Exo 4:1–17 Put Forth Thine Hand, and Take it by the Tail

Exo 4:1  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. 
Exo 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 
Exo 4:3  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 
Exo 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 
Exo 4:5  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 
Exo 4:6  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 
Exo 4:7  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 
Exo 4:8  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 
Exo 4:9  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. 
Exo 4:10  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 
Exo 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 
Exo 4:12  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 
Exo 4:13  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 
Exo 4:14  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 
Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 
Exo 4:16  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 
Exo 4:17  And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. 

This chapter continues the discourse between the Lord and Moses when the Lord came to Moses. It focuses also on Moses’ return to Egypt to start the process of delivering the Israelites from bondage. Regarding today’s session, we will continue reviewing the dialogue between Moses and our Lord Jesus Christ. As this chapter is the continuation of Moses’ encounter with Christ, we will recount the key highlights of the last session to set the tone for today’s study.

As we know, the land of Midian where Moses fled after leaving Egypt, was part of the desert. A key characteristic of a desert is the scarcity of water which makes it impossible for plants to grow. The fact that Moses was keeping the flock in the desert, therefore, suggests that Moses, together with the flock, symbolizes Babylon where there is lack of the word of the Lord. So, after leaving Egypt, we automatically end up in Babylon.

1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

Moses being a symbol of the elect had been called and chosen before the foundations of the world. Being called and chosen, it is a matter of time before the Lord comes with His brightness, which is His words to destroy that which holds us from offering our lives as living sacrifice to the Lord. In the fullness of time, Moses led the flock to the backside (H310) of the desert. The word “backside” has frequently been used in King James to mean “after” or “behind”. However, it is also used in other ways such as “to turn away from” in Numbers 14:43.

Num 14:43  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from (H310) the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

Thus, Moses leading the flock to the backside of the desert can mean Moses turning away from the desert. It is when Moses turned away from the desert situation of lack of the word of Christ that he came to the mountain of God or had an encounter with the Lord who comes with His words to brighten our path. In other words, it is when we begin to turn away from Babylon and his doctrines representing the desert that Christ comes to us!! This mountain of God which is called Horeb is the same as the New Jerusalem or the church of the first born. So, we turn away from the desert (Babylon) to enter Jerusalem which is above. This mountain of God is also spiritually the same as Mount Zion.

Isa 10:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

It is interesting that Horeb, the mountain of God, means “desolate”. The word of the Lord describes the elect as desolate. This is all to confirm that the mountain of God here represents the assembly of the Lord’s elect.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

The statement that the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush is to let us know that this coming of Christ to the elect is all within us (in the midst of the bush). In the fullness of time, the Lord will appear for the whole world to see. However, in this dispensation, the Lord’s coming is within us, just as the kingdom of the Lord is within us.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

What Moses saw, caught his attention. Indeed, the Lord knows what will catch our attention. He saw the bush burning with fire but the bush was not consumed. The question is “what does this mean”? As indicated, the bush represents the elect and the bush burning is to let us know of the judgment of the elect. In spite of what the elect go through by way of judgment, we rather become stronger and are not consumed by our fiery trials. This is exemplified by what happened to the Israelites while in Egypt. Even as their burden became heavier, they became stronger and more fruitful.

Exo 1:12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

Now the question is, “What did Jesus, together with the people of God, see that kept them going in spite of the trouble they went through?” This is the very question on the mind of Moses that caused him to turn aside to see this great sight – why the bush is burning and yet not being consumed. The answer is very simple. It is because they have all seen the reward!! This is what Paul had to say about our High Priest Jesus:

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus saw the reward, and it served as a driving force to go against all the odds in this life to please God!! The reward is what is motivating all of us and preparing us to go through the fire knowing that we shall not be consumed!! Moses, like us, also wanted to know why the bush burns and yet was not consumed. However, many have seen the bush burning and not been consumed but were/are not enthused about it and therefore do not turn aside to see this great sight!!

