Shalom. Our study this morning will be from Exodus 3.16-22 which includes GOD’s instructions to Moses about his mission to lead the children of Israel out of 400 years of bondage in Egypt and lead them to The Promised Land, The Land of Israel.
READ EXODUS 3.16-22
At the burning bush, The LORD told Moses what He wanted him to do, lead the Children of Israel out of the misery of Egypt to The Promised Land which was the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites which GOD would rename Eretz Y’Israel, The Land of Israel, The Land GOD promised to the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob some 700 years earlier.
Go, The LORD said to Moses, and gather the Elders of Israel together and say to them, The LORD GOD of your fathers, The GOD of Abraham, The GOD of Isaac, and of Jacob appeared to me saying, I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt, and I have said, I will bring you up out of Egypt, and I have said, I will bring you up out of the misery 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. And they will listen to you and do what you say, and you shall go, 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 let us go, we ask you, 3 days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to The LORD our GOD. And I am sure, The LORD said, that the King of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a Mighty Hand. Perhaps meaning, the Mighty Hand of GOD will prevent the King of Egypt from allowing the Hebrews to go, thus permitting The LORD to perform His great wonders on Egypt and the King. Then the Pharaoh will let them go.
And The LORD said to Moses, I will show the children of Israel kindness that when you go, you will not go empty. But every woman will request from her Egyptian neighbor, and the stranger that lives in her house, perhaps the Egyptian maidservant that lives in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and upon your daughters, and you shall strip the Egyptians of their possessiions.
Let’s read Exodus 4.1 and hear how Moses answered GOD.
EXODUS 4.1 They won’t believe me, Moses said to GOD, nor will they listen to me, for they will say, The LORD has not appeared to you. In other words, Moses said, No, LORD, I don’t want to do it.
Taking all things into consideration, this is not an easy assignment for Moses. In fact, it’s impossible. GOD told him, Go and gather the Elders of Israel. And go to the most powerful man on earth, and ask him to let the children of Israel go. Impossible, Moses may have thought, and I might even get killed just for showing up. No, LORD, I don’t want to do it.
Well of course, Moses later agreed after arguing with GOD, and The LORD showing him how false his arguments were, and Moses accepted the mission.
I have a question. How reluctant are we and others, or how willing and eager are we and others to accept GOD’s mission when He calls us for a very basic assignment? FOLLOW YESHUA. How willing and eager are we to follow Yeshua after we find out what it means from The Scriptures to follow The LORD? Are we willing and eager, and say, Yes LORD, or do we say no, LORD, I don’t want to do it. It’s impossible?
A follower of Yeshua is a disciple of The Messiah, and The LORD GOD. A follower of Yeshua, even His disciple is 1 who is taught by GOD and Yeshua, and seeks to live by His every Word and His Law, and to testify to others to do the same.
EPHESIANS 5.1, 1 CORINTHIANS 11.1-2, 1 CORINTHIANS 14.37
And at times, following The LORD means taking up our cross, because following Messiah according to The Word of GOD can bring troubles, and sufferings, and rejection. And The LORD requires us to deny all those things that are not lawful, that oppose The Word of GOD. MATTHEW 16.24
So, when we find the true meaning of following The LORD, do we say yes, LORD, I will do it, or do we say, No, LORD, that’s impossible?
FOLLOW Yeshua – AK-OL-OO-THEH-O means to be in the same way with Yeshua, that is, obey Him, keeping in mind Yeshua is GOD The Father. GOD is 1. (John 12.45, John 14.9, etc.), and Yeshua is also The Law-Giver. JAMES 4.12, ISAIAH 33.22.
To follow Yeshua also means to imitate Him, to make Yeshua our example on how to live our life, and to model ourself after Him, and follow Him.
DENY yourself – AP-AR-NEH-OM-AHEE – means abstain. To depart from your old sinful ways of breaking GOD’s Law of Moses. Breaking GOD’s Law of Moses is eliminating the Saturday Sabbath, believing GOD’s foods Laws are not in force, not observing GOD’s Festivals of Leviticus 23, and abolishing all GOD’s Law of Moses in your life. But rather GOD would have us to repent and change by turning to The LORD and obeying Him, His every Word.
1 PETER 1.15-16
As a follower of Yeshua, do you do the will of The Father which is in Heaven? MATTHEW 7.21
WILL as in NOT everyone that says to Me LORD, LORD shall enter into The Kingdom of Heaven, but he or she that does the will of My Father which is in Heaven.
WILL – THEL-AY-MAH – means GOD’s decree, His Law, His Commandments, His Statutes and Ordinances, all being GOD’s Law, His Law of Moses, The Torah.
PSALM 40.8
Do we do those things that please The Father? Do we do His Will? Do we live our life as Messiah lived His, in obedience to The Father? JOHN 8.29
Do we keep The Word of GOD always? Because His Word is truth. And His Word includes the 10 Commandments and The Law of Moses.
JOHN 17.6, 17, PSALM 110.1
Do we live by the commandments of men, laying aside The Commandments of GOD. Do we obey man’s law, so-called spiritual laws, and reject GOD?
MATTHEW 15.7-9
Rejecting GOD’s Law is living by the doctrines and commandments of men, thus making your worship vain, Yeshua says. Without purpose and unsuccessful.
But all can turn and obey GOD, and do the will of GOD. MATTHEW 21.28-32
So then, have we repented and turned to GOD, and have a life change? And do we fully understand what repentance is? MATTHEW 4.17, EZEKIEL 18.21, 30-31.
Repentance is turning from your sins which is breaking The Law of Moses. 1 JOHN 3.4, and turning to GOD, and keeping GOD’s Law, and doing that which is lawful and right. Then you will have a new heart, and a new spirit. A new heart that is obedient to GOD, and a new spirit which is The Holy Spirit.
Are you the light of the world? Yes, you are the light of the world if you obey GOD’s Law, His Torah.
MATTHEW 5.14, 15, 16, PROVE
RBS 6.23
(Matthew 5.16) Your good works are obedience to The Father, obeying Torah.
Are you like Yeshua? Do you follow Him and keep the Saturday Sabbath, and all GOD’s Festivals of Leviticus 23?
MARK 1.21, JOHN 2.23, JOHN 7.2, 14-17
Yeshua taught from The T’Nakh, The Old Testament only. There was no New Testament in His day. He did not say, turn to the book of Matthew or Luke or Galatians because the earliest writings of the New Testament were written about 10 or 20 years after His death, burial and resurrection. So if anyone teaches you anything that does not agree with The Old Testament, that teaching is false. They are the doctrines and commandments of men, and not of GOD.
Yeshua taught that GOD’s Law of Moses will never change and never end. Not 1 letter, not 1 word. As a follower of Messiah, do you believe that, and do you teach that to others?
