Sat.s’ Devo - Yahweh

Read: Exodus 34:1-35:9; Matthew 27:15-31; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6 God had Moses chisel out two more stones just like the ones he smashed and meet him again on the top of Mt. Sinai. God called out his name, Yahweh, then told him what it meant. He was the God of compassion and mercy who was slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He lavishes his love to a thousand generations and forgives their iniquity and rebellion, but he does not excuse the guilty. The sins of the parents will affect their children up to the forth generation. Moses fell to the ground and once again begged God to travel with them. He told Moses that he would perform miracles that they had never seen in all the earth so that the people around them would see the power of the Lord. He promised to go before them and drive out the inhabitants of the land: the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. He warned them not to ever make a treaty with any of them. God told Moses exactly what would happen if they intermarried. God told Moses that three times a year they were to celebrate his feasts starting with Unleavened Bread. It marked their departure from Egypt just as our journey in Christ begins the day we accept him as our Lord and ask him into our hearts. God told him the importance of observing the Sabbath every 7th day. They were to stop working even in plowing and harvest time (in other words, even when there was much work to be done.) They were to celebrate the first fruits and the end of harvest which would be Pentecost. Harvests represented souls coming into the kingdom so they were to celebrate the first and the last to come into the kingdom. When Moses returned, his face glowed which made the people afraid to come near him. He had to put a veil over his face when talking to the people. He told the people what they could offer to the Lord to make the things for the tabernacle. In Matthew, it was Pilate’s custom to pardon a prisoner at Passover. How appropriate since Passover was about Jesus pardoning all our sins. He assumed they would choose Jesus since he was innocent and had done the people so much good, but the people asked for Barabbas to be released instead and for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate’s wife had had a terrible dream the night before and sent word to her husband not to have anything to do with Jesus. Pilate washed his hands in front of the crowd to say that he had no part in this and put the responsibility on them. He ordered Jesus flogged and turned him over to the Roman soldier to be crucified. They took Jesus, put a robe and crown of thorns on him and mocked him as the King of the Jews. Then they led him to be crucified. God could have called a legion of angels to save Jesus but this was his plan. In our own lives, sometimes suffering is the plan for a much greater result. Lord, we trust your plan for our lives and our nation. Help us to do our part when we are to move and to stand and trust when we are to do nothing. Thank you for the suffering you endured for us on the cross.