Week 10 Wednesday
Today Moses strikes the rock for water, Psalm 45 pictures Christ and His bride the Church, and Jesus is laid in the tomb.
Exodus 17
📖 What are we reading?: The Israelites grumble and blame Moses for their thirst, so God has Moses strike a rock and water flows; then Israel battles the Amalekites, with Moses' raised hands securing the victory.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: The rock Moses strikes is rich with symbolism - Jesus, the Rock of Ages, was struck at Calvary, and blood and water flowed from His side. Spiritually, He is the Water of Life, quenching our souls' thirst.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: How quick we are to find somebody to be mad at, like Israel did with Moses. And Moses' posture in the battle reminds us of our need to depend on God, not our own strength.
Looking for some extra info?
♫ A worship session on this passage, reflecting on God’s name “Jehovah Nissi” or “The LORD Our Banner”.
➡️ The bigger picture: Exodus, meaning "departure", was written by Moses around 1400 BC, and tells of Israel's miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt - a rescue Israel was called to remember for generations, and a picture of Christ's greater deliverance from sin.
Psalm 45
📖 What are we reading?: A fascinating Psalm, describing a royal wedding. Most believe that this is a Messianic Psalm, pointing ahead to the special relationship between Christ (the Groom) and His bride (the Church).
✞ What does this passage say about God?: Christ came in majesty and victory, and His is the throne that will last forever.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: As Christ's bride, we're called to honour Him as our Lord, and take great joy and delight in Him.
Looking for some extra info?
♫ A beautiful modern worship song based on this Psalm.
➡️ The bigger picture: The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and songs, written by David and others, expressing the full range of human emotion in response to God and to life.
Luke 23:50-56
📖 What are we reading?: Joseph of Arimathea, a good and upright man, asks Pilate for Jesus' body and lays it in a new tomb; the women who followed Jesus prepare spices, then rest on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: Even in death, Jesus is cared for and honoured - God provides a good man in Joseph to see that His body is properly laid to rest. This fulfils a prophecy in Isaiah 53 about the Messiah being buried in a rich man’s tomb.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: The women's rest on the Sabbath, even amid their grief, shows their continued obedience - perhaps a lesson in trusting God's timing rather than rushing ahead in our sorrow.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Luke's Gospel was written by Luke, a Greek physician and companion of Paul, around AD 60-62. It is the most detailed account of Jesus' life, and is especially attentive to the poor, to women, and to outcasts.
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, thank You that You are our Rock and our Water of Life; help us depend on You rather than complain like Israel did; and thank You that even in death, You were cared for and honoured, as we wait in hope for what You would do next. Amen.
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