Exodus Sermons (written)

Exodus 7:14-25
The Plague of Blood

Introduction: One premise of a Creator God is that He is all knowing. Everything from the beginning to the end is known to Him immediately and intuitively. He doesn’t have to make deductions or conclusions. Rather, He simply knows.

And this doesn’t just mean mechanical things like 1 plus 1, or how birds are able to fly. It includes all things, including the secret things of the heart and mind. Every thought that we have, every thing we will do, and even what will prompt us to do other things, are all known to Him.

The Bible says He searches out our hearts in order to effect His purposes on earth, He searches us out in order to judge us, and He searches us out so that He can guide us. It is a way of saying that everything about us is known to Him. In this, there is nothing that we can keep secret from Him.

Why did you give to a particular charity? Though you may say it was to do good, it may have been for a reason that you’ve suppressed so deeply that you might not even realize the truth of the matter. The Lord, however, knows exactly why you did it.

Text Verse: “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
¹⁰ I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:10

Today, we will see the first plague that was brought upon the land of Egypt. It, like the miracle of the rod turning into a serpent, will be repeatable, at least in part, by Pharaoh’s magicians. Because of this, he will fail to see the plague in the proper context.

Not only is it on a completely different scale, but it is a precursor to more plagues intended to secure Israel’s release. If Pharaoh had heeded the Lord already, he would have saved Egypt and himself much grief. But in order for the Lord to be glorified, He selected this plague first.

He did it, not to obtain Israel’s freedom, but to further harden Pharaoh’s heart. And it will have its intended effect because it is the Lord who searches hearts and minds in order to effect His purposes. Let’s remember this and keep our hearts soft to the things of God and to the truths which are 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. You Shall Know that I Am the Lord (verses 14-18)

¹⁴ So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.

The last words we saw came after the miracle of the rods turning to serpents. Aaron had cast down his rod and it became a serpent, but the magicians of Egypt had done the same. In response it said, “And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.”

But, that wasn’t the only thing to bring hardening to his heart. In chapter 5, the Lord had instructed Moses to simply go and ask Pharaoh for permission to allow Israel to go into the wilderness to worship. By taking this avenue, and knowing the obstinate nature of Pharaoh, the Lord knew he would harden his heart, and he did.

Pharaoh felt he had gained a victory over Israel and the God of Israel by his refusal. In turn he laid a heavier burden on them. This too would have given him perverse satisfaction and a further hardening of his heart. Each thing done has been calculated to bring about a desired end, known to the Lord who created man.

The first miracle of the rods wasn’t a judgment on Egypt, but a display intended to lull Pharaoh into a greater state of dullness. It served that purpose well. He wasn’t convicted, but rather emboldened.

The light that was given was swallowed up by the darkness of his false magicians, thus closing his eyes to what lay ahead. Now the judgments would begin. Knowing this, the Lord says to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hard.” However, a completely different word than in the previous verse is used.

It says, kaved lev paroh – “Pharaoh’s heart is heavy.” The previous word was khazaq – hard; this word is kaved; – heavy. There is dullness and a stupidity of response to the plagues which are coming. Unlike for example, a bird which flits away at danger, an ox will fail to see the disaster ahead and plod into it directly. This is the intent of the Lord’s words now.

¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water,

There is specificity here that we’re asked to look at. Two things in particular – it is morning time, and Pharaoh is going out to the water. Scholars have looked at various reasons for this, such as he was going to bathe, to pray to the Nile which is one of the deities of Egypt, to see how high the river was in order to determine when to plant crops, and so on.

I would suggest that it is for worship, and that the worship is two-fold. First he is there to worship the Nile, but secondly, to worship the sun as it first lights on the Nile. Pharaoh, believing he is the son of the sun-god Ra, would be there to honor his supposed father-god as well as the Nile which reflected the coming of Ra. This is speculation, but it fits the placement of both words.

^{15 (con’t)} and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.

This seems straightforward enough that no commentary is really necessary, except that commentary is necessary. The word for “serpent” here is not what it was in the previous passage. When Aaron cast down the staff before Pharaoh, it says that it turned into a tannin. Here it says that it has turned into a nakhash.

This asks us to consider why. I have three possibilities. The first is that Moses and Aaron each had a different rod. The rod Moses threw down in front of the bush turned into a nakhash; the same rod that would have been seen by the Israelites. But the rod that Aaron threw down was his own and it turned into a tannin. And so now, the first rod is being used, which turned into a nakhash.

The second option is that the same rod was thrown down and one time it turned into a nakhash, and the second time it turned into something different, a tannin. Here in this verse then, the Lord’s words would be referring to the first account.

The third option is that the words are being used synonymously in one way, but are showing a distinction in another. The nakhash was revealing Christ as the giver of the miracle, but the tannin was assumed to be a false miracle by Pharaoh, and thus Christ was hidden from his eyes. Based on the use of the word nakhash elsewhere in Scripture, I believe this last option is correct.

¹⁶ And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!

This refers right back to Exodus 5, especially verses 1-9. Rather than “The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you” it should say, “The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to you.” He is reiterating what was said, not stating something new.

That first request was a mild one. It wasn’t a demand and it wasn’t requesting release, but rather simply a time of worship with an implied return to Egypt. But the obstinate nature of Pharaoh immediately set him at odds with the request of Yehovah, the God of the Hebrews. Instead, he wouldn’t hear.

¹⁷ Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord.

When Moses first spoke to Pharaoh in chapter 5, his response was, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” Now, Yehovah promises that Pharaoh will know who He is.

However, he will have to repeat this several more times to Pharaoh. It isn’t just this coming miracle then that will convince Pharaoh, but all of them combined and stored in his memory that will collectively cry out that He is Yehovah.

Pharaoh, like many of us, is a tough nut to crack. But we can thank the Lord that He is long-suffering as He waits for us to yield our stubborn hearts to Him. Unfortunately for Pharaoh, it will never truly transpire and he will be swept away by the Red Sea’s waters.

^{17 (con’t)} Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood.

In this we have the commonly accepted idea of Qui facit per alium, facit per se  – “He who acts through another does the act himself.”

It is the Lord who pronounces anokhi makkeh ba’matteh asher b’yadi, “I will strike with the staff that is in my hand.” The action of the instrumental cause – the rod and hand of Aaron, is ascribed as the action of the principle cause, the work of the Lord.

In this verse though is one of the most difficult to determine aspects of any of the ten plagues upon Egypt. It requires care and contemplation; not belligerence. The words are, “and they shall be turned to blood.” Question: “Is this actually blood or is it not?”

The answer is one which haunts all scholars to some extent. Among other things, actual blood implies red and white blood cells, it implies DNA, and it implies platelets. It would be beyond the scope of the other miracles to produce all of these things. And yet, the word “blood” is used.

However, it is also used in a one-for-one comparative way many other times in Scripture. In Joel, it says this about the moon –

“The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Joel 2:13

It would be ludicrous to not see that as a metaphor. The blood moon is an eclipse. This is repeated in Acts 2:20 in the Greek and it again says, it “shall be turned into blood” there. It doesn’t say “like blood,” but simply that it will be turned into blood. However, this type of sign is explained in Revelation 6:12 where it says –

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.” Revelation 6:12

Again, in Revelation 8:8, in the second trumpet judgment on the earth, it says, “Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.” It is again understood that this is “like blood” even though elsewhere it says it became blood.

Considering that the plagues of Egypt are given as pictures of the coming plagues upon the world, we see that the turning of the Nile into blood means blood in a figurative sense.

And yet, it is a figurative sense with a literal biblical meaning. At times in the Bible blood implies life, it implies death, and it implies judgment. The Nile being turned into blood is a demonstration of God’s ability to give life, to take life, and to judge.

Therefore, the description of blood, though not literal blood as we think of it, carries all the connotations of blood in the Bible. This is not a sign, but a judgment. Just as the house of Pharaoh judged that the Hebrew children were to be cast into the Nile to die, the Lord is now bringing judgment upon Egypt by bringing death to the Nile.

The Nile, this false “god” of Egypt, will come under the judging hand of the true God of the Hebrews. As Matthew Henry says –

“… the river of Egypt, was their idol. That creature which we idolize, God justly takes from us, or makes bitter to us.” Henry

¹⁸ And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.”’”

The fish are singled out in this verse because it is known that at least three types of them were considered sacred to the Egyptians. But these supposedly sacred fish could not survive in the now- bloodied waters.

Fish are infrequently mentioned in the Old Testament, but a study on them will show marvelous patterns. The first time they’re seen is right in Genesis 1 at the creation of the various types of life. After the exodus, the people of Israel will complain in the wilderness that when they were in Egypt, they had fish to eat.

But they forgot that it is the Lord who created the fish and the Lord who destroyed the fish of the Nile. Later in Ezekiel which speaks of the time of the millennial reign of Christ, it says this –

“Then he said to me: ‘This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. ⁹ And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.'” Ezekiel 47:8, 9

The living waters of the Nile died at the hand of the Lord, and the dead waters of the Dead Sea will come alive by His hand as well. Such is the nature of the Lord who creates, sustains, and judges.

All life is bound up in the hand of the Lord
What He chooses for us is for Him alone to decide
For those who humble themselves to Him, there lies a reward
Eternal joy will be found in heaven at His side

Those who reject His life will remain eternally dead
But those who die through Him will be granted life eternal
Better to choose the Lord now and be reconciled instead
Than to suffer the flames of the land infernal

Oh wayward man, learn the lesson of Pharaoh
Don’t harden your heart to the sacred word
Instead, travel upon the path which is narrow
And call out for salvation to Jesus the Lord

II. Blood Throughout the Land (verses 19-22)

¹⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood.

In a direct command from Yehovah, the rod of God by which the plagues of Egypt are to be carried out is ordered to be stretched out over the waters of Egypt, and this directly in the presence of Pharaoh. When this is done, the water would become blood.

The waters of Egypt included the Nile itself, which is the lifeline of water throughout the country. To this day, it remains as such. The nahar or “streams” are the natural waterways which branch off from the Nile. Seen from above, they appear as fingers which branch out as the Nile progresses towards the north.

From there are the yeor which would be the lesser streams or canals. They may be natural or man-made and they would progressively rise and overflow during the wet season. After that are the agam, translated as ponds. These could be lakes or marshes that would particularly flood as the Nile’s high season arrived.

And finally are the miqveh, or “pools.” The word miqveh implies a gathering, such as when God gathered together the waters and called them “seas” in Genesis 1:10. These then would be cisterns, mostly were probably man-made, which could be filled as the Nile overflowed, or which could be filled by going to the Nile and manually carrying it to the cistern.

Everything that received the once-living waters of the Nile would be affected. They would now only receive the bloodied waters of judgment.

^{19 (con’t)} And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’”

This final portion of the verse has to be considered based on the verses to come. The words “buckets” and “pitchers” are inserted and it makes it sound like any receptacles of water which were in a house were affected as well. But that can’t be the intent.

What it means is that any water collected in those things would be equally affected. The receptacles aren’t being tied to the spoiling of the water directly, but that the water which would be collected in either wood or stone was affected. In essence, subsequent methods of purifying the water wouldn’t work.

²⁰ And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded.

In obedience to the word of the Lord, and showing no fear that the miracle may not happen, thus leaving them in a state of embarrassment, they did as requested. The fears of failing once noted in Moses have disappeared. Now only obedience is seen.

^{20 (con’t)} So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

Directly in the sight of all, the miracle is performed. In this, the waters of the river, meaning anything into which the river flowed, is singled out. Judgment has come upon the Nile and it serves as a double punch to Pharaoh. It is an attack against their supposed god of the Nile and the fish which they revered.

But it also would be an immense physical affliction upon the people of Egypt. This terrible plague is followed in type and pattern by the third trumpet and the third bowl judgments upon the world of the end times. In the third bowl in Revelation 16, it says –

“Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” Revelation 16:4

After that, the reason for the judgment is given –

“You are righteous, O Lord,
The One who is and who was and who is to be,
Because You have judged these things.
⁶ For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
And You have given them blood to drink.
For it is their just due.” Revelation 16:5, 6

Just as the Egyptians shed the blood of the Lord’s Hebrew people, the unrepentant world has shed the blood of the Lord’s saints and prophets. In response, the Lord will give them blood to drink as is their just due. That which has been, will be again. Just as the Bible both depicts and proclaims.

²¹ The fish that were in the river died, the river stank,

As the Lord proclaimed, so it happened. The Nile and the life in it died. This then is not a normal seasonal occurrence which has at other times been documented in the Nile. Before the Aswan dam was built, the Nile fluctuated greatly.

In the time before the Nile started to rise, it would be greenish. However, eventually, as the waters increased, they would carry in microscopic organisms which would turn it reddish. It would also stink during the process. If this is all that occurred, it would be neither miraculous, nor unexpected. And it wouldn’t have killed everything in the Nile.

Rather, this is something that was far worse than normal. But it also was a plague which Pharaoh could mentally brush off as simply “worse than normal.” This is especially true because of what is coming concerning his magicians. Thus the Lord is passively continuing to harden Pharaoh’s heart through the order of the plagues that He is delivering to the land and people.

^{21 (con’t)} So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

From the biblical perspective, this blood is judgment and this blood is death. And thus, judgment and the stench of death permeated all of the inhabited land of Egypt. Where the Nile flowed, there judgment was found.

The death of the fish would be an unusually difficult thing for the Egyptians because it was, and continues to be in modern times, a main source of food for the people. They would now lose this, and because the blood flowed to all places where the Nile flowed, it would mean that the entire stock of fish was affected.

Even after the clearing of the waters, it would be a long and difficult time to repopulate the Nile with enough fish to once again feed the people. The judgment is a harsh one indeed.

^{21 (con’t)} and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river.

The waters that were in any capacity directly tied to the river truly become impossible to drink. Not only would it have been contaminated with the judging substance termed “blood,” but it also would have very quickly been further contaminated with the rotting fish which had died in the water. Within a very short time, the people would truly be suffering from the effects of this horrendous first plague.

Woe unto man who will not heed the Lord
Terrible are His judgments upon the unrepentant world
For man has forsaken the Holy and Precious word
And so upon their hardened hearts, His judgments will be unfurled

But there is escape from this terrible fate
There is hope found in the Lord Jesus
Don’t put it off – No! Please don’t hesitate
Call out to the One who died and rose again for us

In Him is found life eternal, sure and sweet
In Him is found the love of God
And so will be the joy there before our feet
A heavenly path which forever we may trod

III. Seven Days of Plague (verses 22-25)

²² Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments;

A stumbling block is placed right before the feet of Pharaoh. The Lord has chosen a plague which is repeatable by the magicians of Egypt. As God is the Giver of life and the life is in the blood, it is assured that the “blood” noted in the previous verses is not truly blood in the literal sense.

Whatever the magicians did, it was sufficiently comparable to that of what occurred in the Nile to be considered the same by Pharaoh. And this also demonstrates that the buckets and pitchers mentioned above are not those containing water that were in houses at the time of the plague. If they were, then how could these have contained water?

The arrogance of Pharaoh here is evident. Just because the magicians could reproduce the effects of this plague, they could not do so on the same scale as Moses and Aaron. The Nile was already converted to blood. Further, a portion of the miracle is the fact that the Nile died as Aaron stretched the rod over it.

