Chapter 1

(Verses 1 through 6) Now these are the names of the children of Israel , which came into Egypt ; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

Without being given specific details of any more of their activities, we are thus brought to the end of the whole generation of those that came with Jacob into Egypt .

(Verses 7 through 14) And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt , which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel . And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them to serve, was with rigour.

This is the beginning of God’s preparation to bring out the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt . Had He not caused their lives to become unpleasant, they, probably, would not have wanted to leave Egypt and go to the land of Canaan . Remember that in Genesis, Chapter 15, God had told Abraham that in the fourth generation his seed would come out of Egypt , and He would bring judgment upon the Egyptians. His word is always true, and cannot fail. So to make the children of Israel willing to leave Egypt , and to let the Egyptians bring their iniquities to the point at which He was ready to bring judgment upon them, God permitted them to bring this harsh treatment upon His people.

(Verses 15 through 17) And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king had commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

The king of Egypt thought he had a solution to the matter of population control among the Hebrews. He wanted to kill every male baby as it was born, but let the female babies live. Accordingly, he gave this commandment to the Hebrew midwives. But God was still in control of the situation, as He always is. The midwives feared God, so they would not follow the king’s command.

(Verses 18 through 22) 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? 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 midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses. 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.

As might be expected, Pharaoh was displeased that the midwives did not follow his commandment. So he called them before him, and asked why they had not done so. Their answer to him was that the Hebrew women were already delivered before the midwives got to them, so they had no opportunity to do what he had said. Because they feared God, He blessed them, and protected them. So Pharaoh, seeing that he was getting nowhere with his plan, gave a commandment to all his people to kill every male child that they found, and save alive all the females.

(Verses 1 through 4) And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 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 put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

As we read these first three verses, we might get the idea that this baby was the first child of this couple; but verse 4 shows us that such is not the case. It may have been their first child after Pharaoh had commanded all his people to kill every male baby of the Hebrews that they could find. But his sister was old enough to stand guard over him, although at a distance, to se what would be done to him. This baby, as we shall later see, was the one God had chosen to lead His people out of Egypt .

(Verses 5 through 10) And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and she said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 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. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

No explanation should be needed concerning the events here related. But that which should claim our attention is how smoothly God works events to bring about the fulfilling of His will. According to the command of Pharaoh, this child was sentenced to death; but that was not according to the will of God. So, instead of his being put to death, he is delivered by Pharaoh’s own daughter, and is to be nursed by his own mother, who will also be paid by Pharaoh’s daughter for nursing her own son. How could anything be more appropriate? Under his mother’s care the child grew, and at the proper time she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she adopted him, and named him Moses. The name “Moses,” means “taken out of the water.”

(Verses 11 through 15) And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said unto him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince or a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 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.

Apparently everything went smoothly with Moses while he was growing up; but when he was grown, he went out to see the Hebrews, to whom he was related. As he saw one of them being beaten by an Egyptian, he looked carefully around, and seeing no one else, he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. The next day he went out again. This time he saw two Hebrews engaged in a fight, and asked the one who was in the wrong why he was hitting his fellow Hebrew. Whereupon that one questioned his authority to interfere, and asked if he intended to kill him as he had the Egyptian the day before. This frightened Moses on two accounts. First, he did not think anyone had known about his killing the Egyptian, except the man he had protected, but now it was widely known. And second, when Pharaoh heard of it, as he surely would, the authorities would be sent to kill him. So he resorted to flight for his own safety. When Pharaoh tried to find him, he was already gone. He went to the land of Midian , which, as we have already seen is in the territory of some of the descendants of Esau, and completely out of the reach of the Egyptians. There he sat down by a well.

(Verses 16 through 22) Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. 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. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for, he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

In Numbers 12:3, we find this expression, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” However that was under a quite different setting from the event at the well, and the event in Egypt when he killed the Egyptian. In both of these events he proved himself bold enough to take the side of the one who was wronged, whatever the cost. In Egypt , it cost him his position as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; and in the present situation, since the number of the shepherds is not given, we do not know the odds against which he rose up. But He, nevertheless, delivered the daughters of Reuel from them, and helped them water their flock. So when they told their father about the situation, He immediately questioned why they had not brought Moses to his house, and sent them to invite him to come, and eat with them. How long Moses stayed with Reuel before Reuel gave him his daughter Zipporah to be his wife is not mentioned. But as his wife she bore him a son whom he named Gershom. The name Gershom means, “a stranger, or the traveler of reputation.” (Cruden’s Dictionary of Proper Names)

(Verses 23 through 25) And it came to pass in process of time, 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. 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 , and God had respect unto them.

