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 ground whereon they are. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between My people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be. And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt : the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

Notice that the message to Pharaoh has not changed. It is, ”Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” The LORD has not changed His mind. When He called Moses at the burning bush, He told him, “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 LORD does add a feature to the plague that has not heretofore been mentioned. He declares that in the plague of the flies He will put a division between the land of Goshen in which the children of Israel dwell, and the land of the Egyptians, so that there will be no swarms of flies in the land of His people, but there will be swarms of flies covering everything in the land of the Egyptians. This will show to the Egyptians that He is “the LORD in the midst of the earth.” And it will show His protection of His people. And at the time He had specified this came to pass exactly as He had said.

(Verses 25 through 32) And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as He shall command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Again, while under the stress of the plague of flies, Pharaoh agreed to let the people go. But just as soon as there was any relief given, he was just as hardened as he had been before. Even the fact that in this plague the LORD put a division between the Israelites and the Egyptians, had no lasting effect upon Pharaoh. How like Pharaoh are people of today! While suffering, they will make all manner of promises to God about cleaning up their lives. But just as soon as the pressure is released, they forget all about it. But one thing remains certain. If God has purposed that a certain thing will be done, He knows exactly how much pressure it will take to bring it about. And He has the power to see it through

Chapter 9

(Verses 1 through 7) Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt : and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel . And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

Nothing is said about Pharaoh’s reaction when Moses told him what the LORD said at this time. But the fact that the LORD brought this plague upon the cattle of Egypt is enough to tell us that Pharaoh would not listen to what Moses told him. According to the dictionary, a murrain is an infectious and fatal disease of livestock. This was sent upon the livestock of the Egyptians, but not upon anything that belonged to the Israelites. The expression, “All the cattle of Egypt ,” may not be to be taken literally, but, as we often speak, it may mean that the murrain was so severe that, and so many of the livestock died that it seemed that they were all dying. Had every one of them died, there would have been none left for the Egyptians to gather before the plague of the hail, as they were told to do in verse 19 of this chapter. Nevertheless, in spite of all the loss this plague caused Pharaoh and his people, he still refused to let the people go.

(Verses 8 through 12) And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt , and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt . And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

Now the LORD uses another plague upon the Egyptians. Remember that He has said that He is going to send, in Chapter 7, verse 3, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt .” So, let none think that He is by these plagues trying to get Pharaoh to let His people go. When He is ready for them to go, He will cause Pharaoh to release them. Until then He is only multiplying His “signs and wonders in the land of Egypt .” On this occasion He commanded Moses and Aaron to take ashes of the furnace, and sprinkle them into the air. This would bring forth festering sores with blisters on all the Egyptians; and this, evidently, included Pharaoh and the magicians, as well as the common people. But since the LORD had hardened Pharaoh’s heart, he still would not let the people go.

(Verses 13 through 21) And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For I will at this time send all My plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For now will I stretch out My hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee My power; and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go? Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses; and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

Again the LORD sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message, the first part of which is the same that has been in all those already sent, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” But He also added somewhat to it this time. Pharaoh may have thought that he had gained the throne of Egypt because of his own greatness, or by having inherited it from his predecessors, or by whatever means he might imagine. But the LORD declared that He is the One Who had raised Pharaoh up to this great position. Not only so, but He had done it to fulfill His own purpose. That purpose is that He would show against him His great power, and thus cause His name to be known throughout all the earth. The great works that He will show against Pharaoh are that, “now I will stretch out My hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.” So even Pharaoh’s being upon the throne of Egypt was brought about by the LORD. He asks Pharaoh a question, “As yet exaltest thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go?” This is the equivalent of saying, “In the light of what I have just told you, you are doing a very foolish thing in refusing to let them go.” Then He gives him warning of a great, even a deadly, hail that He will bring upon all of Egypt ; and he gives him twenty four hours to get his servants and livestock into safety before the hail will come. There were some of Pharaoh’s servants that feared the word of the LORD enough that they made provision for their servants and livestock to be in safety; but others had no regard for the LORD or His word. So they left their servants and livestock in the field.

(Verses 22 through 26) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt , upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt . And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt . So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree in the field. Only in the land of Goshen , where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

At the LORD”S command, Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD caused the hail to come down in a great thunderstorm, so violent that the lightning even ran along upon the ground. And the hail was so severe that it destroyed man, beast, herbs, and even the trees, that were in the field. There had never been such a hailstorm as this since Egypt had been a nation. As violent as was this storm, the LORD set a division between the Egyptians and His people, so that in the land of Goshen , where the children of Israel dwelt there was no hail.

(Verses 27 through 32) And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Entreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city I will spread abroad mt hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’S. but as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God. And the flax and the barley was smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.

This seems to be the first time that Pharaoh was sufficiently impressed enough by the plague the LORD sent upon him to even call for Moses and Aaron. At other times they had gone only upon the command of the LORD. Now Pharaoh is frightened enough that he wants relief from this terrible storm. So he sent for Moses and Aaron and confesses to them that he had “sinned this time,” as if he had not sinned in his previous refusals to obey the word of God. He confessed that God is righteous, and he and his people were wicked. Some of our modern preachers would immediately declare Pharaoh to be a child of God, just for a while in disobedience. But this will not agree with what the LORD said in verses 14 through 16 of this chapter. And neither will it agree with the remainder of this record. His situation was exactly that that is set forth in an old military saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” He was simply so frightened that he did not realize what he was saying. He even promised that if, the Lord would stop the storm, he would let the people go. Moses agreed to ask the LORD to stop the storm; but he told Pharaoh, “But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.” He was by no means fooled by Pharaoh’s confession and promise. This hailstorm had come at just the right stage of the growth of the barley and the flax to bring complete destruction upon them. But the wheat and the rye had not yet grown up so that it would be destroyed by the hail.

(Verses 33 through 35) And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

There is little unexpected in this. Moses had already told Pharaoh that He knew Pharaoh was not telling the truth when he said that he would let the people go. And just as soon as the thundering and the hail stopped, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened so that he reneged on his promise. Of course, this was no surprise to the LORD. He still had a few more plagues that He had purposed to send upon the Egyptians.  

(Verses 1 through 7) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these My signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD. And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me? let My people go, that they may serve Me. Else, if thou refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: and they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which growth for you out of the field; and they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor they fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day, and he turned himself and went out from Pharaoh. And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

This is the first time that any of the Egyptians seemed to be impressed by the warning that another plague was to come upon them from the LORD. Pharaoh’s heart seemed to be just as hard as ever; but his servants seemed to be somewhat more apprehensive about the coming of the locusts. They realized that all the crops they had except the wheat and the rye were already destroyed, and they wanted them spared. So they began to plead with Pharaoh to “let the men go.” At length Pharaoh agreed with them, and sent again for Moses and Aaron. But, as we shall see, he still wanted to put restrictions upon them, as to who would be allowed to go.

(Verses 8 through 11) And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go? And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD. And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

So when Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron brought back before him, he told them to go and serve the LORD: but he wanted to know who among them would go. And when Moses told him that they would go with all their families and all their possessions, he would not agree to that at all. He very much feared that if they did this they would not come back and be slaves to the Egyptians any more. He thought he was still great enough to impose his will upon them. But he was greatly mistaken; for in so doing he was fighting against the Almighty God. Yet he told them that only the men could go. He would permit that.

(Verses 12 through 15) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt , and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt , and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt , and rested in all the coasts of Egypt : very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt .

When Moses and Aaron were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh, the LORD commanded Moses to stretch forth his hand over the land for the locusts to come upon the land of Egypt to eat up every green thing that had been left by the hail. This he did, and for a day and a night the LORD sent upon Egypt an east wind: and when the morning had come the locusts came just as the LORD had said they would. When the writer says that “they covered the face of the whole earth,” we are not to take this to mean that they were all over the world, but that they were so thick upon the earth in the land of Egypt that the earth itself could not be seen. One could not walk without stepping upon locusts. There was such a swarm of them that they darkened the sky as they flew in the air. And they ate every green thing that had not already been destroyed by the hail. Nothing is said about it at this time, but surely what is said in verse 26 of chapter 9, concerning the hail, would also apply to the locusts. No doubt God kept them out of the land of Goshen where the children of Israel lived.

(Verses 16 through 20) Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, and take away from me this death only. And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt . But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

Here is another example of Pharaoh’s failure to recognize with Whom he was dealing. He was so devastated by the plague of the locusts that he did confess that he had sinned against the LORD, and against Moses and Aaron; but he made no promise of amending his ways, and letting the Israelites go. He only wanted Moses to forgive his sin, and let things remain as they were. His main desire was to get rid of the locusts.

(Verses 21 and 22) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over all the land of Egypt , even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: they saw not one another, neither rose any out of his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Again God made a division between the Egyptians and the children of Israel . For three days there was such darkness over all the land where the Egyptians were, but light as usual over the children of Israel . This darkness was not just a little dimness of the light of the sun, moon, stars, etc., but total darkness so great that it could even be felt, as well as seen. (If, indeed “seen” is a proper word to be used here; for, in fact, the Egyptians had not light enough to see anything. They were in total darkness.) But the children of Israel had light.

(Verses 24 through 26) And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD until we come hither.

Pharaoh, although he wanted the darkness to be taken away, still did not want the children of Israel to go, and certainly not with all their livestock. But Moses told him that this was the only way they could go; for they did not, and would not, know what they must sacrifice unto the LORD until they came to the place where the sacrifice would be made.

(Verses 27 through 29) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

In the event one should wonder why Pharaoh had not already had Moses killed, just remember this: he was under the protection of God, and, no matter how much Pharaoh might have wanted to kill him, there was nothing he could do about it. Nevertheless, he threatened Moses, and told him to go and leave him alone; “for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.” Moses told him that he had told the truth, (“spoken well,”) for “I will see thy face again no more.” That is, he was through with talking to Pharaoh. Pharaoh did not know it, but this was the setting up of the situation for bringing the final plague upon Pharaoh and his people, in the land of Egypt . The only plague that would come upon the Egyptians after it was to take place at the Red Sea . But that will be described at the proper time.

(Verses 1 through 3) And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt ; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt , in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

Here the LORD tells Moses that He will bring one more plague upon the Egyptians and Pharaoh, and it will be such that Pharaoh will not only let them go, but will thrust them out with force. But before this plague is brought upon them, the children of Israel are to borrow all the jewels of gold and silver that they can from their neighbors the Egyptians. And the LORD turned the minds of the Egyptians so that they let the Israelites have everything they asked for.

