Justin Houtz

Exodus 3-5; Luke 22

DateVersionReading Plan
January 22, 2026ESV (2016)ESV Life Journal Plan – 2026

Exodus 3-4

Observation & Interpretation

Exod. 3:5 – God told Moses to not come near and take the sandals off his feet because the place in which he was standing was holy ground.

  • To stay at a distance and remove footwear was then and is now in many cultures a sign of respect and humility. (CSB Notes)

Exod. 3:11 – Moses rebutted God regarding His commission to be sent to Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, asking God who he was to do such a thing.

  • …instead of pleasing God, [Moses] seeming humility and reluctance stirred up His anger. “The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses” (4:14). In point of fact, the excuses Moses advanced to show his incapacity were the very reasons for God’s selection of him for the task. (BBC – quoting J. Oswald Sanders)

Exod. 4:10-17 – Once more, Moses responds to God’s commission on his life with resistance. This kindled the LORD’s anger such that He assigned Aaron to be the spokesman to the people.

  • Moses was still reluctant to obey the LORD, excusing himself because he was not eloquent. After reminding Moses that the Lord made man’s mouth, and therefore could make him eloquent, God appointed Aaron, Moses’ brother, to speak for him. Moses should have obeyed the Lord in simple dependence, knowing that his commands are His enablements. God never asks us to do anything without giving us the power to do it. (BBC)

Exod. 4:18 – Moses went back and asked his father-in-law, Jethro, that he be allowed to go back to Egypt to see if his brothers were still alive. Moses did not mention his exchange with God or His commission to bring the people out of the land of Egypt.

Exod. 4:30-31 – When Aaron spoke all the words that had been given him by Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people, they believed. The people responded with belief to the words and signs, but Pharaoh would respond to their words in hardheartedness (Exod. 5:2).

  • [Moses and Aaron} both stood before the people of Israel, delivered the Lord’s message, and confirmed it with the three signs which the Lord had given. So the people believed and worshiped the Lord. (BBC)

Exod. 5:1 – Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh on the LORD’s behalf, telling him that the LORD said to let His people go that they may hold a feast in the wilderness. The text only says that they spoke to Pharaoh, not that they also did the signs in his sight as they did with the people.

Luke 22

Observation & Interpretation

Luke 22:15 – Jesus told His disciples that He earnestly desired to eat the Passover before He suffered.

  • By saying that he fervently desired to eat this Passover with his disciples before suffering (going to the cross), Jesus encouraged them to interpret the following events in light of Passover imagery. (CSB Notes)

Luke 22:45 – When Jesus rose from prayer on the Mount of Olives, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.

  • When Jesus returned to His disciples, they were sleeping, not from indifference, but rather from sorrowful exhaustion. (BBC)

Luke 22:70 – In response to being asked by the chief priests and scribes if He was the Son of God, Jesus answered, “You say that I am.” Jesus confirmed what they had said about Him.

  • Then they asked Him plainly if He was the Son of God. There is no question what they meant. To them, the Son of God was One who was equal to God. (BBC)

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