EXODUS 4

The conversation God is having with Moses continues:

Exodus 4 New King James Version

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, “The Lord has not appeared to you.”

1. It was not wrong for Moses to initially ask, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” Exodus 3:11; this was a logical question considering how great the task was. Yet God answered this question more than adequately in Exodus 3:12:“I will certainly be with you”. After that point, and in this passage, Moses’ questions show unbelief more than sincere seeking. God said, “They will heed your voice.” When Moses made this protest, he may as well have said, “But what if you are wrong, God?”
2. “We are ever prone, when God is calling us to some high service, to say ‘But,’ and thus to introduce our statement of the difficulties as we see them.”

2   So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”                                            He said, “A rod.”

• This reflects a precious principle regarding how God uses people. God used what Moses had in his hand. Moses’s years of tending sheep were not useless. Those years put in Moses’ hand things he could use for God’s glory. Notice, God didn’t use the golden scepter in Moses’ royal hand when he lived in Egypt; He used the simple shepherd’s staff instead.

• God likes to use what is in our hand:
• God used what was in Shamgar’s hand (Judges 3:31).
• God used what was in David’s hand (1 Samuel 17:49).
• God used a jawbone of a donkey in Samson’s hand (Judges 15:15).
• God used five loaves and two fish in the hand of a little boy                         (John 6:9).

EXODUS 4:3-6

3   And He said, “Cast it on the ground.”  So, he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 

• This rod of Moses would part the Red Sea. It would strike a rock and see water pour forth. It would be raised over battle until Israel won. It would be called the rod of God (Exodus 4:20 and 17:9). It became a serpent: Not only did Moses’ rod become like a snake; it became a real snake that was frightening enough to Moses that he ran from it.

4   Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 

• God said reach out your hand and take it by the tail: We see the faith of Moses when he reached out to grab the snake when God commanded him to. The tail is the most dangerous place to grab a snake; yet Moses was unharmed.
• In this little incident, Moses learned how to do what God told him to do even when it was uncomfortable.

God continues to say, “do this”:

5   “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

EXODUS 4:6-8

6   Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 

7   And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 

8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 

• Each of the first two signs had to do with transformation. Something good and useful (a rod or a hand) was made into something evil (a serpent or a leprous hand), and significantly, they were then transformed back again.
• There was a real message in the first two signs. The first said, “Moses, if you obey Me, your enemies will be made powerless.” The second said “Moses, if you obey Me, your impurity can be made pure.” Doubts in each of these areas probably hindered Moses, and before those signs spoke to anyone else, they spoke to Moses. This is the pattern with all God’s leaders.
• “The Hebrew word for leprosy covered a number of assorted diseases, including our word for ‘cancer’.” (Kaiser)

EXODUS 4:9-10

9   And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”

This sign is different:

• The third sign was a sign of judgment. Good, pure waters were made foul and bloody by the hand of God and it did not turn back again. This showed that if the miracles of transformation did not turn the hearts of the people, then perhaps the sign of judgment would. If they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice shows that the sign of judgment was only given when unbelief persisted in the face of the miracles of transformation right before them.

10   Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

• After these remarkably persuasive signs, Moses still objected to God’s call. Moses revealed that he was not confident in his ability to speak, slow of speech is literally “heavy of mouth.” It could be that he stuttered.
• It seems that Moses’ excuse was not justified. Clearly, 40 years before this Moses was not slow of speech and slow of tongue.                                  Acts 7:22 says Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.

EXODUS 4:11-12

11   So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind?  Have not I, the Lord? 

• The fact that Moses believed that he was not eloquent is completely beside the point. The God who created the most eloquent mouths who ever lived was on his side. Who made man’s mouth or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind?  Have not I, the LORD: This is a dramatic statement revealing the sovereignty of God, and God revealed it in the context of an invitation to trust God and to work with Him.
• There is not the slightest sense of fatalism in this declaration of God’s sovereignty. It is never, “God is so mighty we can’t do anything,” but it is always “God is so mighty, He can work through us if we make ourselves available.”   Are you available?
• He makes the mute, the deaf… the blind: Some think this is cruel of God. Nevertheless, the point here was not to analyze the origin of evil, but to show that God is so mighty that He can even call the mute, deaf, and blind to do His work. Moses’ perceived inadequacies didn’t matter at all.
• If Moses was a poor speaker, was this news to God? Does God have trouble keeping track of who is deaf, who is blind, and who is mute? Does Moses really think God made a mistake?
• If Moses was a poor speaker, it didn’t matter — the mighty God said, “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” By extension, God is sufficient for us, no matter what real or imagined inadequacies we have.

12   Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

EXODUS 4:13-17

13   But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

• Finally, Moses was done with excuses and showed the real state of his heart. Simply, he would much rather that God send someone else. His problem wasn’t really a lack of ability; it was a lack of willingness.