The timing was exact and the scope of the event was total. Also, there is no note of an attempt to undo what the Lord had done by these guys. If Pharaoh were willing to simply pursue this path of understanding before turning away, he would see that the plague of the Lord was beyond the scope or control of his magicians. Despite this, Pharaoh willingly sides with that which is unreasonable. As a result…

^{22 (con’t)} and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard,

From the Hebrew, it is apparent that the ability of the magicians to reproduce the same effect as the plague is what hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The two clauses are connected in such a way as to conclusively imply this.

As the Lord knew the magicians would be able to do so, and as the Lord knows the hearts of men, it is His actions which harden Pharaoh, even though Pharaoh has willingly hardened his own heart. Though this may seem nitpicking the subject to death, it is something we all need to continually remind ourselves about.

If we harden our hearts to the things of God, then the Lord will allow our hearts to be hardened against Him by those things that He sends in our direction. In the end, His purposes will always prevail, but they work in accord with His knowledge of how we will respond to Him based on the condition of our heart.

In other words, be soft, open, and forever willing to comply with the Lord and His word. In this, you will always know that He will deal well with you as you live out your days.

^{22 (con’t)} and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

Who did Pharaoh not heed? He didn’t heed Aaron and Moses. The word is alehem; it is plural. But in verse 17, the Lord said He would strike the waters. As Aaron and Moses are the designated representatives of the Lord, Pharaoh is not only rejecting them, but he is rejecting Yehovah. This same pattern is seen in the end times.

In Revelation 11, there will be two witnesses who will carry the authority of the Lord. Their testimony, like that of Moses and Aaron will be rejected and they will be killed, but before that happens, they will have the same type of authority granted to them by Jesus. In Revelation 11:6, we read this –

“These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”

Their words will be a sign to the people of the world. If they are heeded, those who heed will be saved. If they are ignored, those who harden their hearts will be lost. The condition of the heart will dictate the outcome of the final destiny.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is attributed to the heart itself. It is not an active hardening by the Lord, but a self-willed hardening wrought by Pharaoh at the prompting of the Lord. Pharaoh could have yielded, but he chose not to. In this, the Lord’s knowledge of the heart and of the person’s response is revealed.

In 1 Kings 8:39, we are told that the Lord alone knows the hearts of all of the sons of men. In Revelation 2:23, this same attribute is ascribed to Jesus, thus it is one of the countless proofs that Jesus of the New Testament is the same as the Lord of the Old Testament. Here is what that verse says –

“…all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”

Pharaoh’s heart has been searched out by the Lord, he has willingly hardened himself to the Lord’s passive promptings, and he alone is responsible for the judgment he will receive. The same is true with the people now and those in the end times too. The hardened heart is a terrifying and powerful source of eternally sad consequences.

²³ And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.

This takes us right back to Exodus 7:10-13 where the rod was changed into a serpent. At the end of that encounter, it said, “And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.” Two demonstrations before Pharaoh have been repeatable by his magicians.

Despite these being on a much higher order than that of his own people’s tricks, he was convinced enough to remain unchanged in his attitude towards the Lord. Unfortunately, we can make a very good comparison to this and to the Bible.

The Lord has spoken and His words are recorded there. But other books make many of the same general claims as the Bible. In Luke 6:31, we read what is commonly known as the Golden Rule –

“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

But this general precept is found in a host of other religions in one form or another. For example, Confucius said it this way –

“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.”

Such knowledge will often lead the hardened heart to immediately assume that one religion is the just the same as another. However, just as the miracle of the Lord is on a completely different level than the false miracles of the magicians of Egypt, the word of the Lord, when studied and understood, is on a completely different level than that of any and all other religions.

We are each responsible for where we place our faith. To exercise it without checking the facts and then contemplating the sources of those facts, can have eternal consequences. Pharaoh, despite being the ruler of the greatest nation on earth, was actually a very shallow thinker.

²⁴ So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.

Those who know the layout of the land of Egypt are aware of the fact that apart from the Nile, there are no other natural sources of drinking water available in the land such as springs, fountains, or other rivers.

However, there is water underground which can be accessed, but it isn’t suitable for drinking because of the soil conditions of the land. Unlike other areas where wells are commonly dug, Egypt didn’t follow this practice because of it. However, with the only truly palatable water ruined, they were left with only this option.

Because of the record here, even the most liberal of scholars must admit that the author of the account had an exacting knowledge of the geography and water system of Egypt. It is a nice touch concerning the authenticity of Moses as the true author.

*²⁵ And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.

Chapter 7 ends with a note of specificity concerning the duration of the plague, seven days. Some attempt to tie this 7-day period into the start of the next plague recorded in chapter 8 verse 1, but that is unlikely. Rather, the plague itself lasted seven days.

It has been documented that the normal period of discoloration of the Nile lasts for much longer. Therefore, this is again an evidence of the divine nature of the plague. The clearing of the blood from Egypt took less time than the normal flow of the river to do the same.

The question which I had to ponder for quite some time is “Why seven days?” After rereading the account, it seems to me that this goes back to the original request which was made in Exodus 4:3 which said –

“The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” Exodus 4:3

The request was repeated in verse 16 – that they wanted to go into the wildness to serve the Lord. But because of Pharaoh’s refusal, it was said that the plague of blood would immediately ensue. Thus it is a sign to Pharaoh.

They had asked for a trip which would require travel of three days in each direction. Thus, with the day of sacrifice, it would have been a seven-day journey. The plague of blood was given as punishment, a day for a day, for depriving the Lord of the honor He was due at the ceremony in the wilderness.

This appears to be a one-to-one comparison with the 7-year tribulation period coming in the end times. Daniel 9:27 shows that a 7-year covenant will be made between Israel and the antichrist. There will be a year of tribulation for each year of this covenant. And so there is a pattern reflected here.

The glory of the Lord is proclaimed throughout the Bible. It is man’s duty to recognize it and to proclaim it. From the intricate spider’s web, to the complexity of the cosmos, every part of creation cries out “Glory” and it tells us of infinite wisdom.

God created us as sentient beings because He desires us to share in His glory, to acknowledge it, and to rejoice in it. But from moment to moment we fail to do so. We set up idols in our hearts, we ascribe worship to the creation rather than the Creator, and we follow our own paths, rarely giving Him any regard at all.

Only when things get bad do we normally even think to give Him remembrance. Let us do our best every day to pursue Him, to consider His goodness in our lives, and to give Him the glory He is due. And in order to truly have a right fellowship with Him, we must deal with the sin in our life which separates us from Him.

Let me tell you how this can come about. He has done everything necessary to restore us to a happy and eternal relationship with Him once again. He did it in the giving of His Son, Jesus. Let me explain that to you…

Closing Verse: Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds,
By His name YAH,
And rejoice before Him. Psalm 68:4

Next Week: John 12:20-26 (A Grain of Wheat – Resurrection Day 2015)

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 Plague of Blood

So the Lord said to Moses about Pharaoh
“Pharaoh’s heart is hard
He refuses to let the people go

Go to Pharaoh in the morning
When he goes out to the water and you shall stand
By the river’s bank to meet him
And the rod which was turned to a serpent…
You shall take in your hand

And you shall say to him, even so
“The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me for this address
Saying, “Let My people go
That they may serve Me in the wilderness

But indeed, until now you would not hear!
Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know
That I am the Lord whom you shall fear
Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river…
Even I will do so

With the rod that is in my hand
And they shall be turned to blood throughout the land

And the fish that are in the river shall die
The river shall stink,
And of the water of the river
The Egyptians will loathe to drink

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron
‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand
Over the waters of Egypt – their streams, rivers, ponds
And over all their pools of water throughout the land

That they may become blood, and there shall be blood
Throughout all the land of Egypt
Both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone, an overwhelming flood

And Moses and Aaron did, just as the Lord commanded so
So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters
That were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh

And in the sight of his servants it was done
And all the waters that were in the river
Were turned to blood, of fresh water, there was none

The fish that were in the river died; the river stank
And the Egyptians could not, we understand
Drink the water of the river, of it no one drank
So there was blood throughout all of Egypt the land

Then the magicians of Egypt did so
With their enchantments, a lie they spread
And grew hard the heart of Pharaoh
And he did not heed them, as the Lord had said

And Pharaoh turned and into his house went
Neither was his heart moved by this event

So all the Egyptians dug all around
The river for water to drink
Thus they searched for water in the ground
Which would not be foul and stink

Because they could not drink the water of the river
In it was a plague, of whom the Lord was the Giver

And seven days passed according to the word
After the river was struck by the Lord

This is the first terrible plague upon Egypt the land
But nine more will come because of Pharaoh’s hard heart
It is a lesson for us to hear and understand
And in our own lives, to make a new start

Let us soften our hearts to the word of the Lord
So that to Him we will be acceptable, each of us
And to the cross let our eyes look toward
Remembering always the work of Jesus

Yes, O God, keep us on the path that is true
May we keep our hearts soft, and be pleasing to you

And some day we know You will come again for us
We anxiously await Your return Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 7:8-13
The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

Introduction: Every time I type up another sermon, I think “there’s a lot of difficult stuff here for people to listen to.” And then, almost immediately, I also think, “Thank You Lord for the people who come to hear these sermons. I am so grateful for people who are willing to sit through difficulty in order to know You more.”

Today is no different. It’s just six verses which are necessary to understand the logical progression of what is happening in Egypt, why it happened, and what the result of those steps will be. Two of those results are 1) the redemption of Israel, and 2) God receiving the glory He is due from His creatures.

In order for those things to come about, we are told that the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Some questions which then arise may be, How can this be fair? Is the hardening of one to save another morally right? And why is God due glory at all? Is God a narcissist as so many over the ages have claimed?

In order to understand the truth of these questions, we have to carefully evaluate the passage and we need to thoughtfully consider what it means to harden one’s heart or to harden another’s heart. To misunderstand this concept will lead one down an entirely different path.

For the non-believer, they will come to see God as overbearing, unrighteous, and morally faulted. For the believer, misunderstanding the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart will lead to a completely different theological perspective on the nature of God and His relationship with man.

The misanalysis of just a few words can have an enormous bearing on how we perceive our relationship with God.

Text Verse: “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15

Satan is behind all deception, including the dismissal or distortion of God’s word, and the Lord’s intent for the people of the world. Today, we’ll see actions which Satan took to deceive Pharaoh through his magicians. The fact that the Lord knew this would occur doesn’t show either a manipulating or an uncaring God.

Rather, by properly seeing what occurs, it will show that God understands the human heart. He works within the framework of that understanding to accomplish His sovereign purposes. This is the glory of God as is revealed 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. Show Me a Miracle (verses 8-10)

Today we arrive at 6 verses which come after the Lord’s assurances that He was ready to act on events which will lead to the exodus of the Israelites and which come before the first plague on Egypt. Everything which is coming will occur in a methodical way which is designed to increasingly harden the heart of Pharaoh in order to bring maximum judgment upon him and upon Egypt.

This first account is given as an introduction to the plagues. It is a chance for Pharaoh to see what the Lord could do in comparison to Pharaoh’s wise men and sorcerers. Even if Pharaoh doesn’t see the truth of what will occur, they will. But they will fail to counsel him on the matter.

By the time they actually begin to advise Pharaoh that he needs to respond, it will be too late. His heart will be too hardened to respond. Thus, this failure of his advisors leads to his own hardening. This is not unique in the Bible. An account which occurs after the death of Solomon is comparable to it.

In 1 Kings 12 after Solomon’s death, the people of Israel came to his son Rehoboam and asked that the burdens which Solomon had placed on them be lightened. He told them to return in 3 days and he would give his answer to them. He first consulted the elders of Israel who served under Solomon. Their answer was –

“If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” 1 Kings 12:7

Sadly, the next words of the Bible say –

“But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.” 1 King 12:8

Their advice was just the opposite of the elders –

“Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’” 1 Kings 12:10, 11

By not listening to his elder advisors, the people of Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and the kingdom was, from that time forward, divided. The two kingdoms became known as Israel to the north and Judah to the south.

However, even this was anticipated by God. That is recorded in minute detail in 1 Kings 11:26-40. Read that passage today and you will see that God knew in advance the outcome of the situation. He even directed the events to ensure they would transpire as they did.

The hardening of Rehoboam served God’s purposes for Israel and the nations of the world, just as the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart did. The Lord could have told Rehoboam in advance concerning what he should do, but He didn’t. Thus, His plans came out in the intended way.

Because these verses lead directly into the plagues on Egypt, before getting into them, now is the time to see some of the patterns which are to be found in the coming plagues. You don’t necessarily need to remember these patterns, but if you simply comprehend them as I read them, you will be able to more clearly see that there is design and purpose to how they occur.

The entire account, from this miracle, to the final hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, goes from Exodus 7:8 until Exodus 11:10. After that, the final plague will come upon Egypt, and Israel will be freed. Within the nine first plagues is an arrangement which shows groups of threes.

In plagues 1 and 2, 4 and 5, and 7 and 8, there is an announcement by Moses to Pharaoh of what is coming before it occurs. However, in plagues 3, 6, and 9, there is no announcement. Also, in plagues 1, 4, and 7 the announcement is given in the morning time.

Plagues 1 and 4 are announced by the Nile River because they deal with Nile’s waters; the plagues come from it. However, the location at the announcement of plague 7 isn’t given because it comes from the heavens.

In the sign of the rod becoming a snake, and for the two first plagues, the sorcerers of Egypt were able to copy what Moses and Aaron did, but by plague 3, they acknowledge that it is the finger of God.

In plague 6, they will be personally afflicted by boils so that they cannot even stand before Moses. And in plague 9, Pharaoh will break off any further negotiations with Moses and Aaron. Thus you again have the pattern 3, 6, & 9.

A distinction begins to be made between Egypt and the people of Israel in plagues 4 through 9. Egypt and the Egyptians are affected, but the Lord’s people aren’t. In each of plagues 5, 7 & 9, and only in those plagues, the term “the children of Israel” is used, and they are explicitly noted as being spared from the plagues which occur.

Throughout all of this, the term “king of Egypt” will never be used. Rather, only the term “Pharaoh” will be used, and it will be used 66 times. Not until after the exodus of Israel will he be called the “king of Egypt” again in verse 14:5. These 66 times Pharaoh is mentioned during the plagues of Egypt are a sign, and they are a precursor to mark of the best, which is 666.

The last plague is unique and set apart from the others. It is a direct action from the hand of God rather than a natural occurrence directed by God as the first nine plagues were. During these plagues, their severity slowly changes Pharaoh’s mind about what he should do.

He eventually will agree to let the people go, but with conditions. Each time he does so, Moses counters by removing the conditions imposed by Pharaoh, or by stating more clearly what must be allowed when they do go.

Each time, Pharaoh weighs the information and rejects it, or he changes his mind once the plague is removed. He determines to ignore the advice of his highest counselors and even his own senses as the marvelous events, in which he personally becomes a participant, are ignored. And so his heart increasingly hardens to the amazing events which occur around him.

The Bible’s progression through these plagues is a masterful work of patterns and logical design, but it is also a precise roadmap of how the human heart, which is opposed to God, will eventually work itself into a most stubborn and hard state.

