Sunday, December 10, 2006

Exodus 16

Manna and Quail from Heaven


(1) Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin*, between Elim and Mount Sinai**. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.


*Sin: Hebrew: a bush. The Sin Desert was a vast and hostile environment of sand and stone. Its barren surroundings provided the perfect place for God to test and shape the character of his people.


**Sinai: Hebrew: bush of God.

Galatians 4:25: And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law.

Galatians 1:17: Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.


   The Exodus had occurred on the fifteenth day of the first month (Abib) - Numbers 33:3: They set out from the city of Rameses in early spring—on the fifteenth day of the first month—on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March, April or early May.



(2) There, too, the whole community of Israel complained* about Moses and Aaron.


*complained: After leaving Elim, they had moved along the coast of the Gulf of Sinai and again found the going tough. They found this wilderness life not to their liking. The land was barren, and shortage of pleasant food, having to preserve their supplies, shortage of water, and the constant trudging, not knowing what lay ahead, was more than they had expected. And when they arrived in the Wilderness of Sin things were no better. So they vented their feelings on Moses and his mouthpiece Aaron. They looked back with longing to what they thought of as the good and plentiful food of Egypt. It would have been better to have died there than to die here. It is easy in such circumstances to remember and exaggerate the best things and forget the worst. -- www.geocities.com./genesiscommentary/exodus3.html


(3) “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”


   Yet, we know they had huge numbers of cattle and sheep that they brought out of Egypt. Were things really all that great in Egypt - weren't they slaves there? Was food that abundant there? They sound like a bunch of kids, don't they - saying "Are we there yet?". Many Christians think that after they're saved, life gets easier - actually, it often becomes more difficult. Your past habits and sins glare you in the face now - they bother your conscience. Your old "drinking buddies" no longer want to have anything to do with you. One man that God gave me the privilege of winning to Christ found himself in a difficult marital situation because his wife preferred the alcoholic to this new guy who loved the Lord - she eventually divorced him and he eventually met and married a dedicated Christian In fact, I introduced the two of them.


(4) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them* in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions**.


*test them: And they failed the test, as seen in verse 20.


**instructions: Hebrew Torah.


(5) On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”


(6) So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.


(7) In the morning you will see the glory* of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?”


*glory: Hebrew: Shekhinah or Shechinah. This is such a major concept that we'll save discussion on it for next time in a separate study!


(8) Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.”


(9) Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’”


(10) And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.


(11) Then the Lord said to Moses,


(12) “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know* that I am the Lord your God.’”


*Then you will know: The theme of Exodus is that Egypt, Pharaoh and the Israelites might know that God (El) is the Lord (Yahweh ). In fact, it's a major theme in the prophecies of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Joel.


(13) That evening vast numbers of quail* flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.


*quail: Numbers 11:31: Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground.


(14) When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.


(15) The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?*” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.


*What is it?: Hebrew man hu'. There's a lot of speculation on what this was, but no one really knows for sure.


(16) These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts* for each person in your tent.”


*quarts: Hebrew 1 omer; also in 16:32-33.


(17) So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.


(18) But when they measured it out*, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.


*measured it out: Hebrew measured it with an omer.


(19) Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.”


   This was to help the Israelites learn to be totally dependent on Him daily.


(20) But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.


(21) After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared.


(22) On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts* for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation.


*four quarts: Hebrew 2 omers.


(23) He told them, “This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.”


(24) So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor.


   Obviously, this was no ordinary, natural food!


(25) Moses said, “Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today.


(26) You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath*. There will be no food on the ground that day.”


*Sabbath: Not even God was going to work on the Sabbath. Remember that they measured a day from sunset to sunset.


(27) Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food.


(28) The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions?


(29) They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.”


(30) So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.


(31) The Israelites* called the food manna**. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey*** wafers.


*Israelites: The House of Israel


**Manna means “What is it?” See verse15.


***honey: A foretaste of the Promised Land - a land of milk and honey.


John 6:32-35: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.


John 6:48-51: Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”


Revelation 2:17: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.


(32) Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: Fill a two-quart container with manna to preserve it for your descendants. Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you free from Egypt.”


(33) Moses said to Aaron, “Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the Lord to preserve it for all future generations.”


(34) Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant—in front of the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant*.


*Hebrew He placed it in front of the Testimony. But, this isn't built until chapter 37.


(35) So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.


Deuteronomy 8: Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.


   They had manna every day except for the Sabbath for 40 years, winter and summer, wherever they went - showing this was not just some seed from a plant. It was a supernatural God-given gift.


   God stopped the manna so they wouldn't stay behind. Moses would not have known this because he died before they entered the land. Therefore, this addition must have been from the hand of Joshua. Joshua 5:10-12: While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.