14   So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?  I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 

• God was not angry when Moses asked, “Who am I?”(Exodus 3:11).
•  He was not angry when Moses asked, “Who should I say sent me?”(Exodus 3:13). 
• He was not angry when Moses disbelieved God’s Word and said, “Suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice”(Exodus 4:1). 
• He was not even angry when Moses falsely claimed that he was not and had never been eloquent in speech. (Exodus 4:10) 
• But God was angry when Moses was just plain unwilling.

There may be a hundred understandable reasons why Moses was unwilling, some of them making a lot of sense. Perhaps Moses really wanted to serve but was unwilling because of past rejection. Nevertheless, the basic truth was that Moses was unwilling, not unable.

15   Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 

• When God brought Aaron to help lead with Moses, it was an expression of His chastening to Moses, not of His approval or giving in to Moses. Aaron was going to be more of a problem to Moses than help.

Aaron turned out to be a source of problems for Moses. Aaron instigated the worship of the golden calf, fashioning the calf himself and building the altar himself (Exodus 32:1-6). Aaron’s sons blasphemed God with impure offerings (Leviticus 10:1-7). At one time, Aaron openly led a mutiny against Moses (Numbers 12:1-8).

• As these episodes unfolded, Moses surely looked back at why the LORD gave Aaron to Moses as a partner —why?  because I believe God was angry at Moses’ unwillingness.

16   So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 

• Aaron wasn’t God’s spokesman; he was the spokesman of Moses. God doesn’t need leaders like this. It isn’t God’s way to have a man minister as a smooth talker and not be qualified for leadership. God wants to combine the offices of “talker” and “leader.”

17   And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Goes to Egypt. EXODUS 4:18

18   So, Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”                                                                     And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

• So Moses went: When the fire faded from the burning bush and when the voice of God was silent across the desert, now it was on Moses to obey, and to do what God told him to do. More than one person has had a spectacular burning bush type experience and then gone on to live as if nothing really happened.
• Did Moses have any idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to take the LORD’s call? (nope)
• Could he see the Egyptian army closing in, and God parting the Red Sea through Moses’ hand? (nope)
• Could he see the song of victory, the water from the rock, the manna from heaven, the battles won through prayer? 
• Could he see the vision of God on Mount Sinai, the voice of God from heaven, the tablets of stone, the golden calf? 
• Could he see the tabernacle built, the priests consecrated? 
• Could he see the spies sent forth into Canaan, the response of unbelief, and a thirty-eight-year sentence to wander the wilderness? 
• Could he see a lonely climb to the top of Mount Pisgah, where he would die looking out over the land of promise? 
• Could he see the honor of standing beside the LORD on the Mount of Transfiguration? 

Did Moses have any idea what he was getting into? (not at all)

EXODUS 4:19-24

19   Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” 

20   Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21   And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 

22   Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 

23   So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. “But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” 

• These next verses are some of the most obscure and misunderstood verses in all of the Bible. Remember, we believe Moses is the author of the book of Exodus, and I believe God instructed him to include this next verse. But for Moses, this was a very personal moment, and he didn’t want to give us much information.

Exodus 4:24

24   And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 

• But before Moses could deliver any message, he had to learn obedience in himself. He had failed in many ways, one was to circumcise his own sons (Gershom or Eliezer), possibly because of Zipporah’s opposition. When God threatened to kill Moses, perhaps by a serious illness, Zipporah angrily circumcised the son and secured her husband’s release. She called him a “husband (or ‘bridegroom,’ NASB) of blood.” 
• This incident, plus Zipporah’s apparent lack of faith in the Lord, may have been the reason why Moses sent Zipporah home to her father with her two sons.

EXODUS 4:25-31

25   Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 

26   So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.

• Perhaps Zipporah objected to the rite of circumcision. She was not an Israelite and may have thought it a barbaric custom. Perhaps this was why God held Moses accountable (for not doing what was right, even though his wife didn’t like it). Many scholars believe God had struck Moses with an illness and disabled Moses so that Zipporah had to perform the circumcision itself.
• Some wonder why Moses’ wife seems so bitter here. Perhaps for the first time she recognized the serious nature of her husband’s call and how important it was for their whole family to walk in the ways of the LORD.

27   And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So, he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. 

28   So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. 

29   Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 

30   And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 

31   So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

• It happened just as God said. God had promised that they will heed your voice (Exodus 3:18), and the people of Israel did. 

Exodus 3 NKJV Moses at the Burning Bush

1   Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

• I thought Moses’ father-in-law was Reuel? Two names, one person: Most biblical scholars and commentators agree that Reuel and Jethro refer to the same individual, much like a person having a formal name, a nickname, or a second personal name later in life.

Moses shepherds Jethro’s flock and leads them to the back of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God. The Angel of the Lord is going to appear to him from a burning bush that is not consumed by the fire. 

