Lesson 1: Oppression – The Background and the Birth of Moses

1.5 Change of Plans

When Plans Fail: God’s Way Often Begins Where Ours Ends

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Introduction

Sometimes a single moment is enough – a glance, a decision, an impulse – and our life takes a completely different turn. That’s what happened to Moses. From heir to the throne to fugitive, from power and palace to the solitude of a desert well. What seemed like a catastrophic end was actually God’s beginning. Moses’ story is not just a biography – it’s a divinely guided drama and a reflection of our own life’s unexpected turns.

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Bible Study: Exodus 2:11–25 – Life’s Turning Points

1.Moses sees the suffering of his people (v.11)

Moses grows up as a prince in Egypt. Despite his royal education, he knows his roots. When he sees the suffering of his Hebrew brothers, the injustice hits him like a blow. His identity as a Hebrew begins to break through with full force.

2.A consequential decision (v.12)

In a moment of impulse, Moses kills an Egyptian who is beating one of his brothers. An attempt to end injustice – but in his own way. Moses chooses violence instead of God’s plan. This was not God’s will but Moses’ impulse.

3.Rejection by his own people (v.13–14)

The next day, when he tries to mediate a conflict between two Hebrews, he is rejected. The bitter truth: Moses belongs neither to the Egyptians nor is he accepted by the Hebrews.

4.Flight to Midian (v.15–22)

Pharaoh learns of the murder – and Moses flees. His dreams, his status, his future: all shattered. At the well in Midian, a new life begins. The potential ruler becomes a humble shepherd.

5.God hears the cry of His people (v.23–25)

While Moses lives in Midian, the Israelites continue to suffer. But God hears. He does not forget. He acts – in His way, in His time.

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Answers to the Questions

Question 1: Which events suddenly changed the course of Moses’ life?

The killing of the Egyptian and the subsequent rejection by his people triggered an avalanche. Suddenly Moses went from heir to fugitive. That single act halted his career, identity, and life – seemingly. In reality, this is when God’s work in Moses began.

Question 2: Was it God’s plan for Moses to kill the Egyptian?

No. God never intended violence as a means to an end. Yet in His grace, He can turn even poor decisions into instruments of His guidance. Moses acted rashly, humanly – but God was not surprised. He used the situation to lead Moses into the solitude of the wilderness, where his character would be formed.

Question 3: What does this teach us about God’s guidance?

God never loses control. Even when we get lost, make mistakes, or our dreams fall apart – God’s story continues. Romans 8:28 makes this clear: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Even the bad. Even the broken. Even our failure.

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Spiritual Principles

• Identity requires clarity: Moses had to realize who he truly was. We, too, often stand between two worlds – until God reorients us through crisis.

• Failure is often the beginning of divine calling: God shapes His instruments not in the throne room, but in solitude.

• God sees and hears: The text ends with a powerful truth – God “heard,” “remembered,” “saw,” and “knew.” He is not distant.

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Application for Daily Life

• Are you caught between two worlds? Maybe your job doesn’t align with your faith, or you feel like you don’t belong anywhere. God knows your story – and your heart.

• Did you make a mistake? Maybe, like Moses, you acted out of anger, said or did something irreversible. Give God the broken pieces. He creates something new.

• Have you lost everything? Moses lost it all – but found God. You, too, can discover a beginning in the midst of your loss that you never planned for.

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Conclusion

Moses’ life teaches us: there are divine changes of plans that shatter our human dreams – to replace them with something eternal. God sees more than just the moment. He sees the end from the beginning. He didn’t abandon Moses but shaped him into Israel’s greatest leader. And He can turn your chaos into a calling too.

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Thought of the Day

“When your plan breaks, don’t just ask: Why? Ask God: For what purpose?”
Because often the greatest blessing begins where you only see fragments.

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Illustration – “Between Law Firm and Wilderness”

Frankfurt am Main, Autumn

David Weber, 32, stood at the window of his corner office on the 23rd floor of a glass skyscraper. Behind him, his screen glowed. A billion-euro merger contract lay on his desk. He was a lawyer, partner candidate at one of Germany’s most prestigious firms. A man with a clear path. Tailored suit, tie, perfectly styled. Everything was going according to plan – his plan.

