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1
ROUTE 66
3. Destination: Exodus 1-18
Tonight is the third leg of our road trip through the 66 books of the Bible.
We wrapped up our two-part study of Genesis looking at one of the most
stellar characters in all of Scripture, Joseph, the son of Jacob. We learned
that Joseph is the link between Genesis and Exodus.
Tonight our destination is the book of Exodus and we hope to cover the
first 18 chapters of the Exodus. Exodus is the 2nd
volume of the 5 volumes
penned by Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Collectively the first five books of the Bible are called the “Pentateuch.”
Though Exodus it is a CONTINUATION of Genesis, there is a different
EMPHASIS
The Emphasis was on Creation – Beginnings. The creation of the
heavens and the earth, the creation of man, the creation of a nation
through a man named Abraham — through whom the promised Savior of
the world would come.
The Emphasis is on Redemption. The book was first called Exodus when
the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into the Greek language (That
translation of the Old Testament Scriptures is given the name “Septuagint”
— because it was translated into Greek by 70 scholars). The title of the
book, EXODUS, literally means Outgoing.
Exodus is the story of God redeeming His people from bondage and death
in Egypt under Pharaoh, to the Promised Land (it’s called the “promised
land” because it was the land promised to Abraham).
Exodus is massive in regard to our understanding the nation of Israel.
Let’s lay out the major concepts in the book of Exodus.
2
In the Scriptures, Egypt is a TYPE or a PICTURE of "the world” — i.e, the
collection of men and women organizing themselves without God and
against God. Pharaoh is the a type or a picture of the person the Bible calls
“the god (little “g”) of this world. The Bondage, hard labor and death in
Egypt under Pharaoh are a TYPE or PICTURE of the bondage, hard labor
and death under the power of Sin and Satan.
In Exodus — in a very real moment in history — the Israelites are set free
from their Bondage to Pharaoh by the power of God, which culminated in
the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb.
THUS Exodus is a picture of our redemption from the power and penalty
of sin by the power of God and the blood of JESUS.
1Peter 1:18-19 18
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver
or gold, 19
but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without
blemish or spot.
Again — In this great book an entire race of people are suddenly and
permanently delivered from the shackles of slavery in Egypt. Suddenly,
literally overnight, they go from slavery to freedom, never to go back to
Egypt as a nation. What a great type or picture of the work of salvation and
how sudden it is! It has been well said that, “The salvation of a soul is the
miracle of a moment.” One moment you are lost and the next you’re found.
One moment you are a child of wrath and the next you are a child of God.
One moment you are a slave to sin and Satan and the next you are the
Lord's free man
What a great type or picture of the work of salvation and how permanent it
is. Israel is delivered by the strong arm of God NEVER again to return to
their former place of slavery, and that pictures the surety of our salvation -
IT IS FINISHED!!
1Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to
3
an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for you, 5who by God’s power are being guarded through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We not only see the Israelites delivered FROM something - they are also
delivered TO something. They were delivered FROM Egypt for the purpose
of living in the land of promise!
Here we have another great type or picture of the work of salvation. God
not only saved us FROM sin and it’s penalty, He saved us to something –
life in Christ
Romans 6:23 23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God bringing us out of one kingdom into another.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and
transferred us (KJV = translated us) to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We are delivered from the kingdom ruled by the god of this world, a
kingdom characterized by of death and darkness. We are deliver into the
Kingdom of His beloved Son — a Kingdom characterized by life and light
under the government of Jesus! In that Kingdom we experience the Holy
Spirit working through the Word of God conforming us to the King of the
Kingdom.
The title - The Outgoing - accurately describes the main subject of the
book. But there are 2 other subjects that flow directly from the outgoing: 1.
The Law, 2 The Tabernacle
In light of this, we can see the Book of Exodus divided into 3 sections
1.) The Exodus (Outgoing) 1-18
2.) The Law....................... 19-24
3.) The Tabernacle............ 25-40
4
Within this three-fold division of the Exodus we are given some very Hi-
Definition pictures.
