Real-Life Moments From ExodusSample

Just like the Israelites

In the section of the Bible called the Old Testament, so many pages are devoted to the story of the Israelites who were slaves, set free, and still occasionally suffered because of their poor life choices. Yet God was still faithful because he loved them. It’s easy to see parallels in this story. We were slaves to our sins; Jesus set us free, and sometimes we still make poor life choices. Yet God is still faithful because he loves us.

I used to think this was only a history story. I knew the details but skimmed over so much of those hundreds of pages because hearing about establishing the laws, the blueprints for the tabernacle, the warnings, and the repetition of the law got a little, well, boring.

That changed this year. I’ve actually read the parts I used to skim through, and what I’ve found are (no surprise) even more nuggets and snippets that highlight just how selfish and unthinking the Israelites often were and just how faithful God really was—and still is.

I also see just how human the Israelites were and how similar they are to us. In the devotions that follow, let’s look at the lessons we can learn for our own lives from the way God interacted with his Old Testament people.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, people he chose for his inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).