Series Life of Moses

This Message The Superiority of YAHWEH is Recognized

Scripture Exodus 12:29-42; 13:17-22

In this series of messages we are learning about events which happened about 3500 years ago — events which had been announced by God in an even earlier period, events which were a foreshadowing of God’s purposes from eternity past. The events recorded in Exodus were an important part of God’s eternal purposes. God wants us to understand what He did to keep His promises, and He wants us to understand the deeper meanings behind His actions. The more we understand how God has worked in human history to bring about His purposes, the more our appreciation of Him should increase. This is one of the objectives for studying the Life of Moses.

Last week we thought about Passover as a picture of New Testament truths concerning Jesus Messiah. He was the “Lamb of God” who “was sacrificed for us” as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. The Passover was an important Old Testament picture of God’s unfolding story of redemption for sin.

The Passover was a landmark event in the history of Israel. Not only did the blood applied to the doorposts and lintels of Israelite houses protect them from the death of the 10th plague, but YAHWEH used the Passover to begin the process of enculturating His people into a cohesive people group. This is another significant lesson for the people of God in all the centuries since then.

The plagues YAHWEH brought upon the Egyptians served several purposes. First of all, the plagues were a demonstration of the existence and the power of the sovereign LORD God of Israel. YAHWEH wanted His name to be proclaimed, to not only Pharaoh, not only the Egyptian people, but to people all over the earth (Exodus 9:17). He wanted everyone to “know that there is no one like him in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). Egypt was one of the most powerful countries in the Middle East, and the fact that YAHWEH was able to so thoroughly discredit the gods of Egypt and destroy the confidence of the people in their idolatrous practices, and ruin the economy of the country, was an enhancement of His reputation.

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The plagues were also a punishment on Pharaoh and upon the Egyptians for the years of abuse suffered by the descendants of Abraham. The plagues, in their increasing impact on the life and activities of Egypt, were necessary before Pharaoh was finally persuaded to let the Israelites depart.

The plagues were also YAHWEH’s method of teaching the Israelites about Himself. During the centuries of their sojourn in Egypt, the descendants of Abraham had forgotten the promises made by YAHWEH and had lost hope about the future. The power displayed by YAHWEH against the Egyptians and, in particular, the ability of YAHWEH to make a distinction between Egyptian and Israelite, made a significant impression on them, renewing their self-awareness as YAHWEH’s chosen people.

Finally, we can say that the plagues were an integral part of the fulfillment of YAHWEH’s covenant promises. The plagues were the means whereby YAHWEH fulfilled His promise to Abraham, that the people would be released and that they would come out with great possessions (see Genesis 15:13-14).

Last week our focus was on the devastating 10th plague which was inflicted on the Egyptian people. The first reading is a review of the results of that plague and about the aftermath of the killing of the firstborn males of Egypt..

Read Exodus 12:29-42

The series of disasters which were inflicted on the country of Egypt could have been avoided if Pharaoh had not been so convinced of his own importance and had not been so stubborn and arrogant. He was recognized by the Egyptian people as the offspring of the gods and was worshiped by them. When the LORD demanded that the Israelites be released, the initial retort of Pharaoh was, “Who is this LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh clung to his presumptive authority to the very end, even after all his officials urged him to recognize the obvious superiority of YAHWEH.

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Back in chapter 10 Pharaoh had stated to Moses, “Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die” (Exodus 10:28). Yet after the plague, he was compelled to summon Moses and Aaron in order to demand that the Israelites leave Egypt. On that occasion, there were no conditions attached to his demand. “Take your flocks and herds,” — just go! It was a command to go without delay. Pharaoh used five different imperative verbs to emphasize the urgency of his demand — verbs translated in our English language Bible as: “Up!” “Leave,” “Go,” “Take,” and “Go.”

Surprisingly, he added one more request, “Bless me also.” What an interesting footnote to the interactions between himself and Moses. Pharaoh regarded himself as a god, yet here he was making a humble request. Here, at last, he was finally admitting defeat at the hand of the God of Israel. By asking Moses to bless him he was acknowledging that Moses was greater than he, since the lesser person is always blessed by the greater.

Not only Pharaoh, but all the Egyptian people “urged the Israelites to hurry and leave the country.” They did not want any more dealings with the God of the Israelites. They had a great fear of the power of YAHWEH. Was YAHWEH out to eliminate all of them? Based on the increasing severity of the plagues, it seemed a possiblity.

The Israelites had been commanded to eat the Passover meal “in haste.” The men were to have “their cloaks tucked into their belts, their sandals on their feet and their staffs in their hands” (Exodus 12:11). When the call came to get on the move, it did not take very long for the Israelites to abandon their houses and begin to make their way out of Egypt. The most important utensils needed were the kneading troughs and the most important food needed for the journey was bread. The kneading troughs and bread dough could be tied up in their loose fitting garments and carried on the journey.