1.) A clear picture of God
The Exodus We see the POWER of God
The Law We see the HOLINESS of God
The Tabernacle We see the WISDOM of God
2.) A clear picture of Israel — and thus a TYPE of our relationship with
God
The Exodus Israel brought OUT of bondage
The Law Israel brought UNDER the govt. of God
The Tabernacle Israel bought INTO a life of worship and fellowship
w/God
It has been 350 years since Genesis ended — 350 years after the death of
Joseph. That is plenty long enough for any nation to forget its roots, its
history. That’s happened (not happening — but happened) in our nation.
Today our country is systematically re-writing history; writing God out of our
national history. The same thing can happen with individuals; it can happen
with local churches and it can happen to movements within church history.
Exodus 1
verse 1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt
with Jacob, each with his household:
The first word in Exodus is the Hebrew word and — "and these are the
names." And moves a story forward. So at the very front of the book we
see that Exodus is not a new story — it’s the continuation of an old story.
It's the continuation of the work of God through the descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). In fact, the Hebrew title for the this
5
second book of the Pentateuch is not Exodus. The title in Hebrew simply
means: these are the names.
So God has begun a work: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and the 12
sons (or tribes) of Israel. The infant nation of Israel is in Egypt because one
of Israel’s sons, Joseph, was placed by God in Egypt to prevent the
descendants of Abraham from perishing during a famine.
Within Egypt there has been a population explosion of a minority group.
7But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they
multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled
with them.
They came into Egypt as 70 people, the family of Jacob. By the time of the
outgoing (400 years later) those 70 souls become two million. So we see
one of the purposes of God in bringing Jacob's family into Egypt: Egypt It
served as an INCUBATOR
verses 8-11 8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not
know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of
Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10
Come, let us deal
shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they
join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy
burdens.
The Egyptians were in dread of the Children of Israel. Pharaoh issued a
decree that if any Hebrews gave birth to a boy, the child was to be killed it.
The Bible tells us that the Hebrew midwives feared God and refused to do
that.
20So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and
grew very strong. 21
And because the midwives feared God, he gave
them families. 22
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son
that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall
let every daughter live.”
6
TWO BIG THINGS HERE — 1.
This is the maniacal and diabolical influence
of Satan prophesied of in Genesis 3 — there will be enmity between the
seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The god of this world was
at work through pagan Egyptian culture in an attempt to perpetrate
genocide to eliminate the blood line of the Messiah. 2.
Pharaoh was
declaring a war on the worship of the God of Israel. Those who worshipped
the God of Abraham were commanded to throw their male children in to the
Nile that was worshipped as god.
After centuries of slavery, they cry out to God for deliverance. In Exodus 2
God said that He heard, He saw, and He knew about their sufferings. THAT
is the God we worship! The God who sees our affliction, hears our cries,
and knows our plight!
God raises up a guy named Moses — the Great Deliverer. We're going to
learn about him in the next several weeks because he is the guy who wrote
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
In the margin of Exodus 2 write Acts 7 and Hebrews 11. In Acts 7 the first
Christian to die because of his faith in Jesus gives to us some of the
history of Moses, and Hebrews 11:23-27 tells us about of the faith of Moses
and his parents.
Exodus 2
1Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite
woman.
We find out in Exodus 6 that their names are Amram and Jochebed.
2The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he
was a fine child, she hid him three months.
As we see the world getting more and more spiritually and morally dark
people wonder, “Should we have children?” This couple speaks to that
dilema! Amram and Jochebed had a child in a radically bleak and dark
time — and that child was used by God to lead a nation out of bondage
and death.
