Mon.’s Devo - The Rock - 2-2-26

Read: Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26 When the children of Israel saw that they walked through the Red Sea on dry ground and the Egyptians drown in the same water, Miriam brought out her tambourine and began dancing and singing to the Lord. Other women joined her with their tambourines. *** Moses led the people through the wilderness of Shur and they traveled the three days they had been told by the Lord. They found no water so they continued to Marah. There the water was bitter and the people complained against Moses. God showed Moses a log to throw into the water, and it became sweet. *** The Lord made them a promise that if they would do what he said, they would suffer none of the diseases that he put upon the Egyptians, because He was their healer. *** They came to Elim where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. What a place of refreshing! *** They would need it because the next place was the wilderness of Sin which was between Elim (“mighty ones”) and Sinai (“my thorns”). It had now been a month to the day since they had left Egypt and they were out of food and becoming “hangry.” They complained to Moses who took their complaint to the Lord. *** God told Moses he was going to rain bread from heaven - manna which they would find on the ground in the morning. Moses explained to pick up two quarts per person. Those who picked up more than the two quarts still had no more than those who obeyed. When some of them saved some for the next day it was rotten and stunk. *** They were to make it into bread. On the sixth day they would prepare what they picked up and it would be enough for two days because the manna would not fall on the Sabbath. This time it didn’t rot and stink. Those who went out to gather manna on the Sabbath were disappointed. God rebuked them and told them that the Sabbath was a day of rest and they were to remain in their place and rest on this day. *** The Lord also promised he would give them meat in the evening. The manna fell that morning and quail flew into the camp that evening. The manna tasted like bread made with honey. He told Aaron to put a sample of it in a jar and place it before the Lord as a testimony of how God sustained them until they came into their promised land. *** The people traveled on to Rephidim but there was no water again. Again they complained against Moses. God told Moses to take some of the elders and his staff and stand on the rock at Horeb. He was to strike the rock and water would come out. He did and called the place Massah which means “testing” and Massah which means “quarreling” because the people quarreled and tested the Lord by asking if the Lord was among them or not. *** The rock that Moses stood on and struck stood for Jesus according to 1 Corinthians 10:4. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. “ When Moses struck the rock it was representing Christ being struck down on the cross for our sins. That it why the second time they came to this same rock he was instructed not to strike it but to speak to it. Jesus died once for our sins. All we have to do now is speak in faith and it will be done. *** In Matthew, Jesus gave them another parable about the kingdom of heaven being compared to a king who sent out invitations to his son’s wedding feast. The people were too busy with their own lives to come to the wedding. Some of the people killed the messengers. The king was so angry he sent his troops to destroy the murderers and burn their cities. Then the king sent out invitations to those who were not worthy, until the wedding hall was filled with guests. *** When the king entered the hall he saw a man who had not dressed in a wedding garment. He asked him how he got in and had his attendants bind him and cast him into the outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus ended the parable with, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” *** All are given the call to salvation but few have been given the faith to answer it. In the parable, the religious elite didn’t honor God and killed his prophets. The unworthy received him and welcomed Jesus as the Messiah. The man without the wedding garment was the thief who entered over the wall in John 10:1. He will be thrown into hell. *** Jesus’ parables were putting the Pharisees in such bad light they looked for a way to trick him. They began their question by flattering Jesus but he saw straight through their lies. They asked him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Jesus called them hypocrites and then asked him for a coin to pay taxes with. He asked them whose face and name was on the coin. They told him Caesar’s, so he told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was his. This shut them up. *** Next, the Sadducees came to him and asked a trick question about the resurrection since they didn’t believe anyone would be resurrected. He saw right through their question and told them that they didn’t know the Scriptures nor the power of God. (Mic drop!) *** He proceeded to say that in the resurrection people are not married, but were like angels. Then he addressed the question of the resurrection. He reminded them that God said he was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He wasn’t a God of the dead, but of the living. This shut up the Sadducees. *** Lord, we honor you as the way the truth and the life. Thank you that you have opened our eyes and given us the grace to believe who you are and who Jesus is. We are so grateful and honored to be called your children.