I invite you to watch or listen to a message I preached at Hillsdale Baptist Church, Tampa, FL, on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Much of the sermon is narrative in style, but the content and applications are powerful.
Joseph’s brothers’ hatred brought him to Egypt, but God’s providence guided him from slavery and prison to serve as the ruler of Egypt and second only to Pharaoh. Two decades passed, and like many, Joseph’s brothers lived a lie and never confessed to their father that they had sold Joseph into slavery (left him believing a wild beast had killed his son). Yet, in the sovereignty of the LORD, Jacob’s sons would come face to face with their brother. (Genesis 42)
Text – Genesis 41-43
Topic – God’s Sovereignty and Providential Care
Series – “Logos: A Journey of Faith, Hope, and Love”
We depart from the Book of Numbers to consider Psalm 90 for today’s Scripture reading. Psalm 90 is a prayer of intercession and a song of praise that was authored by Moses and is the oldest of the Psalms. Indeed, it would have been one of the psalms heard in the Temple and sung by the people when they assembled in the wilderness before the Tabernacle.
Scholars generally place Psalm 90 about the time Israel rebelled and turned back from the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). The context is most likely when the people began murmuring against the LORD, and He threatened to “smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them” (Numbers 14:11-12). Moses implored the LORD to spare the congregation (Numbers 14:13-19), and I believe Psalm 90 memorialized that occasion.
The LORD had proven to Israel that He was a “dwelling place,” a refuge, a safe place (90:1). He had revealed He was the Creator (90:2a) and had set the foundations of the mountains and “formed the earth and the world” (90:2). He is “from everlasting to everlasting,” the Sovereign God of eternity (90:2). Indeed, man is temporal, and destined for “destruction” (90:3). Nevertheless, the God of Israel is a righteous judge, and in His sight, “a thousand years…are but as yesterday” (91:4).
What is man? (Psalm 90:4-12)
When I was young, I did not fully grasp the meaning of Psalm 90:4. There, Moses wrote, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (90:4). I have come to know too well the fleeting of time, and life. I have seen lives and even a generation pass, and it seemed “as a watch in the night” (90:4).
Imagine the emotions that swept over Moses. He gazed upon the sea of humanity that was Israel. Because of their rebellion, Moses realized all but two (Joshua and Caleb) that were 20 years and older would perish in the wilderness (90:5-8). They would never see the land God had promised the nation for an inheritance (90:9).
You might recall that the longevity of human life at the beginning of Creation and recorded in Genesis was often 800 to 900 years (Genesis 5). Yet, as Moses wrote Psalm 90, we read that he reflected on the brevity of life cut short by sin. He pondered how some lived “threescore years and ten” (70) and reflected how others, “by reason of strength,” live “fourscore years” (90:10). Yet, their lives are a testimony of toil and disappointment and are “soon cut off” (90:10).
Understanding the brevity of life and having provoked and witnessed the wrath of the LORD (90:11), Moses urged the people: “So teach us to number our days [make them count], that we may apply [give]our hearts [understanding; i.e., thoughts]unto wisdom” (90:12).
Psalm 90 concluded with Moses appealing to the LORD to “return” to His people and favor them with His mercy (90:13-14). He longed for the afflictions and sorrows to be lifted, and Israel once again “rejoice and be glad” (90:14-15).
Closing thoughts:
How different would life be if you knew the day, hour, and year God has appointed for your death? (Hebrews 9:27) Every day is a gift of God’s loving grace and should be numbered and treasured. If we did so, would we not find the things that consume our thoughts and time to be trivial? On the other hand, we might regard the moments to which we are prone to give little thought as sacred and to be savored.
Thus, in light of the temporal nature of life, let us set aside pettiness and be grateful for the day the LORD has given. Let the passion of our heart reflect Moses’ prayer:
“Let the beauty [grace, and favor]of the Lord our God be upon us: And establish thou [LORD] the work of our hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” (90:17)
Questions to consider:
1) What attributes of God did Moses list in Psalm 90:1-2?
