God Remembers His Covenant

God Remembers His Covenant

Exodus Chapters 5, 6

We have seen that even before Moses was born God had a plan to use him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. We have seen that God has patiently trained Moses for 80 years. This was not because God needed this but it was Moses that had needed this time in his life to reach a point where he understood the Words and the Work of God.

God had heard the cries of His children. God had prepared His deliverer. It was now time for the doing of it.

We should have the correct understanding of a Pharaoh. The title "Pharaoh" means "great house". The Egyptians applied this title to their kings going back to about 1500 BC. These Pharaohs were absolute monarchy and considered to be gods by the people of Egypt. These Egyptians had many gods but not one of them had any power until the existing Pharaoh prayed to them to give them this power. For instance, "Ra" the sun god had no power until a Pharaoh woke him up with a morning ritual and prayer. We can see how arrogant this could be.

I think we have men, especially in America but throughout this world, that believe the world would end without their knowledge and their means, as they are also full of such arrogance.

Jesus said to Pilate:

Joh 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

And Paul added:

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

God always knows the situations of all His people. Their deliverance from Egypt was already in progress. God had chosen His man through which these things would be accomplished. Moses would communicate the "will" of God to these people.

We now have the written Word of God that communicates "His will" to us and we are expected to obey.

The Bible says:

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: [for this is the whole duty of man].

Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Moses became the hero of Israel so much so that God would not allow the place of his burial to be known as many of Israel would have tried to make a god out of Moses. Satan knew this and tried to take advantage of this.

The Bible says:

Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

The Bible proves that God works through those He calls. We should hang our head in shame when we know God has called on us to do something but we have refused. God's plan does not stop as He will always choose and call some one else.

The Apostle Paul knew this to be true:

1Co 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

1Co 9:17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.

Jesus tells us:

Luk 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

God is pleased with those that serve where they are called:

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

God always keeps His word now we will see how these things unfold.

*****Our Text:

Exo 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

Exo 5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

Exo 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

Moses introduces the God of Israel to Pharaoh. Pharaoh would not accept that such a people as slaves could have much of a god. He simply would not consider this as fact and he would not be impressed very easily. Remember Pharaoh considered himself a god. It took a lot of courage for Moses and Aaron to stand before such a cruel and heartless man as this king.

He says:

"Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go"

When we see the word "LORD" with all capitol letters in the Bible(KJV), we can be sure that Moses had said Jehovah(Yahweh).

The meaning of the word Jehovah is "the unchanging, eternal, self-existent God," the "I am that I am," a covenant-keeping God.

Pharaoh had never heard of such a god but he would soon know Him very well!

Moses immediately tried a different approach by saying:

"The God of the Hebrews"

This title would mean "The Elohim of the Hebrews" for Israel was not a nation in the eyes of Pharaoh. Moses made this king aware that this Elohim was the supreme and the only God of the Hebrew nation.

Pharaoh reacted to this by showing who had the real power over the Hebrews. He made them work even harder an in more harsh conditions.

God had told Moses that these things would happen and Moses was not surprised by the actions of this king.

We should understand, when we serve the Lord Jesus, we will not be treated much different than how the world treated Him.

God was gracious in extending this opportunity to this king but when God's "grace" is refused, the only thing left is the "judgment" of God.

God will accomplish His will in the face of all opposition.

A real example of this is to reach down and pluck a sinner out of his road to Hell and through His "grace" save a lost soul. Our strength being made perfect in weakness!

Most people besides the Atheists and the Muslim, believe that people should have freedom of religion, a freedom to worship the god of their choice. It was a perfectly reasonable for Moses to ask Pharaoh for permission to do so. With this denial by this king it opened the door for the return of the "Living God" to exact His own punishment at His own will.

Notice it is Jehovah God who chose this battle. This battle would not only be to redeem God's people from bondage. It was not fought only for Israel to possess the "promised land" but it was fought so Israel could dwell in God's Tabernacle! Israel was redeemed to be God's People!

As this Pharaoh was saying these people were his, God was saying these people are Mine! Israel would not have existed without God's deliverance from Egypt! This conflict was waged over the destiny of a race of people.

Can we not see that as Christians we can see a "type" in this of the conflict that Jesus is waging over the destiny of the Church and the lost who are in the bondage of Satan the Devil.

*****Our text:

Exo 5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

Exo 5:5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

Exo 5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

Exo 5:7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

Exo 5:8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

Exo 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

Exo 5:10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

Exo 5:11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

Exo 5:12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

Exo 5:13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

Exo 5:14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

Exo 5:15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

Exo 5:16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

Exo 5:17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

Exo 5:18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

Exo 5:19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

This Pharaoh then ask Moses and Aaron who gave them the authority to stop the work of the slaves. It seems clear that this king had heard of the conference which Moses had held with the elders of Israel. He had probably even heard of the signs God had given to Moses to show these people. (The rod and the leprous hand). These children of Israel may have even gotten lax in their work expecting God to move quickly to free them.

We can see in "type" that this has some resemblance of the time of Jesus when certain people expected Him to sit on the throne as King and destroy the Roman power. God would do this to the nation of Egypt but this king would first be humbled.

This Pharaoh said:

"get you unto your burdens"

Pharaoh then increased that burden on Israel.

These handmade bricks used in construction were made of clay moistened with water and mixed with chopped straw. These were different from oven baked brick. For those that do not know the quality of this material, the evidence of it can still be seen in Egypt in many pyramids that were built with this material and still stand the test of time.