MATTHEW 5.17-20
(5.17) FULFILL – means to COMPLETE. Before Messiah came, The Law and The Prophets were not complete. Now they are. ISAIAH 53, etc.
(5.19) Here the Kingdom of Heaven means everywhere GOD rules. GOD rules in Heaven, and earth, and hell. Not good to be least in The Kingdom of Heaven which here is hell. All in Heaven will be great, and none will be least. All in Heaven will be Kings and Priests.
REVELATION 5.10, REVELATION 22.5
GOD The Messiah would have us tell others, even teach them to live by GOD’s Law of Moses.
MATTHEW 28.19-20
That is part of our mission when Yeshua, The LORD GOD called us to follow Him, knowing that His Law, and His Law is The Law of Moses, never changes or ends, and we should teach all nations, Jews and Gentiles to observe all things whatsoever Yeshua commanded us.
Do you forgive others? MARK 11.24-25
Do you seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness? Do you first seek GOD in everything you do, and His righteousness. His righteousness is His Word, His Law and His Commandments, His counsel and His instructions? MATTHEW 6.33
And everything you search for will be given to you.
Do you fear GOD? Fearing GOD is not only a Commandment of GOD, but also causes you and me to happily obey GOD. MATTHEW 10.28
Do you take upon yourself the yoke of GOD which is His Law and Commandments? Do you learn about Yeshua? Are you reading and studying The Scriptures, and not depending on man’s teachings and their interpretations? MATTHEW 11.28-30
An important part of Messiah’s teachings are His Words on The Kingdom of Heaven. MATTHEW 5.1-12
Yeshua taught about the purpose of life, and the way it should be lived. By following Him, and modeling our life after Messiah. Living by every Word of GOD. Ecclesiastes 12.13 says, the whole duty of man is to fear GOD and keep His Commandments. And Peter said, LORD, we have forsaken all and followed You. MATTHEW 19.27-29
FORSAKEN ALL – When we live by every Word of GOD, and keep His Commandments and Laws, we could end up forsaking all for Messiah. Forsaking all those who are opposed to GOD and His Word. And there are many who will turn away from us. Taking up our cross MAY NOT be easy at times, for many are called, and few chosen.
Thus, having a relationship with Messiah is doing the will of The Father which is in Heaven.
MATTHEW 12.50
And not doing the will of The Father which is in Heaven is a very dangerous path to take.
MATTHEW 7.21-23
And doing the will of GOD happens to be the most UNPOPULAR thing in the world. Obeying Him. Doing His Law. That’s why following Jesus is so difficult for many, but easy for others.
When Yeshua was asked what the most important Commandment is? He answered, obey GOD.
MARK 12.28-31
(12.29-30) The word hear, as in Hear O Israel, comes from the Hebrew word Shema. Shema means to hear GOD, listen to Him, and obey Him, do what He says. And love The LORD your GOD with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the 1st and greatest Commandment. And it is for everybody, everone in the entire world. But so very few do it, even those who claim to follow Jesus.
(12.31) When we obey GOD, and do what He says, and love our neighbor as ourself, I think it becomes easier to love ourselves also.
So there is a lot to think about when GOD The Messiah calls us to follow Him. It means obeying GOD. Something the world hates and rejects. But obeying GOD is doing the will of The Father which is in Heaven. We do those things that please Him. By doing what The GOD of Creation commands us to do, The GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, The GOD Who spoke to Moses at the burning bush, and sent him on his mission; we find that there is no greater life, no greater walk, no greater joy, no greater reward, and no greater 1 to folow than The LORD GOD our Messiah. That is our purpose and mission in life, to follow GOD and Messiah, to live by His every Word, and to tell others to do the same. That is how life should be lived. That is our calling and our mission, following Messiah. It is special, and unique, and supernatural. So that is our mission. To follow GOD and Messiah Who are 1 and the same, and do what He says. I hope you do that willingly and eagerly.
Month: February 2012
I AM THAT I AM. WHAT DOES GOD’S NAME MEAN? EXODUS 3.9-15
Shalom. We will continue our teaching from the book of Exodus, and our study this morning is from Exodus 3.9-15.
READ EXODUS 3.9-15
First, let’s quickly review the beginning words of this Chapter.
Now Moses kept the flock of his father-in-law Jethro the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back side of the desert. And he came to the mountain of GOD called Horeb. Horeb is also Mt. Sinai.
And the Angel of The LORD appeared to Moses in a blazing flame of fire out of the bush, and Moses looked and he saw the bush burn with fire but the bush was not consumed. It was not devoured. And Moses thought, I will now turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned. And when The LORD saw that Moses turned aside to look, GOD called to him out of the bush and said, Moses, Moses, and he said, here am I. And GOD, Who is Yeshua The Messiah, said, Do not come closer, remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. And GOD 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 at GOD.
And The LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My People which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their slavemasters for I know their sorrows, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good land and a large land, 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.
So GOD has arrived. The time of deliverance has come for GOD’s People, and The LORD GOD has chosen Moses for His special mission to deliver the People, The Children of Israel from 400 years of Egyptian bondage, and slavery and lead them out of Egypt to the Promised Land, The Land of Israel.
So let’s start our study at Exodus 3.9.
EXODUS 3.9 I have also seen the oppression by which the Egyptians oppress them, GOD said to Moses.
The point here is that GOD is in Heaven and He sees the oppression of His People in Egypt. Meaning GOD is everywhere, all the time, at the same time. GOD is pure Spirit, and He has no boundaries, or limitations. He fills Heaven and earth, and He is not far from each one of us.
JEREMIAH 23.24 GOD is omnipresent. He is everywhere, all the time, at the same time.
PSALM 139.7-12, PROVERBS 15.3
Though GOD is in Heaven, He is always with us on earth to help in times of trouble. ISAIAH 57.15
WHO INHABITS ETERNITY – WHO LIVES FOREVER
WHOSE NAME IS HOLY – KAHDOSH SHEMO
Holy means pure, most Holy and Sanctified, i.e., free from sin, sinless, Who is entitled to honor, and respect, and reverence.
I dwell in the high and holy place with him and her ALSO that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
I DWELL IN – ESHKONE – meaning 1). GOD lives PERMANENTLY with us, and
2) He lives with the contrite and humble spirit, and He revives us.
CONTRITE SPIRIT – crushed spirit, crushed like powder, depressed.
HUMBLE SPIRIT – submissive and meek. Submissive means obedient, obedient to GOD. Meek means submissive and obedient. Submissive and obedient to GOD.
So GOD sees everything. He even lives with us PERMANENTLY. He delivers us when we are in trouble, and revives us, and restores us back to life, and health.
