Exodus 7 – The Rivalry Begins

It continues to be a wonderful task to exposit the Old Testament. I preached through the book of Exodus in the second half of 2018 verse by verse and paragraph by paragraph. We left no word unread and did not skip the exposition of any section. It is a wonderful exercise for myself to go back now, chapter by chapter, and review the wonderful truth of this book. I pray that it is as beneficial for you, the reader, as it has been for me. More resources can be found at www.fbcroxana.com

God desires all the peoples of earth to fear His name and assign Him the glory that is due Him. Yet the nations continually turn away from Him. Through the Exodus of His chosen people, Israel, all the nations would hear and tremble before Him. Whether they worshipped Him and submitted to His sovereignty or rejected Him and hardened their hearts, they would still hear of Him, that by His mighty hand He had brought them out of Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth. In the same way, God would make Israel see that He is the only God, triumphing over Pharaoh and all the gods of Egypt. Finally, it is a lesson to us that God is able to do far above what we can imagine. So how could we ever doubt that He is near and willing to act on our behalf?

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵ The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron did it; as the LORD commanded them, thus they did. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

On one hand, God was commanding Pharaoh through Moses and Aaron to let the people go. On the other hand, He was hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that he would disobey. The reason for this apparent contradiction in the will of God is that God’s intention to multiply His signs and wonders would be fulfilled. In this way, He would demonstrate His sovereignty as He would bring Egypt to its knees before Him in defeat and the Israelites would be let go. God’s intention was that the Egyptians would know that He is the LORD through these powerful acts.

⁸ Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ⁹ “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. ¹² For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

However the magicians were able to mimic the sign, their conjurings were obviously inferior to Aaron’s God-given sign. Yet it was enough to convince Pharaoh that the power behind Moses and Aaron was not as unique and powerful as they were asking him to believe.

Now it was time for God’s wonders to be shown.

¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. ¹⁶ You shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.” ¹⁷ Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. ¹⁸ The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.”’” ¹⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

Just as in creation, God spoke what was going to happen. This time, He did it through His prophet Moses and Moses’ spokesperson, Aaron. Essentially, this was God’s pronouncement of looming uncreation. The water in the Nile River, essential to all parts of life in Egypt was going to become as blood. This was likely the Egyptian term used for an algae bloom. It would be widespread, affecting every bit of water in the land. It would cause the fish, a primary source of food, to die. And the land would stink.

²⁰ So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. ²¹ The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. ²² But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. ²³ Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this. ²⁴ So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile. ²⁵ Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.

Everything happened just as the LORD said that it would happen. As soon as Moses spoke and Aaron struck the water, the water turned into blood. Yet the LORD was merciful, allowing the Egyptians to find drinkable water around the Nile that had been filtered by the dirt. This went on for a week.

Conclusion

The Egyptians thought that they could go toe-to-toe with the LORD of heaven and earth. They thought He was but a small deity, made in the likeness of men. Over the next weeks, they would come to understand His power, and they would start to tremble before Him and glorify His name.

One day all people will tremble before God as He unleashes judgments upon the world. In Revelation 16, the third bowl of wrath is poured out, and the rivers and springs become blood. Then all the angels begin exclaiming in amazement at the just judgment of God. How much better it will be for those who believe now. Christ will gather us to Himself, so that we will be kept from the hour of judgment (Rev 3:10).

Exodus 6 - God's Charge to Moses

It continues to be a wonderful task to exposit the Old Testament. I preached through the book of Exodus in the second half of 2018 verse by verse and paragraph by paragraph. We left no word unread and did not skip the exposition of any section. It is a wonderful exercise for myself to go back now, chapter by chapter, and review the wonderful truth of this book. I pray that it is as beneficial for you, the reader, as it has been for me. More resources can be found at www.fbcroxana.com

¹ 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.”

Moses thought that God had failed. But the LORD had desired Pharaoh to refuse to let the people of Israel go. So now God would begin to show His wonders in the land of Egypt so that Pharaoh would let the people go and all the people of Egypt and Israel would know that the LORD alone is God.

