Day 4 - Battle against Amaleks - Easter Reading Plan

Day 4: Battle with Amaleks

•  Readings: Exodus 17:8-16

photo - Wikipedia

Let’s first talk about who the Amaleks were.  They were descendants of Esau.  They were nomads and made their living off of raids.  And they were ruthless.  You read how they attack the Israelites in Deut. 25:17-18.  They attacked them from behind and took advantage of the stranglers, elderly, women and children.  But God uses this battle against the Amaleks to show His power and build even more trust with the Israelites.

This was the Israelites first battle coming out of 400 years of slavery.  And a tough one at that.  They took on the Amaleks who were known for their fighting skills. But the Rod of God (Moses's staff)  was on their side.  As long as Moses held his hands out wide, the Israelites would gain ground and overtake the Amaleks.  But when he rested his arms, the Amaleks quickly regained their position to overcome the Israelites.

Some believe with Moses hands held out wide that this was his posture of prayer crying out to God.  It wasn’t only his body position but his prayer and intercession before God and the Israelites that kept them strong in battle.

Whatever the case may be,  Moses and his stretched out hands is considered to be a figure of Christ on the cross, suffering for mankind, and getting complete victory over evil and sin.

Side note:  This passage also shows us the importance of community.  Aaron and Hur came along side Moses to "lift him up." We need brothers and sisters in Christ to come along side us when this life gets tiring. 

Day 3 - Bitter Water - Easter Reading Plan

Day 3: Bitter Water at Marah

• Readings: Exodus 15:22-27
• Bonus Reading: John 4: 1-42 (Woman at the Well)

When I first read this passage and was taught it pointed to the Cross, I think I literally stared, crossed my eyes, and said “huh?”  But the more you read this passage and the passages around the passage, you’ll soon realize it does and it has a powerful meaning.

So let’s simplify it.  Life is bitter like this water.  It’s yucky, pointless and can just leave us with a bad taste at the end of the day some days.  BUT when Moses throws a piece of wood into the water, this water now tastes so good, so refreshing, it now has purpose.

Life with the cross (our wood) has that same new found goodness.  Life is refreshing and full of purpose with the salvation Jesus gave us on the cross.

Water is used throughout the Old Testament and New Testament as a life source.  The prophets and Jesus use water so often in their teaching moments.  You see, without good water, we can’t survive.   Think of a time you were soooo thirsty.  You lost energy, you started to slouch, you labored in breathing but when you finally got a taste of that refreshing water you were brought back to life, renewed.

Jesus wants to be this for us.  He wants to be our living water.  Because a life without him is bitter, tasteless and without purpose.

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Side note:  I can geek out in the Bible pretty easy.  Like, in this passage, they cried out to God, and he showed them the Branch.  Hmm... the Branch sound familiar, oh wait, it's because in Zechariah 3 he prophesies that a Branch will be our High Priest. 

or wait, here is another one.  Do you feel like you have heard Marah before?   Well, you might have.  In the story of Ruth, her mother-in-law Naomi asks to be called Marah (Ruth 1:20) because the Lord had made life bitter for her. She had left Bethlehem full but was returning empty.  BUT little did bitter Naomi know when she came back to Jerusalem that God was going to bless her socks off! The Messiah, Jesus,  through Ruth & Boaz would actually be the living water! 

Day 2 - Power at the Red Sea - Easter Reading plan

Day 2 - Power at the Red Sea  

•  Readings: Exodus 14:1-31
• Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:2

In day 1 we read about Jesus leading the two men on the road to Emmaus through the words of Moses, prophets and scripture.  The words of Moses refer to the first 5 books in the Bible.  I imagine Jesus thoroughly explained the passage you just read to these men.

You see, the Exodus from Egypt prefigures the saving work of Christ for his people, you and me.  What God did through Moses was to provide physical salvation from a physical slavery.  What God did through Jesus and the cross was to provide spiritual salvation from a spiritual slavery.   As the Israelites were slaves and held captive to Egypt’s bondage, we are held captive and slaves to sin.  

The story of the Exodus is a powerful story of God’s mighty works and sovereignty.  

We won’t dive deep into it here in the blog post but each plague was aimed to show God’s power over an Egyptian god.  (Example,  Heket is an Egyptian goddess with a frog head.  God made frogs come out of the Nile. )

The events of the Exodus which include the parting and crossing of the Red Sea are wrote about again and again in the rest of the Old Testament especially the Psalms as worship and remembrance of God’s saving word and salvation for them.  (Psalm 66:6, 78:13; 106:9; 136:13).  

