Torah: Exodus 13:17–17:16
PROPHETS: Judges 4:4–5:31
APOSTOLIC WRITINGS: Revelation 19:1–20:6

The devotional below is designed to help you dive deeper into God’s heart by exploring Torah as the gateway into transformational Bible reading.

SUNDAY

Torah 1 & 2

Torah 1: 
Freedoms Will Be Changed
Exodus 13:17–14:8

Pharaoh “lets go” and Israel goes out from the land of slavery! Through plagues, God has revealed His strength to teach Egyptian, Israelite, and indeed all nations, Who is ADONAI.

13:17–18
God leads Israel out on a longer path that is physically safer because He needs to teach us the secret of becoming spiritually stronger (cf. Romans 4:20).

13:19
Moses takes Joseph’s bones with them, thus fulfilling the faith-filled hope of the beloved patriarch (v.19; cf. Genesis 50:25; Hebrews 11:22).

13:20–22
In order to guide each step, God’s Presence goes with Israel as a visible cloud during daylight and illuminating fire as a night-light (vv. 20–22).

14:1–4
He tells us exactly where to go (vv. 1–2) knowing that Pharaoh will misinterpret Israel’s movements and chase us down (vv. 3–4).

14:5–8
Why is God doing all this according to v.4? Driven by a hard heart, Pharaoh leads the charge to recapture God’s people (vv. 5–8). 

Torah 2:
God Will Always Deliver
Exodus 14:9–14

14:9–12
The “showdown” occurs exactly where God had led Israel (v. 9; cf. v.2). Under pressure, however, Israel loses faith (vv. 10–12). Has God ever led you into circumstances where you lose faith when the going gets tough? It’s so natural, yet so incapacitating and God-dishonoring.

14:13–14
Prepared for this very purpose by a 40-year training program leading feeble sheep in the desert, Moses now provides effective shepherding to Israel. He prepares them to learn perhaps the greatest lesson of grace. What is this lesson (cf. Psalm 46:10)? How can you apply this lesson to your life today and walk in God’s power? 

MONDAY

Torah 3 & 4

Torah 3: 
God Can Do the Impossible 
Exodus 14:15–25

14:15–16
We’re backed up against the waters and cornered in by the enemy. There’s a time to pray and a time to act in faith. For Moses, it’s time to act.

14:17–20
God will do His part to freely save His people by chastising Egypt (vv. 17–18) and protecting Israel (vv. 19–20).

14:21–23
When God parts the waters (v. 21) Israel enters in (v. 22) but so do the Egyptians (v. 23).

14:24
God now does what Moses said He would in v.14, actively teaching that He is both an able and trustworthy God. 
 

Torah 4:
Is Steadfast Faith Possible?
Exodus 14:26–15:26

14:26–30
God’s power is again unleashed through the hand of Moses (i.e. plagues) to judge Egypt (vv. 26–28) and save Israel (vv. 29–30).

14:31
What was the impact on the hearts of the Israelites? To quote Nahum Sarna, a Jewish theologian, “‘faith’ in the Hebrew Bible is not belief in a doctrine or subscription to a creed. Rather, it refers to trust and loyalty that find expression in obedience and commitment.” (The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus, p. 75) There is a discernible pattern of God’s people “getting it” (i.e. trusting Him and acting in faith) but then “stumbling” (losing faith, not trusting God) when hardships come. Israel “got it” when Moses first showed up with the gospel (“good news”) along with signs to verify the message (4:29–31). When Pharaoh lashed out, however, and caused them hardships, they “stumble” (5:20–21; 6:9). Even now, after God has revealed His mighty ability and trustworthiness, it won’t take much before the stumbling and grumbling begins.

15:1–18
First, however, the Shirat haYam (Song at the Sea). The community praises God for what He has done in defeating the enemy (15:1–10), for His utter uniqueness and faithfulness (vv. 11–13), for the impact of this event on the surrounding peoples (vv. 14–16), and especially for the certainty of things to come (vv. 17–18).

