Monday, October 23, 2006

Exodus 6

I am Yahweh — the Lord



1 Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand*, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”



*strong hand:

Exodus 13:9: 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.

Exodus 32:11: But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand?

Deuteronomy 5:15: Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

See also Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 6:21, Deuteronomy 7:8, Deuteronomy 7:19, Deuteronomy 26:8, Job 30:18, Psalm 44:3, Psalm 48:10, Psalm 89:21, Psalm 136:12, Jeremiah 21:5, Jeremiah 32:21, Ezekiel 20:34. As you can see, this concept of the "strong arm of God" is prominent in the Old Testament.



2 And God* said to Moses, “I am Yahweh**—‘the Lord.’



*God - Elohim



**Yahweh is a transliteration of the proper name YHWH. The key word in this chapter! The announcement “I am the Lord” (Heb “Yahweh”) draws in the preceding revelation in Exodus 3:15. In that place God called Moses to this task and explained the significance of the name “Yahweh” by the enigmatic expression “I am that I am.” “I am” (’ehyeh) is not a name; “Yahweh” is. But the explanation of the name with this sentence indicates that Yahweh is the one who is always there, and that guarantees the future, for everything he does is consistent with his nature. He is eternal, never changing; he remains. Now, in Exodus 6, the meaning of the name “Yahweh” will be more fully unfolded.



Exodus 3:15: God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.



3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai*—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh**, to them.



*El-Shaddai, meaning “God Almighty,” is the name for God used in Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3.



**Yahweh: He had not revealed Himself by that name in acts and great miracles.



   God tells Moses that He had appeared to their fathers as El Shaddai, the Almighty God, the God of the nations, the rather remote covenant maker. They had thus been made aware of His universality and greatness, and it was on that basis that He had been able to make the wide promises of blessing for all Abraham’s descendants, including those descended from Ishmael. This had been their life experience of God. But they had not experienced His individual, direct, activity on behalf of His chosen line establishing them as rulers over the land. They had not experienced the dynamic of His might and power as their covenant God bringing about the final fulfillment of His promises of possessing the land and being saved from all who hated them. That awaited the future.



   So while they had worshipped Yahweh, they had not ‘known His name’, that is, experienced Him in powerful action bringing about His promises as their covenant God. This was not to deny that Yahweh had been a name passed down from their ancestors under which they had worshipped Him, but it was to point out that they had not in their own time realized or experienced the full significance of that name as ‘the One Who acts’. El Shaddai had been the title that throbbed with significance, the God of the nations, the God Who held the future in His hands. Now all that was to be changed. Yahweh was about to make the very depths of His name known, the name that spoke of a powerful presence and activity, Who would be what He wanted to be as He had defined it in chapter 3.



   So the promise was that Moses and the people were not like the patriarchs to be given future hopes, they were now to be made aware in the fullest sense of the power contained within the name of Yahweh. They would ‘know by experience’ that He was Yahweh, ‘the One Who is there’, for He will reveal His power in the actual deliverance of His people ‘with a strong arm’. They were to see Him in action. They would not now just ‘know (be aware of) His name’ as something that was passed down, they would know it in the depths of their experience because of His powerful activity. It will be made known by what He does.



   If you asked many today, ‘do you know of Jesus Christ?’ they would reply, ‘Yes, of course’. But if they were asked, ‘do you know Him? Have you experienced His saving power?,’ they would not know what you were talking about. They do not know Him. He has not made Himself known to them. They simply know about Him.



   The patriarchs knew the name Yahweh (it is used some 160 times in Genesis); but the great application of the name referred to God who kept and fulfilled the covenant. The patriarchs were privileged to know the God who made the covenant, but for them the covenant was barely fulfilled. The patriarchs knew God as the Maker of the covenant. Moses and the generation of the Exodus would know God as the One who fulfilled the covenant. - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0206.htm



4 And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.



5 You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel*, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.



*people of Israel - sons of Israel.



6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord*. I will** free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.



*Lord: Yahweh



**I will: Verse 6 - I will free you, Verse 6 - I will redeem you, Verse 7 - I will claim you, Verse 8 - I will bring you, Verse 8 - I will give it to you..



7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God*. Then you will know that I am the Lord** your God* who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.



*God: Elohim



**Lord: Yahweh



8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord*!’”



*Lord: Yahweh



9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord* had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.



*Lord: Elohim



10 Then the Lord* said to Moses,



*Lord: Yahweh



11 “Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his country.”



