Jesus Goes Before Israel (Ex. 23:20-23)

7/6/2008 7:27 AM

My Worship Time           Focus:  Jesus goes before Israel

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Exodus 23:20-23

            Message of the verses:  “20 ¶  "Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.  21  "Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.  22  "But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.  23  "For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.”

            God tells Moses that He would send His Angel before them, and that Angel was mentioned in Exodus 14:19 “The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.”  This is the Angel of the Covenant and it is none other than the preincarnate Jesus Christ.  He was preparing an earthly place for the people of Israel and when He came born as a baby, after He grew into a man He would tell His disciples that He was preparing a place in heaven for all His people:  “1 ¶  "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  2  "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  3  "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

4 ¶  "And you know the way where I am going."  5  Thomas *said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"  6  Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God sent His Son to earth to save me and then He sent His Holy Spirit to lead me.  I do not want to be like the children of Israel and miss the blessings of this life due to disobedience and began to wonder in the “wilderness of life.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Proverbs 3:5-6
2. Psalm 129:23-24
3. I Cor. 10:13
4. Rom. 12:1-2
5. Col. 4:12-13
6. Phil. 4:11

Memory verses for the week:                      Exodus 20: 1-3

1 ¶  Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3  "You shall have no other gods before Me.

7/6/2008 8:06 AM