If one reads the book of Revelation and wonders how such terrifying events, which were proclaimed in advance of their coming, will be ignored by the people of the world, all they need to do is come back to Exodus and see how it happened to Pharaoh.

⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

Although there’s seemingly not a lot to consider in this first verse, it is still a bit unusual. Normally when it says, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying…” it is followed in the same verse with what the Lord began to say. We will see this again and again in the coming verses before the exodus.

However, these words are separated as a stand alone verse. I personally believe in the divine inspiration of even the chapter and verse divisions. They exactingly show patterns which permeate Scripture. For a specific reason, the Lord ensured that this would be a separate introductory verse to the short account.

And that reason may be to show the fulfillment of the previous section of seven verses. In them, the Lord once again showed that Moses was preferred above Aaron when it said,

“See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.” Exodus 7:1

This is despite the fact that Aaron is the elder of the two, which was explicitly noted in the very last verse, which was verse 7 –

“And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.” Exodus 7:7

Despite being younger, Moses is the Lord’s preferred instrument for the work set before them and so we are having our attention called to that fact by this introductory verse which notes that Yehovah speaks to Moses and Aaron rather than Aaron and Moses.

Further, it will become apparent that this is the case because in the next verse, Moses is told by the Lord to speak to Aaron. This then implies that the Lord is speaking to Moses directly and Aaron indirectly. Again, as we have already seen quite a few times in Exodus, this then makes a picture of divine inspiration.

The Lord speaks to some and then His word is transmitted to others. However, the weight and authority of the original words remains. The Lord spoke to and through Jeremiah the prophet and the people of Israel were expected to respond.

Likewise, the Lord spoke through the apostle Paul and we are expected to respond. The weight of divine authority rests upon the words of those He chooses to speak through. Thus, when we disobey the words of the Bible, we disobey the One who spoke out the Bible through those He spoke through.

Let us never forget this as we read its words, consider its commands, and look in expectation to its promises. It is either all or nothing to God, and thus it should be “all in all to us.” It is our divine source of knowing God, learning how to live, and understanding what we should do with that knowledge.

⁹  “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’

It’s obvious from this that during their previous encounter with Pharaoh, no sign was requested by him. They had asked for Israel to be allowed to go sacrifice to Yehovah and Pharaoh turned them down. There was no need to go further with the meeting because he held the upper hand.

However, with their return to Pharaoh now, the Lord knows that he will demand something more of them if he is going to even listen. If they can’t demonstrate that they have the authority of Yehovah, then there will be one of two options to consider – 1) Either Yehovah doesn’t really exist, or 2) that even if He does exist, they are not His messengers.

Thus, he will certainly request proof of their claimed authority. Further, if they can really support their claim through a miracle, he knew that his own sorcerers would be able to do one as well. And because they could, he then would have an immediate claim to dismiss their request.

The Hebrew word for “miracle” here is mophet which speaks of something out of the ordinary course of nature. It is an unusual phenomenon, either natural or supernatural, which cries out for an explanation. It is not the same word used when Moses presented his three signs to the people of Israel.

Those signs were meant to validate the office and authority of Moses to the people of Israel as a token of future deliverance. The difference between these words may seem difficult to grasp, but maybe the best way to do so is to see signs as proofs of something which is coming, and miracles as proofs of something that is.

God will give a sign in the sun’s movement that spring is coming or that it has arrived, but He will give a wonder or miracle to show that He is currently engaged in an activity, such as turning water into blood. However, even a miracle such as that can also be a sign of something else.

I can ask for a sign that you will pay me back borrowed money by seeing your pay stubs. That would demonstrate to me that the future is assured by the job you are doing. Or I can ask for a different type of sign, call it a wonder, by asking you to run 2 miles in 10 minutes, thus proving you are physically capable of working and so able to pay me back.

There is a difference in the two, but they can overlap and they can end with the same basic result – Whoo hooo, I get repaid. In this, Pharaoh won’t ask for a sign as if he is anticipating something from Yehovah. Rather, he asks for a miracle as if he is expecting Yehovah to simply prove Himself here and now.

The miracle is asked of the representatives of Yehovah to prove that they have the divine commission from Him. The miracle will stand as their validation.

^9 (con’t) then you shall say to Aaron,

As we can see here, the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron in verse 8 was actually the Lord speaking directly to Moses and indirectly to Aaron. It is Moses who receives the word and passes it on, and it is Aaron who will act.

^9 (con’t) ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh,

Coming later in this chapter, we will read this –

“So the Lord said to Moses: ‘Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.'” Exodus 7:14, 15

In this, we can see that the rod which is noted as Aaron’s rod here is actually Moses’ rod; the rod of God. This then reveals what was meant in Exodus 7:1, which said –

“See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.”

As the rod belongs to Moses and yet it is given to Aaron to perform the miracle, it will demonstrate that Moses has not only been granted power, but that he has been granted authority to delegate power. Thus Moses is “as God to Pharaoh.” He has the divine authority and he has a designated representative of that authority.

^9 (con’t) and let it become a serpent.’”

The word here for “serpent” is not the same as the word used concerning the snake which Moses saw at the burning bush. That word was nakhash. This word is tannin. It is used 27 times in the Bible, but only three times in Exodus – 7:7, 7:9, &7:12. It is used to signify any type of large reptile or even a sea monster.

It corresponds to the Egyptian word tanem, which according to Albert Barnes is “a synonym of the monster serpent which represents the principle of antagonism to light and life.” The Greek translation of this word is drakon, from which we get our word “dragon.”

This word, drakon, is used 13 times in the New Testament book of Revelation and is used as a metaphor for the devil, who is Satan. In Jeremiah 51, this same Hebrew word for serpent is used when speaking of Nebuchadnezzer, the oppressor and destroyer of Israel, when they were taken exile to Babylon –

“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
Has devoured me, he has crushed me;
He has made me an empty vessel,
He has swallowed me up like a monster;
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies,
He has spit me out.” Jeremiah 51:34

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded.

This verse is based on Exodus 7:2 which said –

“You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.” Exodus 7:2

Pharaoh didn’t just ask for a sign as soon as they walked in. Rather, they were granted access before Pharaoh and they first spoke what they were instructed to speak. Only then were they asked for a miracle to prove themselves.

In obedience to the Lord, they told Pharaoh what Yehovah expected and so Pharaoh responded with His request, just as the Lord said would happen.

^{10 (con’t)} And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Upon Pharaoh’s request, Aaron produces his miracle. The rod becomes a reptile. Almost all Bibles interpret this as a serpent or a snake. But the Jubilee Bible denotes a daringly descriptive designation of “dragon,” and Young’s Literal Translation most meaningfully and marvelously mentions it as “monster.”

I would carefully consider the correct case of this confusingly crazy conundrum to correlate it to a cobra. The cobra would be a direct challenge to Pharaoh. It was the snake which adorned the headdress of Pharaoh. If so, it would then represent Uraeus, which was the symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority.

The reason why I believe it is a cobra rather than a crocodile is because later, in verse 15, the word used to describe what happens here in this verse will again say nakhash instead of tannin. Therefore, it is a serpent. But why are both words used?

I believe it is because it is a picture of Christ. Christ came and was lifted up on the cross, just as the nakhash, or snake, was placed on the pole in the wilderness. Jesus spoke about this in John 3. However, the significance of what He did was missed by His people. The word tannin here then shows that Pharaoh failed to accept this as a true sign. Instead He takes it as a false sign.

What type of a sign is it that you require of the Lord?
What is it that you would expect God to do?
Do you demand of Him more than His word?
Without even checking to see if His word is true?

Would you demand more of Him that He expects of you?
What He desires is faith, from an obedient heart
In this He will know you believe His word is true
And in faith comes life eternal; from God a brand new start

His word tells us of the giving of His Son
To die for sinners, He was nailed to a cross at Calvary
His word tells us that through Him everything is done
Eternal life awaits all who to Christ willingly bow the knee

II.An Angel of Light (verses 11-12)

¹¹ But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers;

When Pharaoh saw what Aaron did, he called his own wise men and sorcerers. The wise men here are khakamim. They are men educated in both human and divine knowledge and are able to apply that knowledge in a wise way, thus the term “wise men.”

The sorcerers are known as mekashshephim. These would be like charmers or those who utter magic words. Just as Moses instructed Aaron, Pharaoh would then set himself against Moses by calling in his own subordinates.

The question is, “Would the gods of Egypt be able to produce the same effects through his men as Yehovah could through Aaron?” And if so, would they do so in a manner as least as notable, if not greater than, Aaron?

^{11 (con’t)} so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

Here we have another category of people called “magicians.” This is the word khartummim. It is thought to be either scribes or those who knew sacred words because it comes from the word kheret which means tool, such as an iron pen or a stylus.

Through their magic, which could be nothing more than a magic show which works by sleight of hand, all the way to true black magic which uses the power of the devil to effect its work, they did the same with their enchantments. The word here for enchantments is lehatim which equates to secret or hidden arts.

Whatever is to be said about their secret arts, they were enough to be convincing to Pharaoh, even if they were false. This is no different than what is coming in the future as well. In Revelation 16, there is a comparable occurrence which will deceive the world and it is certainly of satanic origin –

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Revelation 16:13, 14

This power is also spoken of concerning the antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 where we read this –

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10

And lest we feel we’re safe in this dispensation, before the coming of the antichrist, we should probably remember Paul’s words of Ephesians 6 that tell us even now we are facing a spiritual battle against the forces of wickedness.

Only by covering ourselves with the implements of battle will we be able to stand unharmed against the devil’s attacks. Take time to read that passage today and ensure you’re prepared for this unseen and yet truly real battle that we are in.

¹² For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents.

Sure enough, by deceit or by true satanic powers, they were able to accomplish a similar feat. The result was that there were real reptiles there on the ground before both Moses and Pharaoh. But, the fact that they were able to do this may another the reason why the word is different than the word which was used when the rod became a snake at the burning bush.

This second reason for using the word tannin instead of nakash may be that both produced reptiles, but they were different reptiles. Because tannin can mean a host of things, from a crocodile to a cobra, it may be that different reptiles were produced. The account doesn’t say this, but the use of the word may imply it.

If so, then it would explain why the next event comes about…

^{12 (con’t)} But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

These reptiles, whatever they actually became, are noted as rods here, not tanninim. The matteh, or rod, is the symbol of the power which it displays. Thus, this is “the rod of God.” It is a symbol of the power of Yehovah. The rods of the Egyptians symbolized the power they possessed.

Therefore, we are told the rod swallowed the rods, not the reptile swallowed the reptiles. One could ask why the Lord would choose this miracle before sending the plagues and why he chose it, knowing that Pharaoh’s men would be able to reproduce the effect.

There are several reasons for this. One is that in order to clear Moses from appearing as a mere magician, this wonder was chosen first. If not, then whatever he did after this could also be considered mere magic.

But by defeating the false signs, the true sign would stand out more apparently. The dragon of Moses was of far greater power than that of Pharaoh’s. What they considered a protector god, the cobra, was of no protection against the greater force which came against them.

A second reason would be to bolster the confidence of the Israelites. Word would come to them of what happened and they would have a renewed hope because even if this challenge is ignored by Pharaoh, their God had displayed that He was more powerful than the powers of Pharaoh.

And third, this miracle, along with the coming plagues, is given as a direct confrontation to the many gods of Egypt. Knowing that Yehovah defeats Egypt through the very objects which the Egyptians worshipped would be a sign to them that only Yehovah was worthy of their worship.

And sure enough, the miracles of Egypt are recorded in both the 78th and 105th psalms as a testimony to the people of the greatness of Yehovah and His superiority over the false gods of Egypt. Earlier I cited Albert Barnes concerning the Egyptian beast tanem to which tanin corresponds.

He said it is “a synonym of the monster serpent which represents the principle of antagonism to light and life.” If this is so, then Yehovah has proven His Light and Life to be greater than the antagonist, Satan, who transforms himself into an angel of light and yet who thrives on darkness and death.

However, despite the victory of Yehovah over these workers of iniquity in this first miracle, we will see that Pharaoh has been coaxed into believing that he is still able to withstand the Force which has come against him.

Don’t you be distracted by Satan’s cunning lies
Don’t allow his deceit to creep in and steal your heart away
On the Lord Jesus, there alone fix your eyes
Press on for the goal of Christ each and every day

Surely there is a glorious reward awaiting those of us
Who walk in this life with our gaze firmly fixed on Jesus

Though the devil has power, against it we can stand
Having the shield of faith to quench every fiery dart
And with the Bible always ready, always at hand
Let us press on towards the goal, with Jesus in our heart

III. The Hardening Heart (verse 13)

¹³ And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard,

The words are v’yekhezaq lev paroh. Some translations, such as the King James Version, incorrectly state “And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” This would be a mis-translation. The verb is neuter and intransitive, and ‘Pharaoh’s heart’ is its nominative case. It should be translated as, “Pharaoh’s heart hardened itself.”

It is true that passively, it is the Lord who is acting upon Pharaoh to harden his heart, but it is an active measure of Pharaoh to respond to it. A child can passively make me angry by sticking his tongue out at me, but I am the one who actually gets angry.

Thus saying, “The child made Charlie angry” is sort of true, but it doesn’t convey the whole matter. Rather, to properly identify what is going on, you would say, “Charlie allowed himself to get angry at the prodding of a little kid.” I could have just ignored him or laughed him off, but instead, I allowed myself to get upset.

In the same way, Yehovah has purposefully chosen a path which has been favorable to Pharaoh’s own arrogant demeanor, but Pharaoh is still fully responsible for his actions. God does not act in an arbitrary manner, ever.

He will only act to harden those who are disposed already to being hardened. And if He does so, it will be for His purposes. In this case, it is to lead ultimately to the redeeming of His people. But he could have done this at a time when a different Pharaoh would have responded differently, couldn’t He have!

The fact that He didn’t shows that He has a specific purpose for choosing this Pharaoh at this time. If he were to have done it for this same purpose at a different time, and yet expected the same results, then He would have to violate His own moral character, by actively hardening someone who would have let them go.

This Pharaoh, right from the beginning of Exodus, has proven to be a tyrant, self-willed, and obstinate. He has already hardened himself against God and therefore, the actions taken by the Lord now are in accord with His perfect moral character.

Any action by God in the hardening process is because this man has already hardened himself. Therefore, the punishments which will result in the chapters ahead will be just and they will be justly due, not arbitrary or vindictive. This is what sets Yehovah apart from all other gods.

He is infinite in His being, and His being is moral, just, righteous, and holy. He does nothing which is wrong, and He will never pervert justice in the sentencing of His creatures. In other words, when we receive penal judgment, we get what we deserve.

The cries of “foul” that ring out by the world against the God of the Bible are wholly unfounded and fail to take His perfect character into consideration. What we need is mercy – not getting what we do deserve. If God always gave us what we deserve, we would be swept away, just like Pharaoh.

In the end, whether Pharaoh actually believed that the reptiles were real, and that one really devoured the others, didn’t matter to him. Instead, he looked at this miracle by the Lord as just a different degree of the same thing accomplished by his men.

He saw it as one type of work that happened to be a bit better coming from Moses. Thus he hardened his heart. Even though this was the Lord’s intent, it was still Pharaoh’s decision to act upon.

