Exodus Sermons (written)

Exodus 14:10-20
Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord

In America, at least to this point, Christians have been safe and secure in their religious life. We have been allowed to worship freely, believe in the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation, and to openly proclaim that anywhere and everywhere.

Now of course, with our current leadership, that is quickly changing. Our president is hostile to our faith and he is hostile to the values which established this country which are based on our faith. For us, the road will probably become difficult and we may face times of great trouble if we are willing to continue in our walk with the Lord.

His treasonous acts aside, this has been the standard for many of the world’s Christians all along. They have had to choose between Christ and death and between the kingdom of Christ and that of the world. And for many the choice was easy – “I choose Jesus.”

For others, their religion is only as strong as the next threat they face. In the movie, The Kingdom of Heaven, the Bishop and Patriarch of Jerusalem was faced with death as the muslim forces under Saladin came against the city. His words to the knight defending the city were, “Convert now, repent later.” The knight’s response was, “You’ve taught me a lot about religion, your Eminence.”

Today’s verses partially encompass a chiasm I found about seven years ago. The middle, or anchor, of that chiasm contains the words, “Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians.” Israel had seen the ten plagues, they had received release from their bondage, they had been directed by a pillar of cloud and fire, and yet, as soon as they start to face a minor threat in comparison to the works they had seen, they lose faith and begin to accuse Moses.

Is this the strength of your faith? To what extent are you willing to stand up for Jesus Christ? Millions and millions of Christians have been willing to die for Him and they will receive their reward. They continue to be slaughtered even now around the world due to the outright negligence, and belligerence against the Christian, by the president of the US.

And if he gets his way, we will soon face the same under him in our own land. What will be your answer? Will you be like the Bishop of Jerusalem and say, “Convert now, repent later?” Or will you be like Clint Eastwood and say “Go ahead, make my day!”?  Me, “Send me home to Abba! Go ahead, make my day!”

Text Verse: “Salvation is of the Lord.” Jonah 2:9

Salvation is of the Lord – from the beginning to the end. This is what the Bible proclaims. He saves us despite ourselves, and He continues to save us despite ourselves. And… He will carry us to His heavenly home. All who come to Him will be saved. Have faith in that and should your faith be tested, even to death, tell them to “Bring it on – I have a promise which is found in God’s superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Salvation of the Lord (verses 10-14)

¹⁰ And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them.

The last verse we looked at last week said –

“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 14:9

This then explains the layout of the situation to us. They are at the Sea at a place called “the mouth of the gorges.” What this means is that there was a body of water too large to traverse to the east. There were gorges to the west, implying a mountain range. And even if there was a highway which continued down along the banks of the Red Sea, it would have been narrow.

A flight for 2 million or so people would have meant that they would be cut down by the pursuing Egyptians as they fled. Further, there are eventually mountains which come right up to the sea along the coast. And so they would be blocked from a further flight south. This is the setting and the battle conditions in which they found themselves.

In all ways, they had their proverbial backs against the wall and the Egyptian army was coming. In other words, under normal circumstances, it is an impossible situation. There would be no exit and there would only be the expectation of death or re-capture.

^{10 (con’t)} So they were very afraid,

One question that some scholars have thrown out in order to diminish the truth of the Bible concerning the recorded numbers of people that the Exodus accounts claim is, “How could a group of people consisting of 603,550 fighting aged men be ‘very afraid’ of an army which could be no more than a third that size?”

Supposedly, there would actually be no comparison in the size of the force and it would seem that Israel would easily overcome and destroy Egypt. There are a multitude of reasons why this is more than an unsound attack against the narrative.

First, it is Israel who is boxed in with no real means of escape. Secondly, Israel is hampered by the fact that they have children, the aged, women, animals, and supplies to deal with.

Third, Israel would have been unarmed, Egypt would have been heavily armed, wearing military garments, and possessing chariots. Fourth, Israel was unaccustomed to battle; the Egyptians were highly trained soldiers, prepared for war.

The history of warfare is replete with smaller forces destroying larger forces because of training, available weapons, and experience. As I said, under any normal circumstances this was an impossible situation. But these were not normal circumstances as the next words show us…

^{10 (con’t)} and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

The very fact that Israel “cried out to the Lord” shows that they felt these were not normal circumstances concerning their plight. Rather, they were normal circumstances concerning their faith. Their plight was completely under control; their faith was completely out of control.

Those who knew that the Lord was capable of helping took advantage of the moment to call on Him. Those who didn’t cried out to Him in anguish. As Matthew Henry says about this –

“Some cried out unto the Lord; their fear led them to pray, and that was well. God brings us into straits, that he may bring us to our knees.” Henry

Crying out to the Lord doesn’t always mean that strong faith is present. It simply means that there is nowhere else to cry out to. It is no different than the atheist who cries out “O God” when their child is dying at the scene of a car accident. Sometimes, the straits we face are a means of molding the little faith we do have.

Apparently though, Israel did not learn this, but instead redirected what should have been faith in God into anger at God’s messenger.

¹¹ Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?

There is an irony in these words which needs to be considered. Egypt was steeped in the worship of the dead. The bodies of the Egyptians were mummified as a means of obtaining eternal life. The graves of the Egyptians then were considered the place where life continued.

Egypt was a land full of tombs, and there was a necropolis in every city. Rather than such a place of burial in the “land of the tombs,” Israel felt they would perish in the wilderness. It shows a forgetfulness of the promises made to the patriarchs and those which were repeated to them by the Lord through Moses.

It also shows the absurd nature of having brought up the bones of the patriarchs from Egypt. If it was the great place of hope and promise that they are implying, then it would have been better to leave the bones there.

Further, it cannot be said that they have faith in the Lord but lacked faith in Moses because of his bad choice of leading them to their present location. Scholars attempt to find this a reasonable explanation, but it is not. In Exodus 13, it said –

“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. ²² He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” Exodus 13:21, 22

In just a few more verses, it will acknowledge that the pillar is still there with them at this time. The Lord is leading Moses and Moses is following Him ahead of the people. An attack on Moses then is an attack against the leading of the Lord.

Although a seeming diversion from the present plight, it is not unjustified to say that those who rebel against the properly taught word of the Lord are really only rebelling against the Lord. If for no other reason than to ensure that you know your Bible, it is a good enough one there to soberly consider doing so.

^{11 (con’t)} Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?

These words show a complete failure to remember the events of the previous days. They observed the Passover; they were entirely spared and yet Egypt collectively suffered and mourned. While they were leaving the land in the moonlight, the shrieks and howls of death would have permeated the night air.

At that time, the joy of ending the pain, toil, and bondage was fresh on their minds. Now, just a couple days since then, they have forgotten that they willingly marched with Moses and did so with all their possessions and with the promise that the Lord would be with them. And He was, as evidenced by the pillar they followed.

¹² Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’?

Lange says, “The exaggeration of their recollection of a doubt formerly expressed reaches the pitch of falsehood.”

In other words, the people are mis-remembering and even lying concerning the situation. In Exodus 4 when Moses presented himself to the people with the signs from the Lord, this was recorded –

“So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” Exodus 4:31

It is true that after that, times became difficult, but there is no record at all of them asking Moses to leave them alone in order to serve the Egyptians. There were times when they wouldn’t heed Moses. Another time, the officers were angry with him, but they are never recorded as desiring to continue to serve the Egyptians.

As a point of interest, this portion of verse 12 is obviously very important to understand because a chiasm centers on its words. I came across this one in 2008 and it shows a picture of those who would rather serve the world than the Lord.

In other words, it is a classic picture of those who are called, who turn back to the world, and yet whom the Lord still delivers because of His immense love and mercy –

Exodus 13:21-14:20 – In the Wilderness (4/23/08)
Miracles and Complaints

a 13:21, 22 The pillar of cloud/fire led the way.
b 14:4 Harden Pharaoh’s heart to gain honor over him.
c 14:9 Israel lifted their eyes and were very afraid.
d 14:11 …to die in the wilderness
e 14:11 Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
                        f 14:12 Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians
                    e 14:12 It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians
d 14:12 … we should die in the wilderness.
c 14:13 Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.
b 14:17 Harden Egyptians hearts to gain honor over Pharaoh and all his army.
a 14:19, 20 The pillar of cloud went behind them.

^{12 (con’t)} For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

For those who do not know Christ, service to the devil appears better than death in obscurity. The Lord needs to remove this from them. If His miracles and wonders on Egypt were enough to convince them of who He is, then bringing them to their present straits would not have been needed.

But the people still lacked resolve in following the Lord because they still lacked sound faith in Him. When one knows the Lord, even death in obscurity is but a sweet moment of rest. Better to die in the wilderness than to continue life in Egypt. But the Lord intends neither for these people at this time…

¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.

In contrast to the cries and complaints of the people, Moses stands firm and provides a series of thoughts which resonate throughout the rest of Scripture. He first gives words of fortitude, al tirau – “Do not be afraid.”

The first time these words were spoken was by the Lord to Abraham in Genesis 15:1. They are spoken time and again throughout both Testaments, and are spoken the last time to John when he received his vision from the Lord in Revelation 1:17.

Throughout the Bible, the people of God are admonished to not be in fear, but to trust the Lord. Moses repeats these words now to the fearful masses of Israel.

^{13 (con’t)} Stand still,

hityasvu – “stand still.” The words here are intended to refocus the individual away from self to something or someone else. Instead of necessary action by the person, there will be peace for them while action is taken for the person. There was no need to flee away or to move towards action. They could simply stand fast…

^{13 (con’t)} and see the salvation of the Lord,

ureu eth yeshuat Yehovah. This is now the second time in the Bible that the word yeshua has been used. The first time was in Genesis 49 during Jacob’s blessing of his sons. There, after blessing Dan and before blessing Gad, he cried out –

“I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!” Genesis 49:18

Jacob anticipated Yeshua, now Moses promises Yeshua. Salvation would come and it would come from the Lord. The word Yeshua is the Hebrew name of Jesus. Thus, this verse is both a prophetic picture and a prophetic pun.

In picture, the Lord would work salvation for Israel – a salvation which Paul explains in 1 Corinthians pictures the work of Christ. In prophetic pun, these words say, “…and see the Jesus of Yehovah.” It is an anticipation of the incarnation of Jesus Christ when the Lord came to dwell among men.

^{13 (con’t)} which He will accomplish for you today.

The promise is made – there would be no defeat in a hopeless battle, there would be no long siege against the people, and there would be no putting off for later what was coming. The Lord would act and it would be hayom – “today.” The act would come and it would be complete in its scope…

^{13 (con’t)} For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.

The promise here is better worded as Young’s translates it – “As ye have seen the Egyptians to-day.” In other words, “You shall never see the Egyptians in the same way” again (Barnes). The reason for this is that they will see the Egyptians again. They will see them dead on the shores of the Red Sea, and they will encounter Egypt in the future, but they will never see them in this manner again.

Israel will be perfectly delivered from Egypt once and forever, and it would be without any further delay.

The faith of Moses in this verse is repeated by King Jehoshaphat of Judah many hundreds of years later. In fact his words to the people before a great army which was coming against them are so similar to those of Moses that it seems he was recalling this very account of the Exodus to inspire the people. These are his words –

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

Jehoshaphat trusted the Lord with the same faith as Moses and he was rewarded for that faith. The enemies were destroyed and the people of Judah, without having engaged in the battle at all, were able to plunder the dead of an immense amount of wealth.

 ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

Moses promises that while Israel stands still, the Lord will act on their behalf. The Hebrew word for “shall hold your peace” signifies not just silence in speech, but a complete cessation of action as well. Everything about the words in verses 13 and 14 shows that salvation is of the Lord, from the beginning to the end.

Moses has shown them that they will not participate in their salvation, and that the Lord will work independently of any help of any kind. There is no part in the honor of what happens to be ascribed to the people. Instead it is a work of the Lord alone.

These two verses for Israel picture the process of salvation in the individual believer in Christ. They can be summed up perfectly in the words of Paul found in Ephesians 2 –

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9

Israel did nothing to merit the favor of the Lord and they did nothing to secure their salvation from the bonds of Egypt. Instead, He did everything, thus setting the pattern of salvation for all of humanity.

Israel seemed hemmed in by land, sea, and Pharaoh and yet the Lord delivered them. Humans are hemmed in by sin, corruption, and the devil and yet the Lord is there to deliver us. As Matthew Henry says about this –

“If God brings his people into straits, he will find a way to bring them out.” Matthew Henry

Moses, why have you brought us out here?
We have nowhere to go and the enemy is on his way
This is the end of us now we fear
Yes, our end has come this very day

Were there no graves left in Egypt for us to die there?
Did we need to come to this place to be buried?
We’re stuck at this spot by the sea and you don’t seem to care
Are there ships coming by which we can be ferried?

Don’t not be afraid, instead stand still
See the salvation of the Lord; a marvelous work indeed
The sight you see will be bring the greatest thrill
He shall deliver you and He shall do it with speed

II. So I will Gain Honor Over Pharaoh (verses 15-18)

¹⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?

The words here perplex scholars because there is no prayer or anguish noted as stemming from Moses. And yet, these words suddenly appear. And so scholars insert an “unspoken prayer” of Moses, or even a spoken prayer while he was alone talking to the Lord. But I believe this is unnecessary.

There is no reason to assume that the Lord is speaking to Moses about Moses. The word “cry” is singular and so it appears to be Moses who is crying to the Lord, but Moses is the representative of the people. Therefore, their cumulative cry of verse 10 is equated to the singular cry of Moses.

In Joshua 7, something similar appears. One of the people of Israel had committed a transgression and because of it all of Israel was judged through defeat in battle. In verse 6 it says,

“Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.” Joshua 7:6

Later in verse 10, the Lord spoke to Joshua as the representative of the people –

“So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?” Joshua 7:10

Though all of the elders were on their face before the ark, the Lord only spoke to Joshua; it is in the singular. And in order to get them to act, we read this in verse 13 –

“Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.'” Joshua 7:13

The Lord directed Joshua to turn the petitions of the elders into action. The same was true with his predecessor Moses. The two accounts are similar and yet they have contrasts. One was based on a lack of the faith of the people concerning the ability of the Lord. The other was based on disobedience to the word of the Lord.

One was prior to their salvation from the Egyptians and the giving of the law. The other was after their reception of the law and being brought into the covenant. The people’s lack of faith could be compared to Peter’s lack of faith before the crucifixion. And the willful act of the offender in Joshua could be compared to Ananias and Sapphira after the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Joshua was there to witness both in the Old Testament; Peter was there for both in the New. The two accounts contrast and yet they confirm that when action is necessary, action is expected. Thus the Lord tells Moses to act, just as He will say the same to Joshua later.

^{15 (con’t)} Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

The explanation for these words will be realized in the next verse. The congregation was to pack up its camp and march to the very shore of the sea. It is as if they were to expect a fleet of ships to come and pick them up, taking them to safety.

But if that is what they thought, they would be wrong. What would occur would be much more marvelous than the assistance of a fleet of ships from a distant land.