² God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD; ³ and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them. ⁴ I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. ⁵ 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. ⁶ Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. ⁷ Then I will take you for 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 burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.’” ⁹ So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.

Here is an exposition on the name of God. The LORD gave the people two reminders of the past: God had revealed Himself as God Almighty to the Patriarchs and had made a covenant with them to give the land of Canaan to them. He assured them that, in the present, He had heard the groanings of Israel because of their affliction and remembered His covenant with them. There are seven promises of God to the Israelite people in this passage which God was communicating to the people through Moses. First, He promised to bring them out of Egypt. Second, He promised to break the bonds of their slavery. Third, He promised to redeem them with great and powerful judgments. Fourth, He promised to make the people of Israel His people. Fifth, He promised to be their God. Sixth, He promised to give them the land which He promised their fathers. Seventh, He promised that it would be their possession. All of these past, present, and future declarations are tied together with one repeated statement: I am Yahweh. He is eternal, faithful, and powerful to bring it all to pass.

¹⁰ Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹ “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” ¹³ Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Moses went and spoke God’s self-revelation to the people of Israel, but they did not believe him. How slow are people to believe all that God has promised? Their harsh treatment was keeping them from believing. So Moses despaired that Pharaoh would listen to him if his own people would not. But God charged him to go. He had to believe that it was God who would bring about His will.

We are finally introduced to Moses and Aaron on a genealogical level. This genealogy reminds us of the place of Levi as the third born of Israel’s household, being the younger brother of Reuben and Simeon.

¹⁴ These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. ¹⁵ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

Finally, Levi’s family is more fleshed out so that we are introduced to the main players in this story. The three sons of Levi:

¹⁶ These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years.

The grandsons of Levi through Gershon:

¹⁷ The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.

The grandsons of Levi through Kohath:

¹⁸ The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred and thirty-three years.

The grandsons of Levi through Merari:

¹⁹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. ²⁰ Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years.

So Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi and the family of Kohath. The genealogy continues with the grandsons of Kohath, Levi’s great-grandsons.

The grandsons of Kohath through Izhar:

²¹ The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.

The grandsons of Kohath through Uzziel.

²² The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri.

The great-grandsons of Kohath through Aaron, Amram’s son. This would become the line of the priests.

²³ Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

The great-grandsons of Kohath through Korah, son of Izhar.

²⁴ The sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.

A notable person from the fifth generation after Levi was Phinehas, grandson of Aaron.

²⁵ Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.

This list gives us the genealogical makeup of Moses and Aaron. They were not prominent within the line of Levi. Though four hundred thirty years had passed, they were great grandsons of the patriarch. They were the sixth generation after Abraham.

These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. ²⁶ It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.” ²⁷ They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

They were of the household of Israel. They were not prominent members within the nation. But God had called them and had charged them with proclaiming His message.

²⁸ Now it came about on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” ³⁰ But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

So God was dealing with an unwilling prophet who was afraid his rhetoric would not move the king of Egypt.

Conclusion

We can all identify with Moses. God often calls us to do things that we do not feel qualified to do. We might fight against it. We might argue with Him. But He calls us according to His purpose and His wisdom. How could we think for a moment that we know better than God? Just like Moses, God has called us to proclaim deliverance and redemption. The redemption we proclaim is not from slavery in Egypt but from slavery in sin. We proclaim to all the world that God sent His Son, Jesus, a greater deliverer than Moses, so that all who believe will be delivered from slavery to sin because of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the forgiveness of sins. He bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might be given eternal life through Him. Therefore, we call all to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

Exodus 5 – Pharaoh’s Refusal

It continues to be a wonderful task to exposit the Old Testament. I preached through the book of Exodus in the second half of 2018 verse by verse and paragraph by paragraph. We left no word unread and did not skip the exposition of any section. It is a wonderful exercise for myself to go back now, chapter by chapter, and review the wonderful truth of this book. I pray that it is as beneficial for you, the reader, as it has been for me. More resources can be found at www.fbcroxana.com

God commissioned Moses to deliver the people of Israel from Egypt. It would not be a simple matter of simply asking the Pharaoh to release the people and him doing it. The LORD told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse and harden his heart. Pharaoh would not recognize the LORD’s sovereignty and dominion until God caused all His wonders to occur. The people of Israel had met with Moses and believed that He and Aaron had been sent to free them.