• Moses investigates the bush. God speaks to Moses by name from the bush and tells him to remove his sandals because here is holy ground. He reminds him that He is the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

Fear grips Moses, who hides his face because he cannot look upon God. God’s faithfulness to His people is revealed as He tells Moses that He knows of His people’s oppression by the Egyptians and that He wishes to take them to the land of Canaan, which He has promised to them. 

• God tells Moses that he is to deliver Israelfrom Egypt’s oppression: He will send him to Pharaoh and liberate the children of Israel from Egypt. 
• Moses feebly questions whetherhe is qualified and able to do all this. 
• God assures him that He will be present with him: and that, after leaving Egypt, Moses will serve God on this very mountain of Horeb. 

God tells Moses that his name is ‘I AM WHO I AM’and that he must tell anyone who asks him that ‘I AM’ has sent him. 

• Before Moses starts his task, God foretells what will happen. He is to remind the Israelites of the promise of God to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they will enter the promised land ‘flowing with milk and honey’. 
• He tells him that Pharaoh will resist his request to go for three days into the wilderness to worship God. Ultimately, God will smite Pharaoh to force him to let the people go, after they have found such favor with the Egyptians (the people) that they will give them possessions and riches. It will be as if they will have plundered the Egyptians. God always knows what He is doing!

EXODUS 3:2-6

2   And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 

• Can we just take a minute and think about what this moment was like? Moses is not thinking about God; he was not looking for God. But this was so unusual he had to stop and look. Do you realize we all have a burning bush moment? 

3   Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

• Nothing more than curiosity. It wasn’t just that Moses saw a bush burning; apparently, it is not uncommon for a plant like this to spontaneously ignite out in that desert. Nevertheless, two things were distinctive about that bush:

1. The Angel of the LORD appeared… from the midst of the bush.
2. Though the bush burned, the bush was not consumed.

4   So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”                                              And he said, “Here I am.”

• This was God’s gotcha moment: God didn’t speak to Moses until He had Moses’ attention. Often God’s Word doesn’t touch our heart the way that it might because we don’t give it our attention.
• The burning bush was a spectacular phenomenon that captured Moses’ attention, but it changed nothing until Moses received the Word of God that came to him there, and Moses had to respond. (I didn’t)

5   Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 

• God told Moses to do two things to show special honor to this place because of the immediate presence of God.

1. He told Moses to keep a distance (Do not draw near this place).
2. He commanded Moses to show reverence for God’s presence (Take your sandals off your feet).

• Removing the sandals showed an appropriate humility, because the poorest and most needy have no shoes, and servants usually went barefoot. It also recognized the immediate presence of God. In many cultures, you take off your shoes when you come into someone’s house, and now Moses was in God’s “house,” a place of His immediate presence.
• Moses didn’t see anyone in the burning bush; yet God, in the presence of the Angel of the LORD (Exodus 3:2) was there, calling out to Moses from the midst of the burning bush.

6   Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

• The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: This God revealed Himself to Moses by declaring His relationship to the patriarchs. This reminded Moses that God is the God of the covenant, and His covenant with Israel was still valid and important. This wasn’t a “new God” meeting Moses, but the same God that dealt with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Keeping in mind we don’t know how much Moses knew about this God of his fathers. Egypt wouldn’t teach him about Yahweh, his parents did their best up to 4 years old. But remember, Moses is living with a man called the priest of Midian, a descendant of Abraham.  Jethro was portrayed as a God-fearing and godly man, though he started as a non-Israelite priest of Midian. 
• Most agree that as a descendant of Abraham (through Keturah), Jethro likely retained a knowledge of the true God, even if it was mixed with other cultural elements beforehand.
• In his years in the wilderness of Midian, Moses must have often remembered how he murdered an Egyptian.
• And maybe how proud he was to think he could deliver Israel himself. Moses might have remembered a thousand sins, both real and imagined — now, when God appeared, he responded in a way completely different than he might have 40 years before. When Moses was younger, he thought way too highly of himself, these 40 years as a shepard have humbled Moses.

God’s Commission to Moses EXODUS 3:7-12

7   And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 

• I can see Moses, ya, I’ve been there and I seen that.

8   So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 

• Geographical Identity: God was giving Moses a clear geographical target. He wasn’t speaking about an empty wilderness; He was identifying a specific, inhabited region that the Israelites would re-settle. God will “bring [Israel] up” from Egypt into a new land. The land God intends to bring Israel into was “up” in the sense of being at a generally higher elevation from sea level. But the main implication is that this will be a significant improvement from their state in slavery.

9   Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 

10   Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

• whoa, wait a minute God

11   But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

• 40 years before, Moses thought he knew who he was: he was a prince of Egypt and a Hebrew, God’s chosen instrument to deliver Israel. After forty years of chasing sheep around the desert, Moses didn’t have the same self-sure confidence that he once had.

