All of us at one time or another have heard these words, Let My People Go, either
in song, poetry, or in a movie! Most importantly, these words are found in The Holy
Bible, and they speak of, The GOD of Israel and His people, the Jews!
It all began approximately 3,500 years ago, when the Children of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob were in The Land of Egypt. They found themselves under 'taskmasters'
, even though the children of Jacob had entered The Land of Egypt in good standing
and in much favor with all the Egyptians. The reason for the original good treatment
of the Jewish people, was because of Joseph who was one of the sons of Jacob, who
had established himself as second to the Pharaoh.
Joseph as the most powerful single individual in Egypt, brought his father Jacob and
his brethren into the 'Land of Goshen'. There the Children of Jacob lived in peace
and in prosperity. In Exodus 1:6, we are told that Joseph, as well as all the generation of people that had entered The Land of Egypt originally with Jacob, died. Then a
'new King' arose over Egypt, that 'knew not
Joseph'. When one first reads in Exodus 1:8, that someone, whether King or not, did
not know Joseph, it sounds as if Joseph was not well known! Nothing could be further
from the truth; not only was Joseph well known
in his days, but even today there are stone memorials to his name and fetes in The
Land of Egypt...
In order to better understand the statement in Exodus 1:8 that a 'king' did not know
Joseph, we must read a verse from Isaiah 52:4, "...For thus saith The LORD GOD, My
People went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the 'ASSYRIAN
'
OPPRESSED THEM WITHOUT CAUSE". Did you notice that I underlined the word 'ASSYRIAN'
? Did you notice that it does not say 'EGYPTIAN'? The reason for this is simple; the
'ASSYRIANS' had taken over control of the Egyptians, that is, in their government
structure. It was very much like our system of government today, namely the Democrats
and Republicans. It depends whose in power as to how the government will act and react,
especially to foreign governments. So was the case with the Assyrians controlling
the Land of Egypt, and the people of Egypt. One of the first orders of business
was for the Assyrians to 'defrock' Joseph, that is, not even to recognize that he had even
existed - much like the present day Chinese government in relationship to their former
leader; It's as if he never even existed, much less that he ruled the millions on
top of millions in Red China.
We have further evidence that the 'taskmasters' over the Children of Israel were NOT
Egyptians, but rather Assyrians. In Exodus 1:8-11, "...Now there arose up a new King
over Egypt, which knew NOT JOSEPH.
And he said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel are more
and mightier than we: Come on, let us (The Assyrians)
deal wisely with them (the children of Israel):
lest they (the children of Israel)
multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they (the children of Israel)
join also unto our enemies (the Egyptians),
and fight against us (the Assyrians),
and so get them up out of the Land. Therefore they (the Assyrians)
did set over them (the children of Israel)
taskmasters (the Egyptians)
to afflict them (the children of Israel)
with their (the Assyrians)
burdens."
I would like to bring your attention to several Biblical facts: Please notice that
it is said that the Assyrians recognized that the children of Israel were, "...more and mightier"
than they were! Thus we determine that it could not have been the Egyptians that
were in governmental control, but rather a less powerful people (numerically) within
the Land of Egypt. The Egyptians would never have recognized in simply 'one'
generation from the loins of Jacob, (see: Exodus 1:5), a Nation mightier and more in number
than the Egyptians; On the other hand, the Jewish people had multiplied and were
strong enough, that THE ASSYRIANS would have definitely made such a statement, since
the Assyrians were over the Land of Egypt; controlling it, governing it, and even
usurping it; but nevertheless, though the Assyrians were small in number in Egypt, yet they
were very strong and powerful in Assyria. So strong, that they were able to control
and manipulate the Land and people of Egypt, even from such a far and distant place
as Assyria was to Egypt, as well as the fact that the Assyrians controlled Egypt with
a small force; the Pharaoh and a few henchmen!
