Today’s Reading:
Read Exodus 12-13
Every time Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh to ask him to let the Israelites go, Egypt would experience something called plagues. Plagues are bad things that affect a lot of people. The plagues got Pharaoh’s attention. However, he continued to ignore what God was telling him to do.
There were 10 plagues overall that impacted the land of Egypt- from grasshoppers to frogs to locusts covering the land. The water in the Nile River also turned into blood. So many things were happening that should have gotten the Pharaoh’s attention and made him listen to what God was telling him to do.
It was the last plague which we know as the first Passover that finally got the Pharaoh’s attention. Moses explained to Pharaoh that every firstborn son and firstborn male animal would die. The only way to be protected from that death was to have the blood of a spotless lamb smeared on the doorposts of your house. The Israelites followed God’s instructions by preparing a meal of a spotless first born male lamb and putting its blood on their doorposts. The Israelites obeyed.
God had given Pharaoh many opportunities to obey. Pharaoh refused to obey God and as a result he suffered a lot. Ultimately, after this night of the Passover, the Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt. They were on their way to freedom and going back to the land where Abraham had traveled to, Canaan.
Application/Prayer:
Consequences are hard, aren’t they? As a family, discuss why consequences help us to understand how important it is to do the right thing and to obey what God has told us to do. Take time to talk about the fact that even though we can ask for forgiveness and that God will always forgive us, we may still have to face the consequences for the disobedience.
February Memory Verse:
“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
February memory verse coloring sheet