Finally the king who had tried to take Moses and kill him, died. And, apparently, the bondage of the Israelites was made heavier by the new king. Of course, they had already been crying because of their bondage, and their cry became worse, so that now “God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” It is not to be thought that God had forgotten His covenant, or that this was the first time He had heard their crying. He is always mindful of his people, his covenant with them, and their crying unto Him. But, although He had already chosen Moses to be the one who would lead them out of bondage, they had not been brought to the point that they would have been willing to follow Moses. Their conduct at the time of his killing the Egyptian is evidence enough of that. Their bondage had to be made much greater to make them willing to go. And, as we shall later find, even after He had, by the hand of Moses, deliver them from Egypt , they at times wanted to go back. So all of this delay was for the purpose of making them ready to go. “And God looked upon the children of Israel , and God had respect unto them.”

(Verses 1 through 6) Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God , even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 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.

Earlier we found Moses’ father in law called Reuel, and here he is called Jethro. The name Reuel means, “friend of God,” and Jethro means, “excellence.” Moses kept the flock of his father in law, and since pasture for flocks was somewhat scarce in that area, he, no doubt, wandered over a great deal of territory with his flock. I would not go so far as to say that this was part of the education God was giving him concerning the territory that he would be better able to lead the children of Israel through it. But it certainly did not hurt him for that. One day when Moses had led his flock to the backside of the desert, and even to mount Horeb , God appeared to him in a very strange way. A bush was on fire, but was not being consumed by the fire. This was such a strange sight that Moses turned aside to look more closely at it. At this time God called to him from the bush, commanding him to approach no closer to the bush, but even to remove his shoes where he was, for he was already standing upon holy ground. God also introduced Himself to him as “the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this time Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look upon God.

(Verses 7 through 10) And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 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 land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt .

The LORD assured Moses that He had not only heard the cries of His people, the children of Israel , but He also had seen the severity of their bondage. And now the time had come for Him to deliver them from Egypt , and bring them to the land of Canaan , a “land flowing with milk and honey.” God is not concerned about the present inhabitants of that land, because He has long ago given it to Abraham and his seed after him. And now He is ready to fulfill that promise. So He tells Moses to “come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt .” Notice that this is not an invitation to Moses to do this, and the LORD is not begging him to do it. Rather, it is a command, and regardless of all the excuses Moses will put up to try to get out of it, He will go. And thus it is with all whom the LORD calls for any service. We have heard it said about various ones, “The Lord called him to preach; but he just never would surrender to the call.” No man ever tried to resist it more than did Moses. But he did go, and he did do what God called him to do.

(Verses 11 through 15)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 ? And He said, certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt , ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 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 unto me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them? 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. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD 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 for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

No doubt, Moses was a little afraid to go back to Egypt ; for, although the Pharaoh who had already tried to find and kill him for killing the Egyptian was dead, the sentence against Moses might very well still be in force. In addition to this, he felt that he was not important enough that the children of Israel would pay any attention to what he might tell them; and certainly Pharaoh would not listen to him. So the first thing he wanted to know was the name of the One Who was sending him to them. He wanted a name to back up his authority. He wasn’t satisfied to tell the Israelites that the God of their fathers had sent him. So the LORD gave him a name that had never been used before, “I AM.” This may seem a very strange, yet simple, name; but it carries a great deal of meaning. Since it is the present tense of the verb “be,” it is to be taken as the Historical Present, meaning, “I was, I am, and I will be.” Thus God declares Himself to be before all ages, through all ages, and after all ages of time shall have passed. Thus He is Eternal. And this can be claimed by none else. Not only is He the Eternal God, but He is also the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all of whom have long been dead, so far as this world is concerned; but they all still are alive to Him, for He is still their God. And this is His “memorial unto all generations.” Our Lord Jesus made use of this very quotation to prove to the Sadducees that “all live unto Him,” and that there is a resurrection of the dead.