Now, we can understand what was meant by the statement that the Assyrians were terrified
that the children of Israel would join the 'Natives' (the Egyptians), and overthrow
the government that was over the Land and people of Egypt, namely, the Assyrians!!! It was under these conditions, only 280 years later, after the 'new King'
over Egypt had risen to power, that MOSES was born. The Prophet Moses was born in
the Land of Egypt, from the tribe of LEVI!
Moses was born in perilous times, in fact at the time of his birth, an edict by the
Pharaoh proclaimed that, "...Every son
that is born ye shall cast into the river." We read in Exodus 2:2, that after the
birth of MOSES, his mother hid him for 3 months, after which she could no longer
hide him, an ark of bulrushes was made for little baby MOSES, and he was placed by
the river's brink. We begin seeing The Sovereign Hand of The LORD in the life of MOSES, as
he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and is brought up in the Kings house as Pharaoh's
daughter's son. The all intriguing aspect of all of this, is that although Pharaoh's
daughter found MOSES, and took him as her own son, he was actually reared and raised
by his own mother. Pharaoh's daughter hired a Hebrew woman to, "...Take this child
away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the
child, and nursed it." (Exodus 2:9). Can you imagine, MOSES's mother having the privilege
of caring for her own son? While at the same time, she was paid a salary to do what
she had been selected of The LORD to do! How different are The Ways of The LORD,
than man's ways! Here we find the birth of baby MOSES, found and cared for by the Pharaoh's
daughter, while at the same time, MOSES's mother actually brings him up, while educating
him as a Jewish boy and reminding him of his position before The LORD, as a Levite! Then we are told, that for 40 years MOSES lived and was educated in the Palace of
the Pharaoh. Can you see the 'plan of action' of The LORD? Not only having Pharaoh's
daughter paying money to MOSES's mother, so that she would raise him, but also, the
much needed training that MOSES received to become a leader of a people. All of this at
the expense and time of Pharaoh himself. It's no wonder we read in Isaiah 55:8-9,
"...For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith The
LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts."
The life of MOSES, from the time of his birth, until the time of his death at one-hundred
and twenty years of age (see: Deuteronomy 34:7), can be divided into three periods!
The three periods of his life are in time spans of 40 years each. The FIRST
40 year period, from his birth to age 40 are recorded in Exodus 2:1-14. The SECOND
40 year period, from 40 through his eightieth birthday are recorded in Exodus 2:15
through Exodus 4:20. The THIRD
40 year period, from the age of 80 till his death at age 120, are recorded in Exodus
4:20 through Deuteronomy 34:12.
It is very interesting to notice that the first forty years of Moses' life is recorded
in 14 verses; while the next forty years accounts for two chapters. The last forty
years of his life are recorded in 4 books! Therefore, we will look into the last
portion of his life, to see the relationship between the JERUSALEM OF GOD
and the beginning of the Jewish Nation.
The LORD GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob appeared unto Moses while he was taking
care of his father-in-Law's flock. (See: Exodus 3:2). He saw a bush that burned with
fire, and yet, 'the bush was not consumed'. What would you have done in a similar
situation? One thing we know for sure, and that is, that Moses was as curious an individual
as you and I! He turned to "see this great sight"
! We read that as soon as The LORD 'saw' that He had gotten Moses' attention, then,
"GOD called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses... ". How
true to life this account is, even, in our very own days! The LORD often times has
to bring into our lives something that will catch our attention even 'throw us for a loop'.
Once The LORD has our complete and undivided attention, then, He will speak to us
and reveal to us His blessed desires for our lives! Moses responded properly by saying, "Here am I". This is the very same thing that The LORD wants of all of his children!