¹ And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” ² 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.”

Pharaoh did not recognize the LORD as authoritative. So Moses and Aaron’s prophetic announcement to Pharaoh from the LORD carried no weight. He refused to release Israel to give them three days to worship the LORD.

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” ⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!”

He was even unwilling to let them go when they expected doom from disobedience. Pharaoh saw this only as a ploy for the people to slack off from their work. So he made their work harder.

⁵ Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!” ⁶ So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, ⁷ “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”

These restrictions were irrational. They were meant to deliver a pointed message to the Israelite people: there was to be no more talk of the LORD. Pharaoh wanted the people to work and be deaf to what Moses and Aaron were saying.

¹⁰ So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not going to give you any straw. ¹¹ You go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.’” ¹² So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.” ¹⁴ Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?”

¹⁵ Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? ¹⁶ There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” ¹⁷ But he said, “You are lazy, very lazy; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ ¹⁸ So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks.” ¹⁹ The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, “You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them. ²¹ They said to them, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Pharaoh’s plan worked. The people of Israel turned against Moses and Aaron because of the consequences that their preaching had brought upon them.

²² Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O LORD, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? ²³ Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

Moses lamented that he had listened to the LORD to speak in His name. He blamed the LORD for sending him to bring harm on the people, failing to deliver them a single bit. But he should have remembered that the LORD had said that it would not be easy.

Conclusion

Through Pharaoh’s persistent refusal to release the people, God would perform several wonders. These wonders would show the Israelites, the Egyptians, and all the nations of the earth that Yahweh alone is God. The LORD was about to take on the most powerful nation of the ancient world. He would show Himself superior to their gods and to their Pharaoh.

4 REASONS GOD IS WORTHY OF PRAISE

Psalm 33

Introduction – Call to Worship

¹       Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.

²    Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.

³    Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

^1-3 Summary: The psalmist calls for the righteous ones to sing for joy and give thanks to the LORD with old and new songs, skillfully employing various musical instruments, because it is becoming to the upright to praise the LORD.

^1-3 Theology: God desires His righteous ones to sing for joy and give thanks to Him with old and new songs, skillfully employing various musical instruments, because it is becoming to the upright to praise the LORD.

^1-3 Application: Let us sing for joy and give thanks to Him with old and new songs, skillfully employing various musical instruments, because it is becoming for us to praise the LORD who has made us upright in His sight.

PROPOSITION – 4 summary statements encapsulating why God is worthy, further explained by the psalm, so that we will expectantly hope in His lovingkindness.

⁴   For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.

⁵    He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

^4-5 Summary: The psalmist follows the call to worship with four statements that are further expounded in the psalm: the Lord’s word is upright, the Lord’s works are faithful, the Lord’s delight is righteousness, and the Lord’s love is abundant.

^4-5 Theology: God desires His people to know that His word is upright, His works are faithful, His delight is righteousness, and His love is abundant.

^4-5 Application: Let us meditate much on these four statements, so that we will live according to God’s upright word, trusting His faithful works, walking to delight the Lord, and rejoicing in His abundant love.

I. The LORD’s Word is Upright (cf. v. 4a)

⁶   By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

⁷    He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

⁸    Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

⁹    For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

^6-9 Summary: The psalmist explains that the Lord made the heavens and all their hosts by breathing out His word. The Lord gathered the waters together in a heap and laid up the depths of the oceans in storehouses. The psalmist exhorts all the earth to fear the Lord and stand in awe of Him, because He accomplished all things and uphold them by His command.

^6-9 Theology: God made the heavens and their host by the word of His mouth, gathered the waters together and laid up the deeps in storehouses; so all the inhabitants of the earth should fear the Lord and stand in awe of Him since by His Word He both accomplished creation and upholds it.