   What are you feeding on? If you are a born again Christian, then you are a heavenly person. And a heavenly person needs to be sustained by heavenly things! A.B Simpson hammers it home when he writes ‘The reason why multitudes of Christians are famished and feeble is because they are trying to live upon the husks or the fruits of this world. They are longing for the flesh pots of Egypt or the quails of lust and are weary of the simple bread of God. They feed on man’s philosophies, the protoplasm’s of materialism, the sensationalism of the novel… or the husks of the market and stock exchange, instead of the pure, sweet, sustaining word of God.’ -- www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/exodus16.htm


   The point of this chapter, with all its instructions and reports included, is God’s miraculous provision of food for his people. This is a display of sovereign power that differs from the display of military power. Once again the story calls for faith, but here it is faith in Yahweh to provide for his people. The provision is also a test to see if they will obey the instructions of God. Deuteronomy 8 explains this. The point, then, is that God provides for the needs of his people that they may demonstrate their dependence on him by obeying him. The exposition of this passage must also correlate to John 6. God’s providing manna from heaven to meet the needs of his people takes on new significance in the application that Jesus makes of the subject to himself. There the requirement is the same – will they believe and obey? But at the end of the event John explains that they murmured about Jesus. - www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm


(36) The container used to measure the manna was an omer, which was one tenth of an ephah; it held about two quarts.



On-Line Sources:



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Exodus 15

A Song of Deliverance


(1) Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,

for he has triumphed gloriously;

he has hurled both horse and rider

into the sea.


(2)

The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.

This is my God, and I will praise him—

my father’s God, and I will exalt him!


(3)

The Lord is a warrior;

Yahweh is his name!


(4)

Pharaoh’s chariots and army

he has hurled into the sea.

The finest of Pharaoh’s officers

are drowned in the Red Sea.


(5)

The deep waters gushed over them;

they sank to the bottom like a stone.


(6)

"Your right hand, O LORD,

is glorious in power
.

Your right hand, O LORD,

smashes the enemy.


(7)

In the greatness of your majesty,

you overthrow those who rise against you.

You unleash your blazing fury;

it consumes them like straw.


(8)

At the blast of your breath,

the waters piled up!

The surging waters stood straight like a wall;

in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.


(9)

 The enemy boasted, ‘I will chase them

and catch up with them.

I will plunder them

and consume them.

I will flash my sword;

my powerful hand will destroy them.’


(10)

But you blew with your breath,

and the sea covered them.

They sank like lead

in the mighty waters.


(11)

Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—

glorious in holiness,

awesome in splendor,

performing great wonders?


(12)

You raised your right hand,

and the earth swallowed our enemies.


(13)

With your unfailing love you lead

the people you have redeemed.

In your might, you guide them

to your sacred home.


(14)

The peoples hear and tremble;

anguish grips those who live in Philistia.


(15)

The leaders of Edom are terrified;

the nobles of Moab tremble.

All who live in Canaan melt away;


(16)

terror and dread fall upon them.

The power of your arm

makes them lifeless as stone

until your people pass by, O LORD,

until the people you purchased pass by.


(17)

You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain—

the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling,

the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.


(18)

The Lord will reign forever and ever!”


(19) When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground!


(20) Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.


(21)

And Miriam sang this song:

“Sing to the Lord,

for he has triumphed gloriously;

he has hurled both horse and rider

into the sea.”


(22) Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur*. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water.


Shur means "wall" in Hebrew.


(23) When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).


(24) Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.


(25) So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.


   Moses was the only one who prayed to God, and the only one God showed the solution to. The rest of the people complained to Moses instead of praying to God. We can either complain or pray. We can’t do both.


(26) He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”


(27) After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.


   Elim is only about 10 miles further south of Marah! Sometimes it is a very short distant from the cursing of God to the blessings of God.




On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • "Archaeological Study Bible", NIV Version - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "Cruden's Complete Concordance" - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "Breath of the Holies: Secrets of Moses' Tabernacle" - DVD by Perry Stone

  • "In Search of the Mountain of God" by Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "Life Application Study Bible" - New Living Translation version - Tyndale House Publishers

  • "Symbols of Judaism" by Marc-Alai Ouaknin - Barnes & Noble Books, publisher

  • "The Companion Bible" by E. W. Bullinger - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "The Exodus Revealed: Searching for the Red Sea Crossing" - (2001), DVD, Studio: Questar, ASIN: B00005AUE2, available from Amazon.com

  • "The Defender's Study Bible" -World Bible Publishers

  • "The Miracle of Passover" - DVD by Zola Levitt

  • "The Mountain of God" - Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "The NIV Application Commentary - Exodus" – Peter Enns – Zondervan™

  • "The Seven Feasts of Israel - Video 1 - Passover" - Zola Levitt

  • "The Ten Commandments" (1956 film) from Paramount Pictures, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Charlton Heston as Moses

  • Unger's Bible Dictionary - Merrill F. Unger

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Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Exodus 14

Parting of the Red Sea


"The Ten Commandments" DVD - Watch the part of the Hebrews crossing the Red Sea.


(1) Then the Lord* gave these instructions to Moses:


*Lord: Yahweh


(2) “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth* between Migdol** and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon***.


*Pi-Hahiroth: The Hebrew name "Pi-hahiroth" has been translated as "mouth of the gorges," descriptive of its location, where the mouths of two rivers (wadis) combine at the point of entry into the sea. Another possible translation is "the Bay of Hiroth." Literally, "the mouth of freedom".


**Migdol: Probably a fortress that served to defend the bay. www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkeexo14.htm More specifically, it is believed to be the site of an ancient military watchtower. Migdol is mentioned again in Jeremiah 44:1; 46:14.