(Verses 4 through 8) And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt , such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel . And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

This is what Moses said to Pharaoh before he left from his presence, as he was in the last of the preceding chapter. What the LORD said to Moses, as recorded in verses 1 and 2, may have been said to him while he was in the presence of Pharaoh, or it may have been said after he left Pharaoh’s presence. Surely what verse 3 tells us took place after Moses went out to the people. And perhaps it may have been done over a period of a few days. But in this speech to Pharaoh, Moses told Pharaoh just what the LORD had said that He would do. And we shall find that He fulfilled exactly what He had said. There is little need of any comment on what the LORD’S message to Pharaoh was; for it is clearly enough expressed that there is no reason for misunderstanding it. After delivering this message to Pharaoh, Moses, in great anger, left him.

(Verses 9 and 10) And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt . And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Even after this message to Pharaoh, the LORD told Moses that Pharaoh would not listen to him, so that He could multiply His wonders in the land of Egypt . And indeed the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land. He still thought that he could fight against God, and win. And some today even think the same way. Oh, how foolish!

(Verses 1 and 2) And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt , saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

The LORD selected a particular month of the year to be the beginning of the year on the Jewish calendar. And as we continue on with this account we shall see why this is to be their New Year. The Roman calendar, which we, even today, principally use, was established altogether by man. But this calendar was established by the LORD Himself. Later, the Jews established another “New Year” on the basis of other reasons, But God Himself commanded this to be their New year, because this is the month in which He led them out of Egypt , as we shall soon see.

(Verses 3 through 10) Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs shall they eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

These are the instructions given by the LORD for the observance of the feast that would be known as the Passover. We are not given the date of the day when the LORD gave these instructions; so we cannot say how long it would be from that time until the day of the feast. But we do know that it would be at least four days until then; for the LORD instructed them to take a lamb on the tenth day of the month, and keep it up until the fourteenth day of the month. At which time, in the evening, everyone would kill his lamb, and prepare it for being eaten. They were given specific instructions for cooking the lamb, and for eating it. They were to leave nothing of it until the morning. The phrase, “that which remaineth of it until the morning,” might be better understood as “that which would remain until the morning,” since the first instructions are “Ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning.” And this seems especially true when we continue through this account, and find that they themselves did not remain until the morning, but were driven out during the night. When they killed this lamb, they were to “take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the house wherein they should eat it.

(Verses 11 through 13) And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt .

These are the remainder of the instructions for the manner of eating the Passover feast. They were to be completely ready to go on their journey as they ate of it. There would be no preparation for going after the meal was finished. They had to be fully dressed, including having their shoes on, and holding their staves in their hands, as people who were ready to drop everything and start their march. I cannot say whether or not this particular part of their instructions were carried on through later generations or not; for there is nothing said about it concerning the last Passover that Jesus ate with His disciples. But God told them that in the night of this first Passover he would pass through the land of Egypt , and execute his sentence on the firstborn of both man and beast. But when He saw the blood on the lintels and side posts of the doors, He would pass over the houses where they were, and no ill would befall the Israelites.

(Verses 14 through 20) And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel . And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt : therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel , whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

Here the LORD enlarges upon what He has already told the Israelites concerning this Passover feast. Instead of speaking only of the one that is to be celebrated in Egypt , He tells them that they are to keep this feast as a memorial throughout their generations by an ordinance forever. He further specifies that this celebration that they are to keep as a memorial is to always last from the fourteenth day through the twenty first day of the month. And during the entire time of this feast there is to be no leaven even in the houses of the Israelites. Any one among them, “whether a stranger, or born in the land,” who eats anything leavened, shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel . And this ban is to be observed throughout their generations.

(Verses 21 through 28) Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel , and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as He has promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S Passover, Who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt , when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

This completes the LORD’S instructions to the children of Israel as to how they were to keep the feast of the Passover, and gives to them the commandment to begin the preparation of the feast. It is all clearly enough stated that none should have any difficulty in understanding either what was to be done, or what was to be the significance of the keeping of the memorial of this feast. So the children of Israel went away, that is, they left Moses and Aaron, and went to carry out what the LORD had commanded them to do; for the time had come for keeping the feast.

(Verses 29 through 33) And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt , from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt ; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel ; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

Remember that the LORD told Moses in the beginning of these plagues that Pharaoh would drive the children of Israel out of Egypt . Now He has brought even that to pass in spite of the fact that Pharaoh would not heretofore let them go. No matter how hopeless a situation may appear, it is not beyond the control of the LORD. When He brought this final plague upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, they were ready for the children of Israel to leave. And, indeed they were urgent upon them to leave immediately, and even take all their livestock with them as well. They were literally afraid that the LORD was going to kill all of them. He had accomplished exactly what He had said He would at the beginning of this series of wonders and signs which He had wrought in Egypt .

(Verses 34 through 36) And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

The Israelites were already dressed for traveling, so they did not make any delay. They even had their kneadingtroughs bound upon their shoulders; so they took their dough as it was, unleavened. But even in their going they followed the word Moses had earlier given them. They borrowed jewels of silver and gold, as well as raiment from the Egyptians. God had caused these Egyptians to be of such a mind that they did not refuse anything the Israelites wanted. So the children of Israel took from the Egyptians their gold, silver, and raiment as if they were the spoils of war.

(Verses 37 through 39) And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

In our present manner of counting the population of any place, we always count women and children in the general population along with the men. But that is not true of the way they were counted in that day. So we cannot say just how many there were of the children of Israel at this time. But since the same manner of counting was done when Jacob came into Egypt , we can get a comparison of the count then, and as they went out at this time. Genesis 46: 27 tells us, “And the sons of Joseph which were born in Egypt , were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt , were threescore and ten,” (70) and this is only counting the men. Now, counting only the men, there were 600,000 of them. They had not prepared any food for themselves, other than the dough they had in their kneadingtroughs; ant it was unleavened. So of it they made unleavened cakes and baked them for their food. They had been living at Rameses. So they began their journey by going from Rameses to Succoth. And, no doubt, they tried to make as much haste as possible. But, with their children and their cattle, even the best speed they could make, no doubt seemed very slow.

(Verses 40 through 42) Now the sojourning of the children of Israel , who dwelt in Egypt , was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt . It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt : this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in all their generations.

Here the writer lays aside, momentarily, the story of their going out of Egypt to make a comment about the importance of this night, and to tell us how long the Israelites were in the land of Egypt . Although, probably, none had made any effort to celebrate the day of their coming into Egypt , their going out was on the four hundred and thirtieth anniversary of that day. And it is a night to be much observed unto the LORD, not just for a short while, but throughout all generations of the children of Israel

(Verses 43 through 51) And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof. But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then he shall eat thereof. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel ; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

The LORD gave to Moses and Aaron the ordinance, or law of the Passover. The very first thing concerning it is that no stranger shall eat thereof. If a man buys a servant “for money,” that is as his actual property, after he has circumcised him, he may eat of it. But no hired servant, and no foreigner can partake thereof. If a foreigner comes among the Israelites to sojourn, and wants to eat of the Passover, he and all the males of his household must first be circumcised. Then he will be under the same law as one that is born in the land. There are also two laws concerning the lamb that is slain for the Passover that have not heretofore been mentioned. They are: No part of its flesh can be taken out of the house; and Not a bone of it shall be broken. Possibly, the law against the breaking of any bone of it, may also be the reason why it was prophesied, and fulfilled, that not a bone of our Saviour should be broken, for He is our Passover.

(Verses 1 and 2) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel , both of man and of beast: it is Mine.

This is a commandment that the LORD will enlarge upon a little later. So we shall delay comment upon it until that time.

(Verses 3 through 7) And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by the strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which He sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there  shall no leaven bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

Here Moses gives the children of Israel a charge to keep the commandment that God had given them in Chapter 12, verse 15. Since this was the day in which the LORD had by a strong hand brought them out of the land of Egypt , they were to remember it when they came into the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give them. Annually this day was to be the beginning of a feast to the LORD that would last for seven days. During all seven of these days there was not only no leavened bread to be eaten, but neither was any leaven to be found in their houses.

(Verses 8 through 10) And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt . And it shall be for a sign for thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of the land of Egypt . Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

Not only were the people of the generation that came up out of Egypt, but all generations thereafter, to keep this feast in honor of the LORD Who had so graciously brought them out of that bondage. It was to be “for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth.” Thus it was not only to honor God for bringing them out of the Egyptian bondage, but also to remind them to keep the law of God. Notice that it was to be for a sign on their hand, reminding them to do the commandments of God, a memorial between their eyes, reminding them to think upon His commandments, and both signs were for the purpose of keeping the Law of the LORD in their mouths. That is, His law was to be the chief part of their conversation. All of this was because the LORD had with a strong hand brought them out of the bondage in Egypt . So they were to keep this feast annually.

(Verses 11 through 13) And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as He sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, that thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD’S. And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

Here we find further clarification of what the LORD told Moses in verse 2 of this chapter. There He said only that all the firstborn of both man and beast were to be sanctified to Him. They were His. Now He, by Moses, gives instructions whereby the firstborn of human children and the firstborn of unclean beasts could be redeemed from this, that they not be sacrificed. All the firstborn children were to be redeemed; and the firstborn of unclean beasts could either be redeemed with a lamb, or the owners thereof would have to break their necks. Of course, they could not be offered as burnt offerings to God.

(Verses 14 through 17) And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt .

These are the instructions the children of Israel were to follow in all their generations concerning the teaching of their children concerning the offering of the firstborn of both man and beast. And it was to be a remainder to them that it was with a mighty hand that the LORD had brought them out of the land of Egypt/

(Verses 17 through 19) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel , saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

Let none think that God was confused about what to do in leading the children of Israel to the land of Canaan . When He said, “Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they turn back into Egypt ,“ He did not mean that He could not take care of such a contingency. He could certainly have taken care of them through any war. Or He could have provided that there would have been no war. But such was not according to His will. He led them by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea . And, as we shall see, He showed one more great wonder upon the Egyptians at and in the Red sea . “The children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt .” This is an expression that always means that the ones thus “harnessed” are prepared for war. They were wearing their war gear, and carrying their weapons. No doubt, when they came into Egypt they were permitted to maintain their weapons. And, perhaps, they were permitted to keep themselves armed even while in bondage, that they could be made not only to serve the Egyptians by working for them, but also by fighting for them. That is, likely, the reason the Egyptians were afraid that should a war break out they might join their enemies and fight against them. (See Chapter 1, verse 10). True to the oath Joseph had laid upon the children of Israel , they took his bones with them as they left Egypt .

