This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.

Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.

Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&h) for each page to:

Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418

EXODUS
CHAPTER 5

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

After the people believed God had sent Moses, and after they had
worshipped, then Moses and Aaron went to Pharoah.
We must believe God, and worshipGod before we can do His will.

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. 3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

Pharoah was himself considered a god by his people. He was certainly not going
to express faith in another God. In verse 1, you can see the cry of the aetheistic
intellectual of today. There is no one more important to the intellectual aetheist than
himself. And if he can not KNOW physically that God IS, he will not
listen to Him. And sometimes, even when he sees physical evidence, the intellectual
aetheist will deny it, and trust in his own wisdom. Pharoah was that kind of man.
Even though much had probably been written in Egyptian history about the Lord, Jehovah,
(because of Joseph) Pharoah would not acknowledge Him.
Later, Pharoah's self-pride would not allow him to surrender to God, even after he
acknowledged Him as existing and powerful.

4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. 10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. 11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

Pharoah was very angry with even the suggestion of going to sacrifice to someone other than
himself. He decided they Hebrews weren't busy enough, and if he could keep them BUSY,
they wouldn't have time to think about God.
That's the kind of thing the devil uses today on Americans!
The devil has been using that trick for thousands of years. He will try to keep people
too busy to pray, study the Bible, go to church, etc.
Is he succeeding in YOUR life?
It seems that the main work the Hebrews did for Pharoah was make bricks for the pyramids and
cities he was building. So to keep them EXTRA busy, Pharoah demanded that they find their
own straw for making the bricks. And the quota of bricks to be made would not be lessened.

12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

The taskmasters joined in this plot by HURRYING the Israelites.
I love a "laid back" business: a business where employees take time to do QUALITY work;
a business where employees take time to LISTEN to customers and genuinely treat them as
if they REALLY are the main purpose for the business.
Why do we RUSH so much? Why do we COMPLAIN so much?
Because the devil inspires people to CAUSE it, that's why!

14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. 17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. 18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

Some Hebrews had been put in charge of other Hebrews in the work of making bricks.
The Egyptian taskmasters "beat" them because the quota was not filled.
The Hebrew officers went before Pharoah. They told him it was HIS fault, because
he was no longer supplying the straw.
Look at Pharoah's answer in verse 17. It is the answer of many business owners and
managers today. "You have time for RELIGION! Cut out that time and do a better job!"
Yep! It really is being said in the American businesses today!

19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: 21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

So the officers of the Israelites became angry with Moses and Aaron.
Is it so easy to "unbelieve" what God has shown to be true? Do we still have this
problem in the 20th century?
It seems that when our pocketbooks are put at stake, that it is easy to DOUBT God!
And, at times, we even become angry with the leaders of the faith.

22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Even devout men of God are not exempt from this DOUBT. Even Moses and Aaron questioned God.
Yet God had already TOLD Moses that this would happen.

Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us valuable insight into this matter of unbelief.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

God tells us that we should "LAY ASIDE" our sin of "UNBELIEF," and that we should live our
lives "LOOKING TO JESUS." When doubt and unbelief creep into our lives, and they will,
we should then concentrate on learning from Jesus, and being like Jesus.

CHAPTER 6

1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

God speaks to Moses again. And He promises that Pharoah will let the people go. Then God,
talks about His Name (vss 2-3).
witnessed His power and strength. But they didn't know God as YHWH, which is
literally interpreted JEHOVAH and means SAVIOR!
God is telling Moses here that Israel will know Him as SAVIOR. And He reminds them that He
is GOD! Therefore, His promises are TRUE. He promises to save them from the Egyptian bondage.
He promises to give them a wonderful land - called: "the PROMISED LAND."
By the way, these are basically the same two promises God gives the lost today.
He promises to save us from the bondage of SIN, and to give us an eternal
Promised Land. He will save us from sin, and bring us to heaven.

9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

This is a sad picture. Have you ever seen someone in this condition? I have,
and it is an awful sight. To see someone in so great despair that they
cannot focus on a loving and forgiving God is indeed a difficult thing.
That's why Christians must first minister to the physical needs of people,
then to the spiritual needs.

10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 13 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Are you beginning to see why this sin of unbelief is so HUGE?
God had just ASSURED these men, and made promises that only He can keep.
But when they met a little opposition, then futility filled their hearts, and
they allowed unbelief to take over.
Therefore, God does as He did with Moses in the wilderness. He COMMANDS!
He "...gave them a charge..." (vs 13).

14 These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 21 And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 25 And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families. 26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. 27 These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 28 And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30 And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

Here is a list of all the family descendents of the original twelve tribes.
In this list is some valuable material for understanding Hebrew history. For instance,
Moses' and Aaron's father and mother's name is here. Did you find them?

Now verses 28-30 actually go better with the first seven verses of chapter 7. So let
us save them until we begin our study on that chapter -- tomorrow.

Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.