Judgement 8: Locusts Consuming What’s Left

Exodus 10:1-20 

1 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” 3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. 6 They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.  7 Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
    8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?”  9 And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”  10 Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11 Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
    12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
    16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. 19 And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

For the eight time the Lord warns Pharaoh of judgment, this time to consume what little is left on the ground of Egypt.  The Lord first tells Moses that He has hardened both the hearts of Pharaoh and his servants and demonstrating His power in His signs, that Moses may pass on the reminder of His almighty working as their Lord God.  The threat of losing what remained caused the servants of Pharaoh to beg him to let God’s people go to worship Him, but Pharaoh balked when he found out that it would not just be the grown men, but everyone who needed to leave to face their God.  Therefore the plague covered the land and decimated it of all growth, and even filled every house of Egypt with harassing annoyance of throngs of chewing and flying bugs.  This was worse than any swarm of locusts by anyone’s remembrance.  The ruler then in hasty desperation called in Moses and Aaron to call off the assault, claiming he knew he had sinned against them and the Lord their God (not his).  He asked for a one time forgiveness, but that was just to stop the devastation; immediately afterwards his heart was hardened by God again to disobey and not allow or seek freedom.  Even now, men and women will cry out to God for deliverance from terrible situations, yet not from their sin against God in not believing His Son (John 3:18, 12:48, 20:31, 1 John 5:10) and the gospel which delivers from eternal judgement.  In their rejection, God hardens their hearts and they continually seek escape only from the immediate consequences of sin.  They do not see the depth of their sin against Him and refuse to allow others to be delivered from its bondage either.  But God surely calls His people out of bondage to sin in the deliverance to the freedom of Christ! 

Judgement 7: Hail to the King

Exodus 9:13-35 

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, 14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19 Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”  20 He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
    22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
    27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”  29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord's. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”  31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.  33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.

For the seventh judgement on Pharaoh and Egypt, God sent Moses and Aaron first thing in the morning to Pharaoh to tell him that the plagues would be now aimed at his heart that he might acknowledge the Lord God as King over all.  He made it clear that He could have sent disease to wipe out Egypt, but sent these judgement plagues instead to demonstrate His power and sovereign rule as none other.  God said that He had actually raised up Pharaoh for this purpose that God’s name would be magnified in all the earth.  It was not that Pharaoh simply chose to be evil, hard-hearted, and set against God; he was born that way as we all are in sin, and had done what he was made to do as he was left in his sin and rebellion against  his Creator instead of being delivered out of it.  God had a plan to further harden what stony heart was in Pharaoh to use him for this purpose, even as he exalted himself in pride against God’s people in refusing to heed His word.  Therefore, God sent the hail on all Egypt that all might hail Him as Lord and Sovereign King.  It is interesting that He actually gave warning to test the hearts of those wanting to save their animals by believing God, and not just a general condemning statement of the coming judgement.  Those who wisely needed the warning sent their livestock and servants indoors to escape judgement; those who disbelieved disobeyed and suffered the consequences.  Pharaoh appeared to admit his sin in the destruction raining down with hail and lightning, but Moses had already told him that he would still not fear God afterwords.  Pharaoh of course sadly hardened his heart further, just as God said because it was planned, and would not let God’s people go.  The words from Pharaoh and his people should have been, “All hail to the King, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings,” but were instead words of rejection in disbelief and disobedience.  Even now those not sovereignly given to the Son who are not His sheep cannot hear His voice (John 6:65, 10:26-29) and harden themselves further from birth to death.  This is a lesson on God’s sovereign grace to save who He wills and pass over those not changed with a new heart, that His glory may be acknowledged by all.  Every knee will bow to Him, in life or in death (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10-11).  This is a hard saying, but gives comfort to His chosen people whom He sets free indeed. 