(Verses 20 through 22) And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

The children of Israel had no reason to wonder which way to go; for the LORD provided a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead the way. Some might object that the people could surely not travel both day and night, but must have rest; for they would otherwise wear out. Surely this would be true, were it not that the LORD provided them the strength for continuous travel. We have to keep in mind that He was their Strength as well as their Deliverer. Remember that even their shoes did not wear out during the whole forty years they were in the wilderness. God’s power is unlimited.

(Verses 1 through 4) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-Zephon; before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel , They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD/ And they did so.

Here the LORD tells Moses to have the children of Israel to turn and encamp in a certain place. One might think that they should have kept traveling, so as to gain as much distance away from the Egyptians as possible. However the LORD had determined to show them one more sign of His power in protecting them from their enemies. The place He chose for their encampment was near a place Pi-hahiroth, which means, “mouth of caverns.” It is between Migdol (meaning “a tower) and the sea. It was also near Baal-Zephon. (To those interested in the meaning of names, this name means, “lord of the north, secret, or hidden.” At any rate they were camped by the Red Sea . And God declares that His purpose in having them stop here is that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will follow the Israelites, and provide an opportunity for Him to be glorified in the overthrow of the Egyptians. And Moses and the children of Israel did as He commanded.

(Verses 5 through 9) And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we should let Israel go from serving us? and he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him; and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt , and captains over every one of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt , and he pursued after the children of Israel : and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-Zephon.

We are not told just how long after the children of Israel left until Pharaoh and his servants decided that they had done the wrong thing in letting them go. But when they considered the matter, they wanted them brought back to continue being their servants. So Pharaoh made ready his chariot and six hundred others, together with a sizable army of horsemen and foot soldiers to follow after them.  As the Israelites went out of Egypt , they went out “with a high hand,” that is, they were greatly elated, and thought that all their troubles were over. But since the Egyptians could travel much faster than could the children of Israel, since the Israelites were slowed down by having to take their young ones and their cattle, while the Egyptians were not so burdened, the Egyptians overtook them as they were encamped by the sea.

(Verses 10 through 12) And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt , hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt ? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt , saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, that that we should die in the wilderness.

As earlier observed, when the Israelites were coming out of Egypt they were on a great high, thinking that their troubles were all completely over. But now that they saw the Egyptians following after them, they were paralyzed with fear. They wished that they had not left Egypt , but had stayed there to serve the Egyptians. They thought a life of servitude better than death in the wilderness.

(Verses 13 through 18) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel , that they go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

It may be that Moses was a little too quick to tell the Israelites to “stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD;” for the LORD said to him, “Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel , that they go forward.” While it is true enough that the LORD was going to do exactly what Moses had told them that He would, they were not to stand still, but be ready to go forward. However the LORD commanded Moses to first raise and stretch forth his rod over the sea, that it might divide, and give dry passage for the Israelites through it. Then the Egyptians would try to follow the children of Israel through the sea, and the LORD would work His wrath upon them.

(Verses 19 through 22) And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

There is certainly no reason to misunderstand this account. Surely it is a great miracle, but the account is extremely clear. It is used, however, by the Apostle Paul to teach a great truth concerning baptism. Truly the Israelites “were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Inasmuch as the pillar of cloud passed over them when it removed from before them, and stood behind them, and the waters of the sea “were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left,” they could be truly said to be baptized in them. But, as we shall later see, many of them were displeasing to God, and He destroyed them. So baptism does not make any change in the person. It was not designed to save him. The only salvation for man is Christ Jesus our Lord. In this event, the LORD removed the cloud from before the Israelites, and placed it between them and the Egyptians, thus protecting the children of Israel from the Egyptians.

(Verses 23 through 25) And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the hosts of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

The Egyptians thought that they could do anything that the Israelites could do; and perhaps they could, had it not been that the LORD was fighting for the Israelites. He had brought them to the very place He had purposed to bring them; and now He destroyed them. In doing so, He manifested to Israel His wonderful power of protection for them. It seems that this is something they would never forget. But, alas, they were very much as we are even now. They soon forgot His goodness to them, as we also sometimes do. We shall see that manifested many times in their history. But at this point the LORD is about to show His mighty power against the Egyptians.

(Verses 26 through 31) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and  the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and His servant Moses.

Sometimes we hear someone talking about this great event, and from what they say, it would seem that the Israelites were completely out of the sea when the LORD caused the waters to come back together on the Egyptians. But this seems not to be the case, because this account says, after the waters had come back upon the Egyptians, “But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” So, as the angel of the LORD was between the Egyptians and Israel , the waters were allowed to come back together upon the Egyptians, but were kept in place for the Israelites to finish their passage. After seeing this great miracle wrought by the LORD, the children of Israel feared the LORD, and believed Him and Moses His servant. All the army that Pharaoh brought with him was completely annihilated; not even one of them was left.

(Verses 1 through 8) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a Man of war: the LORD is His name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea . The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against Thee: Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

This is the beginning of the song that Moses and the Israelites sang after the great deliverance God had wrought for them in the sea. They rightly give to God the glory of that great deliverance. His triumph over Pharaoh and the Egyptians has been complete in every way. They rose up against His people; and He completely destroyed them. He proved Himself to be a “Man of war,” that is One Who can successfully make war against His enemies. When the Egyptians came into the sea against His people, He brought the waters together upon them, and drowned them in the sea. He opened in the sea a way for His people to pass over dry shod; and when their enemies attempted to follow them, He closed the waters in upon them, and destroyed them. So, indeed, He is worthy of praise, and He is to be exalted.

(Verses 9 through 13) The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out Thy hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.

The enemy had made great boasts in his mind concerning what he would do to the LORD’S people; but he found himself utterly helpless when he tried to carry out his threats. The LORD only blew upon the enemy with his wind, and they all sank to the bottom of the sea as lead. They could do nothing. Among all the gods of the people of the world, there is none like the LORD. They are all utterly helpless before Him. He stretched out His hand, and the earth swallowed up His enemies. Some might object to this statement, by reason of the fact that the sea actually swallowed them up: But the sea is actually a part of the earth, and so it is still the earth that swallowed them. While thus destroying the enemy, the LORD in mercy led out the people whom He had redeemed. The statement, “Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation,” might not have yet been fulfilled, if we consider His “holy habitation” as being the land of Canaan to which He was indeed going to lead them. But He had fully determined to do that, and therefore it could be spoken of as already accomplished, because nothing could prevent it from being fulfilled. And it may be that expression really means that He has led them to trust in His strength, and thus be in His holy habitation.

(Verses 14 through 19) The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab , trembling shall take hold of them; and all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of Thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till Thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which Thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O LORD, which Thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

The song of praise to the LORD continues, looking forward to the time when the Lord shall have brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land. During the time of the travel of the Israelites the people of the land of Canaan , together with the people of Edom shall hear all about the wonders the LORD has wrought for the Israelites, and shall be greatly afraid. Their fear will be so great that it will paralyze them, so that the people whom the LORD has redeemed shall “pass over,” or pass through. The LORD will bring His people in, and plant, or establish them in the inheritance He has promised them, and has prepared for His dwelling. And the LORD shall reign forever. There is none to hinder this, for Pharaoh and his army have been cast into the sea, “but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.” I am constantly amazed at the unbelief of those who are always trying to find some place in the sea (and several locations have been pointed out by such persons) where they think it would have been possible for this great event to have taken place by natural means. What they, evidently, do not believe is that the power of God is sufficient that He did not have to have a shallow place in the sea and an underwater land bridge for them to cross. The scriptures plainly tell us, (Chapter 14, verse 29) “But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and upon their left.       

(Verses 20 through 22) And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea , and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

In verse 1 “Moses and the children of Israel ,” (and according to the method of counting in that day, this would have meant the “men of the children of Israel ,”) sang to the LORD, “I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” Now Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron, and all the women come forth with timbrels, dancing, and repeating this as a chorus. After this Moses led the Israelites away from the sea, and into the wilderness of Shur. They went for three days in the wilderness without finding any water.

(Verses 23 through 26) And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them, and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

After the three days of going without water the Israelites came to a place where there was water. But the water was undrinkable because it was bitter. So they began to murmur against Moses: and he cried unto the LORD because of the bitterness of the waters. So the LORD showed him a tree that he could throw into the water, and cause the water to become sweet so that it was good for the children of Israel to drink. In this we can see a type of our Lord Jesus, in that when we are faced with a very bitter situation, we can think upon the sufferings of our Lord as He was crucified upon the cross, or tree, for us; and that will always ease the bitterness of our trials. This very event was given of the LORD to prove the children of Israel, not that He needed to find out how they would react to the situation, but to show to them that He is always able to take care of them, no matter how bitter the experience they were having. And He “made for them a statute and an ordinance,” telling them that if they would hearken diligently to His voice, do that which was right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, He would keep them free from all the diseases that He had sent upon the Egyptians. He declared to them that it is He Who healed them.

(Verse 27) And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped by the waters.

After the experiences of traveling three days without water, coming to the bitter waters of Marah, and having the LORD graciously sweeten those waters for them, the children of Israel came to a place called Elim. There they found twelve wells of water, and also seventy palm trees. So they had plenty of water, as well as shade under which they could rest for a while.

Chapter 16

(Verses 1 through 3) And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

We may have a tendency to judge the Israelites too harshly, although, certainly, they were wrong in being so faithless as to forget so soon what the LORD had done for them. Just remember that they are also a picture of us. In spite of all the wonderful blessings our Lord has showered upon us, we too are prone to forget His mercies, and complain that we are about to be destroyed by some enemy, at the first sign of a little hardship. We try to excuse ourselves by saying, “We are only human.” That is true: but so were they. We may not have seen so many natural wonders wrought before us as had they, but if we cannot find in our experience some outstanding miracles of His grace I fear we are not looking in the right direction. If we but remember what He has done for us it is much easier to trust Him to carry us through whatever situation we may have to face. And so it was with the children of Israel. God had delivered them from Egypt, He had again delivered them from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, and He had provided for them good water where there was none fit to drink. Should they not have remembered these things instead of the flesh pots of Egypt? Let us also keep in mind the many blessings of the LORD instead of the worldly pleasures we once enjoyed before He called us out from the world. And, by all means, let us never let our minds entertain the thought that God has taken us away from the worldly pleasures to kill us with starvation.

