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[Chaplain]

Ugandan president repents of personal, national sins...

A national prayer of repentance?

Uganda’s Christian president believes so.

The Ugandan newssite New Vision reports President Yoweri Museveni celebrated Uganda’s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain at the National Jubilee Prayers event by publicly repenting of his personal sin and the sins of the nation.

“I stand here today to close the evil past, and especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history and at the threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for your forgiveness,” Museveni prayed.

“We confess these sins, which have greatly hampered our national cohesion and delayed our political, social and economic transformation. We confess sins of idolatry and witchcraft which are rampant in our land. We confess sins of shedding innocent blood, sins of political hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal,” Museveni said.

“Forgive us of sins of pride, tribalism and sectarianism; sins of laziness, indifference and irresponsibility; sins of corruption and bribery that have eroded our national resources; sins of sexual immorality, drunkenness and debauchery; sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred and revenge; sins of injustice, oppression and exploitation; sins of rebellion, insubordination, strife and conflict,” Museveni prayed.

Next, the president dedicated Uganda to God.

“We want to dedicate this nation to you so that you will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfill what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. A people you have chosen as your own,” Museveni prayed.

More at link.

 

[Chaplain]

So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.” Exodus 7:1-2

"The re-affirmation of the work of Moses and Aaron." (Guzik)

So the Lord said to Moses: God showed amazing patience with His servant Moses. After the outburst at the end of the previous chapter, we might expect that God had enough with Moses. Yet God didn’t even chastise Moses; He simply told him what to do and set him to do it. This is another example of the richness of God’s mercy.

What does "I have made you as God" mean?

I have made you as God to Pharaoh: Pharaoh had rejected any direct dealing with Yahweh, as he said in Exodus 5:2: Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? Therefore, God would then deal with Pharaoh through Moses.

a. “He should stand before Pharaoh in the place of God, not only delivering His messages, but accompanying them with such actions of power as should demonstrate the authority of those messages.” (Morgan)

b. This idea carries over into the New Testament, especially when Paul wrote that believers are like letters written by Jesus that the whole world reads (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). People that won’t look to God look at us; those who won’t read the Bible read our life.

c. “A prophet is one who represents God to man and, as such, all the Lord’s people are prophets. Are we giving those around a true idea of God?” (Thomas)

Aaron is called to be Moses' prophet.

Aaron your brother shall be your prophet: If Moses was to be “as God” to Pharaoh, then Aaron was to be Moses’ “prophet” - his spokesman before Pharaoh.

a. Just as Moses was not to act on his own initiative but to wait for God’s direction, Aaron was not to act on his own initiative, but to wait for Moses’ direction.

God tells Moses to continue with His plan despite his failures.

You shall speak all that I command you: God would not allow Moses to let the seeming failure of his first encounter with Pharaoh to discourage him. Moses is simply commanded to go.

God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

1. I will harden Pharaoh’s heart: As in the previous statement of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4:21), we remember that God did not harden Pharaoh’s heart against Pharaoh’s own desire. God confirmed Pharaoh in his wicked inclination against Israel.

2. Harden Pharaoh’s heart: Pharaoh revealed his heart when he refused the humble request of Moses back at Exodus 5:1-4. Now, God would strengthen Pharaoh in the evil he already chose.

a. God can do the same today. In our rebellion, we may reach the place where God will strengthen us in the evil we desire: Therefore God also gave them up to their uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts…and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting (Romans 1:24, 28).

b. "Now God will let you set your course. Oftentimes He'll strengthen you in that course that you have set. This He did with Pharaoh. Pharaoh hardened his heart against God. God strengthened his position. "All right, you want to harden your heart against Me? All right, I'll strengthen your position, in order that I might magnify My power throughout the whole earth." But Pharaoh had that free choice to begin with. He exercised that choice in hardening his heart against God, and then God firmed up his decision." (Smith)

God will offer Pharaoh a way of escape.

And multiply My signs and My wonders in the land: Even as God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He also gave him reasons to believe and surrender to God – if he wanted to

“But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. Exodus 7:4-7

Does God know the future?

But Pharaoh will not heed you: God knew from the beginning that Pharaoh would not agree to Moses’ request. It was no surprise to God that Pharaoh did not heed Moses.

a. "Now you see God is speaking by foreknowledge. He knew what Pharaoh was going to do. He knew the decision that Pharaoh was going to make. God strengthened the Pharaoh in his position. Actually it would almost have to because of all this guy went through, and still he is saying, "No, you can't go". Man, he had to be the most stubborn, foolish person in history. Allowed Egypt to be wiped out because God stiffened his heart, made it strong in the position he has taken against God, and against the people of God. But God knew that the Pharaoh wasn't gonna let them go. But that's just foreknowledge. You can't blame God for that; you can't fault God for that. If He knows what's gonna happen you can't say, "Oh well, God isn't fair because He knows what's gonna happen. He can't help it. He knows it. He's just God. So God deals from this advantage of foreknowledge, but it would be stupid to have foreknowledge and not to use it to your advantage." (Smith)

The reason God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

So that I may lay My hand on Egypt…and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord: This explains why the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart - essentially, to bring righteous judgment upon Egypt. In doing so, God would reveal Himself even to those who rejected Him.

a. Pharaoh claimed that he didn’t know who the Lord was (Exodus 5:2). God promised to show Pharaoh who He was, but to do it in a way that would not please Pharaoh or Egypt.

b. God planned and did His work so that the Egyptians would see that He was the Lord. He does the same in His work among the church, displaying His wisdom to angelic beings, both faithful and fallen (Ephesians 3:10-11). He also does the same in individual lives, displaying His goodness and power to an on looking world. “Believers are the world’s Bibles, by studying which men may come to know the Lord Himself.” (Meyer)

c. “These miracles would also be an invitation for the Egyptians to personally believe in the Lord. Thus the invitation was pressed repeatedly…and some apparently did believe, for there was a ‘mixed multitude’ (Exodus 12:38) that left Egypt with Israel.” (Kaiser)

Moses' age during this time.

Moses was eighty years old: This is retirement age for many, but Moses knew that God’s will was more important than retirement. We also see from this that Aaron was Moses’ older brother, so God went against the conventional customs of that day by making the younger brother more prominent.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’” So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Exodus 7:8-10

"Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh again." (Guzik)

1. Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh: When God first gave Moses a similar sign in Exodus 4:1-9, it seemed those signs were primarily for the leaders of Israel. Now, Moses and Aaron brought the sign before Pharaoh.

2. So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh: The first time Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh everything seemed to go wrong (Exodus 5:15-19). It took courage for them to go to Pharaoh again, but Moses simply obeyed God.

What type of serpent did the rod become?

Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent: This was not exactly the same miracle that Moses experienced on Mount Sinai and performed before the elders of Israel (Exodus 4:2-5 and 4:29-30). That saw the rod of Moses turn into a serpent, but a different Hebrew word is used here – something like a crocodile, which was something of a symbol of Egypt itself.

a. “When cast down it became a tannin (‘great serpent,’ ‘dragon,’ or ‘crocodile’)….The connection of the name tannin with the symbol of Egypt is clear from Psalm 74:13 and Ezekiel 29:3.” (Kaiser)

But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. Exodus 7:11-13

"Pharaoh’s magicians imitate the miracle of Aaron’s rod." (Guzik)

So the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments: In the midst of an unmistakable miracle, Satan provided Pharaoh with a reason to doubt - and Pharaoh seized on the doubt and hardened his heart.

a. “Magic was very prevalent in Egypt, and a number of papyri deal with the subject.” (Cole)

How Satan is able to counterfeit the works of God.

For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents: Apparently, this wasn’t mere magic; the enchantments of the Egyptian magicians were examples of dark, demonic power showing itself in what at least appeared to be miracles.

a. Miracles – or at least apparent miracles – are part of Satan’s arsenal. Paul later wrote on this theme: The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they may be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

b. This means that miracles can prove that something is supernatural, but they cannot prove that something is true.

c. These Egyptian magicians were intelligent, learned men; but they lacked the wisdom of God, as Paul observed concerning them in 2 Timothy 3:7-9: Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

d. "Now it is interesting to me that the magicians of Pharaoh were able to duplicate the feat of Aaron and Moses. There are powers of darkness that are able to counterfeit the work of God. Satan is a great counterfeiter. Just because a particular situation has sort of an aura of, miraculous; I can't understand it, does not ensure that that is actually a legitimate work of God. Satan is able to counterfeit much of God's work, and often does counterfeit much of God's work. One of the things that is to mark the Antichrist is the tremendous ability that he'll have to work miracles and signs and wonders in the eyes of the people. He'll be able to do miraculous feats. Now we are told concerning Satan that he is able to transform himself into an "angel of light" in order to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is able to counterfeit the work of God in order to deceive people. Now because Satan is able to counterfeit the work of God, should we then just say, "Well, I want nothing to do with miracles because Satan can counterfeit miracles." Notice that a counterfeit never disproves the genuine, but only the opposite. You cannot have a counterfeit unless there is a genuine. It's got to be a counterfeit of something; it's a counterfeit of the genuine article. The counterfeit then never disproves the genuine, only affirms the genuine to exist." (Smith)

What can happen to a person when they reject the works of God.

Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them: By showing God’s superior power regarding a symbol of Egypt (the crocodile or similar creature) was a clear message to Pharaoh and everyone else. It was a message that Pharaoh ignored, hardening his heart.

a. Charles Spurgeon preached a wonderful message titled The Power of Aaron’s Rod, in which he used this as an example of the truth that God’s power is greater than anything else, and can “swallow up” our idols and sins and such.

So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.”‘ “ Exodus 7:14-18

"God sends Moses to warn Pharaoh about the coming of the first plague." (Guzik)

1. Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go: The first plague - as all the plagues - came because Pharaoh hardened his heart against God and His people. In mercy, God warned Pharaoh, but Pharaoh disregarded the warning.

2. By this you shall know that I am the Lord: If Pharaoh really recognized and honored the God of Israel, he would have freed the children of Israel. Pharaoh sinned against Israel because he sinned against the Lord.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’“ And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. Exodus 7:19-21

The first of ten plagues.

That they may become blood: This is the first of the plagues. There are nine in total (the tenth is the slaying of the firstborn, which is in a class by itself), and they are grouped together in threes. In this structure of threes, the first two plagues only come after warning and a call to repentance; the third plague in each set comes without warning.

Is there a naturalistic explanation for the first plague, and was the first plague literal or symbolic?

All the waters that were in the river were turned to blood: Some say the plagues each have a naturalistic explanation. In the case of this first plague, some point out that when the Nile reaches an extremely high flood stage, it collects finely powdered red earth, and this red earth carries organisms that color the water and kill fish. But if this were the cause, it is hard to explain how Pharaoh could possibly be impressed.

a. God may or may not have used natural mechanisms to accomplish these plagues; even if He did, the timing and character of the plagues come from God’s hand alone.

b. It is important to understand that these plagues were all literal; there was nothing symbolic about them. Each plague pointed to a greater meaning than the event itself, but they really happened. This guides our understanding about the plagues in the Book of Revelation; there is no reason to see them as merely symbolic either.

c. The plagues God brought against Egypt had a definite strategy and purpose. Each of them confronts and attacks a prized Egyptian deity. Not only did they bring punishment against Egypt, the plagues also answered Pharaoh’s original question: Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? (Exodus 5:2) The plagues show the Lord God to be greater than any of the deities of Egypt.

God directs His first plague at the Egyptian gods Khnum, Hapi, and Osiris.

So there was blood throughout the land of Egypt: Specifically, this first plague was directed against the numerous Egyptian river deities. The Nile itself was virtually worshipped as a god by the Egyptians, and the Lord God shows that He has complete power over the Nile, not some river god.

a. “The ‘plagues’ are described by cognate Hebrew words, all meaning ‘blow’ or ‘stroke’.” (Cole) Each plague was as if God were to strike or beat a deity worshipped by the Egyptians.

b. The Egyptian god Khnum was said to be the guardian of the Nile, and this showed he was unable to protect his territory. The god Hapi was said to be the spirit of the Nile, and was brought low by this plague. The great god Osiris was thought to have the Nile as his bloodstream; in this plague he truly bled. The Nile itself was worshipped as a god, and there are papyri recording hymns sung in praise of the river.

c. There is a significant mention of something like this in a papyrus from this general period known as the Ipuwer Papyrus. It actually says (Ipuwer 2.10) that the Nile was blood and undrinkable. The same papyrus repeatedly mentions that servants left their masters.

d. "Now there is a book called "Worlds in Collision", written by Immanuel Velikovsky, in which he tries to give an explanation for the waters turning to blood, as a near approach to the planet Venus. He has a very interesting book. He has a lot of conjecture in it. The methods by which God did these things, we are not told. I prefer to just think it was miraculous and let it go at that. I have no problems with God working miracles. He's, you know, He's able to do many things. If He can turn water to wine, surely He could turn water to blood. Thus this doesn't—I don't need to help God out in my own concepts of God, because He's great enough to do any of these things. In fact, it'd be nothing at all." (Smith)

Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river. Exodus 7:22-25

"The magicians of Egypt copy the miracle." (Guzik)

1. The magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: Digging in wells, the magicians of Egypt found fresh water to replicate the Lord’s plague upon the Nile. The magicians turned fresh well water into blood.

2. The magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: Bible scholars warmly debate if this was a magician’s trick or if these enchantments were miracles from Satan’s hand. The evidence seems to lean in favor of them being miracles from Satan’s hand.

a. If the magicians of Egypt really wanted to do a miracle, they should have turned the bloody river clean again. They didn’t because it seems that Satan cannot perform a constructive, cleansing miracle. He can bring supernatural destruction, but not goodness. All they did was make more bloody water!

b. “Alleviation of human suffering is no part of the programme of the devil or his agents. That can only come from Jehovah, through the believing cry of his servants.” (Meyer)

Pharaoh chooses to reject God again.

Pharaoh’s heart grew hard…Neither was his heart moved by this: One way or another, the result in the heart of Pharaoh was the same. Pharaoh took another opportunity to reject and dishonor the Lord God.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Video Debate: Two Christians debate the angry/loving God theme

 

[Chaplain]

And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.”‘ “ Exodus 8:1-4

God sends Moses to Pharaoh to give him another chance to repent.

1. Go to Pharaoh: This series of plagues will end with death coming to almost every home in Egypt. God could have brought that terrible last plague early in this series, but did not – and did not for a determined purpose. God used this series of plagues to glorify Himself (especially above the gods of the Egyptians), and to give Pharaoh chance to repent.

a. We should see the good mercy of God in doing this. He might have gone directly to the more severe judgment, but instead gave Pharaoh many chances to repent and change.

If Pharaoh didn't repent, God would send frogs. Why frogs?

I will smite all your territory with frogs: God threatened a plague of frogs for a specific reason. The Egyptian goddess Heqet (or, Heket) was always pictured with the head of a frog. Among the ancient Egyptians, frogs were considered sacred and could not be killed.

a. Egyptians worshipped the frog as a female goddess because frogs were common around the Nile, because they reproduced rapidly, and because being amphibians they are part of two worlds, creatures of both land and water.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. Exodus 8:5-7

The second plague: "God brings frogs upon the land through Moses and Aaron." (Guzik)

The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt: Since the Egyptians worshipped the frog, God gave them a plague of frogs. We see both God’s determined plan and His sense of humor.

a. “Though he is the Lord of hosts he has no need of powerful armies, the ministry of angels, or the thunderbolts of justice to punish a sinner or a sinful nation; the frog or the fly in his hands is a sufficient instrument of vengeance.” (Clarke)

b. “Thus the first and this second plague are about the water; the third and fourth about the earth; the five next about the air; and the last about man.” (Trapp)

Pharaoh's magicians counterfeit God's miracle.

And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs: The ability of the magicians to do the same with their enchantments points to a supernatural power present; this wasn’t the work of a skilled illusionist, this was occult power at work.

a. For all their occult powers, all the magicians could do was make more frogs! They could only make the problem worse; yet their work gave Pharaoh an excuse to further harden his heart.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.” So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.” Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said. Exodus 8:8-15

Pharaoh asks Moses to remove the frogs.

Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs: Here, God’s previous promise (Exodus 7:1) was fulfilled. As a prophet of God, Moses stood in the place of God before Pharaoh, and Pharaoh made his request to God through Moses.

a. Entreat: “An unusual word, meaning ‘intercede’, the first occasion on which pharaoh has been really moved, and on which he makes a promise to let Israel go, a promise which he does not keep.” (Cole)

b. “The frogs could not be killed because of their sacredness, and yet such large numbers of them would be revolting in their loathsomeness, especially because cleanliness was a particular mark of the Egyptians.” (Thomas)

God answers Moses' prayer.

So the Lord did according to the word of Moses: When Moses prayed, God answered - and all the frogs died. The understated description “the land stank” gives a hint at how nauseating it was.

Pharaoh's heart becomes hardened again because of his failing to keep his promise of letting the Jews go.

He hardened his heart: Even when Pharaoh’s plea was granted, his heart did not change - he hardened his heart - yet Pharaoh did just as God said he would.

a. “This becomes a familiar pattern: when he did not keep it the first time, no doubt it became easier and easier to do the same again.” (Cole)

b. “Pharaoh increased his guilt. His vows heaped up his transgressions. He forgot his promises; but God did not. They were laid by in store against him.” (Spurgeon)

c. “As to Pharaoh, it is the story of a strong will, making itself stupid, while all the way, until the condition was utterly beyond hope of remedy, God gave him opportunity to use that strong will in surrender.” (Morgan)

So the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’“ And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Exodus 8:16-17

"The third plague: God tells Moses to initiate the plague of lice." (Guzik)

1. Stretch out your rod: This plague came unannounced. This time God did not show Pharaoh the mercy of a warning and an invitation to repentance.

a. We must never think God is unfair when He does not show mercy. If someone were totally fair, they would never show mercy.

2. Struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast: This plague struck at the heart of all Egyptian worship, especially at their priests. The Egyptian priesthood was extremely careful about hygiene and ritual cleansing; an infestation of lice made them unable to worship their gods.

b. The plague of lice was also upon every beast. The gods of Egypt would not receive the sacrifice of lice-infested animals, so this stopped their sacrificial system.

Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said. Exodus 8:18-19

Satan's power has limits.

Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: These magicians could use occult powers to change a rod into a snake, to turn water into blood, and to summon frogs – yet they could no bring forth lice. This shows that as great as Satan’s power is, it is limited - and it comes to its limit rather early.

Pharaoh's magicians admit that Yahweh is real.

This is the finger of God: When the magicians said this to Pharaoh, it showed they knew there was a power greater than their own, yet it was a power that they did not honor and serve.

Pharaoh’s chooses to harden his heart again.

Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them: The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart is shown when he would not even listen to the analysis of his own advisers. There was no rational reason why he insisted on resisting and rejecting the Lord God.

a. Jesus on the human heart: "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them." (Matthew 12:35, Matthew 13:15)

And the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.”‘ Exodus 8:20-23

God tells Pharaoh to let his people go.

1. Let My people go, that they may serve Me: There is no record of a specific reply from Pharaoh to this request, but since the plague came, he obviously did not soften his heart towards the Lord God or Israel. Perhaps the reaction was not described because there was no reaction; perhaps he ignored Moses’ message.

2. In that day I will set apart the land of Goshen: This is the first mention of the idea that the land of Goshen (where most the Israelites lived) was spared in the plagues. Possibly, the people of Israel suffered at least somewhat under the previous plagues. To a large extent, they would be spared in this fourth plague.

"Again, "Who is the Lord? I don't know the Lord," the Pharaoh's remark. So God says, "All right, that you might know who I am." God is introducing Himself to Pharaoh." (Smith)

1. In order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land: To ignore someone demonstrates hatred just as much as attacking them does. If Pharaoh thought he could ignore God and His messenger, he was wrong and the plagues would continue.

2. I will make a difference between My people and your people: God wanted Pharaoh to know that there was something special about the people of Israel. Pharaoh refused to recognize this, so the plagues continued.

a. “If only we will let the Spirit of God work unhindered, He will effect an inward division. Our tastes and desires, our hopes and aims, will become different, and we shall be aware of a growing dissimilarity between ourselves and the world.” (Meyer)

And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies. Exodus 8:24

"The fourth plague: The plague of flies comes." (Guzik)

Thick swarms of flies came: Literally, it says God sent a swarm (Hebrew, awrob) upon Egypt; it does not specify what the swarm was. It may have been a variety of insects. Psalm 78:45 says these swarms devoured them, and this indicates that there were biting insects in the swarm.

a. Thick swarms of flies: “The word occurs only here and in passages based on this context, and its exact meaning is conjectural. ‘Fleas’ or ‘sandflies’ are other suggestions: but ‘mosquitoes’ may be the best translation.” (Cole)

Who was affected by the plague?

1. Into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: No one was spared this terrible plague – except for the people of Israel, who largely lived in the land of Goshen (Exodus 8:22).

2. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies: This shows that the point of this plague was probably the same as the plague of lice. The Egyptian gods could not be worshipped amidst this uncleanness.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.” And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us.” Exodus 8:25-27

Pharaoh offers Moses a compromise.

Go, sacrifice to your God in the land: In this, Pharaoh suggested a compromise, allowing Israel a holiday for their God, but demanding they stay within the land of Egypt to worship. Pharaoh wanted to negotiate with Moses (and the Lord), and find some compromise common ground.

a. “That is the true attitude of the man of faith. Evil is always suggesting some compromise. To listen to it, is to remain enslaved. The only way into liberty is to leave the land of evil; to go accompanied by the women and the children; and to take all property also. It is when that attitude is assumed, that men pass out from all bondage, and find the liberty which is in the purpose of God for them.” (Morgan)

b. "So here the Pharaoh now is offering the first of the compromises. It is interesting to me that Satan so often offers us compromises. When you've determined to commit your life to Jesus Christ and Satan sees that's what you've determined to do, then he begins his compromising. "Okay, if you're gonna have to make a nut of yourself, but don't get—don't get really religious. You know, don't go too far. Oh yeah, go but don't get involved too deeply. You don't want to become a religious nut." So, "Yeah, go to church, you know, once a week, once every other week. Don't get carried away with this thing." Satan offers the compromises. As Satan said, "Hey go, but sacrifice in the land. Don't go very far, stay in the land." (Smith)

Why does Moses reject Pharaoh's compromise?