¹⁶ But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.

The rod, or matteh, is the rod of God which Moses has carried with him all along. It was there on the sacred mountain with him, it was later presented to the Israelites and then to Pharaoh. It was used to strike the land, the waters, and the heavens with plagues against Egypt. And now he is asked to stretch it out once again.

This time, it would be over the sea. The rod symbolizes the power of God because it bears the authority of the one it represents. Moses represented the Lord because he bore His rod. Thus the power to effect the miracle was present with him.

In stretching the rod over the sea, the sea would then be divided. The word of the Lord will become a reality through the action.

^{16 (con’t)} And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Of these words, Benson says –

“The same power could have congealed the waters for them to pass over, but infinite Wisdom chose rather to divide the waters for them to pass through, for that way of salvation is always pitched upon which is most humbling.” Joseph Benson

Although I agree that the Lord could have congealed the waters so that they could have been walked over, I don’t fully agree with his reasoning. It wasn’t just more humbling to walk through the waters than over them. It was a miracle 1) which would be remembered more poignantly; 2) it would require more faith to walk between walls of water than over a solid mass; and 3) it is intended to make a picture of the work of Christ. As Paul notes in 1 Corinthians –

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” 1 Corinthians 10:1, 2

Above all, baptism is an act of faith – “I believe Christ died for me and I am following Him in His burial.” The people required faith in the Lord’s continued sustaining power over the walls of water on either side of them.

They were to engage in a type of baptism by walking through the sea as they did. And there is also a parallel here to the creation account itself. The word for “dry ground” is yabbashah. It was first used in Genesis 1:9 where it says –

“Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so.” Genesis 1:9

Out of the chaos of the seas would come the order and firmness of the dry ground through an act of creation. Likewise, out of the chaos of the sea would come order and firmness of the dry ground in an act of redemption. As always in the Bible the pattern is consistent, there is creation and then there is redemption.

¹⁷ And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them.

This is the last time that the term “harden” is used in the Exodus account. The last time it was used only of Pharaoh in verse 8, but now it is being applied to the hearts of the Egyptians as well. The Lord is stating that He will be the one to harden their hearts.

However, the means of that hardening has to be drawn out from the context of the passage. And it is a context which shows that it is the form of the miracle by the Lord which drew the Egyptians into following Israel.

In other words, it will be an act of the Lord which passively draws Egypt in. They will exercise their own free will, heading into the waters of destruction. The Lord simply knew that they would follow this avenue. And there is a specific reason for this which is again repeated…

^{17 (con’t)} So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.

The word for “honor” here is kaved. It indicates honor, glory, or acclaim, but it comes from the idea of weight or heaviness. In this then, there is a certain pun going on. The Lord will receive glory over Pharaoh and his people, but it will come from the crushing weight of the seas that come down upon them

¹⁸ Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

This verse takes us first back to Exodus 7 –

“And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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.” Exodus 7:3-5

This was later further defined earlier in this chapter –

“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 14:4

The logical progression of what has been spoken is coming to its fulfillment. The Lord has incrementally worked through these many chapters to slowly reveal His glory. It is a marvelous study of wisdom. In fact, it is brilliant. But what else could one expect from the mind and the secret counsels of the Lord!

Moses, get the people up and tell them to go!
Forward! Even to the edge of the sea
There a marvelous miracle to you I will show
A mighty deed which will set the people free

They won’t have to swim or sail on a boat
Nor will they walk on the water, that is reserved for Me
But they will cross over… No not with a rubber ducky float
Just lift up your rod and stretch it out over the sea

The waters will be divided and they will pass through
It will be as if on dry ground, don’t you believe Me?
A marvelous thing for Israel I will do
By the strength of My hand I will divide the Red Sea

III. From Guide to Guard – Safety in the Lord (verses 19-20)

¹⁹ And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them;

In Exodus 13:21, it said that the Lord, meaning Yehovah, went before the people in the pillar. Now He is called malakh ha’elohim. Literally, he is called the Angel of “the” God. There is a definite article in front of God which hasn’t been seen for 10 chapters.

There is specificity which is asking to be considered, not passed over. In Exodus 3:2, the Angel of Yehovah appeared in the burning bush. Then in Exodus 3:6 and 3:11 He is called ha’elohim, “the God.” The words are not random, but are particularly used to highlight that the Angel of Yehovah is the Angel of the God and that He is Yehovah and that He is God. And finally, we are shown that there is only one God and He is it.

With Israel now placed directly in front of the sea, and with their inability to go forward any further at this time, the “Angel of the God” who is the Lord, now moves behind the camp to protect them from their enemies. When the seas are parted, they will not need Him to lead them as it will be the only means of egress. And instead of their front guide, He now becomes their rear guard.

The same type of interchangeable names and concepts for the Lord are found in the words of Isaiah –

For you shall not go out with haste,
Nor go by flight;
For the Lord will go before you,
And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12

&

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:8

In those Isaiah verses, He is called both the Lord and the God of Israel, and He is both the One who goes before the people and the One who is their rear guard. In picture, He is Jesus who went before us in death and who will come behind us until we have reached our heavenly shore. We are always cared for as protected people of God because of the presence of the Lord.

^{19 (con’t)} and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.

Some scholars try to distinguish the Lord from the pillar of cloud by separating the two clauses of this verse. This is not correct. The two clauses are parallel and the entities are synonymous. The Lord is represented by the pillar of cloud.

When the invisible Lord moves, the visible manifestation of His presence moves with Him. This is comparable to the burning bush which Moses beheld. The light which emanated from it was intended for Moses to see and understand. The same is true with the pillar for Israel and against Egypt.

²⁰ So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel.

The word “it” should not be used here. The Lord is not an “it” and the context shows that both the Lord and the pillar are being referred to. Rather, the word v’yabo simply means “and came.” That may sound nitpicky on my part, but context drives translation and the context is that this is the Lord revealed in the cloud.

It must have been an incredible sight for the Israelites to see the cloud move from the sea to their rear guard and come to rest between them and the Egyptians, but it was another saving grace as they are being prepared for their final step of the exodus.

*^20 (fin) 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.

This entire verse can be translated without the word “it.” Young’s does an excellent job in his literal translation of it –

…and cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night.” YLT

Young’s thoughtful translation of these words shows both a sense of the splendor of the Lord and His ability to use the same medium to work for the benefit of one group and to the detriment of the other. John Lange shows a spiritual connotation to the physical description of the words of this verse –

“That which gives light to the believers constitutes nocturnal darkness for the unbelievers; and that is the irremovable barrier between the two.” Lange

This is a truth which is seen more and more in the world today. As the end times have certainly arrived, there is a spiritual darkness which permeates the mind of the unbelievers and yet it is the same thing which provides light to believers. It is the word of God. The dividing line is set and it is found in the word of God – the Bible, which reveals the Word of God – Jesus.

Matthew Henry further explains this thought –

“The word and providence of God have a black and dark side toward sin and sinners, but a bright and pleasant side toward the people of the Lord. He, who divided between light and darkness, Ge 1:4, allotted darkness to the Egyptians, and light to the Israelites. Such a difference there will be between the inheritance of the saints in light, and that utter darkness which will be the portion of hypocrites for ever.” Matthew Henry

It is good to know the Lord, to be familiar with His word, and to understand the spiritual darkness which is all around us. But lest we think that we somehow accomplished this salvation on our own, or that someone around us doesn’t deserve it, we can look to the words of Paul in Colossians 1. There he tells us that it is the Lord who delivered us –

“giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:12-14

Because this is so, we need to remember that we were also once in darkness. The world around us maybe be offensive and gross, but the world around us needs Jesus. Let’s remember this and pray for the lost, be willing to share the good news, and always be prepared with a defense for why we believe what we believe.

And just in case you have never received the Lord Jesus as your Savior, I would ask for just another moment to share with you how you can move from the spiritual darkness which encompasses you and into His marvelous light…

Closing Verse: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:8-11

Next Week: Exodus 14:21-31 (The Parting of the Red Sea) (41st Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Salvation of Lord

And when Pharaoh drew near
The children of Israel lifted their eyes
And behold, a sight that brought fear
The Egyptians marched after them, it seemed their demise

So they were very afraid of the coming sword
And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord

Then they said to Moses, in their duress
“Because there were in Egypt no graves
Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?
Is this how a leader behaves?

Why have you so dealt with us? Our hope is stripped
Since your intent was to bring us up out of Egypt?

Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt… what nerve!
Saying “Let us alone that we may the Egyptians serve

For it would have been better for us to serve without duress
The Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness

And “Do not be afraid” Moses to the people did say
Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord
Which He will accomplish for you today
I pronounce to you now a prophetic word

For the Egyptians whom you see today
You shall see again no more forever, their trouble will cease
The Lord will fight for you, in a glorious way
And you, you shall hold your peace

And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward, get out by the sea

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 land
Through the midst of the sea without getting wet

And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians
And they shall follow them in
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 in a marvelous show
Over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen; this is my word

And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel
Moved and behind them went
And the pillar of cloud went from before them
And stood behind them; a marvelous event

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 to the other light it did dispel

So that the one did not come near the other all that night
The Egyptians had darkness, but Israel had light

And such is true with the world, and me and you
If you have Jesus, you have the light
But if you don’t unfortunately it’s true
You only have darkness; pitch black as the night

But if you call out to Him for His saving grace
Upon you the light will arise and it will shine
The light of God is revealed in His face
Call out to Him now… Say “Jesus is mine!”

In Him there is no darkness, not at all
In Him there is only God’s wondrous glory
So on His name, today be sure to call
And be a part of God’s glorious gospel story

And we shall as the redeemed praise Him for eternal years
With joy and shouting of heartfelt cheers!

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 14:1-9
The Lord is Watching

Today’s sermon was one of my favorite to type in a long time. It went quickly, it gave me some fun challenges as far as names and such, and it continues to bring us ever closer to that wondrous story that has been told and retold for thousands of years.

Like the Passover, what lies ahead of Israel is something that really identifies them as a people. No other group has ever been brought through the deep waters of an ocean as if on dry land. It is an honor and it is a responsibility. Unfortunately, throughout their history, they have forgotten the honor and they have neglected the responsibility.

But haven’t we all? How often do we forget that these stories picture our own process of salvation? And that occurred, obviously, in our own lifetime. And yet, at times we act as if it either never happened, or that it doesn’t really have the significance of walking…. through a deep ocean.

But I tell you that the cross of Jesus Christ was infinitely more significant than the death of a mere lamb. And being led to the point where a deep ocean lies in front of us is nothing compared to the span we will travel at the rapture. Let’s keep these things in perspective, huh!

One of the places we will hear about today is called Baal Zephon. I will identify that with Lord when we get to that verse. But most people think of baal as a bad word… we can’t tie that in with the Lord, can we? Actually, baal simply means “master” or “lord.”

And so when we get to that verse, I want to prepare you with another place in Scripture where the word baal is ascribed to the Lord. That way you don’t panic when I give you my thoughts.

Text Verse: “So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, ‘The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.’ Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.” 2 Samuel 5:20

See, that wasn’t so tough. David named the place Baal Perazim because it is the Lord, Yehovah who broke through his enemies like a breakthrough of water. Great stuff from another great story! Let’s get into today’s story now. Times a’wasting and those verses won’t evaluate themselves now, will they?

All kind of great stuff is to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Wilderness Has Closed Them In (verses 1-3)

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Chapter 14 begins with the first thought being divided into two separate verses, off-setting the introduction into its own verse. Although not uncommon, dividing verses this way is the exception rather than the rule. In fact, it is the only time a verse is divided this way in all of chapter 14.

As always, I try to highlight these unusual divisions because they lengthen the number of verses in a chapter and thus the number of verses in the Bible. And yet, looking at patterns which run through the Bible based on verse divisions, it becomes apparent that these offset sections of single sentences were necessary to form those patterns.

It shows wisdom behind the structure of the Bible which is far more than mere chance could ever allow. In this verse, scholars debate as to whether this should say “Now the Lord had spoken to Moses,” or “Now the Lord spoke to Moses.”

From the context, it can’t really be determined if these words came before their departure or during the journey and it doesn’t substantially change the narrative in any way to translate it either way.

² “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth,

Depending on the map one chooses to believe concerning the route of the exodus, one may say that the crossing of the Red Sea was merely crossing through a shallow marsh in the area of the Bitter Lakes. Or, it could be a crossing of the western finger of the Red Sea between Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula.

Or, more recently others will claim that the travel that we are looking at in this verse would lead us all the way down to the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula and that the crossing is in the east finger of the Red Sea and into where Saudi Arabia is today.

Each trek is adamantly adhered to by those who believe they are right, no matter how wrong they really are. The first option is utter nonsense. It was not a shallow marsh that consumed the entire Egyptian army. That will become obvious when we get to that sermon.

The third option, although very popular today, is unlikely at best. It is supposedly based on Paul’s words of Galatians 4:25 which say that Mount Sinai is in Arabia. However, Arabia of today does not reflect the entirety of the same area known as Arabia in the past.

The Sinai Peninsula is known as Arabia Petraea and so there is no reason to believe that Mt. Sanai is in what is known as Saudi Arabia today, despite many wild claims which are wholly unsubstantiated.

Additionally, the distance from Egypt to the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula is over 200 miles. As only three stops are recorded from Rameses to the edge of the Red Sea, it is not to be believed that 2 million people would walk that distance in a mere 72 hours.

Rather, the route of these journeys would have taken them down the west side of the west finger of the Red Sea to a point known as Pi Hahiroth. The first route was to the south-east, with the Bitter Lakes to their left, still within the borders of Egypt.

Eventually, the route which we are given in this verse moves them from south-east to heading south, with the Red Sea on their left, but still within the borders of Egypt. As they moved without the Egyptians harassing them, there would have been no reason to worry as they followed the pillar of cloud and fire.

That this route is obviously the correct one is that Pharaoh would know they were still in his territory and were completely cut off from any avenue of escape or even defense. His words later will confirm this and it is the reason why, once again, his heart becomes hard. The Lord is setting up a marvelous miracle to occur.

Understanding this, the words for the children of Israel to turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth are clear. In essence, “Go south along the western edge of the Red Sea to a place called Pi Hahiroth. The Hebrew reads v’yakhanu liphne pi ha’khiroth – “and camp in the face of the mouth of Hahiroth.”

The word pi means “mouth” and ha’khiroth means “the gorges.” It comes from the feminine plural of a noun which then comes from the word khor which means “hole.” Thus the picture is that they will camp in the face of the mouth of the gorges.

This then forms an exciting mental picture of what is happening. The Lord has directed the children of Israel south with the Red Sea at their left to a place of encampment that has gorges facing them from the west. In other words, they will be completely hemmed in.

There will be no way to escape to the east, or to the north. Being on foot, continuing south along the Red Sea would only end in futility as it would eventually run into more mountains and garrisons. Should someone come attacking them, they would be literally hemmed in with their backs to the ocean. It appears that only death and destruction would be possible in such a place.