Judgement 6: Boils Bringing Out Rejection’s Pain

Exodus 9:8-12 

8 So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

For the sixth judgement, the Lord told Moses and Aaron to scatter ashes from a smelting or pottery kiln furnace, a device of great heat used often to purify metal or harden a clay pot.  Symbolically, this could be seen as both hardening Pharaoh’s heart as well as getting the dross of sin and rebellion against God to rise visibly to the surface.  This heated dust of ash was cast into the the wind to spread over the land before Pharaoh as witness to God’s judgement, causing painful boils on people and animals.  This is yet another mora miraculous work which only God could do; the magicians were unable even to stand amidst the painful sores covering their bodies to imitate this work of judgement.  Yet God knew Pharaoh and his disbelief, and hardened his heart even further, leaving the testimony to the results of the dross of his sin to linger on him and all Egypt.  The boils brought out the rejection’s pain.  Likewise, God allows adversity on the unrighteous to draw out their sin so they can see it without excuse (Romans 1:20) as it rises to be evident as God has said.  It also demonstrates how God hardens who He wills for His glory, those already hardened in their own sinful rejection of Him (Romans 9:17-18) as well as how He shows mercy on who He chooses, like Israel out of Egypt and the saints in Christ out of bondage to sin. 

Judgement 5: Death’s Selective Consequences

Exodus 9:1-7 

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. 4 And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ” 5 Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7 Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

This fifth plague of judgement went from swarms of living flies that reminded Pharaoh and his people of God’s ability to see and reach out His hand everywhere, to reaching only where He chooses to selectively touch and act in judgement.  The Lord told Moses to proclaim to Pharaoh that if he continued not to let Israel serve Him that He would reach down and bring a pestilence on all but His chosen people’s livestock.  None whom God chose would suffer loss, but those not His would reap the consequences of judgement for refusing Him.  He set a day, the next one, and acted as promised.  Even then Pharaoh hardened his heart even further in rejecting the only true God in His people.  We see the parallel in God’s chosen people who will not face the consequences of sin at the final judgement; they will find mercy as promised in Christ’s righteousness to escape eternal death.  Those set against God and His Christ will be hardened further, continuing to reject and facing eternal consequences. God chose who to suffer the just consequences and who to pass over in mercy by grace.  Thanks be to God who shows mercy by grace to call His people out of bondage, protecting them for eternity! 

Judgement 4: Flies Reminding God’s Omnipresence

Exodus 8:20-32 

20 And the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21 Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ’ ” 24 And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
    25 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”  26 And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? 27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us.”  28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”  29 Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the Lord, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
    30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. 31 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

The fourth judgement on Egypt for enslaving God’s people was swarms of flies to remind that God is omnipresent, you cannot escape His sight nor His hand.  Again Moses spoke God’s words for release from captivity, and the consequence of defying Him was the swarms of flies which would touch every place the Egyptians went.  The thick swarms of flies were from a word used only here, probably from 'mixture' and 'incessant or involved motion', meaning they were all kinds of flies buzzing incessantly about and even more annoying and present than the gnats or lice of the previous plague.  They were so overwhelmingly annoying that the Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron to let them know that he would agree to let the people of God go outside Egypt to sacrifice to Him, probably out of both fear of more plagues as well as not being able to live or function with flying things everywhere, in the houses and outside.  He asked Moses to intercede for him, and Moses promised to ask God to remove the flies from the land the next day.  But Moses also warned the Pharaoh not to deceive and go back on his word again.  As soon as the prayer for relief from the adversity was answered and the flies left all of Egypt and her citizens, Pharaoh again chose to further harden his heart as God moved him to do so (Romans 9:17-18) because of his sin and rejection of the Creator and Judge of all.  We see how the swarms of flies were not only meant to annoy and cast judgement on Pharaoh and his people, but also to remind them and us that God is everywhere; nobody can hide from Him and His Christ.  Either people will hold to their hard hearts of stone carved into idols of self and be further hardened by God, or they will be broken by the cornerstone falling on them (Luke 20:18) and stop hardening their own hearts further.  God is everywhere and knows everything.  We cannot hide from Him, no matter how annoying our sin is, as it will find us out as the swarms of flies would not give a moment’s rest to Egypt and her king. 

Judgement 3: Laced with Lice

Exodus 8:16-19 

16 So the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
    18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.