(Verses 4 through 8) Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they shall bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that He heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him: and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.

There are a few things we wish to call special attention to as we consider this text. Although nothing is said about it, the LORD must have told Moses a little more than is recorded in verses 4 and 5. For there He said nothing about giving flesh to the Israelites; but when Moses spoke to them, he told them that The LORD would give them flesh in the evenings, and bread in the mornings. And we shall find that this is what He did do. Also the LORD gave the Israelites a law concerning the bread that He would give them. They were to gather it each morning, each according to the amount that he would eat. That is, none was to gather more than he needed, except that, on the sixth day each was to gather twice the daily gathering. At this point nothing has been said about the reason for the double portion on the sixth day. A little later we shall see why this was commanded. Also Moses and Aaron told the children of Israel that their murmuring was not against them, but against the LORD, and He heard it. This could very well signify that since He has heard it, He will also send chastisement for it: and it should be a lesson to us even today. We should remember that the blessings we enjoy are from the LORD, and not from whichever of His servants is leading us at the time. Moses laid no claim to delivering the Israelites from Egypt, or saving them from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. He freely declared that it was the LORD Who did all these things, and who also provided all other blessings. So when we are complaining of our lot, we are complaining against the LORD.

(Verses 9 and 10) And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for He hath heard your murmurings. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

This, no doubt, was in keeping with a command that, although not recorded, God had given to Moses He told Aaron to speak to the congregation. Remember that the LORD had told Moses at the burning bush that Moses would be as God to Aaron, and Aaron would be as a mouth to Moses. So here we see that principle in operation. When Aaron spoke to the congregation they looked toward the wilderness; and as they looked, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. It is not specifically so stated, but since the definite article, “the,” is used concerning the cloud, it seems reasonable to think that reference is to the pillar of cloud that led the way for the children of Israel, rather than just any cloud that may have been present: for this pillar of cloud led their way, and they were going to travel in the wilderness.

(Verses 11 through 15) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

At this point the LORD spoke to Moses, declaring that he had heard the murmurings of the Israelites: and He commanded Moses to tell them that He would feed them twice a day. At evening He would give them all the flesh they wanted, and at morning He would give them bread to the full. And just as He said, at evening the quails came up so thick upon the camp that they covered it. Thus the Israelites could kill all of them they wanted. And in the morning, after the dew had dried there was left upon the ground a small round thing that the children of Israel had, evidently, never before seen. It was lying all around, and as they began looking at it, they said, “It is manna,” which means, “What is this?” so since they did not know what it was, it has been called “mamma” even till the present time. So Moses explained to them that this was the bread the LORD had promised to give them.

(Verses 16 through 21) This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, and some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that had gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

The omer is a Hebrew unit of dry measure, and it the one used to measure the manna that the children of Israel gathered. A man was to gather one omer for each one in his household. Although some gathered what seemed more than that which someone else gathered, when all was measured by the omer “he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that hat had gathered little had no lack.” So miraculously the LORD took care of the Israelites even in this matter. Moses then commanded them to leave nothing of the manna until the next day; but some of the Israelites disobeyed this commandment also. And that which they tried to keep until the morning was ruined. This kindled Moses’ anger against those who had disobeyed. So every morning they gathered manna, until the sun became hot enough that it melted.

(Verses 22 through 26) And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers. two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And He said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe  that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days shall ye gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

How quickly we can forget the word of the LORD! In verse 5 of this chapter the LORD had told Moses that on the sixth day the children of Israel would gather twice as much manna as on other days. And, although nothing is there said about their using the overage on the seventh day, it seems reasonable that at that time He also told Moses this part of the commandment concerning the manna; for in verse 23 Moses says, “This is that which the LORD hath said.” And he continues, telling them about the seventh day being the sabbath of the LORD, and that they are to do no work therein. When we consider the faithfulness of Moses, it seems hardly likely that he would have failed to pass this on to the children of Israel. The expression, “This is that which the LORD hath spoken,” seems to imply that it is something that has already been passed on to the Israelites. But as they so quickly had forgotten the wonderful works He had wrought for them, so had they forgotten what He had told them about this also. He further told them that they were not to attempt to gather manna on the sabbath day, for it would not be found then.

(Verses 27 through 31) And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the sabbath day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide in your place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Mamma: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

As usual, some of the people would not obey the commandment of the LORD, but went out on the seventh day to gather manna; but it was not to be found. And the LORD rebuked Moses for their disobedience. Herein is a principle that is seldom considered. That is, the servant of the LORD who is in charge of an assembly of the LORD’S people, whether, as at this time, the children of Israel, or a local assembly of the church of God today, is of the LORD held accountable for the disobedience of his charges. And God will rebuke him when appropriate. Remember also that our Lord Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” Here the LORD says to Moses, “See for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” God did not need the sabbath for Himself; but He gave it to man for a day of rest. Therefore man should honor it as a gift from a merciful God. After this, the people rested on the seventh day, as the LORD had commanded. And so far as the bread that God rained down for them, the house of Israel called it Manna. It was white like coriander seed, and the taste thereof was like wafers made with honey.

(Verses 32 through 36) And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth. Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. Now an Omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

This seems to be clear enough without comment. According to the commandment of the LORD, Aaron laid up an omer of manna as a memorial before God, that might endure to later generations of the Israelites to show them the bread upon which God had fed them all through their wilderness wanderings. They ate manna until they finally came to the borders of Canaan; which was a period of forty years.

Chapter 17

(Verses 1 through 7) And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel ; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel . And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel , and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

The Israelites left the wilderness of Sin, and traveled to a place called Rephidim. There they found no water, and, as usual, they were very dissatisfied. So they began to complain that Moses had brought them out from Egypt to kill them with thirst. Just as we so often do, they had forgotten how the LORD had provided for them so many times before. So Moses went to the LORD with this matter. He was even afraid that the people were ready to stone him. But when he cried to the LORD, He told him what to do. First he was to take of the elders of the people witnesses to go with him to a certain rock. And there with the LORD standing on the rock before him, and the elders standing as witnesses, he was to strike the rock with the rod he had used when turning the river to blood in Egypt . The LORD told him that when he did this water would come forth from the rock. He followed the commandment of the LORD; and the results were exactly as the LORD had promised. So Moses bestowed two names on this place. One of them was Massah, (temptation,) and the other Meribah (chiding.) This he did because the children of Israel had tempted the LORD with their chiding about the lack of water.

(Verses 8 through 13) Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

This Amalek was probably not the grandson of Esau, but a later descendant of him; for it was not unusual to repeat names in later generations, even as we sometimes do today. However this was, no doubt, the tribe of the Amalekites who made the first warlike attack upon the Israelites. Moses had Joshua to select an army from the men of the children of Israel to go out and fight them, while he, Aaron, and Hur went up on the top of the hill to observe the combat. As Moses would raise his hand, Israel would make progress against the Amalekites, but when he let down his hand, the Amalekites were stronger. So Aaron and Hur had Moses sit down upon a rock while they held up his hands all the day long. Thus Israel overcame the Amalekites. Nothing at all is said about casualties on either side. But the Amalekites were overcome, and those who were able, no doubt left the scene.

(Verses 14 through 16) And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nisi: for he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Jehovah-nisi means, “The LORD is my ensign.” So, since an ensign is usually a battle flag, this altar is a memorial to the declaration of the LORD that He will have war with Amalek until He utterly destroys the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. It is interesting to note that the Amalekites are the descendants of Esau the brother of Israel , and yet they were the first to make war on Israel , and are still the most implacable foes of Israel that can be found. This is one of the principal reasons that no one, even today, can make any lasting peace between the Jews and the Arabs.

Chapter 18

(Verses 1 through 6) When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, and her two sons; of which the name of one was Gershom; for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land: and the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: and Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: and he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

Although nothing was said about it at the time, Moses, to insure the safety of his wife and his sons during the time he was dealing with Pharaoh in Egypt, sent them back to his wife’s father until he could be a little more sure of what he would have to do. Now his father in law Jethro, having heard how the LORD had blessed the children of Israel, and had delivered them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, decided it was time to visit Moses, and bring his wife and his sons to him. Accordingly he came out and found Moses and the Israelites encamped before the mount of God, mount Horeb, the very place where Moses was when the LORD called him to go, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

(Verses 7 through 12) And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, Who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, Who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, He was above them. And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.

After Moses and his father in law had greeted each other, and gone into the tent, Moses gave him the history of all that the LORD had done for Israel in delivering them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and bringing them to their present encampment. Jethro had to be a worshipper of God; for he rejoiced greatly at all the good the LORD had done for Moses and the children of Israel. Then he praised the LORD for His wonderful works, and declared that he knew the LORD to be greater than all gods. He had shown His power over them all in delivering the children of Israel from the Egyptians and Pharaoh. Then He, being a priest, offered a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Moses, Aaron, and all the elders of Israel came together with him to “eat bread before the LORD,” that is to partake of the sacrifice.

(Verses 13 through 16) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God: when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them to know the statutes of God and His laws.

The next day after the arrival of Moses’ father in law was what we would, probably. call court day. Moses sat on the seat of judgment, and all the Israelites who had any matters they considered in need of being judged came before him. Of course, with such a great multitude as there were of the Israelites, this certainly would take all day. The people stood there by Moses from morning until evening. That is, there was never any let up in the line of those coming before him. After watching this, Jethro asked Moses why he did this. He answered that he did it because the people came to him to inquire of God. They would bring their disputes to him that he might judge between them, and teach them what the LORD would have them do. He seemed to be the only one who could teach them the laws of God.

(Verses 17 through 23) And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: and thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be that every great matter they shall bring to thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall go to their place in peace.

Having witnessed one day of the judging of the Israelites by Moses, Jethro gave Moses very good counsel as to how to arrange matters so that both he and the people might have an easier time of this. There is no need to repeat what he told Moses to do except his last statement. “If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” Although Jethro believed that the counsel he had given Moses was right, he yet recognized that it would work only if God also commanded it. And this is something we also should always keep in mind. No matter how good we may think an idea is, if it does not have the approval of God, it will be detrimental instead of beneficial.