^6-9 Application: Let us fear the Lord and stand in awe of Him (Prov 1:7), rendering praise to the One who created all things in heaven and on earth and upholds them by the word of His mouth. Let us present this God to all people that they would fear Him and stand in awe of Him.

II. The LORD’s Works are Faithful (cf. v. 4b)

¹⁰ The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

^10-12 Summary: The psalmist says that the Lord brings the counsel of the nations and peoples to naught (cf. Psa 2:1), but His own plans stand firm throughout the generations. Thus, the psalmist writes that the nation, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance, whose God is the Lord is blessed.

^10-12 Theology: God brings the counsel of nations and peoples to naught, but His own plans stand firm forever; thus the chosen nation, whose God is the Lord, is blessed.

^10-12 Application: How wonderful it is that God’s counsel cannot be frustrated by the nations, so we, His chosen nation (1 Pet 2:9) are blessed since all His plans toward us will never fail or be frustrated.

III. The LORD’s Delight is Righteousness (cf. v. 5a)

¹³ The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men;

¹⁴    From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth,

¹⁵ He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.

^13-15 Summary: The psalmist says that God, who fashions men’s hearts and understands all their works, looks down from His dwelling place upon all the sons of men who inhabit the earth.

^13-15 Theology: God fashioned men’s hearts, so He understands all their works; and He looks down from His dwelling place upon all the sons of men who inhabit the earth.

^13-15 Application: Let us walk in righteousness with a glad heart, so that God will be pleased. Let us proclaim this God who knows every secret of every heart, and who will justly reward each according to his works. Let us exhort them to put on the righteousness of Christ which is reckoned by faith.

IV. The LORD’s Love is Abundant (cf. v. 5b)

¹⁶ The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷ A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

¹⁹  To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine.

^16-19 Summary: The psalmist writes that a mighty army does not guarantee the success of the king, nor does great strength always deliver the warrior. A horse does not guarantee victory or deliverance. In fact, all of these are vain objects to place one’s trust in, because the Lord delivers those who fear Him and hope for His lovingkindness so that they will be kept from death and famine.

^16-19 Theology: God alone is the sure object of one’s faith who will safeguard him from death and woes.

^16-19 Application: Let us trust in God alone to keep us safe from death and destruction.

Conclusion – The Response of the LORD’s People

²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.

²¹  For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.

²² Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You.

^20-22 Summary: The psalmist writes the souls of the righteous ones wait for the Lord, because He is their help and shield. He says that their heart rejoice in the Lord, because they trust in His holy name. He ends with a prayer that the Lord would put His lovingkindness upon them according as they had hoped in Him.

^20-22Theology: God is the help and shield of the righteous ones, so that all they must do is wait for Him with rejoicing hearts that trust in Him, awaiting His lovingkindness which will come as expected.

^20-22 Application: Let us wait for the Lord, our help and shield, with rejoicing hearts that trust in Him. Let us await His lovingkindness that will come just as He promises. For this reason, even during affliction and tribulations, we can exalt in God and sing praises to Him with thankfulness. As we do so, we assure ourselves even more that His Word is upright, His words are faithful, His delight is righteousness, and His love is abundant. May we return to this again and again so that when sorrows come, we will know to run to the LORD, our help and our shield. As we lean on Him and crouch under His protection, may we walk in a manner befitting those saved by the grace of God and being transformed into His image. Let us rejoice that we are the inheritance of the Lord that is precious in His sight.

Exodus 4 – Moses’ Commissioning

It continues to be a wonderful task to exposit the Old Testament. I preached through the book of Exodus in the second half of 2018 verse by verse and paragraph by paragraph. We left no word unread and did not skip the exposition of any section. It is a wonderful exercise for myself to go back now, chapter by chapter, and review the wonderful truth of this book. I pray that it is as beneficial for you, the reader, as it has been for me. More resources can be found at www.fbcroxana.com

God continued to speak to Moses from the burning bush. Moses was afraid to confront the people and to take on Pharaoh, but God would not be swayed. His choice of Moses would stand.