12 “But Lord*!” Moses objected. “My own people won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker**!



*Lord: Yahweh



**clumsy speaker: Hebrew - I have uncircumcised lips; also in 6:30. Uncircumcised lips: or, "sealed/overhanging language"--i.e., he stumbled over his own mouth as he spoke. Isaiah also said he had "unclean lips" and needed to have them purified before he could speak for Yahweh. - www.1bread.org/scripture/Exodus/VaEra.html



13 But the Lord* spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.



*Lord: Yahweh



14 These are the ancestors of some of the clans of Israel: The sons of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their descendants became the clans of Reuben.



15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s mother was a Canaanite woman.) Their descendants became the clans of Simeon.



16 These are the descendants of Levi*, as listed in their family records: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (Levi lived to be 137 years old.)



*The genealogy from Levi to Moses through Kohath and Amram is abbreviated to just 4 generations although the stay in Egypt is said to be 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41). Therefore, the listing is only of the "major" ancestors of Moses.



17 The descendants of Gershon included Libni and Shimei, each of whom became the ancestor of a clan.



18 The descendants of Kohath included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Kohath lived to be 133 years old.)



19 The descendants of Merari included Mahli and Mushi These are the clans of the Levites, as listed in their family records.



20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she gave birth to his sons, Aaron and Moses. (Amram lived to be 137 years old.)



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



22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.



23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she gave birth to his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.



24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. Their descendants became the clans of Korah.



25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to his son, Phinehas*. These are the ancestors of the Levite families, listed according to their clans.



*Phinehas: Numbers 25:7-8, 11; 31:6; Joshua 22:13, 22:30-33; Judges 20:28



26 The Aaron and Moses* named in this list are the same ones to whom the Lord** said, “Lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.”



*Aaron and Moses: The purpose of the listing of the descendants is to show the legitimacy of Moses and Aaron and also the legitimacy of Phinehas.



**Lord: Elohim



27 It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt.



28 When the Lord* spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,



*Lord: Yahweh



29 he said to him, “I am the Lord*! Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I am telling you.”



*Lord: Yahweh



30 But Moses argued with the Lord*, saying, “I can’t do it! I’m such a clumsy speaker**! Why should Pharaoh listen to me?”



*Lord: Yahweh



*clumsy speaker: See verse 12






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

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

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

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

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Exodus 5

First Encounter with Pharaoh



1 After this presentation to Israel's leaders, Moses and Aaron* went to see Pharaoh. They told him, "This is what the LORD**, the God of Israel, says: `Let my people go, for they must go out into the wilderness to hold a religious festival in my honor.' "



*Moses and Aaron: Remember what God said in Exodus 3:18 - The leaders (elders) of the people of Israel will accept your message. Then all of you must go straight to the king of Egypt - Did the elders chicken out? Jewish tradition is that Moses did take them with him, but one by one, they lost their nerve and dropped out. What lesson can we draw from this for ourselves?



**LORD: Yahweh (YHWH) (Jehovah)



2 "Is that so?" retorted Pharaoh. "And who is the LORD* that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don't know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go**."



*who is the LORD?: A common question to day - people refuse to listen to what God has to say and say He doesn't exist, even though the evidence of Him is everywhere (Romans 1:20). Pharaoh did not know Yahweh and wasn't about to hear about this strange wilderness Hebrew god whom he considered powerless before the son of Ra. After all, the Hebrew god must be pretty weak to allow his followers to be slaves instead of rulers. This shows that this is not a battle between Moses and Pharaoh, but a battle between Pharaoh who considered himself to be a god and the Hebrew god Yahweh. We'll learn later that it is even deeper than that - it is a battle between Yahweh and the gods of Egypt (who actually stand in for Satan). Soon enough, Pharaoh will learn who is the LORD (Yahweh). One of God's goals is that Pharaoh will KNOW Him - 7:17, 8:10, 8:22, 8:14, 9:29, 10:2, 11:7, 14:4, 14:18. Bear in mind also that Egypt is always a "type" of the world. Pharaoh will come to know this Yahweh, but not in any pleasant way. To demonstrate the supremacy of the true God over all the gods of Egypt, was the design of the plagues.



   Each Pharaoh was said to be the child of the sun; he was a friend to the greatest gods of Egypt and sat with them in their own temples to receive worship alongside them. Pharaoh was nothing like a public servant; the entire public lived to serve the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh was more than a man; he considered himself a god, and the Egyptians agreed.



