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Now this is number two in the Passover: Abraham Isaac, Israel, and Christ. Now let’s pick up where we left off last time. Let’s come to Genesis 22. And I want to cover just a couple more things here concerning this type of the Passover. And as I said, there is no direct indication that you can make this happen on the Passover day. I tried hard to do so, but you can’t. And so we can just take the teaching and see how it applies, not only to the Passover day, but also to the whole operation of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for us, just as God provided the ram instead of Isaac for the sacrifice, God has provided Christ instead of our death. And so that’s important to really understand and realize.
Now let’s just cover a couple things here. Let’s go back to verse 15. And we can understand that when God swears something—and He doesn’t need to swear—in other words, when men give an oath, that’s to end a dispute between parties. But God doesn’t need to swear, because He doesn’t lie. So when He swears, He’s giving a double emphasis that this is absolutely going to happen, with no doubt, no shadow of turning. And because He has done this, we can have absolute confidence and assurity that what God has said He will do, He will do. And now we live in the end time, when we have the benefit of seeing that, yes, He did do it. God did do it.
Now verse 15, “And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, “ ‘By Myself have I sworn,’ says the LORD, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice’ ” (vs.15-18). And this becomes a very profound and important thing. Because too much of Christianity today is based upon lawless grace. Meaning, that you don’t have to obey. Oh, they claim, yes, they read the Scriptures, which say, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). But they don’t read the thing that he obeyed.
Now, as we have seen, “the stars of the heavens” applies to the spiritual seed, which then is the Church, which will then at the resurrection the saints will shine as the stars of heaven—Matthew 13:49. And “the sand which is upon the seashore,” which then is the physical seed of Israel. And then He adds another promise here: “And your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” And we’ll see how that comes about a little bit more.
So let’s come down to where then the blessing is passed on to Isaac, Genesis 26:1: “And there was a famine in the land, (beside the former famine that had been in the days of Abraham). And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar. And the LORD appeared to him, and said, “Do not go down into Egypt. Live in the land which I shall tell you of. Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your seed, I will give all these lands; and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and will give to your seed all these lands. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham…” (vs. 1-4).
Now you see, the thing we need to understand is this: the covenant did not depend upon Isaac, it did not depend upon Jacob. It depended upon Abraham. And this has been a consternation to many, many people. Especially when they look at the nations of the ten tribes of Israel, in their modern setting, and the other nations of the world do, and they wonder, “How come we have it, and in many cases we are so bad?” Because they’re looking at from the point of view, “Well, since you’re so bad, you don’t deserve it.” See, well, God said He was going to give it because of Abraham. Now then, He also said later on that if their descendants sin, He would correct them. But He would not rescind the promise that He gave to Abraham.
And here is this famous verse we’ve gone over, and over, and over again, one which Protestants, I am sure, do not like to hear. Verse 5, “Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Now that’s also important because, as we saw, the Passover began with Abraham and not with Israel.
Now let’s come to Galatians 4, and let’s see the Church in relationship to Isaac. [The comment was made that certain people will say, “Well, God had other commandments that He gave him.”] That’s absolutely not true, because Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The commandments that He gave Israel are the same commandments that Abraham obeyed. For anyone to say anything other than that, they are just Biblical illiterates. You cannot prove it from the context. The only commandments that are God’s commandments, and He won’t change them.
- Is He going to change the first one?
- No.
- Is He going to change the second one?
- No.
- Is He going to change the third one?
- No. Is He going to change the fourth one?
- No.
- None of them He’s going to change.
So he kept the commandments of God, and His statutes. Now statutes, the holy days are statutes. And He began the Passover with Abraham. So those arguments, when you really understand the Bible, do not have legs at all. They don’t even have shoes. OK? They just don’t stand.
Now let’s come here to Galatians 4:28. Oh, by the way, in relationship to that, there are indications the way that the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments are written out, that they are written in sections of five: 5, 5, 5, which is half of ten. So you take five and five, that equals ten. So you find “ten” all the way through the statutes and judgments there, by the way, too. A little deeper study into that. I don’t have it now, but I just recall it off the top of my head. Again, verifying that these things were also things that God gave for Abraham to follow.
And we need to also understand this: Abraham had a big household. He had hundreds of people there with him. And so that means, how do you run and govern it? OK? Well, you do it by God’s way. How do settle disputes among people? Well, you do it God’s way. Which days do you rest and keep? God’s days. So when we understand that the Sabbath was binding from creation, just like everything else God created is perpetually going on down to this day. So the Sabbath is perpetually going on down to this day. So once you know the Scriptures, and once you know the Bible, there is no question that Abraham did those things. And any of the other things that people come up with are just arguments to avoid obeying God. They don’t like the word “obey.” They like the word “liberty”, which is another word for lawlessness.
Galatians 4:28, “Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are the children of promise. But as it was then, so also it is now: he who was born according to the flesh [that is, Ishmael] persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit. Nevertheless, what does the scripture say? ‘Cast out the maidservant and her son; for in no way shall the son of the maidservant inherit the promise with the son of the free woman.’ So then, brethren, we are not children of the maidservant, but of the free woman” (v. 28- 31). And we are children of promise. So here again, I’m trying to tie the things of Abraham back into the New Testament. And of course we have Abraham in Chapter 3, we have Isaac in Chapter 4.