To add the task of gathering this straw(probably chopped barley and wheat) and deliver it to the place of the clay and water added tremendous burden to these Hebrew.

If the quota was not met then the elders of Israel were beaten and we know the purpose of this was to make these elders ignore the Word of God. You see Moses had God's Word and it was time for these Hebrew to place their "faith" in God and not in the world. They would receive no mercy from the world.

Only God has "Mercy" and thus "Grace".

Satan will never cease to oppress and will always make things harder for the child of God!

The Bible says:

Pro 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Pro 13:14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Pro 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: [but the way of transgressors is hard].

Pharaoh had twisted God's Word to mean that the these children of the Most High God just wanted to go and worship a god. This has never been the truth!

The pure fact is the it is Jehovah God that made the request and not the people!

Once we are redeemed we should want to assemble in the House of God!

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

But while we were lost we did not want to assemble, it was God who requests us to come to a house with His name on it. It was God who reached out to the children of Israel! Moses had God's message, not his own.

Any true Pastor or Preacher should be preaching God's message not their own!

We can see that these elders of Israel held true to form when they went to Pharaoh to plead their case instead of going to God who is in control of all things.

If they expected this king to have pity, then they were most disappointed.

We find this in our assemblies today as many lean on the arms of government to show them mercy but longstanding mercy will never come from this world.

It is only God who is merciful and He proved it when He sent the Lord Jesus Christ!

God will again have mercy on these of Israel one day soon but only after the Church is in Heaven:

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

*****Our text:

Exo 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

Exo 5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

Exo 5:22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

Exo 5:23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Why is it that when things go wrong we always try to lay the blame on someone else? Israel had been in slavery to Egypt since the time of the death of Joseph. The Pharaohs were wary of the children of Israel. These elders would have had to know this yet they had remained under bondage without even attempting to escape and more important they had only just recently called on God.

Moses knew what God had told him that this Pharaoh would do(harden his heart) but maybe Moses had not expected this ridicule from his own brethren.

There would come a real testing of Moses, God's servant, for it is far more trying to be criticized by our own brothers and sisters who we are trying to help, than it is to be persecuted by the people of this world.

We can see again in "type" the comparison with the Lord Jesus as He was persecuted by His own brethren before He was crucified by the world.

Moses returned in prayer to the Lord but he tried to dictate to the Lord which really just showed his unbelief in the Words of God.

When we look back from where we are we can see that there was no need for God to hurry. God's people would be delivered but in His Own Time and He would not fail.

God says what He means and He means what He says!

Many things needed to be accomplished before Israel would be run out of Egypt:

1.) God wanted the world to see, especially Egypt, just how evil this Pharaoh was.

2.) God wanted the world to see His patience and longsuffering not wanting any to perish, even this Pharaoh.

3.) It would show the world that God will judge in "righteousness".

4.) It would show to Israel and the world that we need to be "Humble" before this Almighty God. (they were also a stiffnecked people)

5.) It would at last show that the more we are persecuted by the devil, the more we will appreciate the redeeming power of God and the salvation that can come only through Our Lord.

This Pharaoh in fact is a "type" of the Anti-Christ!

*****Our text:

Exo 6:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

Exo 6:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:

Exo 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Exo 6:4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

Exo 6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

Exo 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

Exo 6:7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Exo 6:8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

Exo 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

Moses had been right to trace the increased afflictions back to the hand of God:

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Moses was wrong in murmuring against the counsel of God:

Psa 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psa 103:6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

Psa 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Psa 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Psa 103:9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

Psa 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Notice that at this time God did not chastise Moses but gave him encouragement.

Pharaoh had to be given the opportunity to accept the will of God and he had rejected the existance of Jehovah God.

This Pharaoh would now meet Jehovah God!

Amo 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

Amo 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

God said:

"Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land"

God says he will do His pleasure:

Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

For the Church(the Bride of Christ) we need only know that no matter how much our enemy may roar and rage against us he cannot stand up to the Lord God Almighty!

What would happen to Egypt and this king at this time was so certain that there were no "ifs", there were no "maybes" and there were no "perhaps" . There was only the certainty of God's Word.

God has not changed:

Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God's Word still does exactly like He says it will do!

As Christians we sometimes and most of the time, focus on the battle when we should concentrate on the task at hand(Matthew 28:18-20) and look past the battle unto the Sure Promise of Victory in Jesus Christ Our Lord(Revelation 22).

The gap in between, much like that dash between the day we are born and the day we die is our time to shine for Jesus while we are yet in this world.

"I must ask myself, will I just be twattling my thumbs the day rewards are passed out in Heaven. Will I even have a crown to throw back to the feet of Jesus"?

I already have victory over death:

1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

These Divine titles of God have much importance in these scriptures.

1.) God (Elohim) speaks of the Creator the absolute King and Governor of this world.

2.) Jehovah (The Lord) is the title connected to His people by "Covenant" relationship.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob new of Jehovah but they had not seen what this title meant to God's people.

The Bible tells us:

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

You see it was time for Jehovah to begin showing Israel the fulfillment of that Covenant.

Israel would see first hand the faithfulness, the power and the deliverance of Jehovah God.

God is faithful:

To Israel:

Deu 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Deu 7:10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

To the Church:

1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

If Jehovah established this covenant, then it must be fulfilled because this was an unconditional covenant. It did not rely on anything from the children of Israel. God had to fulfill His Covenant. He is the performer of His own Word!

The Bible says:

Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church:

Act 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Act 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

We have proof that the saints of God are also related to God by His own unconditional covenant, though some teach in error the opposite.