   Remember back in Joseph's time, 430 years before this, when there was 7 years of famine in Egypt? Joseph took not only the money of the people, their property and their cattle, but he even made them slaves of Pharaoh in exchange for grain. Only the priests were exempt. So he's god in Egypt. He owns the people that are free, and he certainly owns the people that are slaves. In Pharaoh's eyes, "I am a bigger god than Yahweh," and he knows what Moses wants. Three days is a rather indefinite expression. It probably means unlimited. It is like the Hebrew expression for "previously." Yesterday and then to the third day back is how they express it in Hebrew. He knows what Moses wants. He wants the people out of Egypt. "No way is he going to get that. No two-bit god is going to tell me what to do." And that is the way he looks upon Yahweh right now, as a two-bit god. So he tells Moses, "Get back to your labors. You're not going to take the people out of here." They were the greatest energy source in all Egypt at the time. It would be like this country giving away oil. Source: www.pbc.org/library/files/html/14743_moses06.html



**I will not let Israel go: Exodus 4:21 - Then the LORD reminded him, "When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will make him stubborn so he will not let the people go. According to 1 Samuel 6:6, God didn't harden the Pharaoh's heart; the Pharaoh did it himself - Don't be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. They wouldn't let Israel go until God had ravaged them with dreadful plagues.
















































Name Meaning Scripture
Yahweh Jireh The Lord our Provider Genesis 22:14
Yahweh Rapha The Lord our Healer Exodus 15:26
Yahweh Nissi The Lord our Banner Exodus 17:15
Yahweh Maccaddeshcem The Lord our Sanctifier Exodus 31:13
Yahweh Shalom The Lord our Peace Judges 6:24
Yahweh Ro’i The Lord our Shepard Psalm 23:1
Yahweh Tsidkenu The Lord our Righteousness Jeremiah 23:6
Yahweh Shammah The Lord is There! Ezekiel 48:35


3 But Aaron and Moses persisted. "The God of the Hebrews has met with us*," they declared. "Let us take a three-day** trip into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don't, we will surely die by disease or the sword."



*The God of the Hebrews has met with us: Could be translated "God is on our side"! God here is "Elohim". They've abandoned the use of His name, Yahweh (YHWH), and now use a term that Pharaoh would more easily understand. Obviously, also, Moses and Aaron are speaking in Egyptian, not Hebrew. Pharaoh not only would not speak or understand Hebrew, he'd refuse to use a slave's language. The implication here, that Pharaoh can't miss, is that they obey their god Yahweh, not the god Pharaoh - a clear act of defiance!



**three-day: Jesus was raised on the 3rd day. We're to worship on resurrection ground. Later it would also be pointed out that it was necessary to go out of sight of their Egyptian neighbors because they would be offended at the sacrifices offered by the Israelites at such a great feast (8.26). For some of the animals slaughtered were seen as sacred by many Egyptians, and to see them killed would be to rouse them to extreme violence. It is not saying that they will be gone three days, but that they will go a distance that will take three days to cover. They would go to the desert because there was no homeland yet. Moses later spoke of the journey as necessary to avoid offending Egyptian sensibilities (8:25-26).



4 "Who do you think you are," Pharaoh shouted, "distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!



5 Look, there are many people here in Egypt, and you are stopping them from doing their work."



6 That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the slave drivers and foremen he had set over the people of Israel:


   The slave drivers (taskmasters) were Egyptians. It is the word for a boss of a labor gang. Then the labor gang had a Jewish foreman. They were the ones the slave drivers were beating. They couldn't beat all the Israelites out there, so they would beat their substitute, the foremen. How do you get Jews to work? Put other Jews over them and then beat the other Jew.



7 "Do not supply the people with any more straw* for making bricks. Let them get it themselves!



*straw: Mixing straw with mud made bricks stronger and more durable. Straw was required to make the bricks, probably to act as a binding agent. This has been confirmed by the examination of Egyptian brickwork. The bricks were made of Nile mud mixed with the straw and were made in frames or moulds and then left to dry in the sun. But the people were now to be required to gather the straw themselves and yet maintain the level of production. An interesting supporting comment is found in an Egyptian papyrus in which a man, who had to supervise or construct a building, said, "I am not provided with anything. There are no men for making bricks, and there is no straw in the district." The use of straw in making bricks in Egypt during this period is confirmed by archaeology.