¹ Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” ² The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” ³ Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. ⁴ But the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— ⁵ “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

God gave this sign to Moses to convince the people of Israel that He had indeed sent Moses to them. This sign demonstrates God’s power over the creation. If He can turn an ordinary stick into a fierce serpent and back again, then surely He can rescue Israel out of Pharaoh’s hand.

There was yet a second sign to the people of Israel.

⁶ The LORD furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. ⁷ Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. ⁸ “If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign.

In this way, Moses would attest to God’s power over creation. He is able to bring about leprosy as well as restore health. Thus, God displayed sovereignty over two of the most fearsome aspects of life in Egypt: snakes and leprosy. He is indeed the God who created it all, and all of it is under His power and authority. Yet the people of Israel (and certainly the Egyptians) would not be satisfied with these things. They were going to require more proof because of their lack of belief. So God would be glorified in all the wonders that He would perform in the midst of Egypt.

⁹ But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

This would begin the plagues on Egypt that would bring Egypt to its knees. Armed with these signs, Moses should have been confident that God was with him. If God intended to use him to bring Israel out of Egypt, then Moses should have understood that He was able to do so. Now the crux of the matter is revealed: Moses is not willing to go.

¹⁰ Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, LORD, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” ¹¹ The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” ¹³ But he said, “Please, LORD, now send the message by whomever You will.”

Moses flat out refused the calling of God. But God is not one to be resisted. Moses should not have been worried about his oratorical skill, but his obedience to the word of God. He should have known that God would use him according to His will to bring about that which He intended.

¹⁴ Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵ You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. ¹⁶ Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. ¹⁷ You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”

In this way, Moses would still be in the lead, but he would not have to speak before Pharaoh. Aaron would be the prophet of Moses, the prophet of God. This is an excellent description of a prophet: one who speaks those words which they are taught by another.

¹⁸ Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹ Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

Despite his unwillingness, Moses obeyed the command of God to go. It is interesting that he did not tell Jethro, his father-in-law, the entire purpose of his departure. But in his request of Jethro, he makes clear that he identifies with the household of Israel. So Moses took his family and headed for the land of Egypt.

²¹ The LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which 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 son, My firstborn. ²³ So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

So that Moses would not be surprised by the ordeal that lay ahead, God told him that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened. God would do this hardening, causing Pharaoh to refuse to the let the people go. Then God would demonstrate His love for Israel as His firstborn son by taking the life of Pharaoh’s firstborn son as a just trade.

A strange incident occurred on the way to Egypt.

²⁴ Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that 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 threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” ²⁶ So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”—because of the circumcision.

This passage brings up many questions, but the main point seems to be that Moses had not circumcised his son. As a preacher who would demand faithfulness to God’s covenant, he needed to get his own house in order. So God met him along the way in the wilderness in order to correct this. As soon as Zipporah circumcised their son, God relented.

²⁷ Now the LORD said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. ²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; ³⁰ and Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹ So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.

The people were initially convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them out of Egypt. They rejoiced that the LORD had seen their affliction and was concerned for them. The signs convinced them that God’s power was more than sufficient to deliver them from Pharaoh. Despite this, their faith would be tested through the ordeals of the next several chapters.

To the Church of Laodicea: Repent and Be Zealous (Rev 3:14-22)

What makes the seven letters to the churches special is that they were dictated by the Lord Jesus Himself. It was a privilege to preach through all seven letters from October 27-December 8, 2019. What I have attempted to do here is not a formal exposition of the text.  I have tried to simply summarize the text, its theology, and its application as an aid to study and meditation. I pray that you, dear reader, find it helpful as you ponder the text.

Revelation 3:14 - “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:”

Summary: Jesus told John to write to the messenger of the church in Laodicea and tell them that this message is sent by the veritable, faithful, and true witness, who is the source of the creation of God.

Theology: Jesus is identified as the Amen (the one who is true and who speaks the truth), the faithful and true witness (who cannot falsify His findings), and the beginner of the creation of God.

Application: We must humbly submit to Jesus our Lord, because what He says is true and will come to pass; and He has every right to bring what He declares to pass since He is the source of all creation.