   This word is rendered "tower" in Ezekiel 29:10, but the margin correctly retains the name Migdol, "from Migdol to Syene;" i.e., from Migdol in the north to Syene in the south, in other words, the whole of Egypt. Migdol, or migdal, is a Hebrew word which means either a tower (from its size or height), an elevated stage (a rostrum or pulpit), or a raised bed (within a river). Physically, it can mean fortified land, i.e. a walled city or castle; or elevated land, as in a raised bed, like a platform, possibly a lookout. Figuratively, it has connotations of proud authority. Joshua referred to Migdal-Gad, ‘tower of Gad’, one of the fortified cities of Judah, and also to Migdal-El, ‘tower of God’, a place in Palestine. Jeremiah referred to the Migdol of Egypt, an island in the Nile, and Ezekiel referred to the Migdol of Syene, in Upper Egypt, in the context of the seat of government.


***Baal-zephon: The worship of Baal was known throughout the Fertile Crescent, the Levant, and down into Egypt. Upon this mountain, Baal Zephon, it was believed that Zephon reigned in power and was lord over the sea. Here, Pharaoh may have sensed that the idol Zephon was going to display his power over the Israelites. Baal-zephon, the lord or master of the watch, probably an idol temple, where a continual guard, watch, or light was kept up for the defense of one part of the haven, or as a guide to ships.
Lord-of-the-North
- Baal Tzafon in Hebrew. Zephon = "treasure", a son of Gad.


(3) Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’


   In order for them to be "trapped in the wilderness!," they would have to be traveling through an area of wadis (canyons) with high mountains all around, which would seem to hem them in. This takes place prior to crossing the sea, so I looked for an area such as this which would terminate on a beach or shore of the sea which was large enough to hold perhaps 2 or 3 million people, as well as their flocks. I found a beach of tremendous size on the Gulf of Aqaba at Nuweiba, and the only passage to it is through an 18 mile long wadi system. From "Etham in the edge of the wilderness," they changed their direction of travel from a northerly direction, (which would have soon taken them around the northern tip of the sea,) and went south, through a wadi system that must have appeared like an endless maze to them. Hemmed in to the left and right, they could only travel in one direction -- and the only path through that wadi leads to the tremendous sized beach. THE SITE OF THE CROSSING As I mentioned, I found this tremendous beach on the Gulf of Aqaba which could easily have held the multitude, their flocks, and also pharaoh's army -- separating the two groups by several miles. Josephus gives an additional bit of information in his "Antiquities of the Jews" Book II, Chapter XV. Speaking of pharaoh's army pursuing the multitude, he states: "They also seized upon the passages by which they imagined the Hebrews might fly, shutting them up between the inaccessible precipices and the sea; for there was [on each side] a [ridge of] mountains that terminated at the sea, which was impassable by reason of their roughness, and obstructed their flight; wherefore they there pressed upon the Hebrews with their army, where [the ridges of] the mountains were closed with the sea..." When I first visited the site of Nuweiba in 1978, these mountains could be seen on the south end of the beach area which terminated at the sea -- no passage would have been possible to the south. (See photo below) As I found the chariot parts when diving on the southern end of the beach, this implies that the multitude traveled to this section of the beach. Pharaoh's army entered from the same wadi, which is the only entrance onto the beach. This wadi is located midway of the beach, and once the army entered the area, the multitude's only means of escape would have been to the south. But the mountains to the south extend all the way to the sea -- they had no way of escape, or so it seemed. --
www.wyattnewsletters.com/exodus/ex03.htm



Numbers 33:1-18 This is the route the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the Lord’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way. They set out from the city of Rameses in early spring—on the fifteenth day of the first month - on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians. Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the Lord had killed the night before. The Lord had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment! After leaving Rameses, the Israelites set up camp at Succoth. Then they left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. They left Etham and turned back toward Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and camped near Migdol. They left Pi-hahiroth and crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Marah*.


*Marah means "bitter".


(4) And once again I will harden* Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.


*harden: The Hebrew verb hazaq is used; it indicates that God would make Pharaoh’s will strong or firm.


(5) When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled*, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked.


*fled: They hadn't returned after the 3 days!


(6) So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops.


(7) He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots*, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander.


*chariots: That day's equivalent to armored tanks. 2 soldiers per chariot. It is this cavalry that made Egypt's army so powerful.


(8) The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance.


(9) The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.


(10) As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord,


(11) and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves* for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?


*graves: The challenge to Moses brings a double irony. To die in the desert would be without proper burial, but in Egypt there were graves – it was a land of tombs and graves!


(12) Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”


   The Israelites keep up this complaining and grumbling until all of them, except Caleb and Joshua, were dead and the entered the Promised Land.


(13) But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid*. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.


*Don’t be afraid: The servant of God would quiet their hearts and set them in perfect peace before Him. “Fear not” is one of the great words recurring all through the Scriptures. “Fear not” was what God said to Abraham (Genesis 15:1). “Fear not, neither be thou dismayed” was His message to Joshua (see Joshua 8:1). “Fear not” was His command to Gideon (Judges 16:23). “Fear not” was David’s counsel to Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:20). This will be the word of the Jewish remnant in a day to come: “Be strong, fear not, behold, your God will come” (Isaiah 35:4). “Fear not” was the angel’s counsel to Daniel (10:12). “Fear not little flock” is the Lord’s message to us (Luke 12:32). “I will fear no evil” said the Psalmist (23:4), “for Thou art with me.” But how is this to be attained? How is the heart to be established in peace? Does not Isaiah 26:3 sum it all up? — “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed in Thee because he trusteth in Thee.” - www.scripturestudies.com/Vol13/M1/ot.html


(14) The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm*.”