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God made this promise from the beginning:

Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Tit 1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

Our entire faith is based upon the promises of God!

Our covenant comes through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Heb 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jehovah God makes seven promises to Israel at this time:

1.) "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians"

2.) "I will rid you out of their bondage"

3.) "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments"

4.) "I will take you to me for a people"

5.) "I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God"

6.) "I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob"

7.) "I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD"

We have seven "I Wills" of God.

Notice that there are seven and seven is God's number.

God gave seven "I Will" statements to Abraham:

Genesis 17: 6-21

God gave Jeremiah seven "I Will" statements:

Jeremiah 31:33-34

All these were covenant promises.

Lets look closer:

1.) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians:

God was fulfilling a promise to Abraham.

Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

We can also know there was a purpose from verse Gen 15:16.

What we realize is that God does this very same thing to every Born Again child of God. We are delivered from the burden of our lost condition, of our conscious guilt and prepared to die in peace.

We can also realize that since God does not take us straight to Heaven then He has a purpose for leaving us here. [the sin of the Amorites(Gentiles) is not yet full]

2.) I will rid you out of their bondage:

God does not say He will relieve His people but He will completely separate them for their previous condition.

For instance a slave may be sold to a kinder master yet they would still be a slave.

This is not God's way!

God would bring this people out into the wilderness in communion with Him.

Just as that lost one who receives Jesus Christ as his Saviour is delivered from sin, Satan, and the fear of death.

The Apostle John wrote:

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

That word "make" means to totally liberated!

3.) I will redeem you:

To redeem means to purchase to be set free.

To the Christian this means God paid a price for our freedom. That price was the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

4.) I will take you to Me for a people:

This meant that He was forming Israel into a nation.

Psa 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

As the Church is built on the foundation of Jesus, we too belong to God as His peculiar people.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, [a peculiar people]; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, [but are now the people of God]: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

5.) I will be your God:

Only the one true God could have done the things that were shone in Egypt. Only God could part the Red Sea. He truly was a God to Israel and He has not changed.

But to the Church He says:

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and [I will be their God, and they shall be my people].

6.) I will bring you into the land:

God brought Israel out of bondage into the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

To the Church, God promises He will bring all those He has purchased in to His Heaven.

2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

2Co 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Not one of God's sheep will perish:

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

7.) I will give it you for an heritage:

This was the goal God had promised to Abraham and to David and has not been completely fulfilled at this time. This fulfillment will come after the "rapture" of the Church, during the Millennial reign of Christ at His second coming.

To the the Church the full enjoyment of our heritage is still future. We have been given what could be said is the down payment:

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

And this is the gift that we "cannot" work for:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

What do we see after these words God had spoken to Moses were given to Israel?

Just as all the lost, they were ignorant of the "Grace" had had in store for all that believe!

Moses was God's man and it was time he stood before Pharaoh in boldness, speaking plainly the Word of God.

This is exactly what every called out servant of God should do. Every preacher, pastor, teacher, and servant!

As Moses brought up again the fact of his speach impairment maybe he thought God should remove this obstacle.

We are reminded from the Apostle Paul:

2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

God does not respond to Moses just as He did not respond to Paul.

God's answer will always be:

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Php 4:13 [I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me].

We cannot do these things alone!

When we are reluctant to step forward and speak for the Lord we must not forget that He promised to be with us:

Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Let's Pray!

God Calls A Servant

God Calls His Servant

Text:

Exodus 3-4

It is important to realize that the Old Testament events are pictures in "type" of things that happen and things that are happening in the lives of God's people, even today.

The Bible tells us these things:

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

1Co 10:6 [Now these things were our examples], to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

1Co 10:11 [Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come].

Those that say the New Testament church does not need the Old Testament, do not read their Bibles.

The Servant:

We know the people of Israel were shepherds up to the time of their slavery. Joseph had seen that they were fed and kept safe.

They would never have called on God until they found themselves at this time with no options. That is a sad place to be in but it is true in our day. We have to get to a place where we do not see any escape before we call on God. We have to hit "rock bottom" just to find the "Rock of our Salvation". People talk about my awesome God and put Him down around this world but at my lowest point in life He reached out to me and saved me and He will do the same for each and everyone that calls on Him.

All he asks after that is our service, not to Him, but to others who are also at their lowest point in life:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, [that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice], holy, acceptable unto God, [which is your reasonable service].

*****Our Text:

Exo 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Exo 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exo 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

Moses had been trained to be a ruler in the government of Egypt and we can see he excelled in these things:

Act 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Yet where do we find him?

"Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law"

Where was this flock?

"the desert": Not a stretch of sand as we think of as an utterly barren waste, but a wild, uninhabited region.

The "backside of the desert": The same Hebrew word is rendered "wilderness," and is used of the country lying between Egypt and Palestine, the wilderness of the wanderings. It was a grazing tract, where the flocks and herds of the Israelites found pasturage during the whole of their journey to the Promised Land.

The nation of Israel were all shepherds until they entered Egypt. In Egypt they learned not to be traveling nomads but to live in a society stationary in one place. While they completed their training it was time for Moses to learn how to be a shepherd.

We already know that this is a "type of Jesus" who left the royalty and the wonders of Heaven to come to this earth to make a way for our salvation.

Moses spent 40 years learning the art of sheepherding.

For 33 years Jesus Our Lord "Gave" up Heaven and volunteered to shepherd His Fathers flock:

Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

We will see as Moses will deliver the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt but Jesus Christ delivers faithful believers in all parts of this world and in every age until He returns to gather up is family, who have been delivered from the bondage of Satan.