   The ancient bricks are nearly all stamped with the name of a king, and they were formed of clay mixed with chopped straw and dried or hardened in the sun.





   Although the ancient Egyptians are best known for their stone monuments, they also used mud bricks extensively for building. The brick above, which bears the cartouche of Ramses II, was found within the walls of his great mortuary temple along with many reused bricks stamped with the names of his predecessors. The bricks were made from river mud and straw, shaped in wooden molds and left to dry in the sun; the cartouche or other inscription was stamped on the brick while it was still damp and soft. The ancient Egyptian word for brick was "debet," a word that has come into our modern vocabulary through the Spanish as "adobe," meaning sun-dried brick.



8 But don't reduce their production quotas by a single brick. They obviously don't have enough to do. If they did, they wouldn't be talking about going into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to their God.



9 Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to these liars!"



   Pharaoh is saying that Moses and Aaron are liars and simply dreamed up this idea to let the people either get time off or even to flee. He intends to drive a wedge between them and the people of Israel so that the Hebrews won't pay any further attention to Moses and Aaron. To Pharaoh, these people are his property and they are being lazy and he intends to teach them a lesson. The words of Moses are here called “lying words”. Here is the main reason, then, for Pharaoh’s new policy. He wanted to discredit Moses. So the words that Moses spoke, Pharaoh calls false and lying words. Soon, God would reveal that they were true words. Pharaoh was less interested in the productivity that he could get out of the people, than he was with demonstrating to the people that he was god over them.



10 So the slave drivers and foremen informed the people: "Pharaoh has ordered us not to provide straw for you.



11 Go and get it yourselves. Find it wherever you can. But you must produce just as many bricks as before!"



12 So the people scattered throughout the land in search of straw.



13 The slave drivers were brutal. "Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did before!" they demanded.



14 Then they whipped the Israelite foremen in charge of the work crews. "Why haven't you met your quotas either yesterday or today?" they demanded.



15 So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. "Please don't treat us like this," they begged.



   What's going on now? Note the personal pronouns used here. What has happened to the belief of the Children of Israel? Whose servants are they? They just got through worshipping Yahweh. They just got through seeing the signs of Yahweh, and whom are they worshipping now? First time the pressure is on, "your servants, your servants, your servants." They are back bowing down to Pharaoh.



16 "We are given no straw, but we are still told to make as many bricks as before. We are beaten for something that isn't our fault! It is the fault of your slave drivers for making such unreasonable demands."



17 But Pharaoh replied, "You're just lazy! You obviously don't have enough to do. If you did, you wouldn't be saying, `Let us go, so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD.'



18 Now, get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still deliver the regular quota of bricks."



19 Since Pharaoh would not let up on his demands, the Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble.



20 As they left Pharaoh's court, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them.



21 The foremen* said to them, "May the LORD judge you for getting us into this terrible situation with Pharaoh** and his officials. You have given them an excuse to kill us!"



*foremen: obviously Hebrews since the refer to the LORD.



**Hebrew: for making us a stench in the nostrils of Pharaoh.



22 So Moses went back to the LORD and protested, "Why have you mistreated your own people like this, Lord*? Why did you send me?



*Lord: Adonai



   Moses was expecting immediate results and fewer problems. But, God had told Moses that Pharaoh would resist. Moses' impatience later costs him the privilege to enter the promised land with his people. Exodus 3:19-20: "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go except under heavy pressure. So I will reach out and strike at the heart of Egypt with all kinds of miracles. Then at last he will let you go. As far as God is concerned, everything is moving according to plan.



23 Since I gave Pharaoh your message, he has been even more brutal to your people. You have not even begun to rescue them!"






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

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

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

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

Monday, October 02, 2006

Exodus 4

Moses - The Reluctant Leader



1 But Moses protested again, "Look, they (Israel) won't believe me! They won't do what I tell them. They'll just say, `The LORD never appeared to you.'"



   How do we react when God calls us to do the hard thing or what we perceive as impossible? Moses suspected they wouldn't believe him because of what happened in Exodus 2:14. In Exodus 3:18, God already told Moses that the leaders of Israel will listen to him, but he doesn't believe God's promise! Before, Moses had pleaded inability (3:11) and that the people would want to know by Whose power he came (3:13), and now he simply states that they will not believe that Yahweh has appeared to him.