2) What metaphors (images) did Moses use to describe human life? (Psalm 90:5-6)
3) Understanding the brevity of life, what are two things you can do to establish the right priorities? (90:12)
4) What did Moses pray the people would see concerning the LORD? (Psalm 90:16-17)
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Much had happened since Moses shepherded Israel out of Egypt. Leading a people who had suffered the oppression of slavery for four centuries was daunting and exhausting. Only three months had passed (19:1), but already the tribes of Israel had experienced the joys of victory and the despair of hardships that included thirst and hunger. However, above and beyond the physical stress of the journey, Moses faced the constant threat of murmuring and insurrection, to the point that he feared the people were “almost ready to stone” him (17:4). Having followed the counsel of his father-in-law, Moses had chosen, taught, and delegated to capable men the task of judging the people in “small matters” (18:20-25) and freeing him to judge “the hard causes” (18:26).
“In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai…[and] were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount” (19:1-2). Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb, had been the place God first spoke to Moses out of the burning bush (3:1-6). Here, the LORD promised Moses, “When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain” (3:12).
Israel encamped at Mount Sinai for the next eleven months, during which time God gave Moses His Law and Commandments. At this time, Israel was transformed from twelve tribes of enslaved people to a mighty nation with one God and one Law.
While the people pitched their tents at the base of Sinai, “Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain” (19:3). Acting as Israel’s mediator, the LORD charged Moses with the task of reminding the people all that He had done for them. Then, in a statement that evidenced His loving grace and mercy, the LORD described how He had thrust His people out of Egypt, carrying them along with the tenderness and speed of an eagle that shadows her eaglets (19:4).
Moses was charged with reminding the people that if they would obey God’s voice and keep His covenant, He would “treasure” them “above all people” (19:5). The LORD promised Israel would be “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (19:5-6). God would later ordain Aaron and his sons to serve Israel as His priests; however, He desired that Israel would be a holy nation and “a light of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6).
As God’s mediator, Moses called “the elders of the people” together and presented the LORD’s proposition (19:7). We read, with one voice, “all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord” (19:8).
To fulfill the institution of the covenant, Moses commanded the people to personally and ceremonially “sanctify” themselves and “wash their clothes” (19:10). Moses revealed that on the third day, the LORD would descend upon Mount Sinai and make His voice and presence known to the nation (19:11). Israel was commanded to set a boundary about the base of the mount, and warned if any approached they would be put to death (19:12-13).
On the third day, the presence of God was seen in the “thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled” (19:16). Moses then led the nation to the base of Mount Sinai (19:17). The whole mount was engulfed in smoke, as “the Lorddescended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (19:18). The sound of a trumpet, a shofar, grew louder and louder, and “Moses spake[in the hearing of the people], and God answered him by a voice” (19:19). As commanded, Moses warned the people not to approach Mount Sinai (19:21-25).
Today’s second devotional will focus on God’s Laws and Commandments and the nature of His covenant with Israel (Exodus 20).
Closing thoughts:
Imagine seeing Mount Sinai engulfed in fire and smoke and feeling the foundations of the mountain moving at the sound of God’s voice. What a dreadful, frightening display of God’s power and presence! To receive His Law and Commandments, the people were required to be sanctified, holy, and set apart unto Him (19:10). God required of His people what was true of Himself – “Ye shall be holy; for I am holy” (19:10; Leviticus 11:44-45).
Tragically, you would not know it to look at 21st-century churches, but what was essential for Israel is requisite for all believers. The apostle Peter wrote: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Questions to consider:
1) What did the LORD promise Israel if the people kept His Covenant? (Exodus 19:5)
2) To bind God’s Covenant, what did the people promise? (Exodus 19:8)
3) What was the penalty if a man, woman, or beast violated the boundary about the mountain where God appeared to Moses? (Exodus 19:12-13)
4) What was the visible sign that God had descended upon Mount Sinai? (Exodus 19:18-19)
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We have considered the faithlessness of the children of Israel who, after the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, turned from celebrating Egypt’s defeat to murmuring “against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (15:24).