All the "types" of Jesus are just a shadow of the real thing. As we study the "types" of the Bible we must also realize that we do not use "types" to establish doctrine. "Typology" can only be used to illustrate what the Bible clearly teaches.

This "angel of the Lord":

This phrase is found 68 times in the Bible. It is found 19 times in the Book of Judges but only one time in the Book of Exodus in this chapter we are now in.

What is a "theophany"?

This is a physical manifestation of God. This usually refers to an appearance of Christ in human form in the Old Testament. This is a special revelation of the Lord. There are only a few that got to see God in this form where as everyone can see a general(spiritual) revelation if they only believe.

These "theophanies" prove Christ Jesus's eternal existance. A "theophany" then is the second person of the trinity (the Son) who appears in human form.

The proof lies in the reading of the scripture:

The "angel of the Lord" is recognized as deity and referred to as God:

"And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I"

This "angel of the Lord" could never be the Holy Spirit or the Father as they are never revealed in a physical form anywhere in the Bible.

The "angel of the Lord" ceases to appear after Christ is born.

Besides Moses, others also saw theophanies:

1.) Adam:

Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Gen 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

2.) Abraham:

Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

3.) Joshua:

Jos 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

4.) Gideon:

Jdg 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

Jdg 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

5.) Daniel:

Dan 6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

Dan 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

There are others such as Jacob and more......

Moses never forgot this manifestation of Our Lord that day. Forty years later Moses had these words:

Deu 33:16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, [and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush]: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

God's good will for each of us is a thing to always remember:

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: [but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God].

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, [after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise].

What is that promise?

Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and [he that shall come will come, and will not tarry].

and this promise:

1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: [but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever].

By the way the first thing Moses did that was right was that He answered when God called him! (Exodus 3:4)

God has an all volunteer Army!

*****Our Text:

Exo 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Exo 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

Exo 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Exo 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Exo 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

What did Jesus say about these theophanies:

Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus said it was He that was this "I AM" of the Old Testament!

It is Jesus Christ the Messiah that then delivered the Nation of Israel out of bondage. They called Him Jehovah for that is also His name!

This angel appeared in a flame of fire. Fire is used as an emblem of "deity" in the Bible:

Isa 10:17 And [the light of Israel shall be for a fire], and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

Isa 10:18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

This was the symbol of the Lord's presence with this people:

Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because [the LORD descended upon it in fire]: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

Exo 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

As we see there was not one thing more important to Moses this day as he turned to see the Lord!

What did Moses learn about God that day?

1.) We see immediately that it is God that will always reach out first.

2.) We can see that when it is this important God comes down to deliver the message Himself!

3.) We can also see God will always make sure you know that it is He that calls.

4.) We can also see that God is aware of everything that happens here on this earth.

5.) This is another reason prayer is so important!

Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

If we want our prayers to be heard then there is one more thing we must!

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

We must confess all our sin in order to be heard of God!

Once we are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit then we must surrender to the will of God in order to have that perfect will of faith!

God would send a man, this time it was Moses, because God will work through mankind to have His will on this earth. God does not want a bunch of "puppets" but God does want a bunch of willingly faithful people.

Because Moses was receptive to God, God was able to speak to him!

Moses had not seen his people in forty years but he knew to lead such a large people would be a tremendous task. God had trained Moses for eighty years. God knew he was ready for this task because Moses would not be alone but God said:

"Certainly I will be with thee"

Moses questions the power of God.

We must clearly understand God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for [he that cometh to God must believe that he is], and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Moses ask:

"Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

Moses had learned to be humble in the forty years he was tending sheep. Moses also knew this would be a great task for farmers and sheep herders to stand up against the Egyptian government. We have already read that Pharaoh had had these thoughts of Israel rebelling when he made slaves of them.

What we will see is that God will have His way in this world no matter what all people think. If it had not been Moses, it would have been some one else. God does not just stop if we do not want to be used of Him. Some one else will just get the blessing you could have gotten.

What is God's name?

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

God said: I Am The God who has always been, am, and shall be: the God almighty, by whom all things have their being, and the God of mercy, mindful of my promise.

1. That He is self-existent: He has his being of Himself.

2. That He is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever.

3. That He is incomprehensible; we cannot by searching find Him out: this name checks all bold and curious inquiries concerning God.

4. That He is Faithful and True to all His promises, unchangeable in His word as well as in His nature; "let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you. "I am", and there is none else besides me".

Mal 3:6 For "I am" the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

When God repeats Himself here he means that there will never be a time that He is not on His throne!

We can be sure Jehovah God has not changed. He is not some old gray haired God sitting up in Heaven just waiting on us to get right.

God is just as much at work on this earth as He has always been and He has not changed His ways of salvation and never will.

There is no world church!

THERE IS ONLY THE CHURCH THAT CHRIST JESUS BUILT!

Our Text:

Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Exo 3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

Exo 3:17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

Exo 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Exo 3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

Exo 3:20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

Exo 3:21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

Exo 3:22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

The Hebrew YAHWEH is the English word JEHOVAH!

He is never called the living Jehovah but always the living God. Jehovah cannot ever be conceived as other then living! So it is "Jehovah the God" or "Jehovah your God"! Jehovah is then the "only true God".

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isa 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Jehovah is a The Holy God!

Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

When we continue to read of Moses and his excuses it would be good to point out that God will also use volunteers in a mighty way!

There are not many in the Bible but Isaiah was one:

Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? [Then said I, Here am I; send me].