The lice mentioned here (כֵּן kēn) are most likely gnats, but the word also refers to lice; what is important is that a swarm of very small and annoying bugs sprung out of the dust of the earth from which man was formed by God (Genesis 2:7).  These gnats filled the land, lacing it with lice or annoying it with gnats; either way, think of a few gnats you may run into, then what it would be like to not be able to escape them flying in your nose, ears, mouth, and eyes wherever you ran to hide.  Such was this plague meant to demonstrate God’s power of creation and command to strike fear into the captors of God’s people.  These gnats swarmed on the animals as well, no doubt causing further irritation with them flailing about.  Pharaoh called his magicians again, but this time they could not imitate even the smallest gnat from dust as God had.  They worked furiously, but could only conclude that this was the finger of God reaching down and touching the earth to make this phenomenon.  Yet still Pharaoh chose to further deny and have his heart hardened by the Lord before his face.  He refused to listen and submit in obedience to God’s word of command.  Even now many remain in their sin of disobedience with hard hearts, and unless called by God, are hardened further by Him in their rejection of His word - both in written and living forms.  Their sin-driven hearts produce deaf ears and blind eyes unless their Creator’s finger reaches down in grace to touch their hearts of stone.  Many are laced with the lice of lies from Eden’s garden as they have chosen the lie and have not been sovereignly chosen to escape by the Spirit’s unveiling of His word of truth.

Judgement 2: Smiting Egypt by Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15 

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. 3 So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” ’ ” 5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.
    8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”  9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”  10 So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”  12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. 13 So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. 14 They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

God directed Moses again to command Pharaoh to let His people go to serve Him.  If he did not comply, then God promised to smite the whole land of Egypt by an infestation of frogs from out of the Nile.  They would come into their houses in every room, even covering their beds, ovens, and bowls to prepare food.  They were not smitten with the idea of such a smiting as Moses had Aaron wave his hand over the water to start the invasion.  But the Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate this as the water to blood previously in limited fashion, and the king seemed more willing to lie just to get rid of the plague of frogs everywhere.  He asked them to ask the Lord to take the smiting away and he would let the people of God go to sacrifice to the Lord.  Moses interceded for the people of Egypt to destroy the frogs, smiting them who covered the land (but leaving them in the river to not wipe them out).  Moses set the time for the next day so Pharaoh would know it was not a random dying, but one set by the Lord God, the one and only.  God heard and removed them.  Of course the consequences remained, with piles of decaying carcasses everywhere as they were gathered up.  But as soon as the plague was relieved, the ruler once again hardened his heart of disbelief and disobedience, not keeping his word.  We learn that without God changing a heart from stone to flesh, nobody can obey Him nor understand His power and glory.  Many will ask God to deliver them from problems, then go immediately back to sinning and denying Him with hearts set against Him and His Christ.  The sin nature cannot be put aside unless God commands it. 

Judgement 1 - Blood for Water

Exodus 7:14-25 

14 So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
    19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
    22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.

The first plague of judgement followed the sign of the staff becoming a serpent as God told Moses in the beginning (Exodus 3:20, 4:9).  The water everywhere in Egypt was turned to blood, even in containers of water, and seven days passed like this to give Pharaoh the chance to heed God before the next judgement.  These judgements are echoed in the end as the book of Revelation records concerning seal and bowl judgements, but here are to free God’s people, whereas in the end they will be toward final judgement.  The blood in the rivers and other waters meant famine as well, for the fish died and the water could not be consumed to sustain life.  It is ironic how four hundred years before Joseph rescued Egypt from a famine by God’s hand, and now that Egypt turned on God’s people, He gave them famine as a judgement.  This was a plague to judge Egypt for enslaving God’s people who had once saved Egypt’s.  But the magicians were able to imitate the supernatural work of God by making water appear to be blood, and led the king to once again harden his heart further in refusal to heed God’s word.  The magicians, however, only would have been able to chemically imitate this in a small measure, while God used a word and staff alone to affect water all around; yet still the desire to ignore God and excuse the miracle of His works away led Pharaoh to remain unmoved.  Even though people see and hear the work of Christ, many ignore and disbelieve to their own destruction instead of finding deliverance, but God’s hand is not shortened (Isaiah 59:1) so that He is unable to save those given ears to hear and eyes to see His work. 