If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? Moses reminded Pharaoh of the social uproar this would cause, and held to the original request, refusing to compromise. Moses’ character has grown strong before Pharaoh.

a. “Moses refuses on the grounds that to sacrifice in Egypt would be like killing a pig in a Muslim mosque, or slaughtering a cow in a Hindu temple…In the sense that the Egyptians would consider the sacrifice of a sacred animal as blasphemous.” (Cole)

b. "Now Moses knew that if they sacrificed in the land, because the Egyptians worshiped the animals, for them to kill the animals would cause the ire of the Egyptians to be lifted against them, and they would've stoned them. Because the sacrifices unto God were going to involve the sacrificing of animals, Moses wisely said, "No way. We need to go three-days journey out of the land, lest the Egyptians see us sacrificing, will stone us." (Smith)

And Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.” Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the Lord, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go. Exodus 8:28-32

Pharaoh promises to change: the promise made by many to God when calamity strikes.

I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness: This was a clear promise, and one that Pharaoh did not live up to. We cannot tell if Pharaoh deliberately lied to Moses or simply changed his mind once the plague of flies was gone.

a. Many people turn to God in a time of calamity, and when things get better, they almost immediately turn their hearts back in hardness to God. Pharaoh was not an unusual example of humanity; he was like many or most of us, ancient or modern.

b. I will let you go carries the tone that Pharaoh believed that he owned or controlled Israel. “They were not Pharaoh’s people; Pharaoh never chose them, he had never brought them where they were. He had not fought with them and overcome them. They were not captives in war, nor did they dwell in a territory which was the spoil of fair conflict.” (Spurgeon)

Pharaoh asks Moses to speak to God on his behalf.

Intercede for me: This shows Pharaoh knew exactly who the plagues came from, and how they could be stopped (by humbly appealing to the Lord God).

How the sins we commit begin to change us one step/choice at a time.

Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also: Despite God’s kindness to him and to Egypt, Pharaoh continued to harden his heart. This is a demonstration of how deep and severe the gradual hardening of a heart may become.

a. As we continue in sin and reject God’s opportunities for us to repent and return, the hardening continues. It is commonly seen. A man doesn’t start by gambling away his paycheck; it starts with continuing on in friendly betting, and his heart grows hard. A man doesn’t start with shameful perversion; it starts with a few magazines, a couple of videos/downloads, and his heart grows hard. A woman doesn’t start addicted to alcohol; it starts with some social drinking and her heart grows hard.

b. “The drunkard, the murderer himself, is a man who at first did evil as far as he dared, and afterwards dared to do evil which he would once have shuddered at.” (Chadwick)

 

[GayForMaster]

Can I ask you guys what your opinion is of me?

I'm agnostic but I'm willing to derive your faith for the sake of getting closer to this girl I really like.

 

[waypoetic]

Can I ask you guys what your opinion is of me?

I'm agnostic but I'm willing to derive your faith for the sake of getting closer to this girl I really like.

Haha nice.

haddawaywhatislove.mp3

 

[Chaplain]

Can I ask you guys what your opinion is of me?

I'm agnostic but I'm willing to derive your faith for the sake of getting closer to this girl I really like.

What do you mean derive?

 

[mrbagdt]

What do you mean derive?

maybe he meant deride

 

[Helscream]

Can I ask you guys what your opinion is of me?

I'm agnostic but I'm willing to derive your faith for the sake of getting closer to this girl I really like.

Well in the manner you phrase it. You won't be the first or last who has tried such a method.

I will say that from a philosophical point of view you might get exhausted of acting in a manner that conflicts with your "core" belief system.

If you are willing to convert to the Christianity to get closer to a girl I would say that is the wrong way to go about it. Because if it doesn't work out you'll end up blaming God/Bible/Christianity. Which in turn would skew your perception of the faith.

Perhaps God is intervening into your life with this girl. Which if that is the case if you deny God you will deny His blessings. There is a gentleman at my church which his wife "was" a full on devout Muslim, but he lead her to Jesus and thus now they are a happily married couple. The main priority was to get this devout Muslim saved. The blessing was that woman turned out to be his wife.

You would still have to elaborate though on your statement for us to understand your angle.

 

[Chaplain]

With all of the wolves in sheep's clothing infecting God's church, here is a Bible Study from yesterday that teaches how to spot a real minister from a false minister:

(Right Click/Save As)

12/2/2012 - How to spot a true minister from a false minister (2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6)

 

[Helscream]

With all of the wolves in sheep's clothing infecting God's church, here is a Bible Study from yesterday that teaches how to spot a real minister from a false minister:

(Right Click/Save As)

12/2/2012 - How to spot a true minister from a false minister (2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6)

This is a subject that is close to my heart.

Not sure if you ever heard of Dave Hunt, but he does a excellent job at defining what real biblical Christianity compared to a lot of today's bastardized doctrine.

 

[Chaplain]

This is a subject that is close to my heart.

Not sure if you ever heard of Dave Hunt, but he does a excellent job at defining what real biblical Christianity compared to a lot of today's bastardized doctrine.

I have listened to Dave for many years now. T.A. McMahon (Dave's ministry partner and best-friend) was at my church in October, and said Dave is now in hospice care.

T.A. McMahon was at my church to do a conference on the great apostasy going on in the church right now (a prophecy that is being fulfilled in our day). Here are all of the studies and Q/A from the conference.

10/14/2012 - Apostasy and Its Antidote by T.A. McMahon
10/14/2012 - Temporal Delusion by T.A. McMahon
10/14/2012 - Extra Biblical Information by T.A. McMahon
10/14/2012 - Questions and Answers with T.A. McMahon

 

[Chaplain]

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep; a very severe pestilence. And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’” Exodus 9:1-4

God offers Pharaoh another chance to repent.

Go in to Pharaoh and tell him: In mercy, God told Moses to give another warning, so that Pharaoh would have opportunity to repent.

God's appeal to Pharaoh.

Let My people go, that they may serve Me: In this appeal two things were clear. First, the people of Israel belonged to God, not to Pharaoh. Second, it was clear that God wanted Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go for the sake of the Lord Himself, not even so much for the sake of the children of Israel.

a. Pharaoh was responsible to treat Israel well for the sake of the Lord, not so much for the sake of Israel. In the same way, we must treat each other well not only for the sake of our fellow brother or sister, but also for the sake of the Lord. We owe it to Him even more than we owe it to them.

God warns Pharaoh of the consequence of rejecting His request.

A very severe pestilence…nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel: Pharaoh was warned that another plague was on the way, one that would severely damage the livestock of Egypt – but not the livestock owned by the people of Israel.

Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go. Exodus 9:5-7

God sends the fifth plague: "The disease and death of the livestock." (Guzik)

All the livestock of Egypt died: This plague was directed against the Egyptian god Hathor who was thought to be a mother goddess was in the form of a cow. In addition, Egyptian religion considered cattle sacred and the cow was often a symbol of fertility. God shows Pharaoh and all of Egypt that He was mightier than this imagined pagan god.

a. Cole cites an ancient record of a battle the Egyptians lost because their enemies put a herd of cattle in front of their advancing troops. It worked because the Egyptian soldiers would not shoot at the opposing army for fear of accidentally killing what they considered to be the sacred cattle.

Pharaoh confirms God's promise that only the Egyptian livestock were dead.

The Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead: Moses told Pharaoh that the Israelites would be spared, and Pharaoh believed it enough to confirm this. Nevertheless, he did not change his heart when it was proven that Moses and his God were exactly right.

So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. Exodus 9:8-10

"The sixth plague: The plague of boils comes without previous announcement." (Guzik)

1. Ashes from a furnace: “Would be black and fine. Perhaps ‘soot’ would be the best English rendering, for it is described as very fine ‘dust’ blowing in the wind.” (Cole)

2. They caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast: As the third plague in this second set of three, this plague came without warning. This time, God chose not to mercifully give Pharaoh a previous opportunity to turn.

a. “For the first time the lives of humans are attacked and endangered, and thus it was a foreshadowing of the tenth and most dreadful of all the plagues.” (Kaiser)

3. Boils that break out in sores: The idea behind the ancient Hebrew word for boil is “to burn.” It has the idea of a swelling, painful, skin inflammation. These painful boils and sores affected people and animals.

And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Exodus 9:11-12

Why did God send boils?

The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils: This plague was probably directed against the Egyptian god Imhotep, who was said to be the god of medicine. Even those who were thought to be closest to the Egyptian gods (the court magicians) were stricken with this plague.

Up until this point, Pharaoh hardened his heart six times against God. Now God steps in and hardens his heart. Why?

The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh: Here, for the first time, it is said that the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Previously, God announced that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4:21 and 7:3), and this was the fulfillment of it. Yet it is said at least six times before this that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7). We see that God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was the strengthening of what he already had set himself towards.

a. “This is the first occasion on which this form of words is used after an actual plague. Previously, the position has always been put from the other side: pharaoh has hardened his own heart. The moral would be that God hardens those who harden themselves.” (Cole)

b. “ ‘Harden’ is the expression, not of the divine purpose but of the result of disobedience to the divine appeals. As a matter of fact, all the plagues were intended and calculated to soften, if Pharaoh had been willing to yield.” (Thomas)

c. " Paul refers to this in the ninth chapter of the book of Romans, as he is talking there of the sovereignty of God. Paul doesn't seek to explain the sovereignty of God, he just declares it. Now I don't have to explain the sovereignty of God. I can just declare to you that God is sovereign. I can't fully understand God's sovereignty and how that works out with human responsibility, but I know it does. Because even though God is sovereign, we are also responsible for our actions. In other words, I cannot blame my actions against God. Paul said that there are some here because God hardened the heart of the Pharaoh, or made stiff his heart. And because God said, "Hey look, I've raised thee up for this purpose that I might just actually show My power, that My name may be declared throughout all the earth." So that "If God made me this way than how can I resist the will of God?" You see? If God raised me up for this purpose, then who am I to resist the will of God? But yet Paul says you cannot take that argument and you can't really reach that conclusion from the sovereignty of God. Yet people do; they say, "Well God is sovereign then who am I? Doesn't make any difference what I do", et cetera, and they use that as an excuse for inactivity, et cetera." (Smith)

God's Words come to pass.

Just as the Lord had spoken to Moses: All went according to God’s plan, even the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.

a. God said, "So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”‘ “ He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. Exodus 9:13-21

"Moses warns Pharaoh and the Egyptians of the plague of hail." (Guzik)

I will send all My plagues to your very heart: In this extended warning, God wanted Pharaoh to know who was in control. As bad as it had been to this point, it was only by God’s mercy that Pharaoh and Egypt had not already been cut off from the earth.

God's declaration to Pharaoh.

That I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth: In this bold declaration, God told Pharaoh through Moses that his resistance was being used for God’s glory.

a. If Pharaoh though he was accomplishing anything with his resistance against God, he was completely wrong. All his stubborn rebellion merely glorified the Lord more in the end.

God tells Pharaoh and the Egyptians to take precautions for the upcoming plague.

Gather your livestock and all that you have in the field: God invited Pharaoh and the Egyptians to trust Him by recommending precautions before the plague. Some took God’s invitation and spared their livestock, but others did not.

a. “Rainfall comes so occasionally in Upper Egypt that the prediction of a severe hailstorm accompanied by a violent electrical storm must have been greeted with much skepticism.” (Kaiser)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt; on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail. Exodus 9

"The seventh plague: A plague of hail and lightning bringing fire from the heavens." (Guzik)

There was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it: This was perhaps the most frightening plague thus far. The Egyptians must have believed that the wrath of God was poured down from heaven in all severity.

a. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the fire hail: “A strange mixture; a miracle within a miracle, saith Rabbi Solomon. Fire and water made a peace betwixt themselves, that they might obey the will of their Creator.” (Trapp)

What god did God direct this plague at?

The hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt: This plague was directed against several Egyptian gods. Notable among them was Nut, the sky goddess.

And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.” Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. Exodus 9:27-35

"Pharaoh falsely repents and his heart grows harder." (Guzik)

1. I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked: This sounds like perfect words of repentance from Pharaoh, but true repentance had not worked its way into his heart. Pharaoh was grieved at the consequences of sin, but not at the sin itself.

a. “Pharaoh’s ‘I have sinned’ (Exodus 9:27) is one of eight such confessions in Scripture, four sincere and four insincere.” (Thomas) Perhaps it is better to see it as 5 insincere and 3 sincere.

· Pharaoh – a hardened sinner (Exodus 9:27)
· Balaam – a double-minded man (Numbers 22:34)
· Achan – a doubtful penitent (Joshua 7:20)
· Saul – an insincere man (1 Samuel 15:24)
· Judas – the repentance of despair (Matthew 27:4)
· Job – a godly repentance (Job 6:20)
· David – a repentance after a delay (2 Samuel 12:13)
· The Prodigal – the blessed confession of sin (Luke 15:18)

b. "So it is interesting that we have now a confession of sin. "I have sinned. The Lord is righteous, I and the people are wicked." But it was an insincere confession of sin. I've heard a lot of people say, "I'm a sinner." Well, it wasn't in any way a repentant kind of a thing. With a confession of sin there must be a real repentance, a turning away from sin in order that there be forgiveness. Confession in and of itself is not enough. There's got to be that turning away from sin. So Pharaoh said, "Hey, I'm a sinner." He'll say it again, but it's an insincere confession." (Smith)

2. I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God: Moses’ response to Pharaoh showed that he was starting to learn and to discern. Moses knew the promise to touch Pharaoh’s firstborn had not yet been fulfilled (first described by God back in Exodus 4:22-23).

a. “Moses does not believe that pharaoh will keep his word, yet he grants the request so that pharaoh may be without excuse.” (Cole)

3. He sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart: Hardening the heart against God is sin; failing to repent when God graciously answers our plea is to ignore His rich mercy is to sin yet more.

 

[Chaplain]

Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ “ And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. Exodus 10:1-6

"God tells Moses to bring another warning to Pharaoh." (Guzik)

1. I have hardened his heart: Here the Lord says that He hardened Pharaoh’s heart, yet in Exodus 9:34 it says that he [Pharaoh] hardened his heart. Both were true, and one does not deny the other. In hardening Pharaoh’s heart, God allowed him to have what he sinfully desired - a hard heart against the Lord and His people.

2. That you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt: God’s work was not only for the sake of the generation of Moses and Pharaoh; it was also for your son and your son’s son. God does mighty works among us so that we can encourage generations to come.

a. "God’s intent in baring His arm and raining plagues upon Egypt was not only that the Egyptians would see His power and superiority, but that His own people would know that He was indeed who He claimed to be to such an extent that they could pass this knowledge on to their children and grandchildren. They could learn a portion of this lesson by observing God’s dealing with the Egyptians through the hail that fell upon them and the flies which tormented them. But the other part of the lesson could only be learned firsthand as they themselves experienced the effects of water turned to blood, of frogs swarming their houses, and of lice covering their bodies. There’s no testimony without tests. A vibrant, passionate, and authentic walk with the Lord does not come from secondhand theology. It only comes through the things we experience personally." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (260). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

3. How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Getting to the heart of the matter, God warned Pharaoh to humble himself or the worst plague of locusts ever seen would come upon Egypt. Pride was at the heart of Pharaoh’s problem; he simply didn’t want to give into God.

a. It’s an important question that God would ask to anyone: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?

Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?” And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. Exodus 10:7-11

"So now the servants of Pharaoh are beginning to say, "Hey, wise up. How long are you gonna let them wipe us out? We're just about destroyed. Let them go." (Smith)

How long shall this man be a snare to us? These men, known as Pharaoh’s servants hardened their hearts before (Exodus 9:34). Yet even they relented in light of the destruction that came upon Egypt; but Pharaoh’s heart was harder still!

Pharaoh offers an insidious compromise which involved not obeying and submitting to God.

Who are the ones that are going? Pharaoh again wanted to bargain with God and Moses. He wanted to allow some to go into the wilderness to worship, but to keep the women and children home as hostages.

a. Pharaoh offered a compromise in Exodus 8:25-26, suggesting that they could have a day to sacrifice to the Lord while still in Egypt. Moses rejected that compromise, and would reject this one also. God would not make this bargain, because He didn’t need to. This time, and every time, God holds all the negotiating leverage.

b. What Pharaoh wanted is what many of us want in the flesh: a way to “give in” to God, without fully submitting to Him. Sometimes we look for a way to bargain with God as an equal, instead of submitting to Him as Creator and Lord.

c. When Moses first came to Pharaoh, Pharaoh said: Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? (Exodus 5:2). The fact that Pharaoh still would not submit to the Lord showed that he didn’t know who the Lord was yet. This was despite the fact that the Lord God had made it clear that He was:

· Greater than the god Khnum (the guardian of the Nile)
· Greater than the god Hapi (the spirit of the Nile)
· Greater than the god Osiris (who had the Nile as his bloodstream)
· Greater than the goddess Heqt (the frog-goddess of fertility)
· Greater than the goddess Hathor (a cow-like mother goddess)
· Greater than the god Imhotep (the god of medicine)
· Greater than Nut (the sky goddess)
· Able to stop the whole worship of the Egyptian gods with loathsome lice and swarms of insects

d. Despite all this, Pharaoh showed he still did not know the Lord God. Therefore, God would show him more.

e. "So Pharaoh is offering the compromise, "Look you can go, but let your children stay. Don't take your children with you. It's gonna be tough out there in the wilderness and all, and don't subject your children to that. Now if you want to go and serve your God, if that's in your heart, and you've gotta do it, then do your thing. But oh, don't make your kids be a part of it." How many times Satan says, "Hey you know you don't want to rob your kids from fun. Now if you want to make your commitment to the Lord and you want to live a life of dedication to God, that's all right for you if you're gonna do it. But hey, don't put that kind of a trip on your kids. You don't want them to be thought of as weird or whatever. So let them go ahead and do the things with the other kids so that they're not thought of as different." "Go, but don't take your children with you." (Smith)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land; all that the hail has left.” So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. Exodus 10:12-15

The eighth plague: God sends locusts.

1. They ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: Yahweh showed Himself greater than the Egyptian god Set, thought to be the protector of crops.

2. There remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field: God did for Pharaoh what He will do in our lives – expose and topple every false god. When we trust in these gods it hurts to see them fall, but it is always best to have them exposed.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go. Exodus 10:16-20

Pharaoh repents falsely again.

I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you: Pharaoh did the same thing in Exodus 9:27-28. He said the words of repentance but did not follow through with the actions. His heart was only hardened more after God relented and showed mercy.

a. “Once again comes the easy confession of sin, and the shallow repentance that springs only from a desire to avert the consequences.” (Cole)

b."So again the confession of sin, and again the asking of them to pray for him. But again an insincere confession of sin, "Once more, this is the last time." It's truth; it is the last time that he asks them to pray for him." (Smith)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Exodus 10:21-23

The ninth plague: "A plague of darkness comes without warning." (Guzik)

1. Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt: As was the pattern with the previous plagues, the third in this set of three came without warning.

2. Darkness which may even be felt: This was no normal darkness, it had a supernatural element to it that could be felt. Light is not only a physical property; it is an aspect of God’s character (God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, 1 John 1:5). In judgment, God can withdraw His presence so significantly that the void remaining is darkness which may even be felt.

a. Seemingly, God did not even allow artificial light sources to work. The Egyptians attempted to use candles and lamps but were unable to produce light. This was dramatic show of greatness over the prominent Egyptian god Ra, thought to be the sun god.

Though the Egyptians were in darkness, the Jews had light.

All the children of Israel had light in their dwellings: We don’t know if this was because God spared them the plague or because God granted them His unique presence, bringing a supernatural light.

a. Just like the Egyptians who remained is darkness is anyone who chooses to reject Jesus: "For the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.” But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!” And Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.” Exodus 10:24-29

"Pharaoh’s last attempt at a compromise with Moses" (Guzik), and to bargain with God.

Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back: With this, Pharaoh made his last offer to Moses. All the children of Israel could go into the wilderness for three days of sacrifice unto the Lord God, but they must leave their livestock behind.

a. Undoubtedly, Pharaoh felt God was a hard bargainer and made the best deal for Himself that He could. Pharaoh still saw things as someone who thought he could bargain with the Creator. This shows that he still didn’t really know who the Lord God was, because He still had not submitted to Him.

God rejects Pharaoh's compromise. Why?

Not a hoof shall be left behind: The Lord God, and the prophet Moses representing Him, was absolutely unwilling to compromise on these points. God wanted deliverance for all of Israel and for all that belonged to Israel, and was not willing to deal on the point.

a. This reflects the response of God to every attempt we make to surrender less than everything to Him, or to willingly leave some things in bondage. He says, “Not a hoof shall be left behind.”

b. Paul echos God's feeling about surrender: "Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace." (Romans 6)

Pharaoh and Moses part ways for the last time.

Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! In exasperation, Pharaoh ordered Moses out and told him to never come back. Moses assured Pharaoh, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again” - but this was not good news for Pharaoh.

a. “Pharaoh was now beyond reason, and God did not reason with him.” (Morgan)

b. This ends the account of the nine plagues, and though there is one yet to come - the plague upon the firstborn - it is so unique that it must be considered by itself.

"The Bible tells us there were several reasons why God sent these plagues upon Pharaoh and Egypt." (Guzik)

· To answer Pharaoh’s question, Who is the Lord? (Exodus 5:2). In the plagues, God showed Himself greater than any of the false gods of Egypt
· To show the power of God through Moses (Exodus 9:16)
· To give a testimony to the children of Israel for future generations (Exodus 10:2)
· To judge the false gods - demons, really - of Egypt (Exodus 12:12, Numbers 33:4)
· To warn the nations - more than 400 years later, the Philistines remembered the Lord God of Israel as the one who plagued the Egyptians (1 Samuel 4:8)
· As a testimony of the greatness of God to Israel (Exodus 15:11, Deuteronomy 4:34)

 

[Chaplain]

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. Exodus 11:1-3

"Israel plunders the Egyptians." (Guzik)

1. He will surely drive you out of here altogether: Long before this, God told Moses that He would plague Egypt with the death of the firstborn (Exodus 4:21-23). After this final plague, Pharaoh wouldn’t merely allow Israel to leave, he would compel them to go.