We should be more like Isaiah rather than make excuses like Moses!

As soon as Moses understood he was dealing with the Almighty God, God gave him his instructions. Moses did not have the written word of God at this time but we do!

So as soon as we know who the Almighty God is and are saved we should take Gods Word as it is written and do as He says!

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Because we do have the written Word of God!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God tells Moses that Pharaoh will not listen to God's Words but He will listen to God's actions!

If we consider that everything belongs to God and it does, He just allows us to use them, then for the children of Israel to borrow from the Egyptians was not like stealing. That word "borrow" in the Hebrew means to ask or to make a request. Those things were freely given to them. Verse 21 tells us that God gave them favor in site of the Egyptians which means that the Egyptian people would help these Hebrew children when it came time for them to leave.

Our Text:

Exo 4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

Exo 4:2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

Exo 4:3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

Exo 4:4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Exo 4:5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

Exo 4:6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

Exo 4:7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

Exo 4:8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

Exo 4:9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

We must first know that God does not call on those He thinks will qualify to do His work but God will QUALIFY THOSE HE CALLS.

This time with Moses is a perfect picture of the patience of God.

Peter said:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God will not just abruptly come to destroy this earth and all that live on it. God's Word will be fulfilled just as it is written. He has told us of the signs of His second coming and this is the only warning we will get.

To the church we need to know:

1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

How could the church be at peace and in comfort if God's children were to be a part of His wrath.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The comfort of the church centers around the Rapture! (I Thessalonians 4:13-17)

What were the evidences of God's presence to Moses:

1.) God first changed the shepherd's rod of Moses into a serpent.

We must first realize that a sign points to a meaning beyond the sign itself. This the same for a street sign as it is for a biblical sign. we should always search for the meaning of a "sign". These signs to Moses were outward evidence of the presence of God. These signs were not for Moses but to show to the children of Israel who knew Moses was just a man and to Pharaoh who believed in sorcery.

Only God can create life:

Moses called this rod "the rod of God" after this. This is the first time we see the phrase "the rod" in the Bible but it will be use many times after this.

The "sign" of this rod was God's way of showing Moses that he would have victory over Pharaoh and the god's of Egypt.

2.) The leprous hand:

Leprosy is a slow, progressing, and was incurable in the time of the Moses. For it appear so quickly and then disappear so quickly could only have been of God.

This was a "sign" of the danger of ignoring the Word of God. Leprosy is a "type" of sin in the Bible. Only God can cleanse us of sin!

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We are the lepers of this world until we meet Jesus and are washed in His blood:

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:7 [In whom we have redemption through his blood], the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

3.) The water to blood:

Those on this earth that ignore the cleansing power of the "blood of Jesus" will see a lot of blood during the tribulation period. At this time of Moses, God would show Pharaoh and Egypt what he thought of their gods. The River Nile was treated as a god in Egypt because it brought life to the land so crops could be raised. This water of this river and all rivers come from the one who created all things.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And of Jesus Christ:

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

When we place anything on this earth in front of Jehovah God we have made that thing a god.

The Nile was considered as divine, with life and prosperity that came from it. Step-by-step and god-by-god, The Lord God will clearly show He is the only (ONLY) living and true God even in Egypt!

Our text:

Exo 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Exo 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

Exo 4:13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

Exo 4:15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

Exo 4:16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

Exo 4:17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

Exo 4:18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

What we see is that the Bible does not hide the humanity of Moses. If anything the Bible tells us that God knows all our weaknesses and yet He can use everyone He calls and everyone that volunteers.

God will never ask you to do something that you cannot do!

Moses had had five excuses and they were:

1.) He had no ability.

God tells us:

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

2.) He had no message.

God tells us:

1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

3.) He had no authority.

God says:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

4.) He had no eloquence.

God says:

2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

5.) He had no inclination to do the work of God.

God says:

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Php 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Moses was reminded as we should be:

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Who is the Creator?

Psalms 139 fits well here.

Our Text:

Exo 4:19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

Exo 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

Exo 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Exo 4:24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

Exo 4:25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

Exo 4:26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Exo 4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

Exo 4:28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

Exo 4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

Exo 4:30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

Exo 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

It is important for us to have a realistic expectation about what God is doing in our lives! To have the correct "fear of the Lord" we must know that God will never do anything that is not the RIGHT THING TO DO!

God wanted Moses to know that it would be a long and difficult process but in the end Israel would be released by this Pharaoh to go to the "Promised Land". Just because we have certain skills they may not be the skills that God needs.

In fact there is only one ability that God truly needs and that is AVAILABILITY!

God wants us just as we are and He will teach us His Ways!

The Lord told Moses that all that were seeking his death were now dead themselves.

Moses had that rod that would break the pride of Pharaoh but when we go to the battle field we carry with us the "Sword of the Lord" the pure Word of God.

When Moses gave in to the work of the Lord, he had to return that flock of sheep home to his father-n-law. He then out of respect for this man, Moses asked for his permission as was the custom of this time in the Near East.

When the phrase "harden his heart" is used we can see that the Lord applied pressure to this Pharaoh to make decisions. God was squeezing his heart forcing him to respond. As supreme leader of the Egyptians Pharaoh certainly did not have to respond to any outsider to his nation.

God knew what answers would come from this Monarch but it was Pharaoh that made those decisions. All the writers of the Old Testament understood this. It is only mankind in our modern societies that are confused about these passages.

God was laying the foundation for His final plague, the death of the "first born son". This is also the first time in the Bible where Israel is mentioned as the first born son of God.