*^13 (fin) and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

ka’asher dibber Yehovah – “… as had said Yehovah.” The Lord spoke because the Lord knew. He knew what Pharaoh would do when calling for his magicians, and He knew what Pharaoh would do when his magicians performed a miracle similar to Aaron’s.

He allowed himself to be taken in by a lie. Satan had his hand in the situation, further deceiving Pharaoh who was already deceived. As Matthew Henry notes about what has transpired –

“None assist more in the destruction of sinners, than such as resist the truth by amusing men with a counterfeit resemblance of it. Satan is most to be dreaded when transformed into an angel of light.” Henry

Those who practiced the devil’s arts, though not on par with the hand of the Lord, were enough to seduce Pharaoh into believing he was on a sound path. All the while though, he is heading towards his own final doom.

Paul warns us of exactly the same thing in his second letter to Timothy. There in the third chapter, he actually cites two men by name. They are the magicians who faced off against Moses. Paul’s warning stands as a testimony to us to watch out for false workers who masquerade behind their false works. Let me read you his sobering warning –

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” 2 Timothy 3:1-9

The word of the Lord is filled with proof that it is what it claims to be. It is the divine authority to guide and regulate our lives. But if we willingly choose to neglect it, speak against it, or disobey it, then he may allow a snare to entangle us. Let us endeavor to not be so trapped, but to be willing, open, and obedient to His good word.

And of all of the things we need to be obedient to in that precious book, the first is to call on Christ as Lord. If we were to perfectly do every thing in the Bible that is demanded of us, we would still fall short of the glory of God. We can never attain to His perfection because we already have sin in our lives.

Only Christ Jesus can take away that sin. Only He can restore us to God. In fact, if we try to please God through our works without going through Christ, we actually make it worse. That becomes self-idolatry because we reject the Gift He has offered. Don’t be obstinate like Pharaoh, but rather, yield to the Lord. Let me tell you how you can…

Closing Verse: Happy is the man who is always reverent,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14

Next Week: Exodus 7:14-25 (The Plague of Blood) (20th 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 Hardening of the Heart

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying
“When Pharaoh speaks to you, in this way
Saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves, I am praying
Then to Aaron you shall say

“Take your rod and before Pharaoh cast it
And let it become a serpent
As I instruct you, so you shall your actions commit

So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh
And just as the Lord commanded, they did so

And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh
And before his servants too
And it became a serpent as we now know
Just as the Lord told them, so it did do

But Pharaoh also called his men too
The wise men and the sorcerers in their assignments
So the magicians of Egypt they also it did do
In like manner with their enchantments

For every man down his rod threw
And they also became serpents too

But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods
And Pharaoh’s heart, hard it grew
And he did not heed them, there were no favorable nods
As the Lord had said, just as the Lord already knew

Though Aaron performed a miracle with his rod
Pharaoh hardened his heart even more
He rejected the sign, though it was from God
Becoming stony to the core

We too have a miracle presented to us
One that is well documented and attested to
It is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
It is a sign which offers life to me and you

If we soften our hearts and receive Jesus as Savior
We will be sealed with the Holy Spirit, a heavenly guarantee
And with His guidance, we can adjust our life’s behavior
Becoming more like the Lord, as we follow obediently

So let us follow this, the right and holy path
And be saved by His blood shed on the cross of Calvary
In this we become God’s children, saved from His wrath
And we are set on a heavenly course for all eternity

Thank You, O God, for this wonderful assurance
Thank You for what You have done for sinners like us
Give us O God continued endurance
Until the day we are called home, to be with Jesus

Yes, thank You O God, for our precious Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 7:1-7
Notable Obedience

Introduction: In our sixth of the seven verses today, there is a special emphasis placed on the deeds of Aaron and Moses. God placed this there for a reason. He loves obedience to His word and He cherishes those who are so obedient. Throughout His word, there are records of people which center on exactly that premise.

The question is how will each of us be remembered? Is it your heart’s desire to be remembered favorably by God? Listen now to our text verse for today and see how the book of Nehemiah ends…

Text Verse: Remember me, O my God, for good! Nehemiah 13:29

Is Nehemiah’ prayer one that you long for in your own life? May it be so! Jesus said that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. (Matthew 12:36). Our words, our deeds, all of who we are and what we do, will be laid before our God when we stand before Him.

It’s a truth which is 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.

II. Words for Pharaoh (verses 1 & 2)

¹ So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh,

This follows directly after Moses’ proclamation that he felt he was unqualified for the challenge ahead. In Exodus 6, he said this –

“And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, ‘The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?’
¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” Exodus 6:12, 13

This was essentially repeated later at the end of the chapter with the Lord telling Moses, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” (verse 29).

Immediately following this exchange we come to this first verse of chapter 7 and the words, re’eh netatikha elohim l’paroh – “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh.” Some translations, in order to avoid this sounding somehow inappropriate say “a god” instead of God. Either could be correct, but God is probably what is intended.

The reason why this is so is because this is a modified repeat of what was said in Exodus 4:16 –

“So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.” Exodus 4:16

There, translators generally agree the intent is “God” rather than “a god.” In accordance with this, Aaron is to stand in a mediatorial role between Moses and Pharaoh. He is to be the mouthpiece of Moses who would announce whatever Moses intended.

Moses, after having been assured by the Lord of his position and capabilities, would no longer have a reason to fear Pharaoh. He would have something akin to divine authority, and his word would eventually bring Pharaoh to his end.

The power he would display would be the power of the Lord, and Aaron would be the one to relay this. But even more than this, the people of Israel would come to understand that Moses was truly selected to bring about their deliverance.

They had seen the three signs and believed for a spell, but eventually they lost heart in Moses. By the time the plagues were finished, they would fully understand his position.

And isn’t this a beautiful picture of Christ. The early Jews bowed their head and worshipped at the coming of Christ with His fulfillment of those three signs, but eventually they turned away from Him. But the Bible says that they will come to acknowledge Him in the end times, when the world heads into the tribulation.

We will see Pharaoh, who is proud and exalted, be brought low by what the Lord brings upon Him through Moses. Plagues will come at his command and they will end at his will as well. This is what it means that he would be as God to Pharaoh.

^1 (con’t) and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

In the Old Testament, a prophet spoke the words that were put in his mouth by God. We see this in Deuteronomy 18:18 –

“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Deuteronomy 18:18

It is seen also in Jeremiah 1:9 –

“Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.'” Jeremiah 1:9

It is Moses who will stand in this special position in relation to Pharaoh by speaking through a prophet and directing Aaron as to what he should say. Thus we see why Moses should be like God to Pharaoh, and why Aaron would be his prophet. And so, calling Moses “God to Pharaoh” rather than “a god to Pharaoh” is surely more accurate.

Interestingly, this role puts Aaron in the notable position of having been first a prophet and then a priest. Thus, he pictures Christ who spoke the words of God first and then fulfilled His priestly role for His people. It is the first of many times he will picture the Lord.

² You shall speak all that I command you.

Ultimately though, despite the words of Moses being spoken by Aaron, it is the Lord, Yehovah, who will direct the affairs which will occur. Moses will obediently follow the Lord’s directives, impart them to Aaron, and Aaron will speak them to Pharaoh.

^2 (con’t) And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

The word will be repeated as directed. Aaron will be the speaker directly to Pharaoh. The term “say to Aaron” or “speak to Aaron” will be repeated several times to remind us that it is the Lord who initiates the words, and that Moses then conveys them to Aaron.

At other times, there will be exchanges with Pharaoh which will appear that Moses is speaking to him. Whether he does, or whether he speaks through Aaron at those times isn’t known, but when the Lord’s intended words are given, it is Aaron who receives them from Moses.

What is occurring here is very similar to that of the Trinity. The will of God the Father is expressed in a concrete manner through His Mediator Jesus. And this Mediator’s duties will be articulated with eloquence through His orator, the Holy Spirit. In the case of Moses, the Lord directs what is to be said, just as Jesus relays the words of God the Father. That is from John 12 –

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” John 12:49, 50

From there, what is given to Moses is spoken by Aaron, just as the Holy Spirit is given to speak from what Jesus possesses. That is found in John 16 –

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13, 14

One more point on this verse – depending on what translation you use, there are different designations for “the children of Israel.” The NIV says, “let the Israelites go.” The NLT says, “let the people of Israel leave.” The NASB says, “let the sons of Israel go.” And the ISV says, “let the Israelis go.”

In Hebrew, the term is bene yisrael, literally, “the sons of Israel.” Translators choose what they believe the best intent is, but none of these are incorrect. The 12 sons of Israel are the children of Israel, and they then represent the collective group who issues from them.

The time of redemption is soon ahead
The many years of bondage are at their end
Our bodies are weary, we have toiled and bled
Soon the Lord our Deliverer He will send

The many years we have been in bondage to sin
There seemed no hope at all for any of us
But at the cross of Calvary our Savior did win
He defeated the devil! Hail the Lord Jesus!

Now we have a sure hope and the promise of glory
Because of the truth contained in the gospel story

II. My Armies; My People – the Children of Israel (verses 3-5)

³ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,

The first time Moses was told this was in Exodus 4:21, but it used a different word than here. That word was khazaq, a word used quite a few times in the exodus account. But the word used here is qashah. It’s used only here and in Exodus 13:15.

In this verse, it says that the Lord is the agent of the hardening, “I will harden.” However, in 13:15, it shows that Pharaoh is the agent of the hardening. There is says –

“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.” Exodus 13:15

These words are being used with definite purpose. They are given to show that the Lord is working behind the scenes to effect His purposes, and yet we are ultimately responsible for our own choices, be they stubborn or be they soft and yielding to His will.

By paying attention to the words of the Bible, we can certainly learn more about ourselves and more about how to perceive those around us who are either belligerent to the Lord or who are responsive to Him.

If we can pay attention to these things, it is even possible to use them as examples to those belligerent souls in hopes of having them change their hearts. The first time the Lord told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, Moses didn’t grasp the plan and he became disheartened, feeling that he had failed the Lord.

But the Lord knew how to manipulate Pharaoh in order to harden his heart. Moses didn’t, and so he misunderstood the first rejection by both Pharaoh and the Hebrews. By making a polite request to let the people go into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was started.

When no consequences for his refusal came about, he was thus emboldened against future requests. In the coming plagues, each will have less of an effect than the one to follow. And the first two plagues will actually be repeatable by Pharaoh’s magicians.

Because they are, Pharaoh will be duped into believing that his gods and his magicians are comparable to Yehovah. Thus he will harden his heart. It will be a passive hardening by the Lord which will be actively responded to by Pharaoh. And the reason for this process is given as we continue…

^3 (con’t) and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

There is a truth that permeates the Bible. It is that God will receive the glory He is due. He will either receive it in a repentant heart and a bowed knee, or He will receive it in judgment upon the unrepentant sinner. In His display of the signs and wonders upon Egypt, he will be more glorified.

He will be more glorified in the eyes of His people at the majestic display of His wonders, and He will be more glorified in those who reject them because the wonders will be a witness against them in judgment. Either way, God will receive the glory.

As Egypt is a picture of the sin-filled world, the pattern holds true. Those who call on Christ give glory to God, and through those who reject Him, He is glorified. And the pattern hold true as well for the tribulation period of the end times which is pictured here.

It is through the signs and wonders that these things came about in the past, and it is through signs and wonders that they will come about in the future. The word for “signs” is owth. It is a sign of something. The stars in Genesis 1:14 are said to be given for signs.

They would be used, not just as pretty lights in the sky, but for signs of other things. They form the constellations which, according to the Bible, give us a story of God’s redemptive plans. The Bible shows also that stars unite at certain times in history as signs of divine occurrences.

When king Ahaz was told to ask for a sign to confirm the Lord’s word, he refused to do so and so Isaiah turned to the people of Israel and said this –

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

God’s signs during the coming period of this exodus account are then not just for the eyes of the people of Egypt, but are signs for all to read about and remember. They can even be considered as precursor signs to the parallel events of judgment upon the world in the end times.

The sign was both an immediate promise and one which looked forward to the coming Messiah. Thus signs are given to represent other things. The other word the Lord uses here is translated as “wonders.” It is the Hebrew word mophet. This word speaks of something out of the ordinary course of nature.

These wonders would be unusual phenomena, either natural or supernatural, which cry out for an explanation. Whether natural or supernatural, they imply that the divine hand is behind them. Thus they act as a testimonial of being a messenger of God. For example, the parting of the Red Sea is a natural event. The Bible tells how it happened – an east wind blew all night.

However, there is the implied divine hand behind it. First, the Red Sea doesn’t just divide whenever there is an east wind. Secondly, the east wind doesn’t just blow at any given time. But the east wind blew, and the waters were parted at the exact moment needed to deliver Israel.

Therefore, it is a supernatural occurrence, even though it came about by natural causes. The parting of the Red Sea was, in essence, God’s messenger to His people that He was there for them. It was also His messenger to those who saw or heard. They would be alerted to the greatness of God through it.

⁴ But Pharaoh will not heed you,

Knowing in advance both the person of Pharaoh, as well as how he will respond to the series of encounters that he will have with Moses and Aaron, the Lord reminds Moses once again that there will be resistance to his words before Israel is delivered. He is being informed of this again so that the resistance won’t be unexpected or to be taken as a sign of failure.

^4 (con’t) so that I may lay My hand on Egypt

Pharaoh represents Egypt as its leader. The actions against Pharaoh then are an action against Egypt. And so the Lord says that He will lay His hand on Egypt. Through signs and wonders, Jesus validated His office while at the same time laid His hand on the world of sin.

He defeated the devil at the cross, and through the resurrection He took away the power of sin in those He redeemed. The pattern is exactingly detailed for us to see. Christ has laid His hand on the world and He has done so in a way which will allow the world to willingly follow Him in His victory.

^4 (con’t) and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

The purpose of the signs and wonders was to progressively harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to lay His hand on Egypt. And in that, the Lord will then bring out His people from Egypt. Think of the church. Christ performed His wonders and He continues to do so today in each repentant soul who bows to Him.

And in this He is gathering to Himself His people, bringing them out of spiritual death and decay and into His kingdom. This is all being pictured in the events of the past. Yehovah promises Moses here that He will bring out His armies and His people, or more rightly it is translated as “My armies; My people.”

The people are the armies and the second term explains the first because the people are His. At the exodus, there will be 603,550 men of fighting age who will depart. With them will be their families and their possessions. All of them will be delivered, as it says, by great judgments.

And these judgments have a purpose beyond the annihilation of Pharaoh and his armies. They are intended to stand as a memorial to the world concerning the work of the Lord. This is explained several times in the Bible, such as in Deuteronomy 2:25 –

“This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.” Deuteronomy 2:25

These judgments had the intent of calling to mind the work of God on behalf of His people so that others would hear of them and pay heed. This was certainly the case because after their years of wilderness wanderings, this is recorded in Joshua 2 –

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt Joshua.” 2:9, 10

And even many years later, about four hundred years or so, the surrounding people still remembered the stories of Israel’s deliverance. Before a battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, we see this recorded in 1 Samuel 4 –

“So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, ‘God has come into the camp!’ And they said, ‘Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. ⁸ Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.'” 1 Samuel 4:7, 8

The purpose of God’s judgments upon the Egyptians was not limited to a short span of time or to an isolated location in the Middle East, but they were intended to show the world of His power over the elements, and His care for Israel.