It is when we turn aside to understand the word of the Lord regarding how all the elect before us went through all kinds of tribulations, but they were not consumed, that Christ comes to us with His brightness. That is when we hear a voice within us calling us by our name. Let’s now pay attention to the name Moses. It means to draw out. As we are aware, Moses also represents the law. It is when the law has run its full course that it draws out of us what we really are in the flesh.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Let’s now continue with the conversation between the Lord and Moses in Chapter 4 as follows:

Exo 4:1  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

This verse is to let us know that Babylon, or the physical churches of this world represented here as Israelites in Egypt, will naturally not believe in the elect just as the church system in Jesus’ time did not believe in Him. To the churches of this world, we are dead spiritually and our dead bodies are lying in the street of Jerusalem (in their churches), which is in bondage with her children.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

As He is, so are we. If the Lord was considered spiritually dead by the leaders of the church during Jesus’ time, then we, His servants will suffer the same fate.

Mar 3:10  For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
Mar 3:11  And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

Mar 3:22  And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

Exo 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

The rod here is the same as the staff. What is in our hands is what we cling to. In other words, what the Lord was asking Moses pertains to what Moses was depending on. We are either depending on our strength or flesh, which is powered by the devil, or we are depending on the Lord alone. In the Bible, a rod is a symbol of discipline. However, the following verses show that a rod can represent Christ and His words or the devil and his lies, represented as a serpent:

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse (christ), and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Mar 6:8  And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only (Christ); no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:

Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken (the devil): for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. 

Eze 7:11  Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness (the devil). None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them.

Exo 4:3  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

It is when we have an encounter with Christ that is, when He comes to us and causes us to understand His words that we are shown what we are depending on. To cast to the ground means to destroy as used in the following:

2Sa 8:2  And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.

It is when the Lord comes to us with His brightness and starts His work of destroying the beast within that we see who we have been dealing with all our lives – our father the devil, who is represented here as a serpent. Christ coming to us with His brightness is when our heavens are opened to begin to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Just as Christ stands for the word of Christ or truth, the devil or Satan or the serpent is synonymous with deception or lies. So, it is when the Lord opens our hearts and minds to understand His words that we begin to see how all our lives we have been deceived by the lies of the serpent. Nobody wants to entertain deception. One of the key factors that destroys marriages is when one partner sees that he/she had been deceived all along. Immediately we recognize deception, and we run away from it. This was what happened to Moses. Immediately he saw that the rod had become a serpent, he realized that he had been deceived all along. That is when he started to flee from deception. That was exactly what happened to us!!  Until Christ came to us with His brightness, we thought we were serving the Lord. Immediately, we come to see that what we have been holding on to or depending on is indeed deception by our father the devil, we flee!!

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Exo 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 

Whenever we come across the phrase, “And the Lord said to Moses”, we are being told what the word of the Lord says. Our encounter with the Lord through His words is a much richer experience than the physical encounter of Moses with the Lord. This is what the Lord has to say about this:

Joh 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 
Joh 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 
Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Through the scriptures, we are able to know how to deal with the lies of the devil and his messengers. That is, we must put forth our hands and take the serpent by the tail. In the scriptures, the tail negatively symbolizes the false doctrines of false messengers of Satan.

Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

The statement “And he put forth his hands, and caught it” means that Moses was able to seize, bind or restrain (Meaning of ‘caught’ H2388) the lies of the enemy, the devil. It is when we have dominion over the false doctrines in our heavens that we are able to hold onto Christ and His words, represented here by the serpent turning back to a rod. The rod is also a symbol of rulership. Thus, having this rod (Christ and His words) now in our hands is to assure us of our future inheritance as rulers, just as Moses ruled over the Lord’s people after this encounter with Christ with the rod in his hands.

Eze 19:14  And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

Exo 4:5  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 

As we have indicated in the previous session, the Lord introducing Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is to let Moses know that he is dealing with a God who is able to raise him up from his spiritually dead state. This is to assure us that we, his elect, represented here by Moses, will be raised up to become spiritually alive by the Lord and to become rulers in the life to come.

Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. 

Exo 4:6  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
Exo 4:7  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 

The Hebrew word “chôq (H2436)” is often translated as bosom, but it can also mean “within” as used in the following:

Job 19:27  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within (H2436) me.