(Verses 24 through 27) So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, and rulers over tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

Apparently Jethro’s counsel was pleasing to the LORD, and Moses implemented it immediately, exactly according to what Jethro had said. Then Jethro departed, and went to his own land, Midian

Chapter 19

(Verses 1 through 6) In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

It is here that the LORD sets forth His covenant with Israel, which in the Epistle to the Hebrews is called the Old Covenant, in distinction from the New Covenant, which is first set forth in Jeremiah 31:31-34, and repeated in Hebrews 10:16-17. Notice that this Old Covenant is based altogether upon, “If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant.” This is the covenant that was in force until the coming of the Christ into the world to redeem His people

(Verses 7 through 9) And Moses came and called for all the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD had commanded him. And all the people answered  together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak unto thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

After the LORD presented His covenant with the Israelites to Moses, Moses set it all before the people, just as the LORD commanded him; and the people immediately declared that they would do everything that the LORD commanded them. Then Moses repeated the words of the people to the LORD. This does not, by any means, indicate that the LORD did not know what they said until Moses told Him: rather it simply shows that the LORD had chosen Moses as mediator between Him and Israel. Just as we approach the Father in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Israelites, under the Old Covenant, approached the LORD through Moses their mediator. The LORD told Moses that He came to him in a thick cloud for the purpose of letting the people hear when He spoke to him, that they might believe Moses for ever. This is very similar to what Jesus said at the tomb of Lazarus. (John 11:41-42) “And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me. And I know that Thou  hearest Me always: but because of the people I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.’”

(Verses 10 through 15) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: there shall not an hand touch it, but he shall be surely stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

We are to understand that Moses was up in the mount with the LORD while the LORD gave him all the commandments concerning sanctifying the people, and setting bounds about the mount, as well as giving him the commandment that neither beast nor man was to touch the mount, under the penalty of death. After receiving these commandments, Moses went back down to the people, sanctified them, and gave them these commandments.

(Verses 16 through 20) And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

So far as trying to make this any clearer, it seems that no comments could be needed, But we need to keep in mind that this is the description of a real incident, not a fairy tale. God literally brought the Israelites to the foot of this mountain, and came down upon the top of it with all these accompanying signs. It was, without doubt, one of the most awesome sights ever seen by man. As we consider it, we are made to wonder how anyone who was privileged to see such a wonderful view of the glory of God could ever forget it to the point of turning away from the great God Who had shown it to him, and trying to worship idols as did the children of Israel. But, alas, that is the weakness of human nature; and we are fully as bad as were they. The only hope we have is that God will give us the necessary grace to worship none but Him.

(Verses 21 through 25) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for Thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest He break forth upon them. So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

When the LORD called Moses to come up to the top of the mount, he obeyed. Then the LORD commanded him to go back down and charge the people again that they not break through the bounds that had been set around the mount. Here we find something that has not heretofore been set forth, unless we might assume that those who had been appointed as “rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens,” might be referred to as “priests.” In verse 22 he says, “And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.” The Aaronic priesthood had not yet been established, since it was ordained according to the law, which had not yet been given. Moses protested that the LORD had already had him set bounds to keep the people back from the mount; but the LORD sent him back to remind the people that they and the priests were to obey these bounds. The LORD did tell Moses that he was to come back up the mount, and bring Aaron with him, but no one else. So Moses went back down to the people with this message.

Chapter 20

(Verses 1 through 6) And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, Which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.

At this time God spoke to all the Hebrews, and gave to them His laws that are usually referred to as “the ten commandments.” Before He gives the first commandment He reminds them that He is the LORD their God Who has brought them “out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. This should be reason enough for them to remember His commandments, and keep them. And the fact that it is He Who has quickened us together with Christ should be enough to make us also keep His commandments. Notice that He did not say, “If you will keep My commandments, I will bring you out:” but I “have brought you out.” Just as they were brought out of Egypt before He gave them the law, so were we given life in Christ Jesus before the LORD called upon us to do anything. Most people today seem to think that we must first do something before He will save us. What they tell us to do varies all the way from believing in Jesus and accepting Him, to being baptized and keeping His commandments. These certainly are things that we should do, but until we are born of the Spirit, we cannot do any of them, because we are dead, dead in trespasses and sin. Just so, the Israelites could not keep His laws until He had delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptians, for while slaves to the Egyptians, they were forced to do what the Egyptians wanted them to do. Now that they have been set free from that bondage, the LORD tells them, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” They certainly knew of the gods of, not only the Egyptians, but also of the various tribes in the surrounding countries. But none of them were to be set before the LORD, because He is the One Who had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. And in our case, He is the only One Who has given us eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, just as they were to have no other gods before Him, neither are we.

The second commandment is, in reality, an enlargement upon the first. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.” Some of the idol gods of the nations were considered as spirits, and had no images, while others were images carved out of wood or stone, or sometimes molded from mud, and baked out to a hard consistency. But the LORD told the children of Israel that they were to not have any of these idol gods before Him. They were not to even make any likeness of any thing in heaven, on earth, or in the sea. There sometimes arise arguments among men as to whether or not this also included drawing or painting pictures of these things, but inasmuch as a picture is a likeness of that which is by it depicted, there can be no doubt that this was also included in the ban. The children of Israel were to make no such. And even if someone else made them, they were not to bow down to them, or worship them, or serve them. They were all strictly forbidden. The LORD declared that He is a jealous God, and One Who will visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him. And worshipping and serving other gods is considered as hating Him. On the other hand He shows mercy unto thousands of those who love Him and keep His commandments. John said, (1John 5:3.) “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.”

(Verse 7) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

Certainly we should all put forth every effort to avoid the use of profanity, and especially the connecting the name of the LORD with it. But this also reaches further than that. There are many who will call solemnly upon the LORD to witness a promise they make, or an oath they take, and immediately forget to keep that promise or that oath. This is taking the name of the LORD in vain. There are others that will profess to be believers in and servants of the LORD, and yet they will not make any effort to do what He has commanded. That too is taking His name in vain. And the LORD will not hold them guiltless.

(Verses 8 through 11) Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

There are many and varied manners of thinking concerning this commandment. Some think that this is a commandment that can be followed or neglected according to the mind of the one who is considering it. Some think that what Paul said, in Romans 14:5, frees us from having any responsibility for keeping this commandment, while others believe that it is to be kept exactly as given. Then there are all manner of ideas between these. Some even argue that since our Lord Jesus arose from the grave on the first day of the week, and not on the seventh, we should observe the first day instead of the seventh. While it is true that He did arise on the first day, and His disciples began after His resurrection to meet on that day, they also still observed the seventh day as the sabbath, and, according to The Acts of The Apostles, even in his travels the Apostle Paul went to the synagogue, in whatever town he found himself, on the sabbath, or seventh, day to preach to the people. The cause of the Christians’ abandoning the sabbath day in favor of the first day of the week, was not our Lord’s resurrection on that day, but the edict of Constantine the emperor of Rome some three hundred years later. And although he made it an honor for people to profess Christianity, he was himself a worshipper of the sun god Apollo, and for that reason wanted the people to worship on Sunday, the day named for the sun. He was never baptized until shortly before his death. So all the great hype about his being a Christian is slightly suspect. Many today who claim to observe Sunday as the sabbath do not even follow what the LORD commanded concerning it. He said, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Some will claim that if we keep one day out of the seven as a sabbath, that is fulfilling the commandment, whether that day be the seventh or the first. This is, of course, appropriating to ourselves the right to substitute what we want for what the LORD has said. While our Lord did say, “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day,” He did not say that we have the right to substitute any day we wish for the sabbath day. But even if it were granted that we could do that, our manner of keeping Sunday as the Sabbath falls woefully short of doing as the LORD commanded. We go to church on Sunday morning, sing for about thirty minutes, listen to the preaching of the gospel for not more than one hour, and go home, or go somewhere else, and seek whatever pleasure we can, sometimes watching the TV, and sometimes doing something else. Then we may go to the evening service, and repeat the morning ritual, thus devoting about three hours of the day to what we call serving the LORD. This is, by no means, keeping the day holy. All the time we have devoted to that, even granting that we are sincere in our desire and effort, while at church, to worship the LORD, there are still nine hours of the day (counting the day as twelve hours in length) that we have used for our own pleasure. How can this be called “keeping the day holy?”

(Verse 12) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

The Apostle Paul has told us that this is the first commandment with promise. Its promise is, “That thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” There should be no need to explain the meaning of the commandment. As we all know, it simply means that we are to obey our parents. The child, or even grown person, who does not obey his parents, does not honor them, even if he should build a great and very ornate monument to them. Just as obedience to God is the greatest honor we can render to Him, so obedience to our parents is the greatest honor to them. Now, there are two ways of considering the promise that goes with this commandment. There is in it the promise of longer life to the individual who keeps this commandment. And as we look around us today, we can see the results of the failure of obedience to it. Just within the past few days there have been more than a half dozen murders in one of our local cities, and if it were investigated from that standpoint, which it will not be, no doubt it would be found that these murders were brought about because someone had disobeyed his parents, and had done something, or had gone somewhere that his parents had warned him against. So lives were shortened by disobedience to parents. Then we can, and should consider this promise from another perspective. The LORD said, “That thy days may be long on the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” The covenant that the LORD made with the children of Israel begins with, “If ye will obey My voice indeed.” Then the LORD tells them what blessings He will give to them. Later on He told them that if they rebelled and turned away from his commandments He would deliver them into the hand of their enemies, who, in turn would destroy and scatter them. So if they, or we, keep this commandment He promises that we shall remain for a long time in the land he has given us. If we but consider the history of our own nation, we will be forced to acknowledge that in the former generations of people children were taught to obey their parents, and most of them did. The result of that was that the LORD continued to bless this nation. During the past sixty or seventy years there has been more and more disobedience to parents, even to the point that now all the supposed to be authorities have been crying that children need to be allowed “to do their own thing,” whatever that may mean. And parents who actually try to teach their children discipline can be put in prison, and their children taken away from them. Even a blind person can see the results of that. Even the sins that fifty years ago had to be kept secret, and were therefore held at least somewhat in check are now brought forth and flaunted before everyone. Although a majority of society does not believe it, it will be the downfall of our nation. This started as disobedience to parents, and has grown to disobedience to authority whether parental, or legal. How far He will permit it to go, I know not. But He will bring it to judgment.

(Verse 13) Thou shalt not kill.

