Devotionals

No need to prolong the story. Or complicate it. Or embellish it. Or try to explain it. Or defend it. Just declare it. The facts speak for themselves.

Jesus of Nazareth said He would "suffer . . . be killed, and be raised up on the third day" (Matt. 16:21).

John 20:1–10

On the day Jesus was crucified, a sinister darkness blotted out the sun and smothered Jerusalem under a blanket of evil. It would have appeared to anyone seeing through eyes of flesh that the darkness, the devil, and death had defeated the Son of God once and for all. But what no one could see was that the Messiah's death would strike at the very heart of evil.

Exodus 3:4–10

When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

“Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:4–6)

Exodus 3:4

When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. (Exodus 3:4)

I think one of the most important words in this verse is the very first one. When. The Hebrew word means "at the same time." That goes back to verse 3, where Moses said, "I must turn aside."

Exodus 3:1–3

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. Heled the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. "This is amazing, "Moses said to himself. "Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” (Exodus 3:1–3)

Exodus 3:1; Acts 7:29–30

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. (Exodus 3:1)

Exodus 3:1

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He 
led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. (Exodus 3:1)

Exodus 2:15–25

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. (Exodus 2:23–25)

Exodus 2:16–25

“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered.“And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks."

"Then where is he?" their father asked.“Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.”

Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained,“I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”(Exodus2:19–22)

Exodus 2:15–25

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks.

When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, “Why are you back so soon today?”