Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Exodus 34:9
[Moses said:] “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favour with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession.”
What an incredible job Moses had! The people had rebelled against God in the most dramatic way. They’d known that Moses had gone up Mount Sinai to meet with God, but they’d become fed up with waiting, so they had constructed a new god of their own who they’d then worshipped with great enthusiasm. To describe Moses as disappointed would be a huge understatement. He must have been gutted, and who would have blamed him if he’d decided to throw in the towel? Who would want to be the leader of such a rude and rebellious people? But Moses hung in there because he knew the nature of his God.
In verses 6-7, the Lord revealed Himself as a God of compassion and mercy who is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness, lavishing unfailing love to a thousand generations. Moses’ strength lay in the fact that he knew the nature of his God and was confident that, tough as it would be, he could lead the people so long as he knew that God Himself was travelling with them.
I am often struck by the huge challenges that people have to cope with in life. Betrayal, failure, illness, disappointment and death are shared out unequally. Life is totally unpredictable, which means we all need, like Moses, to be clear about the nature of God so that we are equipped to face up to whatever challenges might be thrown at us. I love the confidence of the apostle Paul, who asked the question: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32). Paul could so easily have looked at the problems surrounding him and given up, but he, like Moses, kept his eye on the God who was travelling with him, and remained strong.
Question
What is it about God that gives you strength as you look to the future?
Prayer
Loving God, I thank You that I can live with confidence because You are always with me, whatever happens. Amen

Exodus 32:1
When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
Moses spent 40 days and nights on top of Mount Sinai receiving the instructions which were to be the foundation of the people of Israel’s lives. He was given not only the Ten Commandments but also detailed plans for the building of the tabernacle, which would be the focus of the people’s worship. However, while this was happening, the people were desperately impatient. They became restless and decided to look for some different gods to lead them. Incredibly, Aaron, Moses’ brother and trusted co-leader, took the lead in this and commanded the people to bring him their gold rings so they could be melted down and made into a calf to worship. He then set up an altar for it, and the people worshipped with huge enthusiasm. All of this was too much for God, who tipped Moses off about these horrifying developments. He rushed down the mountain and in his fury smashed the stone tablets that the Lord had given him.
This was a truly dramatic incident, and it might feel rather remote from our lives. However, it is a good reminder of how quickly people can change their minds. One moment the people were assuring Moses they would do everything that the Lord commanded them (Exodus 24:3), and the next they were busily making another god. It reminds us of the parable of the sower. Jesus described those who were like the seed that fell on rocky soil. When they heard the message, they immediately received it with joy, but because they hadn’t put down roots, they didn’t last long (Matthew 13:20-21).
We need to draw some important conclusions from this. Firstly, we must learn the importance of us putting down deep roots in our faith so that, however great the difficulties, temptations and frustrations of life, we will remain strong in God. It also reminds us that we shouldn’t assume people are firmly rooted in God just because they express strong faith. We need to take responsibility for constantly encouraging our Christian brothers and sisters to dig deeper in their faith and become truly resilient for Him.
Question
How deep are the roots of your own faith?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to become stronger in my faith day by day, so that I will be able to strengthen and encourage others in their faith. Amen

Exodus 23:9
You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 400 years, so they had a huge experience of being foreigners. Throughout that time, they knew their true home was elsewhere, and that one day they would enter the land that the Lord had given them. This meant that, of all people, they had reason to be sensitive to the vulnerabilities of the foreigners in their community. Time and again, the law of Moses reminded them of this important responsibility.
When I lived in India, I had the huge privilege of living with an Indian family. They generously took me into their home where we shared meals, worship, leisure and a lot of laughs. They couldn’t have been more generous. However, I didn’t speak their language at all at first, and was never fluent. Their customs were very unfamiliar to me and I often felt rather lost. It was only the kindness and consideration of the lovely family which meant that I felt secure and at peace. I certainly learned what it meant to care well for a foreigner!
The duty to care for foreigners is one that God places upon all of us, and the challenge is constantly increasing. The number of migrants internationally is now nearly 300 million people – almost double the number from 1990 and three times the number from 1970. This poses a huge challenge to Christians throughout the world, and it is great to see churches involved with many networks to support these people, recognising the colossal challenges that they face. One of the key needs is for them to learn the language of their new host country and to be offered a place to meet with other people from their home country. Such initiatives are an exciting, contemporary way of living in obedience to God’s ancient law.
Question
In what way are you and your church able to reach out to foreigners in your own community?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to show Your love and care for foreigners. Amen

Exodus 23:8
Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.
I had never really thought about bribes until I spent two years living in India. There, we spoke about bribes on a regular basis. Soon after I arrived there, a servant girl was murdered near where we lived. Her body was found at the bottom of a well. I was very alarmed by this, as you can imagine, and was relieved when my Indian host told me that the murderer had been found. I asked what would happen to the murderer and my host explained straightforwardly that nothing would happen because he had bribed the police. I was deeply shocked.
Bribery takes place in many countries on a regular basis. In India, it was well known that the only way to get a delivery of full gas canisters was to bribe the delivery driver. Bribery was just a normal part of life, so this led to endless conversations as to how Christians should respond. Some Christians, including my wonderful host, were very clear that they would never bribe anyone. But many others acknowledged that it was an inevitable part of living in a poor society and that they would pay whatever it took to get the goods and services they needed. The people of Israel were clearly very familiar with this whole issue and knew the power of bribes to make even really good people twist the truth.
Bribery may not be a big problem in our lives, but we all live with the challenge of making wise, ethical decisions day by day. Whether it’s paying tradesmen in cash to help them avoid paying tax or making inflated insurance claims, we all live with the temptation to bend the truth. God calls us to be truthful and just, whatever the situation and however great the temptation.
Question
How would you respond if bribes were a regular expectation in our society?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to act in a way that will honour You, however great the pressures. Amen

Exodus 23:5
If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
These laws make fascinating reading. Here, the people are told that they have a responsibility to other people, whoever they are. If you see the donkey of your enemy struggling, the immediate ungodly response would be to say of the owner: “Serves him right. Just what he deserves.” But God declares that our responsibility is to give practical support to other people, whether they are our close friends or enemies.
This law reminds us of the words of Jesus, who went even further. We are not merely to be caring towards our neighbours – we have a responsibility to love them. This command, more than any other, shows that Jesus was turning normal human thinking upside down. Jesus seemed to take it for granted that His followers would have enemies, just as He Himself had throughout His ministry. There is no way of avoiding that, but the person who walks in Jesus’ steps has a completely different way of approaching enemies. The love that we have for our enemies might have no impact on them at all, but there is a possibility that it will bring healing and restoration, so we must keep on loving. However hideous the actions of our enemies, they are loved by God, and we need to model our lives on Him.
Following God is never easy. The demands of the Old Testament law were tough, but Jesus made them even tougher. It is crystal clear that we cannot obey any of them in our own strength. We are totally dependent on God’s power to enable us to live in His way. Let’s seek His Holy Spirit’s strength today as we live for Him, and look for creative ways of bringing His love to the people around us, whoever they are.
Question
In what way are you challenged by Jesus’ command to love your enemies?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to be loving towards everyone today, whoever they are. Amen