Exodus 12-13; Matthew 16

Exodus 12

⁴⁰ Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt^[b] was 430 years. ⁴¹ At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. ⁴² Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.

God and his timing. Precise, exact, purposeful. After years of suffering and crying out, the Israelites left Egypt at the exact time that God had purposed. And he stayed up all night to ensure it happened, because he had purposed that it would be not a minute more than the amount of time he had decided on. And that’s how he is with us: always has a plan and a timeline. Everything is well thought out.

Exodus 13

¹⁴ “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 

Let your children in on your testimonies. It helps them get to know God, and it honors God.

Matthew 16

⁷ They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

God wants to provide for us. He wants what we’ll eat and drink, etc., to be the least of our problems. He wants us to remember that he has provided in the past, and to use those memories to bolster our faith in the fact that he’ll always provide.

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The most convicting part of my reading today. What concerns do I have in mind? Human concerns only, and not God’s concerns? What are God’s concerns? In my life, what does God want me to be concerned about – and am I concerned about those things, or do I have my own human concerns?

²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?