In Exodus 15, the people complained about a lack of water; in Exodus 16, they complained about a lack of food. When the people left Egypt, they must have packed enough provisions for a month; however, when their supplies were exhausted, they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron. The people complained that they would have been better off dying in Egypt than following Moses into the desert only to starve and die (16:2-3). (Notice how soon they forgot God’s miraculous provision of water, Exodus 15.)
Once again, Moses cried to the LORD. God responded and promised to “rain bread from heaven” (16:4), sufficient for a day that He might “prove [the people], whether they will walk in my law, or no” (16:4). The LORD promised on the sixth day he would provide twice the daily manna, that the people might store enough for the Sabbath (16:5). Moses and Aaron encouraged the people, how the LORD would provide them bread in the morning, and “in the evening flesh to eat” (16:6-8). Moses also taught a spiritual truth all believers should understand and God’s faithful ministers should remember: “The Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord” (16:8b).
Faithful to His promise, quail covered the camp each evening and provided the people with meat. Each morning they found a small round bread they called “manna” (16:15). Moses then instructed the men to gather only enough for their households, “every man according to his eating” (16:18). Moses also admonished, “Let no man leave of it till the morning” (16:19).
What lesson did the LORD teach Israel by providing them daily provisions?
He taught the people to look to Him for their daily needs; yet, some failed to trust the LORD and hoarded more manna than they could eat, and “it bred worms, and stank [rotted]” (16:20). As promised, the day before the Sabbath, the LORD provided enough for the day and the day after (16:22-26). Thus, the people did not need to seek provisions for the Sabbath, “so the people rested on the seventh day” (16:30). As a reminder of God’s faithfulness, Moses directed Aaron to “take a pot” and store “manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD to be “kept” as a lasting “Testimony” (16:33-34).
Closing thought:
Thus did the LORD provide for Israel for “forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan” (16:35).
Israel continued her journey in the “wilderness of Sin” and encamped in Rephidim, where “there was no water for the people to drink” (17:1). Once again, the people questioned, “Is the LORD among us, or not?” (17:7). Again, they accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to kill them (17:3). The criticism became so vicious, that Moses feared the people were “almost ready to stone” him (17:4). The LORD then commanded Moses to take the rod he carried when the waters of the Red Sea were divided, and stand “upon the rock in Horeb; and… smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink” (17:5-6).
Israel witnessed the LORD’s compassion and provision for their needs; however, the Gospel of John reveals a greater truth. While the “rock in Horeb” supplied water to Israel, it was merely a type, a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ. The water that flowed from the rock in Horeb quenched the temporal thirst of Israel. Christ, however, promised He could give water so that a soul might “never thirst,” for He was the “well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
After departing Egypt and crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel encountered their first enemy when the Amalekites, descendants of Esau (Jacob’s twin brother), came to war against them (17:8). Moses summoned Joshua. He commanded him to choose men in Israel to “fight with Amalek” (17:9).
While Joshua led Israel to war in the valley, Moses stood on the “top of the hill with the rod of God in [his] hand” (17:9). When the arms of Moses were outstretched, Israel prevailed. Still, when his arms grew heavy, the battle went against the nation (17:11). Finally, sitting down on a rock, Moses’ brother steadied one arm. At the same time, a man named Hur held the other aloft (17:12). Thus, Israel prevailed, and “Joshua discomfited [defeated] Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword” (17:13).
Closing thoughts:
Israel’s first battle in the wilderness served as a reminder that the LORD was on their side. The LORD commanded Moses to write the victory in a book and exhorted him to rehearse the victory “in the ears of Joshua” (17:14). As a memorial to the victory, Moses “built an altar, and called it Jehovah-nissi,” meaning “The LORD is My Banner” (17:15).
Questions to consider:
A sinful pattern of failing to obey and trust the LORD has emerged in our study of Israel. Therefore, let me encourage you to consider that those who complain are like Israel and are given to exaggeration and accusations.
1) Of what evil did the people accuse Moses? (Exodus 16:3)
2) Why did the LORD warn the people not to hoard daily manna? (Exodus 16:4b)
3) On what day was Israel not to gather manna? (Exodus 16:23-26, 30)
4) What did God command Moses to do that the people might have water to drink? (Exodus 17:5-6)
5) What lesson was Joshua to learn from his first battle with the Amalekites? (Exodus 17:13-16)
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With the cloud overshadowing Israel by day and the pillar of fire giving the people light by night, Moses led a nation of more than one million souls to freedom. But to find liberty in another land, they had to travel according to the LORD’s command, bringing Israel to a seemingly precarious place encamped by the Red Sea (14:2).
