August 6, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, Sunday ODB Message
August 6, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, Sunday ODB MessageAugust 6, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, Sunday ODB Message written by Bill Crowder and Insight by Amy Boucher Pye
TOPIC: Release from Slavery
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 70–71; Romans 8:22–39
KEY VERSE: “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. Exodus 6:6
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Exodus 6:1–8
INSIGHT FOR TODAY
In the Old Testament stories of God’s dealings with Israel, it’s helpful to have a solid perspective on what we’re reading. Although we’re reading history, it’s more than that. We’re reading lessons that expose the heart and mind of God to us. Paul, a well-versed Pharisee trained in Jewish law, wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:11: “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” Through the Old Testament, we’re instructed about the heart of God and how to respond to Him in many different life circumstances.
August 6, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional MESSAGE:
“You are like Moses, leading us out from slavery!” Jamila exclaimed. As a bonded brick-kiln worker in Pakistan, she and her family suffered because of the exorbitant amount they owed the kiln owner. They used much of their earnings just to pay off the interest. But when they received a gift from a nonprofit agency that released them from their debt, they felt tremendous relief. In thanking the agency’s representative for their freedom, Jamila, a believer in Jesus, pointed to the example of God’s release of Moses and the Israelites from slavery.
The Israelites had been oppressed by the Egyptians for hundreds of years, laboring under harsh conditions. They cried out to God, asking for help (Exodus 2:23). But their workload increased, because the new pharaoh ordered them not only to make bricks but also to gather the straw for these bricks (5:6–8). When the Israelites continued to cry out against the oppression, God reiterated His promise to be their God (6:7). No longer would they be slaves, because He would redeem them with “an outstretched arm” (v. 6).
Under God’s direction, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt (see ch.14). Today God still delivers us through the outstretched arms of His Son, Jesus, on the cross. We’re set free from a far greater enslavement to the sin that once controlled us. We’re no longer slaves, but free!
REFLECT & PRAY
How has God brought you freedom? How could you encourage others who are enslaved in some way?
Dear God, thank You for sending Your Son to give me freedom from my sin.
Our Daily Bread Devotional For August 6, 2023, Sunday ODB Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet.
READ MORE TOPICS: OPEN HEAVENS, OUR DAILY BREAD, IN TOUCH, SEEDS OF DESTINY, STREAMS OF JOY, JOEL OSTEEN, MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE, DCLM DAILY MANNA, UCB WORD FOR TODAY