So, we can say that putting forth your hand “into thy bosom” can mean looking within. As we are aware, within us is a repository of evil signified by Moses’ hands turning leprous as snow. This is what Jesus had to say about what is within us:

Mar 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 
Mar 7:22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 
Mar 7:23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 

Verses 6 and 7 present another way of saying that the vessel our Lord made of clay was marred in His hands, and so He made it again into another vessel as it seemed good to Him.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Exo 4:8  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 

As indicated, the first sign relates to us being able to recognize that what we have depended on is in reality a deception. It is then we learn how to deal with these false doctrines – by holding them by the tail. This first sign is basically inward, and it is not easily seen by others. However, the second sign relates to how we come to see ourselves as sinful, and through the grace of God, we come to shine forth His righteousness. It is this righteousness which is like a lamp that cannot be hidden, making others believe our voice.

1Pe 3:1  Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,
1Pe 3:2  when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 

Mat 5:14  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 
Mat 5:15  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 
Mat 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Exo 4:9  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

The third sign to convince the people of Israel is to turn their water into blood. This is to let us know that during our lives in Babylon, or the physical churches of this world, our water of the word of Christ was turned into blood. In other words, we all became murderers of the Lord’s elect, thinking we are doing God a service.  It also implies that we were guilty before God for the killing of our savior Jesus Christ and all the elect who had been murdered for Christ’s sake.

Joh 16:2  They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 
Joh 16:3  And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

Exo 4:10  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 

It is when we have an encounter with the Lord that we come to see our inadequacies in carrying out the Lord’s work. Before Moses met the Lord, he was full of confidence that he was capable of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and thought that the Israelites would understand. This is what the word of God says:

Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 
Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 
Act 7:24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

Having encountered Christ, Moses came to realize he was sinful and incapable of doing the Lord’s work as he complained to the Lord of his lack of eloquence. All those whom the Lord had used significantly realized their incompetence and therefore depended on the Lord. Christ brings us to this point of realization so we depend on Him to do His work of salvation through us, and in so doing, no flesh can boast in His presence. Let’s look at the Lord’s encounter with Isaiah and Jeremiah to serve as witness to this fact:

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 
Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

The seraphim here in Isaiah 6:6 represents the elect and through what every joint supplies, which is the live coal or the fire of the word of Christ, our iniquity is taken away.

Jer 1:4  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 
Jer 1:6  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 
Jer 1:7  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

This is what Paul, who was used mightily by the Lord, had to say:

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 
2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

The Lord brings us to this point so we will come to know that it is the Lord who does the work. All we have to do is to believe in Him to accomplish that which He has started in us!!

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. 
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

Exo 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 

This verse is to confirm to us that everything is of the Lord. It is another way of saying that everything is going according to the counsel of His will.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Exo 4:12  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 

This is another way of saying that the Lord will do His work through us. We do not contribute anything to our salvation. This is what the Lord had to say to us so that we understand right from the onset that we do not contribute anything to our salvation.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

In 1 John 4:17, we are told that as He is, so are we. When the Lord was here on earth, it was the Father who did everything through Him. In the same manner, our walk here on earth is all the work of Christ in us.

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 

Exo 4:13  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 

When we focus so much on our inadequacies and our circumstances, we will never be able to do the work of God. Moses was engrossed with his inadequacies instead of understanding that it is the Lord who does the work. This is demonstrated clearly by the story of Jesus walking on the sea. As we are aware, the sea represents the flesh, and so Jesus walking on the sea shows us that He had victory over the flesh when He was walking here on earth. Peter tried to imitate Christ, and initially, he was successful in walking on the sea. However, when he focused on the boisterous wind, he became afraid and started sinking. This is to let us know that it is only in focusing on Jesus that we can have victory over the flesh. If we look at ourselves or our circumstance as Peter did, sin will rear its head in our lives again.

Mat 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 
Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 
Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 
Mat 14:28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
Mat 14:29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 
Mat 14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 
Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Exo 4:14  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 
Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 
Exo 4:16  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 

This is where we are introduced to Aaron, the brother of Moses. On a positive note, Aaron represents the elect. On a negative note, Aaron is a symbol of our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are joined to us. In this context, Aaron’s role can be looked at from a negative perspective. Here we see that Aaron was to attend or minister to Moses in bringing salvation to the people of Israel. Throughout the years, our brothers and sisters in Babylon’s work only pertain to the keeping of instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, but it is only Moses, Aaron and his sons (representing us) who are to minister before the Lord.