This is a very short commandment; and each word of it is fully understood by all who can read at all. There have been many arguments about how far this short commandment is to be extended. Some scholars tell us that the word translated “kill,” should have been rendered, “Murder.” And that seems to be the meaning that most people consider it to have in this commandment. This would, of course, make some difference. A soldier who in battle is forced to either kill or be killed might be considered exempt from it. It would also exempt the one who kills in self defense, as well as one who kills by accident. And there are provisions made in God’s law, as given a little later for some of these conditions. Our Lord Jesus has instructed us that when one strikes us on one cheek we are to turn to him the other also. He also rebuked the Apostle Peter for drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of Malchus the servant of the high priest when He was being arrested. This does, of course, show us the ideal fulfillment of this commandment. However, no matter which way we may view it, we will all have to admit that we are not to murder anyone, or even harbor a desire to kill anyone. Human nature being what it is, we might come into circumstances in which we might think it necessary to do so; but we should never try to bring up such a situation.

(Verse 14) Thou shalt not commit adultery.

This commandment too is very short, and easy to be understood. Neither are there ever any provisions given that can make it all right to commit this act. Today, there are many among us that want to claim that the LORD is not speaking of the physical act of committing adultery, but that which is sometimes called spiritual adultery. This is altogether a bogus claim. He has already taken care of that matter in the second commandment. Therefore this commandment has reference to nothing except that which it names. Neither does it give the one who commits it any excuse whatsoever. It simply says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” And that is exactly what it means.

(Verses 15) Thou shalt not steal.

It is very easy to understand this commandment as long as we are considering material things. But it reaches so much farther than this. One of the most readily apparent things that are stolen is one’s “good name,” or reputation. And this is so easy to do that it takes great attention to the truth to keep from being guilty of it. Certainly, if someone’s property, whether much or little is unprotected before us, not only might we not steal it, but we might not even be tempted to do so. But what about his reputation? Let me give you a true story to illustrate what I mean. I once knew a gospel minister that some enemies started a story about, claiming that he had been excluded from a certain church. This story continued on for about fifty years. Nothing he could say or do could stop the story. Finally he moved into a n area where he was almost totally unknown. But there was one preacher in the area, and one who was considered of fairly great stature. He heard that the other minister had moved into the area. So He called the ministers of the area together, and told them that this minister had moved into the area, and that they had better not have anything to do with him, because he had been excluded from the church. A little later this minister applied for membership at one of the local churches. Whereupon the pastor asked him, “Would you be offended if we table this matter until we can investigate a rumor that is circulated about you?” The minister had no objections. So the church investigated the matter, and found that there was no truth in it. So the church received the minister into full fellowship. The preacher that spread the tale never apologized to the minister about whom he had spread the tale. Nor did he apologize to the brethren he had tried to mislead. And the real truth of the matter is that he had never even met the minister whose reputation he had tried to destroy. Someone will say that surely it was not his intention to damage the minister’s reputation, but to save the churches from embarrassment. The truth is that he made no effort to find out whether the rumor he had heard was true. And if you or I pass on rumors that we have heard, but do not know of our own knowledge are the truth, we are guilty of stealing. And the commandment is, “Thou shalt not steal.”

(Verse 16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

This commandment also should be considered from two viewpoints. First we should not make up false reports and tell them concerning our neighbor, and neither are we to spread things that we have heard about our neighbor, as if they were the truth. And, indeed we should not let anyone tell us anything about a neighbor that is only something he has heard. If it is not something that he is willing to tell in the presence of witnesses, we ought not to allow him to tell us about it. And later on we shall see that the LORD gave a provision concerning this that if what a witness says about one is proved to be untrue, the witness is to receive the same sentence that would have been given to the accused if he had been found guilty. So not only are we to make up no false reports against anyone, but we are not to pass on any unproven rumors.

(Verse 17) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Literally the word, “covet,” means desire. So that makes this commandment very simple for understanding. Just remember that whatever it is, if it belongs to your neighbor, do not even desire it. We have for a long time had an evil view of the word, covet. And certainly we should never have an evil desire for anything that belongs to our neighbor. But we must remember that we are to be completely “hands off” of anything that belongs to someone else. Of course, if someone has something that it is lawful for him to sell, and we have a desire to buy it, that is altogether a different matter. But as long as he is not ready to part with it, we are to leave it alone.

(Verses 18 through 21) And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Having seen and heard the many wonders that the LORD showed to them when He came down upon the mountain, the people were greatly frightened. So they moved away from the mount, and stood a great way off. Then they told Moses that he could speak to them, and they would obey all that they were commanded; but they were afraid that they would die if the LORD spoke directly to them. Then Moses told them that there was no reason for their fear, since God’s purpose in coming down before them was to prove them, and to cause them to fear Him so that they would keep His word, and sin not. So the people kept their place where they were afar from God, and Moses went back closer to Him.

(Verses 22 through 26) And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record My name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Even though the LORD had told them in His second commandment that they were not to make any gods of silver, gold, or anything else, He repeats this to them again. Then He gives them very simple, but also very clear instructions about building an altar to Him. He first tells them to make His altar of earth. Then He says that if they want to make it of stone, they must use natural stones, not hewn at all. For if they lift up a tool upon the stone, they have polluted it. And finally, they are not to build it up high enough to need steps to go up to it, lest as they attend it their nakedness be exposed.

Chapter 21

(Verses 1 through 6) Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself. And if a servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him to the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and he shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

This is a continuation of the law. Some matters mentioned herein have not been previously covered, and we shall also find some that amount to clarifications of some things already given. The first item that is considered is that of the status of a Hebrew servant. And notice is to be taken that a servant who is a Hebrew is not governed by the same law as one from some other nation. If a man buys a servant who is a Hebrew, he must let him go free after six years of service, unless certain things take place. In general, so far as his marital status is concerned, as he came so shall he go. There is provided an exception to this. If he was unmarried when he was bought, and his master has given him a wife while in his service, He still will leave without the wife, and without any children that may have been born to him, unless he refuses to leave his wife and children. In this case, he must be brought before the judge, and must make a declaration of his love for his master, his wife and his children, and refuse to leave them and go free. Then he must be brought to the door, or the door post, and his master will bore his ear through with an awl. Then he will be the servant of his master for life.

(Verses 7 through 11) And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as menservants do. If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her to a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. And if he hath betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. If he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

Apparently this law assumes that when a man buys a Hebrew girl to be a maidservant, he is actually buying her to be his wife, or the wife of his son. If he is buying her to be his wife, and finds that he is not pleased with her, he must allow her to be redeemed; for he can not sell her to a foreigner, as he might a maidservant that is not a Hebrew, although, in general, maidservants do not automatically go free after six years as do menservants. If he has bought her as a wife for his son, he must treat her as a daughter. “If he take him another wife,” (and this seemingly applies to the man himself, if he has bought the girl as a wife for himself, and to the son, if she was bought for him,)”her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall not diminish.” That is, he is to provide as much of both food and clothing for her as before he took the other wife, and also he is to cohabit with her just as much as before. If he fails in any of these, she is to go free without any redemptive price being paid.

(Verses 12 through 14) He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then will I appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from Mine altar, that he may die.

Here we have a clarification of the commandment that says, “Thou shalt not kill.” In fact, verse 12 declares that “He that smiteth a man so that he die, shall be surely put to death.” If this were the end of the matter, we would have to conclude that killing a man, under any circumstances was what the commandment considered. But verse 13 provides that, in the case of the killing not being premeditated murder, a sanctuary would be provided for the slayer. Yet if a man commits premeditated murder, no sanctuary is provided. He can be taken even from the altar of the LORD, that he may be executed.

(Verses 15 through 17) And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

Since verses 15 and 17, although dealing with separate acts, are dealing with the same persons, both he that commits the act, and those who receive the action of the act, and both acts call for the same penalty, we consider them together. He that either strikes, or curses, his father or mother shall be put to death. This is a commandment that our Lord Jesus told the Pharisees they had made void by their traditions. Notice is to be taken that there is no exception made in either case by God’s law. He that is guilty “shall surely be put to death.” But the Pharisees had made some exceptions that were not acceptable to the LORD. Also if someone stole a man, (today we call it “kidnapping,”) and sold him, that is, as a slave, or if the one stolen was found in the possession of the one who had stolen him, the one guilty of the crime was to “surely be put to death.” There was no provision made for his case to be endlessly appealed, as we have such today.

(Verses 18 and 19) And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: if he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

This commandment deals with a less severe matter than the previous ones. It has to do with an injury received in a fight that does not result in death to either party. Whether the one delivering the injury do it with a stone, or with his fist, he must pay the other for any loss of time resulting from the injury, and he must also pay the expense of having the other completely healed.

(Verses 20 and 21) And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

While I am extremely glad that slavery is not legal in this nation, I cannot see the argument that “do-gooders” have so long made against it, as they claim that it is contrary to the laws of God. These two verses need no explanation. And although it may seem very unfair to some, God said, “And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, so that he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.” But nothing is said about what the punishment shall be. Then He said, Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.”

(Verses 22 through 25) If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.

This law may seem a little confusing in that it provides that the guilty man shall pay “according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him;” and then says “and he shall pay as the judges determine.” Apparently this matter was to be as many of our damage suits are. The plaintiff will demand so much; and the judge will decide whether or not this amount is reasonable. Apparently, a fetus was not considered as equal to a person who had already been born; because if the woman has a miscarriage because of the incident, and no other injury is sustained by her, the matter seems to become a damage suit: but if there is other injury, the one causing it shall be given a like injury, all the way from his life being required if the woman should die, to his being punished by a whipping for the lightest injury, “stripe for stripe.”

(Verses 26 and 27) And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake, and if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.

This commandment was given to prevent undue abuse of servants. If a man should strike his servant, whether a man or a woman, and put out an eye, or knock out a tooth, he must let the servant go free for the sake of the tooth. And this commandment seems to have been in force whether the servant was a Hebrew, or a foreigner.

(Verses 28 through 32) If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

None of this needs any explanation. As we can see, if the killing of a man or a woman by an ox is the first act of this sort that has been done by the ox, although it is to be killed, its owner is not to be held liable. But if the owner has been warned that the ox has been of a temperament to do such, and he has allowed him to be loose, so that he has again had opportunity, and has gored someone, the owner is guilty, just as is the ox: and both shall be put to death unless a redemption price has been laid upon the owner. If so, he must pay whatever price is laid upon him. There is also a difference made between the ox’s killing a citizen, and his killing a servant. In the event of his victim being a servant, whether man or woman, the owner of the ox must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the servant. In all cases the ox must be stoned, and his flesh can not be eaten.