7
So the man God would use to lead the descendants of Abraham out of
bondage and death and into the land of promise has been born. God not
only saves this little guys life — he miraculously places Moses in the
palace of Pharaoh where he is raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
but was nursed by his own mother. Amazing! This is the way our God
works! At the front of all this Pharaoh said, “Come, let us deal shrewdly with
them.” But he ends up paying Moses’ mother to nurse him and then raises
the deliverer of the Israelites in his own house.
EXODUS 2-4 — highlight the upbringing of Moses in the land of
Egypt.
The man who was going to be used by God to lead the nation of Israel out
of Egypt was going to get the greatest education and training while growing
up in the house of Pharaoh.
He grew up in an academic setting in which they made a pretty good
estimation of the distance from the earth to the sun (93 million miles).
There was a famous University called the Temple of the Sun, sort of like
the modern day Harvard University. Egypt was also known for its
architecture, especially the great Pyramids. At least 80 pyramids were built
by the Egyptians. They say that it took 100,000 slaves and 30 years to
build the Great Pyramid in Giza (482 feet tall).
Again — Pharaoh was giving the greatest education in the world to the
man who would lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.
On top of that, Moses lives in the palace of Pharaoh as the adopted
grandson of Pharaoh, which would make Moses — and this is important —
the next in line to be Pharaoh.
I say all of that to shed light on Hebrews 11:24-26
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of
God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the
8
reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was
looking to the reward.
One day (Exodus 2:11), the prince of Egypt saw an Egyptian beating a
Hebrew man. Moses looked one way, he looked the other way,
(unfortunately he didn’t look up), and he killed the Egyptian. The New
Testament tells us that Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize
that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t. (Acts 7:25). The next
day he saw two Hebrews fighting each other. Moses said, "Brothers, why
are you fighting?" And one of them said, "What - are you going to kill us like
you did the Egyptian yesterday?" Moses knew that Pharaoh would find out
that he was in reality a Hebrew who killed an Egyptian. So he flees; he runs
away and he goes way out in the middle of nowhere.
That is the first third of the biography of Moses. His life divides into three 40
year sections. He spent his first 40 years becoming a somebody. He spent
his second 40 years becoming a nobody. He spent his last 40 years
serving everybody
He spent the middle 40 years in Midian — where he would tend sheep on
the backside of the desert (KLV). That 40 years was a MANDATORY
course.
DON'T MISS THIS — That middle period in the life of Moses is a crucial
bit of road on Route 66. It’s a place every believer needs frequent and
apply in those times when you feel like you are in the backside of the
desert. The middle 40 years in the life of Moses speak powerfully to the
unexpected turns in life — the ones that leave us seemingly in the middle
of nowhere.
Moses had taken a lot of electives in the universities in Egypt. He learned
about military and science and culture. But he would spend the next 40
years becoming a nobody — a nobody for SOMEBODY! God was
determined to build a man. God knew that as a man Moses would need to
be broken for the task that was before him — a task he had no idea was
before him until what appeared to be another day on the backside of the
desert..
9
But those who would serve God face the school of God. The courses are
MANDATORY. You don't choose them — you find yourself in the middle of
them. And in that school is where you learn to be alone with God. The
backside of the desert serves God's purposes in shaping us and preparing
us for his use
IN EXODUS 3 — God reveals Himself to Moses.
verse 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire
out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was
burning, yet it was not consumed.
The word bush in Hebrew = a thorny bush. Amazingly, the God of glory
revealed Himself to Moses in a twisted, thorny bush.
This is a huge insight into the character of God and the ways of God. God
chooses to reveal His holiness and glory in a simple bush thatis essentially
the icon of the fall and the curse!
I know that I am like a thorny bush. I don't have it together. I'm not a
glorious cedar... a mighty oak. God has chosen to reveal His POWER, His
GLORY, His WORD through thorny bushes because it brings ALL of the
glory to God. When God uses YOU and ME, thorny twisted little bushes
that we are, each of us bearing the mark of the fall, people have to say, “It’s
the Lord!"