In his grief, Pharaoh thrust the children of Israel out of the land. Yet, the LORD hardened the proud king’s heart (14:3-4), and Moses learned his conflict with Pharaoh was not yet ended. Spies of the king followed the movement of Israel and saw the multitude encamped by the sea. News of the encampment was sent to Pharaoh, who then set his army in array to pursue and overtake Moses and the people (14:5-7).
Having witnessed how God brought Pharaoh and Egypt to her knees, the people had departed “with an high hand” and were bold, triumphant, and rejoicing in their freedom (14:8). Yet, the celebration soon ended when Israel saw a great cloud of dust formed by the approach of six hundred chariots and soldiers. When Pharoah and his army drew near Israel’s encampment, “the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and…cried out unto the Lord” (14:10).
With the Red Sea before them and Egypt’s army behind them, the people derided Moses, saying: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?” (14:11)
Could you take a moment and consider the fickle nature of sinners?
Though Israel departed Egypt “with an high hand” (14:8), their delight was suddenly turned to moaning and despair. The people complained with a sentiment they would express on many occasions in the future and said: “For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness” (14:12).
Disappointed but unshaken by the people’s murmuring and the approach of Pharaoh’s army, Moses challenged the people saying, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever” (14:13). Then, Moses assured them, “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (14:14).
Moses cried to the LORD, Who questioned him, saying, “Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward” (14:15).
For Moses, the time for prayer was over, and it was time to step out on faith and trust the LORD, who commanded him: “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” (14:16).
The LORD commanded Moses to be prepared, for when the waters of the sea opened, Pharaoh and his chariots would surely pursue the people into the midst of the sea (14:17), and Egypt would know the LORD when the king and his army are drowned in the sea (14:18).
The cloud that guided Israel out of Egypt moved rearward and became a barrier of darkness between the people and Pharaoh’s army (14:19-20). Then, Israel passed through the midst of the waters of the sea on dry ground (14:21-22). When the Egyptians pursued Israel into the midst of the Red Sea, the LORD brought the waters down and drowned them. “Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore… and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.” (14:23-31).
Standing triumphantly on the far shores of the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Israel broke into a song of praise and rejoicing (15:1-19). Moses led the song, and the men sang the refrain (15:1), while his sister Miriam “took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances” (15:20) and singing the chorus (15:21).
Moses’ song celebrated and memorialized the great victory the LORD gave Israel over Pharaoh and Egypt. The news of Israel’s triumphant crossing of the Red Sea preceded them and struck fear and awe in the hearts of the enemies they faced in the wilderness and the Promised Land (15:14-16). What a grand celebration, and indeed one that should have continued for days and weeks; however, such was not the case.
Israel was only three days journey into the wilderness when the people “found no water” (15:22) and “murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (15:24). Sadly, whispering and grumbling became a sinful pattern that haunted Israel’s journey for forty years, and became a great sorrow to Moses and the LORD. Finally, Moses “cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (15:25).
The LORD “made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them” (15:25). To “prove” is to test and thereby reveal what manner of people Israel was. So they witnessed a great demonstration of God’s power and deliverance at the Red Sea, only to be found complaining and murmuring three days later.
What was the “statute” and the “ordinance” God wanted Israel to learn? (15:26)
If Israel would “diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord… [and] do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes,” the LORD promised, “I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (15:26).
Questions to consider:
1) How did Pharaoh respond when he heard Israel was encamped by the waters of the Red Sea? (Exodus 14:5-8)
2) How did Israel respond when they saw Pharaoh and his chariots approaching? (Exodus 14:10-12)
3) How did Moses and Israel celebrate their victory over Egypt? (Exodus 15:1-21)
4) Three days after their victory over Egypt, how did the LORD test Israel, and what spiritual lesson did He want the people to learn? (Exodus 15:22-27).