*stay calm: Literally, "Be quiet" or "Shut up"!


(15) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!


   No mention of Moses praying audibly, so he must have been praying fervently in his heart and mind.


(16) Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.


   The crossing of the Red Sea speaks of Christ making a way through death for His people. “The Red Sea is the figure of death — the boundary-line of Satan’s power”. Note the words of God to Moses: “Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea. and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (v. 16). Moses is plainly a type of Christ, the “rod” a symbol of His power and authority. The Red Sea completely destroyed the power of Pharaoh (Satan) over God’s people. Hebrews 2:14 gives us the antitype — “That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil.” The effect of Moses lifting up his rod and stretching forth his hand is blessed to behold — “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left” (v. 22). Not only had that which symbolized death no power over Israel, but it was now a defense to them! This very sea, which at first they so much feared, became the means of their deliverance from the Egyptians; and instead of proving their enemy became their friend. So if death overtakes the believer before the Lord’s return it only serves to bring him into the presence of Christ — “Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:22). But deeply solemn is the other side of the picture: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do, were drowned,” for the natural man to meet death in the power of human confidence is certain destruction. - www.scripturestudies.com/Vol13/M1/ot.html


(17) And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers.


(18) When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”


(19) Then the angel of God*, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them.


*God: Elohim. The angel of God. The Angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus, appeared on this occasion in behalf of the people; for as this deliverance was to be an illustrious type of the deliverance of man from the power and guilt of sin by his incarnation and death, it might have been deemed necessary, in the judgment of Divine wisdom, that he should appear chief agent in this most important and momentous crisis. - www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkeexo14.htm


(20) The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.


   It’s a very hard verse to translate. The best translators struggle at it, but what’s clear is that in the manifestation of the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud the children of Israel saw the fire and had light whereas the Egyptians were in darkness. Joshua 24 verse 7 recalls the very fact that the Egyptians were kept in darkness. Now, there are a couple of things going on there. Notice first of all God once again making a distinction between His people and those who were not His people. His people were in the light; those who were not His people were in the darkness. Secondly, remember that Egypt worshiped Ra the god of the sun, and yet Israel has light and Egypt is in darkness. God is displaying His sovereignty over the gods of Egypt yet again. -- www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%201%20&%202/16bExo.htm


   It appears also that this cloud had two sides, one dark and the other luminous: the luminous side gave light to the whole camp of Israel during the night of passage; and the dark side, turned towards the pursuing Egyptians, prevented them from receiving any benefit from that light. - www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkeexo14.htm


(21) Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind*. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.


   Where are the children of Israel? They are on the west bank of the Red Sea. Where does the wind come from? From the east. They have to stand there, how long? Most of the night and watch the sea part from the other side. God demands an exercise of faith, watch it unfold, look over your shoulder, look who’s behind you, look who’s standing in between and watch Me part the waters from the other side. And then when the time comes, go through. Go through on dry land. Again, everything in this passage indicated the miraculous nature of it, but it’s not instantaneous. It takes how long? Well, we’re told, well into the night. Well into the night it is before the Egyptians themselves will attempt to follow the children of Israel into the waters. The language in verse 21 is, "the Lord swept back the sea by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land." So, God shows His glory and He shows His grace through parting the Red Sea. None of the children of Israel could ever have said that they did something in order to earn their deliverance to get their own deliverance through the Red Sea. God had put them at a point where there was literally nothing that they could contribute to their salvation. They simply had to believe and go. -- www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%201%20&%202/16bExo.htm. These comments remind me of Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(King James version).


*strong east wind: Had the wind mentioned here been strong enough, naturally speaking, to have divided the waters, it must have blown in one narrow track, and continued blowing in the direction in which the Israelites passed; and a wind sufficient to have raised a mass of water twenty-eight yards deep and twelve miles in length, out of its bed, would necessarily have blown the whole six hundred thousand men away, and utterly destroyed them and their cattle. I therefore conclude that the east wind, which was ever remarked as a parching, burning wind, was used after the division of the waters, merely to dry the bottom, and render it passable. No natural agent could divide these waters, and cause them to stand as a wall upon the right hand and upon the left; therefore God did it by his own sovereign power. When the waters were thus divided, there was no need of a miracle to dry the bed of the sea and make it passable; therefore the strong desiccating east wind was brought, which soon accomplished this object. - www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkeexo14.htm


(22) So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!


   There is no way to “water down” the text to fit natural explanations; the report clearly shows a miraculous work of God making a path through the sea – a path that had to be as wide as half a mile in order for the many people and their animals to cross between about 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus").


   The picture below illustrates the elevated underwater "bridge" at Nuweiba on the Gulf of Aqaba, one possible location for the crossing. -- firstbaptistchurch2.tripod.com/id34.html. The Gulf of Aqaba is very deep, in places over a mile deep. Even with the sea dried up, walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down the sides. But there is one spot where if the water were removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals. This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia. Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf as shown in this illustration.