In the life of Moses — in this burning bush — we learn that it pleases God
to use human instruments! When God raised Lazarus from the dead,
Lazarus came out of the tomb encumbered by his grave clothes. Jesus
commanded His disciples to unwind the burial cloth — "I have brought him
back to life, but I want YOU to unwind him " Jesus is the One who brings
us to life. But then He looks at us and says, "I want you to unwind each
other from the grave clothes of the world — I brought LIFE and I want to
use you to bring LIBERATION." "I want to use YOU, and I will get the glory
from it."
10
As God speaks to Moses from the burning bush, He sets forth His plan and
calls Moses to be a part of it.
Exodus 3:10 KJV Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel
out of Egypt.
Come now — NOW was the time. There is an APPOINTED end to the
bondage of the Israelites.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
I will send you .... that you may bring forth my people — God's method is
to use human vessels.
Again — we need to know this exit on Route 66. The life of Moses is set
before us to learn God's ways. In much of modern church culture there is a
great preoccupation methodology. But that is not the concern of God. God
is interested in men and women. God works through people, not
programs. He is interested in men, not methodology.
At one point Moses asks, Who am I that you should send me. God
essentially replies by saying — Who you are is not the issue. The issue is
Who I AM. The issue is that I will be with you.
THAT is so radical in light of the Great Commission. Jesus said Go into all
the earth. I don't know about you, but I feel a lot like Moses in the face of
such a mission. But in the next verse Jesus said: I am with you. That is
ALWAYS the issue. God is saying - It does NOT matter who YOU are
What matters is who I am — and I will be with you
verses 13-14 13
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of
Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’
and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14
God
said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people
of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
11
There is profound theology here! Moses may have thought, "I am what?"
His name means that He is the becoming One.
HERE’S THE DEAL — God becomes to us everything that we desperately
need. He becomes our righteousness. He becomes our peace. He
becomes our healer. He becomes our salvation (That’s what the very name
of Jesus means.)
This name of God is also crucial to the identity of Jesus. When he was
being examined by the Pharisees Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am”
and they took up stones to kill Him because they knew that Jesus was
claiming to be God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. When
Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemene they asked, Are
you Jesus of Nazareth? He answered, Ego Eimi..... I AM..... And they fell
backward.
SO MUCH in this chapter! For times sake we move on!
Exodus 3 marks the end of the second 40 years spent in the desert and
begins the last 40 years.
IN EXODUS 4 — We are given a great insight into the work of God
and the heart of unbelieving man. As Moses was returning to Egypt God
lets Moses know that Pharaoh was going to fight against God.
Verses 21 “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before
Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will
harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
In Pharaoh’s response to God we have an incredible illustration and
explanation of Romans 8:7
KJV Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be
Unbelieving man is at war with God. In the Book of Exodus there are 14
references to Pharaoh's heart being hardened. Seven times we’re told that
God hardened his heart. Seven times were’ told that Pharaoh hardened his
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heart. Pharaoh hardened his own heart in response to the Revelation of
God’s power that proved the gods of Egypt to be false. He hardened his
heart to the Word of God.
Having said that — it was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart. It was
God’s power, God’s character, God’s Word that hardened Pharaoh’s heart;
in the same way that God’s power — God’s character and God’s Word
softens another heart.
You can put clay and wax in the sun. The same influence of the sun will
harden the one and melt the other. We see this on display in the Gospels.
The words and miracles of Christ won the hearts of many. But these SAME
words and miracles HARDENED the hearts of the Pharisees. They
responded by wanting to kill Jesus rather than follow Jesus.
In Pharaoh we learn that if a man wants to harden his heart against God,
God will ratify that hardness of heart
HERE’S THE DEAL — We need to know our way around the book of
Exodus because it is filled with insights into the heart of man — into the
world that is organizing itself without God and against God.
IN EXODUS 5-11 — We see the showdown
Seven times in these chapters, God says to Pharaoh, “Let my people go!”
