In today’s Lifespring! One Year Bible Rewind, we begin Exodus with a story that moves fast from hardship to holy ground. Israel is oppressed, Moses is preserved, and God meets a reluctant leader with a clear call. If you have ever felt unqualified, hesitant, or simply unsure of what God is asking of you, this is a strong reminder that God is not limited by our weakness. He forms leaders over time, speaks with authority, and still invites us to respond with obedience. Today’s reading is Exodus 1–4. Episode Summary Exodus opens with suffering and fear in Egypt, but it also highlights God’s providence through faithful people like the Hebrew midwives. We follow Moses from the Nile to Midian, and then to the burning bush, where God reveals His name and His mission. The turning point is not Moses’ confidence, but God’s presence: “I will be with you.” Entities: God, Moses, Aaron, Zipporah, Pharaoh, Israel, Egypt, Jethro, Horeb (Sinai), Heidelberg Catechism, Frederick III Why this episode matters: This reading frames the Exodus as God’s covenant faithfulness in action and it confronts the gap between calling and obedience. God is patient with the hesitant, but He is serious about holiness. Commentary Highlights One of the most arresting moments in this passage is Exodus 4:24, where we read that the Lord met Moses at a lodging place and was about to kill him. The text does not spell out every detail, but the immediate resolution points to a neglected act of covenant obedience. Moses was being sent as God’s representative, and he could not lead God’s people while disregarding a foundational command within his own household. Moses begins this calling story with questions and objections, not the bold confidence we often picture. Yet God meets him anyway, answers him, and provides help, including Aaron. The lesson is straightforward: God can work with a reluctant leader, but He will not negotiate away holiness. Obedience matters, and so does God’s mercy. Verse of the Day Exodus 3:5 — “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy ground.” Read it in context here: Exodus 3:1–12 (BibleGateway) On This Date in Church History 1563 — Heidelberg Catechism On this date, Elector Frederick III signed the preface to the Heidelberg Catechism, a landmark teaching tool structured around our misery under sin, our redemption through Christ, and our grateful life of obedience. Reference: Heidelberg Catechism (Wikipedia) Good Memory Day Today is Good Memory Day, a simple reminder to pause and remember moments from the past that still make us smile. I shared one of mine from childhood, a memory that has stayed vivid for more than sixty years. When I was six years old, my parents took me to Las Vegas and somehow managed to get me backstage after a show to meet Red Skelton. I still remember his warm smile, his gentle handshake, and how kind he was to a little boy who was clearly in awe. He signed the program for me, and that autograph is framed and hanging in my studio to this day.