2. The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: Pharaoh was still not quite convinced, but the people of Egypt were willing to see the people of Israel immediately leave. They were more than willing to give them gifts of silver and gold to persuade them to leave. This was how the slaves of Israel received their past wages from their time of slavery, and how they did not leave Egypt empty-handed.

a. “These jewels were employed afterwards in the adornment and enrichment of the Sanctuary. They flashed in the breastplate of the High Priest, and shone in the sacred vessels.” (Meyer)

3. The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people: Though Pharaoh’s heart was not yet persuaded, all of Egypt (including Pharaoh’s servants) knew the Lord God was greater than the gods of Egypt and that Moses was a servant of this great God.

a. "At this point they really had begun—that is the Egyptians had really begun to look up to Moses. They had been through enough. The servants of Pharaoh were pleading with Pharaoh, "Hey, let this guy go before we're all dead. We're gonna be wiped out. We're not gonna have anything. Let them go." It was only the Pharaoh whose heart was hardened in resisting the letting of the people go. The people themselves were really at this point glad to see them go." (Smith)

Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. Exodus 11:4-8

Moses tells Pharaoh that the death of the firstborn is coming

Then Moses said: As Moses still stood before Pharaoh, for the first time God lead him to specifically say what would happen to the firstborn of Egypt. They shall die, all of them, because the Egyptians would not let God’s firstborn (Israel) go. Therefore, there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt.

a. Even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill: “To sit ‘behind the two mill stones’ (so the Hebrew reads literally) is to do the work of the lowest woman slave in the household, grinding corn (Isaiah 47:2).” (Cole)

b. “In view of the law of primogeniture, the blow would be the most terrible that could be inflicted.” (Thomas)

Who was to blame for Egypt's problems, God or Pharaoh?

Against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue: Despite the great calamity to come, God would grant the Egyptians the ability to see the situation as it really was: the fault of their own Pharaoh, not the fault of Moses or the children of Israel.

a. This was even worse news to Pharaoh. Perhaps a politician doesn’t mind calamity if he can blame it on someone else. Here, God promised that Pharaoh himself would bear the blame.

b. “An unprecedented outpouring of grief would follow, but among the Israelites there would be such tranquility on that evening that no a dog would have occasion to bark.” (Kaiser)

c. “They had made Israel cry: and God usually retaliates spoil to spoil (Ezekiel 39:10), number to number (Isaiah 65:11-12), choice to choice (Isaiah 66:3-4), cry to cry (James 5:1, 4).” (Trapp)

God (Yahweh) shows there is only one true God.

That you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel: Perhaps some in that day (including Pharaoh) found it easy to say, “The Egyptians have gods, and the Israelites have a God. What is the difference?” In His overwhelming demonstration of power over the deities of Egypt, Yahweh showed that there was a difference.

a. “The Lord hath put a difference between those who are his people and those who are not. There are many distinctions among men which will one day be blotted out; but permit me to remind you at the outset that this is an eternal distinction.” (Spurgeon)

Moses gives Pharaoh a prophecy.

All these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ Moses’ final words to Pharaoh told him that he and the rest of the Egyptians would command the people of Israel to go.

But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land. Exodus 11:9-10

God tells Moses that Pharaoh will not listen to His warnings. Why?

Pharaoh will not heed you: If nine plagues had come from the hand of God, one might expect that the warning about a tenth plague would be believed; but Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and God strengthened Pharaoh in his hardness of heart.

a. So that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt: “The nine plagues can now be seen as a whole. They touched every phase of nature: mineral, animal, vegetable, human. They affected persons and property, and included all, from the highest to the lowest.” (Thomas)

God hardens Pharaoh's heart again.

And the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart: Here for the fourth time we are told that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 9:12, 10:20, 10:27, and 11:10). Yet God never hardened Pharaoh’s heart until he first hardened it against the Lord and His people (Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, and 9:7).

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.’“ Exodus 12:1-6

Passover instructions: God tells the Jews that the calendar will be remade.

This month shall be your beginning of months: The coming deliverance from Egypt was such a significant act that God told the children of Israel to remake their calendar. The new year would now start with the month of their redemption from Egypt. It was a dramatic way of saying that everything was to change.

a. “God is ever the God of new beginnings in the history of failure. The ultimate statement is found in the Apocalypse in the words: ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Morgan)

b. “Commence a nation’s annals from its evangelization. Begin the chronicle of a people from the day when they bow at the feet of Jesus.” (Spurgeon)

c. Speak to all the congregation of Israel: “This is the first occurrence in the Pentateuch of what was to become a technical term, describing Israel in its religious sense…and which underlies the New Testament use of ekklesia, ‘church’.” (Cole)

d. "So they have sort of a secular calendar and a religious calendar. The religious calendar, they do begin the religious year in April, that is the first of April, so that the month of October in the religious calendar is the seventh month. Because seven is such a symbolic number, and such a significant number in symbolism, the many feasts take place in the seventh month. Especially the feast of Succoth, or the feast of Tabernacles which takes place here in the tenth month, or seventh month of the Jewish calendar, tenth month in our calendar. So we see that God is ordaining now that this is to be the beginning of months for you. You're to—this is, God is going to bring them into a new relationship with Himself, and they're gonna start counting their life from this point, this new relationship that God is bringing them into." (Smith)

Passover instructions: God says that each family would take and live with a lamb, and it had to be without any blemishes. Why?

1. Every man shall take for himself a lamb: On the tenth of this first month, each family - or household - was to take a lamb, and the lamb was to live with the family for the four days until Passover (on the tenth day of this month…until the fourteenth day of the same month).

a. In this way, the lamb became part of the family. By the time it was sacrificed on the fourteenth it was both cherished and mourned. God wanted the sacrifice of something precious.

b. If the household is too small for the lamb: The rabbis later determined that there should be at least ten people for each Passover lamb, and not more than twenty.

c. “Passover was a domestic and family festival, and thus shows its early origin. It has here no temple, no meeting-tent, no altar and no priest: but representation, if not substitution, is clearly implied.” (Cole)

2. Your lamb shall be without blemish: The lamb was also to be without blemish. This sacrifice unto the Lord had to be as perfect as a lamb could be.

a. In this we see the picture of Jesus, the lamb who was perfect (without blemish): "It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." (1 Peter 1:19)

· “He’s done nothing wrong,” said the thief crucified next to Jesus (see Luke 23:41).
· “Truly this must be the Son of God,” said the Roman centurion (Matthew 27:54).
· “I find no fault in Him,” said Pontius Pilate as he washed his hands nervously (Luke 23:4).
· “I’ve betrayed innocent blood,” said Judas desperately (Matthew 27:4).

3. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats: The Hebrew word for lamb can refer to either a young sheep or a young goat.

a. “The Hebrew seh is quite a neutral word and should be translated ‘head of (small) stock’, applying equally to sheep and goats of any age. The Hebrews, like the Chinese, seem to have regarded any distinction between sheep and goats as a minor subdivision. Probably because of this, to ‘separate the sheep from the goats’ is proverbial of God’s discernment in New Testament times (Matthew 25:32).” (Cole)

b. Israel shall kill it at twilight: “Christ came in the evening of the world; in the ‘last hour’ (1 John 2:11); when all lay buried in darkness; in the eventide of our sin and death.” (Trapp)

c. "A lamb was to be selected on the tenth day and slaughtered on the fourteenth day. The four days between the two, serving as a period of inspection to ensure that the lamb was not blemished or diseased. It was on the tenth of the month of Nissan a.d. 32 that Jesus went into Jerusalem during His final week. For the following four days, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and His enemies would try to challenge Him theologically and attempt to trap Him ethically. But they were, to a man, unable to find any flaw in Him, for truly He is the spotless Lamb." (Courson's Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 Genesis–Job)

4. You may take it: "One for each household, thousands of lambs would have been slaughtered, yet they are referred to as “it,” as one because they point to the singular Lamb, Jesus, the Lamb of God." (Courson's Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 Genesis–Job)

 

[Chaplain]

‘And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire; its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.’ Exodus 12:7-11

Passover instructions: A picture of the cross by putting blood on two doorposts.

Take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses: Before the Passover lamb could be eaten, its blood had to be applied to the doorway of the home, to the top and upon each side the blood was applied. The only part of this sacrifice given to God was the blood; the rest was eaten by each family or discarded (what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire).

a. As the blood was applied to the top and each side of the doorway, this blood dripped down, forming a figure of a cross in the doorway.

b. The blood on the doorposts showed that the sacrifice of the Passover lamb was to be remembered in daily life. You would see it every time you went in or out of the house.

Passover instructions: "Instructions for eating the Passover." (Guzik)

1. And thus you shall eat it: Then, the lamb could be eaten - but only if it had been roasted in fire, with the lamb itself coming into contact with the fire, and with bitter herbs accompanying the meal.

a. “The paschal lamb was not killed in order to be looked at only, but to be eaten; and our Lord Jesus Christ has not been slain merely that we may hear about him and talk about him, and think about him, but that we may feed upon him.” (Spurgeon)

2. Let none of it remain until morning: The Passover lamb had to be eaten completely; a family had to totally consume the sacrifice.

a. The idea behind eating it all was that you had to take it all then, and not store up some of the rescue for later. It was for right then, right now, and you had to receive all of it without thinking you could take a bit then and come back to it later if you pleased. We take all of Jesus, not just the parts that please us.

Passover instructions: The meal had to be eaten in faith.

With a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand: The Passover lamb had to be eaten in faith, trusting that the deliverance promised to Israel was present, and that they would walk in that deliverance immediately.

a. Faith was essential to the keeping of Passover: By faith he [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. (Hebrews 11:28)

How the Lord's Passover is all about Jesus.

It is the Lord’s Passover: The Passover was the Lord’s in the sense that He provided it:

· As a rescue, to deliver Israel from the plague of the firstborn.
· As an institution, to remember God’s rescue and deliverance for Israel through every generation.
· As a powerful drama, acting out the perfect sacrifice and rescue Jesus would later provide.

a. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul made it perfectly clear: For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7). John the Baptist drew on a similar image when he said of Jesus, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) It seems that Jesus was actually crucified on Passover (John 19:14). We see Jesus in the Passover.

· Jesus lived with and became bonded to the human family before He was sacrificed for them.
· The sacrifice of Jesus has to be appropriate to each home, not simply on a national or community basis.
· Jesus the Passover Lamb was spotless – perfectly so, not stained by any sin, any moral or spiritual imperfection.
· It was only the blood of Jesus, His actual poured-out life that atoned for sin.
· In His death Jesus was touched with fire, the fire of God’s judgment and wrath.
· In His death Jesus received the bitter cup of God’s judgment.
· The work of Jesus has to be received fully, with none left in reserve.
· The Passover work of Jesus for His people is the dawn and prelude to their freedom.

‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.’ Exodus 12:12-13

Passover instructions: How blood on each home saved Jews or Egyptians.

When I see the blood, I will pass over you: For Israel to be spared the judgment on the firstborn, they had to apply to blood just as God said they should. The blood of the lamb was essential to what God required.

a. If an Israelite home didn’t believe in the power of the blood of the lamb, they could sacrifice the lamb and eat it, but they would still be visited by judgment.

b. If an Egyptian home did believe in the power of the blood of the lamb, and made a proper Passover sacrifice, they would be spared the judgment.

c. Additionally, an intellectual agreement with what God said about the blood was not enough; they actually had to do what God said must be done with the blood.

d. "It wasn’t the expense of the house nor the righteousness of the people within the house which mattered. The only issue was the blood applied to the house. The shed blood was not enough to save their families. The children of Israel had to apply the blood to the doorposts of their own homes. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” Jesus said. “If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). As the blood needed to be applied to the doorposts individually, so each man must open the door to his own heart personally." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (265). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

e. "So Moses laid it out, and God declared, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." God is saying that to us tonight, as far as death is concerned and life is concerned. When He sees the blood of Jesus Christ applied to your heart, He passes over you. You've passed from death unto life. "And whoever lives and believes in Me", Jesus said, "will never die"(John 11:26). You've passed from death unto life." (Smith)

The consequences of not releasing the Jews from their forced slavery.

I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: God regarded Israel as His firstborn, His favored people. If Egypt refused to release God’s firstborn, then God required the firstborn of Egypt as a penalty and judgment.

‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat; that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ Exodus 12:14-20

What is the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

1. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread: Passover began on the tenth; on the 14th they ate the Passover, and this was the first day of unleavened bread. Then for the next seven days, they ate only unleavened bread.

2. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: For the first Passover, the unleavened bread was a practical necessity - they left Egypt in such a hurry there was no time to allow for the dough to rise. After the first Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a testimony throughout your generations.

Why does God mention that leaven was not to be found in the dough, and how this relates to our walk with Jesus.

For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses: Leaven was also a picture of sin and corruption, because of the way a little leaven influences a whole lump of dough, and also because of the way leaven “puffs up” the lump - even as pride and sin makes us “puffed up.”

a. Significantly, God called them to walk “unleavened” after their initial deliverance from Egypt. Symbolically, they were being called to a life in moral purity before the Lord.

b. Some suggest there was also a hygienic aspect in getting rid of all the leaven. Since they used a piece of dough from the previous batch to make the bread for that day, and did so repeatedly, that harmful bacteria could take hold in the dough - so it was good to remove all leaven and start all over at least once a year.

c. "Now what is leaven? It's yeast. What is yeast? Decomposition, the breaking down of substance; thus, leaven has become throughout the scripture a type of sin because of its decomposition, its breaking down, its effect of just permeating the whole by a process of deterioration or breaking down. It becomes a very fit picture of sin. Any sin tolerated or allowed has a way of just expanding until it takes over and controls your life. But it brings into your life that element of decomposition, the breaking down, filling the whole life. So leaven is, and it's to be excluded, they were to eat the unleavened bread, a memorial. "Seven days you'll eat unleavened bread; and the first day you'll put away leaven out of your houses." (Smith)

d. "Jesus said, "I am the bread of life", and thus the bread of the Passover, the middle wafer was representing Jesus Christ. In the Passover meal they have three wafers of unleavened bread in this little napkin thing. They take the middle wafer and they break it, and then they hide it, and the children have to go and find it. Now why they do this, they really don't know. But Jesus said, "I am the bread of life", He said, "this bread is my body broken for you". They break it, even as He was in the grave for three days. They hide it, and then they discover it and there's great rejoicing when it's discovered, a great celebration, "They found the broken bread." It's brought out." (Smith)

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.” Exodus 12:21-23

"Moses tells the elders to do as God said." (Guzik)

Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them: The elders were expected to lead the way. Moses instructed them to observe the Passover, knowing the rest of the nation would follow.

What is the scriptural significance of hyssop?

Take a bunch of hyssop: They used hyssop to apply the blood to the doorposts and the lintel. Through the Scriptures, hyssop was often used to apply blood for the cleansing of sin.

a. In Leviticus 14:6, the ceremony for the cleansing of a leper used hyssop to apply blood. In Numbers 19:6 hyssop was used for to make the ashes of a red heifer for the water of purification. In Numbers 19:18 hyssop was used to apply the purification water.

b. David, in his great Psalm of repentance, said purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Psalm 51:7). Hyssop was always connected with purification through sacrifice.

c. Hyssop was even connected with Jesus’ great sacrifice for sin. John 19:29 points out when Jesus was offered sour wine to drink on the cross, the sponge soaked with it was put on a bunch of hyssop.

How are we spared from God's wrath? Through faith in Jesus!

1. When He sees the blood…the Lord will pass over: The Lord looked for blood. This blood sacrifice was the basis for sparing people from judgment.

a. Rescue from the angel of death didn’t happen by a prayer or a fasting or a good work; it was accomplished by a life given on behalf of others.

b. "Now as long as you were in the house where the blood was applied, you were safe. If you went out of the house then you were no longer safe. The only place of safety is in Jesus Christ. He said, "Abide in Me, and let My words abide in you. And if any man abide not in Me, he is cut off like a branch withers and dies, and men gather them and throw them into the fire. Abide in Me" (John 15:4,7). He emphasized the importance of abiding in Him." (Smith)

2. not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you: "Now it is interesting to me that Satan is called the destroyer in the book of Revelation. I do believe that Satan is bent upon destroying people. I do believe that God does put limitations upon what Satan can do. I believe that Satan operates only within certain boundaries that have been prescribed for him by God. We often make a mistake of thinking that Satan is the opposite of God. He is not at all an opposite of God. In no way is he an opposite of God. Satan would more apt to be an opposite of Michael or Gabriel, angels of God. That is not an opposite of God. He opposes God, but is not the opposite of God. Because his power is so limited, his authority is so limited, he only works within the limits that God describes and defines for him. I believe that if it weren't for God's protecting hand, Satan would've already wiped all of us out. He's bent on our destruction. I believe that God restrains him." (Smith)

“And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’“ Exodus 12:24-27a

The Passover as an enduring ordinance for the Jew and the Christian.

1. An ordinance for you and your sons forever: The deliverance of Passover was not only for them, but also for their children, and all generations to follow. Passover was the greatest work of redemption performed on the Old Testament side of the cross.

i. In the same way Jesus gave the new Passover, saying that His work on the cross was not only for that generation, but should be remembered and applied to all generations (Luke 22:14-20).

2. When He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households: In Passover, there was a two-fold work. First, an enemy was defeated (He struck the Egyptians). Second, God’s people were set free and given a new identity, with new promises, a new walk, a new life altogether (delivered our households).

So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. Exodus 12:27b-28

"The obedience of the people." (Guzik)

1. So the people bowed their heads and worshipped: Rightfully, the immediate reaction of Israel to this announcement (before it actually happened) was worship. They honored the God who said He would do all this for them.

2. Then the children of Israel went away and did so: In many ways these were the most important words of the whole account. As great as God’s deliverance was, the people would have never received it if they had failed to do what God told them to do.

a. We wonder if any Israelites suffered under the judgment of the firstborn because they did not believe and obey. We wonder if any Egyptians were spared judgment because they did believe and obey.

 

[Helscream]

I have listened to Dave for many years now. T.A. McMahon (Dave's ministry partner and best-friend) was at my church in October, and said Dave is now in hospice care.

T.A. McMahon was at my church to do a conference on the great apostasy going on in the church right now (a prophecy that is being fulfilled in our day). Here are all of the studies and Q/A from the conference.

10/14/2012 - Apostasy and Its Antidote by T.A. McMahon
10/14/2012 - Temporal Delusion by T.A. McMahon
10/14/2012 - Extra Biblical Information by T.A. McMahon
10/14/2012 - Questions and Answers with T.A. McMahon

Neat. I will have to check this out.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

In the trinity, where does the 'holy ghost' come from? What does it mean? Does it relate to the resurrection?

 

[speculawyer]

In the trinity, where does the 'holy ghost' come from? What does it mean? Does it relate to the resurrection?

Who knows? I could never make sense of it.

But "the trinity" is not in the Bible and it is just some later created doctrine in order make Christianity into a monotheism as far as I can tell. There is god . . . then you have Jesus but he is divine but if he is separate then it is not monotheism, so call them the same, oh and there is this 'holy spirit', well add him too. 3 'persons' but 1 god. Go Figure.

 

[Helscream]

Who knows? I could never make sense of it.

But "the trinity" is not in the Bible and it is just some later created doctrine in order make Christianity into a monotheism as far as I can tell. There is god . . . then you have Jesus but he is divine but if he is separate then it is not monotheism, so call them the same, oh and there is this 'holy spirit', well add him too. 3 'persons' but 1 god. Go Figure.

Actually the Trinity can be found in the old testament.

Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
From the time that it was, I was there.
And now the Lord God and His Spirit
Have sent Me.”

Isaiah 48:16

If you understand the context. You can derive that you have one important person/entity speaking, and the entity/person speaks of two other important entities/persons. If God the Father is mention as well as God the Holy Spirit. Then clearly the the one speaking is none other than God the Son (Jesus). The "Lord God" and "His Spirit" as well as "I" have been clearly distinguished to have a sense of individuality in the context of the passage.

Proverbs 30:4 as well as the entire passage of Psalms 2 bring more light to the subject.

The easiest most simplistic answer I can give you to explain The Trinity would be similar to how the Bible speaks of the union between man and woman. You have a man and woman (both have a distinguished sense of individuality) yet when they marry and establish their covenant the two become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). In marriage they have become one with each other in wholeness yet still sustain individuality simultaneously.

You can find a direct description of The Trinity being one.

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

1 John 5:7

You have three entities that have distinguished individuality and purpose yet are one simultaneously.

 

[speculawyer]

Actually the Trinity can be found in the old testament.

Isaiah 48:16

If you understand the context. You can derive that you have one important person/entity speaking, and the entity/person speaks of two other important entities/persons. If God the Father is mention as well as God the Holy Spirit. Then clearly the the one speaking is none other than God the Son (Jesus). The "Lord God" and "His Spirit" as well as "I" have been clearly distinguished to have a sense of individuality in the context of the passage.

Proverbs 30:4 as well as the entire passage of Psalms 2 bring more light to the subject.

The easiest most simplistic answer I can give you to explain The Trinity would be similar to how the Bible speaks of the union between man and woman. You have a man and woman (both have a distinguished sense of individuality) yet when they marry and establish their covenant the two become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). In marriage they have become one with each other in wholeness yet still sustain individuality simultaneously.

That is what you and others 'derive' from the Bible as a trinity. Fine. But there is no Trinity specifically mentioned in the Bible.

Edit: Also, the Jews, not recognizing Christ as divine, probably disagree with there being any trinity in their Bible (Old Testament)

You can find a direct description of The Trinity being one.

1 John 5:7

You have three entities that have distinguished individuality and purpose yet are one simultaneously.

That is something that was added by scribes in the middle ages. It is not in the original (Greek) version of John.

 

[Helscream]

That is what you and others 'derive' from the Bible as a trinity. Fine. But there is no Trinity specifically mentioned in the Bible.

This kind of logic doesn't work. That is the equivalent of saying;

"Well because the Bible doesn't mentioned toothpaste of toilet paper....."

That are many many passages that support and proof the existence of the Trinity. Whether
the passages mentions the three in one passage or where each individual entity is specified. Whether the passage speak of YHWH (God), Ruach HaKadesh (Holy Spirit), or the Messiah (Jesus). These three figures in the old and new testament are put on a platform equal to God himself. Yet are given distinguishable identities and purpose.

Edit: Also, the Jews, not recognizing Christ as divine, probably disagree with there being any trinity in their Bible (Old Testament)

I am well aware some Jews reject Jesus. That doesn't mean they do not believe in the trinity. This does not believe they reject the idea of a Messiah. The whole obsession with Monotheism amongst the Jews did not come around till around several hundred years after Christ. It really begin with Talmudic Judaism which follow the Takanot (Oral Torah) which actually completely contradicts their Torah/Tanakh (Old Testament). So yes this sect of Jews would reject it completely. Where as Jews who are Karaite Jews (Jews that solely rely on the written scriptures and reject the Oral Torah) are aware of there being a
trinity in existence. Then you have Messianic Jews that believe in Jesus. So you are going to have a hard time to confine are Jews under one ideology.

That is something that was added by scribes in the middle ages. It is not in the original (Greek) version of John.

This stems from Translations like the NIV which uses the Westcott and Hort text to translate the bible. Just because the text is older doesn't not mean it is the most accurate.