(See 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3.) The command, and God’s insistence,
informs us about Israel’s condition and God’s desires for Israel! Israel was
in bondage, but God wanted them to be free so they might serve Him. All of
that is a powerful picture of fallen man: Enslavement to the world, the flesh
and the devil (Eph. 2:1–3). God desires to set us free from the power of sin
and Satan and from the penalty of sin so that we can have a
RELATIONSHIP with Him. The Gospel in Exodus!
Exodus 5
verses 1-2 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh,
“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they
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may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2But Pharaoh said, “Who is
the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?
In the ancient Egyptian Civilization Pharaoh was looked upon as deity.
Pharaoh considered himself to be a god, and he didn’t like the idea of
having any competition from this God of the Hebrews.
This, by the way, is a very ACCURATE PICTURE of fallen man throughout
the centuries. Fallen man has set himself up as God and the very thought
of surrendering the control of his life is inconceivable. Everything BEGINS
and ENDS with man. The collection of men and women organizing
themselves without God and against God has no respect for God or for
God’s Word.
2 …. I do not know the Lord,
It is only the person who truly KNOWS the Lord who sees a reason to
OBEY the Lord. In light of the price that God paid to forgive them they
believe that it is only reasonable to WORSHIP and OBEY Him.
2 …. I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
This is so relevant to us as we try to understand the world around us —
and understand our own hearts.
The Israelites were being used by Pharaoh to establish monuments and
build cities for his own glory. If he obeyed God he would lose his labor
supply and thus his PET PROJECTS would come to a close
Paraphrase: I don't know the Lord, neither will I let them go lest my pet
project be derailed
People choose to ignore God, disobey God today for the same reasons as
Pharaoh. They DON'T want their pet projects derailed. They DON'T want to
answer to any one else for the direction of their lives. So, like Pharaoh they
say I don't know the Lord and neither will I Let my pet project go
These chapters in Exodus are crucial — because they answer Pharaoh’s
question of “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?
14
The True and Living God will show Pharaoh who He really is. He will do it
by way of 10 plagues.
WHO is the Lord? He is the CREATOR of life - He can create life out of
the dust
WHO is the Lord? He is the God who can separate between those who
are His people and those who are NOT His people
He is the God who is FAITHFUL to His own
Darkness covers the Egyptians.... But the Israelites have light
Flies are everywhere in the houses of Egypt..... But not in the homes of
His people
Over and over again He proves that He is the God who can distinguish
between those who serve Him and those who don't.
From Exodus 7 through Exodus 10 there were 9 Plagues.
1. Water turned to blood, 7:14–25
2. Plague of Frogs, 8:1–15
3. Plague of Lice, 8:16–19
4. Plague of Flies, 8:20–24
5. Plague on cattle, 9:1–7
6. Plague of Boils on the people, 9:8–12
7. Plague of Hail, fire, 9:13–35
8. Plague of Locusts, 10:1–20
9. Plague of darkness, 10:21–23
Most people think about these plagues pretty much in terms of how many
and how radical they are; especially the generation who grew up thinking
that Moses was really Charlton Heston. They think of the plagues merely
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in terms of God’s judgment on Egypt for enslaving the descendants of
Abraham; or merely as God strong arming Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.
Above all — these plagues were tailor made judgments designed to attack
the false belief system and false gods of Egypt.
Exodus 12:12 ….on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am
the Lord.
The Nile River was worshiped as a god since it was their source of life
(Deut. 11:10–12), and when Moses turned it into blood, God showed His
power over the river. The goddess Heqt was pictured as a frog, the
Egyptian symbol of resurrection. The plague of frogs certainly turned the
people against Heqt! The lice and flies brought defilement to the people—a
terrible blow, for Egyptians could not worship their gods unless they were
spotlessly clean. The murrain attacked the cattle which were sacred to the
Egyptians; Hathor was the “cow-goddess” and Apis was the sacred bull.