May The LORD grant us strength and wisdom to always, and in all situations, respond
to Him, "Here am I". As The LORD began to reveal to Moses the reason and purpose
for this great and glorious meeting, Moses, as any normal human being would have, begun
to make 'excuses' to The LORD! In Exodus 4:10, we begin reading some of these, "O
my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy
servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." As The LORD finished hearing
what Moses said, without any hesitation of time, He responded thusly: "...And The
LORD said unto him, Who
hath made man's mouth? Or Who
maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I The LORD?" We all
have a tendency to forget, that The Almighty is The One Who created us in the first
place! As we are told in Jeremiah 18:1-6 in relationship to The Sovereignty of GOD,
not only over individuals, but even over Nations! "...The WORD which came to Jeremiah
from The LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will
cause thee to hear My Words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold,
he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand
of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to
make it. Then The WORD of The LORD came to me saying, O House of Israel, cannot I
do with you as this potter? saith The LORD, Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so
are YE IN MINE HAND, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Jeremiah 18:1-6). May The LORD help us all
to understand, that indeed, HE IS THE POTTER
and we are
the clay! He is The Creator, we are the creature! It didn't take long for Moses to
fully understand, Who was in charge! At the age of 80 Moses took his wife and his
sons at The Command of GOD, and returned to The Land of Egypt.
The LORD in commanding Moses to tell Pharaoh, "...Let My People Go",
also said that He (The LORD) would harden Pharaoh's heart, that "...he shall not
let the people go." In Exodus 5, verses 1 and 2, we read of Pharaoh's response to
Moses' plea to, "...Let My People Go." "...And Pharaoh said, Who is The LORD, that
I should obey His Voice to let Israel go? I know not The LORD, neither will I let Israel go."
We see here the clearest declaration of a sinful 'hardened heart'. Pharaoh shows
his true colours as he, despises, disobeys, and disavows The WORD of GOD! The LORD
was not in a game of cat and mouse, neither was He out to simply 'harden' Pharaoh's heart,
but rather, because of HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE, He already knew Pharaoh's response to The
WORD of GOD, even before he was ever confronted! Therefore, The LORD kept reminding
Moses that, although, Pharaoh would be called to task, again and again, his heart would
turn further and further away from THE TRUTH! As a result The LORD brought upon Pharaoh
and his people ten (10) PLAGUES:
1) THE WATERS TURNED INTO BLOOD; 2) FROGS 3) LICE;
4) FLIES; 5) MURRAIN; 6) BOILS; 7) HAIL; 8) LOCUSTS;
9) DARKNESS; 10) DEATH OF ALL FIRST BORN!
Pharaoh being no different than any other individual in respect of, 'LEARNING LESSONS'
of life, he had to not only be shown once, that The Almighty GOD is in charge
but TEN different times!
Was Pharaoh 'harder of heart' than anyone else living in his days? The simple answer
is NO
because whether it were Pharaoh or someone else, whenever man's heart turns away
or rejects GOD's TRUTH, his or her response will always be in the negative towards
GOD. It is exactly the same in our days, that is, when you or I resist, reject, or
repudiate GOD's moral, ethical, or Scriptural law, then we must of necessity, according to
the Justice of The Almighty, go through one or more learning lessons of life.
It is so easy, when we are on the side lines watching someone else go through a learning
process of life, but very difficult, when it becomes a personal, experiential happening
in our very own life. Furthermore, as with Pharaoh long ago, who had to go through '10' very difficult lessons from GOD, and all pointing to the same outcome, "...LET
MY PEOPLE GO." So, we also, sometimes become 'hard of heart' before The LORD, so
that just 'one' learning lesson in order for us to correct our course of life is
not sufficient.