12   So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

• God’s reply is intended to take Moses’ focus off of himself and on where it should be — on God. Therefore, God never answered the question “Who am I?” Instead, He reminded Moses “I will certainly be with you.”

1. This was a great opportunity for Moses to deal with: “self-esteem” problem, but God ignored the solutions we usually use regarding this “problem.” Moses only had a self-esteem problem when he was too confident in his own ability to deliver Israel.
2. Who am I: This wasn’t the right question; “Who is God?” was the proper question. God’s identity was more important than who Moses was. When we know the God who is with us, we can step forth confidently to do His will.
3. I will certainly be with you: After this, Moses had no right to protest further. From here his objections move from a godly lack of self-reliance to an ungodly lack of faith.

EXODUS 3:13

13   Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

• Rightfully, Moses sensed he needed credentials before the people of Israel. Before, he thought he had the credentials because he was a prince of Egypt. 40 years of tending sheep took away his sense of self-reliance. I believe this was exactly where God wanted Moses to be. We’re no different. As long as I thought I was all that, God was silent in my life. Through circumstances, He brought me to a place where I was humble enough to hear His voice. 

When God revealed Himself to man in the days of the patriarchs it was often associated with a newly revealed name or title for God.

• Abraham, in the encounter with Melchizedek, called on God Most High(Genesis 14:22).
• Abraham later encountered Almighty God(Genesis 17:1).
• Abraham came to know the LORD as Everlasting God(Genesis 21:33), 
• And The-LORD-Will-Provide (Genesis 22:14).
• Hagar encountered You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees(Genesis 16:13).
• Jacob met El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20)and El Bethel (Genesis 35:7).

So if Moses were to come to the elders of Israel as a representative of God, it would be logical for them to wonder, “By what name did He reveal Himself to you?”

EXODUS 3:14-18

14   And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 

• It might seem nonsensical to refer to oneself with the phrase,            “I AM WHO I AM.” Yet it reveals something important about God — that He has no equal.

1. “There is no equivalent for God but God. If you place God on the one side of your symbol of equation (=), there is nothing to put on the other but Himself.” (Meyer)

15   Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 

• In this, God’s name is both an announcement and an introduction: It announces God’s presence, and invites any interested to know Him by experience, to taste and see that the LORD is good.
• I AM: This is a divine title that Jesus took upon Himself often: clearly identifying Himself with the voice from the burning bush. 
• Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins: for if you do not believe that I AM [He], you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)
• Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man:, then you will know that I AM [He], and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28)
• Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”(John 8:58)

16   Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 

• This was a precious promise to Moses. Forty years before, when it seemed that he had everything going for him, the people of Israel rejected him as a deliverer for the nation. Surely, he must be wondering why they would listen to him now, when it seemed he had nothing going for him.

EXODUS 3:17-19

17   and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

• This was totally contrary to what the elders and people of Israel desired. In four hundred years, you set down roots. They probably had no desire to return to the Promised Land; all they wanted was to be made more comfortable in Egypt. I can relate to this, can you? All we want Lord, is to be more comfortable. To have enough to keep the propane full in the winter, we are more concerned about our present comfort than Kingdom business.

18   Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 

• Was this ever God’s intent? 3 days? God presented the smaller request to Pharaoh first so that the request would be as appealing and as easy to accept as possible. He did this so Pharaoh would have no excuse at all for refusing God and hardening his heart. 
• A hardened heart is a spiritual condition where a person becomes stubborn, unfeeling, and continuously refuses to respond to God or to turn away from what you know or think is right.

19   But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 

• God knew this from the beginning. He knew what it would take to move the heart of Pharaoh, and the plagues and calamities to come were engineered for a specific purpose and they were not haphazardly planned.

EXODUS 3:20-22

20   So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 

21   And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 

22   But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So, you shall plunder the Egyptians.

• God promised to arrange things not only to move Pharaoh’s heart, but also to move the heart of the Egyptian people so that when Israel did depart, they would be showered with silver and gold and clothing. This was not stealing or extortion, it was the appropriate wages for the years of forced labor.          What is a Hardened Heart?

Christians tend to think it’s only the ungodly, people like Pharaoh have a hardened heart. Not so. 

• The heart grows like stone, losing tenderness, compassion, and the desire to obey God.
• Spiritual blindness sets in, making a person unable to value the grace of the gospel, unable to forgive or to believe in someone’s forgiveness.
• Rooted in Sin: It develops over time through pride, disobedience, and ongoing rejection of God’s voice.
• The Sun Analogy: Charles Spurgeon noted, the same sun that melts wax also hardens clay; God’s presence and actions reveal what is already inside a person’s heart.

