The Book Of Exodus
Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
Verses 1-21, known as the “Song of Moses”, comprise the majority of this chapter. The OT is filled with such passages, most of them in the book of Psalms, and many of them can also be filed under the additional category of prayers. This is the first recorded song/prayer in the Bible of rejoicing by the Israelites at God’s deliverance from their enemies. The Believer’s Bible Commentary divides the Song of Moses as follows:
Prelude (v.1): The triumph of Jehovah Stanza #1 (v.2-3): What He is: strength, song, and salvation. Stanza #2 (v.4-13): What He has done: victory over past enemies, deliverance of His people from Egypt. Postlude (v.19): Contrast the defeat of Egypt and the deliverance of Israel. Response by Miriam and all the women (v.20-21) Matthew Henry (1662-1714), the famous English preacher and Biblical scholar, had this to say about the Song of Moses: “We may observe respecting this song, that it is, (1.) An ancient song, the most ancient that we know of. (2.) A most admirable composition, the style lofty and magnificent, the images lively and proper, and the whole very moving. (3.) It is a holy song, consecrated to the honour of God, and intended to exalt his name and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the least to magnify any man: holiness to the Lord is engraven in it, and to him they made melody in the singing of it. (4.) It is a typical song. The triumphs of the gospel church, in the downfall of its enemies, are expressed in the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb put together, which are said to be sung upon a sea of glass, as this was upon the Red Sea, Rev. 15:2, 3.” Verse 1: This verse immediately proceeds verse 31 of the previous chapter. The children of Israel believed the Lord after they witnessed His power and His might in not only rolling back the waters of the Red Sea, but then also in His execution of righteous judgment upon Pharaoh and all his armies. The Israelites’ belief in Yahweh, and their joy at His deliverance of them from their enemies caused this outpouring of praise and celebration of God and all that He is. “I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously…” (Isaiah 12:1) The name “Lord” appears eleven times in verses 1-19, for this song is about God Himself. Matthew Henry says of this verse that, “All our joy must terminate in God, and all our praises be offered up to Him, the Father of lights and Father of mercies, ‘for He hath triumphed’. All that love God triumph in His triumphs; what is His honour should be our joy.” Verses 2-3: God is our defense, our fortress and refuge in times of distress and suffering. (Psalm 18:1-2, Isaiah 12:2, Habakkuk 3:18-19) The Israelites’ natural response in verse 2 is to worship and praise God, just as their father, Jacob, did after his first encounter with the Lord. (Genesis 28:21-22) God deserves our worship and praise, not only because of who He is, but because of what He does on behalf of His children. Moses calls Him “my father’s God” in this verse, echoing God’s introduction to him at the burning bush. (Exodus 3:6, 15-16) Because of who God is and what He’s just done on behalf of the children of Israel, He is worthy to be exalted. (2 Samuel 22:47, Psalm 99:5, Isaiah 25:1) “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.” (v.3) (Exodus 3:14-15, 6:2-3, Nehemiah 4:20, Psalm 24:8, 83:18, Revelation 19:11) One of my favorite hymns is “O Worship the King” by Robert Grant, first published in 1833. Grant’s lyrics are adapted from Psalm 104, and my favorite lines in that hymn are in the second stanza: “His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.” I thought of that as I read verse 3 of this chapter in Exodus. God is a just and jealous God, avenger of the righteous and punisher of the wicked. Verses 4-13: Moses summarizes the crossing of the Red Sea, describing in vivid, poetic imagery how God destroyed Pharaoh and his army. “Pharaoh’s chariouts and his host hath He cast into the sea…” (v.4) “The depths have covered them…” (v.5) (Nehemiah 9:11) “Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power…” (v.6) (Exodus 3:20, Psalm 17:7, 118:15) “…Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.” (v.7) (Deuteronomy 4:24, Psalm 59:13, 78:49-50, Isaiah 5:24, Hebrews 12:29) “And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered together…” (v.8) (Psalm 78:13) “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil…” (v.9) (Isaiah 53:12) “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?” (v.11) (Exodus 8:10, 9:14, Deuteronomy 3:24, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:23, Psalm 71:19, 86:8, Micah 