February

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February 7

Reading 1 - Exodus 15

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There are other songs (Judges 5, 2Sam 22)
v. 6 - So many verses remind us of the power of God v.11, 1Chron.29:11,12. Ps.17:7 draws a conclusion from it - salvation. It was God's power by which the Children of Israel took the land, Ps.44:3. It started here at the Red Sea and finishes worldwide - Isa.52:10.
Peter Cresswell

v.4-12 - We have a problem coping maybe, in our modern society where we are encouraged to accept all things, both good and evil, and tolerate them, with a recognition of the obvious fact - and here we have a clear and somewhat extreme example - that whatever store we might put by human life in general, God is only interested in those that turn to Him and accept His covenant which he offers to all. The rest are of no consequence. Whilst it is not ours to condemn, it is appropriate that we recognise that those who have chosen not to accept God's offer of salvation are worth nothing in His sight. There is no room for sentiment in these things.
Peter Cresswell

:17 In speaking of planting Israel we see the beginning of a theme which runs through the prophets. Psalm 80:8,15 The vine out of Egypt was planted Isaiah 5:2 a vine is planted Jeremiah 2:21 'I planted thee '. Planting, then passes into New Testament usage to speak of us Romans 6:5 'planted together ' Ephesians 3:17 'rooted '
Peter Forbes

The way in which Egypt are described as being destroyed is taken up to speak of the way in which Babylon would be destroyed.

Exodus	Language	Jeremiah
:1	Horse and rider	51:21
:2	Habitation	50:19
:4	Chariots	51:21
:5	stone	51:63
:10	the sea covered them	51:42

Thus we see that the end of two of Israel's enemies and persecutors is presented in similar language - God is consistent in the way in which he deals with His enemies.
Peter Forbes

By the way, on this day in 1969, Yassir Arafat was elected as the new leader of the Palestinian Organisation, and began his often bloody push for a Palestinian state.

Exodus 15:1 - Then sang Moses and the children of Israel" - Up until now, all we have heard of the children of Israel is their sighing in the land of Egypt. Here now is the first record of a song in the history of man - some 2512 years after the angels had song with joy at the creation - Job 38:7. Of course, poetry and song would have certainly preceded this point, but this is the first recorded instance of song in the Bible.

Exodus 15:9 - "The enemy said, I will..." - Then follows seven things that Pharaoh said that he would accomplish against God's people. Seven, of course, is a number denoting completeness, and Pharaoh reveals here his complete Determination For Extermination. As God was to say later through Isaiah, "no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" - Isaiah 54:17

Exodus 15:27 - "they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees" - The twelve wells of water represent the wellsprings of salvation found in the promise to Israel (Jacob) who had twelve sons. They might also represent the 12 Apostles who later were to go out into all the world and spread the life giving message of the Word (rep. by water) of God. Seventy is the Bible number for the nations - 70 nations being listed in Genesis 10. Palm trees represent the righteous, because they are upright, with their feet firmly into the water table, and fruit only growing in the crown or head of the tree. Palm trees are also used in the Bible to speak of the Gentiles - Jericho was the City of Palm Trees. So at Elim ("The Mighty Ones") both Jew and Gentile, found rest around 12 springs of fresh running water - 70 Palm Trees (rep. the righteous from among the Gentile nations) providing shade and fruit were continually fed from these wells. Israel having escaped from King Sin in Egypt, have come to settle as the "Kingdom of God" at Elim.
Cliff York

Reading 2 - Psalm 69

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v.9 - Until Jesus this was impossible to understand. The disciples were reminded in John 2:13-21, when Jesus cleared out the money changers etc. from the temple. v. 22 tells us the believed the scripture - it must have been this scripture - i.e. Psalm 69. In this Psalm we see many aspects of Jesus' life:

Psalm 69	v.3	v.7	v.8	v.9	v.12	v.14
Jesus	John 19:28	Matt.27:39-44	Matt.26:56 Luke 8:19-21	John 2:15-17	Matt.27:12	Mark 14:35

Peter Cresswell

v.2,14 - We have a direct contrast here between the power of man and the power of God for the believer. David, a man whose heart we know was right, shows us that even at the depths of our despair, we can, and should, turn to God for His strength and salvation, and come to recognise that ultimately all these trials and tribulations are leading us to the wisdom of God's kingdom, through the work and the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter Cresswell

Here is another Psalm which speaks of the rejection and suffering of Jesus. It has it's historical basis in the days when David was fleeing from his son Absalom.
:20 In looking for comforters and finding none David foreshadows Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane - Matthew 26:40
Peter Forbes

:8 Jesus was a stranger to his brethren when they did not believe in him (John 7:5)
Peter Forbes

Psalm 69 - "To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim" - belongs properly as a subscription to Psalm 68. "A Psalm of David" - is the inspired superscription heading this Psalm 69.

Psalm 69:4 - "I restored that which I took not away" - It was Adam who had attempted to steal away what was not his to grasp at. Christ who grasped not at equality with the angels, was no thief, but was crucified in the midst of two - rep. Adam and Eve? Christ truly has restored what Adam stole in the beginning.

Psalm 69:8 - "and an alien to my mothers children" - Notice that Jesus was never a stranger to His Father's children.
Cliff York

Reading 3 - Mark 3

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v.23 - Man cannot solve his own problems. He can't overcome them. He can't cast them out. There are 2 camps to which we can choose to belong. There is no middle way. We are of satan or we are of God - Luke 11:23. Man's attempts to overcome his own problems have no future and cause divisions (v.24-26), but now the Kingdom of God is come upon us. Luke 11:20 (Parallel passage).
Peter Cresswell

Mark seems to be careful to record a number of occasions when the Pharisees came to entangle Jesus. Here is a list
2:16, 24 3:6 7:1 10:2 12:13
Peter Forbes

3:8 Note the places from where people came to see Jesus. Get your map out and measure the distances. Remember this event was very early in the ministry of Jesus. Clearly his fame had already spread extensively.
Peter Forbes

Mark 3:1 - "And He entered again into the synagogue" - This was most probably Jairus' synagogue, set on the highest level of ground in Capernaum, with his house hard against it - ie. right next door to it. The man with the withered hand is no doubt in the synagogue this day with Jairus' blessing, though ordinarily he would have been barred because of his deformity, from participation in the formal Jewish worship.

Mark 3:6 - "the Pharisees went forth and took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him" - Jesus heals a man of his infirmities, and two parties of people, inveterate enemies in fact, find a common bond in that they wish to kill the healer. Can you see the terrible sadness of such thinking? And it was all brought about because of how they thought about God! How do we think about God? Which part of the crowd would we have been aligned with on that day, had we been in Capernaum nearly 2,000 years ago?

Mark 3:21 - "And when His friends heard of it..." - The margin says 'kinsmen' - Jesus' own family. Here is a fulfillment of Psalm 69:8, our second daily reading.

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A Golden Thread:- Pharaoh (rep. King Sin) wished to totally exterminate the children of God in Exodus 15 because of his hatred of their God. Psalm 69 and Mark 3 describe exactly the same hateful sentiments leveled against The Son of God by his very own fellows. The question is not "What do you think about God?" but "How do you think about God?" Think about this carefully, for the answer will determine our destiny!!
Cliff York