In the days of Moses no one believed that gods had to be "Just". Nor does any false religion teach this of their false gods but Moses was being taught that Jehovah God was a "just" God.

Moses later wrote:

Deu 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: [a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he].

Once Moses yielded to the work of the Lord, he should have gotten his own house in order. God was fulfilling the promised covenant of Abraham and God had given Abraham a sign of this covenant.

Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Gen 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Gen 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Gen 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

We can be sure that circumcision was not a thing that the religion of Jethro honored but God was not going to allow Moses to lead His people without first being obedient to the Word of God.

The Bible says:

Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

The House of Israel could not be built if God's man did not honor His Word:

Jesus said:

Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

It is Zipporah that takes drastic action to save her son though she did not understand why, she just responded like many today that it must be a bloody religion but we know the truth. This covenant with Abraham must be kept at this time.

But to that lost person and to all believers the Bible says:

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

When they met Moses told Aaron of God's Word. Upon arriving back in Egypt the elders were gathered and Aaron spoke all these things to them while they were also showed the signs given to Moses.

This would always be the case with Israel:

Paul wrote:

1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1Co 1:22 [For the Jews require a sign], and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The people of Israel may have thought that God had forgotten them but suddenly they had heard from Him. God knows all our sufferings and will alway do something about them.

In spite of Moses responding so slowly to the call of the Lord, he went in faith to challenge the government and the military structures of the most powerful nation on earth at this time.

We can search hard but as Christians we have no excuses for not answering the call of God!

The Bible still says:

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: [because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world].

Let's Pray!

God Prepares Deliverance

God Prepares Deliverance

Our Text:

Book of Exodus Chapters 1, 2

The Book of Exodus is about the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt and the beginning of this nation.

The word "Exodus" means: to go out from, to depart. We get our English word "exit" from this same word.

There are two basic themes in the Book of Exodus:

1.) Deliverance. (Redemption)

2.) Sanctification.

When Jacob and his sons, and their families went into Egypt, it was a large family, however what we see immediatly as the Book of Exodus opens is that this family has grown into a nation.

The word "nation" originally meant a family or race of people descended from a common progenitor, like a tribe, but by emigration, conquest and intermixture of people of different families it has lost this meaning in our day.

The Book of Exodus is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. It shares with us much history about the Nation of Israel at her beginning.

This was a trip from slavery to freedom!

This in "type" is an example of the Christian's trip from the bondage of Satan and to the Freedom of the Lord Jesus because of the "Cross".

We will see one man dominate this entire book. His name was Moses.

The importance of the Book of Exodus reaches far greater than Moses. This book is not only a human story but it is also a divine story as well.

This book's records shows us God's redemptive act in the history of this people. Exodus shows us how God can prepare a man and begin that preparation long before that man could even know. God transformed Moses from a meek and stubborn man into a great man of faith and of prayer.

We can truly see the love of God for His people.

This book will take us further than we realize, for the Christian we can see in "type" the New Testament understanding of the mission and message of Jesus.

When God redeemed this people from Egypt, He established His authority by giving them a covenant. This Book of Exodus is the story of two covenant partners(God and Israel).

The most important historical event was Israel's deliverance from Egypt. This liberation was incomplete without the covenant at Mount Sinai.

God had told Abraham that this would happen sometime after his death:

Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

We find in Exodus 12:40 that this prophesy held true:

Exo 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

Exo 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

Exo 12:42 It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

Stephen, the first Deacon of the New Testament church repeated this to unbelieving Jews just before he was stoned to death for preaching the Gospel:

Act 7:6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

Act 7:7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

The laws that were given to Israel have been the foundation of law in most all nations even unto our day:

Paul wrote:

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Once you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour then those laws are fulfilled with the Law of Love, The Commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

*****Lets begin:

Exo 1:7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Exo 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

Exo 1:9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

Exo 1:10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

Exo 1:11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Exo 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

Exo 1:13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

Exo 1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Exo 1:15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

Exo 1:16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

Exo 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Exo 1:18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

Exo 1:19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

Exo 1:20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

Exo 1:21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

Exo 1:22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

The verses 1-7 tells us that this was a large family that had gone into Egypt and not one of the founding fathers were alive at this time. This family had multiplied greatly. That land that was filled with them would be the land of Goshen.

It was the King of Egypt at that time of Joseph that had placed the children of Israel in Goshen.

Gen 45:9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

Gen 45:10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

Remember these people were called the "children of Israel" because they were of the family of Jacob whose name God changed to Israel.

Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. It is because of this fact that many in the Arab world hate the children of Israel for they are the descendants of Abraham through Esau and Ishmael.

God set Israel apart for a special purpose. That did not make them a better people but just a tool in the hands of a loving God:

God made a promise to Abraham and God keeps "ALL" His promises!

We will see that the Exodus deliverance, the Sinai covenant and that forty year wilderness journey all will provide models for the Christian life. Not only in things to do but also as important, things not to do.

We all have to make choices in our lives but still the most important choice we make is where do we want to spend eternity:

Pilate, just before he sentenced Jesus to death, ask a question of the children of Israel and the Jews:

Mat 27:22 Pilate saith unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus" which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

This is the most important question we all have, "what shall I do with Jesus". To ignore the call of God by His Holy Spirit, is then to crucify Jesus again. The Lord Jesus Christ will never go to the cross again. He said Himself "it is finished".

If you do not accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior while you are alive, you have ignored the Word of God. We will learn all these principles in the Book of Exodus.

