised son?

4:30-31 - The signs Moses and Aaron performed seemed to easily convince the Israelites that they were from God. The signs gave them the credibility Moses had wanted.

5:3 - Another falsehood (?) - that God would punish the Israelites if they didn't take the 3 days' journey to sacrifice to Him.

5:4-14 - The request to Pharaoh for relief results in still more oppression. (Oh -- asking for a break? You apparently have too much time on your hands!)

5:22-23 - Moses rails against God because of the increased cruelty. Pharaoh's cruelty is the fault of God; God is not rescuing them quickly enough.

Psalm 18:7-15
Even though this is God's response to David's plea, it is an appropriate description of what is about to happen in Egypt in our Exodus reading. Look, for example, at verse 12: "Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire."

Luke 22
vv. 5-6 - Did Judas Iscariot think that he'd have it both ways: 1) get some money and 2) see Jesus walk away from the danger, as he had done before? Back in 18:32, when Jesus talked of his death, the twelve had not grasped what he was saying.

v. 7-13 - Reminiscent of when Jesus sent his disciples ahead to get the colt before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (19:30). Everything was ready, "just as he had told them" (19:32 and 22:13).

22:36-38 - Another misunderstanding? It appeared to me as I read Jesus' instructions about the sword that he was talking about their future "mission" trips, but they interpreted it as what they would need right then.

22:39-46 - The disciples were asleep when they should have been praying -- they were ignorant of what was to come. A lesson for us here?

22:49 - Sure enough! Time for the sword. Good o'l Peter -- always ready for a confrontation.

22:54-62 - Peter's denial emphasizes the danger of saying to others (or to ourselves) "I would never...."

22:66-71 - The chief priests and scribes finally had Jesus right where they wanted him. Little did they know he was actually using them.

Exodus 1-2; Psalm 18; Luke 21

Exodus 1-2
2:9 - I wonder if Pharoah's daughter suspected that the "nurse" was actually the mother.
2:11,17 - A character trait of Moses seems to show up in these instances: Taking up for the defenseless.
2:24 - Taking up for the defenseless also a trait of God: "God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them."

Psalm 18:1-3
Source of the song, I Will Call upon the Lord.

Luke 21
vv. 12-13 - Being brought before kings and governors would give Jesus' disciples a chance to testify about him.
vv. 20-24 - Another prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. Refer back to 19:41-41, when he wept for the pending destruction of the city.
v. 24 - To what does "times of the Gentiles" refer?
v. 32 - Indicates that the previous verses would take place in the first century, which also indicates he's still speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem. See Isaiah 13:9-10 (Destruction of Babylon) and Isaiah 34:4 (Judgment on the Nations) for similar language.