EXODUS 2: The Faith of Moses

Hebrews 11:23                                             New King James Version

23   By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.

• The book of Exodus is a book of faith; God is expanding and increasing their faith. Wait a minute, how can God increase something we didn’t know they had? 

Romans 12:3                                                  New King James Version

3   For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

• This scripture was written some 3000 years after Moses, and it applies to them as well as it does to us. The difference between us and them is that we have the cross in our rear-view mirror, and we have the Bible to instruct and instructors to teach us. This is exactly why Jesus said what He said in Luke 12:48 

Luke 12:48                                                       New King James Version

48   But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. 

Luke 12:48                                                         New Living Translation

48   But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly.                                                        When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Isaiah 5:20                                                    New King James Version

20   Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;                                             Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;                                                        Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

• Pastor, this is no way to start off my Sunday morning; you’re supposed to make me feel good about myself. Sorry, the book of Exodus is going to be challenging and I hope it challenges you. 
• Not just to make you think you’re doing ok: but to realize much more is requiredof us because of all that has been given. Just think on that for a while. 
• So, let’s talk about faith for a little bit. We all have faith, yet some of you will say, “Nope, I don’t have faith in anything”. But you still got into your car and turned a key that’s hooked to a battery that’s connected to a fuel pump of highly explosive fuel, enough to blow you and your neighbors’ car up if something goes wrong, yet you turned the key. 

Ok what’s the big deal? Moses’ mom hides him for a few months; he’s a baby, put a pink bonnet on him, who’s going to know? I’m telling you, this was more serious than we know. We don’t know how long this decree would last or how many babies were actually lost to this decree. 

The Aish Rabbi Replies

• You are right that the Torah is not at all clear on the duration of Pharaoh’s decree. We know it occurred around the time of Moses’s birth – eighty years before the Exodus – but the Torah makes no further mention of it neither earlier nor later. It sounds as if it was a relatively short-term episode, beginning shortly before Moses’s birth because his brother Aaron, three years his elder and it did not seem to have been affected him and ending shortly after. Nevertheless, in that short period, the Egyptian authorities did considerable damage. 
• The Midrash records a debate if altogether 10,000 to 600,000 babies were murdered (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2:15). There is a further opinion in the Midrash that God miraculously rescued many babies from the Nile, even supporting them, unknown to their families.

What is Midrash? Method of Interpretation: It is an ancient rabbinic method used to explore the hidden meanings, deeper layers, and moral lessons within the Hebrew language and the Hebrew Bible.

• What we do know is this; this was a tragic and fearful time. This was a test of faith that I doubt any of us will ever have to face at least to this severity. 
• If we’ve all been given a measure of faith, then how do we increase our faith?

Romans 10:17                                            New King James Version

17   So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

• If you’re ever struggling to understand what you’re reading in your Bible, try reading it out loud, hear it. It’s God’s Word, God is speaking and He said: “let them have ears to hear.” You want more faith? Listen to His Words!! Work it out…
• We need to work out our faith. When you want to develop your mussels you have to work them out, you’re faith is no different, you have to work it out. Reading your Bible, praying, worshiping, asking God to help you and believing He will. Remember the man in the New Testament: “Yes Lord I believe, help me with my unbelief”. This is who we are.

Moses Is Born

Exodus 2:1-2                                                New King James Version

1  And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 

2  So, the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 

• What? This is telling us Moses comes from the family of Levi. Do you remember Israel’s blessing on Simeon and Levi?

Genesis 49:5-7                                               New King James Version

5  “Simeon and Levi are brothers;                                                              Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

6  Let not my soul enter their council;                                                                         Let not my honor be united to their assembly;                                                                    For in their anger they slew a man,                                                                           And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

7  Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;                                                                  And their wrath, for it is cruel!                                                                                   I will divide them in Jacob                                                                                      And scatter them in Israel.

• Simeon and Levi were not to receive the land inheritance. Simeon get absorbed into Judah’s clan and Levi the Levite’s become the priestly family who did not receive a portion of land. They were forgiven.
• We don’t know the names of Moses’ parents until, Exodus 6:20 tells us the names of Moses’ parents: Amram and Jochebed. 

EXODUS 2:3-5

3  But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 

• In a literal sense, Moses’ mother did exactly what Pharaoh said to do: put her son into the river (Exodus 1:22). However, she took care to put him in a waterproofed basket and strategically floated him in the river. I don’t believe there was a lot of guesswork here, but it was a leap of faith.
• But more so, this was a great example of trusting the child’s welfare and future to God alone. 
• When Moses’ mother let go of the boat made of bulrushes, she gave up something precious, trusting that God would take care of it, and perhaps find a way to give it back to her.
• People who trust in the Lord will be afraid from time to time, but their fear of the Lord overcomes their fear of men. Trusting the Lord, they do what is right, even when it means disobeying powerful rulers who command them to do what God forbids.