7:18) “…glorious in holiness…” (Psalm 68:35, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8) “…fearful in praises…” (1 Chronicles 16:25) “…doing wonders?” (Exodus 3:20, Psalm 77:11, 14) “Thou in Thy mercy hath led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed…” (v.13) (Nehemiah 9:12, Psalm 77:20) “…Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.” (Deuteronomy 12:5, Psalm 78:54) Moses and the children of Israel recognize and acknowledge that God is the one true God, and that all others are false gods. He alone deserves glory, honor, praise and worship from all the people of the earth. Verses 14-15: These two verses are a good indicator that the Song of Moses was most likely composed many years after the crossing of the Red Sea, when Moses was writing the Pentateuch. The children of Israel had not yet encountered the Philistines (v.14), nor the descendants of Esau or Lot (v.15). But we know from Joshua 2:9 that the statements in these two verses come true. The Israelites will have many victories over the Edomites (Deuteronomy 2:4, Genesis 36:15, 40), the Moabites (Genesis 19:36-37, Numbers 22:3-4), and the Philistines when they finally enter the promised land. Verse 16: “Fear and dread shall fall upon them…” (Exodus 23:27, Deuteronomy 2:25) “…by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone…” (1 Samuel 25:37) “…till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. (Psalm 74:2, Isaiah 43:1, Jeremiah 31:11, Titus 2:14, 2 Peter 2:1) God redeemed His chosen people from bondage in Egypt, the same way that we today are purchased by the shed blood of Christ if we accept His gift of salvation. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Verses 17-19: God will bring His chosen people into the promised land, planting them “…in the mountain of Thine inheritance…”. (v.17) (Psalm 2:6, 44:2, 78:54, 68, 80:8, 15) Once there, the Lord will build Himself a “Sanctuary”, which His hands will establish, (Psalm 68:16, 76:2, 132:13-14), a place for Him to dwell where He will reign forever and ever. (v.18) (2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 10:16, 29:10, Isaiah 57:15) The prophecy of this verse was partially fulfilled when Solomon built his temple in Jerusalem. But the final, definitive fulfillment is yet to come, after the Great Tribulation, during the millennial kingdom, when Christ will reign for a thousand years on the earth, and the nation of Israel will be whole again, ruling all other nations alongside King Jesus. Verse 19 closes this hymn by summarizing once more the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea and God’s final judgment upon Pharaoh and his army. Verses 20-21: Moses’ sister, Miriam, is called a prophetess in verse 20. The word “prophetess” is used eight times in the KJV Bible, including this instance here in Exodus: Judges 4:4 (Deborah), 2 Kings 22:14 and 2 Chronicles 34:22 (Huldah), Nehemiah 6:14 (Noadiah), Isaiah 8:3 (Isaiah’s wife), Luke 2:36 (Anna), and Revelation 2:20 (Jezebel). Acts 21:8-9 refers to Philip’s unnamed daughters who prophesy in Caesarea, and Paul speaks specifically of men and women who exercise the gift of prophecy in the New Testament church in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5. Strong’s Concordance defines “prophetess” as an inspired woman, i.e. a poetess or musician, which is how the word is used here in verses 20-21 to describe Miriam. But a prophetess can also mean, “wife of the prophet”, as is the case with the reference in Isaiah, or a “teacher” or “instructor”, which is how the apostle Paul uses it in his letter to the Corinthians. This was also probably the case with Anna in the temple at the time of Jesus’ birth. In the examples of Deborah, Huldah, and Jezebel, they, too, were teaching and instructing, but it’s obvious that they also held positions of some authority, for they were sought out by others for their wisdom and instruction, some of which was contrary to God’s word and His people, i.e. Jezebel. There are many scholars, theologians and, sadly, pastors who have used these examples from scripture to justify the ordination of women pastors and evangelicals. Paul makes it clear in 1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6, and Ephesians 5:22-23 that a pastor, deacon, and all other elders of the church must be men. Wives are to submit themselves to the authority of their husbands, and, therefore, women in the church may not hold offices of authority over any of the men. That is God’s design for both marriage and His church. These women in the Bible who are referred to as “prophetess” did not have any authority over any man, but were merely teachers, instructors, workers and/or musicians. (Even