Another promise God made to Abraham and has kept all these years is:

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Not only has God done this thing, He also added a curse to all other nations that hate Israel. It is in great benefit to our Nation of America that we bless Israel rather than curse Israel. If we believe the Bible then we must also believe this part of it also.

Israel's bondage resulted from a king,(pharaoh) who did not know Joseph. Joseph was a Hebrew. In History it says the the Hyksos were rulers of Egypt in his time. These are not native Egyptians but conquerors from another land. When the Egyptians came back to power they did not acknowledge Israel as a people so the term "did not know Joseph" is used. Notice that even in our day the Nation of Israel is not acknowledged as a nation or even as a people by most all her neighbors and a lot of the world.

In "type" we will see this same message to all those that do not call on the name of the Lord Jesus and become God's children:

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Your name must be written down in the Lamb's(Jesus's) Book of Life before God will "know" you!

The world we live in and many of it's leaders do not know Jesus Christ and still reject Him and His message.

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Since the truth of the Bible is being systematically replaced with version after version which are really perversions, these people will never know the true history of God's people, the truth about God's Son, Jesus Christ nor the New Testament church.

If we do not have faith in the same God of Israel then we have placed our faith in the things of this world.

This world where we live fear Jesus and respond with hatred and rage toward Him and all those that believe on Him.

But the Bible says:

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: [because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world].

1Jn 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

When this Pharaoh looked at the numbers of the children of Israel, he realized that if they turned on Egypt, he would have a hard time keeping them under control even if he could.

Why does this world think that you can control people with abuse and hate. Only love is the proven power of freedom!

These Egyptians chose to abuse these children of God and to use them for their own benefit. To choose wisely should have meant to show wisdom and prudence. We will see that this Pharaoh was not very wise.

From where does wisdom come?

Psa 111:10 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom]: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Pro 1:7 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge]: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pro 9:10 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding].

We can see there is no wisdom until there is a "Holy Fear" of the Lord God Almighty!

The world will never understand this.

Once we have the fear of the Lord firmly in our heart then we can ask Him and he will give us all the wisdom we need:

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

What is a taskmaster? It was the job of the taskmaster to find work for all the Hebrew children and place the proper amount in each work location. We know that there were many of the Hebrew people at this time as many as 2 million or more. This was a sizable work force so it required many taskmasters. This brought slavery to God's people. They were in bondage to Egypt.

This time in the history of Israel is referred to many times in the Bible and in "type" is a picture of being in bondage to Satan and his children from which the Lord Jesus Christ set us free.

Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Heb 2:16 [For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham].

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Christ Jesus was also a Hebrew of Israel(a Jew). To deny Israel is also to deny the Lord Jesus!

Rigour(rigor) means: Strictness; exactness without allowance, latitude or indulgence.

These taskmasters caused the work to be extremely harsh on the children of Israel. This goes beyond slavery to extreme abuse.

We see how Pharaoh tried to begin the first abortion clinics and that after full term. Why just the boys? If Satan could breed the nation of Israel into non-existance then there would be no Savior in the time of Mary and Joseph.

We in America need to have great shame in allowing abortion. This is the murder of children in every sense but this nation is also following in the trap of non-existance as it is. With births at less than two per family our nation cannot survive as the free nation that it is. With the Muslim world growing at 6 to 8 children per family it's only a matter of time before they will be in majority throughout this world.

Even greater than that if the church does not stop "spiritual abortion" of God 's People and concentrate on our job there may not even be a church in the time of our children and grandchildren. I believe this to be another sign of the soon to coming rapture of the church.

Our job:

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This work of the Lord is not a priority in the modern church!

Jesus said:

Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. [Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?]

Did those midwives lie to Pharaoh? No! These women of Israel were strong because they were having many children in obedience to God and because of the harsh times because of the bondage. It was a rare thing for them to need a midwife when there own families were there to help. They were lively!

It was the Egyptian women that had much need of a midwife.

God expects us all as Christians to be lively, lively stones as Jesus was and is the Chief Stone:

1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

1Pe 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Those midwives were blessed of God because they were obedient to Him rather than the government of the nation of Egypt.

God says: "Thou shalt not kill"!

They may not have had these laws at that time but they knew in their heart to kill babies was wrong!

Pharaoh then placed the murder of babies in the hands of his police and all that obeyed him. Remember the Pharaoh was as a god to the Egyptians and the Nile river was also worshipped as a god. Pharaoh used false religion to try to conquer God's people. We can see this even in our day from the false religions of this world.

*****Our Text:

Exo 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

Exo 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

Exo 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

Exo 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

Exo 2:5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

Exo 2:6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.

Exo 2:7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

Exo 2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

Exo 2:9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Exo 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Exo 2:11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Exo 2:12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Exo 2:13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

Exo 2:14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

Exo 2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

Exo 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

Exo 2:17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

Exo 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

Exo 2:19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

Exo 2:20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

Exo 2:21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

Exo 2:22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Exo 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

Exo 2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Exo 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Meet Amram and Jochebed:

Exo 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

Num 26:59 And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.

God had told the children of Israel to keep marriages within the family at this time to keep the children of Israel not only separate from the Egyptians but also to keep tribal separation. God wanted the bloodline of Israel to remain pure. God had separated all the nations at the Tower of Babel and has yet not pulled them all back together. You will not find interracial marriage as being acceptable to God beyond the Church, the Bride of Christ:

1Co 7:39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; [only in the Lord].

I'm not sure this means it is ok to wed one of another race but it is the only place I know that has permission from the Word of God.

Two Christians are in the same family no matter their background!