4  And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

• The text formally names her as Miriam in Exodus 15:20, calling her a prophetess and Aaron’s sister after the Israelites cross the Red Sea.

5  Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 

• Floating along the reeds helped keep the ark from reaching the faster currents at least for the moment.

EXODUS 2:6-10

6   And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So, she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

• In God’s guidance, Pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses. She was conditioned by her culture and upbringing to reject the Hebrews, but the cry of baby Moses melted her heart.

7  Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

• Miriam, using both the clever initiative of Moses’ family and the need of Pharaoh’s daughter, God arranged for Moses’ mother to train him in his early years and be paid for it. The Bible does not state an exact number of years, but scholars and traditions estimate Moses’ mother, Jochebed, trained and nursed him for about 3 to 4 years before he was taken to Pharaoh’s palace
• God rewarded the faith of Moses’ mother, both as she trusted Him in hiding Moses for three months, and also as she trusted God by setting Moses out on the river.
• “No doubt it was in these early years that Moses learned of the ‘God of his fathers’ (Exodus 3:15) and realized that the Hebrews were his fellow countrymen (Exodus 2:11).” (Cole)

8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 

9  Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 

10  And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So, she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

• Being the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses was in the royal family. With an Egyptian name. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus wrote that Moses was heir to the throne of Egypt and that while a young man he led the armies of Egypt in a victorious battle against the Ethiopians.
• But things are about to change. Please remember the process of time. In one verse it’s going to jump 40 years…

EXODUS 2:11-15

11  Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 

• Moses was grown: Acts 7:23 says this happened when Moses was forty years old. Up until then, he was trained and groomed to become the next Pharaoh of Egypt (according to Josephus), all the while aware of his true origins because of his mother.
• Because Moses had a heart filled with sympathy and brotherhood (his brethren) toward his people, he could not stand by while one of his fellow Israelites endured a beating.
• I personally believe there were a few other things going on in Moses’ heart. Remember, he’s a Levite cursed with anger. He’s also an adult and he believed he needed to take a stand plus he expected these Hebrews to see him as their leader. They did not; they saw him as an Egyptian.

12  So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 

• In today’s world, this would be called premeditation. These are the actions of a man who knew what he was about to do was wrong. Moses had several reasons for doing what he did, but his concern to hide what he did shows a troubled conscience.

13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

14  Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So, Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 

• The Bible itself explains some of Moses’ thinking behind this action. Acts 7:23-25 explains that Moses did this to defend and avenge the beaten Israelite, but also with the expectation that his fellow Israelites would recognize him as their deliverer. But they did not.

15   When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

• These guys ratted Moses out. He knew they would; he could see the disgust they had for him.

Moses Flees to Midian, Midian, why there?

• Moses could not flee southward. The “south” was along the Nile River settlements of the Egyptians. These reached all the way to Sudan (Cush), for hundreds of miles. Moses could have been apprehended anywhere along the way, before he reached the safety of Africa’s wilderness, way to the south.
• Moses could not flee “north” up the Palestinian coast because the route from the Delta of the Nile up to Palestine was dotted with Egyptian forts and military regiments! These forts protected Egypt’s northern border. Moses would hesitate to venture north.
• To the “west” was desert land. The major city of Cyrene was best reached by ship, because the desert route would be cumbersome and difficult, unless Moses traveled with a caravan. But that would not facilitate fleeing fast.
• Heading “east” down and across the Sinai desert routes were best for fleeing, and especially ending up across the Gulf of Aqaba in a different country separated by the gulf. 
• A land of isolated shepherds, instead of metropolises where news of Moses’ murder would be communicated, would be ideal for hiding out.

Exodus 2:16-20

16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 

17  Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 

• Finally coming to Midian, Moses met the daughters of a priest of Midian — likely a descendant of one of Abraham’s other children through Keturah named Midian (Genesis 25:1-2).
• Remember women are the lower class and the men shepherds who show up after the ladies just pushed them around. Moses still dressed in his well-tethered Egyptian clothes, with years training in physical defense these guys didn’t stand a chance with Moses; they backed down, and he became the servant of these ladies.  

18  When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

19  And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

20  So, he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”

EXODUS 2:21-25

21  Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 

22  And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”

23  Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 

24  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 

25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

• How did God acknowledge them? 

God acknowledged the Israelites through four distinct, powerful actions described in Exodus 2:24-25. The text uses a progression of verbs to show how God moved from hearing their pain to preparing their rescue:

• He heard their groaning: God did not ignore their cries. Their suffering caught His immediate attention. We must continue to pray; does that show our lack of faith? Nope, remember the story about the widow who kept coming to the king and said Avenge me Luke 18:1-8.            

he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

Jesus goes on to say: 7  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

• He remembered His covenant: This doesn’t mean God forgot. In the Bible, when God “remembers,” it means He is moving to act on a past promise—specifically, His pledge to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to protect their descendants.
• He saw the people: God looked directly at their condition and recognized the injustice of their slavery.
• He knew (or took notice of) them: This is the ultimate form of acknowledgment. God didn’t just know about their trouble from a distance; He intimately felt their pain and chose to personally intervene.