Now let’s come down to the time that the blessing is passed on to Jacob. And of course, God said before they were born about Esau and Jacob, they were two kinds of people. Esau would serve, who was the oldest, [that] he would serve the younger. And the younger would prevail. Now sometimes God does things and allows things to happen by the use of human nature. And so, we find that Jacob connived to get the blessing, or the birthright, from Esau. He didn’t have to do it, because God would have given it another way. But also it was a test on Esau. Esau was willing to sell it and give it up. Then it came time for the blessing, and Mama got involved in it too. And she said, “You go in and you pretend you’re Esau and get the blessing.” He said, “Well how can I do that? He’s a hairy man.” She said, “Well, we’ll put a goatskin on your neck.” Now you talk about a hairy man. It must of been a real hairy man if you feel the back of the neck and it’s all like the goat’s hair.
So she made the stew, she put the skins on his hands and on the back of his neck because he was a smooth man. So he went in. Genesis 27:18, “And he came to his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am; who are you, my son?’ And Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your firstborn…” A big fat lie. Now the reason God does things like this is so that Esau would think that he just took it. But he didn’t.
“ ‘…I have done as you asked me. Arise, I pray you, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.’ And Isaac said to his son, ‘How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?’ ” You know, going out and shooting venison and, you know, it takes a little while to chase it down and get it with a bow and arrow. “…And he said, ‘Because the LORD your God brought it to me’ ” (vs. 19-20). I mean, this is something.
“And Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come near, I pray you, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are truly my son Esau or not.” So he had his doubts. “And Jacob went near to Isaac his father. And he felt him, and said, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.’ And he did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. And he blessed him. And he said, ‘Are you truly my son Esau?’ And he said, ‘I am’ ” (vs. 21-24). Boy, he checked him out a couple of times here, didn’t he?
“And he said, ‘Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, so that my soul may bless you.’ And he brought it near to him, and he ate. And he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said to him, ‘Come near now and kiss me, my son.’ And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, ‘See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed. And may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let people serve you, and let nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you” (vs. 25-29).
Now will see how this expanded out to the twelve tribes of Israel. “And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was scarcely gone from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.” I mean, with the movies we have now days, you can just picture this. You know—phhft— just got out the door. “And he also had made a dish of savory meat and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, ‘Let my father arise and eat of his son’s venison so that your soul may bless me.’ And his father Isaac said to him, ‘Who are you?’ And he said, ‘I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.’ Then Isaac trembled greatly, and said, ‘Who then was the one who has hunted deer and brought it to me—and I have eaten it all before you came, and have blessed him? Yea, he shall be blessed’ ” (vs. 30- 33). Because the blessing can only be given once. It’s not like the Olympics this year, where they finally catch the French judge in cheating on the judging, and so now they give two gold medals. There’s only one blessing.
“And when Esau had heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said to his father, ‘Bless me, even me also, O my father!’ And he said, ‘Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.’ And Esau said, ‘Is he not rightly called Jacob? [which means “supplanter”]. For he has supplanted me these two times—he took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.’ And he said, ‘Have you not reserved a blessing for me?’ And Isaac answered and said to Esau, ‘Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brethren I have given him for servants. And with grain and wine I have sustained him. And what shall I do now to you, my son?’ And Esau said to his father, ‘Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.’ And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept” (vs. 34-38).
“And Isaac his father answered and said to him, ‘Behold, your dwelling shall be far from the fatness of the earth, and far from the dew of heaven from above. And you shall live by your sword and shall serve your brother. But it shall come to pass that when you shall have the dominion, you shall break his yoke from off your neck” (vs. 39-40). That has not yet happened. Esau and Ishmael are still subject to the descendants of Jacob. Witness the latest war that we have going on right now.
“And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand—then I will kill my brother Jacob” (vs. 41). Hearkens back to Cain and Abel, doesn’t it?
So Jacob, he gets out of there. Rebecca says, “Look, get out of here, go hide, run away. Go to Laban, my brother. Go up there.” So he left, and he went. And right before he left, here’s the charge, Chapter 28:1, “Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and commanded him. And he said to him, ‘You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.’ ” Now remember that Esau did that. “Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. And take a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. And may God Almighty bless you, and make your fruitful, and multiply you, so that you may be a multitude of people. And may He give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, so that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham” (Gen. 28:1- 4). And so Isaac sent him away to Padan Aram.
And then Jacob had a dream. He saw this ladder ascending up. Verse 12, “And he dreamed. And behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven! And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, ‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your seed. And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall be spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and the south. And in you and in all your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in every place where you go, and will bring you again into this land, for I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you” (vs. 12- 15). And He did. Now there was still some chicanery. Now, Jacob got his punishment back, didn’t he, for being deceitful and lying. What happened? Well, he came to Laban and he saw Rachel, and said, “This is it. First love. Gotta have her.” Made a deal and said to Laban, “I’ll work seven years for her.” He says, “That’s fine. You can have her.” So, came the wedding night, and I guess there were all wearing burqas then, you know. So came the wedding night, and lo and behold, when he woke up in the morning, guess who it was? It was Leah. Not Rachel. So he wanted Rachel so bad, he said, “OK. I’ll work another seven years for you.” And Laban said, “That’s fine.” So he had worked 14 years. So he had a little deceit brought back upon him for his deceit. And he had to work 14 years instead of seven.