   This was a totally different Moses from the one who ‘was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.’ Forty years earlier he had been supremely confident in his own abilities but in doing so had not relied on the Lord and had raced like a horse ahead of God’s plan. Despite Moses' stubbornness, this is the Moses which God chose to use. Humility and meekness are virtues that the Lord loves to mold into a person’s character and Moses definitely had these. Although, we need to be careful that we don’t focus so much on our own weakness that we start to use it as an excuse for disobedience. This, Moses was doing here and we read that the Lord’s anger burned against Moses. - www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/exodus3.htm



2 Then the LORD* asked him, "What do you have there in your hand?"
"A shepherd's staff**," Moses replied.



*LORD: Jehovah or Yahweh



**staff: God sometimes uses the most ordinary thing (or person) to accomplish great things. The same rod (staff) David talks about in Psalm 23:4; it’s the rod, the staff that comforts him. A shepherd's rod usually had events from his whole life carved into it (his encounters with danger, his victories, the significant events), so his rod represented his identity. To answer his own question, he needed to look at his own past - his own training as both a leader and a keeper of flocks, and realize that he was indeed specially groomed for this task. That rod of Moses would part the Red Sea. It would strike a rock and see water pour forth. It would be raised over battle until Israel was victorious. It would be called the rod of God (Exodus 4:20; 17:9). - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0204.htm



   The shepherd's staff represented two things to Moses: identity and security. Where do you find your identity? Where do you find your security? Is it a job? A relationship? A brokerage account? A title or degree or position?



3 "Throw it down* on the ground," the LORD told him. So Moses threw it down, and it became a snake**! Moses was terrified, so he turned and ran away.



*Throw it down: Sometimes you have to throw down what is in your hand so God can make you into who He wants you to be. If you hold on to the staff you'll count sheep the rest of your life. You'll never know what you could have accomplished with God's help. You'll never know who you could have become. Your staff will remain a staff. Your success doesn't depend on what's in your hand. Read the Exodus account and you'll find three distinct references to "hand." God says He is going to stretch out His mighty hand. He promises the Israelites that they won't exodus Egypt empty-handed. And He tells Moses to throw down what is in his hand. Here is the fundamental mistake we make: we think the way to avoid being empty-handed is by hanging on to what we have. The real key is throwing down what is in your hand so that God can stretch out His hand and fill your hand with what's in His hand. But God can't put something in your hand if you're clutching your staff. - www.evotional.com/2005/09/summer-reflectionsthrow-down-your.html.



**snake: The same word as for the serpent that appeared to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Here, most likely, a cobra because it was one of the symbols of pharaoh. Pharaoh was portrayed as a god, always the son of Amon-Ra, ruling not merely by divine right but by divine birth, as a deity tolerating the earth as his home. On his head was the falcon, symbol of Horus; from his forehead rose the serpent, symbol of wisdom and life, and communicating magic virtues to the crown.



   The Egyptians believed in the sacred snake as a symbol of protection, often on Pharaoh’s brow leading him to victory in battle. But to Israel the snake represented the traditional enemy of God (Genesis 3). Here it would be demonstrated that the one represented by the snake had been mastered by GodSatan is the real power behind the throne. And so Exodus is much about the battle between God and Satan.





4 Then the LORD told him, "Take hold of its tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it*, and it became a shepherd's staff again.



*reached out and grabbed it: Would have required a great deal of faith, because the snake could easily have bitten Moses that way.



   So Moses learned not to fear ‘the snake’ and all that it symbolized of Pharaoh and of other-world powers, for he now knew that God controlled the snake. This was his first practical step in trusting God. And he had learned by it not to be afraid of the Serpent who lay behind it all, or of the Pharaoh whose head bore the snake. And he could demonstrate to Israel that they need not be afraid either. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus1.html



5 "Perform this sign, and they will believe you," the LORD told him. "Then they will realize that the LORD, the God of their ancestors--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob--really has appeared to you."



   Note the continued emphasis on ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’ (3:15&16 and here).



6 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Put your hand inside your robe." Moses did so, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with leprosy*.



*leprosy: Or with a contagious skin disease. This sudden skin disease indicated that God was able to bring such diseases on Egypt in the plagues and that only he could remove them. The whitening was the first stage of death for the diseased (Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27). The Hebrew words traditionally rendered “leprous” or “leprosy,” as they are used in Leviticus 13 and 14, encompass a variety of conditions, not limited to the disease called leprosy and identified as Hansen’s disease in modern times.