^2 (con’t) between Migdol and the sea,

Migdol comes from the word gadal which means to “grow up” or “become great.” Thus Migdol means “tower.” The location for the encampment was between the sea and a place with a large natural or man-made tower.

This would probably have been manned as an outpost and word of their travels would have easily been dispatched from there to Pharaoh. It seems intentional that Migdol is mentioned for this very purpose. It is meant to show us that a report made it back to Pharaoh that this giant contingent of people had taken up camp on the shores of the Red Sea.

^2 (con’t) opposite Baal Zephon;

Like Pi Hahiroth and Migdol, the location of this place cannot be identified. All three of them are lost to time, but it could be that the names were simply names given at the time that they were used by the Israelites, not as specific names of known locations.

Baal Zephon means either Lord of Darkness, Lord of the North, or Lord of the Watch. The third seems appropriate. The root for this word is sapa, which “conveys the idea of being fully aware of a situation in order to gain some advantage or keep from being surprised by an enemy” (HAW).

It is exactly what the Lord is doing here, he is fully aware of the situation and He will certainly gain advantage of it. Further, He is in no way surprised by the coming enemy. In fact, He is merely awaiting their arrival. This place, Baal Zephon, would be on the opposite side of the Red Sea from Pi Hahiroth.

^2 (con’t) you shall camp before it by the sea.

The directions here are specific; the Israelites are to camp on the shore of the sea, across from, or “before,” Baal Zephon on the other side of the sea. From a survey of Google Maps, there is a place at the northern tip of the west finger of the Red Sea known today as Ataqah which has a jutting beachhead big enough for several million people to camp.

Across from it is another jutting beachhead, a little to the north and the east of it. It is close to the area where the Suez Canal now ends. But it is also believed that the Red Sea went further north in the past and so it could be that the Exodus occurred in what is now dry land. But that is unlikely because the land is flat with no gorges to the west.

The scholar Lange agrees that this account is in the area of Ataqah. It very well matches the description. From this location, you can see directly across the Red Sea to Sinai. In reality, it is close enough to have been reached in three stops. No matter what, it is enticing to look at real images of the area and to speculate.

³ For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’

From these words, it is apparent that Pharaoh was instructed by his outposts of the location of the Israelites. It also shows that he knew their position was unfavorable for them to get away. With this verse, we can dismiss the possibility that they were already in the Sinai Peninsula and heading for modern Saudi Arabia.

They were certainly within the borders of Egypt and along the west side of the western finger of the Red Sea. The word for “bewildered” is buk. It’s used only here, in Esther, and in Job. It means “confused.”

The “wilderness” of this verse is speaking of the area between the Nile valley and the Red Sea. It is, even today if you look at it on Google Earth, a vast, empty wilderness. Even at Pharaoh’s time there would have been a highway along the sea, but with the mountains and wadis, deserts, and garrisons it would be impossible for such a group of people to easily head west.

What he sees as confusion is actually a trap for his hard heart to be ensnared by. The temptation is too great for this hardened fool.

Baal Zephon is on the other side of the sea
Why did the Lord even mention that to me?
Here we are at Pi Hahiroth, and between us is plenty
And I mean plenty of water, an entire sea

I was told to camp here, between Migdol and the sea
Opposite Baal Zephon is the place that He instructed me
The folks in that watchtower don’t have intentions so friendly
But we are here because we were told to camp before it by the sea

Trust and obey, this is what the Lord has directed me
And so here we are, camping by the sea
The Lord is Watching, I say that quite confidently
As we sit across from Baal Zephon just as the Lord instructed me

II. I Will Gain Honor Over Pharaoh (verses 4 & 5)

⁴ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them;

Again, as has been seen in every mentioning of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the exodus account, it is obvious from the context that by the things the Lord has caused to occur the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is only passive by the Lord.

The previous verse shows us this with clarity. It said, “For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.'” The events have been orchestrated by the Lord, Pharaoh has hungrily lusted after the events, and Pharaoh has willingly yielded to his lusts.

We have not found one instance of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart where the hardening has been active by the Lord. It would be good to remember this as a guide and a lesson to each of us concerning out theology. We are responsible for our actions, even if the events around us prompt us to make them.

In the end, through good times or evil, we must be willing to keep our hearts soft to the things of God and ready to accept His divine will for us, even if we find it contrary to what we desire.

^4 (con’t) and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army,

We have to remember and not forget that these words are being spoken to Moses. He may not yet know what will occur, but he knows that whatever the Lord has in mind, it will come to pass. He has already seen Egypt defeated and now he is given a promise that the Lord will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army.

The term for “and I will gain honor” is v’ikabedah. It is a verb which signifies heaviness or weight. In the context of the Lord’s action then, it means that He will be glorified over Pharaoh by His actions.

^4 (con’t) that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.”

Verse 4 is a close parallel to what the Lord said to Moses in Chapter 7, just prior to his first meeting with Pharaoh. There we read these words –

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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.”

Unfortunately, this concept of someone knowing that He is the Lord carries with it an often sad connotation. The book of Ezekiel in particular shows us what it really means. Around 60 times in that book, He says that so and so will “know that I am the Lord.”

Almost always it is in conjunction with just one of two thoughts – divine judgment or divine mercy. In the case of Egypt, they will come to know that He is the Lord through the former when they are destroyed in the Red Sea. The implication is that they will know who He is only after their fate is sealed. The reality of that occurrence becomes assured with the final words of verse 4…

^4 (con’t) And they did so.

Knowing the obstinate nature of the man, the ploy worked. Report came to Pharaoh that the Israelites were apparently lost and hemmed in, and so he followed his natural instinct, taking along with him his forces. As Adam Clark comments on this verse –

“…without any farther restraining grace, God permits him to rush on to his final ruin, for the cup of his iniquity was now full.” Adam Clarke

⁵ Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled,

This is the first time that Pharaoh has been called “the king of Egypt” since Exodus 6:29, 22 sermons ago. From that verse until now, the title “Pharaoh” has been used 72 times. Now he is again called “king of Egypt.”

During all of those verses the Lord gives the stubborn individual a marvelous display of His power and majesty, showing him who the true King is. However, as soon as the displays are behind him, he once again reverts to his previous arrogance, and the Bible portrays him as attempting to bring himself up to the level of the true King.

The contrast is being made between the two peoples, Israel and the Egyptians. He is the king of Egypt, but he is not the king of Israel. However, this verse implies that he thinks he is because they are called “the people,” not “the children of Israel.”

Only in the second half of the verse do we come to see Israel named and it is in the context of their service to Egypt. It is following simple words like this that we find wonderful hidden nuggets of gold in the Bible’s pages.

^5 (con’t) 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?”

Almost all scholars look at this as Pharaoh realizing that Israel would not come back to Egypt after their sacrifices which entailed a three-day journey into the wilderness. They say that when Pharaoh made this realization, he then pursued after them.

This is entirely incorrect. A three-day journey into the wilderness implies a 7-day trip if only one day were to be for sacrifice and worship. Israel has had three stops – Succoth, Etham, and now Pi Hahiroth – seven days haven’t passed yet. Pharaoh had simply dismissed Israel and now he had simply changed his mind.

After a couple of days of seeing the loss of labor by several million people, it would have suddenly become apparent to him that they had made a mistake. As he says with his own mouth, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”

Also, the NKJV makes it sound like the hearts of Pharaoh and his servants were turned against their own people. This isn’t the intent. Rather, it was changed towards Israel. The NIV makes a clearer translation in this matter –

“When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, ‘What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!'” (NIV)

Pharaoh and his officials had not only let Israel go to sacrifice, but they had let them go, period. Now they have had a change of heart in that decision. Matthew Henry gives us a good look into their pitiful state –

“They who never truly repented of their sins, now heartily repent of their only good action.” Matthew Henry

Why have I let Israel go? I must have been nuts for sure
With my son buried, right reason has returned to me
For sure one thing I know, this situation cannot endure
And I hear that Israel is out camping by the sea

This time I can whoop up on them; I am Egypt’s god!
Yehovah has spent His last arrow, now I will find victory
This land is mine, everywhere that I may trod
And that includes Israel’s camp, there beside the sea

After I’m done with my whooping up on Israel
I know what I will do, and it just tickles me
Before heading back, this to my troops I will tell
Well done guys! Let’s all take a swim in that sea…

III. And the Lord Hardened the Heart of Pharaoh (verses 6-9)

⁶ So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.

The Hebrew is more descriptive than the English here. Using the word asar, it says that he “bound” his chariot. It means that the chariot was bound to horses and prepared for battle. The English simply makes it sound like he checked the air pressure in the tires, made sure the windshield was clean, and was then ready to go.

This is only the second time this word for chariot has been used. The first was at the burial of Jacob in Genesis 50.  There in the 9th verse, it says that chariots and horsemen went in attendance as his body was taken back to Canaan for burial.

The word for “chariot” is rekev. It comes from the verb rakav, meaning “to ride.” In modern lingo, we could say that “he readied his ride.” And along with him, he took his people. All would be prepared for intimidating Israel back to their home in Rameses at the least. Should that be refused, they would be prepared for battle.

The Pulpit Commentary gives a description of the chariot Pharaoh would have used –

“The Egyptian monarchs, from the time of the eighteenth dynasty, always went out to war in a chariot. The chariots were, like the Greek and the Assyrian, open behind, and consisted of a semicircular standing-beard of wood, from which rose in a graceful curve the antyx or rim to the height of about two feet and a half above the standing-beard. The chariot had two wheels and a pole, and was drawn by two horses. It ordinarily contained two men only, the warrior and the charioteer.” Pulpit Commentary

⁷ Also, he took six hundred choice chariots,

In verse 7, there is a distinction being made which isn’t apparent in many of our translations. These first six hundred chariots are called “choice chariots.” These were probably the king’s special guard. Nothing more is said about them to describe their style or their function. However, the second group is more descriptive…

^7 (con’t) and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.

These would be the rest of the army of chariots. These would have had three riders in each. Adam Clarke details their make-up –

“According to the most authentic accounts we have of war-chariots, they were frequently drawn by two or by four horses, and carried three persons: one was charioteer, whose business it was to guide the horses, but he seldom fought; the second chiefly defended the charioteer; and the third alone was properly the combatant.” Adam Clarke

The way we can know that this is a correct evaluation is that the term “captains” in Hebrew is shaliyshim. It is the first use of the word “shaliysh” in the Bible and it comes from the word shalosh, or three. This word shaliysh is used then as an officer of the third rank. He would be the highest over the chariot.

As you can see, it is not “just” 600 chariots going after Egypt. It is 600 choice chariots and an unknown number of troop-carrying chariots. Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian says that along with them went fifty thousand horsemen, and two hundred thousand foot-men, all armed. Whether this amount is true or not, it still would be an imposing force hurtling towards Israel.

⁸ And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt,

This is the last time that the full title “Pharaoh king of Egypt” will be used when speaking of this man. He is being set in direct contrast to the Lord who is the King of Israel. The people are separated by the distance and a battle will ensue between them.

But more to reality, it will be the Lord who fights against Egypt and it will be He who will prevail. As we will see in the coming verses, Moses will tell 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. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13, 14

In anticipation of that awesome moment, we are told again that the Lord has hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt. All of the events have unfolded for this marvelous purpose. The Lord is not only the Redeemer and Deliverer of His people, but He is also the Destroyer of those who fight against Him.

As the Lord does not change, it is with all certainty that the world of today has miscalculated this particular role of Jesus. Yes, He is our Redeemer and Savior. He is the One who will also deliver us. But while He does those things, He will also come with a strong and punishing hand to destroy those who have not pursued Him.

^8 (con’t) and he pursued the children of Israel;

This portion of the verse is not to be taken as one group running as another chases it. It simply means that Pharaoh left his domain in pursuit of Israel. They are already at Pi Hahiroth and the message has already been transmitted to him. He is simply heading there to recapture the people who had departed.

^8 (con’t) and the children of Israel went out with boldness.

Unless these words are being used in the past tense to show what happened on the night of the Passover, the translation doesn’t make any sense. In the coming verses, it will show that Israel is more than fearful when they see the Egyptians coming.

What makes much more sense would be one of two other translations. The ISV says –

“The LORD made the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, stubborn, and he defiantly pursued the Israelis as they were leaving.” ISV

This makes the defiance an act of Pharaoh. The only other translation that would make any real sense is that of the Douay-Rheims Bible which says –

“…and he pursued the children of Israel: but they were gone forth in a mighty hand.” Douay-Rheims

In other words, it would be speaking of the strength of the Lord in contrast to the multitudes who are now coming against Him. It is not speaking of the confidence of Israel. Either way, this has much less to do with their confidence than it has to do with the showdown between the Lord and Pharaoh, as is evidenced by the next verse…

⁹ So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army,

One thing about this verse is that it confirms that not only chariots went to recapture Israel, but the cavalry and the army followed them as well. The force Pharaoh had mustered would normally be sufficient to handle whatever lay before it, knowing that the Israelites would not have been well armed and that they were encamped in an area which was impossible for them as a defensive battleground.

However, there is more than an arm of flesh to defend Israel. During the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came against Jerusalem. Probably remembering this very account of the exodus of Israel, he spoke these words to encourage the people who had to defend against the overwhelming Assyrian force –

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. ⁸ With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” 2 Chronicles 32:7,8

In response to the boastings of Sennacherib and his attack against Jerusalem, we are told that the Lord went out and in a single night killed 185,000 Assyrians. Because of this, the Assyrian king packed up and left. Like Pharaoh and like Sennacherib, Matthew Henry provides wise words for those who fail to give the Lord the honor He is due –

“All men being made for the honour of their Maker, those whom he is not honoured by, he will be honoured upon.” Matthew Henry

*^9 (fin) and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

Exactly where they were told to camp, Israel stopped and made camp. One can see the children splashing in the ocean and picking up curious rocks or shells. The majority of them had probably never seen the ocean in their life. Instead of the hard bondage of Egypt, they could sit and relax, enjoying the cool breeze of the spring winds off the sea.

Instead of hands and bodies agonizingly covered in mud, there would be bodies joyfully covered in sand. The harsh sun beating off the dull-colored mud flats would be replaced with the wonderful, blissful sun reflecting off the beautifully blue waters.

There they were… the multitudes of Israel, camping and relaxing in the presence of a new aspect of God’s splendor, even reveling in it. And yet, they didn’t know that danger was heading in their direction. The carefree attitude of freedom and ease would soon be replaced with another dreadful moment of fearful angst.

They had not had long to cherish their freedoms and so they would not know how to handle the feelings of trepidation they were soon to encounter. But if you think of it, even this fits so marvelously into God’s plan. One can only truly rejoice in deliverance when they have tasted the contrast between the bondage and the ease.

A couple sermons ago, I mentioned that some Christian scholars attempt to align the resurrection of Christ with the day that Israel was conducted through the Red sea. However, this would not align with the table of stops recorded in Numbers 33. But, the Jewish calendar reckons the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened bread with that day.