Translation like the Kings James Bible using the reliable and accurate Textus Receptus. When you take the King James Bible and compare to old Hebrew/Greek translations there is over a 95% total accuracy. The 5% error doesn't not effect doctrine and are really words that have some effect, but doctrine is ultimately maintained. An Example would be instead of using the word "Cherubim" the word "Beast", "Living Beast", "Living Creature" is used.

Bruce Metzger from Princeton said that after taking the 20,000 lines from the New Testament it is safe to say there is a 99.6% accuracy. No other ancient document has the documentary support that the Bible has. And this "Westcott and Hort" text which is suppose to be "more accurate" and "older" actually conflicts with the over 5000 ancient documents that are more in line with Textus Receptus.

Websites like these give a comparison of the two translations.

http://gloryriders.com/KJV.html

Translations like the NIV will remove or severely alter passages like 1 John 5:7.

 

[Chaplain]

And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Exodus 12:29-30

"The final plague: the death of Egypt’s firstborn." (Guzik)

The Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: God told Moses that Pharaoh would not let them go until he was forced to by God’s mighty works (Exodus 3:19-20), and that this work would somehow touch the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus 4:21-23). Now the situation unfolded just as God said it would.

a. To the first born of captive who was in the dungeon: Dungeon is “Literally, the ‘pit-house’. Pits were a common prison. Here the opposite to pharaoh is not the ‘mill girl’, but the prisoner of war in the dungeon.” (Cole)

Which Egyptian gods was the final plague directed at?

All the firstborn in the land of Egypt: This plague was directed against two significant Egyptian gods. First, Osiris was the Egyptian god thought to be the giver of life. Second, this was against the supposed deity of Pharaoh himself, because his own household was touched (the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne).

a. An inscription was found in a shrine connected with the great Sphinx that records a solemn promise from the Egyptian gods vowing that Thutmose IV would succeed his father Amenhotep II - whom many believe to be the pharaoh of the Exodus. This unique, emphatic promise from the gods that something so natural would happen – that the eldest son would take his father’s place as Pharaoh – was perhaps because Thutmose IV was not his father’s firstborn son, and the firstborn was struck dead at the first Passover. Therefore, they believed that the second born son needed special protection from the gods and the inscription sought to provide that.

Pharaoh suffers for his evil choices.

So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt: In dealing with Pharaoh, God first had to inform his mind, and then break his will. Pharaoh’s problem wasn’t that there was insufficient intellectual evidence; his heart had to be broken and made soft towards God.

a. Egypt and Pharaoh would not give God His firstborn - Israel (Exodus 4:22-23); so God took the firstborn of Egypt. Finally, Pharaoh knew that the Lord God was greater than all the Egyptian gods, and was greater than Pharaoh himself - who was thought to be a god.

b. A great cry in Egypt: Israel cried to God for deliverance (Exodus 2:23), and they cried to Pharaoh from relief (Exodus 5:15). Now the Egyptians had reason to cry.

Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Exodus 12:31-36

Pharaoh commands the Jews to leave Egypt.

Rise, go out from among my people: Pharaoh didn’t simply allow Israel to leave; now he commanded them to go. This was just what the Lord told Moses would happen: When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether (Exodus 11:1).

Why does Pharaoh ask for God's blessing?

Bless me also: This shows that now, Pharaoh knew who the Lord was, the God who was greater than Pharaoh and whom Pharaoh must seek for blessing. Pharaoh only came to this knowledge through being broken.

The Egyptians tell the Jews to leave Egypt.

Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste…they plundered the Egyptians: The Egyptian people also agreed that the Israelites must go, to the extent that they essentially paid the Israelites to leave. Therefore, the children of Israel left in a hurry, so quickly that there was no time to let the bread rise. This is why they had to eat unleavened bread as the Lord had commanded.

a. We can imagine that some of the Israelites did not follow God’s instruction to get all the leaven out (Exodus 12:15). Now because of the haste of their departure they had to do what God had told them because God arranged the circumstances so that they couldn’t use leaven.

b. In the same way, sometimes God arranges circumstances to where obedience is simply made necessary, even if we would not normally choose it. For example, God may want a man to give up friends that bring a bad influence and the man finds that his friends leave him first.

Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds; a great deal of livestock. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves. Exodus 12:37-39

The Jews leave Egypt.

1. The children of Israel journeyed: This was the moment all the previous chapters of Exodus anticipated. Israel was now free, and Pharaoh and his armies did not hold them back as they traveled from their center of Rameses to Succoth.

i. Since Succoth means shelters, it may not describe a temporary encampment instead of an existing Egyptian city. It’s easy to imagine the celebrations (and tension) at Succoth that night.

2. About six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children: Assembling together at Succoth, about 600,000 men (besides children or women) left Egypt. The count of six hundred thousand men makes for a total population of perhaps two million that left Egypt for the Promised Land.

a. Cole discusses a few ideas that would make the number 600,000 much less, such as saying that thousand really means clan and that 600 extended family-clans left Egypt. Even so, “By the time they reached Canaan they were certainly a sizable horde (to use the historian’s term), to judge from the archaeological impact on Canaanite civilization.” (Cole)

b. “All attempts to explain elep (‘thousand’) as ‘clan’ or ‘tribe’ in this context fail to meet the test of inconsistency in other contexts.” (Kaiser)

3. A mixed multitude went up with them: Not all of the 600,000 were Israelites. Many Egyptians (and perhaps other foreigners) went with them, because the God of Israel demonstrated that He was more powerful that the gods of the Egyptians.

a. Mixed multitude: “The Hebrew says ‘swarm’, from the same root as that used in 8:21 to describe the plague of gadflies.” (Cole)

b. Mixed multitude: "Now this mixed multitude, it seems they're always hanging on with the people of God, but a mixed multitude are always a weakening element among the people of God. This mixed multitude later on got them into trouble. In Numbers we read where, "The mixed multitude began to lust after the things of Egypt, began to complain unto Moses" (Numbers 11:4). A mixed multitude is always an unhealthy thing within the body, but it is always there. Whenever God is doing a marvelous work and gathering His people together, and there comes a real excitement over the things of God, a genuine revival of the Spirit; there are always just a certain number who just come along for the ride, who have not made a true commitment of their own lives. They are part of a mixed multitude. They're not really totally God's people; they're mixed. They find an excitement, they find it's fun to be around, they find that it's an interesting thing, but there is not a true heart commitment unto God. The mixed multitude always a danger." (Smith)

4. It was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait: Again, God made obedience a necessity in the case of the unleavened bread.

Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day; it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations. Exodus 12:40-42

God delivered the Jews from Egypt on the very day they had been in Egypt 430 years.

At the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day: Apparently the Exodus from Egypt began on the same calendar day as the 430th anniversary of Israel’s time in Egypt. It’s remarkable evidence that God often fulfills promises on anniversaries of prior or prophesied events.

"Passover as a solemn observance." (Guzik)

1. It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt: God intended this event to be as a memorial of His redemptive work for Israel. In this sense, the deliverance from Egypt was the cross-like event of the Old Testament.

2. Out from the land of Egypt: The phrase out of Egypt is repeated 56 times in the Bible after this point. God wanted His people to remember His deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” Exodus 12:43-49

God's regulations for Passover.

1. No foreigner shall eat it: To share in the Passover, one had to make themselves part of the people of Israel. Receiving the covenant of circumcision and taking Passover were all part of the same package.

a. "Now if a person wanted to proselytize into the Jewish faith, there were three things that were necessary. Number one, baptism; number two, circumcision; and number three, the partaking of Passover. And until you had gone through these three things, you were not really considered a Jew. But if you wanted to proselytize into their faith, and into their nation, these are the things that were required." (Smith)

2. In one house it shall be eaten: Passover was commemorated on a family level. Each household celebrated it.

3. Nor shall you break one of its bones: None of the bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. This looked forward to Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb, who had not one bone broken even in His crucifixion (Psalm 22:17 and John 19:31-36).

4. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it: All who were part of Israel had to commemorate the Passover redemption. You couldn’t be part of God’s people and not share in Passover.

a. In this sense, Passover means all this and more to Christians: Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies. Exodus 12:50-51

"Departure from Egypt: the Exodus begins." (Guzik)

1. Thus all the children of Israel did: Israel kept the commandments of God that Moses delivered. Their faith and obedience saved their firstborn, plundered the Egyptians, and set them free from Egypt.

2. The Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt: When Israel left Egypt, it was a nation born in a day. It was as if the 430 years were a time of gestation when the baby grew large. The plagues were like labor pains before birth and now the nation was born.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.” Exodus 13:1

What does "Consecrate" mean?

Consecrate to Me: The idea was that the firstborn was to be set apart to God, whether of man or beast - the firstborn belonged to God.

a. “Consecrate could either mean ‘sacrifice’ or merely ‘consider as belonging to God’. Instances of both meanings could be found in the Pentateuch.” (Cole)

b. “Not that the rest were exempt, but the first-born were, like the Sabbath day and the first ears of corn, a pledge of the dedication of the whole nation.” (Thomas)

Three reasons the firstborn belonged to God.

It is Mine: This was for three reasons. First, because Israel was God’s firstborn (Exodus 4:22), and this practice honored that fact. Second, because the firstborn was thought to be the best, and the best was always given to God. Finally, as a reminder to all generations of when God redeemed Israel, His firstborn from Egypt.

a. “Israel had been saved through the destruction of Egypt’s first-born, and now they were required to dedicate their own first-born as a constant memorial of their deliverance.” (Thomas)

And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters.” Exodus 13:3-7

What principle is God teaching the Jews by not eating unleavened bread?

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread: The purity of the feast of Unleavened Bread followed upon the blood-deliverance of Passover. This illustrates the principle that we can only walk in purity before the Lord after the blood-deliverance at the cross.

God tells his people to celebrate by having a feast.

And on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord: At the same time, the days of Unleavened Bread were not joyless. The time began and ended with a feast - a party. A walk of purity in the Lord is a life filled with joy.

“And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.” Exodus 13:8-10

Where does the practice the wearing of phylacteries come from?

1. It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes: God wanted the deliverance from Egypt to be constantly at hand and before their eyes. The Jews used this passage (along with Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21) to institute the practice the wearing of phylacteries - small boxes holding parchment with scriptures on them, held to the forehead or hand with leather straps.

a. Later, Jesus condemned the abuse of the wearing of phylacteries among the Pharisees. They made their phylactery boxes large and ostentatious as a display of supposedly greater spirituality (Matthew 23:5).

b. In the end times there will be a Satanic imitation of this practice when the number of the Antichrist will be applied to either the hand or forehead of all who will take it (Revelation 13:16).

2. That the Lord’s law may be in your mouth: This shows that God did not command for literal boxes to be tied to the hands and forehead, because to take it in this way means that there should also be a phylactery box to put in the mouth.

a. “The very fact that language like this can be used of the feast of unleavened bread shows it to be pure metaphor.”

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Just a question:

Do you guys tell non-christians that you'll pray for them/etc?

EDIT: Do you consider the potential complications that might arise from you doing so?
Such as them taking offense?

 

[Chaplain]

Just a question:

Do you guys tell non-christians that you'll pray for them/etc?

Yes.

 

[Chaplain]

Do you consider the potential complications that might arise from you doing so? Such as them taking offense?

I have never met anyone taking offense. I have heard a friend of mine who is an atheist tell me that I shouldn't pray for them because they do not deserve it. But the rest of my friends who are atheists or non-Christians have said that they appreciate it when I have told them that I have prayed for them.

 

[Chaplain]

“And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ‘And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” Exodus 13:11-16

"How and why to give the firstborn to the Lord." (Guzik)

1. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites: The law of dedicating the firstborn to God (Exodus 13:1-2) was only to take effect when in the Promised Land. By then the need for a reminder of the work of deliverance from Egypt would be all the more necessary.

2. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb… And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem: If the firstborn was unacceptable to sacrifice (if it was an unclean animal or a human) a substitute was offered to redeem the firstborn from God. If the firstborn was an animal the substitute was a clean animal. If the firstborn was a human, the substitute was money.

a. “For set apart translate ‘make them pass over’ (i.e. by fire) and understand the meaning as ‘offer up as a whole burnt offering’. This is the sinister phrase which is used in 2 Kings 16:3 of Ahaz sacrificing his own son ‘to Molech’.” (Cole)

3. It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes: This practice of dedicating the firstborn to God would be a reminder through ritual of God’s great work and strong power for Israel.

a. "Now this "frontlets between your eyes and token upon your hands", you'll notice if you go over to the Wailing Wall how that the orthodox Jews when they come down, they'll wrap themselves with these little boxes that they wrap on their wrists. Then they'll wrap the strap up their arm before they go up to the wall to pray. Also, they'll wrap another little leather box there on their forehead. In these little boxes are copies of the commandments of God. So they are to bind them to their wrists, and to their forehead. It's so that the idea on their forehead, that it might be in my mind to do the will of God; on your hand that it might be on the strength of your hand to do service to the Lord. And so the idea of doing service with my hands, and my mind being upon the law of God, and my hand doing the law of God. So they do this before they pray at the wall. They'll strap themselves and it is on their hand and on the frontlet, on their forehead, that it might be signifying, really, the mind to do the will of God, and the hand to do the work of God." (Smith)

Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 13:17-18

The reason God took the Jews a different way then passing through Philistine country.

God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near: The coastal route (the Via Maris, known as “the way of the sea”) was the shortest and most common way to go from Egypt to Canaan. Yet it was also the road where Egypt’s military outposts were. God knew the people of Israel were not ready to face this yet (lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt), so He led them a different way.

a. It would have been easy for the Israelites to think that the Via Maris was the way to go; it had good, easy roads, the shortest distance, it was a trade route so food and water could be bought. But the dangers of the way were too great, though they could not see them. God anticipated dangers they could not see.

b. In the same way, God will never allow us to face more than we are able to bear; He knows what we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). “He carefully chose their way out of Egypt; not the nearer, but the safer. He tempts not above what we are able: but so orders the matter, that evils are not ready for us until we for them.” (Trapp)

c. "So the wilderness experience is necessary in order that they might have the experiences of trusting in God, learning what it is to have faith in God, learning the power of God. So that when they did finally come into the land and face the enemies, they would have great confidence and faith in God to deliver the land into their hands. So we find the wilderness experiences are experiences where they are learning how that God can meet their needs no matter what they be. That God is sufficient to take care of their needs, and how that God will answer and will respond to their prayers and to their needs." (Smith)

d. “The nation delivered and consecrated is seen at once as under the direct government and guidance of God.” (Morgan)

The first mention in the Bible of the Red Sea.

By way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: The Red Sea first mentioned here is not the huge expanse of the Red Sea (some 100 miles wide), but the western “finger” of the Red Sea that extends up unto the border areas of Egypt - the modern day Gulf of Suez.

And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” Exodus 13:19

Joseph's promise is finally fulfilled.

1. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: In a great act of faith Joseph asked that his bones be taken from Egypt (Genesis 50:25). He did this because he knew that Egypt was not their final resting place, but that God had a Promised Land for them.

2. God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you: Genesis 50:25-26 says specifically that Joseph was never buried. His coffin laid above ground for the four hundred or so years until it was taken back to Canaan. It was a silent witness all those years that Israel was going back to the Promised Land, just as God had promise. Now the promise was being fulfilled.

So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. Exodus 13:20-22

Why did God lead the Jews by day with a pillar of cloud, and at night with a pillar of fire?

1. The Lord went before them: God showed His presence to Israel in a dramatic way, by giving them constant assurance, with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

a. The pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night was also there as a sun and a shield: He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night (Psalm 105:39); or as it says in Psalm 84:11: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

b. “The exact location of Etham is unknown.” (Kaiser)

2. A pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light: According to Cole, the ancient Hebrew for pillar literally means “something standing.” It was probably more of what we would think of as a column than a pillar.

a. “This was the Shechinah or Divine dwelling place, and was the continual proof of the presence and protection of God.” (Clarke)

3. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people: Israel could draw great assurance from this visible evidence of God’s presence. Nevertheless, there were still many occasions after this when they seemed to doubt, to rebel, and to act as if God was distant.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. Exodus 14:1-4

"God draws Pharaoh to come out against Israel." (Guzik)

1. You shall camp before it by the sea: We could say that God set an ambush for Pharaoh. Even after the horror of the death of the firstborn, the change in Pharaoh’s heart was only temporary (he will pursue them). He was quick to strike at Israel when he had the chance.

2. They are bewildered by the land: This was exactly what God wanted Pharaoh to believe. God told Moses to lead Israel in a way that looked confused. God told Moses and Israel to do something that look confused because God would gain honor over Pharaoh through it.

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. Exodus 14:5-9

What lesson is God trying to teach us with Pharaoh going after the Jews after he had promised to let them go?

1. Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? This was a strange question for Pharaoh to ask. It wasn’t difficult to think of at least ten good reasons - namely, ten powerful plagues - why Pharaoh let Israel go. This demonstrates how we are often quick to forget what God has done and demonstrated.

a. Perhaps Pharaoh thought that plagues were the limit of God’s power; that now he could successfully strike against Israel.

b. There is an analogy in this to the spiritual life. We sometimes think that Satan will let us go easily, or we think that that once we leave his kingdom he forgets about us. Yet just like Pharaoh after Israel, Satan pursues us, attempting to keep us at least on the fringes of his domain and hoping to destroy us if he can.

c. Made ready his chariot: “This is not merely his personal chariot. The meaning is probably ‘his chariotry’, a collective.” (Cole)

2. Six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt: Pharaoh had the best military resources. Chariots were the most sophisticated military technology available at that time. Israel had nothing except that the children of Israel went out with boldness.

a. The idea behind the Hebrew words with boldness (ruwn yad) includes the idea of rebellion against authority (1 Kings 11:26-27). The rebellious nature of Israel was good when it was against Pharaoh and all it stood for; it was bad when it was against the Lord, Moses, and all they stood for. The trouble with most rebels is that they rebel against the wrong things.

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:10-12

After all of the miracles God had done in Egypt, the Jews are still afraid.

They were very afraid: It made sense for Israel to be afraid. They could see Pharaoh’s armies on one side and the Red Sea on the other. They seemed to have no chance for escape.

a. God led Israel into what seemed to be a trap. There was no way of escape except the way they had come in, and the Egyptian army had that path blocked.

b. “Humanly speaking, they might easily overcome the unarmed and encumbered Israelites, who could not be supposed to be able to make any resistance against cavalry and war-chariots.” (Clarke)

c. “There were no two ways to choose from: they could not miss the way, for they must needs march through the sea. No room for wandering remained: their road was walled up and they could not miss it.” (Spurgeon)

What we should all do when we are afraid.

The children of Israel cried out to the Lord: Israel did the right thing. When we find ourselves in dangerous places with no easy escape, we must cry out to God, because God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

a. “The panic of the people is hardly to be wondered at when we think of their circumstances.” (Morgan)

b. "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you." (Psalm 56:3)

The Jews' fears turn into complaints against God and Moses.

1. Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Their fear, and their cry to the Lord made sense. Yet their words to Moses showed little faith and a loss of confidence in God. No reasonable mind could really think that Moses planned all this to lead the people of Israel to their deaths in the wilderness.

a. Moses said or did nothing that would support such an accusation, but the children of Israel still thought this way.

b. “They mocked in the most satirical tone possible (since Egypt specialized in graves and had about three-fourths of its land are available for grave sites).” (Kaiser)

2. Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians: Israel was not yet a week out of Egypt and they already distorted the past, thinking that it was better for them in Egypt than it really was.

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13-14

Moses responds and says not to be afraid.

Do not be afraid: At this point, Moses had no idea how God would help them in the situation. All he knew was God certainly would help. In a sense, Moses knew he was in such a bad situation that God had to come through.

a. When we see that our only help is God, we are more likely to trust Him. Sometimes it is the little things - the things we think we can do in our own strength - that get us down, not the big things that we know only God can do.

What is the solution to despair, fear, impatience, and presumptions?

Stand still: Moses told the people of Israel to stop. This is often the Lord’s direction to the believer in a time of crisis. Despair will cast you down, keeping you from standing. Fear will tell you to retreat. Impatience will tell you to do something now. Presumption will tell you to jump into the Red Sea before it is parted. Yet as God told Israel He often tells us to simply stand still and hold your peace as He reveals His plan.

Moses reminds the Jews to focus on God and not the obstacle.

See the salvation of the Lord: Moses didn’t know what God would do. Yet he knew what the result would be. He knew that God would save His people and that the enemies of the Lord would be destroyed. He could say to Israel, “the Lord will fight for you.”

a. “Salvation is used here in its literal sense of saving life, or of victory instead of defeat in war. As the Old Testament moves on, ‘salvation’ will gain a more spiritual and less material sense (Psalm 51:12), although the Hebrew was not conscious of any sharp contrast between the two.” (Cole)

2. You shall see them no more forever: The idea behind this implies much more than at first look. Moses perhaps spoke in terms of eternity as well as their present time.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:15-18

"God’s instructions to Moses: stop praying and start doing." (Guzik)

1. Why do you cry to Me? Before the people, Moses was full of faith; before God he cried out in desperate prayer. This was good because Moses had to show confidence before the nation to encourage their faith.

2. Why do you cry to Me? There is a time to pray, and a time to act. It can actually be against God’s will to stop doing and to only pray in a particular situation. This was a time for action, and Moses could pray along the way.

a. “There is a time for praying, but there is also a time for holy activity. Prayer is adapted for almost every season, yet not prayer alone, for there comes, every now and then, a time when even prayer must take a secondary place.” (Spurgeon)

b. “There is something more to be done than to pray. We must not only crave God’s help, but be forward in the course whereby to make way for God’s help.” (Trapp)

c. “There is a favourite sin, of which he has long been guilty; he does not give it up, but he says that he will pray about it. God says to such a man, ‘ “Where fore criest thou unto me?” Give up thy sin; this is not a matter for thee to pray about, but to repent of.’ The man says, “I was asking for repentance.” Ask, if thou wilt, for repentance, but exercise it as well.” (Spurgeon)

d. "Now Moses assured the people, then he started crying unto God. "Don't be afraid, stand still. See the salvation of the Lord. Those Egyptians? You're never gonna see them again. God's gonna fight for you, now you just hold your peace." Then he gets in, "Oh God", you know. "What are we gonna do?" I like this. The Lord said, "Hey, why are you crying unto Me?" "Well, I'll tell you why I'm crying to you. I'm in trouble. We're in a trap." But God said, "Wherefore criest thou unto me?" In other words, there's a time to move. There's a time for action. There's a time when we get off of our knees and start moving. God has a time to pray for sure. But then there's also the time when we need to start moving. That's what God said, "Hey wherefore criest thou unto Me? Get moving. Now's the time that you need to be moving." (Smith)

3. Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand: These were simple instructions connected to a mighty miracle. In the same manner, the greatest miracle of salvation happens with simple actions on our part. As the rod of Moses did not actually perform the miracle, so we do not save ourselves with what we do, but we connect with God’s saving miracle.

a. “Neither Moses nor his rod could be any effective instrument in a work which could be accomplished only by the omnipotence of God; but it was necessary that he should appear in it, in order that he might have credit in the sight of the Israelites, and that they might see that God had chosen him to be the instrument of their deliverance.” (Clarke)

How God uses our lives and our problems to point people to Him.

Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord: God was not finished answering Pharaoh’s question from Exodus 5:2, when Pharaoh asked “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” God used the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea to speak to Egypt as much as He used it to speak to Israel.

a. This is an aspect of the spiritual life rarely reflected upon, yet Ephesians 3:10-11 tell us that God uses His people to teach angelic beings. When God delivers us from a temptation or crisis, it is as much a testimony to our invisible adversaries as it is to us. God uses each victory in our life to tell our unseen enemies of His power and ability to work in and through frail humanity.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Thread needs a title change, methinks.

 

[Emitan]

who can guess who has the most posts in this thread

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Le top ten:

Game Analyst 587
JGS 331
OttomanScribe 106
Fernando Rocker 93
TaeOH 89
ivedoneyourmom 75
Dunk#7 70
ClovingWestbrook 68
Shanadeus 62
Herpes Reasons 58

 

[Mario]

Just a question:

Do you guys tell non-christians that you'll pray for them/etc?

EDIT: Do you consider the potential complications that might arise from you doing so?
Such as them taking offense?

I say this as an atheist - I think it really depends on the context of your sentiment. Most people aren't going to mind if you say "I'll pray for you" after learning they are facing a hardship or loss. For the most part, people should just see it as similar to "My thoughts are with you" and other sentiments of support, and won't read into it further than that.

If you are saying "I'll pray for you" in response to some revelation about their lifestyle i.e. "I'm an atheist", "I'm muslim", "I'm gay", "I'm living with my girlfriend out of wedlock", then that is likely (and IMO rightly) going to come across as judgmental and condescending because it is tantamount to saying "You are going to Hell".

If you are just throwing it out there for no reason e.g. at the end of a conversation as you are parting, you'll probably just confuse people and have them wondering what you think is wrong.

Of course, everybody is different and many will react differently than the above.

 

[Chaplain]

And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Exodus 14:19-20

"God neutralizes the Egyptian army with the fire." (Guzik)

1. And the Angel of God…moved and went behind them: God sent both a specially commissioned Angel and the pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21-22) as a barrier between Israel and the pursuing Egyptian army. God protected Israel from the Egyptian attack until a way was made through the Red Sea.

a. We often have little idea how much God does to protect us from the attacks of our unseen enemies. We sometimes feel that we are overwhelmed in a present spiritual struggle, but we may not know what it would be like if the Lord pulled back His protection.

2. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel: The Egyptians didn’t know it, but the same pillar that prevented their pursuit of Israel also protected their lives, at least for a while. If they had submitted to the Lord who blocked their way with His presence, they would have been spared their coming destruction.

"A vivid picture of how the glory of God or work of God can be light to one person yet seem dark to another." (Guzik)

Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other: The pillar was a source of darkness to the Egyptians but a source of light to Israel.

a. “Thus the double nature of the glory of God in salvation and judgment, which later appears so frequently in Scripture, could not have been more graphically depicted.” (Kaiser)

b. The word of God has a dark side to sinners; as do also the gospel and even Jesus Himself. As Paul wrote, "Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume." (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

c. "To those who choose to walk in darkness because they love darkness rather than light (John 3:19), the Bible is confusing. But to those who seek to walk in the light (1 John 1:7), it is a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path (Psalm 119:105)." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (277). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Exodus 14:21-22

Where is the location of the Red Sea?

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea: Other passages (such as Exodus 13:18 and 15:14 identify this body of water as the Red Sea. The Hebrew phrase for Red Sea is yam suph, which clearly means “Reed Sea.” Scholars and archaeologists have attempted for years to positively identify this body of water.

a. “The term aptly describes the lake region north of the Gulf of Suez comprising the Bitter Lakes and Lake Timsah. It is possible that the Israelites went along the narrow neck of land on which Baal-zephon stood and that the Biblical Sea of Reeds was modern Lake Sirbonis. We are certain that the crossing was in this area because the Israelites found themselves in the Wilderness of Shur after crossing the sea (Exod. 15:22).” (Pfeiffer)

b. We don’t know exactly where the place was, and what the exact geography was. This is especially true because an area like this will change geography every flood or drought season. We do know there was enough water there to trap the Israelites and to later drown the Egyptians. We can surmise that this was perhaps 10 feet of water or so. We also can surmise that there was enough width in the crossing for the large group of Israelites to cross over in one night.

c. Much recent research has proposed an alternative route for the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, one that sets Mount Sinai in the Arabian Peninsula instead of the Sinai Peninsula. This alternative route puts the crossing at the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba, instead of at the Bitter Lakes, the Port of Suez, or the Gulf of Suez. At the Gulf of Aqaba, crossings have been suggested at the northern tip (at Ezion Geber), in the middle (at Nuweiba Beach), or at the southern end (at the Straits of Tiran).

Is the parting of the Red Sea scientifically possible?

The Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided: Some believe this is simply an ancient legend and did not actually happen. However, modern research has demonstrated that it was completely plausible, according to a Los Angeles Times article by Thomas H. Maugh titled “Research Supports Bible’s Account of Red Sea Parting” (3/14/92):

a. “Sophisticated computer calculations indicate that the biblical parting of the Red Sea, said to have allowed Moses and the Israelites to escape from bondage in Egypt, could have occurred precisely as the Bible describes it. Because of the peculiar geography of the northern end of the Red Sea, researchers report Sunday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, a moderate wind blowing constantly for about 10 hours could have caused the sea to recede about a mile and the water level to drop 10 feet, leaving dry land in the area where many biblical scholars believe the crossing occurred.”

b. It’s important to note that this research does not prove that the crossing of the Red Sea happened at any particular place speculated on in the research; only that natural phenomenon exists, which God may have used to part the waters and allow Israel an exit from the Egyptian army. Even if God used natural phenomenon, it was still a great miracle.

c. “An infidel may deny the revelation in toto, and from such we expect nothing better; but to hear those who profess to believe this to be a Divine revelation endeavoring to prove that the passage of the Red Sea had nothing miraculous in it, is really intolerable. Such a mode of interpretation requires a miracle to make itself credible. Poor infidelity! how miserable and despicable are thy shifts!” (Clarke)

d. "You say, "Oh, I can't believe that." Well I feel sorry for you. Just how big is your god anyhow? You know I feel sorry for people that have to make excuses for God and say, "Well it was really the Sea of Reeds, and it's really very shallow. It's only a foot or so deep. Many times the strong winds will actually drive the sea back, and there are portions that you can cross that sea because it's at the best two or three feet at the worst. And so it was just the Sea of Reeds, the shallow marshy pond, and they were able to cross it. You see it really wasn't a miracle at all. God really didn't heap up the waters on both sides as He said. It was just a shallow little marshy pond that they passed through. My, what a marvelous miracle that God could drown a whole Egyptian army in a shallow, marshy pond. One way or another you've got to face a miracle in this story. You can't get away from it. It's there. Now I'd rather just believe it like it's written. Just believe it like God said. God's big enough. I have no problem with the power of God, the greatness of God. And as I told you, God is going to teach them now to trust in Him. But the first thing He has to teach them is that He can make a way when there is no way." (Smith)

e. "Now I want you to look at this thing again. They're in a trap, very definitely in a trap. Why are they in the trap? Because God led them in the trap. God said to Moses, "All right, turn on down here towards Baalzephon." It was God who led Moses and the children of Israel into the trap. God deliberately led them into a trap in order that He might manifest unto them His power of delivering them out of the trap, delivering them when there is no way of deliverance. God can make a way where there is no way. Now many times in our lives, God leads us into impossible situations. Where we look to the right and the left, we see the mountains on both sides; we see the enemy behind and we say, "Oh woe is me. I'd have been better off if I'd stayed back there and died in slavery than to die out here in the wilderness. There's no way out of this. There's nothing we can do. Everything is gone. Oh there's no hope." We feel like God leads us into these places of just total desperation and desolation. There's just nothing to do, in order that He might demonstrate unto us that He has resources we know nothing about. That He can make a way for us when there is no way. It's marvelous to be led by God because God will never lead you into anything that He won't lead you and provide the way out. "There is no temptation taken unto you but what is common with all men, and God with the temptation will provide the way of escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13). "I can't see any way out. I don't know where to go. I don't know where to turn. I'm surrounded. The outlook is dark. I look behind me and there's the enemy. I look beside me and there are the mountains. I look in front of me and there's the Red Sea." Hey, don't give up. Don't despair; look up. When the outlook gets impossible, try the "up look". Now God has led them into the trap, and now God is gonna lead them out. Takes the cloud that's been leading them, moves behind them, and the Egyptians get lost in the fog, while God is doing His work out here. He parts the Red Sea, and by the pillar of fire, all night long the children of Israel walked through the Red Sea. The wall of water, walled up on either side of them, as they walk through the path that God has created; for God makes a way where there is no way." (Smith)

Did anything else happen while the Jews crossed the Red Sea?

The waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left: Psalm 77:16-20 gives more detail in the description of the course of events during the Red Sea crossing. It poetically describes how it rained, thundered, and struck lightning at the crossing of the Red Sea.

And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. Exodus 14:23-28

"God troubles the Egyptian army, and they are drowned." (Guzik)

1. He took off their chariot wheels: God miraculously worked on the side of Israel against the Egyptians. He troubled the army of the Egyptians until Israel had crossed over the Red Sea. Only then did He allow the Egyptian army to continue their pursuit through the parted waters.

2. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea: Though some also regard this as simply an ancient legend, modern research again shows it is completely possible.

a. Thomas H. Maugh continued in his Los Angeles Times article: “An abrupt change in the wind would have allowed the waters to come crashing back into the area in a few moments, a phenomenon that the Bible says inundated the Israelites’ pursuers.”

Did God or Moses perform the miracle?

1. Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians: God told Moses to do something with his hand connected with the motion of the sea. We know that it was not really the power of Moses’ hand that held back the sea or allowed it to come crashing back upon the Egyptian army. It was the power of God at work.

a. God could have performed this miracle just as easily without Moses’ cooperation. Yet, God often uses people to take part in His miraculous works. We can say that many miraculous works of God are yet to be done because no person has stepped forth to be the one who will stretch out their hand.

b. In addition, this was God’s vindication of Moses. Israel previously accused him of the lowest of motivations, and the most evil state of heart (Exodus 14:10-12). With this work through Moses God showed the whole nation that Moses was their chosen leader.

2. Not so much as one of them remained: The deliverance at the Red Sea became a turning point in Israel’s history. In this era of Israel’s history they had many troubles ahead but Pharaoh and the Egyptians never troubled them again.

But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses. Exodus 14:29-31

God proves to the Jews that they are finally free from the Egyptians.

Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore: This was confirmation to Israel that their deliverance from Egypt was real and complete. An oppressed people are slow to believe they are free while their tyrants still live. God wanted Israel to know that their oppressors were dead.

a. “This is a very graphic touch, an eye-witness account. The drowned Egyptian soldiers stand for an old way of life in slavery, now gone for ever. Somehow the sight of those dead bodies was the concrete sign that salvation and a new life for Israel were now assured.” (Cole)

b. This principle applies to the day-to-day struggles of life. “Though the pressure of your trial is almost unbearable, you will one day see your Egyptian dead.” (Meyer)

c. This principle also applies to our ultimate victory. “But as the morning of eternity breaks, they will awake with songs of joy to see death and the grave and all the evils that they dreaded, like Egyptians, strewn on the shores of the sea of glass.” (Meyer)

d. Clarke speculates that the Israelites plundered these dead Egyptian soldiers and thereby gained weapons they would later use in battles against the Amalekites, Amorites, and others.

God showed the Jews that He keeps His promises.

So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians: God delivered Israel in seemingly impossible circumstances. He demonstrated His faithfulness to Israel and to all His people.

a. Spurgeon told the story of an old saint who lay on her deathbed and declared that Jesus would never forsake her, because He had promised so. Someone asked her, “But suppose that He did not keep His promise, and you were to be lost?” She answered, “Then He would be the greater loser than I. It is true I would lose my soul, but God would lose all His honor and glory if He were not true.” God’s motive for delivering us is not only His love for us, but also a desire to guard His own glory and honor.

b. “Brethren, if we have trusted in God, and have come out of the Egypt of the world through his grace, and have left all its sins behind us, if we were left to die in the wilderness, the Lord Jesus Christ would lose his glory as a Saviour, the divine Father would lose his name for immutable faithfulness, and the Holy Ghost would lose his honour for perseverance in completing every work which he undertakes.” (Spurgeon).

How the trials we go through are meant to help us grow in our Faith.

The people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses: This was just the result God intended. Sadly for Israel they did not stay in this place of respect and faith toward the Lord. This was probably more a circumstance of feelings than it was of true faith, because they left this place of respect for the Lord and Moses quickly.

a. We can say that the deliverance of Passover and the miracle of the Red Sea go together. If not for the victory won at the Red Sea, the redemption at Passover would have meant nothing. But they would have never made it to the Red Sea without the miracle of God’s redemption at Passover. In the same way, the redemption of the cross would mean nothing without the miracle of the resurrection. The two works of deliverance must go hand in hand.

b. “The new nation walked through a threatened death toward a new life in a consciousness of the presence and power of Jehovah from which they could not escape.” (Morgan)

c. "God has for each of you a glorious life of victory in Jesus Christ; many, many blessed experiences of walking with Him. But God leads us; it seems first, through the wilderness for a purpose of training and teaching us to trust in Him. Lessons of faith that are so important if I'm going to conquer and take the land that God has promised because the taking of the land is actually the appropriation of faith. "Every place you put your foot", God said to Joshua, "I have given it you. But you've gotta go in and put your foot there. You've got to claim it." (Smith)

d. "God has given to us exceeding rich and precious promises. You've got to claim them by faith. You've got to move in and take that which God has promised to you as His child. But before you can do it, you need to learn about God. You need to learn to trust in God, and God is teaching us the lessons of faith, and trusting in Him, showing us His abilities and His powers. So we find here the purposes of God. "The people feared the Lord", or reverenced the Lord, "and they believed in the Lord." Their faith now is growing." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

(1-5) First stanza: The Lord is a man of war.

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:
“I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
The Lord is a man of war;
The Lord is His name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
The depths have covered them;
They sank to the bottom like a stone.”

The first song sang in the Bible.

a. Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord: This remarkable song is assumed to have come spontaneously as Moses led the nation into the wilderness on the other side of the Red Sea. They sang this song when their salvation was real to them. They sang it when the power and the presence of God were real to them.

i. God prizes these spontaneous expressions of praise and worship. This was a new song sung unto the Lord (as in Psalm 40:3). “There are moods of the soul that can only be expressed in poetry and in music.” (Morgan)

ii. “This is the very first of those sacred songs preserved in Scripture, and in some respects it is first in merit as well as in time.” (Spurgeon)

A principle about worship.

b. I will sing to the Lord: One great principles of worship is that it is unto the Lord, not unto man. When we worship God in song, our audience is the Lord Himself and not the people around us.

i. “The first verse of this song was quoted by David. I think you will find it in almost the same words three times in the Psalms.” (Spurgeon)

Notice how the song is about God and no one else.

d. The Lord is my strength and song: When we let God be our strength, He will also be our song. We will sing because of the victory won by the great strength of the Lord. We will have a singing joy in our life because His strength will not let us down.

i. “Notice, the song is all of God; there is not a word about Moses. Read this song through, and neither Moses, nor Aaron, nor Miriam are in it: God is all in all.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “Note, the word is not ‘The Lord gives me strength,’ but ‘The Lord is my strength’! How strong is a believer? I say it with reverence, he is as strong as God - ‘The Lord is my strength.’” (Spurgeon)

e. He has become my salvation: This is a glorious phrase. It recognizes that we cannot save ourselves, but God must become our salvation.

i. “He who has God for his strength, will have him for his song; and he to whom Jehovah is become salvation, will exalt his name.” (Clarke)

2. (6-10) Second stanza: You have overthrown those who rose against You.

“Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth Your wrath;
It consumed them like stubble.
And with the blast of Your nostrils
The waters were gathered together;
The floods stood upright like a heap;
The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;
My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.’
You blew with Your wind,
The sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

What is anthropomorphism?

a. Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces: Moses and the people described what God did to the Egyptians, and they gloried in the defeat of God’s enemies. If we really love the Lord, we should glory in the defeat of God’s enemies.

b. Your right hand: The right hand was thought to be the hand of skill and power. When God works with His right hand, it is a work of skill and power.

i. Obviously, this is the use of anthropomorphism, understanding something about God by using a human figure of speech, even though it does not literally apply.

ii. This idea of the right hand is used in the Scriptures more than fifty times, including these passages:

· Psalm 45:4: God’s right hand teaches us
· Psalm 48:10: God’s right hand is full of righteousness
· Psalm 77:10: Remembrance of the years of the right hand of the Most High
· Psalm 110:1: The Father invites the Son to sit at His right hand
· Habakkuk 2:16: The cup of God’s judgment is held in His right hand
· Ephesians 1:20: Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father

3. (11-13) Third stanza: Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?

“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.
You in Your mercy have led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To Your holy habitation.”

There is only one True God.

a. Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? If the people of Egypt still did not know who the Lord was, the people of Israel did. They knew the Lord was not like any of the false gods of Egypt or Canaan.

b. Who is like You: Worship should proclaim the superiority of the Lord God over anything else that claims to be god. Israel soon and often forgot this, but we can remember it.

4. (14-18) Fourth and fifth stanza: The people will hear and be afraid.

“The people will hear and be afraid;
Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
The mighty men of Moab,
Trembling will take hold of them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
Whom You have purchased.
You will bring them in and plant them
In the mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

How some respond when we are walking with the Lord.

a. All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away: Moses and the children of Israel knew that the victory also said something to the enemies of Israel. They would become afraid when they heard of the great things God did for Israel.

i. "So the experiences now are preparing me for the future victories, for the future conquests. God through His work now is just preparing my life for that future work that He's planning to do. Ephesians four tells us that, "Ye are His workmanship, created together in Christ Jesus, unto the good works that God has before ordained that you should walk in them". In other words, God already has the plan for your life, and He's preparing you for that plan. Right now God is working in you. What is the purpose? That He might prepare you for those works He's already prepared for you." (Smith)

b. Fear and dread will fall on them: Some forty years later Rahab the prostitute from Jericho told the Israeli spies: For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt (Joshua 2:10). The people of Canaan did hear of what God did for Israel and some responded with godly fear.

One of the truthes the song teaches us.

c. The Lord shall reign forever and ever: After such a great victory we can sense that Israel really believed this, and they were really ready to let the Lord reign over them. This state of victory and surrender did not last very long.

i. Yet, the enduring truth remains - the Lord shall reign forever and ever. This Song of Moses echoes all the way to the Book of Revelation, where a multitude that has come from great suffering, has experienced great victory, and stands on the shores of a great sea, sing this song:

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

ii. The heart, the spirit of this song of Moses rings true in the people of God, who want to praise Him and thank Him for all the good He has done for His people. They sing in view of deliverance, of victory, of defense, of confidence.

iii. “It is obvious, then, from the plentiful allusions to this song in holy scripture, that it is full of deep spiritual significance. It teaches us not only to praise God concerning the literal overthrow of Egypt, but to praise him concerning the overthrow of all the powers of evil, and the final deliverance of all the chosen.” (Spurgeon)

For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!” Exodus 15:19-21

"Miriam, Moses’ sister, leads the women in worship." (Guzik)

1. Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron: This is the first mention of Miriam by name, and she is described as the sister of Aaron, so she is therefore also the sister of Moses (Exodus 4:14).

a. Numbers 26:59 seems to indicate that Moses had only one sister. We do know that it was his sister who supervised the launching of the basket onto the Nile River to preserve his life (Exodus 2:4) and arranged the hiring of Moses’ mother as his nurse. Based on Numbers 26:59, we can say this was probably - almost certainly - Miriam. She was the older sister of Moses.

2. Miriam the prophetess: We also see that Miriam had some kind of prophetic gift. Later she used her leadership position in an unwise and ungodly way - to challenge the authority of Moses (Numbers 12).

3. All the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances: On this occasion Miriam led the women’s choir.

a. "After Moses finished his song, his older sister took up where he left off. Notice, however, that she led only women. “I don’t allow women to teach,” Paul would say, “because it was a woman who was deceived by Satan” (see 1 Timothy 2). This isn’t chauvinism, but old-fashioned wisdom. Satan didn’t tempt Eve by offering her a glass of wine or an R-rated movie. He tempted her by offering her a way to be more spiritual. A clever foe, Satan brought about the Fall of humanity through Eve’s desire for spirituality. And to this day, a disproportionate number of cults have been founded by women desiring to be more godly." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (279). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Exodus 15:22

God leads Israel into the wilderness for three days.

1. Moses brought Israel…they went out into the Wilderness of Shur: God’s man led them, but he led them an unusual way. Into the Wilderness of Shur was outside the major trade route along the sea.

2. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water: Three days is not a very long time. But it is long enough to forget the great victory and power of God. Now Israel faced a long trip through difficult and dry desert.

a. “Three days is the maximum time the human body can go without water in the desert.” (Buckingham)

b. “The Egyptians found enough water, and even too much of it, for they were drowned in the sea, but the well-beloved Israelites had no water at all. So is it with the wicked man; he often has enough of wealth, and too much of it, till he is drowned in sensual delights and perishes in floods of prosperity.” (Spurgeon)

Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. Exodus 15:23-25a

How quickly we forget what God has done in and through our lives.

They could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter...And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”: It must have seemed like a cruel joke - after three waterless days, they finally came upon water - and found that water undrinkable.

a. Remember Naomi said, "Don't call me Naomi which means "pleasantness", call me Marah, because God has dealt bitterly with me." So the waters of Marah. They came to this water finally after three days. They went to drink it and it was bitter. They couldn't drink it. So they said, "Oh Marah". Bitter." (Smith)

b. "Oh, Moses you've got your hands full. Now here they are dancing, the timbrels are out, they're singing of God's victory, just wiped out the Egyptians. How quickly we forget the power of God. "We're gonna die of thirst. Give us water to drink."" (Smith)

How the cross of Jesus can take any bitter experience and turn into sweetness.

