Moses experienced some exciting things after leaving Egypt, but now he returns to the everyday duties of life. God balances our lives and gives us enough burdens to keep us humble and enough blessings to keep us happy. Moses returned to his family, told them all that God had done, and then worshiped the Lord with them. Sometimes an outsider can see things more clearly than those who are doing the work, and we must always be open to counsel (Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 13:10). Moses was trying to do all the work himself, and he was not making a distinction between major matters and minor problems. He needed assistants, and he needed priorities. Note that Jethro expected Moses to seek God’s will in the matter (Exodus 18:23). What seems like good counsel from men might be bad counsel in God’s sight, so we must always ask for God’s directions (Acts 27:9–14). Exodus 18:21 describes the kind of leaders God needs, people characterized by ability, the fear of God, honesty, and a hatred for covetousness. (See Acts 6:3 for additional leadership qualities.)

Because we belong to God, we must be separated from sin (Exodus 19:10, 14, 22). God’s people are set apart from the world and unto the Lord. To impress the people with the fear of the Lord, God demonstrated His power at Sinai and warned them not to come near. It was the childhood of the nation, and the people, like children, learned from rewards and punishments. Hebrews 12:18–29 contrasts this experience with that of the New Testament believer today. We must still fear the Lord and respect the boundaries He establishes, but we are invited to “draw near” (Hebrews 10:19–25). The Israelites were not saved from Egypt by obeying the Law, but their obedience enabled them to enjoy all the blessings God had for them.

The first recorded song in Scripture (Exodus 15) is a pattern for true worship, for it emphasizes the Lord, who He is, and what He has done for His people. He saves His people (Exodus 15:1–10), guides them to their inheritance (Exodus 15:11–13), glorifies His name (Exodus 15:14–17), and reigns forever (Exodus 15:18). Singing is an important part of the Christian life, for it enables us to praise God and bear witness to others. Our praise should come from the Holy Spirit within (Ephesians 5:18–20) and be based on Scripture (Colossians 3:16). In this way, we worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

The people went from rejoicing to complaining! It is easy to sing when the circumstances are comfortable, but it takes faith to sing when you are suffering. God tests us in the everyday experiences of life to see whether we will obey Him. He is able to change our circumstances, but He would rather change us.

God did not rescue them from bondage in order to kill them with hunger! (See Romans 8:31–32) Their real problem was that they still had the old appetite and needed to learn to enjoy the new food God had for them. The manna is a picture of Jesus Christ (John 6:30). The manna came only to Israel, and all it could do was sustain physical life. But the Savior came for the whole world, and He gives spiritual life. If the Jews did not appropriate the manna, they died. Sinners must believe on Jesus Christ to receive life.

God wanted Israel to remember what His hand had done for them (Exodus 13:3,9,14,16), lest in the future they forget to trust Him and serve Him. The setting apart of the firstborn would remind them that the firstborn sons of Israel had been redeemed by the Lord. The annual Passover would remind them to keep their lives pure. When you consider that Jesus Christ has redeemed us by His blood, surely we should give ourselves to Him and obey His Word.

The younger generation cannot know the works of the Lord unless the older generation tells them. The Word of God must control our lips (Exodus 13:9), our eyes, and our hands (Exodus 13:16), and we must share it with others. The Jews took this literally and wore portions of the Law on the forehead and hand, but the Lord was surely speaking in a metaphorical way.

God frees us from bondage, and He also guides us to the inheritance He has prepared for us. His Word is like that pillar of cloud and fire, and He will show us the way if we will trust Him.

But God gave Moses the assurance that He needed (Exodus 6:1–8) and told him to return to his job and stay with it. God doesn’t solve every problem immediately, nor does He follow your schedule. When you think you have failed, even when you have obeyed God’s will, ponder Isaiah 55:8–9 and Jeremiah 29:11.