Consuming Rod of Judgement

Exodus 7:8-13 

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
    11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

The Lord God knew Pharaoh’s heart and so prepared Moses and Aaron for meeting him with Gods message of obedience and deliverance.  He told them that the ruler would make them prove they served God by performing a miracle, something man is incapable of doing.  The first one would be what He showed Moses on the holy ground by the burning bush, the rod that turned to a snake when tossed to the ground.  Moses and Aaron did just that.  Ah, but the  sorcerers of Egypt in Pharaoh’s court had a trick to imitate that miracle and did likewise.  However, God’s rod of Moses swallowed the others up entirely, and Pharaoh did not respond to the miracle, but with pride and anger to deny their demonstration and demand.  This was the further hardening of a heart already turned blindly against God in sin and disbelief just as He foretold (Exodus 4:21).  Notice that the second sign of a hand tuning leprous was not used, probably because it would not prove anything to the stone heart of Pharaoh.  The consuming rod of God’s judgement would consume the serpent’s work despite Pharaoh rejecting and refusing to submit, even when confronted by the miraculous.  The greatest miracle done by Jesus Christ was raising Himself from death to life, and still men’s hardened hearts will refuse Him if God does not open them and make them new (Luke 16:31, Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 3:3).  But those drawn (Jeremiah 31:3) and called (John 6:36-37, 44, 65) out by grace have ears to hear and eyes to see. 

Faithful Messengers of God’s Deliverance

Exodus 6:28 - 7:7 

28 And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”  30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”
    7:1 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”  6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

When God spoke to Moses in Egypt, He commanded him as he was told before, to speak with Pharaoh.  Moses was to speak the message given, holding nothing back and leaving nothing out.  Again, Moses was fearful and tried to avoid confrontation with Egypt’s king over the message of deliverance.  He said that his lips were unclean, meaning he was a sinful and insignificant man who would not be entertained by Pharaoh, let alone with such a bold and commanding message from a God which he did not know or acknowledge.  But God reminded him that the message and enabling to speak it made him God’s mouthpiece, as if God Himself was speaking with Pharaoh, and Aaron was his prophet bringing the message across.  Aaron was told by Moses by God to tell the ruler to send God’s people out of the land of bondage.  But God also said He would harden Pharaoh’s already disbelieving and disobedient heart further.  He also would bring miraculous signs which would give all glory and honor to the true Ruler over all men in the sight of everyone looking on.  In the end, God would use these things to cast down the power of the earthly army and deliver His people as predetermined and stated in a promise.  The power would be judged and God’s great name would be known by God’s outstretched arm.  His people would be brought out of bondage.  Therefore the old men Moses and Aaron trusted and obeyed.  We also are called to declare God’s deliverance from the bondage of sin as He casts down mighty powers (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12, Colossians 2:15) and sets His chosen people free to glorify Him and cause others to acknowledge His glory and greatness.  We do this in spite of opposition or oppression or fear or our own inadequacies.  The power of His gospel reveals God’s judgement and is His message given to us to speak God’s deliverance or damnation to the listeners (Jude 1:5) on His behalf.  He who has ears will hear and come to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8); those who do not will harden their hearts further against the good news. 

Spiritual Truth and Legitimacy

Exodus 6:14-27 

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven. 17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.
    20 Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father's sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven. 21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.
    26 These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” 27 These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

The families of the some of the tribes of Israel are accounted for from the time they arrived in Egypt as they are close to liberation by God’s saving had of power and grace.  They are listed from the firstborn who spoke to save Joseph’s life when his brothers were ready to kill him out of jealousy, with an emphasis on the Levites.  The lineage of Aaron and Moses is accounted for to prove to the readers that they were real people, and where they came from when God called them to speak to the king of Egypt with the command to bring God’s people out of bondage from there.  Our genealogy is now based on rebirth in Christ, not a bloodline nor family inheritance; we are chosen children of God in Christ Jesus, not made His by being born of Israel’s stock or who our parents (or other family members) are.  Being born in a family whose parents are of Israel or Christians or pastors will never earn us a place in God’s kingdom.  Only being in Christ makes this true.  He sets us free by His command which is the gospel entrusted to us as God’s message of deliverance was entrusted to Moses and Aaron.  This is our spiritual proof and legitimacy. 