Accordingly, the final day of the Feast would be the day they passed through the waters of the Red Sea. If this is so, and it most probably is, then it means that Israel was camped at Pi Hahiroth for several days. It was surely a merry moment in the life of Israel and it would fit well with a seven-day feast which was ordained for the generations to come.

Here we have a serene picture of Israel camping for several days by the Red Sea, not suspecting that amazing things lay ahead of them, culminating in their seventh day of what would be true freedom – a day which would be remembered for all time.

It is the Lord who brought them into a place from which no known human power could deliver them. But the Lord could. The name Pi Hahiroth means “mouth of the gorges” and it gives the sense of their being swallowed up by something massive and overwhelming.

But on the other side from them was a place called Baal Zephon – “The Lord is Watching.” Nothing would swallow His treasured possession, Israel. Instead, He would lead them right through Yam Suph, “the Sea of the Ending” and into a new beginning. A beautiful picture of the rapture of the church is seen in this crossing.

Oh! How the Lord loves His people. Those who have called out to Him for salvation, He will in fact save. He will deliver them from every trouble and woe and into a marvelous new beginning. We who are the redeemed of the Lord, be assured and know this. It is as certain as the air we breathe.

But someone listening today may not know the joy of this certain hope. You may still have a wall between you and the Creator; an infinite wall which is impossible to pass. Let me tell You about how to overcome even the impossible. Let me tell you about Jesus…

Closing Verse: “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 38:23

Israel forgot the great deeds of the Lord and they twice went into captivity for their forgetfulness. But the Lord has returned them, and Ezekiel 38 and 39 shows us that they will come to know their Lord as will the nations which surround them.

Here we are, waiting on the next big moment in redemptive history for Israel and for our next big moment at the rapture. I can tell you with all certainty that for those who know the Lord now, and who will be spared the great battles prophesied for our future, that we have the better deal. Your faith is worth more than fine gold.

Hold fast to it and be willing to share it with others. Our time is short and the church age is coming to its end. Pray for Israel, pray for the lost, and let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Next Week: Exodus 14:10-20 (Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord) (40th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Lord is Watching

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“Speak to the children of Israel
That they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth as I am relaying
These instructions to you I do tell

There between Migdol and the sea
Opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp there
Before it by the sea, I tell you plainly
Worry not; in your heart have not a care

For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel
‘They are bewildered by the land
The wilderness has closed them in, very well
I intend to go down there and make a stand

Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart
So that he will pursue them as I said
And I will gain honor over Pharaoh, as stated from the start
And over all the army of that knucklehead

That the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord
And they did so, according to His word

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 thus?
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 too
And all the chariots of Egypt
With captains over every one of them, a very large crew

And the Lord hardened the heart
Of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and as we would guess
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, a great company
His horsemen and his army so many men
And overtook them camping by the sea

Beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon
He probably thought such luck would go on and on

What a tragic thing to have a hardened heart!
Terrifying it is, to the bone’s very marrow
One should look for a different path and thus depart
From the horrendous mistakes that we see in Pharaoh

God has shown us in His precious word
That being obstinate toward Him can only harm us
Instead, we need to bow to our glorious Lord
Giving honor and respect to Christ Jesus

Help us in this Lord, this we implore
Our hearts are so easily turned away
Give us of Your Spirit to overflowing and even more
So that we will bring honor to you always, yes every day

And to You we give all of our highest praise
And to You we shall look for eternal days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

Exodus 13:11-22
Their Sign

You’ve heard the verses for today’s sermon. Like other highlights of the book, such as the burning bush, the parting of the Red Sea, and the giving of the law at Sinai, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire is a truly noteworthy and memorable thing.

Unlike some of the other highlights though, the pillar of cloud and fire was actually prefigured all the way back during the life of father Abraham. In Genesis 15, at the time of the covenant, this was recorded –

Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. ¹⁸ On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— ¹⁹ the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 14:15-21

The smoking oven and the burning torch represented the presence of the Lord at the giving of that covenant, a covenant which involved a set time-frame until his descendants would be returned to the same land in which he dwelt. The pillar of cloud and fire in Exodus represents the presence of the Lord among the Israelites. The time had come and the Land of Promise lay ahead of them.

It would be a reminder to them of the faithfulness of the Lord to His covenant promises, and it would be a sign to them that He would continue to be with them until He had fulfilled all He had said He would do.

The presence of God will continue to be seen at various times in cloud and in fire throughout the Bible. It is recorded as a comforting reminder that God had remained faithful to His people throughout the ages. And it is a sign to us that He will continue to be faithful until the end of the age.

Jesus ascended in a cloud, He will come for us in the clouds, He will come to Israel in the clouds, and with Him is the fire of His purifying judgment. These are just a few instances which speak of His presence in this way. We are so blessed to have this imagery so that we can remember His faithfulness to His people.

Text Verse: “Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.” Nehemiah 9:12

We’ll be a few minutes longer than normal in today’s sermon, but these twelve verses are simply filled with interesting information and with wonderful pictures of Jesus – His work for us and in us. It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… may God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Recounting the Work of the Lord (verses 11-16)

¹¹ “And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,

Our first verse of today brings us again to the anticipation of the promise that was first made 430 years earlier. The “land of the Canaanites” is an all-encompassing term. Though other groups of people were there, the land was known by this term and it continued to be known as Canaan throughout the Old Testament.

It is this land, known as “the land of the Canaanites” that the Lord promised they would be brought into. Not “if,” but “when.”

^{11 (con’t)} as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you,

After his arrival in the land, in Genesis 12, we read this concerning Abraham –

“Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” Genesis 12:6, 7

Later in Genesis 13, a more comprehensive explanation of the land grant was given to him –

“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” Genesis 13:14, 15

The promise continued to be explained and expanded on both to Abraham and the generations who followed him. The amount of time and the number of generations before it would come about were explained. The chosen son who would receive the land was explained. That the 12 sons of Israel were all included in this was explained. Eventually, the Lord spoke these words to Moses –

“And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, “‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” ¹⁵ Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'”” Exodus 3:14, 15

The name of the Lord who would accomplish this is I AM. But His name is also explained as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” He isn’t just the God of Abraham. Nor is He the God of Abraham and Isaac. He is “the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.” The land belongs to this group of people.

We cannot go back to Abraham and thus include Ishmael and his descendants. Nor can we stop at Isaac and include the Edomites. These people could come under the umbrella of the larger group if they met the Lord’s requirements, but they don’t automatically have a right to the land, apart from what God will do through Israel.

¹² that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb,

This takes us right back to Exodus 13:1 & 2 –

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² ‘Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.'”

At that time, the word for “consecrate” was qaddash. In verse 12, the word for “set apart” is abar. The idea is that they were to be separated from the rest of the flock so that they wouldn’t be mixed in with those which were “not sanctified.” A picture is being given for us to see.

God is using animals to show us pictures of us as believers. First it was of Israel, later of the people of His church. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6 –

“Therefore
‘Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.’
^18 ‘I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.'” 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18

It needs to be noted that immediately after verses 1 & 2, which detailed the consecration of the firstborn, the instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread were given, which we looked at in detail last week.

The instructions in verse 3 & 4 were addressed with plural pronouns, but verses 5-10 were singular. Now, as soon as those verses are complete, we again come back to the setting apart of the firstborn.

The Lord is then showing us that the two accounts are tied together. The sanctification of the firstborn is related to the sanctification of the people who will observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is obvious, but it will become even more obvious when we arrive at verse 16.

This general expression “set apart to the Lord all that open the womb” will be more fully itemized and explained as well. There will be three distinct categories noted. The first is found in the continuation of verse 12…

^{12 (con’t)} that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s.

Although not explicitly stated yet, this first category is considered as the oxen, sheep, and goats which are considered clean domestic animals. Later, animals that are considered clean or unclean will be specified. However, for now only the general term behemah or “beast” is given.

The word for “that comes” as in “every firstborn that comes” is the word sheger. This is its first of only five uses in the OT. The other four are all in Deuteronomy. It generally means “increase.” It is this firstborn of the increase which specifically belongs to the Lord. However, there is a qualifier. It only applies to the firstborn which is a male.

Later in Exodus 22, it will state that the animal wasn’t to be given to the Lord until the eighth day after the birth. Then in Deuteronomy 15, it will again be modified to state that any animal with any defect, such as being blind or lame or any other serious defect, was not to be sacrificed. Instead, it could be eaten at home.

¹³ But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb;

The donkey here is given as the example of an unclean animal. This is the second distinct category of firstborn. Such a domestic animal was not to be given to the Lord. Instead, in its place a lamb (or a goat – it is a general term that is used here), which is a clean animal, was to be given to Him.

This is the first time that the word padah, or “redeem” is used in the Bible. It will be used four times here, three in verse 13 and again in 15. It can mean to rescue, ransom, deliver, etc. It is given as a way of purchasing a life from death or servitude.

The donkey belonged to the Lord, but it was an unclean animal. Nothing unclean was to be given to the Lord and so an exchange needed to take place – a life for a life. If you’re not seeing Christ and the people of the world in the three verses we’ve looked at so far, you’re not looking very hard. An important point concerning this substitution is noted by John Lange –

“The substitution of a sheep or kid for the ass is a proof that the unclean beast signifies not the evil, but the profane, that which is not fitted to serve as a religious symbol.” John Lange

His words are correct and they strike at the heart of what is known as “original sin.” Just because something or someone isn’t evil, it is still profane. It is unacceptable to be in the Lord’s presence or to be used as a vessel for the Lord. Until something or someone goes from profane to consecrated, it remains profane.

What happens with the land, what happens with the animals, and how these things relate to the Lord and where the Lord’s people are heading, are all tied up in the work of Christ. A life for a life is demanded. If that didn’t take place in order to redeem, then something else had to happen…

^{13 (con’t)} and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck.

If no lamb was offered as a substitute, it was to have its neck broken. The verb for “break its neck” is araph which comes from the noun oreph, or the “back of the neck.” This is the first of six uses of it in the Bible. It is the root of where the name Orpah comes from. She was one of the principles in the book of Ruth.

Understanding her name and what she did is all tied up in the use of this word in this verse. Seemingly unimportant words carry throughout the Bible and unveil beautiful pictures of the work of the Lord for the people of the world.

In the case of the donkey, breaking its neck might seem harsh to our sensibilities, but there is a reason for it. And if we think about it, the little lamb still had to die in its place if the donkey’s neck wasn’t broken. The difference between a knife at the throat of a lamb, or the snapping of the neck of the donkey is really irrelevant.

In the end, dead is dead. The owner of the animal was given the choice, “Do I want to keep the donkey and sacrifice the lamb, or do I want the lamb and kill the donkey.” A donkey would be considered more valuable than a mere lamb because it was a beast of burden. Again, it is a picture of Christ. What great value is placed upon the soul of a man! Jesus said in Matthew 16 –

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26

Believe it or not, what we are seeing in these otherwise seemingly obscure verses is the heart of God calling out to us. The words are reflective of a choice every single one of us must make. We will either be redeemed by the Lamb and remain in the Lord’s presence, or we will die apart from the Lord. The firstborn is given as a picture of the whole. As Matthew Henry clearly states –

“The firstlings of beast not used in sacrifice, were to be changed for others so used, or they were to be destroyed. Our souls are forfeited to God’s justice, and unless ransomed by the sacrifice of Christ, will certainly perish.” Matthew Henry

^{13 (con’t)} And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.

If the pictures of the animals aren’t clear enough, these words should be. “The firstborn of man” are the words bekhor adam. It is the same word adam used to describe the first man, Adam. Of the sons of Adam, or man, the firstborn was to be redeemed. What this implies – what it even shouts out, is that man is unclean and must be redeemed.

This redemption is later clarified in Numbers 3. The Levites were to be taken in place of the firstborn and they were to be dedicated to the Lord. After that, each firstborn beyond the number of Levites was to be redeemed for five shekels according to the sanctuary currency. Here are those directions –

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ⁴⁵ ‘Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lord. ⁴⁶ And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, ⁴⁷ you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs. ⁴⁸ And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.'” Numbers 3:44-48

Two key points should be deduced from these words concerning the firstborn male. The first is that the firstborn merely represented all of Israel at their birth. Thus the entire nation was to be consecrated to the Lord and it was to be considered a priestly nation in this firstborn consecration.

The second key point I’ve already given, but it needs to be repeated. Men are unclean by nature. If the firstborn, who represented the whole needed to be redeemed, then it follows that all men need to be redeemed. Israel was selected to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, as is anticipated in this chapter. The Lord told them this specifically though in Exodus 19:5, 6  –

“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. ⁶ 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.”

This right transfers to the church, the people of the Lord now. This is noted in these words from Revelation 1 –

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5, 6

Christ, the perfect and unstained Lamb of God redeemed us, fallen and unclean, and set us apart, consecrated us, and even exalted us. Not because we deserve it, but because of His great love with which He has loved us.

¹⁴ So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come,

The word “time to come” is makhar – literally tomorrow. It is an interesting way of saying that whenever the question is asked, an answer should be ready, because he may ask “tomorrow.” When the question is asked, the answer is to be ready on the lips…

^{14 (con’t)} 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.

Listen to the similarity between this and verse 8 from last week –

“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.'” Exodus 13:8

Again, a clue and a hint are given tying the setting apart of the firstborn with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The two are inseparable. One will not exist without the other. We must be redeemed in order to be unleavened, and if we are redeemed, then we truly are unleavened. Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 5 –

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, (1) since you truly are unleavened. For indeed (2) Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7

Next, he tells us how we should respond because of our status –

“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 5:8

In this verse is the second of five uses of the noun khozeq or “strength of hand” to be found in Scripture. It is the stronger form of the more commonly used verb khazaq. It will be used again in verse 16, and not again until Amos 6:13 which we will get to in the year 2165. So enjoy its two uses today.

¹⁵ 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.’

As is found throughout Scripture, we see in this verse the concept of “recounting the works of the Lord.” What He has done is to be remembered and to be repeated. And then in response to that recounting should be a “therefore.” “Because of what the Lord has done, I therefore…”

A classic example of this is found in Acts 26. Paul first recounted the work of the Lord in his life from verses 12-18. He then gave an “I therefore” from verses 19-23. So it was with Israel, so it was with Paul, and so it should be with each of us.

One other point about this verse, it says here that “Pharaoh was stubborn” about letting the people go. The word here for “stubborn” is qashah. It was used only one other time in relation to Pharaoh. That was in Exodus 7:3 which said –

“And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” Exodus 7:3

This might seem unimportant, but it is one final clue, of the dozens we saw concerning Pharaoh, that the hardening of Pharaoh was a passive one by the Lord and an active one by him. The only reason I bring this up is to remind you again that the Lord hints all the way through this account that free-will in man is a principle and correct tenet of theology.

¹⁶ 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.”

Again, listen to the similarity of verse 16 to that of verse 9 from the instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread –

“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.”

This verse explicitly ties the consecration of the firstborn to the consecration of all of the people as is represented by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The firstborn is given for the whole. Of  interest though, there is also a contrast to this verse in the Bible.