(23) Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea.


(24) But just before dawn* the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion.


*just before dawn: The morning watch: From around 2 a.m. to sunrise


(25) He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”


(26) When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.”


   Doctrinally the passage through the Red Sea sets forth the believer’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection. “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). That Israel passed through the Red Sea, and emerged safely on the far side, tells of resurrection. So we read in Romans 6:5, “If we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” And again, “When we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and raised us up together” (Ephesians 2:5, 6). - www.scripturestudies.com/Vol13/M1/ot.html


(27) So as the sun began to rise*, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea.


*sun began to rise: Literally, at the morning watch. So, they crossed the red sea at night with the pillar of fire to light their way through the darkness.


(28) Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.


   The children of Israel spared like Noah and his family, and suddenly the judgment of God upon the Egyptians as the water swallows them and consumes them. God has brought His judgment on the Egyptians.


(29) But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.


Hebrews 11:29: It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.


   Some have supposed that the Israelites had passed through, favored by an extraordinary ebb, which happened at that time to be produced by a strong wind, which happened just then to blow! Had this been the case, there could not have been waters standing on the right hand and on the left; much less could those waters, contrary to every law of fluids, have stood as a wall on either side while the Israelites passed through, and then happen to become obedient to the laws of gravitation when the Egyptians entered in! An infidel may deny the revelation in toto, and from such we expect nothing better; but to hear those who profess to believe this to be a Divine revelation endeavoring to prove that the passage of the Red Sea had nothing miraculous in it, is really intolerable. - www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkeexo14.htm


(30) That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore.


*hand : "power" in the King James, but "hand" is the original.


(31) When the people of Israel saw the mighty power* that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses**.


*mighty power: literally, "great hand"


**servant Moses: Here the title of “servant” is given to Moses. This is the highest title a mortal can have in the Old Testament– the “servant of Yahweh.” It signifies more than a believer; it describes the individual as acting on behalf of God. For example, when Moses stretched out his hand, God used it as his own (Isaiah 63:12). Moses was God’s personal representative. The chapter records both a message of salvation and of judgment. Like the earlier account of deliverance at the Passover, this chapter can be a lesson on deliverance from present troubles – if God could do this for Israel, there is no trouble too great for him to overcome. The passage can also be understood as a picture (at least) of the deliverance at the final judgment on the world. But the Israelites used this account for a paradigm of the power of God: namely, God is able to deliver his people from danger because he is the sovereign Lord of creation. His people must learn to trust him, even in desperate situations; they must fear him and not the situation. God can bring any threat to an end by bringing his power to bear in judgment on the wicked. ---www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm


Isaiah 63:11-14: Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people? Where is the one whose power was displayed when Moses lifted up his hand— the one who divided the sea before them, making himself famous forever? Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea? They were like fine stallions racing through the desert, never stumbling. As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. You led your people, Lord, and gained a magnificent reputation.”


1 Corinthians 10:1-2: I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized* as followers of Moses.

*baptized: If baptism is immersion in water, who got wet? So, what is "baptism"? It is total identification with and immersion in - someone or something. Israel was baptized unto Moses when they stepped into the Red Sea.



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • "Cruden's Complete Concordance" - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "Breath of the Holies: Secrets of Moses' Tabernacle" - DVD by Perry Stone

  • "In Search of the Mountain of God" by Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "Life Application Study Bible" - New Living Translation version - Tyndale House Publishers

  • "Symbols of Judaism" by Marc-Alai Ouaknin - Barnes & Noble Books, publisher

  • "The Companion Bible" by E. W. Bullinger - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "The Exodus Revealed: Searching for the Red Sea Crossing" - (2001), DVD, Studio: Questar, ASIN: B00005AUE2, available from Amazon.com

  • "The Defender's Study Bible" -World Bible Publishers

  • "The Miracle of Passover" - DVD by Zola Levitt

  • "The Mountain of God" - Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "The NIV Application Commentary - Exodus" – Peter Enns – Zondervan™

  • "The Seven Feasts of Israel - Video 1 - Passover" - Zola Levitt

  • "The Ten Commandments" (1956 film) from Paramount Pictures, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Charlton Heston as Moses

  • Unger's Bible Dictionary - Merrill F. Unger

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Sunday, December 03, 2006

Exodus 13

Dedication of the Firstborn

Israel Leaves Egypt


   


(1) Then the Lord said to Moses,


(2) “Dedicate* to me every firstborn** among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.”


*Dedicate: means “be holy, be set apart, be distinct, be sanctified.”


**firstborn: Exodus 22:29-30: “You must not hold anything back when you give me offerings from your crops and your wine.“You must give me your firstborn sons.“You must also give me the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats. But leave the newborn animal with its mother for seven days; then give it to me on the eighth day.