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EXODUS 3.10 This is the moment where GOD appoints Moses a Prophet and an Emissary. An emissary is a representative sent on a mission. And the mission for Moses, Go to Pharaoh and bring forth My People, The Children of Israel out of Egypt. And like many prophets and emissaries, Moses was reluctant, very reluctant, to accept the responsibility. And we’ll get to that a little later.
But first, according to Scripture, an emissary or a representative of GOD and Messiah should be, must be a person who believes in Yeshua The Messiah. And as Messiah says in Luke 4.4, that person must live by every word of GOD. LUKE 4.3-4
When we believe in Yeshua and set out to live by every word of GOD, that is supernatural from GOD. Then real change takes place in your life and mine. We accept and do all the laws of GOD. These are the laws GOD gave to Moses. There is One GOD, and One Law for everyone. And when we believe in Yeshua and live by every word of GOD, that is evidence we are emissaries and representatives of GOD and Messiah Who are One and the same. It is proof we know Him, that we are righteous as He is righteous, that we are born again, and we do not sin because we live by every word of GOD. And we are dead to sin and do not continue in sin. That is evidence we love GOD and have His Holy Spirit. This is New Testament teaching. And those are the requirements to be emissaries and representatives of GOD and Messiah Yeshua.
1 JOHN 2.3 COMMANDMENTS – EN-TOL-AY – GOD’s Laws, all His Laws, Commandments and Statutes, Collectively all the Laws GOD gave to Moses, for everyone. And they are not difficult.
1 JOHN 2.17 The will of GOD. WILL – THEL-AY-MAH – His decree, His Law, His Law of Moses. His Will is to do His Law, and those who do the Will of GOD abide forever. They live forever.
1 JOHN 2.29 Righteous and righteousness mean LAW-abiding. We stay in The Law and remain in The Law, and continue in the Law, as Yeshua is righteous and Law-abiding. Those who do righteousness are born of GOD, they are born again. ACTS 5.32
1 JOHN 3.4 The emissary or the representative of GOD and Messiah DOES NOT take the stand that The Law is dead or no longer in force. But understands that sin is breaking GOD’s Law, that sin is the violation of GOD’s Law of Moses and His Word. That sin is wickedness, iniquity, evil, and transgression of GOD’s Law, unrighteousness and Lawlessness. That is the Biblical definition of sin, breaking GOD’s Law.
1 JOHN 5.3 Those who love GOD and Messiah prove it by living their lives by every word of GOD, and casting off the bondage of no Law. Loving GOD and Messiah is keeping His Commandments, The Laws of GOD. And they are not difficult.
JOHN 14.15-16, EXODUS 20.6 from the 10 Commandments
(Exodus 20.6) COMMANDMENTS – MEETSVOTE – Collectively The Law, GOD’s Law He gave to Moses for Israel and all the world to do.
DEUTERONOMY 7.9, LUKE 11.28, 1 JOHN 5.2
Thus the emissary of GOD, His representative is like the Apostles, and the Prophets of GOD, and Yeshua The Messiah.
They all loved GOD, and lived by His every word.
HEBREWS 3.1-2 Yeshua and Moses are both counted faithful to GOD. That is, loyal and obedient to Him as all GOD’s representatives should be.
EPHESIANS 2.19-20 – (21) (We are now One in GOD.)
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EXODU
S 3.11 And yes, we see in The Bible that some of GOD’s Prophets and servants were like Moses. They were reluctant to accept GOD’s mission, but ultimately, GOD saw to it that they did.
EXODUS 3.11 Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?
EXODUS 4.1 They will not believe me
EXODUS 4.10 I am not eloquent.
ELOQUENT – EESH DEHVAH-REEM – MAN OF WORDS
I am not a man of words
SLOW OF SPEECH – I have difficulty speaking.
SLOW OF TONGUE – I am a slow speaker
EXODUS 4.13 Send someone else
Gideon was a reluctant servant – JUDGES 6.12-17
Jeremiah was a reluctant Prophet – JEREMIAH 1.4-9, 18-19
And of course Jonah. JONAH 1.1-4, PROVERBS 29.25
When GOD chooses you to do something for Him, you will do it, sooner or later.
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EXODUS 3.12 One of the most comforting promises of GOD is that He is always with you, even forever.
MATTHEW 28.16-20 1) Yeshua taught His Disciples to live by every Word of GOD.
2) To baptize all people into The Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3) That He is always with you, even to the end of the world, and that is forever.
BAPTIZING – BAP-TID-ZO – Its root meaning is to dip, dunk, soak or immerse into a liquid so that what is immersed, you and me, takes on the qualities of what it has been immersed into. That is we are immersed or baptized into the water and we should take on the qualities of Whom we are baptized into. We are baptized into The Name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit. Think on that for a moment…We are baptized into, and we should take on the qualities of GOD, and Messiah Who did no sin, by living by every Word of GOD. That should be our goal. To walk with Messiah. We should be in the likeness of Messiah, to be like Him, and to follow Him. Just as He said, Man does not live by bread only but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of The LORD does man live. (Deuteronomy 8.3, Matthew 4.4, Luke 4.4). Yes, He is always with us, but OUR mission is to be like Him.
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EXODUS 3.13-14 VERSE 14 I AM that I AM, or I AM Who I AM.
EH HEH YEH AHSHER EH HEH YEH
I AM EH HEH YEH
So what is the meaning of I AM? I AM, another Name for GOD, means, I continue to be, and will be. I will continue to live forever as before. Meaning I AM the same always, yesterday, today, and forever. I do not change, and I will never change. That is what The Bible teaches about GOD, He never changes
1 PETER 1.25 ENDURES FOREVER – Remains, stays, stands and continues forever.
– The Gospel is part of GOD’s Word and Law
JAMES 1.17 NO VARIABLENESS – GOD never changes, His character, His Word, and His Law.
NEITHER SHADOW OF TURNING – Not even a hint that GOD will change, His character, His Word and His Law.
HEBREWS 1.12 – But you are the SAME. Meaning GOD never changes. He is the same. His character, His Word and His Law never change.
MATTHEW 5.18 Not one jot or one tittle shall pass from The Law till all is fulfilled. The smallest letter and the smallest stroke in The Law will never perish, or change or disappear, till all is fulfilled. And here since fulfilled means ended, THE LAW WILL NEVER END because Heaven and all living in Heaven, GOD and His Saints will never come to an end. The same with GOD’s Law. It will never end.
So why do people try to change it? (Genesis 3.1-4)
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EXODUS 3.15 I AM is My Name forever.
MY MEMORIAL – ZEEKHREE -This is how I AM to be remembered.