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The slaying of the firstborn of Egypt was the tenth and final plague, and it moved Pharaoh to thrust Israel out of the land where they had lived for 430 years (12:40-41). Having established the Passover as a perpetual memorial of the night the firstborn of Egypt were slain, God spared the households in Israel and all those who believed God and applied the lamb’s blood to the door posts (12:1-28, 43-51).
The LORD then commanded that the firstborn of every household, both children and beast, be sanctified (set apart and dedicated) to the LORD as a memorial to Him (13:1-2). Remembering His covenant with their forefathers, the LORD promised to bring Israel into “a land flowing with milk and honey” (13:5). There, they were commanded to observe seven days of “unleavened bread” and to keep the feast of the Passover (13:6). Thus, being reminded of Israel’s sudden departure from Egypt and serving as a lasting memorial to the LORD’s deliverance (13:7).
Promising He would bring Israel into the “land of the Canaanites” as He had vowed (13:11), the people were to dedicate the firstborn male of every beast to the LORD (13:11-12). The firstborn of “clean” beasts were to be sacrificed, including lambs, kids of goats, and calves (Exodus 22:30; Numbers 18:17-18). Because the ass (donkey) was declared unclean, the firstborn of an ass would be redeemed with a lamb (the lamb being a sacrificial substitute). The clean (lambs, calves, or kids of goats) were to be sacrificed in the place of unclean beasts (13:13)
While some heathen nations sacrificed their firstborn sons and daughters to idols, Israel was commanded to redeem her firstborn (13:13b). Bearing in mind the sanctity of human life and that all humanity is sinful and universally “unclean” in the sight of God, the price of a firstborn’s redemption in Israel was set as “five sheckles” (Numbers 3:47; 18:16). Also, the people were to instruct their sons concerning the meaning of redemption (13:14-16).
The LORD knew that a nation of slaves would not be ready for the challenges of war against those nations that inhabited the land He promised His people (13:17). Therefore, rather than lead Israel on a direct route out of Egypt through the land occupied by the Philistines, the LORD guided Israel into the “wilderness of the Red Sea” (13:18). Also, fulfilling the vow their forefathers had made to Joseph, his bones were taken up from Egypt. He would be buried in Canaan (13:19).
As a visible testimony of God’s presence and providential care of His people, the LORD promised to shadow Israel with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (13:21-22).
Closing thoughts:
To spare Israel the tenth plague and the death of the firstborn, the LORD required the lamb’s blood be placed upon the doorposts. Without the blood, the firstborn of the household would be slain. (So it is for all sinners, for “without shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness; deliverance],” Hebrews 9:22).
Remember, all the sacrificed lambs were a type, a picture, of God’s punishment of sin that would be satisfied in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews wrote: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). Paul wrote in his letter to Corinth, “For He [God] hath made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If you have not, will you confess you are a sinner and trust Jesus Christ as your Redeemer?
Romans 6:23 – 23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Questions to consider:
1) Who did the LORD command Israel to sanctify, dedicate, and set apart to Him? (Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16)
2) What did unleavened bread memorialize? (Exodus 13:3, 6-7)
3) Why did the LORD lead Israel through the wilderness and not “through the way of the land of the Philistines?” (Exodus 13:17-18)
4) What two things did the LORD give Israel as a testimony of His presence and protection? (Exodus 13:21-22)
* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request toHeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com
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The Passover was instituted in Exodus 12 and took its name from the LORD, sparing His people the plague that struck the firstborn of Egypt (12:1-14, 27-28). The LORD instructed Moses and Aaron to speak to the people and say, “2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months…3In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb…5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (12:2-6).
Moses instructed the people to put the blood of the sacrifice on the side posts and lintel [top of the door facing] of the houses (12:7). The LORD promised, saying “when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (12:12-13).
Specific instructions were given for the sacrificial lambs (12:8-11, 14-19). We are reminded that the lambs were a “type,” meaning a picture of the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the Messiah, whose name they did not know and who would come in the Father’s time. Israel would have to trust in the substitutionary blood on their doorposts and know by faith that it represented God’s provision, sacrifice, and covenant with Abraham. The lamb was to be roasted whole (12:8-9), and the bones were not to be broken. (Jesus Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled that condition, John 19:31-37; Psalm 34:20). He was the perfect, sinless, spotless “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” John 1:29).