7 "Now put your hand back into your robe again," the LORD said. Moses did, and when he took it out this time, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.



8 "If they do not believe the first miraculous sign, they will believe the second," the LORD said.



9 "And if they do not believe you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, it will turn into blood."



   The Nile god was seen as one of Egypt’s greatest gods, responsible for much of its prosperity. If Yahweh could make him bleed, He could do anything. The water of the mighty Nile god, that water which was the very life of the people, could be turned by Him into blood. It was a symbol of what Yahweh could do to the Nile and to Egypt. It warned that if the Egyptians would not do what God demanded their future would be saturated in blood, for the Nile symbolized Egypt. He would ‘slay’ the Nile and with it many of the people of the Nile god who had claimed so many Israelite victims at their hands. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus1.html



10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker*. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me. I'm clumsy with words."



*not a good speaker: literally "heavy of mouth." NO, NO - NOT ME - Pick someone else, but not me! The idea that he had a speech impediment such as stuttering was a later rabbinic tradition but Stephen says in Acts 7:22 says Moses was “mighty in words”.


   Moses continued to seek to avoid his unwelcome assignment. This time he argued that he was no good at refined conversation. In those days eloquence was looked on as vital in diplomacy, and requests, submissions and arguments were seen as needing to be couched in flowery language. Thus, Moses felt that he was not suitable. Through living with the Midianites, he felt that he had long since lost any ability he had to be flowery in his speech like a diplomat. He was now a rough and ready tribesman. And he knew that meeting Yahweh had not improved the situation. Yahweh’s reply was to point to Who was behind Moses. Does he not recognize that He is the One controls all man’s functions? He could therefore enable Moses and show him what to say. But Moses was still reluctant. He was too aware of his inability in that field, and besides, he did not like the whole idea. His next words make that clear. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus1.html



11 "Who makes mouths?" the LORD asked him. "Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the LORD?



   Moses is really bothered by this. Everyone speculates as to what this is. There have been suggestions this is a speech impediment. There have been suggestions that this is a loss of some of his linguistic skills, even though he’d grown up in Egypt. Even though he had grown up speaking their language, perhaps he was fearful that he had lost the pronunciation or the touch in his forty years in the wilderness. I don’t know what it is, but the point is, Moses’ worry misses the point. God has not chosen him because he’s eloquent. Eloquence is not what is needed. A man who simply speaks the truth is that which is needed. And Paul recognized this in his own day. If you turn to 2 Corinthians 10:10, Paul himself was accused by the Corinthians of being fairly unimpressive in his public speech when he was preaching amongst them. They apparently thought Apollos was a lot better preacher than Paul. God takes Moses right back to the doctrine of creation. If God has called Moses, he can give Moses what Moses needs. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%201%20&%202/05bExo.htm



12 Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say."



   It is never "God is so mighty we can't do anything," but it is always "God is so mighty, He can work through us if we make ourselves available." - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0204.htm



13 But Moses again pleaded, "Lord*, please! Send someone else."



*Lord: Adonai rather than Jehovah! Moses has run out of excuses. Now, he's revealing his real attitude - he just plain does not want to go!



14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses. "All right," he said. "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? He is a good speaker. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. And when he sees you, he will be very glad.



   Literally, "his nose became red". He was already bringing him out to meet Moses and then he could act as his spokesman. But Moses must take final responsibility. Moses was God’s chosen spokesman. God had already anticipated Moses’ reaction and had already made provision for it. God knew ahead how Moses would respond and had called Aaron to come. (Remember that they didn't have e-mail back then). God's foreknowledge does not interfere with our free choice.



15 You will talk to him, giving him the words to say. I will help both of you to speak clearly, and I will tell you what to do.


16 Aaron* will be your spokesman** to the people, and you will be as God** to him, telling him what to say.



*Aaron is a type of Christ as both priest and prophet. Moses is a type of Christ as King. Only Christ and Melchizedek are/were priest-kings.



**spokesman: Literally "he will be to you a mouth." The background to these words is clearly Egyptian. There "mouth" (ra) is used metaphorically for a representative of Pharaoh. The office of a "mouth" was so important that it was held by the highest State dignitaries. The titles “mouth” and "chief mouth" were used for chief superintendents and overseers of public works who acted as intermediaries between the Pharaoh and the Government officials. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus1.html



***as God: standing in God’s place. As Pharaoh’s ‘mouths’ spoke for him as a god, so Aaron will parallel these high officials and speak in the name of Moses. God will say to Moses later, “I will make you a god to Pharaoh (Exodus 7.1).”