In this then, they are intended even for the people of the entire world to take heed to and learn from. First, God is God and He alone controls the elements, not man. So much for global warming and man’s denial that God is really in control of the world.

Secondly, God is the God of Israel. He is the God not just of Abraham as muslims and the confused religious world states, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the Defender of Israel whether Israel deserves His defense or not.

Third, He is Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the pictures which we see in these signs and wonders, and who we see fulfilling the judgments that are pictured as well. Thus, He is also the Defender of His church and His called-out bride. In Him for us, there is hope, assurance, and ultimately deliverance.

⁵ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord,

Egypt in Hebrew is mizraim. It means “double distress.” It is a picture of the world; people without God and without God’s law. They are, in essence, in double distress. In this, is another purpose for what God is doing. It is so that those who are in double distress shall know that ani Yehovah – that “I am Yehovah.”

In other words, God intends to demonstrate that He is who He claims to be through His signs, wonders, and judgments. I AM is the self-existent God. I AM is the Creator. I AM is the Sustainer. I AM is, and there is no other. I AM Yehovah. This is the force and intent of the words that are given.

This saying, that “XX shall know that I am the LORD,” or a near form of the words, is repeated about 75 times in the Bible, and the vast number of those times are in the book of Ezekiel. A large number of those times it is referring to the nations surrounding Israel, but a very large percent of them refer to Israel herself.

In other words, it is not just the nations of the earth who need to learn this lesson, but also the very people who bear His name. The promises of future restoration and protection of Israel, which began with the return of them to the land in 1948, are included in this.

He has called them home, He is currently working on them, and He will continue to do so until they call out to Him once again. It is both a sad commentary on the Jewish people, and an immense act of love, mercy, and grace – even covenant faithfulness, on behalf of Yehovah. They nailed Him to a tree and yet He still longs for them to know Him.

But the question is, “How can we be sure that they will know Yehovah is Jesus someday?” The answer is that it is through the claims of Yehovah in the Old Testament, and the application of those claims to Jesus in the New. There are too many to count, but one read through the book of Isaiah will show an abundant number of them. In Isaiah 44 we read –

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.'” Isaiah 44:6

In that one verse, Yehovah says He is the King of Israel – a term applied to Jesus in the New Testament. He says He is the Redeemer, a term used of Jesus. He is the Yehovah Sabaoth, or the Lord of Hosts – a term applied to Jesus in the book of James.

He says I am the First and the Last – a term applied to Jesus in Revelation. And it says there is one God and no other. In the New Testament, that is Jesus. This is one verse, in a succession of verses in the book of Isaiah, which show this to be true of Jesus.

And Isaiah is just one of 39 books in the Old Testament which are all filled with references to Him – explicit references, implicit references, and hidden nuggets which need to be wrestled from the wisdom of God through study and prayer, but in the end, they all point to Jesus.

Everything God is doing in history brings us to the thought that humanity shall know that He is the Lord; He is Yehovah; He is Jesus. All intuitively know there is One God, and all will come to the sure realization that He is the God of the Bible; Jesus!

^5 (con’t) when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

Again, think it through from the greater panorama of the Bible. The Lord stretched out His hand upon Egypt and yet He did it in order to bring out the children of Israel out from among them. There was intent and purpose for His actions.

Throughout the Bible, the Lord is said to stretch out his hand for or against people groups. The symbolism here is that He has stretched out His hand in a negative way against Egypt, and at the same time it is in a positive way for Israel.

Mentally we can think of an arm in one motion, toppling over the enemies like bowling pins, and then at the same time that arm gathers in His cherished people as if they were loved children who will rest in the safety of His lap.

And in this is the greater picture of Christ, toppling over the enemies of addiction, deceit, adultery, bitterness, hatred, and lies, while He draws to Himself a purified people who will spend eternal days in His presence. From the land of double distress come forth a people called by His name.

And yet, there is more. Because these early Exodus stories are picturing the future during the tribulation period which comes after the rapture of the church, they again picture the Lord, the fully revealed Lord Jesus, destroying the wicked powers of the world in order to rescue and redeem Israel once again so that He may be glorified in them and among them.

The premise of the Bible which is found in Ecclesiastes 1 is seen in this repeating pattern. There it says –

“That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

God does this so that we can know what is ahead by looking behind, and He does it so that when things repeat we will know that His hand was involved in the event. Every story is true, and yet every story contains more than just its immediate fulfillment. They are given for us to see the hand of the Lord in all things.

How long with you harden your heart to the truth?
How long will you dismiss the word of God?
Even since the earliest days of your youth
While as a child, on a wayward path you did trod

But patient is the Lord for those who will yield the heart
He continues to reach out hands scarred by nails
Waiting for any who desires a fresh new start
Waiting for those weary of life’s many travails

So don’t harden your heart and be cast away
Instead be receptive to the truth found in His word
Call out to Jesus, don’t wait another day
All will find new life who call upon the Lord

III. Notable Obedience (verses 6 & 7)

⁶ Then Moses and Aaron did so; 

These words are general in nature and they anticipate what lies ahead throughout the entire time of the plagues on Egypt. Everything that happens up until the departure of the Israelites will show obedience to what has been stated.

There will be no fear in Pharaoh’s presence, and there will be no shying back from their duties. Because of this, the words of Hebrews 3 are recorded concerning the obedience of Moses to the call he has been given –

“And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant.” Hebrews 3:5

And yet, even in this obedience which is recorded about Moses and Aaron, there is a picture of Christ. Continuing the same verse in Hebrews 3, we see that, yes, Moses was faithful in His house as a servant…  –

“…for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, ⁶ but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” Hebrews 3:5, 6

What the Bible is repeatedly telling us is that it is all about Jesus. Every word is given to show us our precious Lord. The author of Hebrews is writing this for the Hebrew people, but particularly the words are directed to the Jews of the end times.

They are intended to open eyes long blinded, and to awaken minds long dumbed-down, to the truth of who Jesus is and to the perseverance they will need for the difficulties which lay before them. They will need to conduct themselves in a particular manner, just as Moses and Aaron did…

^6 (con’t) just as the Lord commanded them,

The Bible is many things, one of which is a book requiring obedience. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron; the Lord speaks to us. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron; the Lord commands us.

Moses and Aaron heard the word, they received the command, and they were obedient to it. The same voice speaks to us today, though it is in the written rather than the spoken word. But despite being written, it should be as audible to our hearts as that which fell upon the ears of Moses.

How often do we see it neglected though! Churches dismiss those portions which they find burdensome, outdated, or old fashioned. They make excuses for bad conduct and they rationalize away the severity of their sin. Believe it or not, this will be seen in just 25 more chapters, a time which is just a few months after the Exodus.

The faithfulness of Aaron will take a fall and he will participate in a gross display of idolatry which will be followed by one of the lamest excuses for what happened in the pages of the Bible. And even Moses will fall prey to a short disobedient spell. His failing will cost him the privilege of leading Israel across the Jordan and into the Promised Land.

It is always better to follow the Lord’s commands, be ready to engage the battle with confidence, and not allow ourselves to fall prey to weakness, temptations, or frustrations which so easily catch us in their hold, tripping us up and bringing us into God’s hand of judgment.

^6 (con’t) so they did.

The whole verse reads, “Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did.”

The final portion isn’t superfluous, but rather it is emphatic and intended to show that they were fully compliant. Their actions were exact, complete, and in accord with the word of the Lord. Nothing was skipped and nothing was added.

If you wonder why words like this are recorded, and you should, then you should stop and think on why they are, in fact, recorded. What does the Lord want us to see in a few extra added words that could have been left out without changing the general meaning?

The answer is that He wants us to see that this type of obedience to His word is pleasing to Him and thus it is worthy of note. In this one verse, we can think of people like good King Josiah. Imagine these words being written about you –

“Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.” 2 Kings 23:25

How pleasing this person must have been to the Lord. Not only are they recorded after the fact, but he and his actions were actually anticipated by the Lord before they happened. In 1 Kings 13, this was written about Josiah –

“Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, ‘O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.'” 1 Kings 13:2

Imagine that! It is as if the Lord Himself were waiting for this person to come along that He could delight in. So much so, that He told in advance that he was coming. And in contrast to that, there are other levels of adherence to His word. There is the account of Solomon. This is the Lord’s evaluation of him –

“Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.” 1 Kings 11:6

And then there is the record of Manasseh –

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.” 2 Kings 21:1, 2

So wicked was Manasseh, that the Lord could not forgive what he did. In Jeremiah 15, this is the verdict which He pronounced –

“‘And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction,‘ says the Lord: ‘the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. ⁴ I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.'” Jeremiah 15:3, 4

Whether you spend your time thinking about it or not, there is also a record of your actions which is being kept. Moses and Aaron were faithful in their actions before Pharaoh and we have the record of that. They failed in the wilderness and we have the record of that.

Good kings came, and bad kings replaced them, and we have their record to instruct us as well. And your life is being recorded too. There is the record of salvation which is done, once and for all. But there is also the record of deeds which is on-going. And all of your deeds will be held against the standard of God’s word.

Those deeds which are worthy of reward will be rewarded. Those which aren’t will be burned in the fire. But Paul says that for those in Christ, the fire will only go so far and all in Him will be saved through that time of purification. Thank God for such mercy.

*⁷ And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

There is a lot to learn from these few words. First, we have the seemingly advanced ages of the two men. In fact, in the 90th Psalm, the oldest psalm in the Bible, and the only one written by Moses, we read this –

“For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.
¹⁰ The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,” Psalm 90:9, 10

The two men were not young by any stretch. Secondly, we know from this and from Acts 7:23 and Acts 7:30 that Moses’ life has thus far been divided into two equal portions of 40 years each. He was 40 when he first attempted to rescue Israel from bondage and was rejected. He is now 80 when he will accomplish the task.

This pictures the work of the Lord Jesus in fulfillment of His covenant promises. Moses’ heart was first turned toward his people at forty in hopes of ending their time of bondage. However, they rejected him and their probation continued for another forty years. And so it was with Christ and Israel. And so they continue on to this day awaiting their final deliverance.

Thirdly, we are told in Deuteronomy 34:7 that Moses died at the age of 120 years. Thus his life is divided into three equal portions of 40 years each. This reflects the three periods of Christ’s interactions with humanity.

There is the pre-advent period. Like Moses who lived in Pharaoh’s house, Christ dwelt in heaven, ruling as Yehovah, and appearing only when necessary to direct events. Then there is the time of Christ’s first advent where He was rejected and tended to flocks in a Gentile location. This is the Christ of the nations.

And finally, there is the third period which begins with Moses leading His people out of bondage and into a forty-year period under His rule. This is the Messiah of the Jews, who will redeem captive Israel and rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years.

Three periods of Moses’ life equate to these three times of Jesus’ interaction with humanity. Then forth, the dating of Moses and Aaron here, combined with the life spans of their father Amram and their grandfather Levi, show us the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham concerning the years that the people of God would be afflicted.

In total, it is 430 years from when the promise was made to Abraham until the giving of the Law. This is found in Galatians 3. Fifth, the ages of Moses and Aaron show that Aaron is older than Moses. This continues the pattern of the younger being preferred above the older.

This pattern will continue on through the Bible and help us to understand better the doctrine of divine election as well as the grand picture of Jesus replacing Adam; the second Man replacing the first.

And finally, in this we see a contrast between Joseph and Moses. Joseph rose to power under Pharaoh, second in position to him, at the age of thirty. However, Moses is said to be as God to Pharaoh at the age of eighty. The thirty years of Joseph are comparable to the thirty years of Jesus’ life recorded in Luke 3:23.

The eighty years of Moses are comparable to the completion of Israel’s two periods of exile and their coming exaltation during and after the tribulation period. Each thing is connected to each other thing, while building upon one another in order to show us a snapshot of what is going on in redemptive history.

All this is seen in one sentence about the age of two brothers. Great stuff! But imagine… if God has given so much for us to learn from a simple sentence about the ages of two brothers, how much more He surely wants us to know the overall message of the Bible – that He loves us enough to send His Son to redeem us!

If you have never called on Jesus to forgive you and restore you to our heavenly Father, please give me another moment to tell you what you can do to settle that, once and for all…

Closing Verse: “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.” 2 Kings 16:2

Ahaz was one of Israel’s crummy kings. When he died, the people refused to bury him in the tombs of the kings of Israel. His life is now recorded for all to see and contemplate. As we finish today, think soberly on how you will be remembered. Live for Christ, honor the King, and hide His word in your heart that you might not sin against Him. Be remembered as one of the good guys.

Next Week: Exodus 7:8-13 (The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart) (19th 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.

Notable Obedience

So the Lord said to Moses plainly
“See, I have made you to Pharaoh as God
And Aaron your brother shall your prophet be
So shall it be while in Egypt you trod

You shall speak all that to you I command
And Aaron your brother shall tell
Pharaoh to send out of his land
The children of Israel

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart
And multiply My signs and My wonders too
In the land of Egypt
But Pharaoh will not heed you

So that I may lay on Egypt My hand
And bring My armies and My people whom I designate
The children of Israel out of the land
Of Egypt by judgments great

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord
When I stretch out upon Egypt My hand
And bring out the children of Israel according to my word
From among them, from out of this land

Then Moses and Aaron did so
As the Bible does to us relate
Just as the Lord commanded them so they did
Yes, as the written word to us does state

And Moses was eighty years of age
And Aaron eighty-three years old
When they spoke to Pharaoh
This is their years as we have been told

Obedience to the Lord should be our life’s desire
Living our life in a manner fitting and right
Let us not get bogged down in sin’s swampy mire
But may the Lord’s word be our heart’s delight

By applying it to all we do in our life
We will stay on the path which is correct
The one which is free from trial and strife
From God our Father, there will be no disconnect

Keep close to the word; keep in prayer always
Remember to go to church and have some fellowship there
And your life will be blessed as you live your days
In Christ there is joy and hope, not sadness and despair

Heavenly Father, we thank You for your precious word
And of the wonders and treasures in it, given to us
All of which tell of our glorious Lord
Our Savior, our Redeemer, our Friend… our Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 6:14-30
The Family of Moses and Aaron

Introduction: Genealogies and records of ancestry can be important for a multitude of reasons. An example which I chew on probably more often than I should is listening to people whine about the past and how they have a right to reparations for one supposed offense or another.

It is quite common among the black community today to lump all whites in as “former slave owners,” and people like our current president, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder, and others of their ilk, use race in an attempt to divide, not unite, the American people.

They have steeped the black community of our nation into believing that whites only have their worst intent in mind, and that it has always been this way; it is all about race and subjugation to them. Such is not the case and their version of history is riddled with misrepresentations and lies.

Having a truthful account of one’s ancestry then can be used to bring out the truth of a matter which is necessary to quell the tide of such revolting nonsense. In the case of the Garrett family – my family, we have an unusual right, honor, and privilege to recognition from the African American slave community.

Our ancestry leads to my great, great grandfather, Thomas Garrett. He was born on August 21, 1789 in Upper Darby, PA. He is one of the most prominent figures in the history of the Underground Railroad.