Num 3:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:6  Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 
Num 3:7  And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:8  And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:9  And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 
Num 3:10  And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Num 3:38  But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

We should also note that Aaron’s role is the same as all the prophets of the Old Testament who ministered to us but did not receive the promise.

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Here in verse 16 of Exodus chapter 4, we are told that Moses shall be a God to Aaron. What this means is that through us (Moses), salvation shall come to all our brothers and sisters in Babylon and the prophets of the Old Testaments (Aaron).

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. 

Exo 4:17  And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. 

As we have indicated earlier, the rod here, on a positive note, represents Christ, and when we are in Him, nothing is impossible.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

It is through Him that we can do signs and wonders in this life. The signs that we are being empowered to do pertains to the raising of the spiritually dead to life in Christ Jesus!!

Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 
Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

May the Lord help us to possess Christ (the rod) as our priceless possession in this life!! Amen!!

Exodus 2:1–25 When She saw him that he was a Goodly Child, She hid him Three Months

[Study Aired March 14, 2022]

Exo 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 
Exo 2:2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 
Exo 2:3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 
Exo 2:4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 
Exo 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 
Exo 2:6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 
Exo 2:7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
Exo 2:8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 
Exo 2:9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 
Exo 2:10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. 
Exo 2:11  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
Exo 2:12  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 
Exo 2:13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 
Exo 2:14  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 
Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 
Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 
Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 
Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? 
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. 
Exo 2:20  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. 
Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. 
Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 
Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The previous chapter deals with the Israelites undergoing hard labor in Egypt and Pharaoh charging all his people to cast the sons born to the Hebrew women into the river but sparing every daughter born. As we indicated, a son represents the elect, and a daughter signifies the church – the physical churches of this world or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all. Pharaoh here denotes the devil or the beast within, and Pharaoh’s people here are the false apostles and deceitful workers.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Casting every son into the river is the same as deceiving the elect through false doctrines of man’s wisdom. The devil had accomplished this successfully at a certain point in our lives as we filled our heavens with false doctrines and in so doing blocked the glorious gospel of Christ which is able to save us.

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Saving every daughter alive is another way of saying that the physical churches of this world were given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

It was during this circumstance of the Israelites that Moses was born to a Levite couple as follows:

Exo 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 
Exo 2:2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 

These verses talk about our predestination. It is significant to know that Moses’ birth was accomplished through two Levites. As we are aware, it is through the Levites that there is the priesthood and the work of the tabernacle in the wilderness. If Moses had been born outside the tribe of Levi, Moses would not have been qualified to act as an intermediary between God and the people of Israel. This is all to show us the fact that before the world began, we had been called and chosen just like Moses.

Our backgrounds and all that we have gone through to date, are all the Lord’s design to bring us to an expected end. This should give us the confidence that our Lord oversees our circumstances and will bring to pass that which is written of us according to His books. It is therefore not what we can do, but what the Lord will do for us!! All we must do is believe in Jesus whom our Father has sent!!

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Psa 139:13  For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother’s womb.
Psa 139:14  I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.
Psa 139:15  My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 
Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.
Psa 139:17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Joh 6:28  They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The fact that the parents saw Moses was a goodly child when he was born is all to confirm the called and chosen status of Moses who represents the elect. His parents hiding him for three months is to let us know that even though we are called and chosen, it is through the process of judgment that we become spiritually mature or complete. Hiding Moses for three months also means that our status as the Lord’s elect and the process we go through to become His Christ are all hidden from the world, including the churches of this world. In short, the world would never know us as we are hidden in the Lord’s quiver until that day, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ!!