When you read about the confrontation between GOD and Pharaoh, you readily can see
that one of Pharaoh's major problems was that he was 'double-minded'
!!! Let me give you a few examples: after the second plague upon The Land of Egypt,
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "...I will let the people go" (Exodus
8:8). The condition upon which Pharaoh agreed to let the people go was, 'if'
The LORD would take away the 'FROGS' (second plague) from The Land of Egypt and even
from Pharaoh's house. But when Pharaoh saw all The LORD had done 'according' to the
word of Moses, then he 'hardened his heart' even more. Thusly, we see in position
and practice, a DOUBLE MINDED man. Pharaoh had the opportunity to repent, every time The
Hand of The LORD came upon him and his people. In fact, 'nine' different opportunities
were extended to him, even though The LORD had previously announced to Moses, that,
no matter what circumstances were brought into Pharaoh's life, he would not repent,
but become 'harder of heart'. Now, according to The WORD of GOD, the children of
Israel were to be in captivity for four-hundred (400) years in The Land of Egypt,
(see: Genesis 15:13-16). Furthermore, the captors of the Jewish people were to eventually,
be judged of GOD HIMSELF, for their iniquity. The form in which their iniquity would
come to its full extent would be in their oppression of The Seed of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, physical, as well as mental agony, was the form of bondage that was exercised
upon the children of Israel by Pharaoh. Therefore, the '10' plagues brought upon
Pharaoh and the Egyptians encompassed the whole range of suffering that was inflicted
upon Jacob and his children. The process of Justice
seems at times to work very slowly, especially when we either are impatient or already
know the outcome of the situation. This of course happens when we look at things
in general from a human perspective only. Just imagine, from the time that The LORD
GOD covenanted HIMSELF with Abram, a period of over 500 years transpired, between the
actual prophecy to judge Egypt, until it was fulfilled. We have a tendency to forget
that The Almighty GOD is Eternal, thusly, it is hard for us to fully understand His
Eternal purposes.
One thing that we can be assured of, is that what GOD predicts, He also brings it
to pass. Since all things are made by Him, and sustained by Him, He and He alone
has the first and final word on all matters. Wish to GOD that we as believers would
not only understand this, but fully accept it. Putting it into practice in our lives would
be the final step for us in fully acknowledging that He is the Creator and we are
the creature. By understanding, accepting and practicing the above, we will Spiritually
grow much faster and be of better use for our Beloved LORD and SAVIOUR Jesus of Nazareth.
Obviously, since we have some difficulty in the area of waiting, that is, from the
moment that we as children were able to do something on our own, our impatience took
hold of us, and unfortunately, it gradually turned to a lack of being able to wait
on anything and everything. So, with this in mind, it would be nearly impossible
for us to understand that The Almighty GOD would say something on a particular day,
and bring its results to pass '500' years later. But never-the-less, in the midst of our incredulity,
The Spirit of GOD helps our infirmities to believe, believe, and then to believe!
You and I can understand the process of trusting The LORD in a progressive manner;
as we remember the first testing that we went through, and with The LORD by our side
we came out of the time of trial triumphantly. This in turn, increased our faith
and belief, so that when the next testing came around, because our belief in GOD through
faith was sure and stedfast, we became more than conquerors through HIM
that loves us, The LORD Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as we believe GOD and His Word, not only will we be able to understand
GOD's dealings recorded in The Word of GOD, but also His manifestations in our daily
lives. "...And we know that all things
work together for good to them that love GOD, to them who are the called according
to His purpose." (Romans 8:28).
If we are truly honest with ourselves, we must admit as children of GOD, that things
for us are getting progressively better, while on the other hand for the unbeliever
things are getting retrogressively worse. This was the case with Pharaoh and his
people. Indeed, things for them got worse and worse and worse. The '10' plagues over The Land of Egypt
demonstrates to us this principle: The first plague affected the water and fish of
Egypt, however, by the time we progress to the fifth plague, we begin to see the
mark of death being brought upon Egypt's cattle. The seventh plague brings us face
to face with death not only for the cattle of Egypt, but now for the first time we are told
that death is also to be upon the Egyptians. By the time we reach the ninth plague,
as if the past eight lessons were not sufficient enough to bring Pharaoh to the point
of releasing the children of Israel from bondage, we are told that an additional plague
must be inflicted upon all of Egypt. This of course, revealed their ungodly condition.
This was the plague of thick darkness in all the Land of Egypt for three days. During this time the Egyptians could not see one another, nor could they rise from their
places.
The Word of GOD tells us that the darkness could be felt. To understand what is meant
by darkness which can be felt, one must have experienced being in a darkened room,
without windows and without any light what-so-ever. Even the placing of one's hand
in front of the eyes could not reveal a glimpse of anything. For '72' hours the Egyptians
could do nothing but stay where they were when the plague of darkness began. On the
otherhand, The Word of GOD tells us that all the children of Israel had light in
their dwellings. Here we see clearly that conditions for the believers get progressively
better, and for the unbeliever things get retrogressively worse.