He has been called Delaware’s greatest humanitarian and is credited with helping more than 2,700 slaves escape to freedom in a forty-year career as a Station Master. He was a white Quaker, whose family hid runaway slaves in its Delaware County farmhouse.

As a child, he credited an experience which he characterized as “transcendental” with directing his life’s work toward aiding in the escape of slaves. The incident, in which a black servant employed by his family was kidnapped and nearly forced into slavery, was a watershed moment in his life.

Because of it he would devote his life to the abolitionist cause. He  was a friend and benefactor to the great Underground Railroad Conductor Harriet Tubman. She passed through his station many times, during which he frequently provided her with money and shoes to continue her missions.

Of note, he personally provided Tubman with the money and the means for her own parents to escape from the South. In 1848, he and fellow abolitionists were tried and convicted for aiding in the escape of a family who had been slaves in Maryland. Both were given considerable fines which rendered them nearly bankrupt.

In his closing address, Garrett regaled those in the courtroom with a redoubled commitment to help runaway slaves. Eyewitness accounts detail the particular contrition of one slave-holding juror from southern Delaware who actually rose to shake Garrett’s hand and apologize at the close of the impassioned speech.

Following the Civil War, he continued his work for minority groups in America. In 1870, when blacks were given the right to vote, he was carried on the shoulders of black supporters through the streets of Wilmington as they hailed him “our Moses.”

There was the Moses of Wilmington, and knowing his accomplishments is both something I take joy in, and it is something that I wish I could put right in the face of the race-baiters of today. Our president disgusts me because of his one-sided, misguided, and skewed view of Christian history and of American history.

All men are on an equal standing before God and the terrible consequences we are paying because of this modern mindset of ignoring the deeds of those who worked to secure freedom for blacks, can only result in greater animosity and division.

There is another Moses, the first Moses, who also had a genealogical record which is found Scripture to prove that he was of the same stock of those who he was sent to lead out of their own bondage. God ensured this record was maintained and the placing of it in the Bible is absolutely perfect.

Text Verse: But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God:
I am the Lord.’” Leviticus 26:45

Yes, it is good to know our roots. But even if they have been lost through the ravages of time or carelessness, we still can trace who we are back to our one father Noah and from him back to our original father, Adam.

So in the end, we are all really one blood and one people, divided by petty divisions which the Lord does not see as we do. He sees us in one of only two ways, either redeemed by Christ, or a child of the devil. He would choose that you become His adopted son once again so that you can fellowship with Him for all eternity.

A portion of the great story of how that is possible is found in today’s verses. Yes… 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. The Generations of Levi (verses 14-19)

¹⁴ These are the heads of their fathers’ houses:

Suddenly after the last 13 verses, there appears this genealogical listing which was preceded by a note from Moses declaring his inability to speak properly and then a command by the Lord concerning the children of Israel and Pharaoh about their departure from Egypt. The exact words of verses 12 & 13 were –

“And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, ‘The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?’
¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”

Now, with what seems sudden abruptness, the Bible turns to 14 verses of the names of families and individuals. And then as soon as they end, they will be followed by two verses which give a command for Moses, and then a note from Moses, declaring his inability to speak properly.

What liberal scholars see as arbitrary and even ill-planned is actually a beautifully formed chiasm which acknowledges the right of Moses and Aaron to the leadership of Israel. This chiasm is the second such chiasm in the chapter and which, together, span the entire chapter, from verses 1-11 and then from verses 12-30 –

Despite the attacks of liberal theologians, there is harmony, purpose, and order to what is being given in these verses. The term for “father’s houses” is rashey beit avotam. It refers to the heads of the individual houses. This listing is given for quite a few reasons as we will continue to see in the verses ahead.

One of those reasons is to establish a direct line from Abraham to Moses and Aaron, through Isaac and Jacob. This can be discerned when compared with the other sets of genealogies which have been presented already in the Bible.

A second reason is that God made a promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 concerning his descendants –

“Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ 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.” Genesis 15:13-16

This listing is given to show that the Lord’s words were true. Jacob went to Egypt with His family which included his son Levi and Levi’s three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. This is recorded in Genesis 46. In Egypt, Kohath had a son named Amram and Amram had a son named Moses.

Thus, Moses is the fourth generation from Jacob who went to Egypt. This listing is a proof of the fulfillment of covenant promise. A third reason is that the specific ages of Levi, Kohath, and Amram will be given.

By knowing their ages, the approximate length of time which the Israelites dwelt in Egypt can be determined. This dating can then be checked against other dating and confirm that there are no missing names in the genealogies.

In other words, the line goes directly from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Levi, to Kohath, to Amram, and then to Moses without any interim generations being left out. The line is complete and unbroken. Moses is the 7th from Abraham; from Promise to Deliverer.

This might seem unneeded, but it’s not. It proves the right of Moses and Aaron to lead and it also shuts up scholars who either negligently or willfully claim the Bible has errors or omissions in it – and there are lots of them that do.

Some scholars will say this listing, without missing generations, is impossible because of the number of Levites who are recorded later in Exodus. It is a faulty conclusion based on a misunderstanding of who is included in those census numbers. There is nothing missing from this genealogy.

The placing of this listing here is natural and appropriate because the Lord will now begin His decisive actions against Pharaoh. The time has reached its fullness and action is coming. In order to establish that Moses was qualified for assuming this responsibility, the listing is given now.

This type of specific recording is the same as for that of Christ. It is also somewhat of a picture of His record. Moses is to be Israel’s prophet and Aaron is to be their priest. Jesus’ genealogy is likewise meticulously recorded to show that He is Israel’s rightful Prophet and Priest.

^{14 (con’t)} The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.

These are the same names recorded in Genesis 46:9, but with the additional note that Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. He has been rejected as a leader and so he will be passed over.

¹⁵ And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.

This is the exact same record as that given in Genesis 46:10. Simeon has been rejected as a leader and so he will be passed over.

¹⁶ These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven.

These are the same names as are recorded in Genesis 46:11, but something new is given… the lifespan of Levi. If one understands the clues of how to interpret what is going on in the Bible, they can tell from this one addition that the house of Levi will now become a central figure in the narrative.

A point that is worth remembering is that three people are recorded as living 137 years in the Bible – Ishmael, Levi, and Amram the father of Moses and Aaron. Ishmael pictured the law during his life and the families of Levi and Amram both encompass Moses and Aaron, the lawgiver and the law’s priest.

Another point of interest is that the term “generations” in this verse is the Hebrew word toledot. It can be spelled in one of four ways. The way that it is spelled for the generations of Ishmael, and often in the family of Levi is unique. Unlike other genealogies in the Old Testament, it is lacking the letter vav.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a hidden clue concerning the law which is given for us to understand what the Bible teaches. The clue is that the law can never save. In fact, relying on works of the law merely separate us further from God.

As the family of Levi is the steward of the law, this unusual spelling of the word in Hebrew shows us this. This information on the letter vav was explained in detail in earlier Genesis sermons and in the final sermon from the book of Ruth.

Seeing these hidden clues in Scripture gives us a much greater understanding of how God deals with man and what man needs to do in order to be right with Him. What is hidden in the Old Testament is explicitly explained in the New. Here are Paul’s words on the matter –

“…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2:16

¹⁷ The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families.

Gershon was the firstborn of Levi and so his family is listed first.

¹⁸ And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three.

Kohath is the second son of Levi and so his family is listed next. However, like his father, his age at death is given. If we were to stop here and pick up in the future, we could first say to ourselves, “Sometime important will come from the line of Kohath.”

¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.

Merari is the youngest of Levi and so he is listed last.

^{19 (con’t)} These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

Again, the spelling of the word toledot is without a vav. The Bible is showing us a clue that the generations of the law will come to an end and they will be replaced with something greater – the dispensation of grace found in Christ Jesus.

So many generations, name upon name
Why are they there in the Bible’s pages?
If they weren’t there, wouldn’t it be the same?
Would it make any difference to scholars and sages?

The answer is that they are there for a reason
Each name is important as God reveals to us
Things that have been, and that will also be in a season
Things that point to the Lord Jesus

If we skip them or pass by them without a care
We will miss so much that we could know
In these lists God is willing to share
Many hidden treasures that He desires to show

II. Aaron and Moses; Moses and Aaron (verses 20-27)

²⁰ Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife;

Amram is the father of Moses. For a wife, he married his own father’s sister, Jochebed. She is a daughter of Levi and a sister of Kohath. At this time, such a marriage was common and accepted.

As their father lived to be 133, he could have had Amram many years earlier and the two of them could have been the same age, or Amram could even be older; we can’t know. Later, under the law, such a marriage will be forbidden. This is found in Leviticus 18 –

“You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father.” Leviticus 18:12

However, prior to the law, as we have seen repeatedly in such things, there were no prohibitions against them and there was nothing wrong in what occurred. Paul explains this in Romans 5 –

“For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Romans 5:13

Her name, Jochebed, or Yokeved, is the earliest known name which carries the abbreviated form of Yah, or Yehovah. Her name means either “Lord of Glory” or “Glory of the Lord.” What a fitting and appropriate time for such a name to come into the biblical account and what a fitting family for it to be recorded!

Her son, Moses, would literally be the one to first lead the united people of Israel to seeing the glory of the Lord in the most astonishing ways. And, as we’re considering names, we shouldn’t leave out Amram. His name means “A People Exalted.”

Looking at this union then, we see a picture of what is coming. Israel, A People Exalted, will be united to the Lord of Glory.

^{20 (con’t)} and she bore him Aaron and Moses.

From this union between Amram and Jochebed will come Aaron, which means “Light Bringer” and Moses, which means “He who Draws Out.” Thus we have another picture of what is coming in Christ.

Through this exalted people, Israel, (pictured by Amram) in their union to the Lord of Glory (pictured by Jochebed) will come the true High priest who will bring light to the people (pictured by Aaron), and the true Redeemer and Prophet who will draw out a people from the world for Himself (pictured by Moses). The names of this family show us a snapshot of what is coming in history.

^{20 (con’t)} And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.

Again, the years of this line are given. And for the third and last time in Scripture, a person will be noted as dying at 137 years of age – Ishmael, who pictured those under the law; Levi, whose name is used synonymously with the law; and Amram, from whom will come Israel’s human lawgiver, and also the priest of that law.

²¹ The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

Izhar is the second son of Kohath and Amram’s bother. His family is listed showing the future heads of their houses. Korah will be the instigator of a most remarkable rebellion in Numbers 16. Though his family line will continue and be notable, even for the writing 11 of the psalms, he himself will forever be remembered as one of the great losers in the history of the Bible.

He’s even mentioned in the New Testament book of Jude –

“Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” Jude -11

Thus he is forever noted alongside two other troublemakers of history.

²² And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri.

The third son of Kohath, Hebron, is overlooked and the record goes directly to his last son, Uzziel. Two of his sons will be remembered again in Scripture as they are asked to carry from the camp the dead bodies of Aaron’s sons. That is recorded in Leviticus 10 –

“Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, ‘Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.’ ⁵ So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.” Leviticus 10:4, 5

²³ Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife;

Aaron married a woman who is from the tribe of Judah. Both Amminadab her father and Nahshon her brother, are listed in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. The name Elisheba is the same as the name Elisabeth which is the wife of Zechariah, the mother of John the Baptist.

Her name means “Oath of God.” At the exodus, her brother Nahshon will be the leader of the tribe of Judah. In her marriage to Aaron, we see a uniting of the lines of the King and of the Priest, both offices of the coming Christ.

^{23 (con’t)} and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These are the sons of Aaron who were born to Elisheba. The oldest two will die when they offer unauthorized fire before the Lord. This will leave Eleazar as the oldest son and through him will continue the high priestly line of Israel when Aaron dies.

It’s interesting that this name Elisheba, or Elisabeth, is only given to these two women in the Bible. Together, they will have intimate contact with women named Miriam. The first became the sister-in-law of Miriam, Aaron’s sister. The second is a relative of Miriam, or Mary, the mother of Christ Jesus.

And the Bible records the unusual deaths of each of their first born. Nadab died when he was burnt by fire before the Lord, and John the Baptist died by beheading.

²⁴ And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

Even though Korah was destroyed when he rebelled against the Lord, the whole family wasn’t destroyed with him. At least three of them continue to be mentioned in Scripture, even to the writing of some of the psalms.

²⁵ Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas.

The line of Eleazar is given to show where the high priestly line was heading. When Nadab and Abihu die, the line will continue through Eleazar and thus his son Phinehas. The Bible is being very specific, in advance, to show us hints of what is coming.

By simply reading the genealogies, one can divine clues as to the importance of individuals before their actions are ever mentioned. Such is the case with Phinehas who will become a great name in Israel’s history. So great in fact that this is recorded in Numbers –

“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. ¹² Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’” Numbers 25-11-13

Wouldn’t it be nice if all of us were so noted in our lives for the zeal of the Lord! The name Putiel isn’t mentioned anywhere else and it’s believed to possibly be of Egyptian origin. The same is true with the name Phinehas.

If this is so, then a son who partly comes from the line of Ham, the wayward son of Noah, figures predominantly in the high priestly line of Israel. God is no respecter of persons and many notable figures of the Bible come from what may seem unsavory or unclean lines of people.

In the end, we are all one race of people, human beings. In Christ, every curse is lifted and all are on an equal playing field. If you harbor racial or cultural prejudices against another, you’re not looking at those people as God does. Get beyond those things!

^{25 (con’t)} These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.

This verse sums up the entire listing of names which went from verse 16 through 25. The introduction has been carefully placed here to show us this most important family before they begin their awesome work before the Lord.

It is work which would continue until the time of Christ and only be annulled in His establishment of a New Covenant.

²⁶ These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.”

With the matter of the genealogies established and properly recorded, and in preparation for what lies ahead, this verse is given. The words are emphatic. It is these – Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord has spoken.

And so as quickly as the genealogical record appeared, it as quickly ended and the narrative commences where it left off. This list has been no unexplainable insertion, but rather a carefully placed listing intended to validate the offices of Aaron and Moses.

And as the narrative recommences, in this quote from the Lord, something new is given. It says, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” The word for “armies” is tsibotam, plural of tsaba, which means “war, to train, army, struggle, etc.”

This is the first time in the Bible the word is used when speaking of the people of Israel as a unified force, capable of mustering troops. Israel won’t just leave Egypt as a ragged bunch of people, but rather as a well organized group of people, each in ranks and each rank exhibiting dignity and power because of the power of the Lord their Leader.

²⁷ These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt.

What was commanded is what was spoken to Pharaoh. Though the occurrence is still future in the overall narrative, it is past at the time of the recording of the genealogy which occurred, as all of the record of the exodus did, after the events happened.

Moses is looking back to show that those who were selected were those who performed, and those who performed were qualified to do so as testified to by their well-documented heritage. And more than just bring out the children of Israel, they brought them out from under Pharaoh king of Egypt.

The entire title, including the words “king of Egypt” are given as a contrast to the previous word “armies.” The power of the king was ineffective against the hosts of Israel when led by the Lord of Israel. Now is this only mild speculation by Charlie, something to just lengthen a sermon, or is this something we can be sure of?

It is, in fact, something we can be sure of. After verse 29 of this chapter, the title “king of Egypt” won’t be used again until Exodus 14:5, after the Israelites have departed from the land. And the entire title Pharaoh, king of Egypt, won’t be used until verse 14:8 when the fool decides to pursue Israel to try to recapture them.

