Doyle Smith Daily

Exodus 33:9-11(ESV) Originally published 04/21/2015 God did not communicate directly to the people of Israel, but he did with Moses when he went into the "tent of meeting." "When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" Exodus 33:9-11 (ESV).  Lord, what a wonderful gift your Holy Spirit is, to be with your children every minute of the day. You have blessed us beyond what you did for Moses. Remind me to have a running conversation with you from the time I wake up until I go to sleep. I want to discuss every event of my life today with you and experience your wisdom and guidance.

Exodus 33:1-3 (ESV) Originally published 04/20/2015 This is a different picture of God than we normally see. "The LORD said to Moses, 'Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your offspring I will give it.' I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people'" Exodus 33:1-3 (ESV). God still was going to do for Israel what he promised even though he had lost his patience with them. Lord, it is comforting to know that you keep your promises even when you are frustrated with your people. I get frustrated with myself, and I imagine that you also get frustrated with me. Help me not to be stubborn and resistant...

Exodus 32:30-33 (ESV) Originally published 04/18/2015 The people of Israel gave credit to a piece of metal for their deliverance from slavery instead of recognizing what God did for them. Three thousand were killed as a result. "The next day Moses said to the people, 'You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' So Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin---but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.’ But the LORD said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book'" Exodus 32:30-33 (ESV). Moses could not confess the sins of the people; each of us has to confess our own sin. God alone determines who is in his book. Lord, you alone can forgive sin. The moment I think, say or do something that is contrary to what you want, shout to m...

Exodus 32:26-28a (ESV) Originally published 04/17/2015 The people of Israel gave credit for what God did to a piece of metal. We know God to be patient, just, loving, compassionate, and forgiving. At the same time he cannot allow sin to go unpunished, whatever the cost. "...then Moses stood on the gate of the camp and said, 'Who is on the LORD's side? Come to me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. And he said to them, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.' And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses..." Exodus 32:26-28a (ESV). A deadly spiritual plague had to be eliminated before it destroyed the people of Israel. God will do whatever it takes to save us from sin, even to die on the cross. Lord, remind me constantly how deadly rebellion against you really is, and giv...

Exodus 32:4, 24 (ESV) Originally published 04/16/2015 The people of Israel asked Aaron to make gods for them because Moses had been gone to meet with God too long in their minds, so Aaron told them to bring him their gold. "And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf." But when Moses confronted Aaron about the idols,  Aaron blamed the people because they demanded idols. Aaron explained: "So I said to them, 'let any who have gold take it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf'" Exodus 32:4, 24 (ESV). Our human nature wants to blame someone else for our sin. "I lost my temper because of what you said." Lord, give me the integrity to accept full responsibility for the sins I commit today.

Exodus 32:12-14 (ESV) Originally published 04/15/2015 The Lord had miraculously delivered the Israelites, and they gave all the credit to pieces of metal. God was so angry that he decided to destroy them and start over with Moses. But Moses talked with God: "Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them. 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people" Exodus 32:12-14 (ESV). God does respond to the prayers of those who are following him. Lord, it is staggering to think that the ruler of the universe would listen and respond to the conversation of a human.

Exodus 32:9-12 (ESV) Originally published 04/14/2015 While God was giving Moses the 10 commandments, the people of Israel made an idol and worshiped it instead of God. "And the LORD said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now, therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.' But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, 'O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth?'" Exodus 32:9-12 (ESV). Moses was to be the new Abraham, but he was more concerned with the people of Israel and with the reputation of God than his own fame or success. Lord, in my conversation with you today you have tol...

Exodus 32:7-14 (ESV) Originally published 04/13/2015 God will accomplish his goal even if he has to change his plans. "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go down (from the mountain), for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!' And the LORD said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you'" Exodus 32:7-14 (ESV). God was ready to change his plans and make Moses the sole survivor and from him fulfill his promise to Abraham. Lord, I know that you will do your work with or without me. I want to be a part of what y...

Exodus 32:4 (ESV) Originally published 04/11/2015 God had delivered Israel from slavery with powerful miracles, parted the Red Sea, made poison water drinkable, made water come from a rock, and bread appear every morning to eat. Now Aaron makes them an idol out of gold: "And they said. 'These are the gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" Exodus 32:4 (ESV). How could they think that these metal objects could have done all these miraculous things? Lord, do I  fail to recognize all that you do in my life? Do I take credit for what you do? Do I take for granted your guidance, provision, and your protection without recognizing that you are keeping your promises to me? I know that I owe everything to you, so remind me that everything I am and have is a gift from you.