(Verses 16 through 18) Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto 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 the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 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, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.

This is God’s commandment to Moses, to go to Egypt , call the elders of Israel together, and deliver to them the message that is here recorded. Then he and these elders are to go to Pharaoh, and ask his permission to go three days’ journey into the wilderness that they may offer sacrifices to the LORD their God. This seems a very simple plan: but God knows that it will not work until He brings sufficient pressure upon Pharaoh to make him willing to allow it, as we shall se as we continue on.

(Verses 19 through 22) And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out 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. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: but every woman shall borrow 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 spoil the Egyptians.

Remember that when God appeared to Abraham and told him that his seed would be afflicted in a strange land for four hundred years, He also told him, (Gen. 15:14) “And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance.” He is about to fulfill that promise. Pharaoh will not let Israel go until God has laid a mighty hand upon Egypt . That is, until He has laid upon Egypt the hand of judgment He had prophesied. And when that has been done, Pharaoh will let them go. But they shall not go empty handed. God will give the Israelites such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they will let the Israelite women have anything they may ask for of their jewelry and raiment. Thus Israel will come out of Egypt with all the gold and silver jewels, and all the fancy raiment of the Egyptians. All this is part of God’s plan. And we shall see it develop as we continue on.

(Verses 1 through 5) And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

Moses was still very fearful that the children of Israel would not believe him. So he continued to make excuses. But God is not to be put off by excuses. When He commands one to do something, He has all the answers, and He does not have to hunt them up; they are always before Him. He asked Moses what it was that he had in his hand. Moses had his shepherd’s rod in his hand; so he answered, “A rod.” The LORD commanded him to throw it down on the ground; and when he threw it down, it became a serpent. And Moses was so afraid of it that he tried to run away from it. But God told him to catch it by the tail; and when he did this, it became a rod again. This was a sign he was to use before the elders of the children of Israel to prove to them that “the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” had appeared to him. We might think this evidence enough to convince anyone; but there will be more.

(Verses 6 through 9) And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And He said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

Now the LORD has given Moses three signs to use to convince the elders of Israel that the God of their fathers has sent him to them. They are the serpent, the leprosy, and the blood. Together they should be ample to persuade the Israelites that Moses has been sent of the LORD. And we might think this enough to convince Moses that he might as well get started on his mission, But, as we shall see, he is still hunting excuses to get out of going. Sometimes we are just as stubborn as was he. But we can be sure that when God commands, that command will be obeyed.

(Verses 10 through 17) And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be unto thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

Moses continued hunting excuses, and, although the LORD answered every excuse he put up, Moses, in verse 13, finally said, “O my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.” This is the equivalent of saying, “Send anyone else that you please, but I am not going.” This was a very rash statement; and the LORD was angered at it, and He told Moses that He was sending Aaron with him, to do the talking to the people, but Moses would have to tell Aaron what to say. Also what they would say would not, necessarily,  be what Moses might want to say, but “I will be with thy mouth and his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. So thus He left Moses no autonomy in the matter. In verse 16, He said, “And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be unto thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. The gist of this whole speech is that Moses would indeed go just as the LORD had commanded him; but the glory of the work would not be his, but that of Aaron, who would be the one to talk to the people. We later find that even the priesthood was given to the family of Aaron instead of that of Moses. Let us return to verse 11. “And the LORD said unto him, ‘Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?’” This is a principle that is still the same as it was when the LORD set it forth. Do we, or anyone else, have a natural physical defect? If so, the Lord is the One Who made us that way. So let us not complain about it, but simply do the best we can to serve Him, and leave the result in His hand, where it is, and will be, in spite of our complaining.

(Verses 18 through 23) And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt : for all the men are dead which sought thy life. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt : and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is My son, even My firstborn: and I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he may serve Me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Moses had found that he could not win in any argument with the LORD. And that is a truth which we need always to keep in mind. His will shall be done, and the more reconciled we are to it the happier we will be. So he took his leave of his father in law, loaded his family on his donkey, and began the trip to Egypt , carrying the “rod of God<” that is, the rod with which God had had him do wonders. The LORD gave him another message. It may seem a strange message to some. God told him to be sure to do all these miracles, which He had had him do, before Pharaoh, but they would not convince him to let the people go; because God would harden Pharaoh’s heart against such a request. And He gave him a message to Pharaoh. That message is, “Thus saith the LORD, ‘ Israel is My son, even My firstborn: and I say unto thee, “Let my son go, that he may serve Me” and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.’” Remember that God had already said that He would bring judgment upon the nation in which the children of Israel were held in bondage.

