Moses was appointed by God to stand before His people and mediate His grace. Like all earthly mediators, he was frail and ultimately insufficient to the task. Nevertheless, he pointed ahead to the One who was more than sufficient to the task. The Lord Jesus Christ has arms that never tire of protecting those who flee to him for grace, and when He vanquishes our ultimate foes of sin and death they remain vanquished forever.

Just as our bodies need physical water to survive and thrive, so our souls need the living water found only in Jesus Christ. Our earthly pilgrimage can often be as spiritually dry as any dessert, but God the Father has provided an oasis in His Son for every thirsty soul who flees to Him for grace.

God enjoys using simple pictures to teach us of His grace. In Exodus 16 He teaches that He is the God who feeds us and sustains us with bread from heaven. While the manna in the wilderness mercifully fed God’ people for a time, the true Bread from Heaven to which it pointed, Jesus Christ, would feed His people forever.

David’s betrayal at the hands of an ungodly mercenary causes him to reflect on the bigger picture of the cosmic conflict the people of God are involved in. David sees the stark contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous, and realizing the ultimate end of both, exhorts people to avoid the certain destruction that awaits the ungodly.

David’s knowledge of God’s character and God’s providence developed in him a steadfast ability to stand in the midst of life’s adversities. May we learn from David’s example and look to our Lord in the midst of trying times as well.

Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we all face dry seasons in our Christian pilgrimage. Such seasons seem like they will never end and we wonder if God has forgotten us. But God uses even dry seasons to teach us of His grace and point us to the Savior who thirsted for us so that we might enjoy the living water of eternal life.

The first thing the Israelites did after being delivered from Egypt was pause and give praise to God. Sadly, that is often the last thing we do in our busy lives. But giving praise to God fulfills the glorious purpose for which we were created, floods our hearts with confidence and joy, and fosters an eternal perspective that directs our daily steps as we ultimately look to the Savior who has enabled our praise.

Prior to his conversion, the Apostle Paul was plagued by many of the same things that enslave us each day - self-absorption, busyness, isolation, and hopelessness. His encounter with the resurrected Savior proved to be a “game changer” in his life, however, and it can be in ours as well as we received the forgiveness of sins by grace, through faith in the risen Christ.

Israel’s miraculous exit from Egypt was a mighty act of God, but it all pointed ahead to an even greater exodus, through an even greater Mediator, to an even greater promised land. Far greater than Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday was His “triumphal exit” on the cross as He redeemed forever all who look to Him for grace.