Deborah did not act of her own authority over all of Israel, but was the wife of Lapidoth, and she assisted Barak in saving the Israelites from the armies of Sisera. A “judge” in those days was not the same as a king or governor, but was more like a military advisor or a mediator who resolved conflicts among the people as well as keeping law and order.) Miriam takes up her timbrel and leads the other women in song and dancing, echoing the refrain of verse 19. (Judges 11:34, 21:21, 2 Samuel 6:16, Psalm 30:11, 150:4) Verses 22-27: There is good reason these last six verses are included in this chapter and not the beginning of chapter sixteen. A mere three days after the miraculous “salvation of the Lord” on behalf of His people, the Israelites arrive at the wilderness of Shur. (v.22) But the only source of water is at Marah (Numbers 33:8, Ruth 1:20), which means “bitter”, and it is so named because the water that is found there is too bitter to drink. (v.23) So soon after witnessing God’s power and sovereignty on their behalf, the children of Israel immediately turn to grumbling and complaining against Moses. (v.24) (Psalm 106:13) This is the first event of what would become an oft repeated cycle with the Israelites: complaining to Moses & God because of some lack of a necessity, God then miraculously providing for that specific need, the Israelites thankful for only a brief time, and then complaining once more about something else, thus repeating the whole pattern once more. Moses, as he would often do over the next forty years, turns to God as soon as the Israelites complain to him about the lack of drinkable water. (v.25) In response, God directs Moses to a nearby tree which Moses cuts down and casts into the water. This causes the bitterness to vanish, thus making the water drinkable. (2 Kings 2:21) According to the Moody Bible Commentary, it’s possible that the bitterness in the water is caused by unusually high levels of mineral content, or the water is simply unclean due to other reasons. Whatever the case, there is “…no known tree that has the quality to turn impure water pure or to filter out the mineral content. This is to be seen for what it appears to be: a miracle of the Lord’s provision.” Verse 25 goes on to say that God “…made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them.” (Psalm 17:3, 66:10, 81:7, 95:9, Hebrews 3:9) What this is means is that God is testing the faith of the Israelites. The Moody Commentators have this to say about this passage: “The word for “test” here has the idea of “to prove the worth” of something, “to verify the quality” of something. The Lord was not trying to cause them to fail. Rather, as an exercise in training and testing, the need for provisions gave the people an opportunity to verify their faith. In effect, this was to remind them that, after delivering them from the plagues and dividing the sea, God would be the One to provide for their everyday needs.” Verse 26 is the ordinance referenced in verse 25, the word of the Lord, given to the Israelites through Moses: “…If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” (Exodus 19:5-6, 23:25, Deuteronomy 7:12, 15, 32:39, Psalm 41:3-4, 103:3, 147:3) Once again, God is demonstrating His desire to have an ongoing relationship with His chosen people. (Exodus 6:6-7) He is promising to protect and defend them from their enemies, as well as provide and care for them, if they will obey, serve and worship only Him. He has redeemed them from bondage in Egypt for a purpose, and He has a specific plan for the nation of Israel. He uses this crisis – the first of many – as an opportunity for them to demonstrate their faith and trust in Him, as well as for Him to demonstrate to them His ability to care and provide for them always. But, as we well know from reading the rest of the OT, the Israelites consistently fail miserably at trusting and obeying Yahweh, especially in these early years immediately following the exodus from Egypt. God still works in the same manner for us today. All of the trials and adverse circumstances that He allows to take place in our lives are for two reasons: the growth and purification of our faith in Him as well as for His honor and glory. (1 Peter 1:6-7) God leads the Israelites to Elim, an oasis with plenty of shade and water, where they are able to set up camp and rest from their long journey thus far. (v.27) (Numbers 33:9, Psalm 23:1-2)
0 Comments
Verse 1: Moses was of the tribe of Levi. (Exodus 6:16-20, Numbers 26:59, 1 Chronicles 23:14) His father’s name was Amram, his mother Jochebed. He was the youngest of their three children. (Exodus 7:7) His brother’s name was Aaron, and his sister was Miriam.