So anyway, all the children of Israel were born. You know the rest of the story. They all got jealous at Joseph. Now Joseph had quite a bit of vanity. And he came out with his coat that his father made him, and he said, “Look guys, I had a dream. And I was standing there, and I was the main sheaf. And all the other sheaves bowed down to me. That’s you guys.” So they got mad. Then he came out and had another dream. And so they got together and said, “Look, we gotta stop this. Let’s kill him.” And Judah said, “No, let’s sell him. So here’s what we’ll do—we’ll take and kill a goat, and take the coat, and spread it with the goat’s blood. We’ll sell Joseph for his snotty-nosed way of doing things. We’ll sell him off to the Arabs when they come by.”
So they came by, sold him off, and they took him down to Egypt, and you know the story that happened there. He ended up in prison, and he was able to tell the answer to the dreams that different ones had, and he was raised to be the second in charge of Egypt because he was able to tell Pharaoh the dream of the seven fat cattle and the seven skinny cattle, that a famine was coming.
So, Joseph was down in Egypt seventeen years before the famine came. Then the famine came, and God sent the sons down to get food. And he knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was. So sure enough, the prophecy came true. In order to get the corn, they had to bow down and worship him, because he was second in charge. And then remember, in order to get Benjamin, because he remembered Benjamin was his blood brother, through Rachel, he put some things in the sacks of corn. Then he told the soldiers, the Egyptian soldiers, “Now they’ve stolen things and hidden them in the corn. You go out and arrest them and bring them back here. “So they did. And he said, “Now look, you bring your youngest brother down here. Otherwise, I’m going to lock you all up in the dungeon.” So they said, “Okay we’ll bring him down.” So they brought him down. And then finally he revealed himself to them that he was Joseph. And they went back and got Jacob, brought him down. Jacob came in and Pharaoh gave him all the land of Goshen.
Now we come down to the final blessings that we have that were given to the sons of Jacob, or Israel. Let’s come to Genesis 48. And here’s a blessing that is with us to this day, and it cannot fit the circumstances of the Jews today. What occurred here in Genesis 48 and 49 is as momentous for the physical seed as the promise given to Abraham for the spiritual seed. Now, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew that they had blessings to pass on to their descendants.
Now [for] Israel, whose name was changed from Jacob to Israel, it came time for the blessing to be given. And so we find that Joseph brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Now I might mention here that Joseph married the daughter of the High Priest of On. And a lot of people think that Joseph married a black woman. That’s not the case. Egypt at that time was much like what the United States is today. It was a diverse society. So to say that you married an American today, doesn’t tell you anything, does it? But in order for the blessing to be to those of the descendants of Joseph and the descendants of Jacob, he could not have intermarried with a race that was contrary to the— how should we say, the genetic inheritance which he had. So he obviously married someone the same [ethnic stock] as he was.
Now Joseph brought both of his sons to him. Genesis 48:13 “And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left toward Israel’s right hand. And he brought them near to him.” Now you would think this is just kind of a little detail, but it’s very important. “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger…” (Gen. 48:13-14). Now, again, we have the same thing happened, right? The blessing goes to the younger first, then the older. Whereas through normal inheritance law, what do we have? The firstborn is the one who receives the inheritance.
Now I’m going through this, even though it doesn’t directly relate to the Passover, because we need to understand, and I want to make the record absolutely clear that the Jews today do not represent all the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. The Jews represent one tribe, plus a substantial number of Levites. That’s all of the true Jews. Now you can read the book of Josephus, and you can see where, that in the history, especially during the days of John Hyrcanus the high priest, during the days of the Maccabees, and also during the days of Herod the Great, that they forced Esauites to become circumcised Jews and follow the Jewish religion. Now they are Jews in the sense that they are proselytes. What we’re talking about here are the genetic physical descendants of Jacob and his twelve sons. And we hope to have a publication here in the not too far distant future which shows how these sons came to be in their modern inheritance today. And it’s very important concerning Ephraim and Manasseh. And I’ll just say here for the record that Ephraim, undoubtedly, is what we call Great Britain today; and Manasseh is undoubtedly what we call the United States of America today. Now, that is before the recent years when the strangers are coming in to rise up high above us. Now we’re seeing that fulfillment of prophecy because of disobedience.
But here is the prophecy of the physical seed coming down now to Ephraim and Manasseh. And when he did this, “…crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.” Verse 15, “And he blessed Joseph and said, ‘May God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God Who fed me all my life to this day, the Angel Who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. And let my name be perpetuated in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac…” (vs. 14-16).
Now it’s important to understand that he did not give that blessing to the rest of his sons. He gave different blessings to them. Though they are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the special blessing of nations and power goes primarily to Ephraim and Manasseh with this: “ ‘…And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth’. And Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, and it displeased him. And he held up his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head” (vs. 16-18). Because the primary blessing came from his right hand.
“And his father refused and said, ‘I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.” So it’s no—how shall we say—incidental thing that the British Empire became to be known as the Commonwealth of nations. And it was to share the common wealth. In other words, the money. The gold. The silver. The possessions. The military. That’s why it was called the Commonwealth. Now verse 20, “And he blessed them that day, saying, ‘In you shall Israel bless, saying, “God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.” ’ And he put Ephraim before Manasseh” (vs. 19-20). And so that’s how it came about.