The word “frontlets” is totaphoth. It is the first of only three times it is used in the Bible. It is also in Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:8. It means “frontlets” as in something which is in front. This word was to be taken as a metaphor, not a literal thing. Now, note that this is verse 13:16. Let’s place it side by side with Revelation 13:16 –

“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 13:16

&

“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.” Revelation 13:16

This shows us, with all certainty that these words in Exodus are not to be taken as literal signs and frontlets as the Jews became in the habit of wearing. Rather, they represented the state of the person before the Lord. They are a mental acknowledgment of the work and lordship of Yehovah which is followed by an obedient action.

The words “and it shall be” refer to the words imparted to the son which are, “Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.” That is what the sign and the frontlets were to be.

Likewise, the mark of the beast on the right or on the forehead is an acknowledgment of the work and lordship of the devil which is followed by an obedient action. They have acknowledged him and have taken either a vow, represented by the right hand, or an oath of assertion, represented by the forehead, to the antichrist. The mark may be visible, but it represented the setting apart of the individual to the devil.

This Lamb has taken my place
His life was given instead of mine
But because of this, I can look upon God’s face
In a heavenly land, ever so sublime

What a cost, what a high price indeed
That God would pay with the Lamb’s shed blood
O God, from the foundation of the earth it was decreed
That I would be a part of that cleansing flood

Redeemed! Saved and on the heavenly highway
Where that Lamb I shall finally see
Through His death, my pardon He did pay
And through the resurrection there is joy eternally

II. So God Led the People (verses 17-19)

¹⁷ 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.”

This verse now takes us all the way back to verse 12:37 where the last note of travel was made. There it said that “the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth.” The narrative begins again, but it is still somewhat of a parenthetical thought.

Their first stop being Succoth, it would make sense that if they were heading to Canaan, that they would go by the way of the land of the Philistines because it was such a short, direct way to travel. It was a distance of about 200 miles and they could arrive in around 10 days to 2 weeks.

However, it says that God didn’t allow this route. The Israelites had been in bondage for a long period, they probably were not well trained in war, and more probably they had either no weapons or very few with which to wage war. If they were to face war, they would become disheartened and would then rather turn back to Egypt than die in battle.

This is the explicit reason given and it may have been what was communicated directly to Moses, but as we will learn there were more reasons than this which will be forthcoming. 1) The people, including Moses, would be tempered through their reliance on the Lord. 2) The Lord would be magnified through the events at the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh and his armies. 3) They would be brought to Mount Sinai in fulfillment of the promise made to Moses in Exodus 3:12. 4) They would be prepared as a commonwealth of people and as a religious nation with a body of law and a tabernacle for worship and meeting with God. 5) They would see the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. 6) They would be molded and prepared for entry into the Land of Promise. 7) They would be able to understand the bounty from personal labor because of the times of dependence on God when they could not work.

For these and certainly many other reasons, the longer and more difficult way through the wilderness was chosen to lead Israel out of the bondage of Egypt.

¹⁸ So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.

It should be noted that the term Lord, meaning Yehovah, is mentioned 15 times in this chapter, but only once in these final 6 verses. On the other hand, the term “God” or elohim is used 4 times and all are in these last 6 verses. The last time the term “God” was used was back in chapter 10 – 7 times and always in conjunction with the term “Lord.”

There is in this then an indication that what occurs in these verses is by the eternal counsel of God and that it was determined to come about as a part of the redemptive plan before creation itself. God personally supervises the details of this movement with, as we will see, the Lord leading the way.

Instead of being taken by way of the Philistines, it says that they are taken by “the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.” The Red Sea, or yam suph, was first mentioned in chapter 10 during the plague of locusts, but now we are entering into the account of the exodus where it will be mentioned three times.

And so it is a good time to look at the meaning of the words yam suph. Many translate this as “the sea of reeds” because suph means “reed.” Because of this the account of crossing through the Red Sea is often denied and instead it is said that Israel simply passed through a shallow marsh or one of the bitter lakes.

This is nonsense. The word suph as a verb means “end,” such as in the termination of something. Thus, the sea could be known as “the sea at the end,” which could be in relation to the land of Israel where the land ends at one of the fingers of the Red Sea. This is seen in 1 Kings 9:26 which, uses the same term yam suph –

“King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.” 1 Kings 9:26

The locations Elath and Edom show without a doubt what this means. Further, one would not build a fleet of ships for sailing in the ocean and place them in a marshy sea of reeds. And finally, there is only the simple job of going to the New Testament and reading the account of the exodus in Greek where the term Erythran Thalassan, or Red Sea, is used.

Thus it was always understood to be the Red Sea, not a swampy marsh of reeds. And, the name could even be a pun. The plague of locusts ended in the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his army will find their end there as well.

^{18 (con’t)}And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

The wording here is precise – they went up in “orderly ranks.” It is an adjective plural word khamushim and it means specifically “battle array.” It’s used only four times in the Bible – Exodus, Joshua, and Judges.

Unlike paintings and movies which depict a hurried bunch of rag-tag people, the Bible actually depicts them as a well-ordered group in lines as if prepared for battle. The picture is marvelous and it gives one the sense of the Lord passing before His armies as they march to His lead.

¹⁹ 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.”

This verse is given in fulfillment of Genesis 50:26 where Joseph prophesied that exactly this would occur. Of all of the notable deeds of Joseph, this was what he was most noted for. In Hebrews 11:22, this was written about him –

“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.”

The words were spoken in faith, and the words were fulfilled by God who ensured that His people carried out what was spoken. Along with his bones, it appears from Acts 7:15, 16 that the bones of the other sons of Israel were also brought back with his. But the words here are expressly given to show the fulfillment of the oath.

God, from eternity past had a plan
Even before the world came to be
He would step out of eternity, Jesus the Man
So that the world His love could clearly see

He alone has led man out of the bondage of sin
And into the wonder of His glorious light
Yes, it’s true; we were all but done in
But He stepped out of eternity to make all things right

Such a God! Such a Creator who would do this thing!
How my heart yearns to know Him more
And for all my days, His praises to sing
Someone please start the score

Let us sing a song of joy to Him now and forevermore
Won’t someone please start that wonderful score!

III. The Lord Went before Them (verses 20-22)

²⁰ So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.

At this verse, the parenthetical thought of the previous verses ends and the narrative of the exodus travels continues. From Succoth, Israel went to a place called Etham which is said to be at the edge, or literally “the end,” of the wilderness. The name Etham could have one of quite a few meanings – with them; their plowshare; fortress; their sign; their strength; and maybe others.

Each scholar has attempted to define the name based on the meaning of the letters as they are structured – either from a Hebrew or an Egyptian context. None I read seemed to connect the meaning to the text itself. However, if we do that, the name seems likely. The name Succoth was given to us for a reason. Etham, like Succoth, doesn’t have to be the name of the place at the time of their arrival, but the name given to the place upon their arrival.

They went from Succoth, meaning “tabernacles” and its meaning was intended to show the state of Israel at the time. Now Etham is mentioned and it must be for the same reason. If the account drives the meaning, then the next verse explains the meaning…

²¹ 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.

Albert Barnes says a fire and smoke signals were used by Greeks and Persians in their marches. One ancient papyrus is said to call the commander of an Egyptian army “A flame in the darkness at the head of his soldiers.” As he says, “By this sign then of the pillar of cloud, the Lord showed Himself as their leader and general.”

Israel is at the edge of the wilderness, camped and ready to move on, but now for the first time it mentions this new development. The term “Lord,” meaning Yehovah, is now reintroduced into the narrative instead of elohim or “God.” It is with this marvelous description – the cloud and the pillar of fire that He is described.

The introduction of the manifestation of the Lord is being tied to the name Etham. And so Etham means “Their Sign” because it is what is being portrayed. He is their sign to move, where to move, and when to move. He is their sign of comfort and reassurance, He is their sign that He is with them.

If Etham is pointing us to the manifestation of the Lord and it means “Their Sign” then Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians take on a much more meaningful sense –

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,” 1 Corinthians 10:1, 2

The people were baptized into the cloud as well as the sea. Thus it is a sign to the people of the process of their redemption. As always, this is a literal account which is prophetically picturing the work of the Lord Jesus on behalf of His people. This is with all certainty because Paul says in 1 Corinthians that it is Christ who led them in the wilderness.

*²² He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

Both Numbers and Deuteronomy show that the pillar of cloud and fire remained with Israel all the way through their years of wilderness wanderings. In Exodus 14, it notes that the pillar is both fire and cloud at the same time. The fire would be evident at night and the cloud would obscure the fire during the day.

Psalm 105 shows that the cloud not only directed them, but it also provided a covering for them –

“He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.” Psalm 105:39

And this same manifestation is referred to in Isaiah 4 as being there for the people in the millennial reign of Christ, after the tribulation period. Here are those wondrous words –

“And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, ⁵ then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. ⁶ And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.” Isaiah 4:3-6

Everything about the words today – even all of Exodus 13 – show us, time and again, the work of Jesus Christ on behalf of His people. The people must be redeemed, the people must be consecrated and sanctified, and the people who are will then be accepted by the Lord and will be led by Him.

And to get a better mental picture before we finish, we can again consider the stupid donkey and the innocent lamb. The value of a donkey is figured greater than that of a lamb, and yet a donkey had to be redeemed by a lamb.

The world looks at the value of Jesus as very little, but without the shedding of the blood of that holy Lamb, the greatest man on earth cannot be redeemed. What a great thing God has done for us! How marvelous are His ways! And once redeemed, He is there to lead us every step of the way.

We may feel we are at the edge of the wilderness, or even completely swallowed up in it, but the Lord is there… the Lord is there. Let us not fear! The Lord is there. If you haven’t yet committed to this wondrous, beautiful Savior, please let me tell you how you can today – even right now…

Closing Verse: “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17

Next Week: Exodus 14:1-9 (The Lord is Watching) (39th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Their Sign

And it shall be, when the Lord brings you
Into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore
To you and your fathers to do
And gives it to you, these directions do not ignore

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, heed my word
The males shall be the Lord’s, I now warn

But every firstborn of a donkey
You shall redeem with a lamb
And if you will not redeem it with that fee
Then you shall break its neck according to this program

And all the firstborn of man’s bloodstream
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 it is true
My following words do not miss…

The Lord out of Egypt us He brought
Out of the house of bondage
This great deed He wrought

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, even so

Both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast
From the greatest of them, even to the least

Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord
All males that open the womb, it would seem
According to His divine word
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 the land
While Egypt was filled with mournful cries

Then it came to pass on that day
When Pharaoh had let the people go
That God did not lead them by the way
Of the land of the Philistines that was near although

For God said, “Lest perhaps the people their minds do change
When they see war, and return to Egypt
And for freedom, instead bondage they exchange

So God led the people around by way
Of the wilderness of the Red Sea
And the children of Israel went up that day
On orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt, hooray and yippee!

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 as I am now relaying

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 as we note
In a pillar of cloud to lead the way, the means of egress

And by night in a pillar of fire to give them light
So as to go by day and by night, following the glorious sight

He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day
Or the pillar of fire before the people by night
The Lord is there to always lead the way
In the path which is just and right

Such a wonderful story God has given to us
To tell of His wondrous redemption plan
And it is all focused on Jesus
And what He has done for each of us, fallen man

Thank You, O God for Jesus Christ our Lord
Our precious Savior, Your eternal word

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 13:1-10
The Feast of Unleavened Bread

You’ve heard the sermon text read and you’re not looking forward to hearing the same thing preached now that we just heard just four sermons ago. While I was reading, I saw you flipping back to chapter 12 and I heard you mutter, “We just read the same thing in verses 14-20. I mean, there are some differences, but why does the Lord keep repeating the same things?”

Next time, don’t mutter so loudly because all of that muttering is going to sound like a plane flying overhead when I put the sermon on You Tube. I hear you. I hear you. And I can almost sympathize with you. I read the Bible front to back once a week or so for a couple years when I owned an import business down the road.

The repetition would make me wonder what was up. Why does the Bible keep saying the same things? Well, there are quite a few reasons. One is that these repetitions often form amazing poetic patterns. Some of you are aware of them – chiasms, parallelism, and so on.

They are useful tools for memorization. They are also a way of revealing wisdom which says, “These words aren’t arbitrary. There is design behind them.” Scholars who say the Bible is merely a hodgepodge of people adding things in over time must shut up when such patterns are revealed by those who find them.

The repetition also can show the advancement of a thought either through time or in depth. In time, sometimes something is said, and then it is stated later in the order of the Bible, but when researched, it is found to be a part of something that actually happened at a different time where it aligns with the previous thought.

Thus there are inserts between repetitions which develop a theme for a specific purpose. In depth, repetitions are often used to build a theme in a different way. Information is given, and then information is repeated with slight changes or additions.

Thus a command or a precept may start out simple and grow into something more detailed. As an example, you could write a story about an annual celebration called The Beach Party. Friends get together and they celebrate it each year. When writing the story about it, the author wants to develop the theme and so he writes –

“In 2015 we all went to the beach and had a great time. While we were there, we took a lot of pictures, but unfortunately none of the pictures survived the party.”

Some time later in the story, we read, “In 2015, while at the party on the beach, everyone took photos with their own cameras. It was a great time, but we felt bad about losing the memories because none of the pictures in any of the cameras could be saved.”

This type of addition on the same theme develops the idea. When we get to the reason for the loss of pictures, it all becomes clear. “At the end of the party in 2015, everyone posed for a group picture. All the cameras were set on a timer and everyone posed together. As each camera clicked the photo, the camera stopped working. We realized that Charlie had snuck into the photo and his appearance caused all the cameras to break. Thanks a lot Charlie.”

The Lord also develops ideas through repetition and addition at times. We see this in similar and yet somewhat contrasting accounts in the gospels quite clearly. When the stories are combined, a whole picture is realized.

And then of course, there is the fact that we have hard heads. Repetition is often used to beat into our heads a precept, a command, or a doctrine which is of unusual importance. Repetition is one key to memory retention. I’ll say it again – repetition is one key to memory retention. Should I say it again?

All this opening to tell you that this passage is similar to that of Exodus 12, but it also has differences. It has been given to show us a sequence of events, the development of a concept – specifically the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it has been given to hopefully help us to remember what we have heard a little better.

For these and certainly other reasons, we will take our time and go through these verses in detail. In fact, I have planned to preach this exact same sermon next week too, just to make sure you remember it. Ok… that’s not true. You can get that horrified look off your face.

Text Verse: “Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the instruction of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And besides, there were added to them many similar words.” Jeremiah 36:32

The Lord had Jeremiah write a scroll with words of judgment against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations. When he did, the scroll was taken to the king of Judah who heard it read. While it was being read, he cut off the portions that were read and threw them into the fire.

Eventually, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to recite the same words to his scribe again and add more words into them. Thus the Lord developed a theme for the king of Judah whether he listened or not. The account is also recorded for us. Even though we only have the one account, we can mentally discern the repetition of the words of Jeremiah.