So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree: By following God’s direction, Moses made the waters drinkable and Israel found water in the wilderness.

a. “I think, if I had been there, I should have suggested that Moses should use that rod of his. Did he not divide the Red Sea with it? Why not just put his rod into the water, and stir it up, and make it sweet? Oh, yes, you know, we are always for running to old methods! But God is a Sovereign, and he will work as he pleases.” (Spurgeon)

b. In his work on the Exodus journey, Buckingham explains how this may have worked. The chemicals in the sap of the broken limb drew the mineral content down to the bottom of the pools, and left only good water on top.

c. He further speculates that even though the waters were now drinkable, there was still a significant magnesium and calcium content in the water. The laxative effect of this would clean out the digestive systems of the children of Israel, cleansing them of common Egyptian ailments such as amoebic dysentery and bilharzia, a weakening disease common among Egyptian peasants. In addition, calcium and magnesium together form the basis of a drug called dolomite - used by some athletes as a performance enhancer in hot weather conditions. At Marah, God provided the right medicine to both clean out their systems, and prepare them for a long, hot march to Sinai.

d. We can say that God was not only interested in getting the children of Israel out of Egypt, He also wanted to get Egypt out of the children of Israel - both physically and spiritually.

e. "So they're learning, they're learning about God. They're getting acquainted with God. God can take the bitter experiences of your life and bring sweetness out of them. Those areas that are so bitter for us, we tasted them, and we found such bitterness. Yet God can turn them around and bring sweetness out of them. Of course the difference was the tree cast in the water. That tree, in our case, being the cross of Jesus Christ, which so transforms everything in our lives, and makes the bitter to become sweet." (Smith)

f. A tree: “Medieval commentators delighted to see here a reference to the cross, by which the bitterest of life's waters is sweetened.” (Cole)

And there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters. Exodus 15:25b-27

How God's tests reveal our true character.

And there He tested them: God tested Israel by giving them a command to obey. When God tells us what to do, He really gives us a test. Our obedience determines if we pass the test or not.

a. It had yet to be demonstrated by testing whether the children of Israel were a worshipping people who occasionally murmured, or if they were a murmuring people who occasionally worshipped. Their true nature would be revealed in times of testing.

Some of the benefits of being obedient to God's commands.

I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians: This was God’s promise to an obedient Israel. In many ways, their physical health was directly connected to their obedience.

a. Dr. S.I. McMillen in his book None of These Diseases noted that many of God’s laws to Israel had a direct impact of hygiene and health. Practices such as circumcision, quarantine, washing in running water, and eating kosher made a real medical difference in keeping Israel free from disease.

b. Beyond the direct medical implications, obedience also means we are at peace with God - and free from a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety in life. This has an obvious benefit to the health of any person.

c. “This miracle was connected with a promise; viz., from now on obedience to commands and statutes would bring healing, both physically and morally.” (Kaiser)

d. Marah was a place of bitterness and testing, but because Israel endured and received provision from God, the genuinely gained from their time at Marah. They learned prayer, they learned self-distrust, they learned daily dependence, they learned obedience, and they even learned a new name for God.

· Israel gained by examination at Marah
· Israel gained by experience at Marah
· Israel gained by education at Marah

f. "So they're coming now into an even deeper relationship with God, a covenant relationship. God said, "Right now if you will keep My statutes, My laws, My commandments, then I will keep you. I'll not put upon you any of the diseases or afflictions that came upon the Egyptians. For I am the Lord that healeth thee." Jehovah-Rapha, a healer, the Lord that healeth thee. So the promise being if you keep the law and so forth, then I will keep you. "I'm the Lord that heals you." But the healing is so often through preventative measures, of proper diet, proper sanitation and so forth. So as we get into the law of Moses, we're gonna find that much of it deals with just health, and healthy practices. God wants you to be healthy, and He's given you the rules. He says, "Keep these and you'll be healthy. None of these diseases that came upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." (Smith)

After a time of testing comes the time of refreshing.

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees: After the time of testing God had a time of refreshing for the people of Israel. He knew exactly what they needed, and He knew when to test them and when to rest them.

a. Elim was wonderful – a place of provision, with 12 wells and 70 palm trees. Yet there was no new revelation of God at Elim as there was at Marah, where God revealed Himself as Jehovah-Rapha.

b. “Israel had no miracle at Elim. Wells and palm trees they had; but they had no miracle there, no miraculous change of the bitter into the sweet; and they had no statute, and no ordinance, and no promise, and no new revelation of God, and no new name for Jehovah there.” (Spurgeon)

 

[Chaplain]

And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:1-3

"From Elim to the Wilderness of Sin." (Guzik)

1. On the fifteenth day of the second month: This marked one month after leaving Egypt, since they left on the fifteenth of the previous month (Exodus 12:18).

2. The Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai: They came out from Elim, an oasis of rest and comfort (Exodus 15:27). They headed towards Sinai, a place to meet with God and receive His law. In between Elim and Sinai was the wilderness of Sin.

a. In the original text the name “Wilderness of Sin” has nothing to do with sin and could just as easily be translated Wilderness of Zin. Yet as the story unfolds, we see that this wilderness had a lot to do with sin.

The Jews complain because of their hunger.

Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: They complained because they did not have enough food. The supplies they carried with them from Egypt began to run out, and they had to be sustained in the wilderness.

a. It would seem that starvation was more anticipated than experienced. In other words, they did not live through weeks and weeks of famine, nor did they saw their family and friends die of malnutrition, or even have to kill all their livestock for food. Instead they started to feel hungry and anticipated starvation.

b. They went from singing to complaining very quickly.

How our memory becomes selective when we complain.

When we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full: Israel selectively remembered the past and thought of their time in Egypt as a good time. They lost sight of God’s future for them, and they also twisted the past to support their complaining. This thinking is common among those who complain.

a. "You know they so quickly forgot the misery and the bondage, the cruel bondage of Egypt. It is oftentimes like this when a person, after coming out of the bondage of sin, and out of its experiences in the world, many times as we look back at them they seem to be more glamorous than they were when we were in them. We forget the emptiness. We forget the cruel bondage that we experienced. We forget what it was as far as the pain and the hurt, and the suffering. All we remember is the full stomach." (Smith)

How complaining turns into blaming (pointing the finger at everyone except ourselves).

You have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly: This is another common practice among those who complain. They insisted that Moses and Aaron had bad or evil intentions. Of course, Moses and Aaron had no interest in killing the people of Israel, and this was a horrible accusation to make. Yet a complaining heart often finds it easy to accuse the person they complain against of the worst motives.

a. “Human nature can never be reduced to a more abject state in this world than that in which the body is enthralled by political slavery, and the soul debased by the influence of sin. These poor Hebrews were both slaves and sinners, and were therefore capable of the meanest and most disgraceful acts.” (Clarke)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” Exodus 16:4-5

God provides food in an unexpected way.

1. Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you: This was a remarkable promise. Bread doesn’t normally rain from heaven. Yet God promised that He would provide for Israel in this unexpected way.

a. This reminds us that God may provide from resources that we never knew existed. Sometimes He provides from familiar resources, sometimes from unexpected resources.

b. Murmuring Israel called this bread from heaven “manna” (Exodus 16:31). God almost always called it bread from heaven (Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24 and Psalm 105:40) or sometimes it was called angels’ food (Psalm 78:25).

2. The people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day: God promised to send bread from heaven, but He didn’t promise to drop it into their mouths. They still had to go out and gather what they needed for every day.

"So God says, "All right, I'll give them bread from heaven, but we'll prove to see if they're gonna walk in my law or not." (Smith)

That I may test them: The blessing of bread from heaven came with the responsibility of obedience. This responsibility would test Israel and measure their obedience. The test came on the sixth day, when they were to gather twice as much, so the seventh day could be received as a day of rest.

Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?” Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” Exodus 16:6-8

How our hearts can deceive us.

At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt: One would think that with the experience of the plagues, Passover, and the deliverance at the Red Sea, Israel would already know that the Lord had brought them out of Egypt. Yet experiences, even great experiences, don’t change the heart as much as we often think.

a. "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives." (Jeremiah 17:9-10a)

How we all need God's mercy and not His judgments.

In the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord: They would not see the glory of God as in His enthroned radiance; but in His great, loving provision for His people. That is a real display of God’s glory.

a. The glory of the Lord: “The sheer weight, gravity (kabed, ‘to be heavy,’ then ‘to glorify’) of his divine presence.” (Kaiser)

b. One way that God showed His glory was through this display of mercy and goodness. God didn't send them hell from heaven; He sent bread instead. Nor did He demand that they stop their complaining before they ate. Just like Jesus would later command us, God loved and fed those who acted like His enemies.

The Truth about complaining.

He hears your complaints against the Lord…your complaints against the Lord…Your complaints are not against us, but against the Lord: The people thought they complained against Moses and Aaron (Exodus 16:2). Really, they complained against the Lord.

a. "I think that this is something that we need to take into account when we're prone to complain about our lot in life. Who is it that has brought me here? Any complaining that I do is in reality complaining against God. For God is the one who has brought me to these circumstances. God is the one who has placed me here, unless I've been disobedient to Him. But my complaints are really against the Lord, and that's a very serious thing, to be complaining against God." (Smith)

God promises to provide not just a morning meal, but a evening meal as well.

When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening: At Exodus 16:4, God promised to give bread from heaven in the morning. Here He also promised to give meat to eat in the evening.

Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’” Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” Exodus 16:9-12

"God shows His glory and promises to provide." (Guzik)

1. The glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses: It’s difficult to know if everyone heard the Lord speak to Moses, or if Moses alone heard this. Certainly, everyone knew God spoke to Moses because of the display of glory, but we don't know if they could hear what the Lord said to him.

a. "Now this must have been quite an awesome sight. The cloud had been leading them, and suddenly in this cloud, the glory of the Lord appeared. Now it doesn't declare how and in what manner the glory of the Lord appeared, but it was no doubt an awesome kind of a display, or demonstration where God just demonstrated His glory there in the cloud. Now one of these days very soon God's gonna demonstrate His glory in the clouds again, as Jesus comes with clouds and great glory, demonstrating His glory in the clouds. But there, God demonstrated His glory unto the children of Israel." (Smith)

2. I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel: Since Moses already knew this (based on Exodus 16:4-5), these words give more weight to the idea that God said this publically, more for the benefit of Israel than for the benefit of Moses.

So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. Exodus 16:13-14

God provides quail for meat.

So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp: In a miraculous way, God provided Israel with plenty of meat in the wilderness. This was a significant display of the mercy of God. When Israel complained God could have answered with judgment or discipline, and He gave them meat instead.

a. The quails mentioned here “migrate regularly between south Europe and Arabia across the Sinai Peninsula. They are small, bullet-headed birds, with a strong but low flight, usually roosting on the ground or in the low bushes at nightfall. When exhausted, they would be unable to…take off again. The birds are good eating, and were a favorite delicacy of the Egyptians.” (Cole)

God provides bread from heaven, what this bread from heaven could have tasted like, and other facts/lessons God used with this bread from heaven.

1. A small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground: The bread from heaven came with the dew each morning, as some kind of residue from the dew. It was small, round and fine as frost on the ground. Therefore, it was not easy to gather. It had to be swept up from the ground.

a. Exodus 16:31 further describes the bread from heaven as like coriander seed (about the size of a sesame seed), and sweet like honey. Numbers 11:7 says it was the color of bdellium (a pearl-like color). It was either baked or boiled (Exodus 16:23).

b. Numbers 11:8 says that they ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.

c. Jewish legends supposedly tell us what this bread from heaven tasted like. “One only had to desire a certain dish, and no sooner had he thought of it, than manna had the flavor of the dish desired. The same food had a different taste to everyone who partook of it, according to his age; to the little children, it tasted like milk, to the strong youths like bread, to the old men like honey, to the sick like barley steeped in oil and honey.” But they also wrote that manna was bitter in the mouth of Gentiles. (Ginzberg)

d. Jewish legends also supposedly tell us how they could sweep it up off the desert floor and not have dirt in it. These legends say that when God sent manna, He first sent a north wind to sweep the floor of the desert and then a rain to wash it clean. Then the manna descended on clean ground.

2. A small round substance: It is difficult to precisely identify what this substance was. Some researchers identify it with what the Arabs today call mann, which is formed when “A tiny insect punctures the bark of the tamarisk tree, drinks the sap, and exudes a clear liquid that solidifies as a sugary globule when it hits the ground. When the sun comes up, it melts quickly and disappears.” (Buckingham)

i. Though the bread from heaven may have been similar to the modern day mann in the Sinai Peninsula, it wasn’t the same thing. The modern day mann never appears in great quantities, it doesn’t last year round, and it is confined to a small geographic region.

3. As fine as frost on the ground: The purpose for giving the bread from heaven was not only to provide for the material needs of Israel, but also to teach them eternal lessons of dependence on God. This is demonstrated in passages like Deuteronomy 8:3: So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. When God puts us in a place of need, He wants to do more than meet the need. He wants to teach eternal lessons.

a. Feeding Israel through the bread from heaven was an example of God’s way of cooperating with man. Israel could not bring the manna and God would not gather it for them. Each had to do their part.

b. “Animals are often taught through their food. When they could not be reached in any other way, they have been instructed by their hunger, and by their thirst, and by their feeding.” (Spurgeon)

So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” Exodus 16:15

"The people call the bread from heaven manna." (Guzik)

1. They said to one another, “What is it?” The name manna (given later in Exodus 16:31) means, “What is that?” and the name comes from the question asked in this verse.

2. For they did not know what it was: God provided for them, but they did not recognize it. When God’s provision comes, we often do not recognize it. God met the needs of Israel but He did it in a way they did not expect.

“This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’“ Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” Exodus 16:16-19

How God wants each of us to depend on Him and not on others.

Let every man gather it according to each one’s need: The bread from heaven was to be gathered on an individual or a family basis. God did not command the creation of a tribal manna gathering and distribution center. Every household had to provide for itself, and a rich family could not hire a poor family to do their work for them

How much was an Omer?

One omer for each person: An omer could be as much as a gallon, especially in the later history of Israel. But at this early point in Israel’s history it may have meant only a cupful. It is an imprecise measure.

Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted. Exodus 16:20-21

"Some of the people fail God’s test." (Guzik)

1. Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses: They clearly heard God’s command and they clearly knew God’s command. Yet for some reason they felt they did not have to obey God’s command. There was a harsh penalty for their disobedience - what they gathered in disobedience bred worms and stank.

2. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need: The bad experience of their disobedience led them reluctantly to obedience.

3. When the sun became hot, it melted: Apparently the bread from heaven had to be gathered and prepared early in the morning. This was God’s gracious way of forcing a work ethic upon the nation of Israel.

 

[Chaplain]

And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’“ So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.” Exodus 16:22-30

"God provides double on the day before the Sabbath." (Guzik)

1. So it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread: God promised to provide twice as much on the sixth day, and He did. Perhaps this came as somewhat of a surprise to the people of Israel, because they felt they had to report it to Moses (came and told Moses).

2. Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord: This was the first time God spoke to Israel about the Sabbath. God essentially forced them to honor the Sabbath by not providing any bread from heaven on the Sabbath day (today you will not find it in the field).

a. "Now it is interesting that here the Sabbath was established and practiced before the law was given. So already the idea of six and one, six days of labor, a day of rest, had been established in their national life. This is before God established the law with Israel in which He said, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." (Smith)

b. Now actually the Sabbath day was a day of rest, and really God is saying here, "Let every man just stay in his bed." Now we, you know, somehow got the concept, "Well you know the day that is holy unto the Lord is the day we all go to church. We gather and worship God in church." In reality the Sabbath day wasn't so much a worship day as it was a rest day. It was a day for just total rest and relaxation. Just a change of pace giving the body a chance to more or less recover." (Smith)

c. "Now the Lord said, "Six days shalt thou labour and do thy work, but the seventh day is a day of rest." God said, "I have given you the Sabbath." The Sabbath was made for man. God made it for man to give the body a chance to just sort of recuperate. The idea was just stay in bed, rest, do nothing. It wasn't really get up and go to Sabbath school, or go to synagogue, or whatever. It was just stay in bed and rest on the Sabbath day. I don't know, but what that wouldn't be a good idea." (Smith)

Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. Exodus 16:27-30

Some people disobey God by trying to gather food on the seventh day.

1. Some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather: Despite what God said, some went looking for bread from heaven when He said there would be none. Some will only learn by personal experience.

a. "If we can gather this much in six days, thought some, imagine how much we could get if we worked Sunday, too. But they came back empty-handed because God’s way is that His people take a day to rest and honor Him, a day to make Him our priority and to be renewed in our faith. “Oh, but I work seven days a week,” some might say, “and I don’t come home empty-handed. My paycheck proves it.” To them, Haggai would say, “Watch and see what happens over the long haul—when you discover that regardless of all your labor, you are still empty” (see Haggai 1:9)." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (283). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

2. But they found none: God’s word was true and they found none. This was a powerful lesson, teaching Israel to trust what God said before they had proven it true in experience.

a. People today still look for life and fulfillment in places God has said there would be none.

And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah. Exodus 16:31-36

Interesting facts about God's bread from heaven.

1. And the house of Israel called its name Manna: This name means, What is that? It is based on the question asked in Exodus 16:15.

2. It was like white coriander seed: This refers to the small size of the particles of the bread from heaven. It meant that it had to be humbly, carefully gathered.

3. The taste of it was like wafers made with honey: God gave Israel good tasting food. He didn’t give them tasteless gruel or pasty porridge. Since it could be baked like bread or cake (Exodus 16:23), eating manna was like eating sweet bread every day.

4. Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations: This pot full of the bread from heaven was later put into the ark of the covenant, referred to here as the Testimony (Hebrews 9:4).

The parallels between God's manna and Jesus.

They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan: As important as it was for God to provide this bread from heaven, it was also important for God to stop providing it. It was essential that Israel be put again in the position to receive God’s more normal provision, through hard work - which in itself is a blessing of God.

a. “Those who followed the cloud were always certain of their sustenance. Where the cloud brooded the manna fell.” (Meyer)

b. This manna, this bread from heaven, is a powerful picture of Jesus Himself. After the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus had a discussion with people who wanted Him to keep on feeding them with His miraculous power. They wanted Jesus to provide for them just Israel was provided for with manna in the wilderness. This is what Jesus said in reply:

Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:32-33)

c. "Like manna, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, came to this wilderness—to murmurers, sinners, and complainers—and dwelt among us (John 1:14). God didn’t wait for the children of Israel in the Promised Land. He joined them in the wilderness. And He does the same for us. You don’t have to climb a mountain or clean up your act to find Him. You don’t have to ascend into heaven or descend into the depths of hell and depression. He’s already as close as the word in your mouth, as close as your confession (Romans 10:8–10)." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (284). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

d. Jesus is the bread from heaven, and we have to receive Him like Israel received the manna.

· Aware of our need, hungry
· Each for himself, family by family
· Every day
· Humbly – perhaps even on our knees
· With gratitude, knowing we don’t deserve it
· Eating it, taking the gift inside, to our innermost being

Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?” And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!” Exodus 17:1-4

Is it Biblical to have problems, and be in God's will at the same exact time?

According to the commandment of the Lord…but there was no water for the people to drink: Israel did exactly what God commanded, following the pillar of cloud and fire; yet there was no water to drink. They were in the will of God but in a difficult time. It is possible to be completely in the will of God yet also in a season of great problems.

a. “Thirst is the more eager appetite, so they are more eager and earnest for water than they were for bread.” (Trapp)

b. Cole on to kill….our livestock with thirst: “Who but a cattleman would have worried about his stock dying of thirst, if he were already dying of thirst himself? Here speaks the true Israelite farmer.”

c. Set out on their journey: “In Numbers 33:12-14 it is said, that when the Israelites came from Sin they encamped in Dophkah, and next in Alush, after which they came to Rephidim. Here, therefore, two stations are omitted, probably because nothing of moment took place at either.” (Clarke)

People complain against Moses again because of material problems..

Therefore the people contended with Moses: The people of Israel had a real problem - there was no water for the people to drink. This was not an imaginary problem and the people were right to be concerned. Yet when the people then contended with Moses, they did not respond with spiritual thinking or actions.

What is the solution for complaining/blaming?

1. Why do you tempt the Lord? The people focused their complaint against Moses, but Moses understood that their problem was with the Lord.

a. When we have a problem it is much easier to blame someone than to think through the problem carefully and spiritually. In this situation Israel could have thought, “We are in a desert; it’s not surprising there isn’t much water here. We need to look to God to meet this need.” Instead they blamed Moses and did nothing to help the problem.

b. "We are warned in the New Testament concerning the failure of the children of Israel because they were guilty of tempting God, and proving Him, murmuring against Him." (Smith)

2. So Moses cried out to the Lord: The lack of water wasn’t Moses’ fault. Yet as the leader of Israel, he had to lead them to the answer - and crying out to the Lord was the right way to lead them to the solution.

a. Moses knew the people were unfair to him (What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!). But he still had to lead while under the pressure of unfair attack, and he did the right thing in turning to God in prayer.

b. “One of Moses’ most characteristic and praiseworthy traits was that he took his difficulties to the Lord.” (Kaiser)

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:5-6

"God tells Moses how water will be provided." (Guzik)

Take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river: God directed Moses to get out before the people, to bring other leaders with him (take with you some of the elders of Israel), and to use what God had used before. This gave confidence to Moses, because he saw God use that same rod to do great miracles before.

a. Moses couldn’t pick up that rod without remembering the power of God. The confidence he received by picking up the rod was confidence in God, not in himself.

A wonderful promise of God.

Behold, I will stand before you there: One of the great themes of this journey from Egypt to Canaan was that God was with them. He was with them each step of the way, and here again He would show His presence to Moses and to Israel.

a. “If God had not stood upon the rock, in vain had Moses struck it. Means must be used, but God only depended upon for success.” (Trapp)

b. Jesus said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20a)

Who was the rock that was smitten?