The LORD had mentioned on several previous occasions that the Israelites would be able to go out of Egypt with great possessions (Genesis 15:14; Exodus 3:21-22; 11:2-3). By following the instructions of Moses, the Israelites collected “articles of silver, gold, and clothing” from the Egyptians, who were more than willing to part with their possessions, if only the Israelites would be gone and never return.

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In verse 37, we are informed that the number of Israelites were about 600,000 men besides women and children. The total number of Israelites would therefore have been about two million. The text informs us that “many other people went up with them.” Apparently a number of Egyptians who feared the LORD accompanied the Israelites. It is not inconceivable that some of the Egyptians had recognized the authority and power of YAHWEH and decided to switch the focus of their worship. However, later events will reveal that this group became a source of trouble among the Israelites (e.g., Numbers 11:4).

The text is very specific that Israel was in Egypt "430 years, to the veryday,” that is, the very day that God had purposed they would leave. There is no end of debate among scholars about the date of the exodus and therefore the beginning of the 430 years. Most conservative scholars think the years began when Jacob and his family members entered Egypt. They assume this was in 1876 B.C., thus placing the day of the exodus sometime in the year 1446 B.C. (concerning this point, see the appendix). It is best not to be dogmatic about exact years. We can only assert with confidence that the Israelites were delivered from their bondage exactly when YAHWEH intended because His plans are always on time.

Now let’s read the next portion of Scripture which describes the beginning of the journey toward the Israelites’ promised land.

Read Exodus 13:17-22

In the preceding reading we learned that the Israelites began their journey out of Egypt from the city of Rameses. This city was located to the east of the Nile delta in the land of Goshen (see the appendix for a map). God did not lead His people on the most direct route around the edge of the Mediterranean Sea toward the land of promise. That route between Egypt and the promised land would have taken the Israelites through territory held by Philistine people, and undoubtedly these people would not have taken kindly to 2 million individuals, plus flocks and herds, passing through their territory.

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Archaeologists have not been able to identify the location of the sites mentioned in verse 20, Succoth and Etham, but the desert area into which God led His people was known as the “Wilderness of Shur” (see map). God had a deliberate strategy in leading His people into the desert. Not only would this direction avoid the possibility of conflict with the Philistines, but God wanted to have time alone with the Israelites. They needed to become more acquainted with their God and they needed to become more enculturated through common experiences.

In the desert the people would not have adequate natural resources to meet their needs and the needs of their animals. The people would therefore be dependent on the provisions that God would supernaturally provide to them. In coming messages we will learn how God miraculously provided food and fresh water. God wanted the people to grow in their trust of Him.

God also wanted to complete the process of enculturation begun on the night of Passover. Common experiences bond people together and give them a unique identity. God wanted the bonds between Himself and the people to be so tight that they would be ready to make a commitment to Him when He invited them to do so. That invitation would be extended to the people at Mount Sinai, after several months of desert travel. Mount Sinai is on the southern end of the Sinai peninsula (see map). This was the place where the LORD said, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt (that was a reference to the plagues), and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (that was a reference to His supernatural protection and provisions after departing Egypt). As you can recognize, there were specific reasons why God led His people into the desert.

Notice how the LORD led His people and assured them of His constant presence. The LORD supernaturally manifested His presence “in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way during the daylight hours and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night.” The text states that neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” In fact, the pillars of cloud and fire guided the Israelites until they entered the promised land of Canaan 40 years later under Joshua's leadership.

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The last verse we will focus on today is verse 19. The quotation is from the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph had said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” And he made his brothers swear an oath, “You must carry my bones up from this place.” The last verse in Genesis informs us that Joseph died in Egypt at the age of a hundred ten years old, and after his death, his body was embalmed and placed in a coffin (Genesis 50:24-26). About 400 years later, the Israelites were able to honor his request.

Joseph understood that the LORD would keep His word. Just as he had lived with faith and confidence in the LORD, he died in faith. He did not live long enough to experience the promises which had been given to his ancestors, yet he was confident that the time would come when the 70 members of his family who had immigrated to Egypt would increase to many thousands and would be able to enter the land they had been promised. Although Joseph had risen to a position of influence second only to the Pharaoh of his time, his heart was with his own people and he wanted a grave in the land of promise more than a mausoleum in Egypt.

AppendixTheir preference for this date is based on 1 Kings 6:1, which states that the Exodus took place 480 years before the fourth year of Solomon's reign. That year is determined to be 967 B.C. Secondly, this view harmonizes with Judges 11:26, which states that 300 years elapsed between Israel's entrance into Canaan and the commencement of Jephthah's rule as a judge.

Most liberal scholars hold to a date for the Exodus about 1290 B.C. There are several reasons why they hold this opinion, but their opinions are based on certain presuppositions which make their conclusions somewhat unconvincing.

There are other references in Scripture to 430 years, for example, Galatians 3:17, but this figure probably represents the time from God's last reconfirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob, at Beersheba (1875 B.C.; Genesis 46:2-4), to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Sinai (1446 B.C.; Exodus 19).

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