Exodus 32:2, 4 (ESV) Originally published 04/10/2015 Moses protested that he was not a good speaker, so God told him to get his brother Aaron to speak for him with Pharaoh. Aaron was number one for a while; then slowly Moses began to speak for God, and Aaron was number two. Now Moses went up on the mountain to speak with God, and Aaron was in charge. Moses was gone for so long the people wanted gods like the Egyptians had. "So Aaron said to them, 'Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me... And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made them a golden calf" Exodus 32:2, 4 (ESV). One of Satan's most powerful tools to get us to compromise our beliefs and behavior is to please people instead of pleasing God. Lord, help me to love and care for people while doing it to please you. Alert me if I begin to think more about pleasing people than obeying you.

Exodus 32:1 (ESV) Originally published 04/09/2015 Moses went up to the mountain to get instructions from God for the people of Israel. "When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, 'Up, make us gods who shall go before us.  As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him'" Exodus 32:1 (ESV). In spite all that God had done for them (crossing the Red Sea on dry ground) they wanted God to do what they wanted when they wanted it instead of doing what God had told them. Lord, help me to be obedient and submissive to you even though things are not working out as I want or as quickly as I want. Remind me to trust your promises, not what I see happening right now.

Exodus 31:1-5 (ESV) Originally published 04/08/2015 God told the people of Israel to build the Tabernacle. "The LORD said to Moses. 'See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with  ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft'" Exodus 31:1-5 (ESV). Before God told Israel to build the Tabernacle he had already given someone the Holy Spirit ability to do the work that needed to be done. Lord, show me, as you did Moses, every person you have given our church to do the work that needs to be done. Show me what you have given me to do, empowered me to do it, and stop me when I start trying to do the work that you have given to someone else.

Exodus 22:29 (ESV) Originally published 04/06/2015 The people of Israel were farmers. They had no grocery stores, so they lived off of the crops they grew. By the time the new crops were planted the food they were eating was almost a year old, and very little was left. They waited eagerly for the harvest, and if it was ruined, they would have nothing for a year. They would love to eat the first of the fresh crop. This was God's command: "You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses" Exodus 22:29 (ESV). The temptation was to eat the very first of the new food, then give God his portion from what was left; after all, God really did not eat it or need it. God's command was about putting him first and trusting him. Lord, today I make what you want from me to be my first priority of time, money and schedule. I want to honor you with all I have and in all I do.

Exodus 23:4-5 (ESV) Originally published 04/04/2015 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it: you shall rescue it with him" Exodus 23:4-5 (ESV). The test of whether or not God is our Lord is not how we treat those who are our friends, but how we treat our enemies and those who hate us. Lord, guide me to serve everyone I meet today as if they were you, regardless of how they treat me.

Exodus 22:28 (ESV) Originally published 04/03/2015 One of God's commands: "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people" Exodus 22:28 (ESV). To revile God is to be critical of him or to badmouth him, and since all leaders are accountable to God, we are to respect their position and to submit to them and not to want bad things to happen to them. Love is sell-denying sacrificial service to someone. To love God is to submit to and serve him, and to love other people is to submit to and serve them. We are to do this with God and the people he has placed in leadership roles. Lord, help me to submit to and serve everyone that I interact with today, and deliver me from the sin of irritation.

Exodus 22:25 (ESV) Originally published 04/02/2015 How to help a follower of God who is poor: "If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate" Exodus 22:25 (EV). God encourages those who have money to be compassionate by not profiting from the need of a brother. He requires those who borrow to be responsible to repay what they borrow so they retain their dignity and self-respect. Both parties have gained spiritually in serving God. Lord, help me be responsible with what you have given me and to show respect and compassion for everyone I meet today.

Exodus 22:21-24 (ESV) Originally published 04/01/2015 God is the protector of those who cannot help themselves if they will call on him. "You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land o Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless” Exodus.22:21-24 (ESV). Capital punishment for taking advantage of aliens and orphans: this is how much God values people who are made in his image. Lord, remind me that every person I meet today is precious to you no matter how our society sees them. Remind me to treat them as I would treat you.