(Verses 24 through 26) And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So He let him go; then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Since Moses had been so long in the land of Midian and separated from all his people, he had neglected to circumcise his son. But before he could do the work of bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt , it was necessary that he fulfill the covenant of God by circumcising him. When this was done he was prepared for the mission upon which God was sending him.

(Verses 27 through 31) And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord Who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel : and Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel , and that He looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Here we see that the LORD knows exactly how to work anything that He is bringing about. He not only sent Moses back to Egypt , but, at the same time He called Aaron to go out into the wilderness to meet him. After they met, and Moses briefed him concerning what God had called them to do, they gathered the elders of the children of Israel together, told them the news, and demonstrated to them the signs God had commanded them to show. God also opened up the hearts of the people to believe this wonderful news. And they bowed their heads and worshipped.

(Verses 1 through 9) And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel , Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

Beginning with this incident, there is in this entire course of events an outstanding lesson to all of us, even today. No doubt, after the meeting of the elders of the Israelites with Moses and Aaron, the people expected God to miraculously change the heart of Pharaoh so that he would immediately agree to let them go and sacrifice to the LORD, just as we, when we are made to believe that God has given us a mission to accomplish, are prone to believe that He will immediately make a way for us to do that which we believe he has commissioned us to do. But such was not the case with them; and usually it is not so with us. In their case, their burdens were made heavier and their suffering much greater. This does not mean that the LORD has abandoned them; but, on the contrary, He will bring them out just as He has promised. But it is His purpose to show forth His glory in His manner of convincing Pharaoh to let the people go. He has many wonders to show in bringing judgment upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Not only is this for the purpose of showing the Egyptians His power, and proving to them that when He speaks, they will be made to obey, but the more important lesson is to the children of Israel , and even to us in our day. It manifests His glory so that it will never be forgotten by His people.

(Verses 10 through 19) And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not aught of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish aught from your bricks of your daily task.

Since it was impossible for the children of Israel to spend so much of their time gathering straw, and still make as many bricks as they had been doing, the Israelites whom the taskmasters had set over the workers (much as we would set foremen over various crews of workers) were blamed for the lack of production, and were beaten by the taskmasters. So they went to Pharaoh, and complained that they were being treated unfairly in that they were beaten for what they considered the fault of those over them. But This did no good; because Pharaoh considered them idle, and said that that was the reason they were wanting to go and sacrifice to the LORD. He sent them back to work with no redress of their situation.

(Verses 20 through 23) And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh: and they said, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast Thou so evil entreated this people? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people: neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.

As the officers of the children of Israel came from their meeting with Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, and told them of their lack of success. They even blamed Moses and Aaron for their present ill fortune, and called upon God to judge between them and Moses and Aaron. Just as we, when we meet with hardships in the way, want to blame someone with our troubles, they, not being able to see the hand of the LORD in this entire affair, wanted a scapegoat. They could not understand how God, Who had promised to deliver them, could let them have more suffering. All around us today we hear the cry that God is so gentle and loving that He would not bring suffering upon anyone. In this case there can be no doubt that He actively brought this upon the children of Israel . It was His way of having Pharaoh fill up the measure of his iniquity, that He might bring upon him the judgment He had purposed to bring. But Moses did not understand the LORD’S manner of working this any more than did the children of Israel . So he went to God in prayer, and complained that God had not given His people any deliverance, but had let Pharaoh do more evil to them since he had come to speak to Pharaoh. It was, no doubt, very discouraging to Moses.

