RTW 2024

When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—
  when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—
the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary,
    and Israel became his kingdom.
The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!
    The water of the Jordan River turned away.
The mountains skipped like rams,
    the hills like lambs!
What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?
    What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?
    Why, hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob.
He turned the rock into a pool of water;
    yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

Psalm 114

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Psalms 113-118 are known as the Egyptian Hallel, a Jewish liturgical designation, recited at Jewish feasts, especially Passover.

• God never intended to remain in the pages of the Bible, to be just a source of knowledge, just a sermon to be preached, or just a law to be expounded. From the beginning God has chosen to dwell with us. God’s dwelling is His people, not a statue or a building.  
• The Hebrew word for solid rock in verse 8 is challamiysh, meaning “flint.” Flint was an important material in the ancient Near East for making fire, and for making tools.
• A miracle can come from a hard place. And something used to create fire was used to bring forth water. God loves to surprise His people and create something new out of something unexpected.
• Isaiah 50:7 also uses the word “flint” to symbolize the prophet Isaiah as firm and resolved in what God called him to do, and foreshadows the resolve of the coming Messiah amidst the opposition He endured. A Flint Stone in the Judean Wilderness

Be open and ready for God to reveal Himself in unexpected ways.