(Verses 33 and 34) And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.

This is a very simple law, and its penalty is easy to assess. If one opened an old pit, or dug a new pit, and left it open. He was responsible for any livestock that might fall therein. Since in those days the range was open, a neighbor’s animal might get into such a pit, and be killed. In which case the owner who left the pit open had to bear the responsibility. He had to pay damages to the owner of the dead animal, and then that dead animal was his.

(Verses 35 and 36) And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die, then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide. Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

If there had been no incidents of the living ox having been inclined to fight, the only thing necessary in this case is that the owners would sell him, divide the money, and divide the dead ox. But if there was evidence that he had been a fighter, and his owner had not kept him in, his owner had to give him to the owner of the dead ox, and take the dead for his own.

Chapter 22

(Verse 1) If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

This is the beginning of the penalties for various sorts of theft. In this verse we have the penalty for stealing oxen and sheep, whether the stolen animal be killed or sold. The thief must restore five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for one sheep. This certainly should make a would be thief think twice before committing this crime. Notice that the LORD did not provide for him a long line of appeals so that he might finally drag the cast to death in the courts, as so many do today.

(Verses 2 through 4) If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

It was considered that a thief would usually operate in the darkness of night. And if he should be caught in the act, and killed, he did not have to be avenged. But if the sun had arisen, he was not to be killed, but made to restore what he had stolen. Now we come to a little difference between this type of theft and that in verse 1. There the ox or sheep had either been killed or sold: and in such a case the restoration was to be five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. Here if the theft is found alive, the thief must restore double, that is two for one. And if the thief has nothing with which to make the restoration, he must be sold for his theft. That is, he has to be sold to someone as a servant.

(Verse 5) If a man shall cause a field or a vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.

This is a law that would, it seems, be a very great deterrent to the act of letting one’s livestock graze in a neighbor’s field or vineyard. He that did this might have had an even better field or vineyard than that in which he let his animal graze. But he still would have to make restitution from the very best he had. This should cause everyone to be careful that his livestock were not permitted to go into his neighbor’s field.

(Verse 6) If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled it shall surely make restitution.

Notice that this law has regard to a fire that “breaks out,” that is, a fire that was started accidentally, or was started deliberately, even for a legitimate purpose and gets out of control. If it causes a field, or the grain that has been cut and stacked, or even that which has not yet been cut therein, to be burned, He that started the fire must make restitution of that which is destroyed. I can think of no better way to make people maintain more care in their handling of fire. In my boyhood I saw many fires that because of careless handling got out of control, and did much damage. And usually nothing was done about it, because it was considered an accident. This law provided no such excuse.

(Verses 7 through 13) If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbor’s goods. For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbor. If a man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox,, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was slain.

In general this covers that which one might leave with another for safekeeping for a time, whether it be money, livestock, or whatever it may be. First, if it be stolen from the one to whom it has been entrusted; if the thief is found, it shall be dealt with just as it would have had it been stolen from the owner while in his possession. The thief must pay double. If the thief is not found, the one to whom it had been entrusted shall be brought before the judges, and inquiry must be made as to whether or not he has stolen the item. For anything that one has, and another claims was lost by himself, or was stolen from him, both parties must be brought before the judges, and investigation be made by them. Then whether plaintiff, or defendant, whomever the judges may condemn shall pay double the cost of the item to the other litigant. If any animal is delivered by one to another to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is stolen with none seeing it when this occurred; then these men shall come together and make an “oath of the LORD” between them, that is the one who had received the animal to keep for his neighbor shall swear, with the LORD as witness, that he has not stolen, or in any way damaged his neighbor’s property. The owner shall then accept this oath, and the other shall not make good the loss. But if it be found that he has stolen the item, he shall make restitution. And the amount of restitution has already been set by previous laws concerning theft. If it was an animal, and has been killed by wild beasts, (“torn to pieces,”) what is left of it must be brought for evidence, and no restitution will be required.

(Verses 14 and 15) And if a man borrow aught of his neighbor, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good. But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be a hired thing, it came for his hire.

This spells out very clearly how business should be conducted in the matter of borrowing, work animals. (And, no doubt, the same would hold true for borrowing tools.) It also shows where is the responsibility for animals that are hired, their owner being with them. The law is simple enough that all may understand. So there is no mention of either of these matters having to be brought before the judges.

(Verses 16 and 17) And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. And if her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

Fornication is a sin that was forbidden among the Israelites, just as it should be among all people. But among them were some who would not obey the commandments of the LORD, just as there are among all nations. This law was given to help curb such. If a man did persuade a girl, who was not already engaged to another, to have intercourse with him this commandment provided that he must marry the girl. In the event her father did not want to give her to him as his wife, he must “pay money according to the dowry of virgins.” The only previous reference we have to the dowry of virgins is Genesis 34:12, which is the speech of Shechem to Jacob and his sons after he had committed fornication with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He said, “Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.” Therefore we do not know what the dowry of a virgin was, other than whatever the father of the girl might demand. Although in the referenced case, the brothers of Dinah went in and killed Shechem and all the males of the city where he lived, and brought Dinah out of his house, they, no doubt, had given her to be his wife. So we might conclude that the LORD’S commandment here means that the girl is to be married by the man who has defiled her, whatever may be the price of the dowry.

(Verse 18) Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

In our so called “enlightened age” people in general think that even the idea of there having ever been such as witches is only imagination. But, although many innocent victims were killed in the witch hunts in the early days of our country, the LORD often mentions witches in His word. And here He says that Israel is not to let a witch live. That is, they, when proven to be witches, are to be put to death.

(Verse 19) Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.

It has been claimed that having intercourse with some manner of beast was sometimes a part of the worship ritual of some of the fertility cults of the heathen in the time of the giving of this commandment. Whether or not that is so, this act is forbidden, and the sentence for committing it is death.

(Verse 20) He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

The first of the “Ten Commandments” is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” And this law gives the penalty for anyone who disobeys that commandment. “He shall be utterly destroyed.”

(Verse 21) Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Here the LORD reminds the Israelites that they were strangers in Egypt. And this is, in a manner, a two-edged sword. When the Israelites came into Egypt, they were strangers; and Pharaoh and the Egyptians gave them the best of the land of Egypt. They let them settle in the land of Goshen, the very place they wanted to live. So in return for this they should, even now be good to strangers. On the other hand, they were also strangers when the Egyptians enslaved them. So they know how it feels to be mistreated because they are strangers. Therefore they are not to vex strangers, and neither are they to oppress them, for they have suffered both treatments from the Egyptians.

(Verses 22 through 24) Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

We have often remarked that there are three characters that the LORD has many times told the Israelites that they shall not afflict, or abuse in any way. These are the stranger, the widow, and the fatherless. In verse 21 He told the people to neither vex nor oppress the stranger. Here he tells them to not afflict the widow or the fatherless in any manner. And He tells them what He will do to them if they disobey this law.

(Verses 25 through 27) If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor beside thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbor’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: for that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

This is a commandment that it would be well for all of us to follow, though we are not Israelites. That is, we should not charge great interest upon any money we may lend to one who is poor, and neither should we take anything that is a necessity to him as a pledge for any debt. If we do, we can be sure that the LORD will be displeased with our action.

(Verse 28) Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

Most commentators consider that “gods,” as here used, actually should be understood as “judges.” And that may be true, inasmuch as it is followed by, “nor curse the ruler of thy people.” And this we certainly should not do. Yet if we should consider it just as here given, we are to remember that God has told us not to even speak of other gods; and if we cannot do that, we cannot revile them. For reviling them is saying bad things about them. We really should remember that they are “nothing at all,” as the Apostle Paul has told us. Therefore it is not worthwhile to even mention their names, which we would have to do to revile them.

(Verses 29 and 30) Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt give unto Me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me.

This law concerns the offering of the firstfruits, and the offering of the firstborn unto the LORD. The LORD has already made a provision that the firstborn of man is to be always redeemed. But the other offerings hold just as here directed.

(Verse 31) And ye shall be holy men unto Me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field: ye shall cast it unto the dogs.

This commandment seems to be clear enough without comment.

Chapter 23

(Verses 1 and 3) Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.

Certainly, these verses deal with three different actions; but they are all very closely related. First, we are not to make up a false story about anyone or anything, and neither are we to agree with the wicked to give false testimony, when they conspire against someone. If there is a multitude that are bent on doing evil, and we would be alone if we refused to follow them, we are still to maintain the way of righteousness. If there is a case being tried in the court, and every witness is giving false testimony in an effort to twist the verdict, we are still to maintain the truth, instead of going with the majority. And, finally, we are not to shade our testimony, or give false testimony for a poor man just because he is poor. Surely, the very poverty of a poor man might make us want to help him; but we are still to maintain the truth only.

(Verses 4 through 7) If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Verses 4 and 5 strike at the very heart of a matter into which it is so easy foe a person to slide. If he has an enemy, he may think that he ought not to help him with any problem he might have. But the LORD said that even in such , as we might think, trivial matters as his livestock going astray, or his having difficulty getting his beast of burden up and going, if we see these things, we are to, without delay, help him with his problem. Nothing is said about his even wanting help; but we are commanded to help him anyway. If we make a constant practice of this, we may find that we have fewer enemies; because our helping them might do much toward eliminating the enmity that had been there. We are never to wrest, or try to turn the judgment of the poor away from the truth, either against him, or in his favor. Have nothing to do with a false matter, whoever may bring it up. And never try to destroy the innocent or the righteous. God has declared that He will not justify the wicked; and that is exactly what we are if we attempt to destroy the innocent or the righteous.

(Verses 8 and 9) And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. And thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt

Although verse 9 is applicable to each of us, it is especially important to those who are set up as judges. No doubt, not only among the Israelites, but among all people today, many causes did, and do receive biased judgment because of a gift that has been received by the judge. Here again the LORD tells the children of Israel that they are to never oppress a stranger; and He again reminds them that they know the feelings of a stranger, because they were strangers in the land of Egypt.