This intense personal acknowledgment serves as the exact spark for the rest of the Exodus story. Immediately after this, God steps into history by speaking to Moses at the burning bush to send him to Pharaoh.

EXODUS 1: Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

Understanding the Timeline Gap from the End of Genesis:                          Genesis 50 concludes with the death of Joseph at the age of 110. 

The Start of Exodus: 

• Exodus 1 opens: after a generation has passed, noting that the Israelites multiplied and a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph.
• The 430-Year Clocks: Scholars look to the biblical mention of 430 years in Exodus 12:40–41. Opinions on this passage differ on whether the 430 years measure the total time from Abraham’s covenant or just the time spent living inside Egypt.
• Common Estimates: Depending on the chronological model used, the literal gap between Joseph’s death and the events of Exodus 1 is typically calculated between 250 and 300 years, while traditional rabbinic literature like the Talmud suggests a much shorter span of about 50 years.
• Remember Joseph was 110 years old: and he was the second youngest of all his brothers, Benjamin being the only younger brother. Many of Joseph’s brothers may have or probably were already dead by the time of Joseph’s death.

The book of exodus, like the other books of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), names no particular author. Early Jewish and Christian tradition, however, affirmed that Moses was the writer. In several places, the book indicates that Moses wrote down God’s instructions (see Exod 17:14; 24:4; 34:27-28). Thus, though the book is formally anonymous, there is every reason to accept the tradition that it was written by the main character in its storyline: Moses. The book also shows how God moved the people of Israel into the wilderness to begin the process of developing them into the nation he wanted them to become. This is a reminder that after deliverance comes development. 

• It is in the wilderness, that Israel (the people) will learn to walk with God, trust Him, and receive their national constitution, the Ten Commandments. These familiar rules are guidelines God gave the Israelites regarding how they were to relate to Him and to each other.

God also gave strict guidelines for constructing the tabernacle and placing it at the very center of the Israelite camp in the wilderness. This was to teach the people that He was to be at the very heart of their worship and their lives. Thus, Exodus is a book about what it means to worship God and keep Him at the center of our lives. 

• These principles are at the heart of kingdom living: And so with that, we have come to the end of our study through the book of Genesis. We have moved from creation to a Garden, and ended in a coffin in Egypt.

But I leave you with this thought…The Hebrew word for “coffin” ‘ārôn (eye-rhone), is the same word for “ark”, as in the ark of the covenant. Joseph was placed in the “’ārôn”, the 10 commandments were placed in the ‘ārôn. So, while the Israelites were wandering in the desert after the Exodus, they carried two shrines with them, one in the coffin(aron) carrying the bones of Joseph, the other in an aron carrying the 10 commandments written by the living God.

• As you have seen, I have given several examples of Joseph as a type, or a model, a foreshadowing of Jesus. 
• And it reminds us that Joseph had faith that he would be brought up out of Egypt to his homeland. That God would fulfill his promise.

My prayer for all of us that we would have faith in Jesus Christ, so that even though we die, because of your faith and trust in him, like Joseph, God will come to us, and take us up out of this land. That after death, we will also be brought into the place promised us, the city and the Heavenly home God has prepared personally for you.

Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

Exodus 1:1-6                                 New King James Version

1  Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

2  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 

3  Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 

4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 

5  All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 

• The first verses of Exodus reach back some 430 years. The story of the Exodus begins where the story of Genesis ends: a large family with a crucial place in God’s plan of the ages and their migration to Egypt.

6  And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 

• Joseph was the remarkable great-grandson of Abraham who saved Egypt — and the world — from terrible famine because he listened to God’s voice speaking through Pharaoh’s dream. Because of his wisdom and administration, he was lifted to high and honored office in Egypt. Yet eventually, Joseph died and the status his family enjoyed died with him.

EXODUS 1:7-9

7  But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

• Genesis 47:27 says, So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. They did indeed multiply exceedingly over the generations — so that the land was filled with them. “The Hebrew language deliberately repeats three verbs used in Genesis 1:21,22 which may be translated ‘were fruitful… swarmed… became numerous’.”(Cole)

8   Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 

9   And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 

• The ancient Egyptians were famous — or infamous — for their proud sense of racial superiority towards all other people. 
• It isn’t surprising to see them afraid and discriminating against this strong minority group in their midst, which looked as if it would not be a minority very long.

EXODUS 10-13

10   come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” 

11   Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 

• In the event of war, they could also join our enemies and fight against us: At the time, the Egyptians feared invasion from the Hittites of the north. If the Hebrews among them joined with the Hittites, it posed a significant threat to their security.

