The scriptures read are Exodus 13-15, Psalm 21, and Matthew 22.
Exodus 13. The firstborn of the Israelites, whom God passed over in Egypt, are now dedicated to him. Firstborn animals, too. The Israelities head out into the wilderness, led by a theophany, an appearance of God's presence in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. If you want an idea of what that would look like, click here. Awesome!
Exodus 14. Here comes Pharaoh and his chariots! "Oh, great!" the Israelites complain. "Being dead in the desert is a lot better than being slaves in Egypt! Thanks a lot, Moses!" But Moses, listening to God, says, "Shut up! God's got this, OK?" And he holds out his staff and the east wind parts the waters. An escape route! God shifts the pillar to provide a buffer between his people and the chariots. The Israelites pass through the seas on dry land. The Egyptians follow and before you can say, "It's a trap!" the waters close on them. So much for the Pharaoh who wanted to drown all the Hebrew baby boys!
Exodus 15. And there was much rejoicing! The longer song is exciting but an interesting fact about the shorter one, the song of Miriam: according to linguists, it is the oldest form of Hebrew in the Old Testament. Miriam's Song, about God throwing the horse and rider into the sea, is the oldest part of the Bible!
Exodus 21. The king praises God for his victory.
Matthew 22. Some of Jesus' best exchanges with his opponents. He uses his favorite metaphor for the kingdom, the wedding banquet, to make a point about being ready when God invites you. He puts our secular and spiritual duties straight, sorts out misunderstandings about the resurrection, and answers the question of which of the 613 commandments in the Torah comes first. And he throws in another commandment for free. And since the commands to love God with all we are and have and to love our neighbors as we do ourselves are foundational, everything else is meant to be an expression of that love.
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