Exodus 22:1 (ESV) Originally published 03/26/2015 This is God's idea of justice: "If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep" Exodus 22:1 (ESV). The offender is not put in jail, but has to make it right with the one who is the victim. God was more concerned with healing relationships than punishment, so there was no need for jails. The victim would actually benefit from the theft when the crime was solved. Lord, I am traveling today - remind me that my relationships with people I have to deal with are more important to you than my convenience, comfort, or plans. May every person I interact with feel that I care for them more than myself.

Exodus 21:33-34 (ESV) Originally published 03/25/2015 The laws that God gave the people of Israel made it clear that God's approval of them was based on treating others as they would want others to treat them. Example: "When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his” Exodus 21: 33-34 (ESV). Who would think that digging a pit could be worship of God or a sin? Lord, I am worshiping you today by treating people the way you are treating me. May my worship of you be pure and holy.

Exodus 17:8 (ESV) Originally published 03/24/2015 The people of Israel were following God's leadership. They had been without food and water and now this: "Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim" Exodus 17:8 (ESV). Lord, when I am doing what you have told me to do and have a series of problems, it causes me to wonder if I am doing the right thing. Remind me of this story and remind me to check to make sure I am obeying you and what I am doing is consistent with the Bible. I want to obey you no matter how hard it might be, and I don't want Satan to control my life with fear. 

Exodus 17:4-6 (ESV) Originally published 03/23.2015 The people of Israel had no water for themselves or their animals. They would die without it. "'So Moses cried to the LORD, 'What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.' And the LORD said to Moses, 'Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.' And so Moses did, in the sight of the elders of Israel" Exodus 17:4-6 (ESV). Lord, I am facing some situations that seem impossible to me. Show me what you want me to do and help me to live as if they were solved.

Exodus 17:7 (ESV) Originally published 03/21/2015 When we are trying to buy something, we test it to see if it does what it is supposed to do. This is also true in the spiritual world. “Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them whether they will walk in my l aw or not" Exodus 16:4 (ESV). The test was whether or not they would gather only enough for one day and trust that the next day God would provide. "And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'" Exodus17:7 (ESV) At Sinai God promised to provide for Israel, and Israel promised to do everything that God commanded. On this trip they were testing each other to see if each party would do what they promised. Our spiritual lives are a series of test...

Exodus 17:2-4 (ESV) Originally published 03/20/2015 God led the people of Israel to Rephidim, and they had no water. "Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, 'Give us water to drink.' And Moses said to them, 'Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?' But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?' So Moses cried to the Lord, 'What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me'" Exodus 17:2-4 (ESV). God was going to provide for his people, but he waited for them to ask. When they needed water, they got mad at Moses, and Moses was mad at them. It was only as a last resort that Moses turned to God. Lord, when things are not as they should be and I start to complain, remind me to bring my problems to you first.

Exodus 16:8 (ESV) Originally published 03/19/2015 Complaining can be a sin against God. "And Moses said, 'When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him---what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD'" Exodus 16:8 (ESV). If we criticize someone who is obeying God, we are criticizing God, and if we are obeying God and someone criticizes us, we must not take it personally because they are criticizing God. If we are criticized, we must stop to make sure we are obeying God. If we are confident we are obeying God, then we ask him to forgive the critics because they are in trouble. Lord, help me to not criticize or complain about people who are working for you, but to ask you to help those that seem to me to be acting contrary to your will.

Exodus 16:4 (ESV) Originally published 03/18/2015 God puts us in situations to reveal to us whether or not we trust him. The people of Israel were in the wilderness without food, and God used this situation to see if they trusted him. "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not'" Exodus 16:4 (ESV). The hungry people were told to gather only enough for one day and leave food to spoil when they had none for the next day. God tests every one of us by asking us to obey him when what he asks does not seem reasonable or even possible to us. Lord, I know that I fail these tests sometimes because the things you ask of me are in the areas where I feel inadequate and afraid. Make your will clear to me, and help me to obey, despite my fear of failure or embarrassment.

Exodus 16:3-4 (ESV) Originally published 03/17/2015 It was 2 1/2 months since they were slaves, and they had seen the whole Egyptian army swallowed in the Red Sea and poisoned water made safe. Now they were complaining: "Would that we had died by the hand of LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.' Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you,’.  . . . '" Exodus 16:3-4 (ESV). Lord, help me not to see my future based on my present circumstances and my ability, but on the promises you have made. Help me to live as if all your promises will be fulfilled.