Scripture to Read: Exodus 12:23–32
God gave Moses, Aaron, and the nation of Israel many proofs that He is God and that He loved them. In Exodus 12:23–32, God told the nation of Israel, through Moses and Aaron, what He would do in Egypt. God told them how He would pass through Egypt and kill the Egyptians. God reminded the Israelites that He would pass over their house when He saw the blood on the top and two sides of their doors. God would not allow the destroyer to come into their homes to kill their firstborn. God also told them to remember this event for generations to come. When they entered the promised land, the land He had told Abraham about, they should remember the Passover there too. And they should teach their children by telling them, “It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.” (Exodus 12:27). So, Israel obeyed God. At midnight, God moved through Egypt, killing all the firstborn. There was not one home where there was not someone dead. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron that night and told them, “…go, worship the Lord, and take both your flocks and your herds…, and bless me also.” (Exodus 12:30–32) Pharaoh had been broken for the moment, but even in his darkness, Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to ask God to bless him. People today want God’s blessing, but they want it their way. Blessings only come through obedience (Proverbs 8:32, James 1:25).
Challenge & Application
· How have you seen God’s protection of you and your family due to your willingness to walk in obedience to Him and His Word?
· How have you missed God’s blessing in the past due to your disobedience to God and His Word?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!