Chapter 6

(Verses 1 through 8)Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan , the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel , whom the Egyptians keep in bondage: and I have remembered My covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, Which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

When Moses complained to the LORD, God told him that the present trouble of the Israelites was only a build-up to the showing of His wonders against Pharaoh to such an extent that Pharaoh would not only give the children of Israel permission to go out of his country, but would even drive them out with “a strong hand.” Then He reminded Moses that He is the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He has not forgotten His covenant with them. Because of this He will bring the Israelites out of the Egyptian bondage, bring them into the land of Canaan , and make them His people, and cause them to know that He is their God, Who delivers them from the Egyptian bondage. He will also give to them the land of Canaan , just as He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

(Verses 9 through 13) And Moses spake unto the children of Israel : but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt , that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel , and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt , to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt .

Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that God had told him. But they were so grieved because of their burdens that they could not believe him. Nevertheless, the LORD spoke to him again, and told him to go and speak again to Pharaoh, and tell him to let the children of Israel go out of his land. But Moses complained that surely if the children of Israel did not believe him, there was no need to speak to Pharaoh, for surely he would not listen to him either. His reference to his “uncircumcised lips” does not mean that he was not circumcised as a child; for all babies of the Israelites were to be circumcised at eight days of age. And his parents kept him three months before putting him in the ark and placing him in the river. It is likely only a reference to the fact that he was not an eloquent speaker, as he said in Chapter 4, verse 10. But the LORD spoke to both him and Aaron, and gave them a charge to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt .

Verses 14 and 15 give us a list of the sons of Reuben and Simeon, two of the sons of Israel . Then verses 16 through 19 give the names of the sons and grandsons of Levi, of whose line came the priests and the servants of the tabernacle, and the temple when it was built. In these verses we also find that Levi was one hundred and thirty seven years old at the time of his death. His son Kohath was only one hundred and thirty three years of age when he died; but Kohath’s son Amram, who was also the father of Aaron and Moses was, according to verse 20, one hundred and thirty seven years old when death claimed him. Verses 21 and 22 list the sons of Izhar and Uzziel, two other sons of Kohath. For some unknown reason no further mention is made of Hebron , who was also one of Kohath’s sons. Verses 23 and 25 tell us of Aaron’s sons and wife, and also of the wife and sons of Eleazar one of Aaron’s sons, the writer sidetracks, and tells us of the sons of Korah. If one is interested in genealogy, he can study out the lineage of some of the heads of some of the sub-tribes of the Israelites who will be mentioned later in the record of the activities of the children of Israel .

(Verses 26 and 27) These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt , to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt : these are that Moses and Aaron.

All the foregoing genealogy has been given to positively identify the particular Moses and Aaron who were commissioned of God to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt .

(Verses 28 through 30) And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt , that the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

As we see from this, Moses still did not think it would do any good for him to speak to Pharaoh, since he was not an eloquent speaker, and therefore he could not persuade Pharaoh to do anything against his will. He was not considering that the persuading would not be of him, but of the LORD. We should remember that no matter how hopeless a situation may seem to us, if the LORD has commissioned us to do something, He will see that it gets done.

(Verses 1 through 7)  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt . But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt , and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of Israel , out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon Egypt , and bring out the children of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron was fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

Moses had complained that Pharaoh would not listen to him; but the LORD told him, “I have made thee a god to Pharaoh.” Notice that the LORD did not say, “I will make ---,” But “I have made thee a god to Pharaoh.” In addition to this He declared that Aaron would also be Moses’ prophet, and do the talking to Pharaoh. The message that he was to deliver to Pharaoh is, “that he send the children of Israel out of his land.” God has not changed His message at all. When He called Moses at the burning bush, He told him, (Chapter 3, verse 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 .” Now the message to Pharaoh is “Send them out.” However, God also told Moses, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My wonders in the land of Egypt . But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt , and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.” The fact that God told Moses that Pharaoh would not listen to him was, no doubt, discouraging to him, but he knew that it was according to the purpose of God that Pharaoh would not listen. God had purposed to send upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians such judgments that they would know that He is the LORD God of all the earth. This does not mean that they would be converted, and become worshippers of Him, but simply that they would know that He has power to bring to pass whatsoever He will. With this assurance Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them. At this time Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty three years of age. Today we think a person of that age to be old; but then it was not so accounted.