Trust God’s Name and Sovereignty by Promise

Exodus 6:1-13

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
    2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ” 9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.
    10 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”  12 And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”  13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Lord who is I AM told Moses what He was about to do to Pharaoh to use his own power to send the children of God out of the bondage of Egypt.  He reminded Moses just who He is, the God of the resurrection and life of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 22:31-32).  His name was not known to the ancestors of Moses, but He and His faithfulness and promises were.  Now His name had been spoken to Moses at the burning bush, which name Jews are still fearful to speak, using excuses of it being too holy as they deny His righteousness in Christ alone.  Moses knew the covenant and the name, and now the promises of deliverance and the promised land already given to Abraham and his descendants.  He knows of God’s compassion for Israel in the bondage of sin and suffering meant to work for good in bringing His people into fruitfulness and as a path for redemption of all His chosen through the Messiah, the Christ, to come from the establishment of the universe.  He knows God’s words of redemption from the present situation in Egypt will show His glory as part of that predetermined plan, that they will leave Egypt and enter the land, that it is sworn by the Lord who simply IS, and that he needed to do as God says to see the mighty work of His omnipotent hand.  Therefore, Moses and Aaron listened to the command to speak to Pharaoh, even though God’s people disbelieved and he was inadequate to convince Pharaoh to release God’s people.  We also must trust God’s promise of eternal life in Christ, to speak boldly of Him (Acts 9:29), and to trust completely in the hope of glory which is Christ within us.  We have His kingdom within us which extends into the heavenly for eternity. 

Faithfulness to God’s Command - Anytime, Anywhere, Any Cost

Exodus 5:1-23

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”  3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”  4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
    6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”  10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
    15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”  17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”  20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”   22 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh the command of God to let His people go out of Egypt to worship the living God.  The ruler scoffed at their request and called the people of God lazy, for he did not acknowledge or accept that their God met with Moses and needed them to worship Him.  Therefore the Pharaoh took away the straw needed to make the bricks of the enslaved Israelites; their work needed something they did not have, just as we are unable to work enough good to earn the true and living God’s favor.  They had to find leftovers of the already harvested grain, mere stubble on the ground, which was time consuming and backbreaking labor.  They worked to meet a requirement for which they lacked what was needed.  They were forced to hurry and beaten for falling short, and blamed Moses and Aaron for taking God’s word to Pharaoh.  Moses himself even doubted, asking God why He sent him with a message that backfired ineffectually.  He seemingly forgot that God had already told him in the beginning that the ruler would not listen, which was also why He gave Moses the signs to further convince Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21).  We likewise are commanded to preach the gospel, knowing many will reject with hearts of sin further hardened by God for their disbelief and refusal to hear or see.  But we remain faithful so as many as are appointed to eternal life will believe (Acts 13:48).  This is anytime, anywhere, at any cost, bar nothing. 

Trusting Obedience and Worship

Exodus 4:18-31 

18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”  And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
    19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.  21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
    24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.   27 And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

After God called Moses and his stubbornness and doubts were answered by God, he obeyed by first asking permission from his father-in-law because he would be taking his daughter and grandsons away to Egypt.  God moved Jethro to see God’s hand in this, and allowed it with a blessing of peace.  God first assured Moses that there was no longer a death threat against him, for the old Pharaoh had died, and we can assume that any who were charged with finding Moses were no longer in a position to pursue him or were no longer there either.  God also told him up front that the wonders He gave him to convince Pharaoh would not budge that hardened heart of stone (1 Samuel 6:6, Romans 9:17-18) and let God’s people go to worship Him.  Israel as a chosen people were God’s firstborn, and refusing to let them go would mean He would kill the firstborn of Pharaoh (and his people, Egypt).  Moses heard and knew these things before witnessing them later unfold.  We often miss this.  There is a cryptic scene where the Lord apparently was against Moses along the way until his wife circumcised her son, then God sent Aaron to meet Moses at the mountain of God.  Moses conveyed all God spoke and commanded him to do, and they met together with Israel’s elders to tell them all together.  The signs Moses demonstrated to them helped convince them to faith in God’s promises of coming deliverance.  They worshipped God.  We also should be ever moved to worship the Deliverer of our souls from God’s wrath and judgement on our sin by the grace of Christ and His work for us which we could never contribute anything to.  We heard and trusted (Romans 10:17) God’s gospel in Christ Jesus and were so forgiven and justified by that grace of His work alone for us.  We worship by the trust of God-given faith and rejoice in being His chosen people! 