Now right before he died, Chapter 49, he gathered all the rest of his sons. “…Gather yourself together that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days.” Now the last days are now. So this gives us an identification of the nations to-day. “Gather yourselves together and hear, sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Unstable as water…” Now, many people believe that the descendants of Reuben are the French. Very possible. “You shall not excel because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it. He went up to my couch” (Gen. 49:2-4).
“Simeon and Levi are brothers; tools of violence are their weapons.” Now that’s why the Simeonites, maybe, are more involved in Mafia within Israel, and the Levites, “instruments of cruelty,” that’s why they were selected for the priesthood and the slaughtering of animals. They could handle it without all the weeping and wailing and the animal rights boo-hooing, you see.
“O my soul, do not come into their council. Let not my honor be united with their assembly, for in their anger they killed a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung oxen. Let their anger be cursed, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (vs. 5-7). And that’s the way it is in the last days. They’re scattered throughout all Israel.
Verse 8, “Judah, may your brothers praise you. May your hand be on the neck of your enemies. May your father’s sons bow before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp. My son, you have gone up from the prey. He stooped, he crouched like a lion; and like a lioness, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come…” And that is Christ, and He came. And the disciples, then, became the lawgivers through the apostles. “…And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding His foal to the vine, and His donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and His clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are more sparkling than wine, and His teeth are whiter than milk” (vs. 8-12). I think that describes maybe some of the things that going on in Israel today where the Jews are, doesn’t it? All the bloody warring that’s going on? Perhaps.
“Zebulon shall live at the seashore…” Now many people think that this has to do with Holland. Could very likely be. “…And he shall be a haven for ships, and his border beside Sidon. Issachar is a strong donkey crouching down between the sheepfolds…” Many people think of Issachar being Finland today. It’s between the West and between the East, and they carry a great burden from Russia. “And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasant. And he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became tribute-servant” (vs. 13-15). And of course, the Finlanders were under tribute to the Soviet Union for a long time.
“Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.” Now we have two aspects of Dan. We have Dan-mark, and we also have the Irish, which came from Dan. “Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that its rider shall fall backward. I have waited for Your salvation, O LORD. Gad, raiders shall attack him, but he shall overcome at the last.” Now a lot of people think that Gad is Switzerland. That is right there, that little small country. “Out of Asher his bread shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties.” A lot of people think that this is the Netherlands. “Naphtali is a deer let loose. He gives goodly words” (vs. 16-21). And a lot of people think that this is Sweden. Could very well be.
Now notice Joseph. Notice this blessing. This cannot apply to the Jews. “Joseph is a fruitful bough…” (v. 22). And remember, that since before World War II, and even through the Holocaust and everything, there has never been very many more than 13 to 15 million Jews worldwide. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have fiercely attacked him and have shot at him, and hated him…” And we’ve seen this happen time and time again, haven’t we? “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob—from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel—” (vs. 22-24).
And that’s where you have the great stone that is under the coronation chair which they coronate the kings and queens of England. And by the way, they coronate them as kings and queens over “Your people Israel.” When you read the whole ceremony, it’s not over Britain, it’s not over England; it’s over “Your people Israel.” And she is coronated in the Jerusalem Room of the Westminster Abbey.
Now verse 25, “By the God of your father, Who shall help you. And may the Almighty bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of my ancestors, to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him, the ruler, the leader who was separated from his brothers” (vs. 25-26). So that’s really quite a blessing. You cannot say that this fits the Jews as we know them today. And remember, this is a prophecy for the last days.
Now Benjamin, “Benjamin is a wolf that tears in pieces” A lot of people think that Benjamin today is Norway, from whence we get the Vikings, who ravined as a wolf. “In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoils” (vs. 27).
Now before we get into the Passover of Israel, let’s come to Deuteronomy 33. And again, let’s see some blessings which were passed on at that time. I’m just going to cover the blessing to Joseph so we can distinguish Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, from the Jews. Now verse 13, “And of Joseph he said, ‘Blessed of the LORD be his land, with the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath, and for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and with the precious things of the yield of the months. And with the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills…” (vs. 13-15). And where has most of the gold and silver and precious jewels come from? They’ve come from the descendants of Joseph. And in particularly, and primarily, South Africa, because South Africa was part of the Commonwealth of Britain, and part of the British Empire too.
“And for the precious things of the earth and fullness of it, and for the good will of Him Who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph, and on the top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers. His glory is like the firstborn of his bull, and his horns are like the horns of the wild ox…” And isn’t it interesting that both of those things are on the seal which the British have? “…With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: …” Wasn’t it said of the British Empire, the sun never set on the British Empire? “…And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh” (vs. 16-17).
So there is the blessing given to the physical seed. Now let’s come to the book of Exodus and let’s look at the events leading up to the Passover with the children of Israel while they were in Egypt. But I wanted to go through and just carry those prophecies forward, showing the blessings that would come to the children of Israel, being all of the twelve tribes and of whom the ten that were carried off into captivity first were given the blessing, then the fulfillment in the last days.
Now let’s come to the book of Exodus, Chapter 3. Now, we know the story. After Joseph died, then arose another Pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph. And he enslaved the children of Israel. And he was bent on destroying all the male children of the children of Israel by having them drowned in the river. And you know the story of Moses. He was put in the basket, his mother watched it as it went on down. The daughter of Pharaoh found the basket and she took him as her son, “...And she called his name Moses. And she said, ‘Because I took him out of the water.’ ” He was raised in the court of Pharaoh. He was next in line to be Pharaoh, and then God worked it out to reveal that he was really not of the bloodline—he was not the son of Neferteri the daughter of Pharaoh, but he was the son of Levi, who was a Hebrew.
