DAY 100: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR – EXODUS 5-8

April 8, 2024

EXODUS 5-8
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DAY 100: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

Today’s journey reveals the harsh treatment to which the Egyptians subjected the Israelites. It also reveals Pharaoh’s struggle with God. Today’s journey takes us to God preparing the Israelites for deliverance.

Take some time to ask the Lord to reveal His true meaning of today’s journey through Exodus. Read Exodus 5-8. Let’s journey!

Exodus, the second book of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Old Testament was written by Moses, whose life we begin to see in this book. The book of Exodus begins nearly 400 years after the book of Genesis ends, and the Hebrews have become slaves in Egypt, a sinful land. Throughout the book of Exodus, we can see how sin damages a person’s relationship with the Lord, and how the sins of a nation can damage the nation’s relationship with the Lord.

Exodus 5-8: The Egyptians treated the Israelites harshly as their slaves, and the treatment of the Israelites worsened after Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh for permission to allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness to make sacrifices to the God of Israel. The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron is recorded. The plagues that God brought on the people of Egypt because the Pharaoh would not let the Israelites leave Egypt began. The first was Aaron’s staff becoming a snake. The Pharaoh’s magicians could duplicate that. Aaron, at Moses’ direction turns the Nile River and other bodies of water to blood. The Pharaoh’s magicians could duplicate that. Frogs then swarmed all of Egypt. The Pharaoh’s magicians could duplicate that.

Moses directs Aaron to hold his staff over dust and all the dust of Egypt became gnats. The Pharaoh’s magicians could not duplicate that, nor could they stop any plague once it started. See the focus verses to read what the magicians told Pharaoh.  The final plague in our reading today is the plague of flies. This plague could not be duplicated by the Pharaoh’s magicians and it was the first plague that did not affect the Israelites. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron asking them to pray to the God of Israel to remove the plague of frogs, gnats, and flies. Pharaoh promised to let the Israelites leave Egypt to make sacrifices to the God of Israel once the plagues ceased. Moses prayed asking for the plagues to be removed and God removed the plagues. Pharaoh went back on his word and refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt to make sacrifices to the God of Israel. (Exodus 5:1-8:32)

As you read chapters 5 through 8, carefully consider how sin affects a person’s or a nation’s relationship with the Lord God. What sin occurred in today’s reading? What was the consequence of that sin, or what was the consequence of a sin recognized in a previous reading? What sin is affecting your relationship with God? How can you repair your relationship? Are you listening and looking for God in your life?

Godspeace!