(Verses 10 through 13) And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the fruits thereof: but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. Six days shalt thou do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

When I was a boy, I lived in a part of our state that had already been so badly worked to death that we had to use a great deal of fertilizer to get it to produce enough for us to get by. But then I often heard it said about another area of the state that the land there was so rich, and deep that it would never wear out. However, today even that land has worn out also to the point that it takes a great deal of fertilizer to make it produce. I have often wondered how much better would all our land be today if we had followed this commandment that the LORD gave to Israel. They were to let their land rest one year in every seven. This would have resulted in much better farmland for a much longer time. I do not claim to be able to say just how much would have been added to the longevity of the land by this treatment; for had it been done as commanded by the LORD, He might have caused it to do more for it than what man would be aware of. He also repeats His commandment that we should work six days, and rest on the seventh day. And when I was farming, most people did that. But after the tractor became the usual “beast of burden,” that began to change. And now, as we pass through many farming areas, we cannot tell one day from another by the working or the resting. All are alike, full of activity. And, of course this also applies to all other lines of work. He commanded Israel to be circumspect in all the things in which He had given them commandments. And He further charged them that they were to “make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.” Not only were they not to worship other gods, but not even to mention their names.

(Verses 14 through 19) Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out of Egypt: and none shall appear before Me empty:) and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is at the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD GOD.  Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

These are miscellaneous commandments that are of primary concern to only the children of Israel, and they were given to cause the children of Israel to keep in mind that the LORD had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt, and that it was He Who provided to them the increase of their fields. Certainly, from this, we also should take a lesson that we should remember that it is He Who has also saved us, and even provides for us the natural things we need, as well as all spiritual sustenance. Notice that the LORD only required all the males of the Israelites to appear before Him three times each year; and He specified the times. He further commanded that none should appear before Him without a sacrifice for Him. (“None shall appear before Me empty.”) He also commanded that they should never offer the blood of His sacrifice with leavened bread; and they should never let the fat of His sacrifice remain until the morning. They must offer it the same day in which it is brought. They are never to forget to bring the offering of the firstfruits into His house. The commandment, “Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk,” seems clear enough without comment, although some have tried to “spiritualize” it to get some further lesson from it.

(Verses 20 through 25) Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then will I be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For Mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

For the greater part this seems to be self explanatory. We are to remember that the covenant God made with the Israelites, (See Exodus 19:3-9) was a covenant concerning temporal blessings. In that covenant He said nothing about giving them eternal life. He said that, if they would indeed obey His voice, He would make them a kingdom of priests, and that they would be a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people of the world. Here He enlarges upon that covenant, declaring that if they would obey His voice, He would bring them into the land of Canaan, and would drive out the six nations that at that time inhabited the area. Some who claim to be Christians today try to appropriate this covenant unto themselves, and teach that if we will only serve the LORD, and obey Him, He will give us every thing of this world’s goods that we want. They forget that Christians are not under this covenant. The writer of the Hebrew Epistle declares that this covenant has been set aside in favor of the new covenant, which, although it has even better promises than this, does not promise this. Jesus has told us that following Him is a path of suffering, to be crowned with glory only after the whole journey is over. Even He suffered while in this world, and He did not promise anything better in this world for those who follow Him. There may be some confusion concerning the Angel mentioned in this text. Some may think it to be Moses, who was indeed the messenger of God, (and the word “Angel” does indeed mean “messenger”) but it seems to me that One greater is here intended. It seems to be the same Angel of Whom Jacob spoke in Genesis 48:16, Which surely is the Presence of God Himself. The Israelites are warned to “beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him.” They were to obey Him in all things. Then He would lead them into the land of promise, and God would drive out the six nations that were already there. Then He cautioned them against having any part with the gods of the people of that land. They were, instead, to completely destroy both the people and their gods, as well as their altars, and everything that pertained to their idols. They were to serve and worship the LORD only, and He would bless their bread and their water, that is, both their food and their drink. And He would take away sickness from among them.

(Verses 26 through 33) There shall nothing cast their young , nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days will I fulfill. I will send My fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against Me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

Notice the care that the LORD promised to take of the children of Israel. He would bless the increase of their livestock as well as themselves. He would give them long life, “The number of thy days I will fulfill.” Then He would drive out the inhabitants of the land before them, even making use of hornets to drive them out. Yet He would not do this all at once, because then the beasts of the field would increase so as to give them trouble. He would only drive them out as the Israelites were sufficiently increased to need the places of those driven out. He told them what would be their borders. So they had no reason to fear that the land would not be large enough for them. However, He gave them a strict commandment to make no covenants with them or their gods, and by no means to let them remain in the land. To do so would be a snare unto them. And this they were to guard against.

Chapter 24

(Verses 1 and 2) And He said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

This gives us the same lesson as was signified by the vail of the tabernacle, and later of the temple. That is, it showed that as long as the law service was in use, the way to God was secret. But at the crucifixion of our Lord the vail of the temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom, signifying that In Christ all believers have equal access to God. In the present text, although the LORD told Moses that Aaron, two of his sons, and seventy of the elders of Israel could worship Him from a distance, only he could come near Him.

(Verses 3 through 8) And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all His judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold, the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

 Moses, always faithful to the LORD, went to the people, and told them all that he had been commanded concerning the laws and judgments of the LORD. And the people all answered “with one voice,” and said, “All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.” Thus they bound themselves to keep the covenant exactly as set forth by the LORD. Then Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, probably, on a scroll, for it is in verse 7 called a “book,” and in that day they had no books such as we have today. He then arose early the next morning, and built an altar and twelve pillars, a pillar for each tribe of Israel. After this was accomplished he selected young men of the Israelites, and had them offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD upon the altar. He took the blood of the offerings, and put it in basins, and then he sprinkled half of it on the altar. Then, to make sure that the people understood their covenant with the LORD, he read the book in the hearing of all the people: and they declared that they would do all that the LORD had commanded them. Finally, Moses took the remaining blood and sprinkled it on the people, declaring to them, “Behold, the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.” We shall soon see that despite the agreement the people had made to obey all that the LORD had said, it was not long until they turned completely away from that covenant, and wanted other gods instead of the LORD.

(Verses 9 through 11) Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the LORD of Israel: and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

After Moses had, by the blood of the sacrifice, consecrated both the altar and the people, he took with him Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of the people of Israel, and they went up before the LORD. And they saw the God of Israel. We, later on, find the LORD telling Moses that even he cannot see the face of God, for “no man shall see Me and live.” So it may be that even at this time they did not see His face. We are sure that they saw His feet and that upon which they stood. Inasmuch as the pavement upon which He stood was called a sapphire stone, and is said to have been “as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” (This “sapphire stone” was a precious gem stone of a bright blue color, and is thought by most scholars to have been the lapis lazuli instead of what we today call a sapphire. The amazing thing about this event is that these all saw God, and He did them no harm. So they, apparently, did eat and drink in His presence.

(Verses 12 through 18) And the LORD said unto Moses, Come thou up to Me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And Moses said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Evidently when Moses and his companions were given this view of the LORD, they were not called to come up into the mount, but only to come up very near to it, for when Moses was called to come up to the LORD into the mount, he commanded the elders, who had accompanied him thus far, to remain in camp with the people, and judge any matters they might need to bring before them. We cannot be absolutely sure whether, or not Joshua accompanied him all the way, and remained with him through his time in the presence of the LORD upon the mount. But from what is said in verse 13, and what is later said, in Chapter 32, verse 17, there seems to be a strong possibility that he did. At any rate, the LORD called Moses, and told him to come up to Him in the mount to receive some stone tables (tablets) upon which He had written “a law, and commandments.” Having charged the elders to remain, and oversee the children of Israel, he went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. Then the glory of the LORD remained  upon mount Sinai. The cloud covered the mount six days without any other action taking place. Then, on the seventh day, the LORD called Moses from the midst of the cloud. All the time that the glory of the LORD remained on the top of the mount it appeared to the Israelites as a terrible fire on the top of the mountain. When the call came to Moses from the cloud, he went into the midst of the cloud, and up into the mount. And there he stayed for forty days and nights.

Chapter 25

(Verses 1 through 9) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

This entire text seems to be plain enough that none should have any difficulty in understanding it. We might say that “shittim wood” is the wood of the “shittah” tree, which most scholars agree is what is now called the “acacia” tree. It is of the same family as the Mimosa with which we are familiar. We should notice also that the LORD commanded Moses to make for Him a sanctuary, or dwelling place, that He might dwell among the Israelites; and he was to make both the tabernacle and all instruments thereof exactly according to the pattern that the LORD was going to show him. By this we also might gather that we do not have the authority to change anything concerning our worship of God from what is given in His word, to what we might think to be better.

(Verses 10 through 22) And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and thou shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them on the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I shall give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Notice should be taken of just how meticulous is every measurement and every detail the LORD gave concerning this ark of the testimony. It should be remembered that the mercy seat is actually the lid of the ark of the testimony. We shall, the LORD willing, say more about this at a later time. The cherubim were to be made an integral part of the mercy seat, not just ornaments to be set upon it. The exact positioning of these cherubim was given. And God had already told Moses that he should take care to make all things according to the pattern that He would show him. This is part of that pattern. When this ark of the testimony and mercy seat are set up in the tabernacle that He will later describe, this will be the place at which God will commune with Moses, concerning whatever commandments He will give him for the children of Israel.

(Verses 23 through 30) Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal; of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before Me always.

This is the description of the table upon which was to be kept the “shewbread,” or showbread, which was to be kept continuously before the LORD. Not only are all the details and dimensions of the table given, but also the details of all the dishes, bowls, covers, and spoons that were to be used with it. Everything except the table itself was to be made of pure gold; and it was to be made of shittim wood, and overlaid with pure gold. The Israelites were to keep bread upon this table at all times. Later He will give them orders concerning when they are to take away the stale bread, and replace it with fresh bread.

(Verses 31 through 40) And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold; of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof shall be of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold shalt he make it, with all these vessels. And look thou that thou make them after their pattern which was shewed thee in the mount.

This “candlestick,” or, in reality, lamp stand, was to be made of a talent of pure gold. (The Jewish talent actually ranged in weight from fifty pounds to one hundred pounds, according to the standard in use at the time.) At the price of gold today, even the lightest weight would amount to quite a sum of money. Not only was the lamp stand to be made of pure gold, but so also were the several instruments mentioned along with it. The various bowls mentioned in this description were reservoirs for the oil which would feed the seven lamps thereof. The lamps of ancient times were simply a container for the oil, with a wick of some sort through which the oil would feed the light. They were of much simpler construction than even the kerosene lamps we used when I was a child. At the end of each branch of this lamp stand was a bowl made to resemble an almond, with a flower to hold the wick. Notice the LORD’S instructions to Moses concerning this, and all other things He had commanded him to make. “And look that thou make them after the pattern, which was shewed the in the mount.” No deviation was to be allowed in anything.