This baby was a goodly child, healthy and unblemished. Jochebed had great faith in the Lord to do the things she did:

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

These parents of Moses had no thought of abandoning this child and came up with a great plan for his salvation.

That "ark":

Jochebed gave much attention and used caution in preparing that "ark".

"when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink"

These bulrushes were a commonly used plant for many purposes and making a boat similar to canoes was one of their uses. This slime and pitch was imported from the dead sea for the purpose of being used as mortar and as a sealant but Jochebed also added pitch which is a tar like substance. This little "ark" once water proofed was placed in a spot where it would not float aimlessly down stream but exactly where the Egyptian princess came to bath.

Moses sister stood watch to be sure the plan went as was conceived and it did and even greater for Jochebed was hired and paid to insure the safety of her own child.

God responded to the faith of Jochebed. The providence of God was at work here and only the "God of Heaven" can enact such a supernatural act and complete it with such detail.

Moses was spared:

"And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept"

It probably din't hurt much for God to reach down and pinch baby Moses to cause him to weep.

It also shows that most women have that mothering instinct for all children, even those not their own.

The name Moses means "drawn out" because he was drawn out of the water.

Moses was born at the time of Pharaoh's order to kill all Hebrew children. God intervened and Moses was saved alive to become a royal prince in Egypt.

This in "type" was like the birth of Jesus. When Jesus was born of the "Virgin Mary", Herod tried to slay all the children 2 years old and younger in hope of killing Jesus.

Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

As Moses was a prince in the house of Pharaoh, Jesus was a prince from birth in the house of David.

As Moses at the age of 40 sacrificed his adopted royalty:

Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

We see Jesus:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We will see more about Moses as we move forward.

When God changes things, He Moves In Remarkable Ways!

During his first 40 years Moses had been trained in the best schools of Egypt. He had been trained by the best military minds of Egypt. He had learned how to sustain an army while away from home and in battle situations. All these things would serve him well when it came time to lead his people out of Egypt.

The next 40 years of the life of Moses changed as he fled from the face of Pharaoh.

In the wilderness training of God, the luxury of Egypt disappeared and Moses became patient, reverent and humble:

Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Moses became a lowly shepherd. Moses was given a "Gentile Bride".

Upon his rejection by his fellow Israelites, Moses left Israel, went to a gentile land, and took for himself a bride.

Upon His rejection by His fellow Israelites, Jesus turned to the gentile nations and took, and is taking, for himself a bride.

Now it would be wrong to say that the bride of Christ is only gentile, for there are many Jewish believers in Christ. But on the whole, in the age in which we live, the nation of Israel has been hardened and the church is predominantly gentile, just as it is written –

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

The disciples struggled to understand this. All they had been taught was that when the Messiah came, He would rule and reign in His Kingdom, from Jerusalem, and all of Israel’s enemies would be defeated!

God had patiently developed Moses for 80 years to be the great man that he was and yet he was still a man.

1.) He was still not perfect.

2.) He would still make many mistakes.

3.) He would learn that it is God that is in control.

No one understood that God's plan was already working. These Israelite would never consider leaving Egypt if God had not placed this Pharaoh on the throne. If the parents of Moses had gotten caught in the abortion of babies, then there would not have been a baby Moses. If Moses had become the Egyptian that he was trained to be, he would have ignored the Jewish slaves. All these things worked to further God's plan.

God has a plan for each one of us:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Will we see that Moses was a "type" of Christ?

I. Moses as a Type of Christ.

A. Moses was extraordinary in infancy. (Exodus 2:2; Luke 2:40)

B. While in infancy, attempts were made on his life. (Exodus 1:22; Matthew 2:13)

C. Moses was a chosen deliverer. (Exodus 3:10; Acts 7:34-35; Luke 4:18; I Thessalonians 1:10; II Corinthians 1:10)

D. Moses was a prophet. (Deuteronomy 18:15; John 6:14)

E. Moses was a priest. (Psalm 99:6; Hebrews 7:23-2 7)

F. Moses, like Jesus, was a king. (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22-26; Deuteronomy 33:4-5; Matthew 2:2 and 2 7:29; Acts 1 7

G. Moses, like Jesus, was a shepherd. (Exodus 3:1; John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 5:4)

H. Moses and Jesus were mediators. (Exodus 33:8; I Timothy 2:5)

I. Both were intercessors. (Numbers 21:7; Romans 8:34)

J. Jesus and Moses refused the glory of the Kingdoms. (Hebrews 11:24-27; Matthew 4:8-10)

K. Both were rich, but became poor for the sake of others. (Hebrews 11:26; II Corinthians 8:9)

L. Both were called out of Egypt. (Hebrews 11:27; Matthew 2:15)

M. Moses and Jesus were rejected by men, but exalted by God. (Acts 7:35; Matthew 8:26-27)

N. Moses and Jesus provided water to the thirsty. (Exodus 17:6; John 7:37)

0. Moses and Jesus became advocates for their people. (Numbers 27:5; I John 2:1)

P. Both Moses and Jesus had transfigured faces. (Exodus 34:29; Matthew 17:1-2)

Q. Both called 70 men for special services. (Numbers 11:16-17; Luke 10:1)

R. Both are connected with the blood covenant. (Exodus 24:8; Luke 22:20)

S. Both are connected with a midnight cry. (Exodus 11:6; Matthew 25:6)

T. Both received a Gentile Bride. (Exodus 2:21; Ephesians 4:29-32)

U. Both obtained pardon for others. (Numbers 14:17; Ephesians 4:32)

Let's Pray!