Exodus Part 3

 When I am writing I am usually thinking about a few different things. First, I want to bring attention to a certain area of the bible. Second, I want to give some sort of modern-day perspective to the part of the bible we are looking at. Sometimes I assume that the reader knows a certain amount about that story and so I either skip over something or I don't spend as much time on something. So here we are on part 3 of Exodus and at some point, we have either make this a 10-part series or we have to skim over some things. It's hard to skim over Exodus when my whole purpose is to show the bible through the eyes of God's people. So as a compromise, I want to see if focus on certain things and then just briefly mention others. When we finished part two, Moses was on his way to Egypt. As chapter 5 starts, Moses and his brother Aaron are now ready to talk to Pharoah. Let's see how that first meeting goes. 

Chapter 5

Moses and Aaron Speak to Pharaoh

After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.” 

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

3 But Aaron and Moses persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.” 

4 Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! 5 Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” 

A few things are confusing to me when I first read this. In verse three, Moses tells Pharoah that they need to take a three-day journey. I thought this was a rescue mission. In order for us to realize the big picture we have to remember that God said that he would harden Pharoah's heart. In chapter 3:18-22, When Moses is trying to convince God not to send him, this is one of the many responses that God has for Moses.

18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our God.’ 

19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.” 

Again, in the name of time, I want to look at just how hard-hearted Pharoah was. Let's list the 10 plagues that happened before Pharoah decided to finally let the people go.

1.Water to blood (Chapter 7)

2.Frogs (Chapter 8)

3.Gnats (Chapter 8)

4.Flies (Chapter 8)

5.A plague against livestock (Chapter 9)

6.Boils (Chapter 9)

7.Hail (Chapter 9)

8.Locusts (Chapter 10)

9.Darkness (Chapter 10)

10. Death of the first born (Chapter 11)

This list is all over the place in some ways, Frogs, gnats, flies and locusts all seem annoying and overwhelming to me. Water to blood is both scary and creepy. Boils are painful. Darkness is a way of not only showing power but also taking away something that we always take for granted. Hail is the destruction of what they spent so much time building. All of the time they spent, and God destroyed in a very short time. Now if we look at the plague against the livestock and the death of the first born. Pharoah was so selfish that even after livestock died, he didn't listen. It wasn't until someone died in every single household that he was ready to listen and even that didn't work for very long. 

Now before we move on, I just want to look at something. Let's look at Genesis 46:31:33

31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s entire family, “I will go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan. 32 These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ ” 

33 Then he said, “When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation, 34 you must tell him, ‘We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.” 

The reason I want to look at this really quickly is because I want to point out that over 400 years before Moses was going to lead the people out of Egypt God led Joseph's family to Goshen, not to Egypt. The Egyptians despised shepherds and so they didn't want to be around them. They could have been insulted, they could have argued, instead they did what Joseph told them to do. What Joseph told them to do was all a part of God's plan. If you go and read about when the plagues were happening, Goshen did not have the darkness and they also did not have the plague of livestock and of course they did not have the death of the first born. We get so angry when we are left out of something. I believe the kids these days call in FOMO, The fear of missing out. God had a plan and the Israelites listened. Instead of being mad when we feel like we are being separated we need to understand that maybe that is God's will and that he is protecting us from something down the road.

Ok, back to the story. We are now at the point where they Egyptians are getting ready to finally be done with the Israelites. This is what happened right before and during the final plague.

Exodus 12:21-23, 28-30

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. 22 Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.

28 So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron. 29 And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died. 

After this, Moses had Pharoah's attention, here is what Pharoah said to Moses in Exodus 12:31-36

Israel’s Exodus from Egypt

31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.” 33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!” 

34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders. 35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. 36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth! 

I worry I am like the Egyptians more often than I want to admit. I wait so long to do what God wants; I end up being stripped of my wealth. 

Now this is a part where I really want to quickly go over, If you grew up in the church or are following in the reading plan, the next part is the parting of the Red Sea. I don't want to completely dismiss it, but I also think it's something that has been spoken of plenty of times. The main thing I want to point out is that this is a post about Moses and it's important to know that the parting of the Red Sea was all God. I will put it here for anyone to read who wants to, this is Exodus 14:15-31.

Escape through the Red Sea

15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. 18 When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!” 

21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! 

23 Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. 24 But just before dawn the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. 25 He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!” 

26 When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the LORD said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived. 

29 But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. 30 That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses. 

Again, I want the focus to be on God. Moses was a great leader, but the Israelites really struggled with faith. Read verse 31, it says that when they saw the mighty power of the Lord, they were in awe. That tells me that before that they weren't in awe. Everything they had seen up to that point, and they still couldn't understand how powerful God truly was.