(Verses 8 through 13) And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt , they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And He hardened Pharaoh’s heart that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

This is the beginning of the wonders God had purposed to show against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The LORD permitted the Egyptian sorcerers to cast down their rods, and have them become serpents, but He also caused Aaron’s rod to swallow up the serpents of the Egyptians. But still the heart of Pharaoh was hardened so that he would not listen to Moses and Aaron. We have met brethren that would argue that God had nothing to do with the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. However, in verse 3, He said, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt .” Without any doubt, the word of God will stand against any argument of man. Again, in verse 13, the scripture says, “And He hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”

(Verses 14 through 18) And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.

Thus the LORD sent Moses again to Pharaoh, this time, at the edge of the river. The message he was to give Pharaoh is still the same as before, “Let My people go.” Moses is also to tell Pharaoh that, if he does not let them go, all the water in the river will be turned to blood. That will cause all the fish that are in the river to die, and stink. And since the river is the principal source of drinking water for the Egyptians, it will work a great hardship on them.

(Verses 19 through 25) And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote 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. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt . And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were finished, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

Just as The LORD had told Moses to say to Pharaoh, He also gave commandment that Moses tell Aaron to lift up his rod, and stretch out his hand over the river. When he did this, all the water throughout the land, not only that which was in the rivers, streams, ponds, and pools, but even that which had already been taken up in vessels, became blood. Some may think that this water only became “as blood;” that is, it took on the color of blood. But the word of God says that it became blood. And I am sure that is exactly what took place. Again, the LORD permitted the Egyptian magicians to duplicate this miracle, although where they got the water with which to do this is not mentioned. But since they were permitted to do this, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened so that he still refused to let the people go. And he went back into his house. The Egyptians became busy digging around near the river, trying to find water that they could drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. The LORD waited seven days after having Moses and Aaron smite the river before again sending them back to Pharaoh.

Chapter 8

(Verses 1 through 4) And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: and the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs: and the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.

The LORD gave the Egyptians seven days to suffer the effects of the plague of the blood. Then He sent Moses again to Pharaoh with the same message as before, “Let My people go.” The penalty of Pharaoh’s refusal to let them go would be that the land would be completely overrun with frogs. They would even come up into their houses, go into their bedrooms, upon their beds, in their ovens, and into their kneadingtroughs. In short, they would get into everything the Egyptians had. They would be a plague to Pharaoh, and to all the Egyptians.

(Verses 5 through 7) And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up over the land of Egypt . And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt ; and frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt . And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt .

Apparently Pharaoh did not believe Moses when he told him that he would bring frogs upon the land of Egypt , and refused to let the people go; for the LORD commanded Moses to tell Aaron to lift up his rod over the waters, which he did. And the frogs covered the land of Egypt , just as the LORD had said. Pharaoh’s magicians used their enchantments, and the LORD permitted them also to bring up frogs. Notice should be taken of the fact that the magicians were permitted to bring up frogs: but when we come to the elimination of this plague, we will find no mention of their having anything to do with that.

(Verses 8 through 15) 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 unto the LORD. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

The story of Pharaoh gives one of the clearest pictures that can be found of, not only the manner of operation of the hearts of wicked men, but also of the old Adamic nature which we must constantly fight against in ourselves. He did not want to let the children of Israel go. But when sufficient pressure was applied to him to make him uncomfortable, he agreed to do so, because he could not any longer endure the frogs, as they swarmed all over everything in his land. But just as soon as they were removed, he fell back into his old ways, and would not consider releasing them. Notice should be taken that in Chapter 4, verse 21, and in Chapter 7, verse 3, the LORD had already said, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” Chapter 7, verse 13 says, “He (the LORD) hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” In verse 15 of the present chapter we find, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart.” We shall also find other places in this record where it says that the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and some where it says Pharaoh hardened his heart. This has caused many arguments among men, as to whether, or not the LORD is actually responsible for the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. However, the Apostle Paul clarifies the matter completely in Romans 9:18. For there he says, “Therefore He hath mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.” And this entire series of events is fully under the control of the LORD, that He may show His power and glory in the work of delivering His people, and bringing judgment upon those who oppress them.

(Verses 16 through 19) And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt . And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt . And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

At the command of the LORD, Aaron stretched forth his rod and smote the dust of the ground with it. And lice were immediately on all men and beasts throughout the land. When the magicians tried this and failed, they acknowledged that it was by the finger of the LORD that this was done. But even then Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, just as the LORD had said it would be; and he would not let the people go.

(Verses 20 through 24) And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the