Why Do We Do This?

 

Exodus 12:24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The series of plagues on Egypt finally reached their climax with the death of the firstborn. But lest we think that they were all about Egypt, we are reminded that they were first of all lessons for God's people of Israel, which were to be passed down.  Their descendants would ask: "Why?"  Much more important than how or when, we need to understand and answer the "Why?" questions the best we can.  Notice that being able to do so drew the people to worship. They were not even out of Egypt yet, but they were learning to worship. They would begin their sacrifice and worship there before they set out on their journey. Life is about learning to worship God as He deserves, wherever we are.

Righter Words Were Never Spoken

Exodus 10:24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

Moses really did not know everything. God had laid out the general plan: "Go, tell Pharaoh to let my people go, so they can worship me. He won't let you, but eventually he will beg you to go."  Moses did not know which animals he would need for sacrifice. God had not told him yet. But he did know this was the last time he would see Pharoah. God had used Pharaoh to give a true prophecy. He was tired of Moses and all his bad news. He did not want to hear the truth from him, so God made Pharoah speak the truth himself. If we are faithful and true, eventually the enemy will do the same, and we will be vindicated and set free indeed.

The Exceptions

Exodus 9:23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

What becomes increasingly apparent in the curses God was bringing on Egypt was the fact that some of them were selective - experienced by everyone "except" Israel, and those close to them.  Obviously, God was presenting the facts to Pharaoh in such a way that he should be able to discern the difference. But when the heart is bent on hardness and arrogance, it takes a lot of convincing.  For any of us who have been a part of God's people, we know what it is to see God's blessing in a special way - not because we are so perfect and wonderful, but because we trust the One who is.  God is exceptional, and when we trust and worship Him, His blessings to us are exceptional too.

Progress in Negotiations?

 

Exodus 8:25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 

They say: "third times a charm," but there was not even any apparent progress with Pharaoh until after the fourth plague sent by God. At that point he finally said: I will let you go... but not very far away. Of course, once again, Pharaoh cheated again, and Moses warned him not to, and did not let Israel go out. Sometimes when we are seeking progress in moving forward, it will seem like we are "getting somewhere", only to be let down again.  Do not lose heart. Take any sign as "progress," stick to the promises of God, to His timing, and to His standards.  He is still working, even on hardened hearts.

A Mixed Bag

Exodus 6:26 These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron. 28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”

This chapter contains the genealogy of Aaron and Moses, posted with the reminder to Moses that God was the One at work on Pharaoh's heart.  Moses' question becomes part of his heritage: always asking God how he could be used to turn the heart of Pharaoh around.  It contains a mix of humility and unbelief. Also, on the one hand Moses will also have his brother as his "right hand man," but at times Aaron will be more of a hindrance than a help.  Moses is the most overshadowing character of the Old Testament, and his calling and leadership reminds us that God uses imperfect, even resistant characters to carry out His will. There is indeed hope for us all. 

Forgotten Details

 Exodus 4:21 And the Lord said to Moses, “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. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’” 24 At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

In Exodus we are introduced to the next big character of scripture after Joseph: Moses. After calling him, God tells him to head back to Egypt. He tells him ahead of time about all the signs He will give to Pharoah, including the killing of the firstborn. (If we were reading carefully we would not be surprised later.) Another forgotten detail her is that of circumcision, which had been commanded to Abraham. Since Moses had been raised in Pharoah's house, he had not been circumcised. Zipporah took care of that little detail Moses had forgotten. They were now ready to move forward. How many details do we forget (neglectfully or intentionally) that God has told us?

Always Looking Forward in Hope...

Genesis 50:22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father's house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph's own. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

As we come to the conclusion of the month, this book, and the extensive account of Joseph's life, we are once again impressed with the fact that he was always looking forward. Even on his death, he looked at his heirs with hope, convinced that God would keep the promise He had given to his forefathers: to take them to the Promised Land.  The word "visit" used in verse 24 has a sense of "seeking out to attend to, with the intent to provide what is needed." What a picture of what God promises to His people. That is the same kind of care we can look forward to. Let us continue following Him.