A theme was developed through this repetition. It has become a memorable passage that is actually hard to forget – if not the details, at least the overall thought which was relayed. When you see repetitions in the Bible, don’t let them trouble you. Rejoice in them. Seek to find out why they are there and what the Lord is trying to tell you.

We’ll do just that today with the instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is a feast which has already been partly described and it will be mentioned a few more times in the books of Moses. Each time, something new will come out for us to see.

What a wonder is His superior word. It’s waiting there for us to open it and check it out! And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Consecrate to Me All the Firstborn (verses 1-4)

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

As happens from time to time, the words, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying…” are set off as their own verse. Normally they are combined with the first thought spoken afterwards, but for whatever reason, they are occasionally made to be their own verse.

As I believe that even verse divisions are inspired, one reason for this could be to have the chapter be a verse longer than it otherwise would have been, thus making some numerical pattern. Or, for whatever other reason, these words are set off by themselves, begging for us to prepare for what lies ahead and also to reflect on the when and where of their utterance.

The first words are v’dabber – “and spoke.” The word “then” is the translator’s preference for clarity, and it appears acceptable because verse 3 will tell us a time-frame in relation to the words. It is after the departure from Rameses. The “where” of this passage then is certainly at Succoth as was seen in chapter 12 –

“Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.” Exodus 12:37

There at Succoth then, the Lord now conveys his message to Moses. “He who draws out” has lived up to his name, having drawn out his flock from their home of 215 years and onto a journey towards the Land of Promise via Sinai. This would be in fulfillment of Exodus 3:12 –

“I will certainly be with you. And 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.” Exodus 3:12

² “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel,

The first directive of the Lord after the Passover and their subsequent departure from bondage is to “consecrate” to the Lord all the firstborn. Thus it is specifically based on the Passover. “Firstborn” is the word bekor and based on the context it indicates a firstborn male.

The words “whatever opens” are translated from the word peter – It is the first of 12 times it will be seen in the Old Testament, all in Exodus and Numbers with one exception found in Ezekiel 20:26. It indicates a firstling, open, or such as opens, and can indicate either children or animals. It comes from the verb patar – to open, remove, or set free.

The two words together in this one verse are explained by Harris, Archer, and Waltke –

“Regarding the institution of primogeniture in the OT, there are two distinct conceptions. First, there is a socio-legal one which assigns special responsibilities to the first male of the paternal line (bekor). Second there is a cultic conception which assigns special responsibilities to the first male issue of the maternal line (peter). This one is dedicated to God. If it is a sacrificial animal it must be sacrificed. Otherwise, the firstborn must be redeemed.” HAW

This verse is given now, in connection with the delivery of the people from both the death which occurred in Egypt and from Egypt itself. The firstborn was saved by the blood of the lamb and so the directions are given for their consecration in accord with that. However, this can’t be all that is tied up in this.

The reason why is that all of Israel was delivered through the death of the firstborn of Egypt and the saving of the firstborn of Israel. In Exodus 4:22, the Lord called the whole nation of Israel “My son, My firstborn.” Israel’s election as God’s people was a prerequisite for the exemption of the death of the firstborn through the blood of the lamb.

It must be then that the firstborn is declared as belonging to the Lord as representative of the entire nation of people. In this, we can see the Lord Jesus once again. He is the true Firstborn who is the representative of all of God’s people.

Another reason Israel is given these instructions just as they depart is so that it will be a memorial of the historical account, firmly to be fixed in the collective mind of Israel. Of course, it is ultimately given to show us a picture of Christ, the Lamb who died to deliver His people from bondage.

When Jesus was born, Luke is careful to show that He was so consecrated to the Lord –

“Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’).” Luke 2:22, 23

^2 (con’t) both of man and beast; it is Mine.”

It needs to be understood that the firstborn who opens the womb of the mother is speaking of a male. If a female had a female first and then later a male, that male was not considered devoted to God because it wasn’t the firstborn. Also, if it was a male that came first, from the woman, it was considered the firstborn of the mother, even if the father had other males from other wives.

This firstborn was not the property of the parents, but of God. If a human, it was to be presented to God and then redeemed. If it was an animal then other directives were to be followed. These will be explained later in this chapter, and then further refined after that.

Because the firstborn was considered the representative of the whole, this setting apart the firstborn is then a picture of the Lord who represents all of His people who are now, like Israel was under the Old Testament, to be considered the firstborn of God. The author of Hebrews gives us the words of this confirmation –

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, ²³ to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24

³ And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day

These words show us that the passage was spoken to Moses at Succoth on the first day of the Exodus after their arrival and settling in. It is the 15th of the month and he in turn instructs the people zakhor eth ha’yom hazzeh – “Remember the day (the) this.”

^3 (con’t) in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;

It is literally “the house of slavery.” The people were slaves and now they were free. To understand the picture in the greater panorama of redemptive history, we can go to the words of Jesus in John to see how this delivery of Israel from Egypt only mirrors man’s delivery from sin as accomplished by Christ –

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34, 35

Paul explains what occurred in detail in the book of Romans. In chapter 6, he gives this explanation –

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:5-11

If we can keep mentally inserting Christ and the church into the overall exodus account, we can really get a good grasp of the marvel of what Jesus did for us. We were in bondage and Christ drew us out from it.

^3 (con’t) for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place.

The term “strength of hand” uses the noun form khozeq of the more traditional verb or adjective form khazaq. This noun is only used 5 times in the Bible and three of them are in Exodus 13. The term here is more emphatic than when the verb or adjective is used.

It is always used in the sense of military or conquering prowess. In these three uses in Exodus 13, it is always used in connection with a plural pronoun. We are being given reminders that it is by the hand of the Lord from which our collective deliverance comes.

But the collective is made up of individuals which make up the whole. And so it is a reminder of our own state before Him. We are saved by His grace and not our own works. There is no boasting in what we have done because everything has been accomplished by Him for His people.

And because of this, specific directions are given…

^3 (con’t) No leavened bread shall be eaten.

As a memorial of the work of the Lord and the hasty departure from Egypt, there was no leaven bread eaten. It is again a picture of our position in Christ. In his explanation of our deliverance from sin, Paul told us that as Christ died once for all to sin, we should likewise reckon ourselves “to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:11

⁴ On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.

In Exodus 12:2, the Lord told Moses, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” The calendar of redemption was to begin at the time of the Passover and now that month’s name is given for the first time – Aviv.

The word Aviv is used only eight times in the Bible, all in the books of Moses. Six times it is used to describe the month and twice to describe fresh ears of grain. It means “greenness” or “fresh” and it indicates fresh young ears of barley grain which come forth at this time of year.

In the Bible, this will continue to be the first month of the sacred or religious calendar, but eventually it will be known as Nissan, using the Aramaic name instead of the Hebrew name. As a mark of grace upon Israel, this month was selected because according to JFB –

“It was the best season for undertaking a journey to the desert region of Sinai, especially with flocks and herds; for then the winter torrents had subsided, and the wadies were covered with an early and luxuriant verdure.” Jamieson-Faucett-Brown

It is the time of year when it is not too hot and not too cold. Instead it would be the perfect weather for the trip.

The Firstborn of the womb is Mine, He in place of all
For all in My flock have been redeemed in reality
The Firstborn is set apart according to My call
Of your own redemption it is a reminder constantly

In My church the Lamb died as your holy Substitute
But He was also the Firstborn of His mother’s womb
And He the Firstborn over all of creation, righteousness He does impute
Because He was also the Firstborn from the tomb

Because of Him you have come to Mount Zion
And to the city of the living God
You are the church of the firstborn, who I keep My eye on
I shall watch over you always as in My presence you trod

II. Seven Days You Shall Eat Unleavened Bread (verses 5-7)

⁵ 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,

When God promised the land to Abraham in Genesis 15, ten people groups were mentioned. In Exodus 3, when the Lord first spoke to Moses, six people groups were mentioned. Now only five are mentioned. At other times, seven or eight are mentioned.

It isn’t certain why the names are stated sometimes and overlooked at other times, but God has His reasons, even if they aren’t plainly evident. In the end though, the general word “Canaanite” is used as a metaphor for all of the descendants of Ham who occupied the land of Canaan.

In the words now, it is taken as a foregone conclusion that the Lord will, in fact, bring them into the land of Promise.

^5 (con’t) which He swore to your fathers to give you,

The land was originally promised to Abraham. Isaac was the inheritor of that right, and from him Jacob was given this promise. From Jacob, all of the sons of Israel, including his two adopted sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were included in the inheritance.

God swore and now He is ready to fulfill the promise that was originally made over 400 years earlier.

^5 (con’t) a land flowing with milk and honey,

This is the third of 20 times that this expression will be used in the Bible. The last time will be in Ezekiel 20 where it is also called “the glory of all lands.” A land flowing with milk and honey implies richness and fertility.

Milk comes from cows and so it means there will be abundant pasture lands. Honey comes from bees which pollinate flowers and so it implies all sorts of fruit trees, herbs, and flowers. Deuteronomy 8:7-10 describes the land –

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; ⁸ a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. ¹⁰ When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”

One more point about the term “a land flowing with milk and honey” is that it isn’t just speaking of the physical abundance of the land, but also of the spiritual abundance. It is the land of God’s word and the people through whom that word has come.

The word of God is said to be sweeter than honey. It is also equated with milk which nourishes. Thus, this is a reference to that as well. The Land would literally flow with milk and honey for sustaining Israel’s physical lives. It would also flow with milk and honey for sustaining their spiritual lives.

^5 (con’t) that you shall keep this service in this month.

This is a close repeat of the words from Exodus 12:25 when the instructions for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were first given. Moses is repeating the instructions to the people now that their deliverance has come, to remind them of what was expected of them before it had occurred.

The first admonition was in expectation of deliverance; the second is given as confirmation that they have received it. The Lord promised and the Lord fulfilled. The first time, Moses instructed the elders, now he repeats the commandment for all the people.

⁶ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread,

This is explicit. For seven days, unleavened bread was to be eaten. It doesn’t say “You may not eat bread with leaven for seven days.” Instead it says “Seven days you shall eat unleavend bread.” This is again repeated in Leviticus 23:6 and elsewhere.

It is not a negative command, which means that they could abstain from any bread as long as they didn’t partake in leavened bread. Instead it is a positive command. They were to eat unleavened bread during the entire feast. This goes in picture to what we should actually fulfill according to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians –

“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. ⁸ 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

Not only are we to not partake of sin, but we are to actively live our lives in “sincerity and truth.” It is not that we can abstain from the whole if we abstain from one; it is that we are to abstain from one while partaking in the other.

^6 (con’t) and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.

In Exodus 12:14, it said that the entire seven days was to be a feast to the Lord. Then in 12:16, it noted that both the first and the seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread were to be “holy convocations.” On those days, no work was to be done. Now, in addition to that, another detail is given concerning the seventh day.

It is to specifically be a khag, or a “feast” to the Lord. Israel was to not merely abstain from work, but they were to actively celebrate the work of the Lord. The entire week was to be a feast, but the seventh day was to be a feast unto itself as a festive termination to the entire feast.

Some Christian scholars attempt to align the resurrection of Christ with the day that Israel was conducted through the Red Sea. However, this would not align with the table of stops recorded in Numbers 33. But, the Jewish calendar reckons this seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened bread as that day.

Accordingly, the final day of the Feast would be the day they passed through the waters of the Red Sea. The Bible is not specific that either is the case, but of the two, the Jewish tradition would be correct. And there is a reason for this which will be explained when we get to that passage.

⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days.

The mandate is repeated yet again. This is the fourth time in 2 chapters that they are not only told to “not eat” leavened bread, but that they are “to eat” unleavened bread. Again, this is a positive command in addition to the negatives that are given.

The repetition is not unnecessary, but rather it is critical to fully understanding the New Testament fulfillment of the feast. As we are “in Christ” we are to not only “not eat” of the bread of wickedness, but we are “to eat” of the bread of sincerity and truth.

Otherwise, our abstention from the first still leaves a void in what others see. It is not uncommon to see unsaved people avoid sin. If this is all that is seen in us, it doesn’t truly set us apart. Only when we act like Christ do we resemble the One who makes us Christians.

^7 (con’t) And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters.

And yet, the opposite is true as well. Not only are we to act in a positive manner, but we are also to refrain from negative actions. Just as no leaven was to be seen among the people of Israel during their feast, no leaven is to be seen among us in our life in Christ.

Holy and pure is how you are to conduct your life
Abstaining from all malice and from wicked ways
Keeping yourselves from backbiting and from strife
Instead, living out your lives properly all your days

Because you truly are unleavened in My eyes
Having called on Jesus, you are free from your sin debt
You reached out in your need and took hold of the prize
Receiving Jesus as your Savior, all My conditions met

Therefore, walk holy just as you are already reckoned
Walk in a manner worthy of your heavenly call
For you responded when My Spirit beckoned
Because My Son Jesus, has broken down the wall

III. As a Sign and as a Memorial (verses 8-10)

⁸ 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.’

In Exodus 12, it was taken as a given that the children would ask what the memorial of the Passover service was for. In verse 26, it said –

“And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?'” Exodus 12:26

The same is implied here, after being fed unleavened bread for several days in a row, it would be natural to ask what was going on. The parents were to be ready with their answer. “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.”

And one of the most common questions to faithful Christians from their children or those around them who don’t know of the works of the Lord is, “Why do you believe and act as you do?” The answer should be your testimony based on “What the Lord did for me when I came up from a life of sin and bondage.”

We are to remember His acts of goodness to us so that others may hear about them and believe what has really come about in our lives. They should be able to see a difference in who we were, who we are now, and how we are different than the world around us.

⁹ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes,

In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks of the scribes and the Pharisees in a most negative light. His words equate their treatment of the common people with that of Pharaoh and Egypt towards Israel. He then notes their ostentatious displays of life, including the wearing of phylacteries. Here are His words concerning them –

“Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. ⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. ⁵ But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.” Matthew 23:3-8

The practice of wearing arm bands and phylacteries can be traced back to this verse and verse 16 of this same chapter which repeats and enlarges the thought given here. They and observant Jews to this day, have taken these words which contain a spiritual meaning and have given them a physical application.

They are externally worn symbols for others to see and fawn over. “Oh, look at those observant Jews. They must be the cat’s meow to God because of their obvious piety.” But what Moses says to the people was meant in an analogous way.

The words, “as a sign on your hand” are meant to show that the active obedience to the Lord through the observance of the mandated ritual was to be as evident as the hand accomplishing a feat. Anyone watching a person at work will see the hand as it a carries out its task.

The word “sign” is owth. It indicates something which points to something else. The observance is carried out to show obedience to the Lord who mandated the observance. When a person raises their hand in an oath, it is a sign of their faithfulness to the one in whose name the oath is taken. Thus, it is a sign of fealty to the one to whom they have pledged allegiance to.