However, in the intervening verses, from Exodus 6:29 until Exodus 14:5, the term Pharaoh will be used 72 times without the additional title of “king of Egypt.” It is during these verses that the Lord gives this stubborn individual a marvelous display of His power and majesty, showing him who the true King is.

^{27 (con’t)} These are the same Moses and Aaron.

Again, the names are emphatically stated. It is these two who were called and who were obedient to the call. And thus they are noted once again. However, this time, the order is reversed. In the previous verse, it said “Aaron and Moses” to show the firstborn status of Aaron. Now in this verse, Moses is placed first.

As so often happens in the Bible, the second replaces the first in position of preeminence. It is a picture of Christ who is given preeminence over Adam. The concept is explained in detail by the hand of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, so take time to read that today!

So far we’ve seen this pattern occur many times, including Abel’s offering/Cain’s offering; Shem/Japheth; Abraham/Haran; Isaac/Ishmael; Jacob/Esau; Jacob’s Second Wife/Jacob’s First Wife; Perez/Zerah; Ephraim/Manasseh; etc. God is giving us these hints to think on and to understand what He is doing and why.

If every name recorded was important to You
And then You handed them along for us to see
Then You must think we’re pretty important too
Why else would you keep them so carefully

The details are all part of a great plan
They record special events and names in a tapestry
All intended to detail the redemption of man
And it’s there for us if we will open our eyes to see

It all makes sense when we see how much you love us
And wrote each and every word to reveal Jesus

III. I Can Do All Things (verses 28-30)

²⁸ And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

These words take us right back to the final verses of chapter 5 and which led us into this chapter. There, after being rejected by Pharaoh, this was recorded –

²² So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” Exodus 5:22, 23

But in this verse now it says that “the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt.” This wasn’t just a call from the bush in Sinai where the Lord reigned. Rather, he made his presence known in Egypt as well. By speaking to Moses in this way in Egypt, he was granting him “a sort of divine dominion, namely, a theocratic dominion over Pharaoh.” (Clarke)

On that same day and in the land of Egypt, the Lord spoke and gave His instructions as Moses now remembers for us…

²⁹ that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

This was the general thought given in verse 10. After Moses’ words to the Lord, the Lord spent the next 9 verses explaining His intentions and the reasons for them. These reasons extended all the way back to the time of Abraham and the covenant with him. They gave a concise review of Israel’s state until that time.

And then in verse 10, he repeated his commission to Moses to do as he was instructed. But Moses had an excuse which he hoped would absolve him of the tasks which lay ahead…

*³⁰ But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

This is not a newly spoken repeat of these words. Rather they are a reiteration of what Moses spoke in verse 12. In other words, it may seem that Moses is saying the same thing again to the Lord that he said in verse 12. But that isn’t the case.

Rather, Moses is re-recording, after the insertion of the genealogy which confirmed him and Aaron in their leadership positions, that he had once said these words to the Lord. That is why the previous verses said the names of Moses and Aaron emphatically and noted their accomplishments in the past tense.

The Lord chose someone who felt wholly unqualified for the task set before him, and yet the Lord demonstrated that he was perfectly qualified. He was selected, even from eons before, to accomplish the task which was known but to God alone when He made the promise to Moses’ long dead forefather Abraham.

Moses’ recording of this account for the second time is to show us the truth which is recorded in the book of Zechariah which says, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6

It is a concept which is restated in the New Testament as Paul says to the Philippians – ” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

The entire sixth chapter of Exodus has been carefully laid out into two separate chiasms to show us these and so many other truths. Both of these chiasms can be found on my Wonderful1 website along with all the other chiasms I’ve found. Anytime you want, you can go there and review them and think on them.

As you do, you’ll more clearly see how God works and why He does things the way He does. Everything has purpose and everything is directed to help us apply the same truths to our own lives. Now let’s look at this chapter, with it’s two chiasms, and imagine our lives being recorded in this way.

If everything you did was carefully recorded to be displayed before all people someday, what would be the defining moment of your life? What would be the one thing that all other things pivoted on? If you were to give any answer other than, “I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior,” your life would ultimately be a waste.

For all the money we make, we can’t take a dollar of it with us. For all the hard work we did, it will be forgotten. If you worked cutting down trees, more trees will grow and replace them. If you sold insurance, there will be new policies written to replace yours. If you were a tugboat captain, well… that tugboat will someday be scrapped or sunk.

Everything has a season, but every season ends. Without the hope of Christ, it is all merely vapor on a cold morning which disappears from sight. But with the hope of Christ, there is an eternal walk in God’s garden of delight. It is the only thing that gives our years and our toils any meaning or purpose.

If you have never called out to Christ to forgive you and redeem you from this fallen world of sin and death, please let me tell you how you can do that today…

Closing Verse: “All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8

Next Week: Exodus 7:1-7 (Notable Obedience) (18th Exodus Sermon)

Less than a year after being hailed as the Moses of Wilmington, by the black community there, Thomas Garrett died on January 25, 1871. His funeral, attended by many of the black residents of the city, featured a procession of Garrett’s coffin – borne from shoulder to shoulder up Quaker Hill. He now awaits his final call for judgment of deeds done while in the body.

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 Family of Moses and Aaron

These are the heads of their fathers’ houses:
The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel
Were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi, not mentioned are their spouses
These are the families of Reuben as the Bible does tell

And the sons of Simeon
Were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar
And Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman
These are the families of Simeon of which you are now familiar

These are the names of the sons of Levi
According to their generations, living under heaven
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven

The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi
According to each family

And the sons of Kohath were
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel
And the years of the life of Kohath were
One hundred and thirty-three as the story does tell

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi, making alliterations
These are the families of Levi according to their generations

Now Amram took for himself Jochebed
His father’s sister, as wife
And Aaron and Moses to him she bred
And one hundred and thirty-seven were the years of Amram’s life

The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri
And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri

Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab
Sister of Nahshon, as wife
And she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar
A very productive lady in her life

And the sons of Korah were
Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph
These are the families of the Korahites, for sure
They were guided by Korah’s staff

Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself
One of the daughters of Putiel as wife
And she bore him Phinehas
Who was a notable figure during his life

These are the heads of the fathers’ houses
Of the Levites according to their families
Along with a few of their spouses

These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said
“Bring out the children of Israel
From the land of Egypt according to their armies
This is what the Lord to Moses did tell

These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh
King of Egypt, to bring out
The children of Israel from Egypt
These are the same Moses and Aaron, without a doubt

And it came to pass, on the day
The Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt the land
That the Lord spoke to Moses and did say
“I am the Lord as you understand

Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you
But Moses said before the Lord
“Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, it’s true
And how shall Pharaoh heed me and Your word?

Thus ends chapter 6 of Exodus
And we can see in it perfect order and harmony
If we research it well, it will speak to us
Of the hidden mysteries which reveal God’s glory

So it is with every detail of God’s word
It will teach us of the wonders of His plan
In sending to us Jesus the Lord
Who came to redeem fallen man

The Bible does this so that we will seek after God
And search for Him carefully in each detail
So let’s do it for as long as on this earth we trod
Until we at last hit that heavenly trail

Yes! Thank You, Lord, for this precious book
Help us to study it well and to each day take a look

There in its pages are wonders for us
Such beautiful wonders concerning our precious Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Exodus 6:1-13
I Will Rescue and I Will Redeem

Introduction: Before we start looking at the verses today, I want to share with you a chiasm that I found while preparing this sermon. It comprises all of Exodus 6:1-11. If it seems like there is repetition in the verses we’re looking at, it’s because there is. They are specifically formed to highlight what the Lord is going to do and why.

The Chiasm is centered on two parallel thoughts – 1) I will rescue you, and 2) I will redeem you. But even more than that, it encompasses seven “I wills” spoken by the Lord. Time has borne out that the Lord fulfilled His word exactly as He stated.

The last of the seven “I wills” is that He would give the land of Israel to the people as a heritage. Some could claim that this promise failed because they have been kicked out of it twice. Or they might incorrectly state that this promise is fulfilled in the church, not Israel. But both of these would be incorrect.

The land was given to Israel. When they remained obedient to the Lord, it was their land and they could use it. When they were disobedient, it was their land and they could not use it; like a parent withholding a toy from a child. It belongs to them, but they cannot use it until their behavior is corrected. But either way, the land has remained God’s gift to Israel.

Additionally, Israel is Israel and the church is the church. Crossing the two lines only confuses one’s theology. Regardless as to how one feels about Israel, God’s promises to them stand. Those promises, going all the way back to Abraham, are repeated in today’s verses. Now is the time for them to begin to be fulfilled.

We’ll see this as we research out the verses ahead of us today.

Text Verse: “Now therefore, our God,
The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us.” Nehemiah 9:32

Trouble has befallen Israel, and the burdens have seemed beyond their ability to bear, even more so since Moses spoke to them the first time. And Pharaoh has already hardened his heart against Moses once as well.

Now he is being told to once again speak to both Israel and Pharaoh. Without understanding the reasons for the first seeming failure, he will feel that he is wholly unqualified for the task set before him.

We too may feel this way about the challenges we face, but it is absolutely certain that if we are in Christ and we are being obedient to Him, whatever seems to be hindering us is there for a reason. Knowing this then must surely help take the stress off of the moment.

Let us be determined that the end we are working towards is being directed by Him, and our steps are carefully selected to meet His final goal. It is a continuing theme of the Bible that speaks to us, so let us apply this truth to our lives at all times. It is a truth 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 Land Grant of Canaan (verses 1-4)

The last words of the previous chapter were those of Moses. He was practically in a state of desperation over the treatment he had received from the officers who were over the people of Israel. They complained against him because he caused them to receive the same grief that the common people had suffered.

Despite their leadership status, they had been first and foremost lumped in with their own people. It formed a picture of the future when the political and spiritual leaders of Israel will be in bed with the anti-Christ, thinking that they will be safe from persecution through their faithfulness to the one-world religion and government – something that is beginning to happen before our eyes in today’s world.

But they will find this to be false. They will be persecuted as Jews because they are Jews. And so they will come to understand that they need true deliverance as well. Their false hope in the antichrist will prove to be just that… false hope.

After all that occurred, Moses was distraught and he cried out to the Lord with these finishing words of chapter 5 –

“So Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.'” Exodus 5:22, 23

That appeal to the Lord has now set up the response of the Lord which is found in our first verse of the day…

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh.

In response, the Lord promises action “Now.” There was a delay which Moses didn’t understand, but taken in the context of the previous chapter, it is clear. The people weren’t ready to be delivered. The officers over them had their allegiances tied to Pharaoh, not toward the people under them.

Until they realized that they were no different, but instead needed the Lord, the affliction continued. This precept is found explicitly stated by Peter, who is writing to the Jews of the end times, and so the pattern fits perfectly. Here’s what he said –

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Sure enough, he had withheld action until repentance was possible. There was a need to refine the people in preparation for the exodus. The account shows us that even after the exodus, many of the people continuously rebelled against the Lord. They had seen all of His wonders, and yet their hearts continuously turned back to Egypt at the slightest experience of discomfort.

As this is so, how much worse would they have acted if the Lord hadn’t allowed them time to more fully rely on Him. It is the constant theme of the workings of the Lord, He does things that at first seem hard to understand, but later become clear. This is why even on the night before the crucifixion, He had to tell His disciples to trust Him.

His words in John 13:7 can be applied to His actions before the people here at the time of the Exodus –

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

The ways of the Lord are perfect, and His timing is always exact in order to meet His intended purposes. Pharaoh would be dealt with, it would be now, and Moses would see it with his own eyes.

^{1 (con’t)} For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

Some translations make it seem that the “strong hand” He is speaking of could be the hand of Pharaoh as he drives the people from the land. This is certainly not the intent. Rather it is the work of the Lord which is being referred to. The NIV translates this very clearly by saying –

“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

It is a less literal translation, but it is certainly a more accurate one. The strong hand of the Lord on behalf of His people is seen time and again in Scripture. A great parallel to this is found in Jeremiah. There the Lord again promises to redeem the people and return them to the land of Israel –

“For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he.
¹² Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion,
Streaming to the goodness of the Lord—
For wheat and new wine and oil,
For the young of the flock and the herd;
Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden,
And they shall sorrow no more at all.” Jeremiah 31:11, 12

² And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord.

This verse follows the same pattern that was seen back in Exodus 3:1. There it said, “..when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush.” In other words, the term “God” and “Lord” are used in the same verse.

However, the translation is much, much better rendered as “I am Yehovah” instead of “I am the Lord.” Otherwise, when we get to the next verse, it won’t have the same effect and force. As readers of English versions, the word “lord” can be used in many ways, but the name Yehovah means only one thing.

For the most part, I have no problem with the name Yehovah being translated as LORD, but there are times when clarity demands the name be given. This is one of those times. He is declaring His name. It is the same name He gave at the burning bush, and it is a declaration to Moses that He will perform what He has spoken.

³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.

What this means is that the way that God expressed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was as El Shaddai, or God Almighty. His words to them were words of covenant faithfulness and great fruitfulness. The title Yehovah wasn’t actually unknown to them, but the full import and weight of the name wasn’t understood.

Now He has revealed it as more than a title; it is His name. As a name expresses behavior and being, it signifies that He is the Existent One. It appears that the reason He waited until this time to finally reveal His name in this way was because of the idolatry and polytheism which surrounded Israel and to which even Israel had fallen prey to.

By now proclaiming Himself as the Existent One, He was revealing to them the truth that there is but One God and that He was it. No other god is a god, but is rather a false god. The Lord waited for over 2500 years of human existence to reveal Himself in this way for a reason.

That reason is that this group of people is being prepared for an encounter with Him where He will reveal His holiness to them. They will learn that this One true God has certain standards which He cannot compromise. In order for the world to learn this, He will use this group of people as an object lesson to learn from.

Before that meeting takes place, however, this One true God will prove Himself against the false gods of Egypt. The ten plagues on the ten false god’s of Egypt are emblematic of the final destruction of all the false gods of the world in the end times. Each step of how God reveals Himself is taken with purposeful care.

⁴ I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.

It needs be understood that the words of promise encompass everything from verse 2 to verse 8. God appeared to the fathers as El Shaddai and He established the covenant with them. That covenant was to give them the entire land of Canaan which was the land of their pilgrimage.

They never possessed the land, but rather lived there as strangers. God gave Abraham the reason why they couldn’t possess the land at that time, which was because the Amorites who lived there had not yet reached their full level of iniquity.

In His grace, He gave them 400 years before bringing in Israel to destroy them and assume the land as their own. And before that would occur, Pharaoh and Egypt would be judged as well. But again, this is given not only as a historical account, but as a lesson of the work of Christ all the way through to the end times.

God promised to never destroy the world by flood again even though the inclination of man’s heart is evil all the time. Instead, God will judge the world through the plagues of Revelation and the land of Canaan will be where Christ returns to; He being the true Israel returning to the land of promise. Every story in the Bible is used to show us patterns of future history.

