Egypt: Moses Back In Egypt, Part 8.
Last month we read about how God called Moses and told him to go back to Egypt.
So now we find Moses back once again in Egypt.
Exodus 4:29-31 starts us off, “Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.”
The people accepted what Moses said, maybe because they knew Aaron, but now Moses had to face Pharoah. Back in Genesis we read that Pharaoh called Joseph to interpret his dreams, and when he did, Pharaoh accepted him and elevated him to second in command, but now we see Moses who had been second in command and it will be a whole different story.
Exodus 5:1-5 says this, “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.” But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their work? Get back to your labors!” Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!”
First we see here that they tell Pharaoh that they need to go on a three day journey. Remember, Abraham’s three day journey, that resulted in Abraham binding Isaac as the sacrifice? Genesis 24:3-5 says, “So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.”…
And how about the baker and the cup holder whose dreams Joseph interpreted regarding three days?
Genesis 40:12-13, Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand as in your former practice when you were his cupbearer.”
Genesis 40:18-19, “Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a wooden post, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”
Three days had its good points, and it had its bad. For Pharaoh he will find out that a three day journey would have been ok. But he hardened his heart. Pharaoh had cheap labor, and he was building a mighty empire for himself, and no way was he going to stop even for three days. In fact he did just the opposite as Exodus 5: 10-14, 15 tells us, “So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not going to give you any straw. You go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it; but none of your labor will be reduced.’” So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.” Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not completed your required task of making bricks either yesterday or today, as before?”
Well this did not sit well with the people. Pharaoh was shrewd and he had Israelites as the foremen of the people. This way they could be angry with their own people, instead of him, but they went to Pharaoh, because they were now being beaten.
“Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?”
Well, Moses’ worst nightmare had unfolded and his doubt at the burning bush was becoming a reality. This important passage in Exodus 6:1-9 tells us this,
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.” God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as strangers. Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the labors of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. Then I will take you as My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the labors of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession; I am the Lord.’” So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.”
From this Scripture we get the foundation of the Passover story which is the essence of the Passover Seder, this is also the story of our redemption in Messiah. Moses is the suffering servant. We read in part 6 this scripture from Hebrews 11: 25-27 which says, “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the grandson of the king, but chose to share ill-treatment with God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought that it was better to suffer for the promised Messiah than to own all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the great reward that God would give him. And it was because he trusted God that he left the land of Egypt and wasn’t afraid of the king’s anger.”
We want to look at a few ways that Moses was like Messiah: (1) In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses makes a prediction: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers.” (2) An evil king/Pharaoh tried to kill him as a baby: Exodus 1:22 … King Herod tried to kill baby Yeshua: Matthew 2:16. (3) He was hidden from the evil king/Pharaoh: Exodus 2:2… An angel said to hide the child from the evil King Herod: Matthew 2:13. (4) Moses became a shepherd: Exodus 3:1 … Yeshua is the Good Shepherd: John 10:11. (5) Moses’ mission was to redeem Israel from slavery of Egypt…Yeshua’s mission was to redeem Israel from the slavery sin. (6) Moses was often rejected by his own people…Yeshua was often rejected by His own people. (7) Moses spent 40 days fasting on the mountain: Exodus 24:18; 34:28…Yeshua spent 40 days fasting in the desert wilderness: Matthew 4:2. (8) Moses performs signs/ miracles…Yeshua performs signs/miracles. (9) Moses offered his life for the salvation of his people after the sin of the Golden Calf: Exodus 32:32-33….Yeshua offered His life for the salvation of the world: Isaiah 53:12; Romans 5:12; 6:10; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; Colossians 1:19-20; 2:14-15; 1 John 1:7; 2:2.
Yes, Moses suffered like Yeshua, Hebrews 5:8 says, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” Hebrews 11: 24-25 says, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin.” Moses also felt the pain of the people, as Yeshua, and they both showed mercy for the people.
Next month we will look at the plagues as the people will finally leave Egypt.
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