The gods and goddesses that controlled health and safety were attacked in
the plagues of boils, hail, and locusts. The plague of darkness was the
most serious, since Egypt worshiped the sun god, Ra, the chief of the
gods. When the sun was blotted out for three days, it meant that Jehovah
had conquered Ra. The final plague (the death of the firstborn) conquered
Meskhemit the goddess of birth, and Hathor, her companion, both of whom
were supposed to watch over the firstborn. All of these plagues made it
clear that the God of Abraham was the true God!
Pharaoh asked, WHO is Jehovah? Upon the plague of hail Moses said to
Pharaoh (Exodus 9:29 Paraphrase) That you might know that the earth is
Jehovah's He will make it hail in the most unlikely place - That you might
know that the earth is Jehovah's He will stop the hail.
In the midst of these plagues Pharaoh wanted relief from the plagues but
he didn't want to release the Jews, so he presented Moses with a number
of compromises.
His first proposition (8:25): Worship God but don't leave Egypt. The picture
— Okay, be a Christian but don't turn your back on the world system that is
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organizing itself without God and against God. Second proposition (8:28): If
you must go, don't go far. The picture — If you must worship Jesus, don't
be a fanatic about Him. Third proposition (10:7-11): Only let the men go
worship. The picture — If you must worship Jesus don't involve your family.
Don't force your Jesus on your kids. Don't worry about the salvation of your
kids. Don't teach them about worship. Don't teach them how to THINK
about God and relate to God. A lot of parents have left their kids in Egypt!
The fourth proposition (10:24-26): Go worship but leave your possessions in
Egypt. The picture — Don't worship the Lord with your possessions. Give
everything to God but your money. This is one of our adversary’s most
clever compromises. The point is to get you to serve two masters — the
point is for our treasures to remain “in Egypt” because where our treasure
is is where our heart will be.
IN EXODUS 11-12 — we are introduced to the 10th plague: Death of
the firstborn and we see the PASSOVER and the OUTGOING
QUESTION — Have you ever wondered, Why 10 plagues? Why didn’t 9
get the job done? Here’s the answer: Exposing false gods for what they is
important — but that alone cannot save. Salvation is only possible through
the death of Jesus, the lamb of God.
PASSOVER AND THE OUTGOING
Exodus 12:1 1The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2“This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the
first month of the year for you.
Something so POWERFUL, so WONDERFUL, was going to happen that
they would measure time by it - set their calendars by it!
HERE’S THE PICTURE — Something so POWERFUL, and so
WONDERFUL happens when the blood of Jesus is applied to your life -
(deliverance from the power and penalty of sin) - that it brings about a
NEW BEGINNING.
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2 Corinthians 5.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new.
I’m 62 years old — but life BEGAN for me on Dec. 31, 1973.
Exodus 12 is so huge. The term BORN AGAIN takes on wonderful and
fresh light for us in Exodus 12. We should be so thankful for that because
we need a NEW BEGINNING.
Exodus 12:3-5 3Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day
of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’
houses, a lamb for a household. 4And if the household is too small for
a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the
number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make
your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a
year old. 6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their
lambs at twilight.
“The New is in the Old Contained.” This is ALL about Jesus.
1 Corinthians 5:7 For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Rev. 13.8 speaks of Jesus as THE Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.
John the Baptist would say “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world! John 1.29
7“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it….. 11
….It is
the Lord’s Passover. 12
For I will pass through the land of Egypt that
night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man
and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am
the Lord.
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Verse 22 tells us that they were to slay the lamb in the basin, the little ditch
at the threshold of the door. They were to put the blood on the two door
posts, the uprights. And then on the lentil, over the door. And in so doing
you have a beautiful picture of 2 crosses with THE LAMB SLAIN in the
center.
What an awesome PICTURE of Golgotha — where Jesus, the Lamb of
God, was crucified between two criminals.
13The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And
when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall
you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
THE BLOOD — Nothing else would save!