A second element of the Passover was “unleavened bread” (12:15, 17-20). Leaven, the equivalent of yeast today, was not used in bread during the Passover season. (The leaven used in ancient times was from fermented dough left over from the previous day.) Taking a pinch of fermented dough, and kneading it into a fresh batch of flour, would, in time, permeate the whole of the dough and cause the bread to rise.
The permeating nature of leaven is a symbol in the Scriptures of the nature of sin. Sin in our lives functions the same as leaven in the dough, for “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). In the same way that leaven was not to be in Passover bread, a believer is not to tolerate even a “little sin” in his life.
The night of the Passover came, and “at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh… [to] the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle” (12:29). Pharaoh and all Egypt cried in anguish, “for there was not a house where there was not one dead” (12:30).
The king then sent for Moses and Aaron and charged them, “Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. 32Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also” (12:31-32).
The same urgency took hold among the Egyptians, who urged Israel to depart “out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men” (12:33). As God had commanded, the children of Israel required “of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians” (12:35-36).
Thus, Israel was thrust out of Egypt. The people who began the exodus numbered 600,000 men, not including women and children (12:37). We also read that a “mixed multitude” went out with them. However, they were not of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (12:38). Those non-Hebrew people would become a curse to Israel in her wilderness journey (Numbers 11:4).
The years of Israel’s stay in Egypt had been “four hundred and thirty years” (12:40). We read, “at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (12:41). The sparing of the firstborn and Israel’s exodus from Egypt is memorialized in a perpetual observance of the Passover (12:43). Also, the circumcision of males was to continue as a sign of that nation’s consecration to the LORD (12:44-48). Whether Hebrew or of the mixed multitude, there would be “One Law” that would serve the people (12:49).
Closing thoughts:
In conclusion, we are reminded that God is intolerant of sin among His people. As the leaven was put out, and forbidden in the households during the Passover (Exodus 12:15, 19-20), so should our sins be addressed and confessed in our lives and homes. Drawing a parallel between leaven and sin, Paul wrote in his first epistle to the believers in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 5:6b–8 – “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Questions to consider:
1) What conditions did God give for the Passover lamb? (Exodus 12:5)
2) What were God’s instructions for the blood of the lamb? (Exodus 12:6-7)
3) What did God say He would do on Passover night? (Exodus 12:12)
4) What did Pharoah do after his son died? (Exodus 12:30-32)
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Before the LORD sent the tenth, and final plague, He instructed Moses to communicate to the people that they would “borrow[to request or demand] of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold” (11:2).
This seems a strange request for a people preparing to sojourn in the desert; however, I suggest two motives for the demand. First, the Egyptians had enslaved God’s people for four centuries, and the value of what they demanded in precious metals would scarcely be regarded as full payment for their toil. A second purpose, the “jewels of silver, and jewels of gold” would be required to decorate the tabernacle and fabricate vessels that would later be used in worship.
Before I address the tenth plague, consider what the LORD had done in this contest between Pharaoh and His servant Moses.
The LORD had magnified Moses in Egypt, and the fears he had entertained in returning from the wilderness were overcome by God giving him “favour in the sight of the Egyptians” (11:3a). Forty years of herding his father-in-law’s sheep had humbled this once proud prince of Egypt. However, the LORD had so magnified him that he became “very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people” (11:3).
Forty years earlier, Moses’ flight into the wilderness left behind everything that gave him rank and privilege as a prince in Egypt. Now, having departed from the quiet pastoral life of a shepherd, God had blessed and elevated him above the king of Egypt in the eyes of the people.
The Tenth Plague
The final plague severely affected Egypt’s proud, obstinate king. The Egyptians viewed Pharaoh as a god (though human, they believed he was an intermediary between the gods and humanity), and the tenth plague assailed the king and his son, the future heir to Egypt’s throne. Thus, Moses prophesied, “Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 5And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die…6And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more” (11:4-6).