   This was for three reasons. First, because Israel was God's firstborn (Exodus 4:22), and this honored that fact. Second, because the firstborn was thought to be the best, and the best was always given to God. Finally, as a reminder to all generations of when God redeemed Israel, His firstborn. -- www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0213.htm


   Pidyon HaBen is the redemption of the first-born, a ritual in Judaism. It is still observed today by Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism. When a Jewish woman gives birth by natural means, ie vaginally, to her firstborn son, then the father of the child must "redeem" the child from a known Kohen representing the original Jewish Temple priesthood, for the sum of five silver Shekels, or five silver pieces of the country's currency, such as silver dollars in the U.S. The procedure does not normally apply when the father is a Kohen or Levi, or when the mother is the daughter of one. Levites, including Kohanim, do not normally redeem their children through the ceremony. The reason is that the Levites, as substitutes for the first-born, are pledged to minister and assist the kohanim in Divine service, and cannot be redeemed from their service obligation. In Orthodox Judaism and to a lesser extent in Conservative Judaism, Levites remain irredeemably pledged to Divine service to this day, are expected to report for duty in a future rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. -- Wikipedia: Pidyon HaBen: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redemption_of_First-born


(3) So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.)


(4) On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib*, you have been set free.


*Abib: Pronounced ä-vev'. The month in the Hebrew calendar when the barley has reached or passed this stage (Exodus 13:4; 23:15); the seventh of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, and the first of the civil year. It began about the time of the vernal equinox, on 21st March. It was called Nisan, after the Babylonian captivity (Nehemiah 2:1). On the fifteenth day of the month, harvest was begun by gathering a sheaf of barley, which was offered to the Lord on the sixteenth (Leviticus 23:4-11).


Calendar below is from wsw.oneyearbibleblog.com/2006/02/index.html


Deuteronomy 16:1: In honor of the Lord your God, celebrate the Passover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib, for that was the month in which the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.


(5) You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites*, Hittites**, Amorites***, Hivites****, and Jebusites*****. (He swore to your ancestors that he would give you this land—a land flowing with milk and honey.)


Map of the 7 Nations of Ancient Canaan below is from www.bible-history.com/map-israel-joshua/index.html



*Canaanites: Genesis 10:15 Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.

The "Canaanites," as distinguished from the Amalekites, the Anakim, and the Rephaim, were "dwellers in the lowlands" (Numbers 13:29), the great plains and valleys, the richest and most important parts of Palestine. Tyre and Sidon, their famous cities, were the centers of great commercial activity; and hence the name "Canaanite" came to signify a "trader" or "merchant".
The unified state of Tyre-Sidon expanded its trade through the Mediterranean and was even able to establish colonies as far away as Spain. The most successful of these colonies was undoubtedly Carthage.
Under the name of Kanana, the Canaanites appear on Egyptian monuments. They were called Phoenicians by the Greeks and Poeni by the Romans. The chief object of their worship was the sun-god, who was addressed by the general name of Baal, "lord."


Genesis 9:18,22,24-25: The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”


**Hittites: and Children of Heth are the second of the eleven Canaanite nations in the Hebrew Bible. They are purportedly descended from one Heth, a son of Canaan, son of Ham. In Genesis:23:2, towards the end of Abraham's life, he was staying in Hebron, on lands belonging to the "children of Heth", and from them he obtained a plot of land with a cave to bury his wife Sarah. One of them (Ephron) is labeled "the Hittite", several times. Per Genesis:26:34, Esau took two Hittite wives. Uriah the Hittite was the husband of Bathsheba before David had him murdered.


***Amorites: Amorites were an ancient tribe of Canaanites who inhabited the country northeast of the Jordan River as far as Mount Hermon. In the 13th century BC, the Amorites defeated the Moabites, crossed the Jordan, conquered the Hittites, and overran Canaan to the sea. Their power was broken (see Joshua 9-10) by the Hebrews, under Joshua, at Gibeon. The five kings of the Amorites were defeated with great slaughter by Joshua. They were again defeated at the waters of Merom by Joshua. The Amorites were warlike mountaineers. They are represented on the Egyptian monuments with fair skins, light hair, blue eyes, aquiline noses (hook nose or Roman nose), and pointed beards. They are supposed to have been men of great stature; their king, Og, is described by Moses as the last "of the remnant of the giants." The most famous of the Amorite leaders was Hammurabi.


****Hivites: Its meaning is "the villager" or "the midlander," the Hivites having previously inhabited central Palestine. The Hivite was the sixth son of Canaan (Genesis 10:17). Hamor, the Prince of Shechem, was a Hivite. In the time of the conquest of Palestine by Joshua, they duped Joshua and all the Israelites (Joshua 9:3-27). The Hivites had then four cities - Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim, situated a considerable distance apart. The Gibeonites were spared by Joshua on account of his oath. The Hivites spread toward the north of Palestine, their main body lying under Mount Hermon, in the land of Mizpeh. -- http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=808&letter=H A remnant of them still existed in the time of Solomon (1 Kings 9:20).


*****Jebusites: The Jebusites were a Canaanite people, descended from Ham through Canaan. At the time of the arrival of the Israelites in Palestine they were ruled by Adonizedek (Joshua 10:1, 23). They were defeated by Joshua, and their king was slain; but they were not entirely driven out of Jebus (Jerusalem) till the time of David, who made it the capital of his kingdom instead of Hebron. The site on which the temple was afterwards built belonged to Araunah, a Jebusite, from whom it was purchased by David, who refused to accept it as a free gift (2 Samuel 24:16-25; 1 Chronicles 21:24, 25). -- www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/jebusites.html. The Books of Kings state that once Jerusalem had become an Israelite city, the surviving Jebusites were forced by Solomon to become serfs.