So then, in trying to rescue one of the Hebrews, because of the harsh bondage, he killed an Egyptian. And then he fled into the wilderness, straight across the Sinai desert, and he came to Midian. And then he married one of the daughters of Jethro. And then we come to the time when Moses was out there watching the sheep, and the time of the burning bush. So let’s pick it up here in Exodus 3:3.
Let’s go ahead, for the sake of time, and we’ll summarize the burning bush thing. He went up and the thing that’s important is this… let’s come down here, after Moses came up to the burning bush. Exodus 3:5, “And He said, ‘Do not come hear here. Put off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.’ ” Now this shows that wherever God is, it’s holy. Now we can draw also a lesson from this concerning the Sabbath. Wherever God put His presence, that is holy time. That’s why the Sabbath is holy. Now also we can project that out into what? The Passover, and all the holy days as well. That’s why they are called holy days, because God put His presence in it. So wherever God is, that is holy. “And He said, ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ” (Ex. 3:5-6). And that’s the point I want to make here, is that God is following through on His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And remember, we started out Genesis 15, that He said that his descendants would be slaves in a land not their own and they would come out with great substance. Then He also tells them what His name is.
Now, verse 13, “And Moses said to God…” after God said, “I will surely be with you.” “And Moses said to God, ‘Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they shall say to me, “What is His name?” What shall I say to them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM’…” Now, we find—I have a tape on that about Jesus being the “I AM.” So not only does this identify the God of the Old Testament, but also it identifies that the God of the Old Testament is the Lord Jesus who is the God of the New Testament as well as God the Father.
“And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.” And God said to Moses again, “You shall say this to the children of Israel, “The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My title from generation to generation.” ’ ” (vs. 14-15). So God told him “ ‘Go and gather the elders of Israel.’ Your brother Aaron is going to meet you, and you go deliver the people.” Now let’s come to Chapter five. So they did that. Moses and Aaron—Chapter 4:29, let’s just get this summary here.
The “I AM” verse is John 8:58. Plus there are other ones in there, which in this translation, I bring it out. He said, “If you do not believe that I AM you shall perish in your sins.” So if you don’t have the tape you can write for it. Write for the “I AM” tape.
Exodus 4:29, “And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to 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 had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed and worshiped” (Ex. 4:29-31). And went on their way.
So then, here comes the first confrontation between Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh. Now this is kind of like…how shall I put it? Beverly Hillbillies? Maybe not quite that bad, but almost. Coming in to Pharaoh. So here they come. Chapter 5:1, “And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Let My people go that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.” Now can you imagine that? Here are two upstart people walking in to the Pharaoh of Egypt and saying, “Let the people go that we can keep a feast.” Well now, he was supreme ruler. And God raised him up, as He said in the book of Romans, that He raised him up to show His power to all the earth. And the very fact that it is in the scriptures and is everywhere around the world, this story is told over, and over, and over, and over again as a witness that God is greater than Egypt. And even to this day, testifies that He is greater than Egypt.
So what was Pharaoh’s response? “Why, I am so happy that you two showed up. I’ve been waiting for you. I had a dream from God.” No. Pharaoh said, “…Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, neither will I let Israel go” (vs. 2). And can you imagine the effrontery which he felt with these, you know, two upstarts coming in there and telling him to let them go?
“And they said, ‘The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we pray you, three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with plague or with the sword.’ And the king of Egypt said to them, ‘Moses and Aaron, why do you keep the people from their work? Get to your burdens.’ ” He’s not going hear it. “And Pharaoh said, ‘Behold, the people of the land now are many, and you make them rest from their burdens’ ” (vs. 3-5). Now, “rest” means to sabbatize. So here we have the Sabbath in the land of Egypt long before they get to Mount Sinai. Of course they didn’t understand it.
And so what did Pharaoh do? “And Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers the same day, saying, ‘You shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. And you shall lay upon them the same number of bricks which they have made before. You shall not reduce it, for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, “Let us go sacrifice to our God.” Let more work be laid upon the men, and let them labor in it. And do not let them regard vain words’ ” (vs. 6-9). So they went out and did that, and the people of Israel, they were expecting to be let go just, you know, just like that at the snap of a finger; and things didn’t work out the way that they wanted, and it came down just the opposite of what they expected. Lesson: just because it doesn’t work out the first time, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t mean what He says. He has other things in mind. So then, what happened? They came and they told Moses, they said, “Look, this is getting worse! We’re not being let go.” And so, Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh. Verse 20, here’s what the people told Moses and Aaron, “And they met Moses and Aaron standing in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh. And they said to them, ‘The LORD look upon you and judge because you have made us offensive in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hands to kill us.’ And Moses returned to the LORD…” And see, even Moses didn’t believe at this point. “…And said, ‘LORD, why have You treated this people ill? Why then have you sent me?’ ” He was even questioning, “Well what am I doing here Lord? I went and said ‘Let them go,’ and he didn’t let them go. Now what you want me to do?” “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people. Neither have You delivered Your people at all” (vs. 20-23).
So God gave him the answer. He said, “Wait, Moses. I’ve got a plan.” “ ‘…For with a strong hand he shall let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.’ And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, ‘I am the LORD. And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty [which is “El Shaddai”]. But I was not known to them by My name JEHOVAH’ ” (Ex. 6:1-3). So that’s the covenant name of God for the Old Covenant: Jehovah. He says, “I’m going to release them.”
Now let’s come to Chapter 7. Let’s see when God gets down to business what happens here. And we find this account, now we’re going to find the signs, and then the plagues. Notice what God said beginning in verse 1, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh. And Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken to you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring My armies, 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 My 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” (Ex. 7:1-6).
Now, Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron was 83. So you talk about an old church. So here’s the first sign. They go in, and the Lord said, verse 9, “When Pharaoh shall speak to you, saying, ‘Give a miracle for yourselves [by Me],’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and throw it in front of Pharaoh. It shall become a snake.’ ” Now this is important, because they were serpent worshipers there. “And Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh. And they did so as the LORD had commanded. And Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh and in front of his servants, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh also called the wise man and the sorcerers. And they, the priests of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts...” So you see, there are false miracles and there are things that Satan can do to make it look like it’s the hand of God. “For each man threw down his rod, and they became snakes…” So here is a snake fight, right out in the middle of it. “…But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And He hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he did not hearken to them, as the LORD had said” (vs. 9-13).
So then we have the next sign. The second sign is blood being made from water. Now remember that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile. It was like a god. And that’s why they had crocodile gods and frog gods, and so forth. So as he went out there, and stretched forth his rod, verse 20, “And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded. And he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh [right in front of him] and in the sight of his servants. And all waters in the river were turned to blood. And the fish 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 priests of Egypt did so with their secret arts. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the LORD had said” (vs. 20-22). So then after the seven days were fulfilled, then they were able to drink the water.
Now Chapter 8. They come in again. And I think that in the movie, “The Ten Commandments”, they did a really good job in showing this. I think they really portrayed it. That was one of the good movies that they made. Of course, it was made years ago. I know Cecil B. DeMille produced it. I think it was in the ‘50s, some time, it was done. And it’s a classic. And every year about Passover time they always play the full version of “The Ten Commandments.” So if it comes on, watch it again.
Ok, here’s the third sign. Frogs. Now if you’ve ever seen Egyptian frogs, you will know that these are just not the little pesky little things, but these are huge—about the size of the big head. Now, I just want you to picture this: the land filled with frogs. Here’s what’s going to happen. God said, Chapter 8:1, “And the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let My people go so that they may serve Me. And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike all your country with frogs. And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly which shall go up and come into your house, and into your bedroom, and upon your bed, and into the house of your servants, and upon your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. And the frogs shall come upon you, and upon all your people, and upon all thy servants” ’ ” (Ex. 8:1-4). So they stretched out the rod, and guess what? All these frogs started coming out of the river. Now imagine all the sound that goes with it. All of the croaking and the urping and so forth. So the magicians did the same thing, and they brought up frogs. So three times the magicians were able to counterfeit the miracle of God.
Now this got to Pharaoh. This did get to him for a little bit. Verse 8, “And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, ‘Pray to the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people. And I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the LORD.’ And Moses said to Pharaoh, I give to you the honor—when shall I pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses so that they may remain in the river only?’ And he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ And he said, “It shall be according to your word so that you may know that there is none like the LORD our God” (vs. 8-10). So they departed. So his heart was hardened.
Now here comes the next one. God has a way of doing things that really gets your attention. Verse 16, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, “Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.” ’ ” Now have you ever had lice? “And they did so, for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck 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 Rite Aid ran out of itching powder.
“And the priests did so with their secret arts to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice upon man and upon beast. And the priests said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them; as the LORD had said” (vs. 16- 19). Now I wonder how they got rid of the lice? Who knows? It doesn’t say that they removed them, does it? It doesn’t say how long they endured. But I tell you what, they must of had a licekilling program there, you know, crushing them, killing them, combing them out of the hair, cleaning out all of the beds, cleaning off all the clothes, sweeping out the house, putting them up in buckets and burning them. You know, you’d almost have to just picture how this went on. It doesn’t tell us how long then went on.
But after that, we have the fifth sign, which is flies. Now have you ever been bothered by a fly? Imagine swarms of them. Have you ever seen pictures of people in Africa and their cows with all of these big huge flies? Well just keep that in mind when we read this here. “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Lo, he comes forth to the water. …” See, every day it was the obligation of Pharaoh to go to the river, because he was representative of god, in their pagan religion, and he would be there at sunrise. So He says, go forth to the water, “… And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me” (vs. 20). And Pharaoh probably thought, “We just got rid of the lice! You’re here again.”
Verse 21, “And if thou will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you, and on your servants, and on your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they are. And in that day I will cut off the land of Goshen, in which My people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a dividing line between My people and your people. This sign shall be tomorrow.” So the Lord did so. Now it says, verse 24, “…And teeming swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt…” (vs. 21-24). And Rite Aid ran out of fly spray. No way to get rid of them. The children of Israel suffered the first four so they would understand that God is behind it, and to let them know they better listen to God and not do as Pharaoh.
Now it didn’t take long for Pharaoh to react this time. When you have just one fly that goes like this, you know, doing its little square flight pattern right in front of you. And you kind of sit there and wait for it to land on you, and you just wait. All you do is end up slapping your face real hard. Or there’s a fly that’s coming down on your food. Now imagine swarms of flies. Just crawling everywhere. Just all over your hair, all over your arm, all over the walls. You can’t even walk across the room without squishing the flies that are there. And they’re into the cupboards and they’re eating everything, and everything is dirty. And there would have to be fly dung everywhere. I mean, let’s look at this realistic as how it happens.
“And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, ‘Go sacrifice to your God in the land.” “Now I’m not going to let you go out. You do it in the land. I’ll go halfway.” So much with common ground. “And Moses said, ‘It is not right to do so, 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?” (vs. 25-26). No. They were probably animal worshipers, you know, just like the Indians in India today. The Hindus, they worshiped cows. And if a miracle happens with a cow, they run and they gather the urine and they gather the dung so they can put it on themselves, and they can wipe themselves with the manure, and they can anoint themselves with the urine. Now if the children of Israel were out there sacrificing to cattle and to sheep, you know, they would really raise a big stink.
So Moses said, “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 so that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness. Only you shall not go very far away. Pray for me.’ And Moses said, ‘Behold, I go out from you, and I will pray to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. But do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD” (vs. 27-30). So Moses went out, the flies went away, there remained not one the next day.
Now if you were the average Egyptian, and all these flies came in one day and they bothered you for however many days they had the flies, and then all of a sudden one day—phfft—they’re gone. Now you’d begin to think that Moses and Aaron had contact with God, a greater power than, you know, the sorcerers and the magicians. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. He didn’t let them go. So again, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, ‘Let My people go so that they may serve Me, for if you refuse to let them go, and will hold them back, behold, the hand of the LORD is upon your livestock in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep, a very grievous plague.” [KJV, murrain means boils and blains.] “And the LORD shall separate between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. And there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the children’s of Israel” (Ex. 9:1-4). Now, you see, God was also demonstrating to the children of Israel. And the thing is, as we will see, they didn’t remember these things. By the time they got seven days out of Egypt to the Red Sea, they were complaining to God already. So you see, many times—and this is a lesson for us—we need to remember the things that God has done, and not be complaining to God for the things that He hasn’t yet done.
Now let’s continue on here, verse 5, “And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, ‘Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.” So He did it. “…And all the livestock in the field of Egypt died. But of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.” So Pharaoh’s getting desperate here. “And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the livestock of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go” (vs. 5-7). All right, so He put murrain, which is boils and blains, upon the cattle. And they died.
Now then, we have the seventh sign. So now it’s going come on the people. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 8. “And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take to yourselves handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and it shall be a boil breaking forth with sores upon man and upon beast [now that’s the remainder of the beasts], throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” So they did it. They sprinkled it to heaven. And here came the boils breaking forth. “And the priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the priests and upon all the Egyptians” (vs. 8-11). Now one boil really lays you low. How many have ever had a boil? One. The worst kind of boil is called, what? A Carbuncle? Isn’t that the worst kind? And that is painful. Now I don’t know if they were covered from head to toe with boils, like Job was. But what a sight that must of been.
And verse 12, “And the LORD hardened heart of Pharaoh, and he did not hearken to them, even as the LORD had spoken to Moses. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, ‘Let My people go, so that they may serve Me; for I am going to send at this time all My plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants, and upon your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth” (vs. 12-14). Now we get the plagues. The signs were bad enough.
So here we have the whole purpose of Pharaoh, verse 15, “For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may strike you and your people with plagues, and you shall be cut off from the earth. And for this very purpose I have raised you up, to show My power against you, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth. Do you still exalt yourself against My people that you will 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 of it, even until now!” (vs. 15-18). So he said, “Whatever [is] left of the cattle, you get them out of there and get them under cover, because they’re going to die.” And that’s what happened.
Verse 22, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch forth your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt…” Now can you imagine the weather reports today, if there were snow in Cairo? I mean, just snow. “…Upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward the heavens. And the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire came down to the ground…” That’s probably because of the lightning. “…And the LORD rained hail upon a land of Egypt. And 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 broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen where the children of Israel were, there was no hail” (vs. 22-26).
Now this time Pharaoh kind of almost got the point. I mean, what does it take sometimes to get people’s attention? Verse 27, “And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Pray to the LORD, for it is enough. Let there be no more mighty thunderings and hail. And I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer” (vs. 27-28). Now I tell you what, after you hear hail and see lightning, and hear the thunder, and have that stacking up, and of course, you’re used to this warm climate. Now can you imagine what all of this hail and ice is going to do? It’s going to drop the temperature; you don’t have any clothes for cold weather. There you are, hail all round. Man. But he still didn’t quite get it.
Now verse 34, “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, he sinned still more and hardened his heart, he and his servants.” And so then, God said, Chapter 10, “Now I’m going to bring another plague.” Now you see, by the time all this is done, there is virtually nothing left in Egypt. Chapter 10:1, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart and heart of his servants so that I might show these My signs before him, and so that you may tell in the ears of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them…” (Ex. 10:1-2). So there’s a time when we are to read and go through these things to know that it was the hand of God that did it.
“And Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go so that they may serve Me; for if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow will I bring the locusts into your country. And they shall cover the face of the ground so that one cannot be able to see the earth. And they shall eat the rest of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. And they shall fill your houses, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither your fathers, nor your father’s fathers have seen, since the day they were upon the earth until this day.’ And he turned himself and went out from Pharaoh. And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?’ ” (vs. 3-7).
“And Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, ‘Go! Serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that shall go?’ And Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters. We will go with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to the LORD.’ And he said to them, ‘Let the LORD be with you, for if I ever let you go with your little ones, watch out, for you have some evil purpose in mind. Not so! Go now you men…” Just the men. “I'm only going to let the men go.” Verse 11, “…‘And serve the LORD, for it is you who did desire it.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence” (vs. 8-11).
So then what happened? Moses went out, raised his rod, and the locusts came. Covered the land. And I don’t imagine they were itty-bitty things. I bet they were huge, giant devouring things. And they ate everything. Verse 15, “For they covered the face of the whole ground so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. And there did not remain any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” Now here’s worldly repentance again. “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 I beg you, forgive my sin only this once, and pray to the LORD your God that He may take away from me this death only” (vs. 15-16). So they went out and did it. When they were gone his heart was hardened.
So then here comes another plague. Now this is quite a plague. You kind of really have to imagine this. So verse 21, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness.’ And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven. And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.” They could feel it. It would be kind of like this: have you ever been in a room with all the doors shut, and you turn out the light, and you can’t see anything? Now, three days, “…They did not see one another, nor did any rise from his place, for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” (vs. 21-23).
Boy, Pharaoh, he really had it this time. “And Pharaoh called for Moses, and said, ‘You go serve the LORD. Only let your flocks and your herds be left…” “All of our cattle are killed, we want yours.” “…’Let your little ones also go with you.’ And Moses said, ‘You must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Our livestock also shall go with us. There shall not be a hoof left behind, for we must take from them to serve the LORD our God. And we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we come there.’ But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said to him…” Now this kind of sounds like the last stand of Hitler, right? Very similar to it. “And Pharaoh said to him, ‘Get away from me! Take heed to yourself! See my face no more…” “I’m so important, you better not come in my presence and see my face any more lest you die!” Verse 29, “And Moses said, ‘You have spoken well. I will never see your face again” (vs. 24- 29).
And so then, God said, “I have yet one more plague,” the fourth plague. And this one is going to be the most devastating of all. So we’ll finish verse 11 here, and the next time we’ll pick it up with the Passover in Chapter 12. Let’s finish Chapter 11 here. “And the LORD had said to Moses, ‘I will yet bring one plague on Pharaoh…” This is the fourth plague. So you had seven signs and four plagues. “…And upon Egypt. Afterwards, he will let you go from here. When he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out here altogether. Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor…” Now this wasn’t borrow, this was spoiling. “…and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and jewels of gold” (Ex. 11:1-2). I imagine they were so frightened and fearful, that when the children of Israel went up and said, “I want your gold and I want your silver,” they said, “Here!” Lest they die. Or, lest more plagues come upon them.
“And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt…” Because, remember, at the beginning in Chapter 7, He says, “I have made you a god to Pharaoh.” So he was very great. “…in the sight of Pharaoh servants, and in the sight of the people. And Moses said, ‘Thus says the LORD, “About midnight…” Now, we’ll see that’s the 14th day of the first month. “…I will go out into the midst of Egypt. And all firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sits upon his throne, even to the firstborn of the slavegirl that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.” That is, which ever ones are left alive. “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 anymore. But against any of the children of Israel not even a dog shall move his tongue, against man or beast, so that you may know that the LORD puts a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (vs. 3-7).
Now let’s understand something very important here concerning the Church. God has put a difference between His people and the world. A very big difference. You are the people of God. You represent God and all that He is to everyone else in the world that comes in contact with you, you see. That’s very important to understand. And God has called you to be in His kingdom. Therefore, that’s why He says we’re not to be part of the world. We’re in the world, but we’re not of the world. Now, just like there could be no compromise with the children of Israel with the Egyptians in their dealings with God. So He puts a difference.
“And all these, your servants, shall come down to me and bow down themselves down to me, saying, ‘You and all the people that follow you—get out!’ And after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in flaming anger.” Boy. What a witness to Pharaoh. He says, “You get out of here and don’t see my face anymore.” And Moses just really said, said all these words, and then left in great anger. “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh shall not hearken to you so 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 children of Israel go out of his land” (vs. 8-10). And the reason God did that was to show the children of Israel that He was God, He alone could deliver them, He alone would fight their battles and overcome them. And if they trusted in Him, they would be released from their slavery.
Now we come to Chapter 12 and the Passover. So we’ll continue next time with the Passover and the children of Israel.
Scriptural References:
- 1.) Genesis 22:15-18
- 2.) Galatians 3;29
- 3.) Matthew 13:49
- 4.) Genesis 26:1-5
- 5.) Galatians 4:28-31
- 6.) Genesis 27:18-41
- 7.) Genesis 28:1-4, 12-15
- 8.) Genesis 48:13-20
- 9.) Genesis 49:2-27
- 10.) Deuteronomy 33:13-17
- 11.) Exodus 3:3-6, 13-15
- 12.) Exodus 4:29-31
- 13.) Exodus 5:1-5, 20-23
- 14.) Exodus 6:1-3
- 15.) Exodus 7:1-6, 9-13, 20-22
- 16.) Exodus 8:1-4, 8-10, 16-30
- 17.) Exodus 9:1-18, 22-28, 34
- 18.) Exodus 10:1-11, 15-16, 21-29
- 19.) Exodus 11:1-10