Verses 2-4: In defiance of Pharaoh’s order, Amram and Jochebed hide Moses for three months after he is born, when they see that he is “…a goodly child…”, meaning that Moses is strong and healthy and beautiful to look upon. (Acts 7:20, Hebrews 11:23) This implies that Pharaoh’s men were actively conducting random searches of the Israelite homes for any male infants since the midwives could not be trusted to follow Pharaoh’s orders. But as Moses grows, it becomes more difficult to hide him, and so Jochebed creates an ark out of bulrushes (Isaiah 18:2), coating it with slime and pitch to make it waterproof, and then lays Moses in the basket. (v.3) She puts the ark in the Nile river, setting it carefully among the reeds (Isaiah 19:6) near the shore where it will not get swept away by the current. Miriam is tasked with guarding her three month old brother from a safe distance, hidden as well. There are echoes here of Noah and the recurring theme of salvation through the providence of God by the building of an ark. Also, in an ironic twist, Jochebed does exactly what Pharaoh has ordered the midwives to do with the Hebrew male infants. As always, God uses the proclamations and efforts of sinful men against His chosen people to orchestrate His divine will. (Psalm 2:2-4) Verses 5-10: By the hand of God, the place that Jochebed chooses to hide Moses is very near to the spot where the Egyptian princess, the daughter of Pharaoh, goes every day to bathe. (Or perhaps Jochebed, aware of the princess’ habits, places her son in that exact spot, hoping and praying to God for a miracle.) Pharaoh’s daughter spies the basket among the reeds and sends one of her maids to fetch it. (v.5) When she opens the basket and finds a helpless, crying baby, she has compassion for the infant, recognizing immediately that he “…is one of the Hebrews’ children.” (v.6) Miriam, in an act of boldness and true courage, steps out from her hiding place and offers to go find a Hebrew nurse to care for the child. (v.7) Pharaoh’s daughter agrees, and Miriam returns with her mother. The princess tells Jochebed to nurse the child in exchange for payment, and Jochebed obeys. (v.9) When the boy is weaned, Jochebed returns to Pharaoh’s daughter and gives him her son. The princess names him Moses, meaning “…I drew him out of the water.” (v.10) (The Hebrew variation of that name, Mosheh, means “drawn out”.) It must have been heartbreaking for Amram and Jochebed to give up their youngest son. But they possessed the same faith and trust in God that had sustained Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph through all of their times of testing and trials, and so they made the same leap of faith that Abraham did when God first called him to leave his family and kinsmen for a journey to an unknown destination and an uncertain future. (Hebrews 11:23) Note from my study Bible: “The phrase ‘the daughter of Pharaoh’ has been interpreted by many to refer to the famous Hatshepsut (1504-1483 B.C.), considering an early date for the Exodus, since Moses would have been born about 1527 B.C. This would be during the reign of her father, Thutmose (1525-1508 B.C.). There is a good possibility that Moses was reared in one of the royal harems which were common in the New Kingdom period (c. 1570-1085 B.C.). The children of harem women would be educated by the overseer of the harem. (Acts 7:22) In due time, the princes (Moses was called “her son” in verse 10), were given a tutor who was usually a high official at court, or maybe a retired military officer close to the king. Thus, Moses was in a position to receive all the privileges and opportunities of a member of the Egyptian royal court. (Hebrews 11:24-25)” Verses 11-15: Moses, now a grown man of forty years (Acts 7:23), goes out among his Hebrew brethren where he happens upon an Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite slave. (v.11) Moses looks around to make sure there are no other witnesses before intervening and killing the Egyptian. He buries the man in the sand nearby. (v.12) The next day – or sometime shortly after this incident – Moses again goes out among his fellow Israelites where he comes upon two Hebrew men fighting one another. Moses again intervenes, demanding of the instigator, “Wherefore smites thou thy fellow?” (v.13) The man responds with a sneer, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?” (v.14) This