But that afternoon, everything changed.

His colleague Jan came in, pale. “David, you need to see this.”
David stepped over, saw the email, the attachments, read – and his stomach tightened.

A corporate client had silenced a whistleblower. Internally, someone had been fired, humiliated, shut down – a young employee who had simply reported an environmental violation. The case was “settled” internally. David was expected to wrap it up legally.

“Make it disappear,” his boss said curtly on the phone. “You still want to make partner, don’t you?”

That evening, David sat alone in the office for a long time. Then he wrote – not the expected legal report, but an official complaint to the supervisory authority. Using his real name.

Two weeks later

It hit like a storm. The media picked up the story. The firm denied everything. David was suspended. Then: instant dismissal. The industry turned its back. No law firm would hire a “traitor.”

He canceled his apartment himself. “I need distance,” he told his sister. “I need to get out.”

His uncle Franz, a simple forester in the Eifel region, offered him a guest room. “Come stay with me. No noise, no pressure. Just trees. And an old stove that acts up sometimes.”

Winter in the Eifel

David woke up without an alarm clock for the first time. He fetched firewood, stacked logs, read. Especially the Bible his mother had once given him. It had been gathering dust in a bag. Now it became his daily bread.

One morning, he read Exodus 2. Moses killed an Egyptian. Out of anger. Out of a sense of justice. And lost everything.

“Moses fled to Midian … and sat down by a well.”

David laughed bitterly. I ended up at a well too.

But something happened. In the silence, something grew within him. Not a new career goal. Not a plan B. But a calling.

He began attending the village church, started conversations with the pastor. Enrolled in a theology program. In the evenings, he often sat with his uncle by the fire.

“I only understand now, Franz,” David said once. “God didn’t ruin my career. He saved me.”

Two years later, Correctional Facility Rhineland-Palatinate

David stood before a group of inmates. Once a week, he led spiritual counseling groups.

One of them – a former corporate executive – fought back tears.
“I was the one who applied the pressure … I don’t know if God can still use someone like me.”

David laid a hand on his shoulder. “Believe me, I know what it means to lose everything. But sometimes that’s exactly the path to God.”

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-1-oppression-the-background-and-the-birth-of-moses-1-5-a-change-of-plan-exodus-living-faith/

July 3, 2025

DAILY BIBLE READING

Exodus 28 – The Priestly Garments of Aaron – Signs of Calling and Holiness

The Holy Garments of the High Priest: Beauty, Symbolism, and Spiritual Meaning

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Bible Text – Exodus 28 (KJV)

1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

13 And thou shalt make ouches of gold;

14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.

15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.

23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.

25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.

31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness To The Lord.

37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

40 And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

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Introduction

Exodus chapter 28 describes in detail the calling of Aaron and his sons to the priestly service and the making of their sacred garments. It’s not only about external splendor, but about deep spiritual symbolism: the garments are meant to express glory and holiness – a visible sign of the unique office Aaron holds before God. God himself gives the instructions, and the clothing becomes a representation of divine order, remembrance, and intercession for the people of Israel.

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Commentary

1. Calling to the Priesthood (vv. 1–3)

   • Aaron and his sons are chosen by God himself for priestly service.

   • The clothing is to demonstrate their consecration and separation.

   • The wisdom and craftsmanship of the artisans are divinely inspired – God works through human ability.

2. The Holy Garments (vv. 4–30)

   • Robe, shoulder pieces, sash: made of fine materials and rich colors – symbols of beauty and dignity.

   • Onyx stones on the shoulders: the names of Israel represent the priest’s responsibility to bear the people before God.

   • Breastpiece (Pectoral): twelve precious stones, one for each tribe of Israel – symbol of the priestly ministry of intercession.

   • Urim and Thummim: tools for divine revelation, worn over the priest’s heart.

3. The Robe and Its Symbolism (vv. 31–35)

   • Adorned with golden bells and pomegranates: sound and fruitfulness – the sound symbolizes life, movement, and active service.

