Day 17: Exodus 1-3

(The Book of Exodus was the second book of the Old Testament and occurred about 400 years after the conclusion of the Book of Genesis. Exodus documented the events from the Israelites' request to worship God in the wilderness and leaving Egypt to the setting up of the tabernacle so they could worship God in the wilderness. These events occurred in the span of just over a year. The Book of Exodus presented the circumstances that concluded the 4th Dispensation and introduced the 5th Dispensation (The Law). This dispensation of the Law was in place throughout the rest of the Old Testament. Prior to the events recorded in this book, there was not an objective set of rules for societal behavior. The Book of Exodus was the second of five books written by Moses that made up the section of the Old Testament known as the Torah. The first book (Genesis) documented God's blessings/provision and man's rejection. This second book (Exodus) documented Israel's redemption.)

Exodus 1
¹ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
⁵ And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt already.

(Seventy people from Jacob's family came to Egypt to live during the famine.)

⁶ And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
⁷ And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

(The children of Israel were profitable in Egypt during the 4th Dispensation.)

⁸ Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

(However, the 4th Dispensation did not continue with God reaching other nations through the patriarchs. By the time of the beginning of this book, Egypt had a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. Some people believe this Pharaoh was not Egyptian. For example, Josephus believed he was the Syrian of Isaiah 52:4. This may explain why this Pharaoh did not know about Joseph and Joseph's God.)

⁹ And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

(Israel out numbered Egypt.)

¹⁰ come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.

(Rather than this other nation (Egypt) being draw to God through Israel, they were threatened by Israel.)

¹¹ Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.

(Egypt "bossed" Israel. Leadership is facilitating the purpose and progress of others. The Egyptians were facilitating their own purpose and progress at the expense of the Israelites.)

¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

(The Egyptians loathed the Israelites. The Egyptian bosses were short term minded. Their solution to loathing the Israelites was to afflict them more which only made the Israelites grow more.)

¹³ And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:
¹⁴ and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

(Notice, the Israelites worked against their will to make "towers" (pyramids) out of brick and mortar. Remember in Genesis 11, all the inhabitants of the earth during the 3rd Dispensation worked together with one mind and one language to build a city they could all live in that would reach up to God; to live in paradise for eternity with God. This was man's version of the Bride/new Jerusalem. Here, men of one language were forced to work for men of another language to build a structure out of brick that reached up to God, that was intended for one man (Pharaoh) to be buried in so that he could experience eternity in paradise with "God.")

¹⁵ And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

(There were only two Hebrew midwives. These women would have assisted the pregnant Hebrew women when birthing their children.)

¹⁶ and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

(The midwives were commanded to kill the sons of Israel. They disobeyed.)

¹⁸ And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?
¹⁹ And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.
²⁰ And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

(Because the midwives supported the Hebrews, God blessed them.)

²¹ And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households.
²² And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

(Remember this point throughout this story: Egypt's Pharaoh killed Israel's newborn sons.)




Exodus 2
¹ And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

(Thus began the story of Moses. Notice, Moses was of the tribe of Levi.)

² And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

(This story was referenced in Hebrews 11:23 as proof that Moses was an example of faith to us.)

³ And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

(This was symbolic of Noah's Ark (2nd Dispensation). Moses was an Israeli son that was saved while other sons were killed.)

⁴ And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
⁵ And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it.
⁶ And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.

(She knew it was a Hebrew child. This was probably because Moses was circumcised.)

⁷ Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
⁸ And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maiden went and called the child's mother.
⁹ And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
¹⁰ And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

(Moses meant "drawn." The Ibn Ezra (commentary from a twelfth century Rabbi) stated that Pharaoh's daughter gave the name Munius which the Torah translated into the Hebrew as Moshe (Moses). Moses was an Egyptian name.)

¹¹ And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.

(Moses knew he was a Hebrew.)

¹² And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

(Moses was a murderer and he tried to hide it.)

¹³ And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
¹⁴ And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the thing is known.

(Moses found out that people knew he was a murderer. Moses' own people feared him.)

¹⁵ Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

(Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses. This verse was referenced in Hebrews 11:24-25 as proof that Moses was an example of faith to us.)

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

(Moses' father-in-law was a priest of Midian.)

¹⁷ And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
¹⁸ And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?
¹⁹ And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.

(Moses helped the shepherds. They believed Moses to be an Egyptian.)

²⁰ And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.
²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
²² And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.

(Gershom was Moses' first son. Gershom meant "foreigner.")

²³ And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

(Pharaoh died. God heard the groan of His people and remembered His Covenant. The word remembered meant that God "consciously thought about" the Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.)

²⁵ And God saw the children of Israel, and God took knowledge of them.




Exodus 3
¹ Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb.

(Moses was a shepherd in the wilderness, which sounded like practice for his future occupation. Horeb meant "desert" and was another name for Mount Sinai.)

² And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

(The famous burning bush.)

³ And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
⁴ And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

(The bush caught Moses' attention. He wanted to investigate. God said Moses' name twice.)

⁵ And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

(The place there was "holy ground." Holy meant "of one substance; set apart.")

⁶ Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 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 Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

(God perceived the sorrows of His people.)

⁸ and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

(God told Moses His objective: God would facilitate Israel's exit from Egypt to bring them to the Promised Land.)

⁹ And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
¹⁰ Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

(God told Moses His objective a second time.)

¹¹ And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
¹² And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

(God told Moses of a token for the Covenant.)

¹³ And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?
¹⁴ And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
¹⁵ And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

(I AM; Jehovah; The Existing One)

¹⁶ Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

(Moses was suppose to gather the elders and inform them that God perceived what was happening to the Israelites.)

¹⁷ and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

(In addition, God would help them move forward to the land He promised them.)

¹⁸ And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
¹⁹ And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand.

(God already knew that the king of Egypt would not let the Israelites leave. It sounded like Pharaoh's heart was already hard.)

²⁰ And I will put forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: 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 come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.
²² But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.

(God laid out the entire plan to Moses ahead of time. God stated His objective (what) and the cause (why). The only part that was left was specifically how God would do this...)

(This post introduced the events that occurred in Egypt about 400 years after the conclusion of the Book of Genesis. A Pharaoh arose that was threatened by the prosperous and numerous Israelites. The Israelites were put into slavery. A Hebrew (Moses) was raised in Pharaoh's house and went into exile after murdering an Egyptian. God revealed Himself to Moses and told him His objective to deliver the Israelites from Egypt.)

Day 18