12   But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 

• I love this statement, the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. Tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor!!

13   So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 

• When the children of Israel were set to slave labor they built many of the great cities and monuments in Egypt — though not the pyramids, which were built much earlier. Since we don’t know exactly when this forced labor began, we don’t know how long it lasted. Some estimate slavery lasted 284 years, others 134 years.

EXODUS 1:14

14   And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

• The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew: This was God’s purpose for Israel’s time in Egypt. Egypt served as a mother’s womb for Israel, a place where they rapidly grew from a large clan to a mighty nation.
• Please understand, the nation could not grow this way in Canaan. It was practically impossible to avoid intermarriage with the pagan and wicked inhabitants of Canaan. Egypt was so racially biased and had such an entrenched system of racial separation that Israel could grow there over several centuries without being assimilated.
• This growth in the face of affliction has consistently been the story of God’s people, throughout all ages — the more they are afflicted, the more they grow. As the ancient Christian writer Tertullian said,     “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

Suffering and persecution are like a great wave that comes upon a ship and looks as if it will destroy it; but the ship catches the wave and just uses it to speed along. So, Pharaoh tries a new direction:  

The king of Egypt tries to destroy Israel by ordering the death of all male babies.

EXODUS 1:15-16

15  Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiph-rah and the name of the other Puah; 

16  and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 

• We shouldn’t expect that these two women were the only midwives for all the children of Israel. They were probably the leaders of some association of midwives.“Shiphrah and Puah are two good Semitic names, of an archaic type… meaning something like ‘beauty’ and ‘splendour’ respectively.” (Cole)
• If it is a son, then you shall kill him: The king of Egypt commanded them to kill all the male babies, to utterly weaken and practically destroy the people of Israel within a generation.
• We may see the command of Pharaoh as consistent with Satan’s plan of Jew-hatred through the centuries, as an attack against God’s Messiah and ultimate plan for Israel in His plan of redemption. 

• Satan knew that the Messiah — the Seed of the Woman, the One who would crush his head (Genesis 3:15) — would come from the children of Israel. Therefore, he tried to destroy the whole nation in one generation by ordering all the male children killed.

EXODUS 1:17-19

17  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 

18  So, the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

19  And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.” 

• Thank God the midwives feared God more than man: They probably feared Pharaoh and his power; but they feared God more. 

For them, the choice was clear. The civil government commanded something that was clearly against God’s command. The midwives did the only right thing: they obeyed God rather than men.

• Saving the male children alive: They acted on the same principle as did the persecuted apostles in Acts 4:19, when Peter asked the civil authorities: Whether it is right in the sight of God, to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
• Though generally we are called to obey the government and honor civic rulers (Romans 13:1-5), we are never called to put government in the place of God. Therefore, if the government tells us to do something against God’s will, we are to obey God first.

EXODUS 1:20-22

20  Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 

21  And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

22  So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Have you ever wondered why the boys? Girls have babies, populations grow primarily because of girls having children. 

• Preserving the Workforce: Killing the baby boys removed the military threat, while letting the girls live allowed Egypt to maintain and absorb a captive labor force. Surviving females would eventually have to integrate, (if there were no other men to marry) Egyptians or raise future servants for the kingdom.

Many people assume that the Hebrew midwives lied to Pharaoh when they said this (for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them).”  However, this may not be the case. The midwives may have told the truth, perhaps indeed the Hebrew women were heartier than the Egyptian women, yet the midwives did not explain all the reasons why the babies were spared.

• “This might be no lie, as many suppose, but a truth concerning many of them, and they do not affirm it to be so with all… So here was nothing but truth, though they did not speak the whole truth, which they were not obliged to do.” (Poole)
• We are not told whether the midwives were lying, or whether the quick delivery of ‘Hebrew’ babies was a biological fact… Even if they lied, it is not for their deceit that they are commended, but for their refusal to take infant lives.” (Cole)

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: Even if the midwives deceived Pharaoh, that was not what God blessed; He blessed their godly bravery in obeying God before man.

The people multiplied and grew very mightily: The worse the persecution against God’s plan to multiply the children of Israel in Egypt, the more God made sure His plan succeeded. This is a wonderful example of the goodness and the power of God. Pharaoh said, “less” and God said, “more.” Pharaoh said, “stop” and God said, “go.” If the battle were just between Pharaoh and the people of Israel, Pharaoh would have clearly won. But the real battle included God in the equation, and that changed everything.

• God obviously won this battle; but He won His victory through some courageous individuals who were willing to stand up to the power of Pharaoh and do what was right.
• He provided households for them: This was God’s blessing on the midwives — He enabled them to have children of their own. Usually, midwives held their occupation because they had no children of their own.

Every son who is born you shall cast into the river: Seeing that his plan did not work, Pharaoh made a far more radical command, that all male children should be killed.