Exodus – Page 12 – Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment.

January 28, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 28: Matthew 2, Exodus 8, Exodus 9 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In Matthew 2 we get to meet with the Magi (probably about 15 of them including servants) coming to Jerusalem to ask about the King of the Jews. This worries King Herod and all Jerusalem, and Herod asks the Scribes and the learned men where he was to be born. They answer “In Bethlehem of Judea”, but are otherwise remarkably uninterested. The wise men go to Jesus (he is by now at least a few months old), but do not report back to Herod, but return another way. Meanwhile Joseph s told to get out of there and flee to Egypt. Herod gets furious that he has been had and murders all male children under the age of 2 in and around Bethlehem. Herod dies soon after, and goes back to Nazareth. In the Middle East, Christians are now called Nazarenes.

Exodus 8 is very interesting. It tells of three more plagues of Egypt, the plague of frogs, the plague of gnats and the plague of flies. The Egyptian magicians had no trouble duplicating elements of the plague of frogs, but when it comes to the plague of gnats they throw up their hands and said “This is the finger of God”. From then on they cannot duplicate any of the plagues.

In Exodus 9 there are three more plagues, the plague of livestock, the plague of boils and the plague of hail. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard.

January 27, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters.

January 27: Matthew 1, Exodus 5, Exodus 6, Exodus 7 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

Matthew 1 tells of the spiritual genealogy of Jesus, starting with Abraham. Joseph was of the kingly line and adopted Jesus. It then tells of the birth of Jesus. It also tells of Mary remaining a virgin until the birth of Jesus.

in Exodus 5 Moses and Aaron goes to Pharaoh and ask for a 3 day reprieve for his people so they can go and worship God. Like all dictators Pharaoh reacts to this petition and makes life even more miserable for the Hebrews, he wants them to gather their own straw and still make as many bricks as before. The Hebrews blame Moses for stirring up trouble for them.

In Exodus 6 the LORD (Jehovah) promises deliverance and will give them the promised land. Then comes an interlude where the names of the heads of the clans of Israel are listed. Moses protests and does not want to talk to Pharaoh any more, so Aaron will speak in his place.

In Exodus 7 God promises Moses to give him all he must say, and Aaron is to tell it to Pharaoh. God also says he will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and not let the people go. Aaron threw down his rod and it became a snake. The Egyptians duplicated it. The first plague out of ten occurred, turning the water of the Nile to blood.

January 26, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters.

January 26: Psalm 7, Psalm 8, Exodus 3, Exodus 4 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

Psalm 7 is a shiggaion, a dithyrambic ode of David. I would love to hear what the music to this Psalm sounded like.

Psalm 8 on the other hand has been set many times to music. Even I have sung it many times, both as a choir number and the first verse as an introit. Looking for the music I found a far better rendition of the Psalm, this one by Marty Goetz.

Exodus 3 is where God reveals himself to Moses in the form of a burning bush and declares “I am that I am”. Jesus makes a similar declaration in John 8:58 “Before Abraham, I am”.

In Exodus 4 God gives Moses his call. At first Moses comes up with one objection after another, but God persuades him with signs that he must go back to Egypt, face Pharaoh and lead his people.

January 25, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 25: Proverbs 2, Exodus 1, Exodus 2 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

Proverbs 2 continues where Proverbs 1 left off, telling of the moral benefits of wisdom.

A few hundred years has passed since the end of Genesis and Exodus 1 tells how the Hebrews multiplied and became a perceived threat to the Egyptians. The Egyptians told the Hebrew midwives that every boy they delivered must be thrown into the Nile, but every girl were to be let to live.

Which seamlessly leads into Exodus 2, how Moses when he was born was thrown into the Nile, but he was placed in a papyrus basket and laid crying in the reeds. Pharaoh’s daughter heard it, picked him up and asked her servant to find somebody to nurse him. Of course she found Moses’ own mother to nurse him. After he was weaned Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s household and got educated. He did remember he was a Hebrew, so when he saw and Egyptian mistreat a Hebrew he killed the Egyptian. This became known and Moses fled to Midian, where he spent 40 years tending flocks. Great reading.