You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it: Moses was commanded, in the presence of the Lord, to strike the rock with his rod, and water would gush forth to satisfy the thirst of God’s people.

a. This was a remarkable miracle. Moses (and everyone else) knew that water does not normally come from rocks in such a way.

b. This was a generous miracle. “Here again the divine patience appears, for Jehovah uttered no word of reproach, but in spite of their impatient unbelief provided water out of the rock for them.” (Morgan)

c. This was a meaningful miracle. In striking the rock, Moses acted out a drama that perhaps he didn’t understand. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul wrote of Israel in the Exodus: they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. We don’t know if this rock followed Israel just as Paul described, but we do know that when Jesus was struck, living water flowed out for all to receive. “Herein a type of Christ, ‘stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted’ (Isaiah 53:4; 1 Corinthians 10:4).” (Trapp)

d. Jesus was struck with the rod of Moses - the curse of the law - and from Him flowed water to satisfy our spiritual thirst. As the old hymn says:

Let the water and the blood
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from its wrath and power.

 

[Chaplain]

So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17:7

"Moses names the place as a rebuke to the children of Israel." (Guzik)

1. So he called the name of the place: Moses did what God told him to do and water came from the rock. This was a great miracle of God’s provision and a rebuke to unbelieving and rebellious Israel.

a. We don’t know exactly how God provided water from this rock. Perhaps there was an artesian spring that God caused to burst forth when Moses struck the rock. Perhaps it was a completely unique miracle.

2. He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah: God remembered the way Israel tested Him at Massah and Meribah, recalling it in several passages.

· Deuteronomy 6:16: You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah
· Deuteronomy 9:22: at…Massah…you provoked the Lord to wrath
· Deuteronomy 33:8: Your holy one, Whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah

The sin of doubt.

They tempted the Lord, saying “Is the Lord among us or not?” God dramatically said, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb (Exodus 17:6), saying that He was and would be present with Israel. Yet they still wondered, Is the Lord among us or not?

a. This attitude among the Israelites was their great sin. In this time of difficulty, the children of Israel - directly or indirectly - doubted the loving presence and care of God among them. “Under the stress of an immediate lack, these people doubted the one fact of which they had overwhelming evidence.” (Morgan)

b. Later, when Israel remembered God’s provision in the wilderness at the Feast of Tabernacles, they had a specific ceremony where they recalled this miracle of water from a rock. In that exact context, Jesus said: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38)

c. The living water Jesus spoke of was the Holy Spirit (John 7:39); it is no less of a miracle for God to bring the love and power of the Holy Spirit out of our hearts than it is to bring water out of a rock - our hearts can be just as hard.

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” Exodus 17:8-9

Who are the Amalekites, and what do they represent?

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim: This was an unprovoked attack by the Amalekites against Israel. In response, Moses called Joshua to lead the armies of Israel into battle, to defend the nation against the attack from Amalek.

a. “Amalek was grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12), and although akin to Israel, proved their most inveterate foe, as subsequent history shows.” (Thomas)

b. “There is every possibility that they had known about the promise of the Land of Canaan that had been given to Esau’s twin brother, Jacob; therefore, they should not have felt any threat to their interests in the Negev had this promise been remembered and taken seriously.” (Kaiser)

c. “Like many other nomads, they ranged over a wide area, roughly described as ‘the Negeb’ or ‘south land’ (Numbers 13:29).” (Cole)

d. "Now Amalek was the grandson of Esau, who was of the fleshly seed, and represents the flesh. So in scripture, Amalek is always a type of the flesh, the flesh-life, the fleshly seed. There's a spiritual seed; there's a fleshly seed. There's a spiritual side of my nature, there is a fleshly side of my nature, and the spirit and the flesh are in conflict (Galatians 5:16-18). A constant warfare, my spirit lusting against my flesh, my flesh against the spirit, these two are contrary. Every child of God knows what it is to have a conflict with his flesh. Here God's people, the spiritual seed is coming in to take the land, but the flesh is the first thing that moves in the way to stop them, and to hinder them from going in and taking, and possessing that which God has promised to give to them. One of the biggest barriers to our receiving the full promises of God for our lives is our flesh. The flesh is always warring against the spirit. Our flesh would keep us from entering into the fullness of God's promises, and into the fullness of God's blessings. Amalek came out to meet them, the picture of the flesh, and fought with them." (Smith)

What happens when we start living for our flesh again?

And fought with Israel: The method of attack used by Amalek was despicable. Deuteronomy 25:17-18 says: Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.

a. “In the most treacherous and dastardly manner; for they came at the rear of the camp…The baggage, no doubt, was the object of their avarice; but finding the women, children, aged and infirm persons, behind with the baggage, they smote them and took away their spoils.” (Clarke)

b. "When the Israelites were set free from Egypt, headed for the Land of Promise, Amalek would ambush those in the back of the pack. And that’s still the tactic of the flesh. That is, when a person is no longer front and center, no longer fully engaged like he once was, Amalek is sure to strike. Whenever we say, “I’ve been on this journey a long time. I’ve gone to tons of Bible studies. I’ve been to countless prayer meetings. I’ve had my share of Communion”—that is when the flesh rises up, when the flesh takes control, when Amalek launches an ambush. Front and center, fully engaged is the best place, the safest place, the only place to be." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (285). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

The Jews first war.

Go out, fight with Amalek: This was a significant first experience of warfare for ancient Israel. They had lived for hundreds of years as slaves, and God fought the Egyptians for them. Now they had to learn rely on God as they fought a military battle.

a. “In their first movement God led them in such a way as to avoid the possibility of war (Exodus 13:17). Now they were involved in war.” (Morgan)

How God loves to team up with us.

The rod of God in my hand: The Scriptures call this stout stick both the rod of Moses (your rod, Exodus 17:5) and the rod of God. There was the combination of the human instrument and the divine power.

a. God called it the rod of Moses, and so honored Moses. Moses called it the rod of God, and so honored God.

So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:10-11

Who is Joshua a picture of?

So Joshua did as Moses said to him: This is the first passage that mentions Joshua. We find him doing what he did until the time Moses passed from the scene - Joshua served the Lord and Moses faithfully.

a. It’s always good to remember that the name Jesus is simply the Greek way of pronouncing the name Joshua. It’s the same name.

b. “Both in the Septuagint and Greek Testament he is called Jesus: the name signifies Saviour; and he is allowed to have been a very expressive type of our blessed Lord. He fought with and conquered the enemies of his people, brought them into the promised land, and divided it to them by lot. The parallel between him and the Saviour of the world is too evident to require pointing out.” (Clarke)

c. "Joshua of course is the name "Jesus" in Greek, which means, "Jehovah is salvation". So God's salvation. Joshua was sent to fight against them, was put over the servants of God, and fought against Amalek the picture of the flesh, and they prevailed." (Smith)

The power of intercessory prayer.

1. Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill: They did this so they could see, so they could be seen, and so that they could pray. Aaron was the brother of Moses, and some think Hur was his brother-in-law.

a. “Josephus (Antiquities III, 54 [ii.4]) preserves a Jewish tradition that Hur was the husband of Moses’ sister, Miriam.” (Kaiser)

2. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: Moses supported the battle behind the scenes, busy in prayer. The fate of Israel in battle depended on Moses’ intercession because when he prayed Israel prevailed and when he stopped praying Amalek prevailed.

a. Held up his hand: This phrase describes the Israelite posture of prayer, even as some people today might bow their head or fold their hands. Moses had to pray, and had to keep on praying. “Both the verbs ‘to hold up’ and ‘to lower’ are introduced by the perfect…Continued or frequentative action is clearly denoted.” (Kaiser)

b. This amazing passage shows us that life or death for Israel depended on the prayers of one man. Moses prayed as we should pray - with passion, believing that life and death - perhaps eternally - depended on prayer.

c. It can be difficult to reconcile this with knowing God has a pre-ordained plan. But God didn’t want Moses to concern himself with that - he was to pray as if it really mattered. Just because we can’t figure out how our prayers mesh with God’s pre-ordained plan never means we should stop believing that prayer matters.

d. In his early days Moses thought the only way to win a battle was to fight (Exodus 2:11-15). Now Moses let Joshua fight while he did the more important work: pray for the victory. Just like John wrote about Jesus defending us when we sin: "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous." (1 John 2:1)

But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:12-13

How we all need people that we can count on to pray for us and be there in our time of need.

1. Moses’ hands became heavy: The job of supporting the battle in prayer was difficult and Moses could not easily continue. We might think that fighting was the hard work and praying was the easy work, but true prayer was also hard work.

a. Prayer is sometimes sweet and easy; other times it is hard work. This is why Paul described the ministry of Epaphras as always laboring fervently for you in prayers (Colossians 4:12), and why Paul wrote we must continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2).

2. Aaron and Hur supported his hands: Aaron and Hur came alongside Moses and literally held his hands up in prayer. They helped him and partnered with him in intercession. Their help was successful: his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

a. Though this was Moses’ work to do, it was more than he could do by himself. Moses alone could not win the battle of prayer. He needed others to come by his side and strengthen him in prayer.

b. “Several of the fathers consider Moses, with his stretched-out hands, as a figure of Christ on the cross, suffering for mankind, and getting a complete victory over sin and Satan.” (Clarke)

The importance of prayer.

So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword: Because of this work of prayer Israel was victorious over Amalek. We are left with no other option than to say if Moses, Aaron, and Hur did not do the work in prayer, Israel would have been defeated, and history would have been changed.

a. This amazing passage shows us the great importance of prayer. Life and death - the course of history itself - depended upon prayer. We can conclude that many times the people of God are defeated today because they will not pray, or prayer does not support their work.

b. Nevertheless, Joshua had to fight. Praying Moses did not eliminate what Joshua had to do. The battle was won with prayer, but also through normal instruments – the work of the army, led by Joshua. “Prayer is a downright mockery if it does not lead us into the practical use of means likely to promote the ends for which we pray.” (Spurgeon)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:14-16

God instructs Moses to record what happened in a book.

Write this for a memorial in the book: Kaiser notes that there are five places in the Pentateuch where Moses wrote something down at the command of God (Exodus 17:14, Exodus 24:4-7, Exodus 34:27, Numbers 33:1-2, and Deuteronomy 31:9, 24). Not very long ago some academics were skeptical, and said that writing was not invented in Moses’ day. Further research proved that man had been writing for at least 1,500 years before the time of Moses.

Why does God erase the memory of Amalekites from under heaven?

I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven: Amalek had a special guilt and shame in their attack against Israel.

· Amelek had the shame of being the first nation to make war against Israel.
· Amelek had the shame of going out of their way to attack Israel.
· Amelek had the shame of actually fighting against God.

An important lesson that we should all learn.

And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner: Though Moses knew his prayer was important, he wasn’t foolish enough to think that he won the battle. As an act of worship he built an altar and praised the name of Yahweh-Nissi (The-Lord-is-My-Banner).

a. Nissi describes a flag or a banner. The idea is that God is victorious in battle and the flag of his victory is lifted high. The same word is used of the serpent on the pole in Numbers 21:8, and in other significant passages:

· Psalm 60:4: You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.

· Isaiah 11:10: And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.

b. In Exodus 17 we see examples of God’s power and man’s effort working together. Moses struck the rock; but only God could bring the water. Joshua fought, Moses prayed, but only God gave the victory over Amalek. In it all, God received the glory. It wasn’t Israel is my banner or Moses is my banner or Joshua is my banner; rather it was Yahweh-Nissi: The-Lord-is-My-Banner.

c. We sometimes are even more aware of the power and the help of God when we work together with Him than we are when God does the work all by Himself. Jehovah-Nissi came after the battle with Amalek, not after the dead Egyptians at the Red Sea.

How the battle with our flesh will remain until the day we die. So, what is the solution?

The Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation: This was not the last battle with or mention of the Amalekites. God continued His war against them, but gave them much time to repent of this great sin of attacking their cousin, Israel.

· Balaam prophesied of their ruin (Numbers 24:20)
· Hundreds of years later, Saul fought against them (1 Samuel 14:48)
· God then commanded Saul to continue the fight against Amalek, to bring complete judgment upon them for their ancient sin against Israel (1 Samuel 15:1-7)
· In partial obedience to God, Saul fought against the Amalekites and routed them, but kept their king alive (and presumably others) while also enriching himself in the battle (1 Samuel 15:7-9)
· The failure to obey God in regard to Amalek was the primary act of disobedience that cost Saul the throne (1 Samuel 15:2-9 and 1 Samuel 28:18)
· The Amalekites existed after this, so we know Saul did not complete the work God gave to him (1 Samuel 27:8, 30:17; 2 Samuel 8:12)
· There are some indications that this work was completed in the late days of the divide monarchy under Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 4:41-43), but it is possible that some descendants of the Amalekites remained (such as Haman in Esther 3:1)

a. Because of God’s strong command to battle against Amalek until they were completely conquered, many see the Amalekites as a picture of our flesh, the unspiritual aspect of man that makes war against the spirit. In this sense, “Amalek” constantly battles against the spirit and must be struggled against until completely conquered (Galatians 5:17).

b. "So Amalek whenever you read of it in the scripture is always a type of the flesh, the flesh life. As I say God doesn't have any reformation programs, which we're always trying to reform our flesh. God has no reformation programs. He has only one edict for the flesh; that's crucify it. "I am crucified with Christ." That's God's only solution for your flesh. You try to pamper it, you try to nurture it, you try to keep alive the best part of it. You say, "Oh well, I'll just keep the best part of my flesh for God" like Saul. "Lord I saved the best for you, I want to make a sacrifice." "To obey is better than to sacrifice, and hearken to it, it's better than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22)." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

Two new sermons:

12.23.2012 - Multiple lessons that we can learn from Mary's response to Jesus being her Son (Luke 1:26-37)
12/16/2012 - Some of the reasons Jesus came to Earth (Luke 4-5)

(Right Click/Save as)

 

[Chaplain]

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Luke 1:26-27

"Gabriel is sent to Mary in Nazareth." (Guzik)

1. Nazareth was a village seventy miles northeast of Jerusalem. It was a tough town, a known for its corruption and low morals.

2. Mary is said to be betrothed to Joseph. There were three stages to a Jewish wedding in that day: engagement (a formal agreement made by the fathers), betrothal (the ceremony where mutual promises are made), and marriage (approximately one year later when the bridegroom comes at an unexpected time for his bride).

a. When a couple was betrothed, they were under the obligations of faithfulness, and a divorce was required to break the betrothal. This was not a casual promise.

3. To a virgin betrothed . . . the virgin’s name was Mary: Mary is also said to be a virgin. There is no ambiguity about the idea here - Mary had never had sexual relations with any man.

And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:28-33

How God viewed Mary and how He views us.

The angel said to her: Gabriel has three things to say to Mary. First, that she is highly favored. Second, that the Lord is with her. Third, that she is blessed. All this was certainly true of Mary, who has a unique privilege among any person to ever live.

a. However, all these things are true of the believer in Jesus. We are highly favored as Mary was (Ephesians 1:6), the Lord is with us (Matthew 28:20), and we are blessed (Ephesians 1:3).

b. The Roman Catholic prayer that begins “Hail Mary, full of grace” is accurate. Mary was full of grace, and so is the believer. But Mary’s grace was a received grace, not grace to bestow to others.

The humbleness of Mary.

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying: The fact that Mary is troubled at his saying shows her humility. Mary was surprised to hear such extravagant words used of her. Truly godly people don’t go around thinking about how godly they are!

Mary is told about Jesus.

1. And bring forth a Son: The focus is not on Mary, but on a Son, to be named JESUS, which was a common name. This Son is unmistakably identified as the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament.

a. He will be great: has anyone influenced history more than Jesus Christ has?

b. He will be called the Son of the Highest: Jesus would be the son of Mary, but not only her son; He would also be, and be known as, the Son of God.

c. The throne of His father David: He will be the Messiah prophesied to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), who has the rightful authority to rule over Israel, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

2. Mary knew exactly what Gabriel was talking about because she was a woman of the word of God. When he said you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, she knew he quoted from Isaiah 7:14: the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:34-37

Mary's question to Gabriel.

How can this be, since I do not know a man? Mary’s question is logical. She asks basically the same question Zacharias asked (Luke 1:18), but his question was asked in skeptical unbelief, her question was asked in wonder-filled faith.

a. "Now there is a vast difference between the question of Zacharias and the question of Mary. Zacharias was questioning the word of the Lord. Mary was only asking information on the procedures. "How is this to be, seeing I know not a man?" Hers was not the question of doubt. Hers was only an inquiring question as to the manner by which it should be fulfilled. She believed. And that is pointed out a little later as Elisabeth said, "Blessed art thou who hast believed the words that the Lord spoke to thee." She believed the word that the Lord spoke to her. However, she didn't know by what process it was to be fulfilled, and that really was her question. "How is this going to be, seeing I am a virgin, I know not a man?" (Smith)

How did Mary become pregnant with Jesus?

The power of the Highest will overshadow you: Gabriel answered that the power of the Highest, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, would overshadow Mary. The word overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” like the cloud of Shekinah glory (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:16, 34:5, 40:34) or the cloud of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34).

a. This cloud is a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God; this means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament is now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary.

b. “This delicate expression rules out crude ideas of a ‘mating’ of the Holy Spirit with Mary.” (Morris)

Mary recognized that Jesus would be God in the flesh.

That Holy One who is to be born: Because this will be the manner of His conception, He is a Holy One (different from all others), and He will be called the Son of God.

a. This doesn’t have the same impact on us today, when many people claims to be a “son of god.” But Mary (and all other Jewish people from her culture) knew what this meant: this child would be equal to God (John 5:18).

b. Jesus did not become the Son of God; He was called the Son of God, recognizing His nature from all eternity.

The power of God's Word.

1. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age: With such an amazing promise, Gabriel also brings evidence - Elizabeth is pregnant. If God can do that, He can do what He promised for Mary.

a. “Though believers are satisfied with the bare word of God, yet they do not disregard any of his works which they find to be conducive to strengthen their faith.” (Calvin)

2. With God nothing shall be impossible: The point is clear. More literally, one could translate this for no word of God shall be powerless. God will absolutely perform what He has said.

a. God said, "It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." (Isaiah 55:11)

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

Mary agrees that she is God's servant.

Behold, the maidservant of the Lord! Mary first responds by agreeing with what Gabriel has said about her. She is the maidservant of the Lord, and it isn’t her position to debate with her Master, but to accept what He says.

Mary shows us how we should all respond to God's Word.

Let it be to me according to your word: Mary then responds with an affirmation of faith. Let it be to me according to Your word is the proper response of every believer.

a. All this took more trust in the Lord than we might think. Mary agrees to receive a pregnancy that will be seen as suspicious, and this in a culture that had a death penalty for adultery. Mary identified herself with sinners so that the purpose of God would be fulfilled.

Is the Virgin Birth Biblical?

And the angel departed from her: We don’t know the exact moment Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. It may have been when Gabriel spoke to her, or soon after. Whenever it was, Mary was overshadowed by the cloud of God’s glory (Luke 1:35), and Jesus was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. Jesus’ birth from this conception is what we call the Virgin Birth.

a. When we approach the Virgin Birth, we have to agree with Paul’s analysis: great is the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16). But the message of the Scriptures is clear regarding the Virgin Birth. There can be no question about the Virgin Birth, only questions about the authority of Scripture.

b. The Virgin Birth is unique. Many mythologies have legends about a god who has sexual relations with a woman and produces offspring, but the idea of a virgin birth is unique to Christianity.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7

"Joseph and Mary come to Bethlehem." (Guzik)

1. Joseph also went up from Galilee: The trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 80 miles. This was not a short distance in those days. It was a significant undertaking, costing time and money.

2. With Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child: We often think that Mary was close to delivery when they made this journey, but this may not have been the case at all. Joseph may have been anxious to get her out of Nazareth to avoid the pressure of scandal. Luke tells us that it was while they were in Bethlehem, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

a. According to the Roman law, Mary didn’t have to go with Joseph for the tax census; but it made sense for her to go with Joseph, especially because she was in the latter stages of a controversial pregnancy - surely the subject of much gossip in Nazareth.

b. "It is possible that he used the emperor’s order as a means of removing Mary from possible gossip and emotional stress in her own village. He had already accepted her as his wife (Matthew 1:24), but apparently continued in betrothal (Luke 2:5), pledged to be married, till after the birth." (Liefeld)

Jesus is born.

1. And she brought forth her firstborn Son: One of the striking things about Luke’s narrative is how simple it is in contrast to how great the events are. Our modern world hypes meaningless events so much (like the Super Bowl), that it is hard for us to appreciate how simply stated this greatest of events can be.

2. She brought forth is filled with wonder. We are not told that anyone assisted Mary in the birth, though someone may have. One way or another, this young woman was completely separated from all her family and supporting friends, who lived back in Nazareth.

a. "The narrative runs as if Mary did these things herself, whence the patristic inference of a painless birth." (Bruce) "That Mary wrapped the child herself points to a lonely birth." (Morris)

b. Even Joseph must have felt strange at the time. Perhaps it was a feeling something like, "God, I know this is something great but I don’t really understand it and it makes me nervous."

Did Mary have other children besides Jesus?

Her firstborn Son: By reading firstborn son, we should make the logical conclusion: Mary had other children as well, despite the Roman Catholic dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary.

a. "Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him." (Matthew 13:55-57)

b. "As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.” Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” (Matthew 12:46-50)

Where was Jesus born?

1. Swaddling cloths are snugly wrapped strips of cloth. More remarkable than the swaddling cloths is the fact that He was laid in a manger - a feeding trough for animals.

2. When did this happen? The date of December 25 has problems, but is not impossible; this date was first popularized in the church since the fourth century.

3. Where did this happen? In 150 a.d., Justin Martyr said that the place Jesus was born was a cave in Bethlehem. Later on, in 330, Constantine the Great made a church over the cave, which many believe is still the most probable place where Jesus was born.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8

"Shepherds watch over their flocks."

1. Now there were in the same country shepherds: Bethlehem’s shepherds were known to care for the temple flock. These men may have been protecting and caring for the sacrificial lambs.

2. Living out in the fields: Many have said that a late December date is impossible, because shepherds would not have been out at night at that time of year. Nevertheless, warm winters are not unknown in Judea, which has a climate remarkably like Southern California.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:9-14

God send angel to shepherds.

An angel of the Lord stood before them: Interrupting this quiet, dark night was the shining presence of angels and the glory of the Lord. The angels brought good tidings (literally it means that they preached the gospel) to these shepherds, who were regarded as social outcasts.

a. "As a class shepherds had a bad reputation . . . More regrettable was their habit of confusing ‘mine’ with ‘thine’ as they moved about the country. They were considered unreliable and were not allowed to give testimony in the law courts." (Morris)

The angel tells the shepherds that the Saviour of the world has been born.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior: They announce the birth of a Savior, which is exactly what mankind needs. We don’t need another an advisor, a reformer, or a committee, but a Savior.