They weren’t saved because they were related to Abraham — they were
only saved because the blood of an innocent lamb was shed. If you were
Jewish, and you put blood on the doorposts, but you stayed outside of the
house, you'd die. There would be no “token” believers — you had to literally
be all in concerning God’s way of salvation.
2 Timothy 2.19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having
this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,”
The Gospel tells us that when we believe with our hearts on the Lord Jesus
that the Lord sees the Blood of Jesus applied to our lives. NOT our failures
- NOT our good works (or lack of them) ALL that He sees is THE BLOOD!
We’re going to put our foot down on the accelerator so we can arrive at our
destination for tonight.
THE REMAINDER OF EXODUS 12 and ALL OF
EXODUS 13 — give us the account of the outgoing!
God has judged the gods of Egypt. He has delivered the Israelites from
bondage and death in Egypt by way of the shed blood of a spotless lamb.
Leaving Egypt they began the long awaited journey toward the Promised
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Land. It is an eleven day journey. They won't arrive until 40 years later.
Why was that? The Lord got the Israelites out of Egypt in ONE DAY — But
it was going to take Him 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites
So they are about to head off to the Red Sea, then Mara and Elim, then to
the Wilderness of Sin and to Rephadim and to Sinai. And in each of their
encampments there is a lesson to learn!
That’s what lies before us in our next road trip. But we have to see
something at the close of Exodus 13 that is so awesome about God!
Exodus 13:21-22 21
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of
cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to
give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22
The pillar
of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from
before the people.
God wanted them to know that He didn't get them out of Egypt an abandon
them. He wanted them to know that He was going to be present with them
step by step into the land of promise. He would lead them. He would cover
them. He would be a light for them. Psalm 105 tells us that He spread a
cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
Whatever HARSHNESS they experienced was UNDER the governing
hand of God. They experience only the amount of heat that God
PERMITTED. They NEVER experienced the full brunt of the heat of the
wilderness.
God never left them without light and heat at night It is estimated that a
camp of 2.5 - 3.0 million people would be about 700 sq. miles of land. So
imagine how BIG this pillar of fire must have been to enable them to march
in the middle of a desert night! That is a lot of light!
All of that tells us the heart of God for you and me. He not only saved us
from bondage — He saved us to relationship with Him. As we live between
the already and the not yet He is ALWAYS with us! Whatever
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HARSHNESS we experienced is under the governing hand of God. We will
only and always experience the heat of trial and adversity that God permits.
We don’t have the cloud by day and fire by night. But He has given to us
HIS WORD and He has given to us HIS SPIRIT. We are NEVER alone
when we are in the wilderness. We have a guide. We are not without
comfort and covering. However difficult our circumstances are He has NO
DESIRE that we be disheartened!
IN EXODUS 14 — We have the crossing of the Red Sea.
1Then the Lord said to Moses,
2“Tell the people of Israel to turn back
and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in
front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
Pharaoh is going to have a change of mind and will come in pursuit of the
Israelites (Josephus - 50,000 horsemen / 200,000 footmen). Pharaoh is
going to find them trapped in a box canyon. God could have simply said —
The Israelites were in a box canyon. But He was very careful to give us the
exact location of the Israelites.
God wants us to know that He knew exactly where they were camped. He
wants us to know that He knows where we are camped. He knows how to
contact us — reach us and rescue us.
By the way — He also knew that the Egyptians were going to think that
Israelites were TRAPPED. But we discover that it was the Egyptians were
the ones who were going to be trapped. They don’t know that — and
neither do the Israelites.
WHY is this section of road so important for us to know?
10When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes,
and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared
greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.
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WE are made of the same stuff they were. Lord. Where’s Your love? I got
saved last week! I trusted in the Blood of the Lamb! I was so excited and
now my whole life is falling apart! I don’t understand!