The Land of Israel is for the people of God
It is defiled by those who are unholy
And so may God’s people in righteousness trod
When they enter His land, so may it be

Let all of God’s people walk rightly each day
Let each of us be examples for others to see
In our actions, let us holiness display
And may justice spread out like branches of a tree

This we petition, and for this we pray
O God, let us always walk in Your holy way

II. I Have and I Will (verses 5-9)

In verse 5, the Lord will say “I have” twice. And then from verses 6-8, He will say “I will” seven times. The Lord is aware and the Lord will perform.

⁵ And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

This is almost a repetition of the thought which came at the end of Exodus 2. There, just before the account of Moses leading his flocks to Horeb, which was a picture of the rapture of the church, and which was immediately followed by the account at the bush, it said this –

“Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” Exodus 2:23-25

The Lord is giving Moses a full accounting of what has transpired, even from the time of Abraham until the time of his own calling. Moses asked why all the trouble had come upon the people since he arrived in Egypt, and he reminded the Lord that nothing had been done about it.

Without explaining the reason directly, he has indirectly shown Moses that there is a time and a place for everything and that the proper time had now arrived. Certain things had to happen which Moses was unaware of and he needed to trust that all was occurring as it should. It is an appeal to Moses to have faith.

⁶ Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

The redemption, or purchase, of the people of Israel is mentioned for the very first time in this verse, and it will continue to be used throughout Scripture. This is actually accomplished in two separate ways. The first here is noted in the great judgments that the Lord will perform.

They will go from slavery to the Egyptians to being servants of God through these judgments. This is the first time that these judgments are referred to, and the word will be used sixteen times in the Old Testament. God will use such judgments both for and against Israel and others in the future as He deals with their sin.

The second way Israel will be redeemed is when they are led through the Red Sea and are forever delivered from the death that pursued them. It is, in essence, being “purchased anew.” (Ellicott)

These two types of redemptive acts picture our own salvation by first being delivered from the power of the devil and then being delivered from the presence of sin. It is a pattern which Paul explains in the book of Romans.

Finally, one more term is used in this verse for the first time. It is the “outstretched arm” of the Lord. It is a term that will be used repeatedly concerning the Lord in the Bible after this and it makes an obvious picture.

When a man desires to show His strength or to defeat an enemy, he will stretch his arms out. In this one stance, he will both defend some and work against others. This is what the Lord says he will do with His outstretched arm. He will redeem Israel and destroy Egypt.

⁷ I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.

Later in Exodus 19, the term segullah will be used to describe Israel. They are considered a peculiar possession who belong to the Lord. He has taken them as His people in order to fulfill the promises that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

However, this idea of the Hebrews being a special possession to God doesn’t in any way imply that He had abandoned the rest of the people on earth. Throughout the Old Testament, and even in the New before Christ’s cross, people are noted as joining to God, or being given particular favor by Him.

The selection of Israel is a demonstration of God’s wisdom for a multitude of reasons. One was to have a people set aside to usher in the Messiah. Another was to show that a chosen people, who were set apart to live under God’s standards, were still unable to meet those standards.

Through Israel, the world would learn two important lessons. 1) The law cannot save anyone. Instead it only shows how utterly sinful sin is, and 2) It was used to show the world their absolute need for Christ, who was to come through the very people who proved these two points.

In this selection of Israel to be God’s people, He is fulfilling His promises and He is also demonstrating what His name implies, which is that He is able to perform His spoken word. Their later unfaithfulness in no way negates His faithfulness. In fact, it only highlights it as He has remained faithful to them all along.

^7 (con’t) Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

In performing His word, the people will know that He is, in fact, the One He claims to be, and that He has done exactly what He said He would do. But again, there is the immediate understanding of these words and there is a prophetic fulfillment of them. If these verses only pertained to Israel, then it would actually be a failure of the greater plan of redemption.

Abraham’s promise was one based on faith, and it was given long before he was circumcised. The pattern of being redeemed based on faith then must pertain to all people and not just Israel. It must ultimately be based on the work of the Messiah. And in this verse is a picture of that.

Verses 6 & 7 contain the very last two uses in the Bible of the word siblah, which is translated as “burdens.” All six have been in the book of Exodus. This word siblah comes from another word sabal. It is a word used to describe the work of the Messiah in Isaiah 53:4 and 53:11 –

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4

&

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11

This word, siblah, is being used for the last time to show that the burdens are lifted in the work of the Lord. And so it is with Christ. The burden of our sins is taken from us when we call on Him. Although these stories might seem distant and quaint, they are words which are near and right now. They picture the eternal gospel which proclaims that the Lord, not our deeds, is what rescues us.

I have carefully noted this unique word, siblah, in each account in which it was used, and now you know why. Our burdens are lifted in Christ, all pictured here in Exodus.

⁸ And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage:

The imagery of the Hebrew is much more exciting than the English. It says, nasathi eth yadi – “I have lifted up my hand.” Yes, to lift one’s hand implies to “swear,” but in many translations we miss the action and the mental pictures which the Hebrew portrays.

Three promises have now been given concerning what the Lord will do. The first is that He will deliver His people from bondage. The second is to take the Hebrew people as His own; in essence, to adopt them. And the third is to bring them into the land of Canaan and give it to them as a heritage.

This is true at the time of the Exodus, and it is true of the end times which Exodus pictures. But it is also true in the greater picture of the Lord and His church, who are those who have crossed over from death to life. Let’s see it from the New Testament. He has promised to deliver us from bondage to sin which ends in death, and He has done it. Hebrews 2 says –

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews 2:14, 15

He has promised to adopt us as His people and He has done it. Galatians 4 says –

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4, 5

And He has promised us heaven, and it is accomplished, we are just waiting on its actualization. Ephesians 2 tells us this is so –

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-6

This exodus story shows us history, but it also shows us the present and the future. It is the continuing pattern of the Bible –

“That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

^8 (con’t) I am the Lord.’”

Ani Yehovah – “I (am) Yehovah.” “My name is my guarantee. What I have said is inviolable because I am the Existent One. My words cannot fail because I encompass time. What I have spoken is already performed and is merely waiting for your present to catch up with that future where I already exist.”

⁹ So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

Proverbs says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). The first time they heard the news from Moses, the Bible says that –

“…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

At that time, Moses presented to the people the three signs which He was granted from the Lord. Those signs, accompanied by the word of the Lord, were all the people needed to believe. But the signs were forgotten and the word lost its significance. Now, instead of hope, they don’t even heed.

And the reason is because of the anguish of the spirit. In Hebrew the words are kotzer ruach which is literally a “shortness of spirit” or a “shortness of breath.” The suffering was so continuous and burdensome that there wasn’t time for the people to breathe, much less revive their spirits.

It is an exacting picture of what could be expected in the end times. As the world falls apart, there will be few who will remember the promises of the Lord, but the Lord would ask for them to persevere, even through the times of despondency.

Where is your hope and in whom do you place your trust?
What will you do when the world around you shatters?
Place your hope in the Lord, who is faithful and just
Abiding in His truth is, in the end, all that matters

To place your hope in man is like air passing through a vent
To place your hope in money is a terrible dark pit
When man has failed you and your money is all spent
What meaning is found in your life? Please don’t do it

Instead, place your hope in the Lord, so I say
You will be found safe and secure for all eternity
Place your hope in the Lord, Yes! Do it today!
And then watch history unfold, great things you will see

III. Who will Heed The Word of the Lord? (verses 10-13)

¹⁰ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

At times, verse numbers are given which don’t seem to make sense. Why would it stop in the middle of a sentence and begin a new verse? Six other times in this chapter alone, this type of introduction is used and all six of them contain a complete sentence.

And the last time is in verse 28 which is a recap of this verse, and yet it isn’t divided as this one is. Only this once is the sentence divided into two verses. What seems to be the reason is that it shows a contrast between what was just said and what is coming.

The people of Israel didn’t heed Moses in the last verse and yet Moses is instructed to speak to Pharaoh in the next verse. The words “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying” are given for our benefit. Everything that was spoken from verse 2 to verse 8 is what the Lord said.

Verse 9 tells us that Moses repeated it to Israel and they didn’t heed. And now, without any other words between the directives, the next thing Moses will hear is another command to do something even more difficult that what he just did. Therefore, this portion of a sentence is more pertinently highlighted by being offset from the words to come, which are…

¹¹ “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

The last time Moses went before Pharaoh to speak the word of the Lord, he said, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” Now, no reason is given and no limitations on where they would go are made. Instead it is a fixed demand to let them go out of His land.

What becomes clear in this is what the Lord said to Moses before he departed for Egypt in Exodus 4:21 –

“But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.”

The first visit to Pharaoh was a mild request which could have been easily granted. No signs were given and no power was displayed before Pharaoh. By coming in this manner, the Lord has already hardened Pharaoh’s arrogant heart to any future demands.

Now, when a demand rather than a request is made, it will certainly be met with greater resistance. And as the plagues come, they will come from lesser to greater plagues. Each step is calculated to only harden Pharaoh’s heart further and thus magnify the work of the Lord.

Unfortunately for Pharaoh, he should have been more lenient at the beginning and saved himself the wrath of God at the end. It is a valuable lesson for all people. As Ellicott says about this –

“If we refuse a light cross, a heavier cross is laid on us. If we will not close with the Sybil on the first occasion, she offers us a worse bargain on the second.” Charles Ellicott

¹² And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me,

The people of Israel had seen the signs of the Lord. They had been convinced once of the surety that their freedom was at hand. And yet they had forgotten those things and were left in the shortness of their breath as their bondage continued.

As this was so, and as both Moses and the Lord knew this, the question to the Lord is all the more pertinent. Certainly one who didn’t believe the first time, and who was both insolent and deaf to that command, would respond even more negatively than those who at first openly welcomed His words.

But this is exactly what was intended by the Lord. Moses has just failed to see it from the Lord’s vantage point.

^{12 (con’t)} for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

In verse 4:10, Moses said he was “slow of speech and slow of tongue.” His words here expand on that. He says he is “of uncircumcised lips.” It is as if he had a foreskin over his mouth which hindered his tongue. It is a claim that his speech makes him unqualified to perform the duty he has been directed to perform.

In Genesis 17, any person who was uncircumcised was outside of the covenant of God. In Leviticus 19, fruit which was unacceptable as food was considered uncircumcised. In Leviticus 26, hearts that are uncircumcised are hearts which are guilty before the Lord. And in Jeremiah 6:10, an uncircumcised ear is one which will not heed the word of the Lord.

To be circumcised means to be right, acceptable, and pure. And so to be uncircumcised meant that his words would be considered impure and unacceptable. Because Aaron has already been assigned as his speaker, Moses has now made the assumption that even what he transmits to Aaron is defiled and thus it is the reason why both Israel and Pharaoh have rejected his words.

Said differently, Moses is intimating that he has a defect which is actually a moral hindrance to the plans and words of the Lord. His petition isn’t because of a fear of personal danger, but of being the cause of failure in what the Lord intended. It is the honor of the Lord that he is concerned about.

This is exactly the same sentiment found in Isaiah 6 –

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!’
⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
⁵ So I said:
‘Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.'” Isaiah 6:1-5

Like Isaiah, Moses had personally experienced the majesty of the Lord and he assumed that he had failed him. The command to speak to Pharaoh brought him to a new low as he only contemplated more failure would come from him.

*¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Without any prior introduction of Aaron in this account, and no mention of him since near the end of the previous chapter, he is suddenly named in this verse. Moses spoke, the Lord heard, and the Lord acted.

To show Moses that he is qualified for the task, he now speaks to both Moses and Aaron together. And he does it not just for speaking to the obstinate Pharaoh, but to the disheartened children of Israel. It is a command to both parties and it is to be carried out.

In both verse 11 and this verse, Pharaoh is called “king of Egypt.” And yet the title wasn’t given in verse 1 or verse 12. Why would this be? The reason is that in verse 11 and here, the children of Israel are mentioned. In other words, there is a contrast which the Bible is asking us to see.

Though Pharaoh is the king of Egypt, he is not the king of Israel. Thus the title is specifically mentioned when they are mentioned. This follows perfectly with the idea of the kingdom of Christ in contrast to the kingdom of this world, ruled by the devil. This contrast is made between the two until the final pages of the Bible when it says in Revelation –

“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Revelation 11:5

Following little hints like the terminology used when speaking of or to Pharaoh shows us greater patterns of what God has done and what He continues to do in the world. Never be afraid to stop and think on these types of things because what may seem unimportant never is. And what seems like a passing thought can often lead to the greatest of discoveries.

Our verses for today have ended and yet they continue on in our lives from moment to moment. The pictures of the Lord, Moses, and Israel, and their interactions with Pharaoh picture our own interaction between Christ and the devil.

If we remember that the eternal truths found in these ancient stories are given to remind us of that, they become all the more relevant to our own lives, and the lives of those around us who still have not called out to Christ.

We are either under the rule and authority of the devil in his world of sin, pictured by Pharaoh and the kingdom of Egypt, or we are under the rule and authority of Christ. Someday, just like Egypt, this world will be destroyed through judgment. Those who don’t belong to Christ will be destroyed with it.

If you’ve never made a commitment to the Lord, stop rebelling and start yielding. Open your heart, open your eyes, and call out to Him. He is mighty to save. Let me tell you how you can receive Christ, even today…

Closing Verse: “Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 65:22

Next Week: Exodus 6:14-30 (The Family of Moses and Aaron ) (17th 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.

I Will Rescue and I Will Redeem

Then the Lord said to Moses
Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh
With a strong hand he will drive them out of his land
With a strong hand he will let them go

And God spoke to Moses this word
And said to him: “I am the Lord

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty
To their eyes, this is how I was shown
But by My name Lord
To them I was not known

I have also established My covenant with them
To give them of Canaan the land
The land of their pilgrimage
In which they were strangers beforehand

And I have also heard the groaning
Of the children of Israel
Whom the Egyptians keep in bondage
And I have remembered My covenant as well

Therefore say to the children of Israel:
I am the Lord; I will bring you out
From under the burdens of the Egyptians
I will rescue you from their bondage, no doubt

And I will redeem you, I will not hesitate
With an outstretched arm and with judgments great

I will take you as My people and I will be your God
Then you shall know that I am the Lord
Your God who brings you out from under
The burdens of the Egyptians, this is my sure word

And I will bring you into the land
Which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob too
And I will give it to you as a heritage:
I am the Lord, this I will certainly do

So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel
But they did not heed Moses because
Of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage
This is what being disheartened does

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying
“Go in, tell Pharaoh, Egypt’s king
To let the children of Israel, as I am relaying
Go out of his land, tell him to do this thing

And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying
“The children of Israel have not heeded me
How then shall Pharaoh heed me, I am praying
For I am of uncircumcised lips as you already see

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron
And gave them a command
For the children of Israel, and for Pharaoh king of Egypt
To bring the children of Israel out of Egypt the land

Once again, the words have been carefully selected
To show us of the great work of the Lord
In each word and in each verse can be detected
Greater pictures found in His superior word

O God, with such attention and such care
How could we quickly pass through without careful note?
When you have been so meticulous everywhere
And in every word You did Your wisdom upon us dote

Grant us hearts that desire to see every detail
Grant us eyes that can see Your precious Son
Even if we have to go slow as a snail
Let us not miss a thing, no – not even one!

Thank You for this wonderful book
And all the joy it reveals to us
Remind us daily to open it and upon its pages look
And to seek out there our precious Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…