The first Christmas carol.

a. Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God: After the single angel’s announcement, a whole group of angels appeared. This was a heavenly host (a band of soldiers) that proclaimed peace. The world needed then and needs now peace.

a. Even the pagans of the first century world sensed this need for peace and a savior. Epictetus, a first century pagan writer, expressed this: "While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearn for more than even outward peace."

b. "Linguistically, the meaning of this first Christmas carol is, “Peace on earth towards men of good will,” toward men who are in God’s will. “This is the will of God,” Jesus said, “that you believe on Him whom the Father hath sent” (see John 6:29). If you believe on Him whom the Father hath sent, you will indeed be one who, regardless of what’s happening around you externally, will experience a peace in your heart internally. Don’t let anyone take that peace from you by implying that you should be doing more or trying harder. Instead, say, “Thank You, Lord, for the Good News of great joy that unto me is born a Savior. I embrace this, and I thank You for the peace I experience not because of what I’ve done, but because of what You did in coming to earth to die for me.” (Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (301). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

2. The contrast between the angelic glory and the humble Jesus must have seemed extreme. God loves to put His glory in unlikely packages so His glory is more clearly displayed (2 Corinthians 4:7).

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Luke 2:15-16

The shepherds go to see Jesus.

1. Let us now go shows a real urgency. They didn’t hesitate at all.

2. And see this thing that has come to pass: The angel told them to look for a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). It wasn’t an unusual sign to see a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, but it was strange to see a baby lying in a manger - a feeding trough. If the angel had not told them to look for such a specific sign, they would never have believed it.

3. They found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. This was a strange sight! "This was a revolting sight, and was sufficient of itself to produce an aversion to Christ. For what could be more improbable than to believe that he was the King of the whole people, who was deemed unworthy to be ranked with the lowest of the multitude?" (Calvin)

Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. Luke 2:17-20

Mary meditates on what happened.

1. Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart: "The wonder of the many was a transient emotion (aorist), this recollecting and brooding of Mary was an abiding habit (imperfect)." (Bruce)

a. Mary had good reason to meditate. What had brought her to Bethlehem? An emperor’s great decree from Rome, and gossiping tongues in Nazareth. God works through all kinds of people and all kinds of events to accomplish His plan.

2. "Their zeal in glorifying and praising God is an implied reproof of our indolence, or rather of our ingratitude. If the cradle of Christ had such an effect upon them, as to make them rise from the stable and the manger to heaven, how much more powerful ought the death and resurrection of Christ to be in raising us to God?" (Calvin)

Merry Christmas

 

[Chaplain]

And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people; that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, with her two sons, of whom the name of one was Gershom (for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land") and the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"); and Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. Now he had said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her." Exodus 18:1-6

"Moses meets with Jethro, his father-in-law, in the desert of Midian." (Guzik)

1. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, with her two sons: Moses was here re-united with his wife Zipporah and his two sons Gershon and Eliezer. Apparently Moses sent his family back to Midian at some time, perhaps during the plagues of Egypt.

2. I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you: Moses had a special relationship with Jethro. Even though he was raised in all the wisdom and education of Egypt, Moses no doubt learned more about real leadership from the priest and shepherd Jethro - whose flocks Moses tended until his call at Sinai.

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them." Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. Exodus 18:7-12

"Jethro glorifies God when Moses reports what the LORD has done." (Guzik)

1. All the hardship . . . and how the LORD had delivered them: Moses gave Jethro an honest report, describing both the hardships and the deliverance.

2. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods: It is possible Jethro knew this before, because he was the priest of Midian (Exodus 18:1). But when he heard of God's great works over the gods of Egypt, it brought this truth to Jethro more clearly than before.

And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?" And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws. Exodus 18:13-16

"Jethro observes Moses as he settles disputes among the children of Israel." (Guzik)

1. Moses sat to judge the people: Among such a large group there would naturally be many disputes and questions of interpretation to settle. Apparently Moses was virtually the only recognized judge in the nation, and the job of hearing each case occupied Moses from morning until evening.

2. And I make known the statutes of God and His laws: Because Moses knew the Word of God, he was fit to settle disputes among the children of Israel. Yet taking all this responsibility to himself was a massive burden.

So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace." Exodus 18:17-23

"Jethro advises Moses to delegate the job of settling disputes." (Guzik)

The thing that you do is not good: It wasn't that Moses was unfit to hear their disputes; it wasn't that he didn't care about their disputes; it wasn't that the job was beneath him, it wasn't that the people didn't want Moses to hear their disputes. The problem was simply that the job was too big for Moses to do. His energies were spent unwisely. Moses must delegate, even as in Acts 6:2-4, the apostles insisted they needed to delegate so they would not leave the word of God and serve tables.

a. Much to Moses' credit, he was teachable; when Jethro said the thing that you do is not good, Moses listened to Jethro. Moses knew how to not bow to the complaints of the children of Israel (Exodus 17:3), but also knew how to hear godly counsel from a man like Jethro.

Prayer: The first step in delegating.

Stand before God for the people: This was the first essential step in effective delegation for Moses. He had to pray for the people. Delegation will not work if God is not in it.

Teaching the Word of God: The second step in delegating.

Teach them the statutes and the laws: For Moses to effectively delegate, he had to teach the Word of God not only to those who would hear the disputes, but also those who might dispute.

a. If the people knew God's word for themselves, many disputes could be settled immediately. Also, if the people knew God's word for themselves, they would not be discouraged if they could not bring their case to Moses himself - they could know one of Moses' delegates was able give them counsel from God's wisdom

Men who fear God: The third step in delegating Biblically.

Select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth: This was the next step in effective delegation for Moses. Delegation fails if the job is not put into the hands of able, godly men. Only particular men were fit for this job:

· Men of ability: able men
· Men of godliness: such as fear God
· Men of God's Word: men of truth
· Men of honor: hating covetousness

a. Paul gave the same counsel to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2: And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Moses would have to supervise those delegating under him.

Every great matter they shall bring to you: For Moses to effectively delegate, he must still have oversight and leadership over those under him. Delegation is the exercise of leadership, not the abandoning of it.

The rewards of effectively delegating.

You will be able to endure: This is the first reward for effective delegation. Moses would enjoy life and be able to do his job better than ever. The second reward was that all this people will also go their place in peace; that is, the people would be effectively ministered to.

a. This method also had the advantage of settling problems quickly because people didn't need to wait in line for Moses. "The longer a controversy lasts, the worse the tangle becomes, the more hot words are spoken, the more bystanders become involved." (Meyer) Jesus said we should agree with our adversary quickly (Matthew 5:25).

So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land. Exodus 18:24-27

"Moses follows Jethro's suggestions; Jethro departs." (Guzik)

1. Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said: Moses wisely followed Jethro's counsel, and surely this extended his ministry and made him more effective.

a. "It is better to set a hundred men to work than to do the work of a hundred men." (D.L. Moody)

2. Rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: In Moses' method of administration, some had a higher position than others. Yet God honored the faithful service of the rulers of tens as much as the service of the rulers of thousands.

In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. Exodus 19:1-2

"Israel camps at Mount Sinai." (Guzik)

1. They came to the Wilderness of Sinai: It took them three months of trusting God to get to this place, but they finally arrived. They saw God's deliverance from Egypt, received His guidance on the way to go, they saw His glorious victory at the Red Sea, they saw God provide food and water miraculously, and they saw a prayerful victory won over the Amalekites.

a. Israel will stay in the Wilderness of Sinai until Numbers 10. More than 57 chapters of Scripture are devoted to what happened to Israel in the year they camped at Mount Sinai.

2. So Israel camped there before the mountain: In one sense, all that went before was meant to bring them to this place. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of what God said in Exodus 3:12: this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

a. Sinai was the place where Moses had his "burning bush" experience with God. The whole nation of Israel would soon experience some of what Moses had before. If the people would meet God at this mountain, it could only happen because Moses had already been there. The people could not go farther than their leader.

b. If the traditional site of Mount Sinai looks like anything, it looks like a huge pulpit - a sudden, steep outcropping of mountain out in the wilderness. Here, God would preach the most dramatic sermon ever heard.

And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." Exodus 19:3-6

God calls Moses up to the mountain top.

Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain: Moses, led by God, went up on the mountain to meet with God as he had before - and the LORD spoke to Moses again.

Why does God call the Jews Jacob?

Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob: With this title God associated the nation with the weakest and most carnal of the patriarchs. At this point they acted more like Jacob than Abraham or Isaac.

God reminds the Jews of what He did for them in the past.

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians: God gave a message to Israel through Moses, a message regarding His purpose and destiny for Israel. This destiny was based on what God already did for them in the great deliverance from Egypt.

a. God's love and care was shown for Israel already, as He bore you on eagle's wings. It is said that an eagle does not carry her young in her claws like other birds; the young eagles attach themselves to the back of the mother eagle and are protected as they are carried. Any arrow from a hunter must pass through the mother eagle before it could touch the young eagle on her back.

b. The deliverance (I bore you on eagles' wings) was for fellowship (brought you to Myself). God didn't deliver Israel so they could "do their own thing," but so they could be God's people.

What does a special treasure mean?

Then you shall be a special treasure to Me: God intended for Israel to be a special treasure unto Him. He wanted them to be a people with a unique place in God's great plan, a people of great value and concern to God.

a. Paul longed for Christians to know how great a treasure they were to God; he prayed they would know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18).

God calls all believers to be a kingdom of priests.

You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests: God intended for Israel to be a kingdom of priests, where every believer could come before God themselves, and everyone could represent God to the nations.

a. Peter reminds us we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), those who serve God as both kings and priests (and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, Revelation 1:6).

How do we live a set apart life?

And a holy nation: God intended for Israel to be a holy nation, a nation and people set apart from the rest of the world, the particular possession of God, fit for His purposes.

a. Peter reminds us we are a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). As God's people, we must be set apart, thinking and doing differently than others in this world.

b. The key to being set apart: "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

How the Old Covenant was based on our works and obedience.

If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then: All this could only be fulfilled if Israel would stay in God's word. The word then is an important word here. Apart from knowing and doing God's word, God's destiny for the nation would never be fulfilled.

a. Keep My covenant: the covenant was greater than the law itself. The covenant God would make with Israel involved law, sacrifice, and the choice to obey and be blessed or to disobey and be cursed.

 

[Chaplain]

Nanotech and Jesus Christ - James Tour at Georgia Tech

Jim Tour, Ph.D., a professor at Rice University, is ranked in the top ten most cited chemists in the world. He is known for creating nanocars, nanoelectronics, graphene nanostructures and carbon nanovectors in medicine. He will speak on nanotechnology, the impact of faith in his life and career, and about his love for Jesus Christ.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

No offense Game but this thread feels like its your own personal pulpit. I appreciate how much work you put into all of your posts and I dont know about others but I dont have the time I would like and need to read all of said posts and to respond to them accordingly.

Maybe if you would make your posts vastly shorter and perhaps ask questions that are inviting the thread may start up again.

 

[Chaplain]

I appreciate how much work you put into all of your posts and I dont know about others but I dont have the time I would like and need to read all of said posts and to respond to them accordingly.

Maybe if you would make your posts vastly shorter and perhaps ask questions that are inviting the thread may start up again.

Ty for your advice. I will pray and see what God wants me to do with His studies. =]

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Ty for your advice. I will pray and see what God wants me to do with His studies. =]

Sounds good man.

 

[Chaplain]

So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever." So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. Exodus 19:7-9

Israel agrees to the terms of God's covenant.

Laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him: The people will later be challenged to receive the covenant again, after they heard its terms, and they received it again (Exodus 24:1-8).

Moses shows us, by his example, what a real priest looks like.

Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD: Moses here is acting as a true priest, as an intermediary between God and the people; yet, God spoke audibly to the Moses (that the people may hear when I speak with you) so everyone would know that it was really God speaking to Moses.

a. "Now at this point Moses was a priest; that is, he was going before God speaking for the people, and then he was coming to the people and speaking for God. Christ has become our great High Priest. He represents us to the Father, and He represents the Father to us. He's our great High Priest. "So there is one mediator between God and man. The man Christ Jesus our great High Priest" (1 Timothy 2:5). But Moses was the priest, and in the Old Testament this was always the purpose of the priest, to represent the people to God. To go unto God, speak for the people, and then come for the people, and speak for God. So here's Moses operating in that whole concept of priesthood. So he goes back to God and he says, "Hey, they said they'll buy it, everything you say, they'll do." "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." (Smith)

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain." Exodus 19:10-13

"God commands that His holy presence on Sinai be respected." (Guzik)

1. Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow: God was going to appear to Israel in spectacular fashion; and before this could happen, the people had to prepare themselves.

2. You shall set bounds for the people all around: The coming of God to Mount Sinai did not mean the people were free to go to the mountain and fellowship with God. They had to keep their distance behind a barrier, and the penalty for failing to keep their distance was death.

a. Any person or animal killed for getting too close would be regarded as so unholy they could not even be touched, they had to be executed with a stones or arrows.

b. If there is anything basic to human nature, it is that we need boundaries. In setting these boundaries and providing the death penalty for breaching them, God showed Israel that obedience is more important than their feelings. We don't doubt that some bold Israelites felt like going beyond the boundaries, but they were to submit their feelings to obedience.

3. When the trumpet sounds long: The people could only come near at God's invitation, and the trumpet signaled that the invitation was open.

Why would they have to wash their clothes before meeting with God?

let them wash their clothes: ""Now the washing of their clothes was actually just a symbolic action. The people were to really cleanse themselves before God. The washing of their clothes being a symbolic action that spoke of just the setting of themselves, or the washing of themselves of their hearts, their minds, their lives. It means to sanctify, means to set apart for, for use." (Smith)

a. The people were to wash their clothes as an outward sign of inward expectancy. And to be those who truly and clearly hear the voice of God personally and powerfully, we must wash our clothes as well. How?

• “How shall a young man cleanse his way?” David asked. “By taking heed according to the Word” (Psalm 119:9).
• “We are washed by the water of the Word” Paul said (Ephesians 5:26).
• “You are clean through the Word I have spoken” Jesus declared (John 15:3).
(Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (291). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives." Exodus 19:14-15

"Commands for ceremonial purity and cleanliness." (Guzik)

1. Do not come near your wives: The rest of the Scriptures do not teach that there is any inherent uncleanness in sexual relations. In this situation, God wanted the people to demonstrate their desire for purity by putting on clean clothes and restraining the flesh.

2. Be ready for the third day: The meeting with God could only come at the third day. Anyone who tried to meet with God before the third day tried to come before God opened the way.

Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp tremble. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Exodus 19:16-19

"God's terrifying presence on Mount Sinai" (Guzik), and the prophetic element to these scriptures.

1. Thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud: These signs of power and glory signaled the presence of God. The whole environment must have seemed terrifying to the people.

2. The sound of the trumpet was very loud: Beyond all one could see, hear, and feel, then came a long, loud blast of a trumpet, a trumpet coming not from the camp but from heaven itself - no wonder all the people who were in the camp trembled.

a. "Does the sound of a trumpet ring a bell? Paul tells us that the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the trumpet of God before we’re raptured not to the top of Mt. Sinai, but to the top of the clouds where we’ll meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16)." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (292). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

3. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God: Then, Moses led the people right up to the barrier at the very foot of Mount Sinai, where they could see, smell, hear, and virtually taste the fire which engulfed the mountain - as well as feel the earth shake under their feet when the whole mountain quaked greatly.

a. "Not only was this a monumental moment in Israel’s history, but it was a picture of what would happen in Acts 2, when the events of Exodus 19 were fulfilled prophetically—when suddenly on the Day of Pentecost, God the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples gathered together in the Upper Room and tongues of fire sat upon each of them (Acts 2:3)." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (292). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

4. When the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder: In the midst of all this, the sound of the trumpet blast became longer and louder and longer and louder, until Moses spoke to God - perhaps asking Him to stop.

Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Exodus 19:20

Moses is called by God to meet with Him.

1. Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain: God came in a special presence to Mount Sinai, ready to meet with Moses as a representative of the whole nation of Israel.

2. And Moses went up: God came down, and Moses went up. As the people trembled in terror at the foot of the mountain, Moses needed courage to go to the top and meet with God. It took courage for Moses to go up in the midst of all the thunder, lightning, earthquakes, fire, and smoke. But Moses knew God not only in terms of this awesome power, but also in terms of His gracious kindness.

And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." But Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.'" Then the LORD said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. Exodus 19:21-25

God tells Moses to warn the people. Of what?

1. Go down and warn the people: Those who through rebellion, curiosity, or raw daring presumed to go up on the mountain would perish. The glory and greatness of God wasn't to be a matter subjected to scientific inquiry or a way to prove one's own manhood.

2. The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai: Just because God called Moses and Aaron up did not mean there was an open invitation for the whole nation to meet with God on Mount Sinai.

a. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) We can only be saved through Jesus. We cannot be saved by our own works or efforts. "For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

How we each need to submit daily, sometimes moment by moment, to God's will.

Do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD: The whole idea at Sinai was exclusion. Exodus 19 gives a powerful picture of the awesome fear each Israelite must have felt at Mount Sinai. It is easy to think that this would inspire them to a holy lifestyle.

a. Many today feel we need to get more of the thunder and fire and trembling of Mount Sinai into people as a way of keeping them from sin. Yet, not forty days from this, the whole nation will be practicing an orgy around a golden calf, praising it as the god that brought them out of Egypt.

b. As Chadwick says, "Awe is one thing: the submission of the will is another." Israel had plenty of awe, but little submission of their will.

The differences between the Old and New Testament, and the lessons we can learn from the Jews coming to Mount Sinai.

1. Hebrews 12:18-24 tells us loud and clear that under the New Covenant we come to a different mountain, that our salvation and relationship with God is centered at Mount Zion, not Mount Sinai.

· Sinai speaks of fear and terror, but Zion speaks of love and forgiveness.
· Sinai is in a dry desert, but Zion is the city of the Living God.
· Sinai, with all its fear and power is earthly; but the Mount Zion we come to is heavenly and spiritual.
· At Sinai, only Moses could come and meet God; at Zion, there is an innumerable company, a general assembly.
· Sinai had guilty men in fear, but Zion has just men made perfect.
· At Sinai, Moses is the mediator, but at Zion, Jesus the mediator.
· Sinai put forth an Old covenant, ratified by the blood of animals; Zion has a New Covenant, ratified by the blood of God's precious Son.
· Sinai was all about barriers and exclusion; Zion is all about invitation.
· Sinai is all about Law, Zion is all about grace.

2. Therefore, we shouldn't come to Zion as if we were coming to Sinai. We must put away our hesitation and get bold in coming to God. Nevertheless there is much for us to learn at Mount Sinai. We learn of God's holy requirements and what we have to do before we can come to Him. In a similar manner to those at Mount Sinai, there are things we must to do meet with God.

· We must be receive God's word.
· We must be set apart.
· We must be cleansed.
· We can only come after the third day.
· We must respect God's boundary.
· We must restrain the flesh
· We must know we come to a holy God.

3. "Reader, art thou still under the influence and condemning power of that fiery law which proceeded from his right hand? Art though yet afar off? Remember, thou canst only come nigh by the blood of sprinkling; and till justified by his blood, thou are under the curse. Consider the terrible majesty of God. If thou have his favour thou hast life; if his frown, death. Be instantly reconciled to God, for though thou hast deeply sinned, and he is just, yet he is the justifier of him that believeth in Christ Jesus. Believe on him, receive his salvation OBEY his voice indeed, and KEEP his covenant, and THEN shalt thou be a king and a priest unto God and the Lamb, and be finally saved with all the power of an endless life. Amen." (Clarke)

 

[VanMardigan]

Is anybody reading these long posts? Are you gief from ign?

I'd suggest you type those replies on a separate blog and then link to them here since that would make the thread more manageable, especially on mobile devices.

And if we have a large group of lurkers who are actually reading your posts but not replying or responding in any way, you'd actually know through the analytics in your blog. Some of the good questions and conversations being posted are lost in your wall of text megaposts.

I'm Christian by the way. I point that out so you don't think I'm just an atheist annoyed at you posting bible verses.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Is anybody reading these long posts? Are you gief from ign?

I'd suggest you type those replies on a separate blog and then link to them here since that would make the thread more manageable, especially on mobile devices.

And if we have a large group of lurkers who are actually reading your posts but not replying or responding in any way, you'd actually know through the analytics in your blog. Some of the good questions and conversations being posted are lost in your wall of text megaposts.

I'm Christian by the way. I point that out so you don't think I'm just an atheist annoyed at you posting bible verses.

Atheist or not, there just isn't much inviting in this thread about Game Analyst posting pages upon pages of play-by-play Bible commentary. It's not a discussion, it's a lecture. A sermon. I highly doubt this is what the OP had in mind.

 

[VanMardigan]

I don't know, maybe someone is reading it, but he wouldn't know it anyway if no one responds. Which is why I suggested a free blog, it would allow him to see who is reading his material, and he can link it here without disturbing the flow or making navigation on mobiles difficult.

It seems like a win-win. I remember this thread being more active, or at least having more varied discussions. I think the long posts are getting in the way now.

 

[Chaplain]

I have a question for each person who said to stop doing the Bible studies on GAF.

Before you posted and shared what you did, did you pray and ask God if this is what He wanted?

What I will personally ask each of you to do is to ask God what He wants in this matter until He gives each of you an answer. If God want's His Word to be preached, and a few do not want it, I am going to obey God not what a few say. If God says to move the Bible study from GAF to a blog, I will do what He says.

Let's just make sure that we are all praying about it and seeking God on the matter (His will and way), instead of going by what our hearts say because that is not the best way to make Godly decisions.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

 

[Orayn]

Again, "Bible study" implies some level of participation. You're being the equivalent of a street preacher who shows up in the same spot on a regular basis to do his thing. You can take that as positively or negatively as you want to, but know that there are probably more effective ways of doing what you're currently doing.

As it stands, you're stifling any potential for discussion in this thread with these walls of text. If nothing else, you could post some of the questions posed by your "Bible studies" as conversation-starters and follow up with the rest piece by piece, if people answer and discuss.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

I have a question for each person who said to stop doing the Bible studies on GAF.

Before you posted and shared what you did, did you pray and ask God if this is what He wanted?

What I will personally ask each of you to do is to ask God what He wants in this matter until He gives each of you an answer. If God want's His Word to be preached, and a few do not want it, I am going to obey God not what a few say. If God says to move the Bible study from GAF to a blog, I will do what He says.

Let's just make sure that we are all praying about it and seeking God on the matter (His will and way), instead of going by what our hearts say because that is not the best way to make Godly decisions.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

If someone says 'Yes, I did pray before writing that.' Will it have made a difference to whether you change your posting style?