The LORD promised to spare Israel’s firstborn and “put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (11:7), but only if the people followed the Word of the LORD as Moses instructed. If they refused to obey God’s Word, they would be no different from Egypt. But, as we will see in Exodus 12, God did withhold His judgment of Israel because of the blood of the Passover (12:13). (The succeeding devotion will establish the central meaning of the Passover and its significance, Exodus 12).
Moses: A Model of Humility.
Take a moment and reflect on Moses’ example of humility. When God called and commanded him to leave his sheep and return to Egypt, the once proud prince of Egypt protested. Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?” (3:11a) The solitude of the desert and the calling and promises of God did so transform his life that we will later read in the Scriptures, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).
Closing thought:
It is rare to find a man or woman of great talents and abilities humble enough to trust, obey, and serve the LORD!
Unlike Moses, who was a model of humility and meekness, our society, including churches, has produced a generation given to “selfies” and self-promotion, the antithesis of humility. Is it possible that the dearth of men and women entering ministry indicates a generation too proud to serve?
In his epistle to believers in Corinth, Paul wrote: “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty…29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
There is a desperate need for men and women humble enough for God to use (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) and bold enough to declare the Word of the LORD unapologetically!
* A second devotional will follow and focus on Exodus 12.
* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request toHeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com
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Mailing Address:
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Our study in the Book of Exodus continues with the contest between Moses, God’s messenger, and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Four judgments have befallen the nation, and each has been followed by Pharaoh hardening his heart and refusing to let the children of Israel go so that they “may serve” the LORD.
The fifth plague that befell Egypt afflicted the “cattle which [was] in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep” (9:3). The disease was “a very grievous murrain,” an epidemic so severe that “all the cattle of Egypt died.” But, as a testimony of God’s sovereignty and love of His people, none of the livestock of Israel perished (9:4-7). Yet, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go” (9:7b).
The sixth plague began when Moses gathered “handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and [sprinkled] it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh” (9:8), and boils broke out on man and beast (9:8-11). The affliction of the boils was so painful that even Pharaoh’s magicians “could not stand before Moses” (9:11). And yet, “the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses” (9:12).
The seventh plague destroyed all the crops of Egypt when the LORD rained down hail upon their fields (9:13-35). This time, however, some of Pharaoh’s servants believed the warnings of Moses. They made their servants and livestock take shelter in their houses (9:20). Pharaoh confessed, “I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (9:27). The king promised to let Israel go; however, when the hail ceased, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses” (9:35).
Egypt’s crops and livestock losses brought the suffering of hunger and famine. Perhaps you have wondered why the LORD did not simply deliver Israel from bondage rather than judge Egypt with ten plagues. The answer is found in Exodus 10.
Exodus 10:2 – “And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.”
More than delivering His people from slavery, the LORD wanted Israel to know and remember through successive generations all He had done in Egypt. His dealings with Pharaoh were to serve as a lasting testimony of God’s person, power, and presence among His chosen people. Israel was a nation of slaves, but their God was the Creator and Sovereign of nature. He would bring the greatest ruler and the most powerful country in the ancient world to her knees.
The eighth plague of locusts devastated Egypt and devoured what was left of the nation’s vegetation (10:3-20). Heavy darkness was the ninth plague that befell Pharaoh and Egypt (10:21-29), and the Egyptians were oppressed and frightened by the darkness. Yet, Israel was spared, and God’s people enjoyed the warmth of the light in their dwellings.
Pharaoh then sought a compromise with Moses and would have allowed the people to depart, but not with their livestock (10:24-25). Moses, however, refused (10:26), and “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go” (10:27). Furious with Moses, Pharaoh warned, “take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die” (10:28).
Conclusion
Strong and confident in the LORD, Moses answered the king and declared: “Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more” (10:29). The stage was set for the final judgment and the humiliation of Pharaoh.
Questions to consider:
1) What message did God send Pharaoh when the fifth plague killed all the cattle of Egypt? (Exodus 9:3-7)
2) The king confessed, “I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (9:27). How can we know Pharaoh had not sincerely repented? (Exodus 9:34-35)
3) What purpose did the ten plagues that befell Egypt serve? (Exodus 10:2)
4) What spiritual purpose could a plague or pandemic serve in our day?