May The LORD help all of us to be able to see in our own lives the progression of
betterment, according to GOD's standards, and not according to our own standards.
By this I mean, that no matter what situation or circumstance surrounds our life,
The LORD GOD, Who is our Heavenly Father will watch, care, protect, sustain, and resolve all,
to His honor and glory and praise. Therefore, it is and will be for our good!
Since things do get worse for the unbeliever, the tenth and final plague brought
upon Egypt, contained the ultimate disaster and heartache for Pharaoh and his people.
The tenth plague incorporated the death of the first born of Pharaoh, his people
and even all the first born of the beasts. A strange set of circumstances surrounded the
tenth plague, that is, there was a blessing and a curse. I want us to look at the
two aspects; the first being the blessing and the second being the curse.
THE BLESSING:
The blessing in relationship to the tenth plague is known as THE FEAST OF PASSOVER, or THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, or THE REDEMPTION OF THE
FIRST BORN.
THE CURSE:
The curse in relationship to the tenth, plague is known as THE FALL OF PHARAOH AND HIS PEOPLE, or THE DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN.
In Exodus 12, we see GOD's plan of action to redeem His people Israel, while at the
same time we see His Justice in punishing the Egyptians. Interestingly enough, The
Mercy of GOD shines forth and extends itself in salvation to all, "To the Jew first
and also to the Gentile." Though Israel is the primary one that GOD is addressing, He is
also allowing room for any Egyptian to enter and be under the blood that was to be
applied upon the doors of every Jewish home. That's what I mean by The Mercy of The
Almighty GOD. The LORD spoke unto Moses, that he should speak to the children of Israel
in regards to the requirements relative to their redemption. Each family was to take
a lamb on the tenth day of the first month. Before we go any further, I would like
to share with you something very beautiful that is found in Exodus 12, that has a close
association and representation of our Passover Lamb,
The LORD Jesus Christ. In the third verse we find these words, "...In the tenth day
of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb."
In the fourth verse we read....... And if the household be too little for the lamb,
let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of souls..."
Now, in the fifth verse this is what is stated, "...Your lamb
shall be without blemish, a male of the first year...". The progression found in
these verses from - a lamb,
to the lamb,
to your lamb,
surely remind us of our own personal relationship to Jesus
our Passover Lamb.
All of us, whether Jewish or Gentile, at one time or another were exposed to the
fact that a Saviour "A Lamb"
had come to this earth to redeem mankind. After a season of time, we were presented,
either through literature, television, radio, or a personal witness, that A Lamb "A Saviour",
could become The Lamb "The Saviour",
if only we would examine the claims that were being presented unto us. What a wonderful
day it was, when A LAMB, THE LAMB,
became "YOUR LAMB", "YOUR SAVIOUR",
by receiving and believing Jesus Christ as YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR.
We read in John 1:12....... But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to
become the sons of GOD, even to them that believe on His Name..." Other qualities found in THE LAMB recorded in Exodus 12, that typify our MESSIAH are:
(1) THE TENDER AGE;
(2) THE BLEMISHLESSNESS;
(3) A MALE;
(4) BEING TAKEN OUT FROM SHEEP;
(5) OBSERVED FOR FOUR DAYS;
(6) KILLED BY THE WHOLE CONGREGATION
and finally
(7) IT'S BLOOD WOULD BE APPLIED ON THE TWO SIDE POSTS AND ON THE UPPER POST OF EACH
JEWISH HOUSE.
The following is a summarization of the above! The LORD Jesus Christ, our Passover
Lamb was chosen, called and commissioned by The Heavenly Father at a TENDER AGE
when he was twelve years old. He was called upon to represent The GOD of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob in The Temple at Jerusalem, Israel. Just a few years later, He was
to stand before, a sinful man "PILATE", who condemned Him to death. This same Pilate
spoke of Jesus saying, "...I find no
fault in this man.", furthermore, Jesus' BLEMISHLESSNESS
is spoken of in II Corinthians 5:21 which reads, "...For He hath made Him to be sin
for us, WHO KNEW NO SIN; that we might be made the righteousness of GOD in Him."