   • The garment becomes life-preserving: if there is no sound, it signals death.

4. The Golden Plate (vv. 36–38)

   • Inscription: “Holy to the Lord” – Holiness is the core of the priestly calling.

   • It reminds us that even the holy requires grace and atonement to be sustained.

5. Clothing for Aaron’s Sons (vv. 39–43)

   • They also wear beautiful garments, though less ornate.

   • They are to be anointed and consecrated – God takes priesthood seriously.

   • The garments protect – not only physically, but spiritually: they serve for covering and sanctifying.

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Summary

Exodus 28 describes God’s instructions for creating holy garments for Aaron and his sons. These garments – artistically made and of precious materials – are not just visually impressive, but deeply symbolic: they represent closeness to God, responsibility for the people, and the necessity of holiness and atonement. Each piece of clothing has spiritual significance and points to the priest’s role in mediating between God and Israel.

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Message for Us Today

God is a God of order, beauty, and holiness. Even today, He calls people to His service – not based on outward garments, but on the heart. Yet the principle remains: whoever serves in the name of God should do so with seriousness, dedication, and a sense of responsibility. The priestly garments of Aaron remind us that it is God Himself who sets apart, sanctifies, and equips.

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Reflection Questions

“Are you still wearing what God has clothed you with for His service?”
Not literally, but spiritually: Are you bearing responsibility for others before God? Is your heart “clothed” in righteousness, humility, and love? How can we express visible and invisible signs of dedication to God in our time?

Be reminded: your name, too – spiritually speaking – is inscribed on the heart of our true High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14–16).

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June 28 – July 05, 2025

WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING

Ellen G. White │ Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 14

Destruction of Sodom

Read online here

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Introduction

Sodom was beautiful, wealthy, and cultured—yet it was lost in guilt, sin, and ultimately in God’s judgment.
The story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom is more than a historical event.
It is a warning, an invitation, and a mirror for our own time.
Amid prosperity, pleasure, and religious indifference, we still hear God’s voice today:

“Flee for your life! Don’t look back.” (Genesis 19:17)

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Commentary

1. The Allure of Sodom – Outward Wealth, Inward Decay

Sodom was “like the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10)—fertile, beautiful, and convenient. But:

• Abundance led to pride.

• Idleness corrupted character.

• Wealth fueled selfishness and moral decay.

Sodom was prosperous—but spiritually dead.

2. God’s Warning – Grace Before Judgment

God sent angels to rescue Lot.
Lot was righteous, but hesitant.
His family was attached to comfort and possessions.

God’s grace is real—but it has a window of opportunity.

3. Lot’s Wife – A Heart in Sodom

She was on the path of rescue, but her heart looked back.
One last glance cost her life.

It’s not about where your feet are—but where your heart is.

4. The Consequences of Wrong Choices

Lot’s descendants (the Moabites and Ammonites) became enemies of God.
One wrong step led generations into ruin.

Personal decisions can have consequences that span generations.

5. The Contrast: Abraham and Lot

Abraham lived by faith as a stranger and pilgrim.
Lot sought comfort—and nearly lost everything.

Faith chooses what is eternal, even when it is hard today.

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Summary

The downfall of Sodom is:

• a testimony to God’s patience—but also His justice,

• a mirror of today’s moral condition,

• a call to repentance,

• a reminder: wealth without God is dangerous,

• a warning: do not delay when God calls!

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Message for Us Today

We live in a world like Sodom—marked by prosperity, selfishness, and moral relativism.
God’s grace still calls today—not to condemn, but to save.
Don’t delay when God calls—the time of grace is limited.
Your choices affect your family, your descendants, and your eternity.
Seek the better homeland—the city whose builder and maker is God.

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Reflection Question

Where is my “Sodom”? Where do I choose comfort over obedience?
Do I hesitate like Lot—even though I know God’s voice?
Is my heart more attached to possessions, career, and security—or to God’s will?
Do I live like Abraham—a guest in this world, waiting for the heavenly?

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/03-07-2025-exodus-chapter-28-believe-his-prophets/