TO ALL GENERATIONS – LEH DOR DOR
From generation to generation, forever and for all eternity, GOD’s Name is I AM, I AM that I AM, and this is His Name forever and I AM is to be remembered forever.
So in conculsion, GOD’s Name I AM is His Name YOU should always remember. It’s simple. I AM. Of course GOD has many other wonderful Names, but I AM has a special meaning. I AM means GOD lives forever as before, AND GOD NEVER CHANGES. There is not even a hint that He will change (James 1.17).
Not one jot or one tittle, the smallest letter, and the smallest stroke in GOD’s Law of Moses will ever change, or perish, or disappear. (Matthew 5.18). Because The LORD GOD Whose Name is I AM says The Law will NEVER change or come to an end.
When someone tells you GOD’s Law is no longer in force, it has been abolished, the Saturday Sabbath has ended, the food laws have been eliminated, GOD’s Festivals no longer exist, these are not the words of I AM, but the words of man. Those who seek to change GOD’s Laws may not realize it but they stand against GOD, and that is never good. That is anti-Christ, because GOD’s Word and His Law are the same yesterday, today, and forever. And when you do them, it is for your good.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein
DELIVERANCE! EXODUS 3.1-8
Shalom and good morning. Our teaching will continue in Exodus from Exodus 3.1-8.
READ EXODUS 3.1-8
GOD had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Grandfather, Son and Grandson, to make of them a great nation. Israel is that great nation. And GOD used Joseph, Jacob’s 11th-born son as His instrument to bring the children of Israel into Egypt from Canaan to fulfill that promise. In Egypt, GOD would make of them a great nation.
Joseph supernaturally by the Hand of GOD was made Governor of Egypt. He married an Egyptian woman and had 2 sons. And because of a severe famine brought on by GOD in Egypt and the entire region, the whole house of Israel moved to Egypt. All told, there were 70 descendants of Jacob. Joseph and his family were already in Egypt. And the children of Israel suffered great adversity for GOD’s purpose, but for Israel’s good. The children of Israel gained their own land, and their own country, Israel. And many of GOD’s people experience pain and difficulty in life, for GOD’s purpose, and for our good.
And The Bible says that Joseph died, and all his brethren and all that generation, and a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And in the process of time, the children of Israel became slaves and served the Egyptians with hard bondage. And the king of Egypt passed a decree to kill all the newborn male Hebrew children, but every daughter was to be kept alive, thus eliminating Israel, and all the Jewish people, and all hope for the promised Messiah (Genesis 3.15). But GOD, of course, prevented that from happening as He always does.
And a Levite woman conceived and bore a son and she hid him for 3 months. But when she could no longer hide him from the Egyptians, she made a little ark for him and put the child in the ark and had it placed at the river’s edge by the child’s sister. When Pharaoh’s daughter went to bathe in the river, she spotted the ark in the river plants, and she took pity on him. The princess had the mother of the baby nurse him and paid her wages to nurse her own child. So Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and called him Moses, an Egyptian name meaning, “I drew him out of the water”. And he became part of the royal family in Egypt.
And Moses grew and when he saw the intense burdens of his Jewish people, he killed an Egyptian slavemaster because he was beating a Hebrew. And Moses hid him in the sand. But the thing was found out, and when Pharaoh, Moses adopted Grandfather heard what Moses did, he sought to kill him, and Moses fled Egypt and settled in the land of Midian. The Midianites were distant relatives through Abraham his ancestor. There he married Zipporah and had 2 children by her.
But the children of Israel were still living in awful bondage in Egypt. And they cried to The LORD for help. And The Bible says, and their cry came up to GOD because of the bondage. And GOD heard their groaning, and GOD remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And GOD looked upon the children of Israel for it was the time of Salvation, the time of deliverance for His people.
EXODUS 3.1 Moses was about 80 years old, still working as a shepherd for his father-in-law, the priest of Midian.
Horeb, the mountain of GOD, is also called Mt. Sinai. It is thought to be in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, though others believe the mountain is in N.W. Arabia, today’s Saudi Arabia, near Midian where Moses lived, and not far from Canaan, today’s Israel. When the children of Israel left Egypt in the Exodus, they served GOD at Sinai or Horeb, the mountain of GOD, for 2 years. EXODUS 3.11-12
And it was at Mt. Sinai where GOD gave His people the 10 Commandments. EXODUS 19.1-4, 14-25; 20.1-3
And the children of Israel served The LORD their GOD 2 years at Mt. Sinai, the mountain of GOD. NUMBERS 10.11-12.
In Jewish thought, or in Jewish opinion, Mt. Sinai is 1 of 2 sacred mountains. The other is Mt. Zion which was Mt. Moriah where GOD commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Mt. Moriah is the hill in Jerusalem where Solomon built the Temple. Of course, GOD tested Abraham to see if he feared GOD. He did. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, GOD called to him out of Heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. Do not lay your hand on the land, neither do anything to him, for now I know that you fear GOD, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me. Thus Abraham sacrificed a ram in place of his son Isaac (Genesis 22). See 2 CHRONICLES 3.1.
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EXODUS 3.2 The Angel of The LORD is GOD. See Verse 4.
Now The LORD GOD is Yeshua Ha Mashiakh, Yeshua The Messiah. And since Yeshua is GOD, and there is only 1 GOD and there is no other, it was Yeshua The Messiah Who appeared to Moses in the flame of fire out of the bush. Yeshua is GOD and taught extensively throughout The Scriptures.
JOHN 8.58, JOHN 10.30, JOHN 12.44-45, JOHN 14.9, TITUS 2.13, 1 JOHN 5.20, REVELATION 22.3-4
(Revelation 22.3-4) Him and His are singular words and refer to the 1 GOD of Creation Who is Yeshua.
ISAIAH 9.6, MICAH 5.2, WHOSE GOINGS FORTH
Whose origin, His family tree OOMOTSAHTYVE
FROM OF OLD – MEKEHDEM – eternal, everlasting, no
beginning, no end.
FROM EVERLASTING – MEMAY OLAHM, from the days
of eternity, without beginning and without end.
Thus the origin of Yeshua is this. He has no beginning and no end. He has always been. And only GOD has no beginning and no end. Yeshua is GOD, GOD Almighty, The GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
GENESIS 1.1 GOD IS ELOHIM – a plural Hebrew word for the 1 GOD of Creation. GOD is 1 and He is The Father, The Son Yeshua, and The Holy Spirit.
Also, GOD Who is Yeshua The Messiah, appeared to Moses numerous times, Face to face, not only in the burning bush, but throughout the 40 year wilderness experience.
EXODUS 33.11
NUMBERS 12.7-8 MOUTH to mouth is Face to face.