In Luke 2, we read in verse 7 that Mary brought forth her first born son. This MALE
child was to be born in the City of Bethlehem, Israel, The Angel of The LORD, said,
"...Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people". It is understood by the genealogy recorded in Matthew 1:, that Jesus
our LORD was TAKEN OUT FROM THE SHEEP,
that is, from The House of Israel. In Romans 1:3 we read that Jesus Christ, our LORD,
which was made of the Seed of David according to the flesh, was circumcised on the
eighth day after His birth. (Luke 2:22).
The primary source for The Feast of Passover reminds us, as is recorded in The Book
of Exodus, that the Passover Lamb was to be selected from the sheep, and each household
was responsible to be sure that their lamb met certain prerequisites set forth by
GOD Himself. So also, in the life of our LORD Jesus Christ, Who is our Passover Lamb:
He was to be OBSERVED FOR FOUR DAYS.
As we see the tremendous similarity between the Passover Lamb found in The Book of
Exodus and The Passover Lamb described in The New Testament, both were observed for
a period of four days ('or' for four years). The Lamb was being observed and inspected
for it's physical qualities, while on the other hand, The LORD Jesus Christ was being
observed for His Spiritual qualities. After a period of nearly four years, the leadership
in power of the religious establishment condemned Jesus our LORD to death, that is, He was KILLED BY THE WHOLE CONGREGATION.
The Chief Priests, The Scribes,
and The Elders
comprised the leadership in the days of Jesus. They accounted for about 150 men,
a very small minority
of the total population of Israel, and yet, they made all of the National and Religious
decisions for The Jewish Nation! Jesus our LORD was loved and followed by 'the people'
of Israel (see: John 10:42). Being killed by the whole congregation simply meant,
that Jesus was going to be put to death by a majority vote
of those in office,
that were over the people! In the days of Jesus, over half of the Jewish people lived outside the land of Israel,
and many that lived within the land had already accepted Jesus as The MESSIAH!
You probably have already noticed that, the blood of the Lamb that was applied to
the two side posts and the upper door post, formed a cross in shape. So it is, that,
at the death of Jesus, HIS BLOOD WAS APPLIED
to every heart and mind that would turn in simple faith unto the Captain of their
souls.
We read in Exodus 12, that after the events of the first Passover, Pharaoh called
for Moses (see Exodus 12:31) and said, "Rise up, and get you forth from among my
people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go serve The LORD, as ye have said."
Could it be, that finally Pharaoh recognized The GOD of Moses as The One True GOD of Heaven
and Earth? Especially after going through the ordeal of the TEN PLAGUES, and even
losing his first born? One would think that not only would Pharaoh 'LET ISRAEL GO',
but that he would not want anymore to do with them or their GOD! NOT SO!!!
In Exodus 14:5 we read that Pharaoh was told that "the people fled." This rude awakening
on Pharaoh's part, led him to pursue after the children of Israel. At the very moment
when disaster should have occurred for the children of Israel, The Almighty GOD performed 'another' miracle, He parted the Red Sea. And yet, while the Egyptians were
pursuing Israel, The LORD closed the sea, that swallowed the Egyptians.
The Jerusalem of GOD is connected with 'Let My People Go' through the miracles and
might that The GOD of Jacob displayed again and again in preserving The Jewish people,
so that 'humanly speaking', The King of Jerusalem, Who is The LORD Jesus Christ,
would come to die so that we might live through His resurrection! How blessed we are,
as Jews and Gentiles, to know and understand that our Passover Lamb's sacrifice demands
that Satan, the world, and the flesh, to, "LET MY PEOPLE GO",
from the bondage of sin! As believers in MESSIAH we are free from oppression through
The MESSIAH Jesus. May The LORD give us the wisdom and strength to help others that
have not experienced so great SALVATION through Jesus of Nazareth; that they might
receive and believe The Jewish MESSIAH! AMEN!!!
