Exodus 3, Luke 6, Job 20, 1 Corinthians 7

Date	Version	Reading Plan
@February 20, 2024	ESV (2016)	M’Cheyne Plan 2024

Exodus 3

Exodus 3:11–12 (ESV) 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush, commissioning him to tell Pharaoh that he was to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Somewhat characteristic of Moses, he initially questions God on his qualification to approach Pharaoh. God graciously responds and says that He will be with him and will give him a sign. I see so much of myself in Moses, skeptical of my ability to share Christ with others faithfully. I can be frozen with inadequacy, thinking that if I cannot share the gospel perfectly, I should not share it at all. But God is capable of making Himself known through the imperfection. It is good to be reminded of this and to see how it is only through broken people that God does His work.

Luke 6

Luke 6:10–11 (ESV) 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

A couple things stand out in this remarkable passage. First, Jesus looked around at the people before healing the man with the withered hand. The inclusion of this detail is curious, seeming as if He wanted to ensure all eyes were on Him as He performed the healing, especially those belonging to His adversaries. The other thing worth noting is the reaction among the Pharisees. Immediately after the man’s hand is restored, they are filled not with awe or even puzzlement, but with fury. Jesus’ action revealed how their hearts went beyond mere unbelief to active rebellion.

Job 20

Job 20:8–11 (ESV) 8 He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him. 10 His children will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth. 11 His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.

Oriented toward Job, Zophar speaks of the suffering that will come to the wicked, those of a short and fleeting existence. He confronts Job’s earlier speech that his hope would go down with him “into the dust” (Job 17:16) with how there will be no delay of punishment for the wicked. It seems Zophar continues to see Job in the wrong and befitting of the judgment he received from God.

1 Corinthians 7

1 Corinthians 7:37–38 (ESV) 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

I am not sure by now how many times I have read this chapter. It is packed with passages with which I perennially wrestle. As an unmarried man, do I have necessity to be married? Do I have my desire under control? Would I do better, as Paul says, to refrain from marriage? All I can think to do is continue praying and meditating over this text, hoping to hear the Lord’s voice in guidance.

Carson on Exodus 3

The manifestation of “the angel of the LORD,” then, was apparently in the miraculous flames themselves. Strikingly, when the voice speaks to Moses out of the burning bush, it is not the voice of the angel but the voice of God: “God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’” (3:4). The ensuing discussion is between God and Moses; there is no further mention of “the angel of the LORD.”

This is a fascinating exposition on how the voice that came from bush was not “the angel of the LORD” but God. I had never noticed before that the angel’s appearance ceases after Exod. 3:4. The angel and God are tightly coupled as is made evident throughout Scripture, but it is also helpful to see that they are clearly distinct.

Justin Houtz