APPARENTLY – in open view He sees me.
NOT IN DARK SPEECHES – not in riddles, or mysteries
&n
bsp;THE SIMILITUDE OF THE LORD – He sees My likeness,
My shape, My body. He sees Me, and He sees me Face to face.
Yet The LORD GOD says, you cannot see My Face and live. But many saw The Face of GOD, and lived, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and others. Is there an explanation? EXODUS 33.18-20
I believe if a human being in our earthly body were to see the full blaze of GOD’s Glory, that is His pure Spiritual Being, we would melt like wax.
MATTHEW 24.29-31 Messiah’s return
ZECHARIAH 14.1-3, 12 Messiah’s return, keeping in mind
Messiah is GOD.
CONSUME – MAHKAHK – melt
But when GOD tones down the brightness of His Glory, when He has appeared to man in human form, they saw GOD, and they also looked upon Yeshua. EXODUS 24.9-11, JOHN 1.14 The Word is GOD Almighty. The Word is Yeshua. Unfortunately, when people reject GOD’s Word, they reject Messiah.
But when we are with GOD The Messiah, Yeshua Ha Mashiakh, and Face to face with Him, we will see Him as He is in all His Glory. No longer will we be in an earthly body, but in a spiritual body, the same likeness that GOD has. We will see Him perfectly in all His Glory. PSALM 17.15, MATTHEW 5.8, JOHN 17.24,
1 CORINTHIANS 13.12 – We will see GOD perfectly, Face to face, and know all
things perfectly.
(1 JOHN 3.1-2, REVELATION 22.1-5)
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EXODUS 3.3 An interesting thought about the fire that did not burn the bush is that the Angel of The LORD Who is GOD and Messiah, also took the form of fire which did not burn the bush. Meaning, the fire in the bush was also GOD. This might be true. EXODUS 24.17, ZECHARIAH 2.5
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EXODUS 3.4-5 VERSE 5 HOLY GROUND – ADMAHT-KODESH
Holy ground is sacred ground, most holy and dedicated to GOD.
As Believers in Yeshua The Messiah, being sons of GOD and children of GOD, we should dedicate our lives to GOD every day. And that means being obedient to GOD, His Word, His instructions, His Laws and His Commandments. Yes, of course we are saved by grace and not by works. But then, as Paul writes, we must work out our Salvation with fear and trembling. When we fear GOD as Abraham did, we obey GOD, because we fear Him. We as Believers in Messiah are on holy ground always and continually.
PHIIPPIANS 2.12 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling. That will
cause you and me to obey GOD, His Word, His Law, that is His
Law of Moses, His Commandments and His instructions no
matter what any man or woman tells you differently. MATTHEW
10.28
ECCLESIASTES 5.1 (C.J.B. 4.17) Consider when you go to the House of GOD.
Be more ready to hear and obey GOD. HEAR – SHMAH – hear,
listen, obey GOD
I think the sacrifice of fools is the offering of disobedience to GOD, just as Adam and Eve disobeyed GOD, and look what that got them, and all mankind.
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EXODUS 3.6 The GOD of Abraham, The GOD of Isaac, and The GOD of Jacob is The GOD of the Jewish people. But He is also The GOD of the non-Jewish people through faith in Yeshua and by establishing GOD’s Law in your life. ROMANS 3.29-31
BACK TO EXODUS 3.7-8 This is the mission GOD had preordained for Moses from the days of eternity, to send him to deliver the children of Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up into the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Jebusites which GOD renamed Israel, the same name He gave to Jacob.
So GOD’s perfect time of deliverance had come for His people, the children of Israel. Not only to take them to the Promised Land, the Land of Israel, but also to teach His people the will of GOD. For He chose them to be a holy people unto Himself, and to be His witness. And yes, we have had our failures and successes, but we did write the entire Bible from Genesis through Revelation for all the world to know GOD, and to know His Word and Laws and Commandments, and for the entire world to live according to His instructions. And we gave the world Messiah Yeshua. No small blessing. The LORD took His people out of 400 years of paganism in Egypt to teach them and to teach all the world, to fear The LORD your GOD, to walk in all His Ways as Yeshua says in Matthew 4.4, and to love Him, and to serve The LORD your GOD with all your heart, and with all your soul. To keep the Commandments of The LORD, and His Statutes, and His Laws which The LORD your GOD commands you in unity with your faith and belief in Yeshua The Messiah FOR YOUR GOOD. Then you will prosper in your way, and then you will have good success when you live by every Word of GOD.
MISFORTUNES MIGHT BE FOR GOD’S PURPOSE, AND YOUR GOOD. EXODUS 2.1-9
Shalom. Our teaching this morning will be from Exodus 2.1-9.
Read Exodus 2.1-9.
Sometimes dire situations and dreadful difficulties that happen in our lives are for GOD’s purpose, and for our good, especially to those who seek GOD.
For example. GOD brought serious troubles into the lives of a number of people to fulfill certain promises of His. Case in point. To make of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob a great nation. That nation, of course, is Israel. And to bring this to pass, GOD had to cause misfortunes into the lives of these individuals to make the great nation Israel.
And GOD promised to bring that great nation into their own land that He would show them. But first they would suffer affliction, and then they would come out with great substance. The children of Israel suffered hard bondage in Egypt, but left in boldness. However many were subjected to sorrow and misery and adversity; that was needed to accomplish GOD’s promise to give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants after them the land of Canaan which GOD renamed Israel.
Joseph was taken to Egypt under hard dureess. He was hated by his brothers. They threatened to kill him. He was tossed into jail for 2 years shortly after he arrived in Egypt for a crime he never committed. As a result of interpreting dreams for 2 of Pharaoh’s prisoners, he was brought to the king to interpret his dreams, which he did by the power of GOD. He told him of the coming famine to Egypt and the region and how to manage it. Pharaoh immediately made him Governor of Egypt, and as a result the 70 family members of Jacob, Joseph’s father, moved to Egypt from Canaan for food and life. That was GOD’s plan, and in Egypt, The LORD GOD would make Israel a great nation. Joseph’s sufferings were instrumental for The LORD in bringing Israel into Egypt.
Jacob, whom GOD named Israel, had his own troubles also. He was tormented for so long thinking his son Joseph was dead. But this also was GOD’s plan for His purpose to bring the family of Israel, 70 in all, to Egypt where GOD would make them a great nation. The number of them to be as the stars of Heaven. Jacob experienced terrible grief for GOD’s purpose. Sometimes we also suffer for GOD’s purpose, and for our good.
The family of Moses suffered greatly because they had to give him up to strangers lest he would be killed because of Pharaoh’s edict to kill all male Jewish or Hebrew babies. It is well known of the greatness of Moses, for GOD’s purpose.
