Pride skews our view of the Bible story.
It leads us to see the story of Genesis as a story of Adam and Eve, rather than God creating a masterpiece in His own image out of dust.
It leads us to read Ezra and Nehemiah and focus on their leadership and vision for the restoration of Jerusalem, rather than God’s clear determination to lead them home.
It leads us to share the New Testament like a to-do list, rather than a love story.
Pride tempts us to focus on our role in the story of the Bible, but we are only part of the equation.
Like all of God’s Word, the book of Exodus tells us about ourselves. It puts our stubbornness, fear, and doubt on full display. It tells us incredible stories of faith and perseverance. It shows us our history as human beings, the good, bad, and the ugly.
But far more than that, Exodus is the story of God.
Exodus shows us that:
𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑠, ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠.
God never turns His eyes away from our oppression. He witnesses our suffering. Exodus 3:7 tells us, “The Lord said, ‘I have Indeed seen the misery of my people In Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.’” God wants His people to know that His concern Is always with them. He Instructs Moses, “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you In Egypt” (Exodus 3:16). We do not have a God who looks away when things get hard. In the exodus story, we see that He sees, hears, and cares when we are at our most desperate points, just a shadow of what was to come In Christ.
𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠.
Exodus also shows us that God does not carry out His plan unilaterally. While only He has the strength and wisdom to assemble a perfect plan, He enables Imperfect people to play a role. God commands Moses, “So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). God gives careful guidance, encouragement, and direct commands to send people out to carry out His plan, an example of what He continues to do today.
𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠.
More than anything, Exodus proves that God Is able and willing to keep His promises. When He promises deliverance, He provides It. Even when our Imperfections stand in the way, like Moses’ fear of public speaking, God makes a way. Then, when Moses dared to question God’s plan, Exodus 4:14 says, “The Lord’s anger burned against Moses and He said, ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He Is already on his way to meet you.” Even when the Lord was angry with Moses, Instead of Immediate wrath He showed grace. Why? Because God made a promise, and He keeps His promises.
You see, this story isn’t really about Moses. These promises were made long before Moses was born and placed into the river. No, Exodus Is the story of God.
When you read this story, don’t allow pride to cloud your vision. The Book of Exodus teaches us a lot about who we are, but more than that, Exodus reveals the character of God.
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