This Week's Reading

The reading for this week is Exodus 12:33-13:22.  Finally the Hebrews are leaving Egypt.  A few things to think about:

• How is Exodus 13:1-16 related to the Passover?  Given that we believe the Passover is fulfilled by Christ, how might this passage apply to us?
• What is the significance of Exodus 13:19?  (You may want to read Genesis 50:22-26).

A final thought on the plagues: we may think it is not fair that God chose Israel to receive blessings, while He punished Egypt with the plagues.  It seems that God only gave the Hebrews a chance to know Him, while everyone else was doomed from the start.  However, if we remember the bigger picture, that is not the case.  In Genesis 37-50, God brought Joseph to Egypt and used him to save all of Egypt from famine.  At this point in the story, Egypt as well as Israel was greatly blessed by God.  The later conflict of the plagues arose only because of "a new king, who did not know about Joseph" (Ex. 1:8) who persecuted the Hebrews.

Looking at the bigger picture, God's choice of the nation of Israel was never simply for themselves.  God's purpose was that Israel would be an instrument of blessing for the entire world.  We can see this in God's initial call of Abraham:

I will make you into a great nation 

and I will bless you; 

I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.


I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.

The blessing of other nations through Israel is seen sporadically in the Old Testament, such as in God's saving of Egypt from famine and Elijah's healing of the leper Naaman.  This principle finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.

Thoughts on this week's reading will be posted by Wednesday.