The “memorial between your eyes” is the personal remembrance of the observance which then points to the personal obedience to the Lord who mandated it. Between the eyes is where the forehead is. It is the symbolic place of memory and it is also the symbolic place of acknowledging and avowing the Lord’s authority over the individual.

One makes the mental assent of being obedient to the Lord and thus a memorial is between the eyes at all times. It is as a personal seal to the higher authority. This verse and verse 16 have nothing to do with external badges of piety which others can see.

Instead, they have everything to do with actual accomplishments of allegiance which can be observed, and by which the individual attests to the authority of the one over him. This is borne out elsewhere in the Bible. Several passages in Proverbs use the same type of terminology as what Moses uses here –

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart, Proverbs 3:3

My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
²¹ Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck. Proverbs 6:20, 21

These proverbs, along with the fact that nowhere else in the Old Testament are phylacteries actually mentioned, show that the words here are to carry the same significance as a mark either branded or tattooed on the hand or on the forehead.

This then is in contradistinction to the mark of the beast which is found in Revelation 13:16. That is a mark of allegiance to the antichrist of the end times. That verse reads –

“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16

The rejection of that mark is to be a mental assertion that one has allied himself with the Lord. Such an alliance with Him is not an external box upon the head or a wrapping upon the arm. Instead it is a rejection of the mark of the beast and is a sign and a memorial that they have received instead the authority of the Lord over them. All of this is verified in the next words of verse 9…

^{9 (con’t)} that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth;

The sign on the hand and the memorial between the eyes is specifically connected to the fact “that the Lord’s law” would then be in “your mouth.” Nobody takes this portion of verse 9 literally. You just don’t see observant Jews walking around with scrolls of the Torah in their mouth.

To say that two physical applications then equates to one metaphorical application, or even one literal application where someone continuously repeats verses from the law, does injustice to the intent of the entire verse.

The hand is to act upon, and the mind is to contemplate, the feast so that the Lord’s law might be in the mouth of the observer. “This is what you are to do. You have seen it in my actions and my words now confirm that to you, dear son.”

^9 (con’t) for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.

Again it is repeated that the Lord has accomplished the task. This time, instead of the noun form, “strength of hand,” it uses the adjective “strong hand.” It is as if we are being told in this verse that we were each in a pit and the Lord reached down and pulled us up out of it.

All were in the pit and he reached down, individually, and pulled us out until the whole group was safe. It is a touching note of a personal deliverance by which we have been saved. And because of this we have a personal obligation to respond…

*¹⁰ You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

I should note that in verses 3 and 4, Moses spoke to the people using plural pronouns – in essence “you all.” But since verse 5, he has been speaking in singular pronouns. He opened his speech to the people as a whole, but he quickly made it a personal lesson for each individual.

Go back later and read these 8 verses again and you can then more fully grasp what this means. There has been a collective work of the Lord on behalf of His people. And with that came a collective command to be obedient to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And yet, there is an individual aspect to this feast as well.

If we look at the church, we can see the same concept. The Lord did a collective work for all of the people who would come to Him. It is He who performed the miracles. It is He who gave the signs. And it is He who did the work, dying for all on Calvary’s cross. As a church, we are responsible to observe our lives to Him.

And yet, there are individual responsibilities within that collective whole. His miracles, His signs, and His work were all on behalf of you… just you. Thus the admonitions to act in certain ways and to be responsible towards telling one’s child about His deliverance are a personal responsibility.

It doesn’t take a village to instruct our children. Instead, it takes our personal, individual lives which include our actions, our obedience, and our teaching about the Lord and His ways. What belongs to the collective church also belongs to the individual.

And the responsibility in each of us individually is to ensure that we act properly and within the confines of what the Lord has done individually and for us collectively. At the beginning of the sermon, I mentioned the similarity between the corresponding passage in Exodus 12. It was verses 12-20, but especially verses 14-20.

Those 7 verses were all addressed using plural pronouns. Despite seeming to be saying the same thing, they weren’t. That passage was written to the Superior Word… for all of our ears to collectively hear. The passage we’ve look at today has been mostly addressed to each person filling a seat… for all of our ears to individually hear.

Let’s pay heed to the word, collectively and individually, and let’s apply these lessons to our lives, ever striving to be truly unleavened – filled with sincerity and truth and putting behind us the leaven of Egypt – that of malice and wickedness.

And finally, as I do each week, I’d like to tell you in simple terms why Jesus came and how it is relevant to you. If you have never received Him as your Lord and Savior, it is the most important decision you could ever make….

Closing Verse: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6, 7

Next Week: Exodus 13:11-22 (Their Sign) (38th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying
“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, to you I do tell
Whatever opens the womb, I am relaying
Among the children of Israel

Both of man and beast; it is Mine
This command you shall not decline

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 made the way
He brought you out of this place, all the assemblage

No leavened bread shall be eaten
On this day you are going out
In the month Abib
Is when your deliverance came about

And it shall be, when the Lord brings you
Into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites too
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 as I have said
That you shall keep this service in this month, as to my word
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 in any ways
Among you in all your quarters too

And you shall tell your son in that day
Saying, ‘This is done because of what came about
Of what the Lord did for me which I now relay
When I came up from Egypt; when He brought me out

It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and also
As a memorial between your eyes no doubt
That the Lord’s law may be in your mouth wherever you go
For with a strong hand out of Egypt the Lord has brought you out

You shall therefore keep this ordinance
In its season from year to year
When you from Egypt received your deliverance
And so in the Lord alone you shall fear

Great are the stories of the Lord
Of His mighty acts undertaken for His flock
Precious is the holy writ, His superior word
Let us read its contents and its mysteries unlock

Let us cherish it more than our necessary food
And share it with our children and their children as well
So that they too will be imbued
With the wisdom of the bubbling well

And Lord, direct our steps, keep us close to You always
And help us to fix our eyes on You alone all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 12:37-51
The Exodus

Today we finally come to Israel’s wonderful moment of release. For generations they had been afflicted and burdened by Egypt. And for the final year or so, they had seen Egypt suffer great punishment from the Lord in order to weaken their resolve, and also to magnify the Lord in the eyes of the people.

The Passover has come and gone, the firstborn of the Egyptians have died, and now the time to depart has come. A week before typing this sermon, my wife found a ceramic plate that my grandmother made depicting the time of the Passover and the exodus out of the land.

We already have many of her works of biblical art here at the Superior Word, but now we have one more, lost for many years, and yet found just in time to be put on display in His church and among His people during these exodus sermons. In the depiction is Moses carrying his staff in one hand and a lamb in another.

There he stood with a precious lamb that would be the means of their redemption, picturing the true Lamb who redeemed Israel and who continues to redeem His people 3500 years later. Hallelujah to this precious Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus! Through Him, we have been united to the commonwealth of Israel.

Text Verse: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

Our sermon today will be a tad bit longer than most, but just a tad. Everyone will be home in time for dinner tonight. But I hope you will truly enjoy some of the wonderful insights which are given to us in these precious words. And, you can’t search out the word unless you open it and read it. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. From Rameses to Succoth (verses 37-39)

³⁷ Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses

Verses 37-42 in our look into the exodus today are so filled with connections to other portions of the Bible, that to fully plumb the depths of what is involved in them would take many long hours and yet we’d still miss much.

This first portion of verse 37 is given to us to show the literal locations of the Exodus until the first stopping point, but the names have been selected by God to show us something more, something future. The entire scope of the plagues on Egypt was given to show us what really occurred in history, but it was also given to show us parallels and pictures of Israel’s salvation in the end times.

Now, instead of the name “Goshen” being used, it says the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses. Why would the Lord interchange these names as he has in both Genesis and Exodus unless He is trying to show us a picture of something else?

Goshen means “drawing near” or “approaching.” That name is no longer used because it no longer applies. The time is not approaching, it has arrived. Israel is delivered and so Rameses is used. The name Rameses means “son of the sun” or “child of the sun.” In Psalm 84, the Lord is represented by the sun –

“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.” Psalm 84:11

In Malachi 4, Jesus is called the Sun of Righteousness and that passage is one which appears to telescope between His first and Second Advent. Listen to how these verses mirror what occurred during the plagues on Egypt and now their freedom from it –

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.
² But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
³ You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3

Rameses, rather than the name Goshen, is used here because it is speaking of the state of those who have come near to salvation, to those who are now saved. In the end times, God cares for Israel during the tribulation right through until their final reunion with Christ. Israel is the son of the Sun, Jesus.

This is evidenced by the Lord’s declaration of Exodus 4:22 where he called Israel His “firstborn son.” They were called this when Moses, picturing Christ the Redeemer, was told to speak to Pharaoh, the afflicter of Israel. What is being seen here is perfectly detailed, not just of actual events of the past, but of actual events in Israel’s future.

The name Rameses is used here to show us that Israel is the son of the Sun, exactly as the Bible has described them both. Israel the s-o-n of Jesus the S-u-n. The changing of the name from Goshen to Rameses is exacting and purposeful. It is given to help us weave together these amazing patterns of redemptive history.

^{37 (con’t)} to Succoth,

The name Succoth means “tabernacles.” In the life of Jacob, after meeting his brother Esau, he traveled to a place with the same name, Succoth, and he stayed there. That was a picture of the sixth dispensation in redemptive history, the age of the gentile church; the age of grace. It pictured God dwelling, or tabernacling, in man.

The mentioning of Israel traveling from Rameses to Succoth is given for the exact same reason. The Israelites have just observed the Passover, having applied the blood of the lamb and been saved from the plague. These people now, and the places they travel to, picture those who have been brought out of the tribulation period.

They are those who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb and are brought out of spiritual Egypt. The Holy Spirit now dwells in them, just as He did for those in the church age. The pictures are exact when compared to the book of Revelation and the names here are given to show us this. This is alluded to in Psalm 105 –

“He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
³⁸ Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
³⁹ He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.” Psalm 105:37-39

The cloud and the fire picture the presence of the Holy Spirit among God’s people. It is where the Lord has “spread His cloud of fire over them for a covering.” (Poole)

^{37 (con’t)} about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.

The numbers here are a general counting, rounded down to the nearest 100,000. This same general number is given by Moses again in Numbers 11:21 when speaking to the Lord. But in Numbers 1, an exact counting of the people is made, there it says –

“So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel— ⁴⁶ all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.” Numbers 1:45, 46

This number includes those 20 and above who could go to war. However, this didn’t include the Levites of this age. They were counted later in Numbers 4 and were 8580 between 30 and 50 years of age. And so the total number of men of fighting age was about 613,000.

These numbers didn’t include the children, the older people, or the women. In all, many scholars generally reckon them at about 2,000,000 people. Interestingly, there are about 6 million Jews in the land of Israel right now and the Bible shows us what will happen to them in the book of Zechariah –

And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one–third shall be left in it:
⁹ I will bring the one–third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” Zechariah 13:8-9

The approximate number of Jews who departed at the exodus is essentially the same number who will make it through the tribulation period if it is in the near future as I suspect it will be. God is repeating the numbers of history, just as He is repeating the symbolism of names and places.

The numbers here are in no way unimaginable when compared to the arrival of Jacob which is recorded in Genesis 46 and Exodus 1. In those genealogies, 70 people are named. However, during those sermons, it was noted there were hosts of servants who would have arrived in Egypt with them.

Over the years in Egypt, they would have been assimilated into the group known as Israel, just as was seen in the life of Jacob upon his return to Canaan from Padan Aram with two companies. The faith of Israel constituted the nationality, just as the nationality constituted the faith.

There is abundant precedent for this, both in the Bible and in extra-biblical recorded history. The numbers in growth are not only acceptable, they are exacting. God has recorded them not as hyperbole, but as a fact of history.

Having said this, many liberal scholars do their best to dismiss the biblical record, stating that this exodus account is a dishonest fabrication. Here are what the dolts… I mean the scholars, at Cambridge say –

“The figures do not come to us from eye-witnesses; and tradition, in the course of years, greatly exaggerated the numbers of the Israelites at the Exodus.” Dolts at Cambridge

If your commentary reflects this general sentiment, put a big fat red X through it. The numbers are both possible and reliable.

³⁸ A mixed multitude went up with them also,

This is a continued fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham all the way back in Genesis 12:3 –

“I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3

This “mixed multitude” comprises anyone who is not of the stock of Israel. They may have been Egyptians or people of other ethnicities who lived in Egypt, serving Egypt just as the Hebrews did. They saw the opportunity to join with Israel and to follow the God of Israel and they took it.

There are a few possibilities as to their numbers. The first is that they are included in the number of the Israelites in the census I mentioned earlier. This would make sense because Moses will later say that the number of capable males under him is the same as we see in this chapter.

The second option is that they are simply an innumerable number that came along and are not included in the census of Israel. At least in picture of future events, this is a more appropriate fit.

The third option is that they are mentioned separately to picture a separate number, but they are actually counted in the total during the census. Thus, the reality of the numbers is correct for all, but the picture of who they represent is maintained. Whichever is correct, they are mentioned as they are for a reason. But before I give that reason, I want to read you Numbers 11:4 –

“Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?” Numbers 11:4

Scholars almost unanimously agree that this group mentioned in Numbers 11:4 is the same group as mentioned here in Exodus. They call them names, say the set a bad example for Israel, and give other generally negative views on them. And these scholars are completely wrong.

The word used to describe the people here in Exodus is erev. It means, literally, a mixture. It is the same term used in Nehemiah 13:3 to indicate foreigners. The word in Numbers 11 to describe those miscreants is asaphsuph. It means “rabble” and comes from the word asoph which means “storehouse.”

From that we get the idea of a collection of like-minded things. There is no reason to assume this “rabble” was the mixed multitude we see here. Instead, it is identified as containing a group of like-minded people who were whiners, regardless of who they were – whether of Israel or of foreigners.

In picture, this mixed multitude is mentioned now for a specific reason. They are those people who will join Israel during the tribulation period, from all people groups around the world who will enter into the millennial reign of Christ. They are mentioned in Revelation 7 and then again in Revelation 19 –

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'” Revelation 7:9, 10

The same mixture of people is spoken of in the book of Zechariah –

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” Zechariah 8:23

Their mention here in Exodus in this vague way, and their mentioned as simply a “great multitude” in Revelation, is given to show us that in the tribulation period many will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord by joining with the people of the Lord, Israel. The picture is exact.

^{38 (con’t)} and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.

Along with the people, all of the flocks and the herds of the people departed with Israel. It was these animals which Pharaoh refused to let go of and which resulted in the ninth plague, darkness. But after the final plague, Pharaoh simply exhorted the people to go and so they did, with all of their possessions, including the millions of animals they possessed and which he failed to confiscate.

Flocks and herds in the Bible are mentioned a multitude of times to reflect people groups. These animals are probably given here as a picture of the nations who will be gathered together after the tribulation for judgment – the sheep and goat nations who are mentioned in Matthew 25.