17 And be sure to take your shepherd's staff along so you can perform the miraculous signs I have shown you."



   From now on this staff, which will have delivered God’s first sign, (and is here linked also with the other signs) will be called ‘the staff of God’ (verse 20). It will be with Moses, and often used by Aaron, in all his future activities, a reminder that the power of Yahweh was with him and that his authority was derived from God, and that thereby he could control the snake, and smite and heal. It was a visible evidence of God’s presence with him, and through it he would soon perform many other signs. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus1.html



   Pharaoh was considered by himself and his people to be a god. He was considered to be the living manifestation of two Egyptian gods, Ra, the god of the sun and Horace, the god of death. These two gods were sovereign over all gods; and so the story of the Exodus is the story of the God of Israel entering into contests with the god of Egypt, the self-proclaimed god of Egypt, Pharaoh, and Egypt's many gods. In the Near Eastern world the gods are constantly depicted as having staffs or scepters or rods. This shows their power, it’s an artistic or literary expression of their power and their authority. For Moses to go into Egypt carrying the rod of God is a visible depiction that he goes wielding the power of God. It is a picture that even Pharaoh would have understood. When somebody shows up in Pharaoh’s court with a rod, Pharaoh knows that somebody is there claiming authority. And that is, of course, precisely what God wanted Pharaoh to receive as far as the message. But notice again here that God is the real deliverer of Israel. Moses has to be commanded to go down into Egypt, he has to ask permission of his father-in-law to go down into Egypt. He has to be assured by God that it’s safe to go back to Egypt, and he has to be clothed with God’s might. So God sends Moses as His deliverer, but God is the One who is the real the deliverer of Israel. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%201%20&%202/06aExo.htm



18 Then Moses went back home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. "With your permission," Moses said, "I would like to go back to Egypt to visit my family. I don't even know whether they are still alive."
"Go with my blessing," Jethro replied.



   Moses doesn't tell Jethro the whole story! Perhaps, he was afraid Jethro would think the whole thing absurd or that Moses was crazy. Or, perhaps, Moses was afraid Jethro would try to talk Moses out of it. Jethro was leader of the family tribe and had to be consulted. Tribal loyalty was seen as extremely important. Moses could not just go off at will. On the other hand, family loyalty was seen as equally important, so permission was unlikely to be refused.



19 Before Moses left Midian, the LORD said to him, "Do not be afraid to return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead."



20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God*.



*the staff of God: It was the staff of Moses, but now it's the staff of God! Moses' identity and security are no longer his own.



21 Then the LORD reminded him, "When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will make him stubborn so he will not let the people go.



   Who really hardened Pharaoh's heart? We might say that it was both God and Pharaoh; but whenever God hardened Pharaoh's heart, He never did it against Pharaoh's will. Pharaoh never said, "Oh, I want to do what is good and right and I want to bless these people of Israel" and God answered, "No, for I will harden your heart against them!" When God hardened Pharaoh's heart, He allowed Pharaoh's heart to do what Pharaoh wanted to do - God was giving Pharaoh over to his sin. - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0204.htm. According to 1 Samuel 6:6, God didn't harden the Pharaoh's heart; the Pharaoh did it himself.



22 Then you will tell him, `This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son.



   First of all, in verse 22 we see a phrase introduced that has never been used before in the Bible but will be used hundreds of times hereafter. It is the phrase, Thus says the Lord. Or in the King James, "Thus sayeth the Lord." It is classic Near Eastern formula whereby a prophet announces that he is delivering the words of the deity verbatim. Everyone in the Near East would have known that when a prophet entered the room and announced"thus sayeth the Lord", he was claiming to speak not his own words, not his own ideas, but the very words of the god who had sent him. And in this passage Moses is to announce to Pharaoh that what is about to be spoken to him is the very word of the God of Israel. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%201%20&%202/06aExo.htm



   The first sonship relates to Yahweh Himself. In verse 22 He declares true Israel’s relationship with Him. He declares, ‘Israel is my son, my firstborn.’ What amazing words were these. They depicted God’s love for Israel as being like a father’s love for his firstborn son. He was declaring that they had become so precious to Him that He had adopted them as His firstborn. It was they who were chosen to receive His inheritance. It is this concept that lies at the root of all that will follow. Israel as a whole is His son, Israel as He intended it to be. It was on them that He had set His love.