Trust and Obey to Speak

Exodus 4:1-17 

1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”  He said, “A rod.”  3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”  6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
    10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”  11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”  13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”  14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

After meeting God and speaking with Him, after being commissioned to go back to Egypt where he was wanted for murder to command the Pharaoh to let His people go, Moses looked for reasons why he could not do God’s will.  He thought they would not believe the message because of the way he looked or sounded, that they would not believe that he talked with God and was sent by Him.  Therefore, God gave him miraculous signs to perform as proof, the rod turning into a snake and a hand turning leprous at will.  But God knew they would refuse to believe and refuse to listen and comply anyway, and told Moses one other thing He would then do (there would be more, but were not mentioned here yet).  Moses was to pour water onto the land of Egypt and watch it become blood on that dry land.  Moses again made excuses about not being eloquent or a good orator; God reminded him Who makes everyone to speak, hear, or see.  God would therefore do his thinking and speaking.  Moses asked God to find someone else, angering the great I AM, and God gave him Aaron to be his spokesman.  Moses was to be given the words to give to Aaron as God’s, and he was to take the rod for the signs as commanded.  He needed only to trust and obey.  How often we refuse to speak the way and when God gives us opportunity to do with the words of life, the good news of His work in Jesus Christ?  Let us learn from Moses’ example what not to do, and do as commissioned and commanded in faith and boldness (holding nothing back as Paul affirms in Romans 1:16).  We are to speak liberty to the captives of sin’s bondage. 

I AM to Deliver God’s Chosen

Exodus 3:1-22 

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”  And he said, “Here I am.”  5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
    7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”  11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
    13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”  14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

While Moses was wandering with the sheep, God came to talk with him through a burning bush.  He saw the flame that did not consume the bush, and went to look at it when God called his name from out of the fire.  What might Moses have been thinking!  Moses replied with ‘here I am,’ and trembled in the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  While taking off his sandals before the Holy One, he heard God’s compassion for His suffering people’s bondage in Egypt, and the command for Moses to go as sent out for their deliverance (salvation).  Of course, Moses asked who he was to do this, a poor shepherd without power or influence.  God assured him that He would be with him.  That is ever more than sufficient.  But Moses was worried what answers he could give for God’s people to follow him out of the oppression of their enslavement, especially the question of who God is who sent him.  God told him that He is who He is, implying that He has no creator, no beginning, no final end, but the eternally existing Almighty One.  The Great I AM told him and us that is always His name, and told Moses to gather Israel’s leaders, her elders, and let them know God sees and hears, and will deliver them into the promised land from that of bondage.  He now delivers us from the bondage of sin into His heavenly kingdom in Christ as we are reminded in Acts 17 and other places.  Moses was told to command Pharaoh in God’s name, as His ambassador, to let God’s people go, and that they would not be allowed until His mighty hand struck Egypt with terrible wonders, and then they would leave with plunder as a parting recompense.  We who are God’s chosen in Christ likewise have been set free from sin’s enslavement, and now have all riches in the heavenly places in Christ, who also said He is the I AM (John 8:58)! 

Salvation by Promise Through a Deliverer

Exodus 2:1-25 

1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. 5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”  7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”  8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child's mother. 9 Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
    11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”  14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”  So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
    16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.  18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”  19 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”  20 So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”  21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
    23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Following the edict by pharaoh to kill all male babies and the godly disobedience of the midwives, Moses was born, abandoned to find life, and then taken into pharaoh’s household as an adopted son.  Drawn from the water was his name, and he grew up nursed by his own mother and then educated and given a position of power by that adoption.  There came a time, however, when the suffering of his real people, the chosen of God, became too much to bear witnessing.  He took action to kill an oppressor, but when the matter came to pharaoh’s attention, he went from an adopted son to a wanted man who faced execution.  His own people mocked him as a self-appointed ruler or deliverer, so with opposition on all sides, Moses ran away from Egypt into the desert.  There he found solace, a wife, and a child after again standing up for someone oppressed.  When that pharaoh died, the people of God cried out even more with increased oppression; then God proclaimed there the time had come for the release by His covenant.  We see here how God chose a deliverer who was rejected, yet who could only see the need of his people and their salvation from suffering and death.  In like manner, God sees the suffering of all under the weight of sin and finally sent His only Son as the ultimate and true deliverer for eternity.  He looked as His chosen and acknowledged us, and acted to remember the new covenant as the original made to Adam (Genesis 1:28, 3:15) and to Abraham (Genesis 12:2) and Isaac and Jacob for deliverance from sin and the evil one who oppresses mankind, making us a kingdom of priests to our God in Christ. 