They turned on Moses — Did they run out of graves in Egypt so you had to
bring us here to die? Like you and me — their real complaint wasn’t with
Moses. It is with God. It wasn’t as if Moses didn't read the map or his GPS
broke. GOD was leading them! Unlike you and me — They hadn’t read
EXODUS 14. They hadn’t seen the movies.
The response of Moses is huge —
13And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the
salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the
Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14
The Lord
will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY HUGE — Moses had NO CLUE as to HOW this
deliverance would be accomplished. But he understood how valuable the
Israelites were to God on the basis of how great a redemption God
accomplished for them
He didn’t get lost in what he didn’t know — He resorted to what he did
know.
God parts the Red Sea.
22And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry
ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on
their left. 23
The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the
midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his
horsemen. 24
And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and
of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian
forces into a panic…… 28
The waters returned and covered the
chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had
followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.
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BIG STUFF FOR US here in Exodus! The place in which they were
TRAPPED was the very place where they would learn just how much God
VALUES His children. The place where they were trapped teaches us that
things aren't always as they seem. The Israelites said, "We've had it!"
Moses said: "NO! They've had it" The Israelites said: "We're trapped!"
Moses said: "NO! They're trapped" The armies of Pharaoh looked like the
SURE victors, but it was the Israelites who lived and the Egyptians who
perished.
We see GOD'S PLACE in the life of His children. He will go BEFORE us.
He will make a way through the Red Sea. He will go BEHIND us. He will
protect us from the enemy. He will PRESERVE us. In the heat of the most
fiery trial He will shield us. In the midst of our darkest and coldest trials He
will light our way, and He will warm us
On the other side of the Red Sea there was no shortage of grumbling.
IN EXODUS 15 — they came to a place named Marah because the
water there was bitter. The people were thirsty. They found water. But they
were disappointed when they found it undrinkable. Their response was
much like ours when we are faced with bitter, disappointing situations.
NLT — 24
Then the people complained and turned against Moses.
“What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25
So Moses cried out
to the LORD for help
Here’s a familiar patter — the people grumbled against Moses — Moses
would cry out to the Lord! Great example for us to follow (parents, those
serving the Lord).
KJV — 25
….and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had
cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet:
I love this — here is God’s remedy for bitterness! Perhaps you've been
wronged by a brother or sister. That bitterness can be SWEETENED when
you put God’s tree into that bitter situation — bring the cross into that
relationship; remembering that Jesus loves that person as much as He
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loves you. On the cross Jesus cried: Father forgive them, for they know not
what they do. Jesus is just as committed to that individual as He is to you
and me. As you begin to see Jesus as having DIED for that brother or
sister because of His tremendous LOVE for that person, you will find that
your bitterness begins to dissipate
In Exodus 15:27 they arrive at a place called Elim, an oasis. Great picture
of how love in your heart for a person who wronged you is like an oasis.
Some never get to Elim because they are stuck at Mara — stuck in
bitterness!
IN EXODUS 16 — they reach the Wilderness of Sin and God gives
them heavenly food for the journey. They would find it on the ground every
morning. God told them that they could only gather enough for that day.
That manna is a picture of Jesus — our daily bread.
IN EXODUS 17 — they arrive at Rephidim. Once again they were
desperate for water. Their response was pretty much the same as their
response at Mara. God had proved that He was able to provide water and
food for them, so why were they quarreling with Moses? Because their
hearts were still in Egypt! Again — one day to get them out of Egypt, but 40
years to get Egypt out of them.
Exodus 17:6 you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it,
and the people will drink.”
The rock is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ who was struck for us on the
cross (1 Cor. 10:4).
IN EXODUS 18 — they are attacked by the Amalekites. In the book of
Deuteronomy we’re told that they attacked them when they were
exhausted and weary, and they struck down those who were straggling
behind.
There’s a huge lesson for us here. Israel’s great victory over Amalek
involved three elements: Joshua and his army would trust God and fight,
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Moses and his associates would trust God and intercede, and God would
do the rest.