(6) For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. Then on the seventh day, celebrate a feast to the Lord.


(7) Eat bread without yeast* during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast bread or any yeast at all found within the borders of your land during this time.


*yeast (leaven): Just as the Israelites were to abstain from leavened bread, so are we to avoid the leaven of malice and wickedness and partake of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:7-9). In Galatians 5:9, Paul uses the leavening of bread as a warning against insidious teaching. We can compare with this how Jesus Christ Himself warned against the leaven (insidious teaching which can begin to work and spread) of the Pharisees and the Herodians (Mark 8:15).


(8) “On the seventh day you must explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’


(9) This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded* on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: ‘With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.’


*mark branded: Most likely, Pharaoh had physically branded these slaves to show they belonged to him - just as Hitler had branded the Jews during the Holocaust: A. Cowley (in his 1923 book Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C.) showed that in Elephantine [a city in Hellenistic Egypt], slaves of Jews were marked with the names of their owners as was the general practice. -- www.myjewishlearning.com/daily_life/TheBody/Adorning_the_Body/Tattoo.htm

Moreover, Isaiah 49:16 says God was branded with their name: See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

Ezekiel 9: He said to him, “Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city.”Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity!

 Isaiah 44:5: Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.”

 Galatians 6:17: From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.

 Revelation 7:3: “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”

Revelation 9:4: They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

Revelation 13:16: He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.

 Revelation 14:1: Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Revelation 22:4: And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.


Leviticus 19:28: Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.


(10) So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year.


(11) “This is what you must do when the Lord fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live,


(12) you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him.


(13) A firstborn donkey may be bought back* from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son**.


*bought back: Hebrew padah - redeemed or ransomed.


**firstborn son: Firstborn sons had to be redeemed, presumably at this stage by the ‘payment’ of the sacrifice of a lamb (later it would become five shekels - Numbers 18:15-16). This was to be a continual sign to all of how Yahweh had spared the firstborn of Israel when He had smitten all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Later in 22:29, it is stated that the sacrificing was not to take place until the eighth day after the birth.


1 Corinthians 6:19-20: ...You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. - This is the essential meaning of the word "redeemed".


(14) “And in the future, your children* will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.


*your children: This idea of testimony to the young is constantly emphasized. It is seen as important that they know what Yahweh did for His people in revealing His strength against the might of Egypt and delivering them from bondage. It was a continual reminder to them of the power of their God and His love for His people. How good are we fathers at teaching our children?


(15) Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.’


(16) This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”


   You'll notice if you go over to the Wailing Wall how that the orthodox Jews when they come down, they'll wrap themselves with these little boxes (phylacteries) that they wrap on their wrists. Then they'll wrap the strap up their arm before they go up to the wall to pray. Also, they'll wrap another little leather box there on their forehead. In these little boxes are copies of the commandments of God. So they are to bind them to their wrists, and to their forehead. It's so that it might be in my mind to do the will of God; on your hand that it might be on the strength of your hand to do service to the Lord. And so the idea of doing service with my hands, and my mind being upon the law of God, and my hand doing the law of God. So they do this before they pray at the wall. They'll strap themselves and it is on their hand and on the frontlet, on their forehead, that it might be signifying, really, the mind to do the will of God, and the hand to do the work of God. -- www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd013.html


   Later, Jesus condemned abuse of the wearing of phylacteries (Hebrew-tephillin) among the Pharisees. They made their phylactery boxes large and ostentatious as a display of greater spirituality (Matthew 23:5). In the end times there will be a Satanic imitation of this practice when the number of the Antichrist will be applied to either the hand or forehead of all who will take it (Revelation 13:16).




Above picture is from encarta.msn.com/media_681500087/Donning_Phylacteries_for_Prayer.html


(17) When Pharaoh* finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road** that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”


*Pharaoh: His words (12:31-32) had been urgent and gave the impression that he would not mind if he never saw them again. He wanted rid of them at any cost because of what their presence had brought on himself and his people, and what their presence might continue to bring. Egypt was devastated, and now on top of the disasters every family in Egypt had lost its firstborn sons through some mysterious means. But underneath he was still the same obstinate and evil man. We can see therefore why he changed his mind a little later on, when he reconsidered his words once the worst seemed to be over. He had never ever been thwarted like this before. It was not just that Egypt were losing such a quantity of slaves, although that was bad enough, it was the fact that he had been totally humiliated. -- www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus3.html


**main road: Not only would this have led them directly into battle with the Philistines, but this was the main caravan and military route which was dotted with Egyptian forts. It commenced at the frontier post of Zilu and went straight up parallel to the coast and was at some stage called ‘the way of the land of the Philistines’. In the same way, God will never allow us to face more than we are able to bear; He knows what we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).


(18) So God led them in a roundabout way* through the wilderness toward the Red Sea**. Thus the Israelites left Egypt*** like an army ready for battle****.


*roundabout way: God always leads in the right way, but sometimes it is to us a round-about way, but we're expected to trust Him.