So, there are times in our lives that GOD Himself causes us to experience misfortune and misery and adversity for His purpose, for the Kingdom of GOD, but also for our good.
EXODUS 2.1 Prior to this marriage, Pharaoh passed a decree to kill all the newly born Hebrew boys to eliminate Israel, all the Jewish people.
EXODUS 1.15-22
This Verse speaks of Moses father and mother who were Levites. EXODUS 6.20
Amram, the father of Moses – AMRAM in Hebrew meaning “high people”
JOCHEBED Moses’ mother in Hebrew is YOKHEHVED meaning “Yehhovah glorified”.
The Bible describes the duties of the Levites after the Exodus. DEUTERONOMY 21.5
Their duties also included providing GOD’s instructions to the people, carrying the ark of the Covenant, presiding over the sacrifices, the tithes were given to them for ministering to The LORD, they received their portions of food from the sacrifices, and they served the tabernacle of the congregation.
NUMBERS 18.20-24
(18.20) YOU SHALL HAVE NO INHERITANCE IN THE LAND – the Levites were not allocated a parcel of land in Israel but were assigned to the other tribes throughout Israel to serve GOD, to teach the people Torah, The Law of Moses and all the Word of GOD.
I AM YOUR PART AND YOUR INHERITANCE. Their inheritance was GOD Himself. He provided their every need.
(18.21) The tenth is a tithe.
(18.23) and they shall bear their iniquity. I.E., the Levites will be responsible for their own sin.
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EXODUS 2.2 GOODLY – TOVE – beautiful and cheerful
She hid him for 3 months. This parallels with the story of Yeshua as a young boy. The Angel of The LORD appeared to Joseph, Miriam or Mary’s husband in a dream and told him to take the child and his mother into Egypt because Herod would seek to kill the Child Yeshua. MATTHEW 2.13-16
There are many similarities between Moses and Yeshua that we will learn as we continue through Exodus. So far the similarities are, they are both Jewish, chosen of GOD for a mission, and hidden so their enemy would not kill them.
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EXODUS 2.3 ARK – TAYVAH – a box or a basket-like a boat.
BULLRUSHES – GOMEH – plant material from a marsh, or plant life soaked in water. Egyptians used this material to make clothing, shoes, baskets, vessels and boats.
And daubed it with slime and pitch.
DAUBED IT – smeared it
SLIME – a substance that hardens from the heat of the sun. Sort of like cement
PITCH – like asphalt which is used for paving roads and walkways.
So this little ark was efficiently and professionaly made for the baby Moses.
FLAGS – SOOF – grass-like plants in wet and marsh places.
The river’s brink – at the edge of the river.
EXODUS 2.4 Moses’ sister is Miriam, and she is called a prophetess. EXODUS 15.20-21
PROPHETESS – NEHVEEAH – a woman prophet
The Bible says, the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy.
REVELATION 19.10
The testimony of Yeshua must be a declaration of truth. This means giving a true report of Yeshua that He is GOD and Messiah, Who came NOT to destroy The Law or the Prophets but to complete them. Who Himself led a Torah-observant life and taught others to do the same, live by GOD’s Word and His Law of Moses.
JOHN 1.43 FOLLOW – AK-O-LOO-THEH-O – to be in the same way, i.e. to do as Yeshua did. Obey every Word of GOD which includes His Law of Moses.
JOHN 10.1-5 FOLLOW – AK-O-LOO-THEHO – to be in the same way.
Messiah’s sheep, you, me and others follow Him. We do as He did, obey every Word of GOD, His Laws, Commandments and Statutes. We will not follow a stranger whose words are deceptive and do not line up with the truth of Scripture. Thus the testimony of Yeshua must be a testomony of truth. That is the spirit of prophecy.
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EXODUS 2.5-6 She knew he was a Hebrew chlid because he was circumcised.
2.7-9 Here is the compassion and the power of GOD. The mother of Moses was hired by Pharaoh’s daughter to nurse the child and the princess paid her to nurse her own child Moses.
2.10 So Moses was brought up in the royal palace by the princess, Pharaoh’s daughter and Moses became a member of the royal family. All by the Hand of GOD.
MOSES – MOSHEH – Moses is an Egyptian name, meaning, “he was drawn out from the water”.
Thus the daughter of Pharaoh became the adopted mother of Moses, and Pharaoh, Israel’s greatest enemy, became his grandfather.
Moses was born around 1520 B.C.E./B.C., some 3,532 years ago. And some call Moses the greatest human being that ever lived.
2.11 The Egyptian may have been a taskmaster, a slavemaster.
2.11-15 VERSE 15. Moses fled to the land of Midian. Midian was a region in N.W. Ar
abia, today’s Saudi Arabia. And, the Midianites were relatives, they were family through Moses’ ancestor Abraham.
GENESIS 25.1-4
I’m sure Moses did some homework before he fled to Midian. He knew that one day he would have to get out of Egypt. After all, his adopted grandfather, the Pharaoh of Egypt hated his people, the Hebrews, using them brutally as slaves. He knew the day would come when he would be forced to leave Egypt, and probably in a hurry. But where would he go? And he chose Midian, the land of the Midianites to be his place of refuge, because the Midianites were the chldren of Abraham. They were family.
BACK TO EXODUS 2.15-16 Now arrives a little romance in the life of Moses. Just as Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac in a foreign land to his relatives, GOD sent Moses to his relatives in the land of the Midianites for safety and also to find a wife for his servant Moses.
2.16-22 VERSE 18 REUEL – RUALE – friend of GOD, who became Moses’ father-in-law.
VERSE 21 ZIPPORAH – TSEPORAH – little bird
VERSE 22 – GERSHOM – GEHRSHOME – refugee
A refugee is a person who flees for refuge or safety, expecially to a foreign country as Moses did.
2.23-24 bondage is slavery
VERSE 24 And GOD heard their groaning, and GOD remembered His Covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. That is, GOD will never forget you, He will never fail you, nor will He ever leave you.
DEUTERONOMY 31.6, PSALM 27.1, ISAIAH 41.10, ISAIAH 51.12-13, JOSHUA 1.7-9
VERSE 24 COVENANT – BEHREET
A Covenant made by GOD is a contract or a commitment where The LORD GOD commits to do something such as make the Jewish people a holy people and His Chosen People, (Deuteronomy 7.6). In some covenants, the people are commited to do something in return, such as obey GOD, which GOD requires of everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish people.
EXODUS 24.6-8 The people are required to obey GOD.
JEREMIAH 31.31-34 With the New Covenant or the New Testament, upon receiving Messiah Yeshua, GOD puts His Law in our inward parts and writes it in our hearts, TO OBEY HIM. VERSE 33.