The parting of the sea was the final act in deliverance in the Exodus from Egypt for the Israelites. When Moses stretches his arms out wide, when the waters parted, the Israelites walked to freedom on dry ground. They passed through the waters and were now identified with Moses. We have this same freedom in a spiritual sense when Jesus stretched his arms wide on the cross. His death broke our chains from sin and evil, his death created a path to our Heavenly Creator and we now through baptism part the waters of a new life and are identified with Christ.

Side note:  if you want to be amazed by the miracle of the Red Sea and some crazy facts, read here.

Easter Reading Plan - Day 1 - Road To Emmaus

Day 1 - Road to Emmaus

• Readings: Luke 24:13-31
• Bonus Reading: Luke 24:44-48

You might be thinking this is an odd place to start for an Easter reading.  And I guess it is but it’s a powerful passage.  Here are two men who are leaving Jerusalem perplexed at the events that had just occurred.  They are confused, bewildered, and deeply sad. And then they meet a “man” and upon meeting this man, the man calls them foolish and slow to heart.  Not quite the best first impression, but okay.  But then he even questions their faith.  - have you not read about the Prophets?  Didn’t they say that the Christ would die?  And have you not read the words of Moses or the scriptures? 

But then something amazing happens.  This man who we find out to be Jesus, tells them all about the Old Testament and how it all points to him!  Can you imagine!!  Jesus himself taking you through the entire Old Testament.  Explaining all those confusing verses.  Telling why things had to happen the way they did.  Highlighting the profound verses that point to the Messiah.  Simplifying the hard concept of judgment and finally making Leviticus something interesting to read.  This would be a Bible study on steroids!

To have Jesus walk along side you, explaining the Bible.  And not preaching or speaking parables but with a clear framework, oh man, that would be the highlight of my life.  For real.   And the great news is, someday he will.

This study is going to ATTEMPT to do a little version of that.  We won’t  have the words, knowledge  or clarity of Jesus but we can be your starting point in diving deeper into the Bible and finding a deeper understanding of God’s word.  We want to help you solidify your faith.  By all Historians Jesus as a man was proven to walk the earth.  No one doubts that Jesus ever existed.  There is doubt whether he was the Messiah.  The Messiah the Old Testament predicted.

This is just a start. Our focus is on the crucifixion and resurrection.  Take this reading as a starting point.  Then go find a good study bible and read how Jesus fulfilled other Scriptures with his birth, life and teachings.  I promise.  Once you do that, your faith will stand firm and you’ll be transformed.

There are 66 books in the Bible, written by 49 authors over 1,600 years.  Yet there is one central theme - Jesus Christ.

May our hearts burn with desire like the two men on their way to Emmaus.

Easter Reading Plan - 25 Day Outline

We are so excited for this reading plan!  God has been stirring our hearts and bringing passages to mind that are going to blow your mind with how cool the Bible is.  Seriously, the Bible is so cool.   I used to think the Bible was super boring, and in the famous words of Bianca Oltoff, "No Boo Boo, You're boring." 

The Bible is full of life, scandal, romance, war, love, secrets, mistakes, redemption, killer plots, and a man comes back to life!!  It's got Hollywood beat.  BUT it is hard to understand until you get a solid framework on how it all works and why all the crazy sacrifice and what's this promise and why all the weird Old Testament stories.  And they keep talking about this Messiah!  

For the next 25 days starting March 5th, we are going to try and help with this.  We are by no means pastors or Theologians but we love Jesus and we want to share Him. We want to help simplify some hard concepts.  We want to create a starting point to help you want to dive deeper into this amazing book.  Someone once told me, "you never move beyond the bible, you only go deeper."   And it's true!  The more I read, the more God pulls out some crazy deeper connection to His Truth, Love, and Redemptive Story.  And it's all promised and displayed in a man named Jesus.

So How This Works
 

• Pin the image below to your Pinterest.  Or save it to your phone for future reference.

• Join us Monday - Saturday starting March 5th for the next 25 days.

• Continue to follow us here on our blog where I'll be explaining that days reading.

That's it!  Nourish Move Love and I have worked hard to create this reading.  We pray this reading plan strengthens and solidifies your faith in Jesus.  For there is nothing more important than believing in this man who gives us eternal life.