Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

The. God gave the people all these instructions:

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

You must not have any other god but Me.
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens, or on earth, or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord you God, am a jealous God who not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected-even the children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject Me. But I will lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love Me and obey My commands.

You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His name.

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day, no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, you livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day, He rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

You must not murder.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must ot testify falsely against your neighbor.
Yo must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

When the people heard the thunder and loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.

And they said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you and so that your fear of Him will keep you from sinning.” As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.”
(vv. 1-21, NLT)

On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down alongside the mountain. There was a loud, blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended down on in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered His reply, “The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the Lord, or they will die. Even the priests who regularly come near to the Lord must purify themselves so that the Lord does not break out and destroy them.”

“But Lord,” Moses protested, “the people cannot come up to Mount Sinai. You already warned us. You told me , ‘Mark off a boundary all around the mountain to set it apart as holy.'”

But the Lord said, “Go down and bring Aaron back with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or the people break through to approach the Lord, or He will break down and destroy them.”

So Moses went down to the people and told them what the Lord had said. (vv. 16-25, NLT)

Moses told the Lord what the people had said. Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for My arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Mark off a boundary around all the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go upon the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death. No hand may touch the person or animal that crosses the boundary; instead, stone them or shoot them with arrows. They must be put to death.’ However, when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, then the people may go up on the mountain.” (vv. 9b-13, NLT)

Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.

Then Moses climbed up the mountain to appear before God.The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ‘You have see what I did to the Egyptians. you know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. No if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples of the earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests, My holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.

So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him. And all the people said, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to God.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear Me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.” (vv. 1-9a, NLT)

The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.

When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”

Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. In in form the people of God’s decrees and give the His instructions.” (vv 13-16, NLT)

Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advise and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put then in charges of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took car of the smaller matters themselves.

Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land. (vv. 24-27, NLT)_

Jethro had send a message to Moss, saying, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to see you with your wife and two sons.”

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed low and kissed him. They asked about each other’s welfare and then went into Moses’s tent. Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Egypt on the behalf of Israel. He also told about all the hardships they had experienced along the way and how the Lord had rescued his people from all their troubles. Jethro was delighted when he heard all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians.

“Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for He has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, He has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! I know now that theLord is greater than all other gods, because He rescued His people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”

Then Jethro, Moses father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came out and joined him in the sacrificial meal in God’s presence. (vv. 6-12, NLT)

At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin, and moved from place to place. Eventually, they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.

“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? Why are you testing the Lord?”

But tormented by thirst, they continue to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?:

Then Moses cried out to the Lord. “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. I will stand before you on the rocks at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and the water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink. So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not.”(vv. 1-7, NLT)

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They traveled there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. There , too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

“If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they said. “There was sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve to death.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” (vv 1-5, NLT)

Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for He has heard all your complaints against Him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.” (v 8, NLT)

That evening vast numbers of qual flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the the area around the camp was wet with dew. when the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as fros blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.

And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” (vv 13-26, NLT)

The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers. (v 31, NLT)

Moses said to Aaron “Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the Lord to preserve it for all future generations. Aaron did just as the Lord commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant-in front of the stone tablets in scribed with the terms of the covenant. So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they would settle. The ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (vv. 33-35, NLT)

Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. so they called they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).

Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. So Moses cried out to the Lord for help and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water and this made the water good to drink.

It was there at Marah that the Lord set before him the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to Him. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. Then camped there besides the water. (vv. 22-27, NLT)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your h and over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge after the Israelites. My great glory is displayed through Pharaoh and and his troops, and his chariots, and his charioteers. When the glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see My glory and know that I am the Lord!” (vv. 15-18, NLT)

Then Moses raised his hand over the sea and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel waled through the middle of the seabed on dry ground with walls of water on each side!. (vv. 21-22, NLT)

When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and their charioteers.” So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. Then the waters returned and covered al their chariots and charioteers-the entire army of Pharaoh. Of of the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived. (vv. 26-28, NLT)

When the people of Israel saw. the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before Him. Then they put their faith in the Lord and his servant Moses. (v 31, NLT)