Choosing Life Over Law

Exodus 1:1-22 

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
    8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
    15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”  19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”  20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.  22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

The children of Israel, God’s chosen people, were indeed fruitful and multiplied greatly as God commanded and promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It is written that the land was filled with them; this is what made the new Pharaoh afraid of what God was doing, and led him to oppress those of God in his earthly kingdom.  He imagined they would side with invaders, and so leave their land.  He thought that the prosperity of Egypt would falter if they left, yet did not work with them, but tried to exterminate their lives, prosperity, and influence by forced labor and murdering their babies.  The midwives chose to ignore the government law and did not murder the babies, however, and were honored by God for doing the right thing.  Even now babies are murdered, even before birth, to limit God’s work of us being fruitful and multiplying to fill the earth.  Some will resist the inhumane and ungodly laws of the land and refuse to commit such atrocities, but others will follow the leaders with evil intent who are set against God and His Christ.  We who are His choose His life and hold it to be ever precious. 

God Sovereignly Uses Man’s Evil Intent for Good

Genesis 50:1-26

1 Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.  4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”. 6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
    7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.  10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.  12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. 13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father. 
    15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”  19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
    22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees.  24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Israel was embalmed and mourned many days by both his people and those of the Egyptians.  Then Joseph asked for Pharaoh’s permission to travel with most of Israel’s people (and many of Egypt as well) to travel back to the promised land in Canaan for burial in the family plot given by God and paid for with a just price by Abraham.  Then they all returned to Egypt until the appointed time to come back to inherit the promised land.  Joseph’s brothers were afraid because they had sold off Joseph into slavery, and so they made up words from their father Israel to forgive and spare them.  But Joseph knew that judgement was the Lord’s, and he further understood how God sovereignly uses even man’s evil plans for His greater good; nothing could stop God from arranging and allowing events for His ultimate good and glory (Romans 8:28).  Joseph also looked forward to when God would deliver Israel as a nation out of Egypt into that promised land await them in His duly appointed time.  We learn from this example for us of His chosen people as individuals and the whole in Christ that God allows our sinful actions, forgives us with our repentance (1 John 1:9), and calls us by promise into a better heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) out of the bondage of sin, the eternal kingdom of His presence now within us and to be set up on a new earth in the new heavens where He reigns before us forevermore (Revelation 21:3-4).  Jesus Christ has paid the just and required price to purchase the promised land by His death and His tomb in place of our burial plot (just as Abraham paid a just price for the promised land and his burial place) and His resurrection to prove the truth of His eternal covenant and promise.  Amen, it is and shall ever be so according to God’s certain and immutable word, from the book of Genesis as beginning of all things to the final opening of the Lamb’s book of life in the end! 

