Daily reading

Today’s reading is: Ex. 4:18-7:13

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Exodus Chapter Four

(Outline continues from yesterday)

  1. Moses departs from Jethro’s house (Ex. 4:18-20).
    1. His explanation to the priest of Midian is rather weak (v.18).
    2. Jethro counsels Moses to Go in peace (v.18).
    3. The Lord tells Moses that his enemies are now dead (v.19).  The timing of this statement is interesting.  It appears that Moses asked the Lord whether taking his family was a good decision.
    4. Moses packs up Zipporah, Gershom, and Eliezer (v.20).
  2. On the way to Egypt, the Lord revealed to Moses the ten-plague schedule that would be necessary to break Pharaoh’s hardened heart (Ex. 4:21-23).
  3. Also on the way to Egypt, the Lord arrived to kill Moses (Ex. 4:24-26).
    1. Moses had allowed Zipporah’s negative volition to prevent his son’s circumcision (v.25).  Gershom?  Eliezer?
    2. Zipporah angrily circumcises the boy, and throws the foreskin at “his” feet (v.26).  Moses’ feet?  The Lord’s feet?
    3. Zipporah does not appear again until Exodus 18:2, where it appears that at Exodus 4:26 Moses sent her back to Jethro.
  4. The Lord sends Aaron to Moses, and they go to the elders of Israel with the Lord’s message (Ex. 4:27-31).
    1. They meet at the Mountain of God (v.27).  Mt. Horeb, see above.
    2. Moses brings Aaron up-to-date on “their” work-assignment (v.28).
    3. Together, they assemble the elders of Israel, and Aaron bears the fruit in Moses’ place (vv.29,30; cf. Rev. 3:11).
    4. Israel believed the message, as the Lord had promised (v.31 cp. 3:18).

Exodus Chapter Five

  1. Moses and Aaron delivered the Lord’s message to Pharaoh (Ex. 5:1-5).
    1. They speak on behalf of YHWH, the Elohiym of Israel (v.1a).
    2. The purpose for the release of Israel is their worship of YHWH in the wilderness (v.1b).
    3. Pharaoh states that he does not know YHWH, does not need to obey YHWH, and does not want to release Israel from service (v.2).
    4. Moses & Aaron identify YHWH as the Elohiym of the Hebrews, and warn about the Divine judgment that comes upon disobedience (v.3).
    5. Pharaoh rejects the threat, and orders Moses, Aaron, and all Israel back to work (vv.4,5).
  2. Pharaoh viewed his slaves as growing restless, and intensified their work-load (Ex. 5:6-21).
    1. Pharaoh issues orders the Egyptian taskmasters and Hebrew foremen (v.6).
    2. The slaves are to obtain their own straw, and yet their quota of bricks is not to be reduced (vv.7,8a).
    3. Pharaoh accuses the slaves of laziness (v.8b), and desires to discredit the words of Moses & Aaron in their mind (v.9).
    4. The taskmasters and foremen implemented Pharaoh’s order, and Israel complied (vv.10-12).
    5. The foremen were beaten when they could not meet the taskmasters’ quota (vv.13,14), and tried in vain to plead with Pharaoh (vv.15-19).
    6. After leaving Pharaoh, the foremen blamed Moses and Aaron for their adversity (vv.20,21)—a pattern they would repeat throughout the Exodus and wilderness wanderings (Ex. 14:11,12; 15:24; 16:2,8)!
  3. Moses returned the Lord in prayer and laments his work-assignment, and its failure (Ex. 5:22,23).

Exodus Chapter Six

  1. The Lord answered Moses faithless prayer by highlighting how the deliverance would be accomplished by a strong hand (Ex. 6:1; 3:19).
  2. The Lord extended comfort to Moses, and gave him a message for the comfort of Israel (Ex. 6:2-9).
    1. The Lord highlighted the present intimacy that not even Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob enjoyed (vv.2,3; Ex. 3:13-15).
    2. The Lord reminded Moses of the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant, which contained land blessings (vv.4,5; Gen. 12:7; 26:3,4; 28:13).
    3. The Lord promised Israel to deliver them from bondage, and bring them into the land of Abraham’s inheritance (vv.6-8).  Verse 6 has the first of two uses of גָּאַל gā’al #1350: to redeem, in the Book of Exodus. (The other is at 15:13).
    4. Moses faithfully delivered the Lord’s message to Israel, but they would not listen (v.9).
  3. The Lord instructed Moses to make a second appeal to Pharaoh for Israel’s release (Ex. 6:10-13,28-30).
    1. Moses complains that he is not qualified to do the work, and that he is doomed to fail (vv.12,30).
    2. The Lord gave Moses and Aaron “a charge” to face the hostility of Israel, to face the hostility of Pharaoh, and to bring Israel out of Egypt (v.13 cf. Ezek. 3:8,9; 2nd Tim. 4:1,2).
  4. The tribes, clans, and families of Israel are identified (Ex. 6:14-27), as they were when they arrived in Egypt (Gen. 46:8-27).

Exodus Chapter Seven

  1. The Lord establishes an amazing picture for Moses and Aaron to portray before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:1,2).
    1. Moses will be “God” (to Pharaoh), and Aaron will be Moses’ “prophet.”
    2. The shadow finds a repetition in the Lord Jesus Christ as God (in humility), and John the Baptist as His prophetic herald (Matt. 11:7-15; 17:12,13).
    3. The shadow finds a Satanically imitated perversion in the two beasts of Rev. 13.
    4. The shadow finds its final fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ as God (in glory), and Elijah as His prophetic herald (Matt. 11:7-15; 17:11).
  2. Pharaoh’s first volitional opportunity to release Israel (Ex. 5:2,4) results in the following involuntary hardening of the heart, and the mighty hand deliverance of Israel (Ex. 6:1; 7:3-5).
    1. This will be a demonstration of Divine power for all Egypt to bear witness of (v.5).
    2. This will be a demonstration of Divine power for all Israel to bear witness of (Ex. 14:30,31).
    3. This will be a demonstration of Divine power for all the surrounding nations to bear witness of (Ex. 15:14-16; Josh. 2:9,10).
  3. Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh for the second time, and faithfully began to accomplish the Lord’s work (Ex. 7:6-13).
    1. Pharaoh challenges Moses and Aaron to work a miracle (v.9; cf. 5:3).
    2. Moses commands Aaron to throw down his (Aaron’s) staff, and it becomes a dragon (vv.9,10).  תַּנִּין tanniyn #8577 (Job 7:12; Ps. 74:13; Isa. 27:1; 51:9).
    3. Pharaoh’s Satanic advisors attempt to counteract the power of God (vv.11,12).
      1. Wise men.  חָכָם chākām #2450: wise, wise man.  Demonic wisdom, of course (Jas. 3:15).
      2. Sorcerers. כָּשַׁף kāshaph #3784: sorcerer.  The root probably means ‘to cut’ and refers to herbs cut for charms and spells.
      3. Magicians.  חַרְטֹם chartōm #2748: diviner, magician, astrologer.  From an Egyptian term, chief lector-priest.
      4. Secret arts.  לָט lāt #3909: secrecy, mystery, enchantment.  Whispers, incantations.
      5. Their works of Satanic power actually worked (v.12)!
    4. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, in fulfillment of the Lord’s perfect will (v.13; cp. 4:21).

(Chapter Seven continues tomorrow)