HEBREWS 13.20-21 The blood of the everlasting Covenant is 2-fold. 1) Yeshua’s shed blood atones for or forgives us our sins forever. And 2) All that The LORD has said (Exodus 24.6-8), we will do and obey. That is the duty of all mankind.
His WILL – thelaymah (Verse 21) His decree, His Law.
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EXODUS 2.24 And GOD remembered His Covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob to make of them a great nation, and to take the people out of Egypt to a land He would show them, The Land of Israel, and so much more.
EXODUS 2.25 GOD took notice of His people and knew that the time of Salvation, the time of Deliverance had arrived.
So yes, at times there may be some very difficult conditions in our lives, but they may be for GOD’s purpose, and for our good. There may be times in our life when we might suffer terrible grief, perhaps for GOD’s purpose, for The Kingdom of GOD. For The Bible says in Ezra 8.22, “The Hand of our GOD is upon all them for good that seek Him”.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein
THE BEGINNINGS OF ANTI-SEMITISM! EXODUS 1.1-12
Shalom, this morning we start our teaching of the book of Exodus which some people call one of the most important books in The Bible. But first let’s start with an introduction to the 2nd of 5 books written by Moses, The Book of Exodus.
The English name Exodus which Jan calls deliverance, comes from the Greek word “exodus” referring to Israel’s departure from Egypt. The Greek word exodus is used in the Septuagint, the oldest Greek version of The Bible. Septuagint is a Latin word meaning 70. Traditionally 70 or 72 Jewish scholars from Jerusalem translated the Torah and all The T’Nakh, The Old Testament into Greek around 200 B.C.E./B.C.
The Hebrew title for Exodus is sefer ve’eleh, shemote, meaning, “The Book of, and these are the names”. Exodus is abbreviated in Hebrew to shemote or “names” based on the opening words of The Book, “And these are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt with Jacob”. Exodus begins where the Hebrews, later called Yehhoodim or Jews after their return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.E./B.C., where in Egypt the Hebrews grew from a family of 70 to a great nation. Israel’s generations in Egypt of 430 years ended in the Hebrew month Nisan, the beginning of GOD’s new year. The Exodus from Egypt had begun. The 1st Passover was observed. Later, the sanctuary was erected and the presence of GOD lived in the midst of the children of Israel and the mixed multitude that joined with Israel.
The theme of Exodus marks the progression from GOD’s promises to Abraham in The Book of Genesis to make of Abraham a great nation, to bless him and make his name great, and Abraham will be a blessing. GOD promises to bless those who bless him and his people, and curse him that curses Abraham and his people. And in Abraham and his people, all the families of the earth will be blessed. They are blessed by GOD’s Word brought to the world by the Jewish people, and His Messiah Yeshua Who comes from the Jewish people.
Also GOD’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants the Jewish people, to give them the land of Israel for an everlasting possession. And GOD’s promise of His permanent and never-ending relationship with Israel and the Jewish people. GOD said to Abraham, I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you forever, for an everlasting covenant to be GOD to you and to your descendants after you. Genesis 17.7. GOD’s promises are fulfilled in Exodus beginning with Israel’s phenomenal growth in Egypt, the Exodus, and GOD’s Covenant at Sinai saying to the children of Israel, “If you will obey My Voice faithfully, and keep My Covenant, you shall be My treasured possession above all people, for the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19.5-6. And GOD gave Israel and all the world His 10 commandments, or literally, the 10 words which are the beginning requirements of GOD’s Law, to Israel and all the world which is an everlasting Covenant.
The 10 commandments came with no punishment because obedience to GOD should be motivated by our love for GOD and willingness to serve GOD, knowing GOD’s absolute authority. And our desire to live in accordance with GOD’s will believing and knowing that GOD is the author of His Laws, not only the 10 commandments, but The Law of Moses.
Exodus, as some believe is arguably one of the most important books in The Bible because it presents the origin of Israel’s history and religion, and the subject matter that has passed on to all Jewish and western history. These include Pharaoh’s enslavement of the children of Israel, the leadership of Moses, the revelation of GOD’s Name, Yehhovah to Moses, the 10 plagues, the Passover, GOD’s splitting of the Red Sea and the crossing of the children of Israel on dry ground, the manna from Heaven, the giving of the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai which The LORD delivered to Moses on 2 tables of stone written with the finger of GOD, The Covenant formally establishing Israel as GOD’s people, the first or the beginning of The Torah, GOD’s Law for Israel and all mankind, the rules about the Sabbath, and sacrificial worship that lead to Messiah’s sacrificial atoning death for forgiveness of sins, the sin of the golden calf, the construction of the sanctuary, GOD’s presence with His people in the wilderness and The LORD speaking Face to face with Moses as a man speaks to His friend. The LORD is and was Yeshua. That is not popular knowledge. Exodus 33.11.
In the narrative in Exodus, the names of the Pharaohs, so important to historians, are nowhere mentioned, but those of the midwives are, Shiphrah and Puah who demonstrated the fear of GOD. Exodus 1.15. Emphasized however is the disobedience of Pharaoh who would not obey The LORD GOD, and GOD Who demonstrated to Egypt, Israel and the world that He is GOD, and what that means when He stretched forth His Hand upon Egypt to bring out the children of Israel from among them. And to show in Pharaoh whom GOD raised up for His purpose, GOD’s power and that His Name Yehhovah may be declared throughout all the earth. And GOD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he and his armies pursued after the chlidren of Israel, and the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground, and the waters formed a wall for them on their right and on their left. And GOD caused the ocean to come crashing down upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen, and Pharaoh’s army that followed them into the sea, not so much as 1 remained. That GOD is incomparable, He is present in the world all the time, that the earth is His and all that is in it, that The LORD alone is GOD in Heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other GOD.
The Exodus has reverberated down through world history. Many early American settlers understood their flight from Europe and settlement in America as a new Exodus. And later Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson recommended that the great seal of the United States picture Moses leading the children of Israel across the parted sea as a symbol of the American experience. African Americans in the United States hoping for freedom in the 19th century and fighting for civil rights in the 20th century, likewise saw themselves as reliving the experience of the children of Israel. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, the mass Exodus of hundreds of thousands of Jews from the Soviet Union was known as operation Exodus.
The Exodus of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt as a mighty nation of people, clearly rings out in western history and throughout all the world. The Exodus took place some 3,457 years ago, the same time the Book of Exodus was written by Moses. GOD is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
LET’S READ EXODUS 1.1-12
EXODUS 1.1 And these are the names of the children of Israel.
vee ayleh shemote b’nay yeesrahale.
The Hebrew title of Exodus is Shemote meaning “names”. These are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob.
