Day 42

Exodus 32-34.  “A Man of Great Character”

Moses was an amazing individual.  He was the instrument God used to change the heart of Pharaoh.  He was the man who led God’s people out of Egypt.  He held his staff over the water and the Red Sea opened up.  He talked with God and met Him on the mountain.  Through the LORD, he provided water and food.  Moses counseled, and judged, and led.
Moses was gone from their presence for forty days.  During that time, they rebelled against the Lord’s instructions and refused to worship Him, but instead chose to worship a golden calf.
God told Moses that He would destroy them for their terrible sin and instead make “Moses into a great nation” (32:10).  Moses pleaded with God to not do that.  Instead, Moses asked God to forgive them (32:32).
I believe God was testing Moses’ character, and Moses passed the test.  The Israelites could not have had a better person leading them through the wilderness.  May each of us be that for others.

General Questions for each day:
Summarize the day’s Bible passage in your own words.
What thoughts, actions, attitudes or beliefs are addressed in the passage?
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to apply this passage to your life today?

Bible Discussion Guide:

-Discuss the importance and symbolism in the Passover meal.
-The day after the Passover meal begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Why would God ask the Hebrews to celebrate this feast?  What are the benefits of an annual celebration?
-If you were to sing a “song of deliverance” as the Israelites did, what kind of events would you include?
-List some of God’s miracles and signs of His power from this week’s passage.
-Is it possible to see that many miracles and still not believe?  How is that possible?
-To the February 6 devotional, add more descriptions to further clarify a “wilderness experience”.
-I read an article recently about the need for rules in sports events, and the writer said that, “Rules provide freedom for people to play together”.  How is there freedom in rules?
-As you reflect on the clothing for the priest, would you live differently if you wore a medallion across your forehead that read, “Set apart as Holy to the Lord”?
-Personal application:  Moses, tried and tested, was a man of great character.  How would someone describe your character?