Promised Ruler and Kingdom

Genesis 49:1-33 

1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: 2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.
    3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it—He went up to my couch.
    5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. 6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in JacobAnd scatter them in Israel.
    8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?  10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
    13 “Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
    14 “Issachar is a strong donkey,  Lying down between two burdens;  15 He saw that rest was good,  And that the land was pleasant;  He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.
    16 “Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!
    19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.
    20 “Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.
    21 “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.
    22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. 23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. 24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob. (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),  25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above,Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
    27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”
    28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.  29 Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Jacob named Israel now gives blessings to his children, along with prophetic announcements of how God will lead and use them in their tribes.  Most of them were not to have a lasting effect on the future, but Judah is specially called out, for the scepter of the ultimate rule of the Messiah comes from his lineage, not the others.  Even though Joseph was used to deliver God’s chosen children out of bondage in Egypt, the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the one with absolute reign over them and we who are in Christ.  So Jacob blessed each of his children as was fitting in God’s providence and choosing.  His final charge to all of them was to bury him in the first piece of promised land bought by Abraham where he and Sarah were buried, along with Isaac and Rebekah, and with Jacob’s wife Leah.  The land of promise was where they all wanted to end up together as God had promised it personally to each of them.  We have been similarly been promised a kingdom and heavenly country which cannot be taken away nor fade away.  It is an eternal promise of life with God in Christ which we have been given by grace through faith.  There we will all as members of His chosen family be gathered together. His promise is absolute and immutable. 

God’s Eternal Choosing and Blessing

Genesis 48:1-22

1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” 8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, “Who are these?”  9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”  And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”  12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:
    “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
    The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
    16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
    Bless the lads;
    Let my name be named upon them,
    And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
    And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”  19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”  20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.  21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

The time came closer for Israel’s death, so Joseph came to his father with his sons born in Egypt.  Jacob sat up in bed and reminded Joseph of God’s calling and promise to make him and his descendants fruitful and multiply, repeating the promise to God’s chosen ones since Adam and Eve, and to inherit the land promised them as an everlasting land. He laid claim to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born in Egypt; recovered as as Reuben and Simeon were who were thought lost forever.  Israel proceeded to bless the younger of Joseph’s sons, and Joseph thought his aging father made a mistake until told it was God’s choice who to put His hand on.  They were blessed with the names of Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob who was Israel, that God would multiply their descendants in the present land (and the promised one to come).  He ended with God’s will for them to return to that promised land while reminding Joseph of how he had been given more.  We also in Christ inherit an eternal kingdom by the kind of trust as Abraham, by faith in God’s choosing for a better heavenly country because God promises.  No matter how long we were enslaved by sin here, we have been delivered out of bondage and into the marvelous light of God in the face of Jesus Christ!  This is truly God’s eternal choosing and blessing. 

God’s Providential Guidance and Provision

Genesis 47:27-31 

27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”  And he said, “I will do as you have said.”  31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

God had miraculously arranged events from dreams of deliverance to slavery to deception to deliverance from famine and death.  He brought His chosen people down to Egypt by putting His chosen servant Joseph in charge by God-given wisdom and skills.  Now we see all His people settled in the fertile part of a foreign land where they were exceedingly fruitful and multiplied as commanded and promised.  Even Israel (Jacob) lived far beyond what he thought.  But when he was ready to die at last, Israel called Joseph out of all his sons to have him promise to bury him in the promised land given by God, and not in this temporary place of rescue and respite.  Joseph promised to do as he said, swearing it would be so.  We learn here of God’s guidance and providential provision, of the temporal country over the promised one to look forward to (Hebrews 11:9, 15-16), and His sovereign care for we who are His chosen people by His great hand of grace.

Sowing and Reaping in God’s Sovereign Care

Genesis 47:13-26 

13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.  15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”  16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.  18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”

20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.  23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.  25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.” 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.

As the great famine progressed from Egypt even to Canaan, the money from the sale of grain was stored in Pharaoh’s house.  The people of the lands ran out of money after this, and the solution was given to Joseph that they could barter their livestock for bread instead. When the animals were all Pharaoh’s, then the land of the people was bartered, leaving both livestock and land, the riches of the people, in the ruler’s hands.  Then Joseph told the people to take that seed and plant it, sowing for the future as the drought was coming to an end with its famine.  After they lost everything but their lives, hope was now to be sown.  Along with this chain of events arose the law in Egypt to give a tribute tax of one-fifth of their harvest, sustaining the people as a pattern for the future government taxation which would also sustain the people in troubled times in the future.  We learn most of all of God’s sovereign grace to deliver His people in the land they live in by giving wisdom and direction as to Joseph for the good of all.  He gives rain for both the just and unjust, for His chosen people and those in whose land they live in.  We see also that God owns all as ruler and we offer part of what He gives us back to Him as a tithe of thanksgiving and to sustain and feed His people.  This is sowing and reaping in His sovereign care.