Cooking in the Bible – Stories That Will Stir Your Soul: A Special Recipe for the Israelites | Exodus 12:34-42

We’re in the middle of a series called Cooking in the Bible, Stories That Stir Your Soul. And it’s that time of year right when something good is going on in the kitchen. Lots of days, whether it’s mac and cheese, bubbling golden brown in the oven, a pot of soup simmering on the stove, I don’t know, we’re just drawn to it. Today we’re gonna cover a really special recipe that God gave to the Israelites. Oh yeah. We’re going back to right before he split the Red Sea when God, through his servant Moses rescued his children from slavery from Pharaoh in Egypt.

Show Links:

• Who Is Jesus?
• Have a prayer request? E-mail us at [email protected]

Transcription:

Well, hi there, I’m Erica. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. We’re in the middle of a series called Cooking in the Bible, Stories That Stir Your Soul. And it’s that time of year right when something good is going on in the kitchen. Lots of days, whether it’s mac and cheese, bubbling golden brown in the oven, a pot of soup simmering on the stove, I don’t know, we’re just drawn to it. So I want us to open the Bible and study stories that feature people cooking and preparing food. Today we’re gonna cover a really special recipe that God gave to the Israelites. Oh yeah. We’re going back to right before he split the Red Sea when God, through his servant Moses rescued his children from slavery from Pharaoh in Egypt. 

So join me. We’re gonna be right near the beginning of your Bible in Exodus chapter 12, and we’re gonna start in verse 34. “The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders.” They were doing exactly what God asked them to do. “And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth! That night, the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about” catch this, “600,000 men plus all the women and children.” Yeah, they were gonna need a lot of bread, right? “A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock. For bread they baked flat cakes from the dough without yeast they had brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare the bread or other food.” They did what God asked them to do. He’s like, it’s time you’re leaving. You’re gonna have a special kind of bread on your journey. “The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land.” Here’s our takeaway verse, verse 42. “On this night, the Lord kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.”

I love that God gave them special instructions on how they were going to eat on their journey. God always gives you what you need when he’s calling you somewhere to do something, and numbers are really big with God. Did you notice that it was exactly at 430 years, that was it. Their time in Egypt as slaves was over. I remember when I left a job that I loved, it was a certain date, it was June, I think it was June 13th. And exactly a year to the day I left the job I loved, I was auditioning for a new role at a new radio station, and I understood it. When I noticed the date, I said to myself, Okay, the Lord wanted me on the bench for a year to get my priorities straight. God’s timing is always perfect, whether it’s with the Israelites and bringing them out on the last day of the 430th year that they were slaves, or in my life when he called me to leave a job and he knew he needed time to work on my heart that whole year. And he’s working in your life, you can trust his timing. He’s not often early, but he is never late. You can trust him because you are loved. 

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at OnPurposely.com.