causes Moses great fear, for he thought that his vengeful act would not be so quickly known among the Hebrews, which means that the Egyptians also might know of it. Verse 15 confirms this, for it says that Pharaoh himself desires to bring Moses to justice. Acts 7:24-25 tell us that Moses expected the Israelites to treat him as a savior, as one of their own, not only because he rescued one of them from an Egyptian, but because he, too, was a Hebrew. But this was not the case. He is alienated from his own people because of his adoption by the daughter of Pharaoh and his life of wealth, privilege and ease in the Egyptian court. Pharaoh’s edict forces Moses to flee Egypt altogether, and he seeks refuge in Midian, a desert region between Sinai and what is today known as the Arabian desert. Midian is listed in Genesis 25:1-2 as one of the sons of Keturah, one of Abraham’s concubines whom he married after the death of Sarah. The slave traders to whom Joseph’s brothers sold him were called both “Midianites” and “Ishmeelites” (Genesis 37:28), indicating that these two people groups of that time were of the same family line as Ishmael, as well as all the other descendants of Abraham except for the line of Isaac. During the time of Israel’s wanderings in the desert, and even later during their initial occupation of the promised land, the Midianites are depicted as one of Israel’s chief enemies, allying themselves with the Amalekites. (Judges 6) Whether or not Moses is aware of the history of the Midianites and their current relationship to the children of Israel, or whether he simply seeks a desolate region far from the Egyptians that will hide him for awhile, is unclear from the text. Verses 16-22: Once again, as with Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18), there is a priest mentioned here, although he is not described with the additional phrase, “…of the most high God…”. However, Exodus 18:12 confirms that, like Melchizedek, this priest also worships God, and we also know from that same verse, as well as Exodus 3:1, that his name is Jethro. (Why he is called “Reuel” here in verse 18 is unknown. In Numbers 10:29, he is also referred to by this name, although a slightly different spelling. Perhaps that is the Midianite interpretation of the Hebrew name “Jethro”?) Jethro has seven daughters, all of whom arrive at the well where Moses has stopped to rest. They attempt to draw water to fill the nearby troughs for their father’s flocks but are driven away by other shepherds. Moses, however, intervenes and helps the daughters draw water for their sheep. (v.16-17) Once again, as with Eliezer (Genesis 24:15-16) and Jacob (Genesis 29:10), a well is the site for an important meeting arranged by God for His chosen servant. And, as with those previous encounters, the meeting results in a wife for the man of God. In this case, that woman is named Zipporah. (v.21) She bares him a son whom he names Gershom, which means literally “Stranger there”. Moses recognizes that he is a “…stranger in a strange land.” (v.22) He spends the next forty years dwelling with the house of Jethro, tending to his flocks on the backside of the desert. (Exodus 3:1) Verses 23-25: Pharaoh dies, and the children of Israel cry out to God because of their bondage and oppression. (James 5:4) God hears them and remembers His holy covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Genesis 12:1-2, 15:13, 28:13, Psalm 105:8, 42) As noted in my earlier commentaries in Genesis, the word “remember” does not imply that God forgot about the children of Israel. Quite the opposite, in fact. When used in the Bible, especially as an action or characteristic of God, the word “remember” means that God places special emphasis on that person or people who is/are the subject of his remembrance. (Refer back to Genesis 8:1 and my notes there.) This chapter ends with an uplifting reference of God’s omniscience and compassion upon His chosen people. Verse 25: “And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.” (Exodus 4:31, Luke 1:25, Acts 7:34) The term “respect” here means that He acknowledges them. He hears the cries of Abraham’s seed, and He has already set in motion a plan to deliver them from their captivity and oppression. (Psalm 34:6, 68:5-6) |
Click here to get back to the chapter links on the Bible study homepage.
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|