This sets the stage for the Exodus by telling how Jacob’s family of 70 persons grew in Egypt to a mighty nation of perhaps 3 million, and became slaves after 1 of Jacob’s sons, Joseph was governor of Egypt and saved that nation from starvation. GOD had foretold Abraham of Israel’s bondage in a land not theirs. GENESIS 15.13-14.
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EXODUS 1.1-6 The children of Israel came into Egypt from Canaan because GOD caused a great famine in that region. And Joseph was already in Egypt even as its governor as GOD had provided to fulfill His promise that Israel would become a great nation.
EXODUS 1.7&n
bsp; Many words in this verse are used in GOD’s blessings and promises for Israel in Genesis especially to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the founding fathers of Israel and the Jewish people. GENESIS 15.5, GENESIS 26.4-5, GENESIS 35.9-13, DEUTERONOMY 10.22
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EXODUS 1.8-9 VERSE 9 The king of Egypt exagerates. The people of the children of Israel, he says, are more and mightier than we. Mightier perhaps, but not more. There may have been 3 million Jews or Hebrews in Egypt at the time but according to today’s Egyptian population, there may have been 70 million Egyptians in that day. Thus this new king of Egypt was frightened that Israel might overwhelm the natives. But the children of Israel were too useful to be allowed to leave Egypt. The king thought the Jews are too dangerous to keep and too important to lose. A pattern of anti-Semitism. So Pharaoh proposes a solution, slavery. Control them so Egypt will benefit from their talents without fear they will leave the country.
EXODUS 1.10-11 VERSE 11 taskmasters were slavemasters.
to AFFLICT them. AFFLICT – AHNAH – Afflict them, deal hard with them, exercise force over them, and weaken them. So here are Pharaoh’s attempts to suppress and crush the children of Israel.
Pithom and Raamses were garrison cities or strongholds that stood at strategic points guarding the entry to Egypt from the north and northeast. Pithom in Egyptian means the house of the god. Raamses means beloved of the god.
EXODUS 1.12-14 VERSE 12 GRIEVED – KOOTS – anxious, troubled, feared. Egypt feared the Jews.
VERSE 13 RIGOR – PEH REKH – severity and cruelty.
VERSE 14 BITTER – MAHRAHR – life was bitter and sad.
HARD BONDAGE – severe and cruel labor.
EXODUS 1.15-16 the king’s hitler solution. Kill the Jews.
A midwife is a person who assists women in childbirth.
VERSE 15
SHIPHRAH – SHEEFRAH – Means brightness
PUAH – PUAH – Means brilliance and glitter.
So yes, murdering the Jewish male babies would ultimately eliminate the Jews. And for Pharaoh, he doesn’t have to worry about them anymore. But this idea of killing the Jews, and killing hope for the Messiah goes way back in history to the Creation when satan tried to destroy the inception of humanity and also the future people who would bring forth The Messiah.
GENESIS 2.15-17 GOD said to Adam, you will surely die if you disobey Me.
GENESIS 3.4 So here comes satan wrapped in snakeskin and he is a snake, perhaps thinking not only to cause them to disobey GOD, which is his mission, but also maybe Adam and Eve will die immediately if he tricks them into disobeying GOD. GOD will forget about humanity. No Jews and no Messiah to destroy satan in the end. It didn’t work of course, and these are my thoughts.
And of course Adam and Eve disobeyed GOD. They obeyed satan as most people do. They ate from the tree they were told by GOD, you shall not eat of it. And they did die. But later in the course of their lives, they had children and grandchildren and so on who brought forth Noah, who brought forth Shem who brought forth Abraham, who brought forth Messiah in the flesh.
But immediately after Adam and Eve disobeyed GOD, The LORD foretells that anti-Semitism lies ahead, along with a number of other curses. GENESIS 3.14-15
To paraphrase what GOD said to satan in Verse 15, GOD tells of the coming anti-Semitism, and the persecution of the Jews, the coming Messiah, and Messiah will put an end to satan. And Messiah Himself will also suffer persecution but only for a time.
(GENESIS 3.15) I WILL put enmity between you and the woman. i.e., I WILL put hatred between you satan and the woman, Israel and the Jewish people.
And between your seed and her seed. Between your demons satan, and Israel’s seed, The Messiah Yeshua.
It will bruise your head satan. Messiah will crush and destroy you satan.
You shall bruise His heel. That is, you satan will persecute Messiah for a time until His death, burial and resurrection and His return to Heaven.
Israel is spoken of at times in Scripture as a woman.
ISAIAH 54.6, JEREMIAH 6.2, GALATIANS 4.26
Let’s see how GOD’s prophecy of anti-Semitism has played out throughout history, how satan has persecuted and killed Jews, not only in the days of slavery in Egypt but down through the ages, even today. And how Messiah in the end will crush and destroy satan forever.
GENESIS 27.41 Jacob was named Israel by GOD and he became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. But yet his brother Esau wanted to kill him. GOD prevented that from happening.
Haman set out to kill the Jews in the great Persian empire 2,500 years ago. GOD stopped that also.
ESTHER 3.8-11
King Herod sought to kill Messiah when he was a young boy. GOD prevented that from happening also. MATTHEW 2.13-16
Then there’s hitler, The holocaust, the crusades, the inquisition, the pograms in Europe from 1,000 A.D. to 1900 A.D. which are organized massacres, especially of Jews where millions of Jews were killed. Today Iran wants to eradicate Israel off the face of the earth, plus the Arabs of today, and worldwide anti-Semitism against the Jews. GOD said, I will put enmity between you satan and the woman Israel, it’s happening today and will happen til Messiah returns.
satan and his followers always seek to kill Jews. REVELATION 12.1-17
But Messiah will put an end to satan’s helpers and legions. ZECHARIAH 14.1-5, 9, 12-15
And finally satan will be finished. After the 1,000 year Millennium after satan is locked up in his pit or prison for 1,000 years, Messiah will let him out and destroy him forever just as GOD said He would in Genesis 3.15. REVELATION 20.7-10
Let’s finish our study by reading EXODUS 1.17-22
That was some 3,400 years ago. Today Israel is striving with the world just to keep her own GOD-given homeland that GOD gave to the Jewish people for an everlasting possession. But satan and his demons, his legions and his helpers still punch at the Jews. But satan will lose because GOD is mighty and incomparable. He is always present to defend His people, Jewish and non-Jewish people who are His. The earth is the LORD’s Who alone is GOD, in Heaven above and on the earth below, there is no other. And as GOD raised up Moses to deliver His people out from Egypt, GOD Himself, The Messiah and Deliverer will come at a time in the future to deliver His Jewish people and all people who are His, the Chosen of GOD from eternity.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein