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Fred R. Coulter - February 16, 2002
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 unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast 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, “If you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise,” (Galatians 3:29, paraphrased). But they don’t read the thing that he obeyed.
Now, as we have seen, “the stars of heaven” apply 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: “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 Genesis 25, where then the blessing is passed on to Isaac. Actually, Genesis 26:1, “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went into Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply has the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham…” (vs. 1-5).
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 descendant’s 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 that 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 way you counter… (Pause–audience comment). 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, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh [that is, Ishmael] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.” (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, who 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 unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, [are you] my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy 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 according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast 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 thy God brought it to me” (vs. 19-20). I mean, this is something.
“And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.” So he had his doubts. “And Jacob went near unto 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 discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very 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 near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be everyone that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee” (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 in end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out 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 savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and 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 and heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is he not rightly named Jacob? [which means “supplanter”], for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his [your] brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept” (vs. 34-38).
“And Isaac his father answered and said and to him, Behold thy dwelling shall be [far from] the fatness of the earth, [as it should read], and of [far from] the dew of heaven from above; and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shall serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy 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 heated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob” (vs. 41). Harkens 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, “And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.” Now remember that Esau did. “Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land where in thou art a stranger, which God gave unto 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 set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land where on thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (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 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 as he was.
Now he brought both of his - Joseph brought both of his sons to him. And Genesis 48:13 now, “And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.” Now you would think this is just kind of all little detail, but it’s very important. “And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it up on 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 Hircanus 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, he guided “…His hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.” Verse 15, “And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;…” (vs. 14-15).
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 when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy 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 shall also 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 thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set 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 that which shall befall you in the last days.” Now the last days are now. So this gives us an identification of the nations today. “Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art 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. “Thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: He went up to my couch” (Gen. 49:2-4).
“Simeon and in Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.” 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, come not thou in to their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, 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, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 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 unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with 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 dwell at the haven of the sea;…” Now many people think that this has to do with Holland. Could very likely be. “…And he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:…” Many people think this is Issachar, 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 that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute” (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 biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. Gad, a troop shall overcome 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 fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.” A lot of people think that this is the Netherlands. “Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth 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, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: the archers have sorely grieved him, and 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 thence 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, “Even by the God of thy father, Who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, Who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: the blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren” (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 shall ravin as a wolf…” 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, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for 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 fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns:…” 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 said, “This is mine. His name shall be Moses, for he came 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.
Part 2
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, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest 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. “Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, 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 unto God,…”, after God said, “I will surely be with you.” “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:…” 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 God of the New Testament.
“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 forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations” (vs. 14-15). So He said, “You go on down there and gather all the elders. 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 my 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 gather 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 had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped” (Ex. 4:29-31). 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 saith the LORD God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto 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 know not 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 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.” Not gonna hear it. “And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye 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 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 there in; and let them not 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 want, 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 - yes this is what they said here. Verse 20, here’s what the people told Moses and Aaron, “…Who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh: and they said unto them, 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 see, even Moses didn’t believe at this point. “…And said, LORD, wherefore hast Thou so evil entreated this people? And why is it that Thou hast 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 Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy 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 shall he let them go, and 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 Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty [which is “El Shaddai”], but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them” (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 unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god unto 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 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. 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” (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 unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you [me]: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent” Now this is important, because they were serpent worshipers there. “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so 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 man and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.” 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 they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents:…” 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, that he hearkened not unto 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 spoke 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 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” (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 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 pestilential 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 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 the ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs: and the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy 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, “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 do sacrifice unto the LORD. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me [you have your say]: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and from thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, Tomorrow.” So Moses said, “…Be it according to thy word. That thou mayest know that there is none like unto 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 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.” Now have you ever had lice? “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 Rite Aid ran out of itching powder. (Laughs) “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” (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 lice-killing 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 does what on.
But after that, now then, 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 unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh 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 unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let My people go, that they may serve Me” (vs. 20). And Pharaoh probably thought, “We just got rid of the lice! You’re here again.”
Verse 21, “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 where on 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.” So the Lord did so. Now it says, verse 24, “…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:…” (vs. 21-24). And Rite Aid ran out of fly spray. (Laughs) No way to get rid of them. (Pause – audience comment) 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. Let’s go on here.
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 ye, 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 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?” (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, 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” (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, “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.” Well, murrain means boils and blains. “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” (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 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 cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.” So Pharaoh’s getting desperate here. “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” (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 unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the 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 [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 magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, 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, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses. 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” (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 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, if that thou wilt not let them go? Behold, tomorrow about this time, I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now” (vs. 15-18). So he said, “Whatever 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 unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, 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 heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground;…” That’s probably because of the lightning. “…And the LORD rained hail upon a 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 break every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen with the children of Israel were, there was no hail.” (vs. 22-26)
Now this time Pharaoh kinda, 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 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 more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye 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 were ceased, he sinned yet 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 unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and 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;…” (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 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 groweth for you out of the field: and they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy father’s 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?” (vs. 3-7).
“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 with our herds we will 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 [me]. Not so: go now ye that are men,…” Just the men. “I'm only going to let the men go.” Verse 11, “…And serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. 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 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.” 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 forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat 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 unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, but that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 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 saw not one another, neither rose any 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 unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed:…” “All of our cattle are killed, we want yours.” “…Let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, 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 thither. 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 thee from me, take heed to thyself, 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, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more” (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 said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh,…” This is the fourth plague. So you had seven signs and four plagues. “…And upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence all together. Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor,…” Now this wasn’t borrow, this was spoiling. “…Of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels 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. Moreover 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 land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh servants, and in the sight of the people. And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight…” Now, we’ll see that’s the 14th day of the first month. “…Will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all 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.” 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 shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put 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 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.” 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 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 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.