15:19–21
These events (v. 19) also cause Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s sister, to lead the women in singing praise to God (vv. 20–21).

15:22–26
After singing comes the “stumbling.” Three days of desert travel with no water (v. 22) except some undrinkable “bitter” water (v. 23) is enough of a hardship to create a crisis of faith (v. 24). God saves Israel again by purifying bitter water (v. 25) and mercifully appeals for Israel to trust Him as their Healer so that their faith-filled obedience will bring blessing and not cursing (v. 26).

application

How does God use hardships to draw Israel to Himself? What are the “hardships” that cause your faith to “stumble”? Are those hardships driving you toward or away from God? 

TUESDAY

torah 5 & 6

Torah 5: 
Living Water 
Exodus 15:27–16:10

15:27–16:1
After a brief stay in a virtual tropical paradise (15:27), we continued traveling through the desert on the one-month anniversary of leaving Egypt (16:1).

16:2–5
Desert hardships give rise to another round of stumbling and grumbling (vv. 2–3) to which God responds with a promise of bread from heaven to feed the body and an obligation (Shabbat) to test the heart (vv. 4–5; cf. John 6:29–33).

16:6–7
Aaron speaks first to Israel (it could be Moses speaking, but it is probably Aaron, due to similar pattern during plagues where Aaron does most of the talking; Moses is probably mentioned to show that Aaron is not speaking on his own authority).

16:8
Moses then reiterates what his brother has said and tries to help them get God at the center of their thinking.

16:9
He then turns from speaking directly to Israel and instructs Aaron in their hearing (reminiscent of Moses speaking to Aaron in the hearing of Pharaoh, cf. 7:19; 8:5, 16) to give a plea for the people to “Come near to God” (cf. Matthew 11:28–30).

16:10
Just as when Aaron had spoken to Pharaoh and God made Himself known (cf. 7:20; 8:6, 17), so too now, when Aaron speaks to Israel, God makes Himself known.  
 

Torah 6: 
Bread from Heaven 
Exodus 16:11–36

16:11–15
God instructs Israel regarding the meat and manna (vv. 11–12) and as usual, God provides (vv. 13–15).

16:16–20
Moses’ instructions regarding the exact amount to be gathered (v. 16) are heeded (vv. 17–18) but his instructions regarding no leftovers (v. 19) are not (v. 20).

16:21
The goal of God’s provision (v. 21) is not just to fill the stomach but to transform the heart (cf. Psalm 78:18–22, 32, 37). In a similar way, the goal of God’s instructions/laws/commands is not just to conform our external behavior but to guide us to sincerely trust Him (have saving faith) and receive a transformed heart so that we can truly love well (cf. 1 Timothy 1:5–7).

16:22–30
The normal pattern of daily rations is suspended for Shabbat (vv. 22–30). Notice that these Shabbat instructions/commands are given before Mt. Sinai and the “Ten Words/Commandments.”

16:31–32
What is God ultimately teaching through Shabbat (cf. Exodus 31:13)? In what ways has He taught you this lesson in a way that has yielded God-glorifying, soul-satisfying fruit? Moses instructs that some of this manna (v. 31) be kept as a sign (v. 32). Remember that Moses wrote these words many years after these current events.

16:33–35
The next few verses record future events that are described now because of their connection to current events (the manna could not be placed “before the Lord” in front of the “Testimony” until after Tabernacle construction and God takes up residence in the midst of the community).

16:36
This section concludes with an Ancient Near Eastern “weights and measures” chart.

application

Through Israel’s circumstances, God is teaching about Who He is. In hunger and thirst, He provides what is needed for the moment. In grumbling and stumbling, He calls us to come near so our faith can be restored and His glorious Nature better understood. What physical needs do you have that you need to bring to God? He will always prove Himself the Great Provider and Merciful Healer. He is both able and trustworthy. Spend some time praising God for Who He is! (i.e. Awe-fully reflect upon His attributes; you could also praise Him for His faithfulness to Israel, thank Him for specific things He has done for you, etc.)