Our Daily Bread Devotional 3 DECEMBER 2022
OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL
Topic: CHRISTMAS LIGHT
ODB (OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL) KEY SCRIPTURE:
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 45–46; 1 John 2
Memory Verse: Exodus 3:7–8
I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. . . . So I have come down to rescue them.
Today’s Scripture & Insight: Exodus 3:4–10
Why did God ask Moses to remove his sandals? (Exodus 3:5). More than forty years later, the angel of the Lord would repeat this command to Moses’ successor, Joshua (Joshua 5:15). In Joshua 6:2, we learn that this “angel” is the Lord Himself. It wasn’t the ground itself that was holy, but rather God’s presence that made it so. Theologians also postulate that the sandals, which are in constant contact with the literal ground, symbolize all that’s earthly.
Footwear is considered as profane and common, in stark contrast to the holiness of God. This brings new meaning to the significance of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet in the upper room (John 13:2–17). Additionally, the removal of footwear was used in Old Testament times as a sign of sealing a covenant (see Ruth 4:7–8).
Also Read…
ODB MESSAGE FOR TODAY
A few years ago, a popular song hit the charts, with a gospel choir singing the chorus, “Jesus walks with me.” Behind the lyrics lies a powerful story.
The choir was started by jazz musician Curtis Lundy when he entered a treatment program for cocaine addiction. Drawing fellow addicts together and finding inspiration in an old hymnal, he wrote that chorus as a hymn of hope for those in rehab. “We were singing for our lives,” one choir member says of the song. “We were asking Jesus to save us, to help us get out of the drugs.” Another found that her chronic pain subsided when she sang the song. That choir wasn’t just singing words on a sheet but offering desperate prayers for redemption.
Also Read,
To my eyes, the Christmas tree looked to be ablaze in fire! Not because of artificial strings of lights but from real fire. Our family was invited to a friend’s altdeutsche Tradition, or the “old German way,” a celebration featuring delicious traditional desserts and a tree with real, lit candles. (For safety, the freshly cut tree was lit one night only.)
As I watched the tree appear to burn, I thought of Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush. While tending sheep in the wilderness, Moses was surprised by a flaming bush that was somehow not consumed by the flames. As he approached the bush to investigate, God called to him. The message from the burning bush was not one of judgment but of rescue for the people of Israel. God had seen the plight and misery of His people who were enslaved in Egypt and had “come down to rescue them” (Exodus 3:8).
Also Read, Open Heavens For 28 November 2022
While God rescued the Israelites from the Egyptians, all of humanity still needed rescue—not just from physical suffering but also from the effects that evil and death brought into our world. Hundreds of years later, God responded by sending down the Light, His Son, Jesus (John 1:9–10), sent not “to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (3:17).
By: Lisa M. Samra
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Reflect & Pray
How can you celebrate God’s provision of rescue through Jesus? What other traditions point you to Him?
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus, the Light of the world.
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