10. The Exodus
March 2008
Topics:
Jethro’s Visit
Arrival at Sinai
The Egyptians had a pantheon of 2000 gods. Worship of the Nile River and of the sun were prominent among them. The plagues called down upon the Egyptians were to show the ineffectiveness of their gods. Many individual Egyptians recognized this and followed the Israelites in the exodus as the “mixed multitude.” Here is a list of the plagues:
| Nile turned to blood | Ex 7:17 | ||
| Frogs | Ex. 8:2 | ||
| Lice | Ex. 8:16 | ||
| Flies | Ex. 8:21 | ||
| Murrain, animals die | Ex. 9:3 | ||
| Boils | Ex. 9:9 | ||
| Hail | Ex. 9:18 | ||
| Locusts | Ex. 10:4 | ||
| Darkness | Ex. 10:21 | ||
| Firstborn die | Ex. 11:4 |
As these plague occurred it became clear to the people of Egypt what was happening. When the plague of locusts was threatened, the people plead with Pharaoh to let the people go. Soon after the locusts came, Pharaoh begged for forgiveness and for relief from the locusts. A strong west wind came and blew them into the Red Sea. Following his habitual pattern, Pharaoh again hardened his heart.
“And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed” (Exodus 10:7)?
Finally, the most significant plague was the tenth plague – the death of the firstborn. After each of the previous plagues Pharaoh initially relented, then hardened his heart and refused to let the people go. Now his probation had ended, and God would work in a mighty way to accomplish His purpose.
The Passover
The Passover was instituted at the tenth plague. In every house in Egypt, even among the cattle in the field, the first born would die – except in those houses specially marked with the blood of a lamb. Read Exodus eleven and twelve for the story. Egyptians knew about the threatened plague, and could be protected if they became one with God’s people. In this case, that meant that they must be circumcised.
Special procedures were set up for the passover. On the tenth day of the month they must provide a lamb of the first year, without blemish. They were to keep the lamb, probably as part of the household, until the fourteenth day of the month. In the evening they were to kill the lamb and using hyssop to strike the blood on the door posts and on the lintel of the door.
The lamb was then roasted with fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The meal was to be eaten in haste, with everyone dressed for travel, with shoes on their feet and a staff in hand. For seven days following they were to eat unleavened bread.
This became a regular festival every year, possibly the most important of their yearly feasts. There is deep significance in every aspect of this feast. The lamb representing Jesus Christ and His blood shed for remission of sins. The lamb living with the family for four days representing the three and half years that Jesus ministered among the people. The unleavened bread represented the Bread of Life in which there is not the least impurity and no sin. Properly understood it was a constant reminder of the Gospel of Salvation which is the focus of the Covenant.
When Moses fled from Pharaoh, he went to the desert of Midian. After three days of the harsh reality of heat, dryness, stones and thorny brush he found hospitality! To be exact he found seven girls, daughters of one man, being harassed by the shepherd boys of the region. Seeing this, “the Egyptian” got up, sent the boys scurrying off in different directions, and helped the girls water their sheep.
When the girls got home they told their father, Jethro, what had happened. Any father with seven daughters has to keep an eye out for suitable husbands for the girls.
20 “And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
21 “And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter” (Exodus 2:20-21).
After the stress of Egypt, Moses was “content” to dwell with Jethro. He was content to herd sheep, even for forty years. And he was content to take Zipporah for a wife. He fully expected to stay there for the rest of his life.
In the desert, people spend much time talking. Moses talked frequently and at length with Jethro. Jethro believed in the true God. He was versed in the oral traditions and the stories that came down from Noah and his family. Moses knew some of this, but he was very young when he went from his mother’s home to live in the palace. It was in the desert that Moses wrote the book of Genesis. From all the myths and legends common to the day, the Holy Spirit showed him what was true.
Eventually, the four hundred and thirty years came to an end. God called Moses for his special work. . . . . After the Exodus was well on its way, Moses had a visitor.
“Jethro, Oh my father Jethro! Is that you?”
“Yes, my son, it is me. And I have brought Zipporah and your two sons too.”
“Oh, my father Jethro, you don’t know how glad I am to see you.” And Moses was suddenly young again. He ran, bowed low several times and threw his arms around Jethro.
In the days to follow, Moses and Jethro were constant companions. Talking, talking, talking. There was so much to catch up on. As Jethro sat with Moses during the day, people in unending lines came to him with their problems. Jethro noticed the light fade from Moses’ eyes, the lines in his face deepen, the sag of his shoulders. Finally, he had to speak:
“Moses, you don’t know what you are doing! You sit all day long listening to these people.”
“Yes, father. This is a nation of slaves. I am trying to teach them the laws of God.”
“But, Moses, you are killing yourself. You can’t do it all by yourself”
Jethro then went on to concede that Moses had done well to organize the camp, to organize the march, but he needed to organize a government too. There were able men in the camp. These must be chosen and made to be rulers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They would judge the ordinary problems of life. Only the great matters would be brought to Moses.
Moses listened. The plan was eminently logical. Moses put it into practice immediately with good results. In the background, Miriam and Aaron talked to each other, “We have been telling Moses to do that for weeks. Then Jethro shows up, he listens and does it right away!” See Numbers chapter 12.
In the providence of God, men are given trials, opportunities, brought into circumstances and even allowed temptations to show what is in the heart. This is necessary because men often do not know where they are weak. Israel had been tested at the Red Sea, the waters of Meribah, and the giving of Manna. In each place they had failed to trust God perfectly.
Israel was now at rest at Sinai. They would have time to hear God speak, to become familiar with His will and covenant. They would solidify families and friendships and become a nation. The civil law helped them to organize a society, the ceremonial law provided a framework for their worship and the moral law showed them the character of God, an ideal that they might reach through grace.
After generations of life in Egypt, being exposed to “gods” that were anything but holy, and being in close association with people immersed in wanton pleasure of all kinds; the people had become too much like those around them. God needed to bring them to a realization of His Majesty and Holiness. They needed to understand the sinfulness of sin and their own inability to rise above their sinful natures. The people needed to know the life changing power of God. They needed grace.
The history of Creation and of the Flood were now stories that had lost their impact. The miracles of the plagues in Egypt and even of the deliverance through the Red Sea indicated merely that Jehovah had more power than the gods of the Egyptians. The people needed to know that there is only one God, that He is a God of love, and they needed to understand His character.
The people began to know something of the judgments of God as they observed the effects of the plagues on the Egyptians. They began to know of His mercy in the provisions of the Passover. They began to know of His power as they crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Every day they experienced His guidance from the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. They had Manna from heaven to eat, water from the Rock to drink, and security from raiding bandits once the Amalekites were dealt with. The new plans for organization also gave them a sense of pride in who they were. Now it was time:
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