**Red Sea: Hebrew Yam Suph - Sea of Reeds or Papyri. The translation of this name as “Red Sea” comes from the sea’s Greek name in the Septuagint (Greek) version and elsewhere. The Red Sea on today’s maps is farther south, below the Sinai Peninsula. But the title Red Sea in ancient times may very well have covered both the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba (see Deuteronomy 1:1; 1 Kings 9:26). The name “Sea of Reeds” in various English versions (usually in the form of a marginal note) and commentaries reflects the meaning of the Hebrew word a word for reedy water plants (Exodus 2:3, 5; Isaiah 19:6; Jonah 2:5-6) that may have a connection with an Egyptian word used for papyrus and other marsh plants. On this basis some have taken the term Yam Suph as perhaps referring to Lake Menzaleh or Lake Ballah, which have abundant reeds, north of the extension of the Red Sea on the western side of Sinai. Whatever exact body of water is meant, it was not merely a marshy swamp that the people waded through, but a body of water large enough to make passage impossible without divine intervention, and deep enough to drown the Egyptian army. -- www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm


*** left Egypt: The name of this book is "Exodus", Greek for "departure" or "going out". In Luke 9:29-36 on the story of the transfiguration, where Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, in verse 31 in the New Living Translation, it says They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the King James version uses the term "decease" which loses the connection with the exodus from Egypt, a type of the world, because "exodus" is the Greek word used in the original. In other words, Jesus is not just discussing with Moses and Elijah his death, but the significance of his death - his exodus from this life to the next. He is a new Moses, leading the way for God's people to a new mode of existence. He is a new Moses, leading God's people to a new chosen land. -- page 286, "The NIV Application Commentary - Exodus" – Peter Enns – Zondervan™


****army ready for battle: Not an actual army, but organized in an orderly fashion (by tribe) rather than a rag-tag chaotic mob desperately fleeing for their lives from their Egyptian masters.


   Now the interesting thing is that by far the closest route to Israel would be right up the coast. It'd be the easiest way to go. Right through the land of the Philistines, right on into the land. They could actually make the journey within a week or so and be in the land. But God knew that they were not yet prepared. That if the Philistines would come out to meet them with war, their faith in God was not yet strong enough. Fear would grip their hearts; they would seek to return to Egypt. So the wilderness experience is necessary in order that they might have the experiences of trusting in God, learning what it is to have faith in God, learning the power of God. So that when they did finally come into the land and face the enemies, they would have great confidence and faith in God to deliver the land into their hands. So we find the wilderness experiences are experiences where they are learning how that God can meet their needs no matter what they be. That God is sufficient to take care of their needs, and how that God will answer and will respond to their prayers and to their needs. -- www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd013.html


(19) Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear to do this. He said, “God will certainly come to help you. When he does, you must take my bones* with you from this place.”


*take my bones: Genesis 50:24-25: “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.” In a great act of faith, Joseph asked that his bones be taken from Egypt. He did this because he knew that Egypt was not their final resting place, but that God had a Promised Land for them.


(20) The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham* on the edge of the wilderness.




Map above is from http://www.wyattmuseum.com/red-sea-crossing.htm


*Etham was in the "edge of the wilderness (the Wilderness of the Red Sea) -- the mountainous land of the mid and southern Sinai Peninsula. This was along a route that was commonly taken in those days by both caravans and the army, and it was called "the southern route." This route was taken because it was safer than traveling along the coast, where the Philistines were. Etham was not a singular location, like a town- it was a designation of the land that lay around the mid-northern edge of the Gulf of Aqaba. We know this because once they cross the sea, they are still in an area called Etham: Numbers 33:8 They left Pi-Hahiroth, crossed the Red Sea, then walked three days into the Etham Desert and camped at Marah. - www.wyattnewsletters.com/exodus/ex03.htm


(21) The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar* of cloud**, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire***. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.


*pillar: The ancient Hebrew for pillar literally means "something standing." It was probably more of what we would think of as a "column" than a pillar.


**pillar of cloud:

1 Corinthians 10:1-2: I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.

This Cloud rested upon the Tabernacle as soon as it was erected: Exodus 40:34-35 : Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

This cloud filled Solomon's temple: 1 Kings 8:10-11: When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.


***pillar of fire: As at the burning bush in 3:2. Fire usually denotes judgment.


Psalm 99:7: He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them.


Psalm 105:3: The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness


Nehemiah 9:12: You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.


(22) And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • "Cruden's Complete Concordance" - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "Breath of the Holies: Secrets of Moses' Tabernacle" - DVD by Perry Stone

  • "In Search of the Mountain of God" by Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "Life Application Study Bible" - New Living Translation version - Tyndale House Publishers

  • "Symbols of Judaism" by Marc-Alai Ouaknin - Barnes & Noble Books, publisher

  • "The Companion Bible" by E. W. Bullinger - Zondervan Publishing House

  • "The Exodus Revealed: Searching for the Red Sea Crossing" - (2001), DVD, Studio: Questar, ASIN: B00005AUE2, available from Amazon.com

  • "The Defender's Study Bible" -World Bible Publishers

  • "The Miracle of Passover" - DVD by Zola Levitt

  • "The Mountain of God" - Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook - Broadman & Holman Publishers

  • "The NIV Application Commentary - Exodus" – Peter Enns – Zondervan™

  • "The Seven Feasts of Israel - Video 1 - Passover" - Zola Levitt

  • "The Ten Commandments" (1956 film) from Paramount Pictures, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Charlton Heston as Moses

  • Unger's Bible Dictionary - Merrill F. Unger

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