5) According to 1 John 1:9 and 1 John 2:3-5, two things prove the sincerity of our confession and repentance of sin. What are they?
* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request toHeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com
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“And [the LORD] hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as [He] had said.” (Exodus 7:13)
Throughout the contest between Pharaoh and Moses, a defiant pattern and consequences emerged in the narrative. Moses contended with the king of Egypt, Pharaoh rejected him, and the LORD hardened the king’s heart through the natural consequences of his refusal to heed God’s Word.
What is the nature of a hardened heart?
A spiritually hardened, insensitive heart rejects God’s Word so that it becomes calloused to Truth. On the other hand, a hardened heart is spiritually cold and often openly rebellious. So, when we face trials and troubles, we choose whether to humble or harden our hearts.
Pharaoh’s heart was proud, stubborn, and defiant. Through each plague, Pharoah continued to bristle against Moses’ words, thereby hardening his heart to God (7:13). When God turned the fresh waters of Egypt to blood, the stench of decaying flesh filled the land (7:20-22). For seven days, the waters of the Nile were blood-red and a testimony of the power and superiority of Israel’s God, yet Pharoah did not turn his heart.
The time between the first plague and the second contest between Moses and Pharaoh is uncertain. Finally, the day came when the LORD commanded Moses to go before Pharaoh, and should he fail to let the children of Israel go, the land would be filled with frogs (8:1-4).
When Aaron stretched forth his rod as Moses commanded, frogs came out of the rivers, streams, and ponds until all the land of Egypt was filled with frogs (8:5-7). Frogs were in the houses, on their beds, in the ovens, and in flour-kneading troughs. Pharaoh begged Moses to appeal to the LORD to remove the frogs, and he promised to “let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord” (8:8b).
Rather than appeal to the LORD to instantly remove the frogs from the land, Moses deferred to Pharaoh and invited him to name the time when he should ask the LORD to “destroy the frogs” (8:9). Proud and stubborn, rather than seek immediate relief, the king chose the next day for the frogs to be purged from the land (8:10).
The following day, “Moses cried unto the Lord… and the frogs died…14And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank” (8:13-14). Pharaoh, however, hardened his heart and would not allow Israel to go and offer sacrifices to the LORD (8:15).
When Pharaoh failed to keep his word, Moses commanded Aaron to smite the dust of the land. Then the LORD sent “lice throughout all the land of Egypt” (perhaps some form of a gnat or other biting insect, 8:17). However, unlike other miracles, which the magicians emulated, they failed to turn dust into lice. Then they counseled Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (8:19a). Yet again, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said” (8:19b).
Harassed by flies, Pharaoh suggested a compromise to Moses. The king said he would allow Israel to offer sacrifices to “God in the land” (8:25), but not permit the people to go beyond the borders of Egypt. However, Moses refused Pharaoh’s proposal. He suggested he feared Israel’s sacrifices would be seen as an “abomination” to the Egyptians, who would then stone the people (8:26).
Moses demanded that the people be allowed to go on a three-day journey into the desert. The king accepted, and offered a compromise that the people “shall not go very far away” (8:28). Moses promised to pray for the LORD to remove the flies, but only if Pharaoh would not default on his vow to release Israel to go and sacrifice to the LORD (8:29a), yet when the flies were removed; Pharaoh “hardened his heart” and would not “let the people go” (8:32).
Closing thoughts
Pride stood in the way of Pharaoh’s failure to humble himself, and the king’s unwillingness to acknowledge Israel’s God as LORD paved the way to increasing sorrow and death. Tragically, the king of Egypt learned a proverb King Solomon would later teach his son: “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Questions to consider:
1) Why did Pharaoh refuse to keep his promise and allow the Hebrews to go into the wilderness and worship the LORD?
2) Pharoah was proud. Can you identify areas of pride in your life?
3) Pharoah refused to hear and heed God’s Word through God’s servant Moses. Are you resisting God’s Word in your life?
* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request toHeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com
The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.
Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611
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