³⁹ And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt;

Two different words are used to describe the bread here. The first is matsot, which is unleavened bread. The second is ugot, which is the cake itself. The International Standard Version does an excellent job of translating these words –

“They baked the dough that they brought out of Egypt into thin cakes of unleavened bread.” (ISV)

In the Middle East, it is common for the people to make bread by simply mixing flour with water and then cooking it. If no oven is available, they will put the cakes into ashes of a wood fire and cover it over with embers for a little while.

^{39 (con’t)} for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

The bread had been prepared in advance as it often was, but when the call went out to depart, they simply picked up and left, joining the ranks of the people in the great exodus. The bread was left unleavened and it was carried in the kneading troughs covered by a garment to keep it pure.

The Bible’s specificity in this verse concerns the picture it is making – that of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the church age, Paul calls us just that, unleavened –

“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.” 1 Corinthians 5:7

This same picture now extends to those who went through the tribulation period and came out of it through their faith in Christ. Thus, they have become a part of the true Passover and are also a new lump, truly unleavened. Again, the symbolism is exact. That which has been will be again.

History continues to repeat itself, in the exodus, in the church, and in the tribulation saints. It is showing us that God is consistent and His means of salvation, by grace through faith, is a unified concept which transcends all ages and dispensations.

Israel departed from Rameses to Succoth
Finally free from the bondage of Egypt
This first leg of the journey is worthy of note
Because the power of Pharaoh from them is stripped

Out from Egypt in the darkness of the night
And yet a full moon to help guide their way
Out from Egypt by the moon’s soft light
Continuing their walk throughout the next day

At Succoth, unleavened bread they did eat
The people having been purified, acceptable to the Lord
There at Succoth they enjoyed freedom so sweet
Just as was promised, so He kept His word

II. Precisely Timed (verses 40-42)

⁴⁰ Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.

This is surely one of the most mistranslated and most misunderstood verses in the entire Bible. Listen to the following two translations and see how they differ –

“Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years.” (NIV)

“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” (KJV)

If the translation says unambiguously that they dwelt in Egypt for 430 years as the NIV does, the translation is wrong. The KJV uniquely offsets the words “who dwelt in Egypt” and so it can mean something entirely different. The reason why this is important is that they did not dwell in Egypt 430 years.

The facts revealed in the Bible show that they actually dwelt in Egypt 215 years. At least the NIV and some other translations footnote that other manuscripts say they dwelt in “Canaan and Egypt” instead of just “Egypt.” And this is the correct rendering. It should say “Canaan and Egypt.”

The reason why these words were changed for the Masoretic text may be sinister – to hide a 215 year period in order to obfuscate the truth that Jesus is the Christ. By hiding these years, the Jews have hid from the eyes of their people who He truly is. The 430 years goes from the time of Abraham until the Exodus.

An argument against this is that the “sons of Israel” didn’t exist at Abraham’s time and therefore the words cannot mean from him until the exodus. But this is the Bible’s way of using an all-inclusive term for the people of Israel who lived in him even before they were born. These are our difficulties, not the Bible’s.

Following the timeline as we did through Genesis; following the promise made to Abraham; following the patterns laid down in the Bible; and following the words of the New Testament from the hand of Paul all lead to the understanding that it was 430 years from the Lord’s promise to Abraham until the Exodus.

Referring to the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, Paul in Galatians 3 says –

“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

That promise was made to him when he was 75, in the year 2084AM. That was 430 years after the Flood of Noah. Paul tells us that another 430 years after that, the law was received at Mount Sinai, which is just 50 days from the exodus.

In the life of Jacob, he traveled with his family to be with Joseph in Egypt exactly 215 years after the promise to Abraham in the year 2299AM. The people of Israel then spent another 215 years in Egypt and are now departing in the year 2514AM.

God has laid history out in the pages of the Bible with absolute perfection, allowing us to feel perfectly secure that we have placed our eggs in the right basket.

⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—

There is no reason to assume that the term “on that very same day” isn’t speaking of an exact day, meaning that the promise made to Abraham came about on the same day as the Exodus, 430 years earlier. If so, as it seems to imply, then that promise was made to him exactly 154,800 days earlier.

Such precision is found elsewhere in the Bible and so there is no reason to assume that it means anything other than this. The same day that Abraham was given his great promise 430 years earlier, is the same day that Israel was freed, as we see in the continuation of verse 41…

^{41 (con’t)} it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

The word here for “armies” is tsaba. It is often translated as “hosts,” as in armies united for warfare. This is the third time it is used to describe the people of Israel as a united force under the Lord. The people are, in this sense, being portrayed as those who will fight the Lord’s battles.

If one thinks of the Lord as their Head, then it takes on the picture of a great warrior leading His armies as they go. It is not in defeat or fear, but in honor and bravery that they are now leaving the land of Egypt. The picture for the church should be no less wonderful.

The Passover had just taken place, picturing Christ’s death on the cross. In that act, Christ has led His people out of the bondage of slavery, not in defeat or fear, but in a spirit of freedom and honor. Paul alludes to this in Romans 8 –

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.'” Romans 8:14, 15

Every time that a person receives the gospel message and trusts Christ, they participate in the same freedom that all others have who have been redeemed by the Lord. We have been brought from bondage into son-ship. We go from being enemies of God to being united with Him as one of His innumerable hosts.

⁴² It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

The words “night of solemn observance” in Hebrew are lel shimmurim. This word shimmur is used only twice in the Bible, both in this verse, and it is in the plural, as in a “night of watchings” or in “much observance.”

These observances are said to be “to the Lord.” And the reason is explicitly given as “for bringing them out of the land of Egypt.” If we can equate these words to a New Testament passage, I would say that Colossians 1 fits this perfectly –

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13, 14

Paul’s Jewish heritage allowed him to see with exacting detail the parallels between the Passover feast he had celebrated year after year, and the fulfillment of that observance in Christ. Unfortunately, for the Jewish people in general, this rite has been less about the Lord and more of a cultural observance.

But every time a Jew comes to know their Lord, and when the corporate body of Israel comes to know Him some wondrous day, great things occur as they come to realize the true significance of these mandated observances.

^{42 (con’t)} This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

There is an emphasis in these words which calls out for remembrance. Everything about them is intended to draw attention to the reader to pay heed. “This is that night of the Lord.” It is to be “a solemn observance.” It is “for all the children of Israel” and it is to be “throughout their generations.”

And yet, they are words which only find their true meaning in what they picture – the cross of Christ and the freeing of His people from the yoke which has bound them. Ellicott makes the connection simple for us to see –

It is “…when a yoke heavier than that of Egypt was broken from off our necks, and a land better than that of Canaan set before us. That was a temporal deliverance, to be celebrated in their generations; this an eternal redemption, to be celebrated world without end!” Charles Ellicott

It was a long time, four hundred and thirty years
From Abraham until the exodus out of Egypt the land
But when it came, there were certainly many cheers
As the people beheld the marvel of the Lord’s powerful hand

And for all generations thereafter it came to be
That people would each year on that night recall
The marvel of the exodus; and of the Lord’s majesty
A Passover Seder each year at the nightfall

A solemn observance for the children of Israel
A time to remember the great acts of the Lord
A time to relate the story to the next generation as well
To repeat this marvelous account recorded in His word

III. One Law for All (verses 43-51)

⁴³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

From the text, it would appear that these instructions were given at Succoth, after the Passover. However, it could be that they were given at Sinai when the law was received. Or, they could have been given to them prior to the Passover and that foreigners participated in the Passover. Thus everything from verse 11 until now has been an insert.

I believe that the last option is correct. It would mean that the mixed multitude that left with Israel was circumcised before they partook of the Passover and departed at the Exodus. This would fit with what will be said in the coming verses concerning their status within the corporate body. It would also be another reason why they selected the lamb five days earlier – to allow healing time for those circumcised.

No matter what, the instructions are given to ensure the meal would not be defiled through inappropriate observance.

^{43 (con’t)} “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.

The first instruction is that no foreigner is to eat of it. The term is ben nekar or “son of a stranger.” It’s a general term which includes all who were aliens to the people and to the covenant of Israel. However, if they were brought into the people and the covenant by circumcision, then they were no longer considered strangers.

This is often violated today when Jews invite Gentiles over to share in their Passover. The Passover was intended only for those who are a part of the redeemed of the Lord. This then equates directly to the Lord’s Supper.

There is no point in a non-believer coming forward because it has no true significance for them. The intent of the Lord’s Supper is to proclaim His death until He comes. If someone hasn’t received what His death signifies, and if they don’t believe He is coming again, then it makes no sense for them to participate.

⁴⁴ But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.

The second instruction concerns servants. If a person obtained a servant with money and became their property, according to Genesis 17:12, 13, they were to be circumcised. There were no exceptions to this. It is implied that if they refused circumcision, they were to be cut off from the congregation.

Once they were brought into the house and circumcised in that manner, they had all of the rights of a citizen of Israel, although they were still the property of their owner. If nothing else, this shows that it is a dedication to the Lord and to the covenant which brings one into Israel, not natural descent from Abraham.

This is especially true in the world today when there are different sects of Jews from different traditions – Sephardic and Ashkenazi in particular. They can both claim title to the nation of Israel. However, they cannot claim to be the true Israel if they aren’t circumcised in their hearts to the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, until they call out to Him, they are not truly completed Jews of good standing in Israel in the biblical sense.

⁴⁵ A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.

In contradistinction to an owned slave, a person might have a day-laborer who was a foreigner. Or he may have someone staying at his house as a sojourner for a given amount of time. Such a person was not allowed to participate

⁴⁶ 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.

The general consensus of the reason for these words is that it points to unity. It is through the lamb that the people were united in the Passover, and it is through Jesus that believers are united in our freedom from the bondage of sin. Therefore, none of the flesh was to be taken outside of the house.

Further, none of the bones were to be broken, again, implying unity. The flesh was eaten, but the bones were to remain whole. This unity of the bones points directly to the unity of the church- universal which is found in Christ and in Him alone.

The Passover lamb of the Hebrew nation was made to correspond to the antitype which He fulfills. The completion of this picture is found anticipating Christ in Psalm 34:20 and realized in John 19 which speak of Him on the cross –

“For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.'” John 19:36

He died prior to the need for the soldiers to break His bones in order to expedite His death. This was anticipated 1500 years earlier in the giving of these instructions.

⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

As there is unity in the house pointing to unity in Christ, there was to be unity throughout the congregation, again pointing to unity in Christ. There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

⁴⁸ 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.

This is plain on its surface and it follows through in many examples in the Bible. When a stranger sojourned among the Israelites and wanted to participate by keeping the Passover, they were to circumcise any males and they were then allowed to keep it. From that point on, they were to be incorporated into the people of Israel with no further distinctions among them.

In addition to accounts which follow this in the Bible, there is extra-biblical evidence for this as well. Speaking of the descendants of Edom, known as the Idumeans in the New Testament times, we find in the writings of the Jewish Historian Josephus that about 129 BC John Hyrcanus –

“…subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.”

If we are to take this in a New Testament context, it shows that we cannot withhold the gospel from any person or group of people and exclude them from Christian fellowship. This follows through in position, status, color, ethnic origin, amount of wealth, or for any other reason. Jesus is the Christ of the nations and He is to be open to all who will receive Him. No non-believer carries the benefits of Christ; no believer is excluded from those benefits which are His alone to endow upon His faithful.

⁴⁹ One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

One law is given for all people within the covenant community regardless of their birth status. Again, it points to the unity of the people which is derived from being joined to the Lord, not from being joined through a birthright. The birthright is from God to His adopted children, without regard to their genetic make up.

There would seem to be exceptions to this which are found in Deuteronomy 7, where it says that certain people groups were to be utterly destroyed and with whom no intermarriages or covenants were to be allowed.

But… people from some of those very groups are found later in the Bible as participants in the provisions of this verse. One, for example, is Uriah the Hittite whose wife, Bathsheba, became a wife of David.

⁵⁰ Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The law was given from the Lord and the people complied.  The inclusion of these words seems to imply that the instructions were, in fact, given prior to the Exodus, but they have been recorded now to show that those who came out as a mixed multitude were considered as a part of the whole; all were now reckoned as Israel.

Thus the counting of the people in the census is inclusive of them as being brought into the tribes. They are one united people.

*⁵¹ 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.

This verse repeats the substance of verse 41. It shows us that it is the Lord who brought Israel out. He did it on a precise schedule, that it included His redeemed people, that they were redeemed from the bondage of Egypt, and that they were brought out according to their armies – in other words in ranks and in dignity.

Everything about this closing verse shows that there was a plan and that plan was worked out exactly as it should have been, including the assimilation of non-Israelites into the body of Israel. It is then a picture of the greater assimilation of the church which now exists, and of the assimilation of the tribulation saints of the future. All are one in the body of Christ who is the Lord.

We are, through the blood of Christ, brought into the commonwealth of Israel. We are saved unto the ages of the ages. God’s love for His children is an eternal love because we are “in Christ” His Son. He could love us no less than He loves His beloved Jesus.

If you have never received that great love which can only come through God’s adoption of you as His child, please give me a moment to tell you how you can participate in it today…

Closing Verse: “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13

Next Week: Exodus 13:1-10 (The Feast of Unleavened Bread) (37th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Exodus

The children of Israel then
Journeyed from Rameses to Succoth
About six hundred thousand men on foot besides children
Certainly a host of considerable note

A mixed multitude went up with them also
And flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock with them did go

And they baked unleavened cakes
Of the dough which they had brought
Out of Egypt; for it was not leavened
For in a hurried exodus they were caught

Because they were driven out of Egypt
And could not wait
Nor had they prepared provisions for themselves
Such they did not accumulate

Now the sojourn of the children of Israel
Who lived in Egypt
Four hundred and thirty years was the spell
Before Pharaoh finally flipped

And it came to pass at the end, finally at last
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 Surely with great cheers

It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord
For bringing them out of the land of Egypt according to His word

This is that night of the Lord
A solemn observance in participations
For all the children of Israel as they have heard
Throughout their generations

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron
“This is the Passover’s ordinance
No foreigner shall eat it thereon
You must adhere to this observance

But every man’s servant who is for money bought
When you have circumcised him
Then he may eat it as you have been taught

A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it
In one house it shall be eaten, there you will partake
You shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house
Nor any of its bones shall you break

All the congregation of Israel shall keep it, according to my word
And when a stranger dwells with you
And wants to keep the Passover to the Lord
Let he and all his males be circumcised too

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
From this law you shall learn and understand

One law shall be for the native-born and also too
For the stranger who dwells among you

Thus did all the children of Israel
As the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron
So they did as the word does tell

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
As the Lord in His word did foretell

Great things the Lord has done for His people
Those who are brought into His own fold
They come from every nation to worship under the steeple
We are the redeemed of the Lord as His word foretold

It is because of Jesus! Hallelujah to His name!
God loved us enough to send His Son to rescue us
And now let our lips His holy name proclaim!
Yes, for all the ages of ages, we will proclaim Jesus

Thank You, O God for precious Jesus our Lord
And thank You for revealing Him to us in Your holy word

Hallelujah and Amen…