Revelation 3:15 - ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.

Summary: Jesus begins by telling the Laodiceans that He is very much aware of the tepid nature of their deeds, using vivid local imagery of the tepid and unpalatable water in Laodicea; and he rebukes them for being lukewarm instead of cold (honest in their unbelief) or hot (true in their service to Him).

Theology: Jesus does not desire that people claim to be believers and go through the motions of religion when they are not truly saved. He would rather them be honest in their unbelief or true in their service to Him.

Application: We must search our own hearts and minds and examine our own deeds to be sure that we are in the faith. Let us not be cold and unbelieving, either. But let us be zealous for Christ. Our worship must never be compulsory or coldly ritualistic.

Revelation 3:16 - So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

Summary: Jesus warns the Laodiceans that He will not endure them. They make Him sick, so He will vomit them out of His mouth.

Theology: Jesus does not endure religious people with no conviction for the truth but will put an end to them.

Application: Let us be convicted of the truth, firm in our belief, so that Jesus will not be made sick by us. We must be careful in our worship services not to make lukewarm people comfortable but convict them with the truth.

Revelation 3:17 – “Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,”

Summary: Jesus tells the Laodiceans that they have no inkling of their true spiritual condition. They suppose themselves to be rich, having become wealthy and in need of nothing because of their material prosperity but they did not know that they were spiritually wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Theology: Believers must be careful of material wealth, because it is easy for that to lead to a lack of dependence on God for true spiritual riches.

Application: We must be on guard because of the wealth that we share in because of the prosperity of our culture. Our hearts must not be set on our wealth, but we must depend wholly on God who supplies all things.

Revelation 3:18 – “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

Summary: Jesus counsels the Laodiceans to purchase (an ironic statement that points out the futility of their riches since they cannot buy salvation) the true gold of salvation, the white garments of righteousness, and the eye salve that would open their spiritually blind eyes. He plays on the familiar items that brought Laodicean wealth, black wool for mass-produced garments and eye salve to treat irritated eyes.

Theology: Salvation is not acquired by money, but it given as a gift to those who believe; for it is more costly than gold, whiter than any manmade garments, and more potent than any human medication. Only God-given salvation makes one truly rich, clothes one in righteousness, and opens blind eyes.

Application: Let us remind ourselves of the futility of wealth, and the dependence that we have on God. We know that our wealth cannot save us but let us live according to that knowledge.

Revelation 3:19 – “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

Summary: Jesus tells the Laodiceans that He has a love for them despite their unregenerate nature, and He reproves and disciplines so that they will become hot and repent.

Theology: Jesus has a love for all people, not wishing for any to perish but to be zealous and repent.

Application: Let us imitate Jesus’ tenderness toward all people, calling them to be zealous and repent.

Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Summary: Jesus informs the Laodiceans that though He is no longer inside the church due to its apostate condition, He has been standing at the door and knocking. He tells them that if anyone person were to hear His voice calling from outside the door and open it to Him, He would come back into the church and fellowship with that person.

Theology: Jesus is not present among the unregenerate church meetings, yet He stands at the door, calling to be let in so that those who become hot and repent will have true fellowship with Him and He will come back into the church, though largely unregenerate, through that one person.

Application: Let us pray that the unregenerate churches will hear Christ’s Word and be zealous and repent so that He will again be present in them.

Revelation 3:21 – “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Summary: Jesus promised the overcomer that He would grant him to sit on His throne in the same manner as He is sitting now with His Father because He Himself overcame.

Theology: Jesus will grant true believers to sit down with Him on His throne in the same way as He, overcoming, sat down with His Father on His throne.

Application: Let us prove ourselves zealous and repenting, with Jesus in our midst approving of us, so that in His Kingdom, we will sit with Him on His throne.

Revelation 3:22 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Summary: Jesus calls on all believers everywhere and throughout time to pay attention to what the Spirit is telling the churches.

Theology: The Spirit is speaking to the churches through these letters, and believers would do well to heed His words.

Application: Let us consider these words closely, seeking the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to understand the message in these letters as it applies to us.