   The use of the term firstborn demonstrates how important God’s people are to Him. The firstborn son was always received with the greatest joy. Here was the one who would inherit and maintain the continuance of the family name. Here was the one who would receive the choice portion. He was highly prized. And this was what Israel were to God.


   We have here the paradox of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Pharaoh would in fact have been hardhearted in this matter whatever God did. But the writer recognizes that all is of God, and therefore if he was hardhearted, then God had done it. (And even then Pharaoh chased after Israel once he had let them go, which was very much the result of his own hardness of heart).



   Central to God’s actions is His love for Israel. As the descendants of Jacob, they are as a firstborn son to Him. As He cherished Abraham, Isaac and Jacob so will He cherish these His people. He is their father and they are his adopted son, treated as His firstborn and therefore of great importance.



   The people to be brought out of Egypt had practically lost their spiritual character. They would be born again as they made their pledge of faithfulness, but this could not happen in Egypt.



23 I commanded you to let him go, so he could worship me. But since you have refused, be warned! I will kill your firstborn son!' "



   Then he must issue him with a dire warning. He must tell him that Israel is to Yahweh like a firstborn son, beloved and treasured, and that because he has refused them permission to go to worship Him and offer sacrifices to Him in the wilderness He will slay Pharaoh’s firstborn in return. If he sought to break Yahweh’s heart, Yahweh would break his heart. This will be a direct challenge to Pharaoh’s deity. He may see himself as a god, as may his people, but the assertion is that he will not be able to protect his son, also a budding god. And he will deserve it. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus1.html



24 On the journey, when Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the LORD confronted Moses and was about to kill him.



   The next section (verses 24-26) records a rather strange story. God had said that if Pharaoh would not comply he would kill his son – but now God was ready to kill Moses, the representative of Israel, God’s own son. Apparently, one would reconstruct that on the journey Moses fell seriously ill, but his wife, learning the cause of the illness, saved his life by circumcising her son and casting the foreskin at Moses’ feet (indicating that it was symbolically Moses’ foreskin). The point is that this son of Abraham had not complied with the sign of the Abrahamic covenant. No one, according to Exodus 12:40-51, would take part in the Passover-exodus who had not complied. So how could the one who was going to lead God’s people not comply? Since Moses was taking his family with him, God had to make sure the sign of the covenant was kept. It may be that here Moses sent them all back to Jethro (18:2) because of the difficulties that lay ahead.



25 But Zipporah, his wife, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She threw the foreskin at Moses' feet and said, "What a blood-smeared bridegroom you are to me!"



   Moses had failed to circumcise his son on the eighth day! The question was to whom Moses owed authority, that was why the circumcision of his son was so important. This may suggest that his wife was refusing to allow her son to be circumcised out of loyalty to her own tribe. Once she agreed to the circumcision, the issue was resolved, which may have been why she was so angry at being thwarted. It was a sign of disobedience and refusal to respond to the covenant requirements. And it may well have indicated the divided loyalties of his family. And this with Moses of all people, the one who would act in the name of the covenant! Thus God moved in to warn him.



   ‘Her son.’ The relative pronoun may signify that she saw the firstborn as especially her son, or it may be that while Moses had insisted on circumcising his firstborn son, his wife had claimed the second to be more peculiarly hers, and had resisted his being circumcised.



26 (When she called Moses a "blood-smeared bridegroom," she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the LORD left him alone.



27 Now the LORD had said to Aaron, "Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses." So Aaron traveled to the mountain of God, where he found Moses and greeted him warmly.



   Despite his life in Egypt, Aaron was still hearing from YHWH. YHWH already had a man in Egypt. Yet he needed to go out to get Moses before the deliverance could occur. How was Aaron free to leave Egypt? Some traditions say the Levites were never enslaved, since the priests always had special privileges in Egypt.



28 Moses then told Aaron everything the LORD had commanded them to do and say. And he told him about the miraculous signs they were to perform.



29 So Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called the leaders of Israel to a meeting.



30 Aaron told them everything the LORD had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched.



31 The leaders were soon convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. And when they realized that the LORD had seen* their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped.



*seen: Watched over: or visited, mustered, numbered. The last time a Hebrew had spoken to Moses, the message to him was “Who made you our judge?” But after 40 years, the tables have turned.






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

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

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

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