Isa 49:2  and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me: and he hath made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he kept me close:

Exo 2:3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
Exo 2:4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

These verses are to show us how we should walk here on earth as the Lord’s elect. We must live above or insulate ourselves from the river of Egypt which consists of the water of this world and that of the physical churches of this world. The water of this world consists of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life and rudiments of this world. That which is of the physical churches of this world is the false doctrines of man’s wisdom.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Col 2:8  Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

Just as the mother of Moses ensured that Moses was kept afloat on the river Nile, the role of the church is to help us all stay above the waters of this world and that of Babylon through what every joint supplies. Verse 4 shows us that Moses’ sister was at hand to give a helping hand so that Moses is not drawn in the river. This is also to emphasize the role of the church in helping us live for Christ. Moses’ sister also represents all the fleshly assistance or provision that the Lord has made available to the elect in this life.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

On a positive note, this river represents the word of the Lord. When we are children in Christ or have just started our walk with Christ (represented by Moses being a child), we only float on the surface and are confined to the brink of the water which represents the letter of the word. We are not given to know the spiritual reality of the word of Christ. In that case, Moses’ sister negatively represents Babylon whose role is to confine us to the letter of the word.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Exo 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

As indicated in the comments on the previous verses, the river of Egypt has also a positive connotation of being the word of Christ. It is in this river that the daughter of Pharaoh goes down to wash. The daughter of Pharaoh here stands for the New Jerusalem or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all, and we are cleansed or washed by the river of life. The maidens walking by the river side lets us know that we are called to the lost house of Israel or Babylon to fetch them from floating on the river surface or living at the brink of the river.

Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Exo 2:6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 

One of the qualities the Lord is inculcating in us in this life is having compassion for others. This was the quality that enabled the daughter of Pharaoh to make Moses her son. This is what the Lord has to say to us about this:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Exo 2:7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
Exo 2:8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 

As indicated earlier, on a positive note, Moses’ sister is a symbol of all the fleshly assistance or provision that the Lord has made available to the elect in this life so that we end up in Pharaoh’s house or the New Jerusalem. The same is true of Moses’ mother.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Exo 2:9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Before we end up in the King’s house or in the New Jerusalem, we, the elect, are taken care of by the physical fleshly churches of this world symbolized by Moses’ mother.  A significant fact about this is that this caretaker role of Babylon regarding the elect is not free. The churches receive wages as indicated by Pharaoh’s daughter giving wages to Moses’ mother to take care of Moses. As we know, freely we have received and freely must we give. However, that is not what happens in the churches. Every service offered must be paid for. As the Lord said, they have received their reward already!!

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 

Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Exo 2:10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Moses’ life in Egypt is recounted as part of Stephen’s speech when he was brought before the council to answer the false charges brought against him. Thus, to understand these verses, there is the need to put the account by Stephen side by side to this Exodus account as they reveal certain details not found in the Exodus account. This is Stephen’s account:

Act 7:21  And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 
Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

On a negative note, we grow up in Egypt learning all the wisdom of this world or Egypt and become mighty in words and in deeds thinking we hold our destiny in this life in our own hands. However, we are no match to the devil or the beast within.

On a positive note, we are rescued from the river of Egypt and brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter who signifies the New Jerusalem. Also positive, the wisdom of the Egyptians that we learn is the wisdom the Lord has given us in this world, which is the fear of the Lord. Through this fear of the Lord which becomes our portion through the word of Christ, we become mighty in opposing the works of darkness in our lives.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Exo 2:11  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
Exo 2:12  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Stephen’s account of these verses is as follows:

Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 
Act 7:24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

The statement in Exodus chapter 2 verse 11 that it was when Moses had grown that he went out unto his brethren lets us know that it was when Moses was forty years that he visited the Israelites knowing that God had called him to deliver them from the hands of the Egyptians. Moses being forty years was significant because forty in the negative context symbolizes the period in our lives where we manifest the works of the flesh.

1Sa 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 

1Sa 17:16  And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

This is all to let us know that even while we were manifesting the works of the flesh, our Lord had penciled us out to be the source of salvation for many. The Egyptian smiting the Hebrew here signifies the old man or the beast’s dominance over us. Moses slaying the Egyptian is another way of saying that one of the heads of the beast within was wounded to death. Hiding the body of the Egyptian in the sand is to let us know the temporariness of the wound meted out to the beast within. This deadly wound heals, and we are back to square one. This narrative is also to make us aware that Moses was relying on his own fleshly strength (signified by forty years) to deal with the beast within and all his efforts were in vain as we shall see the story unfold. However, it is the work of the Lord to deal with the beast within permanently on our behalf. As indicated earlier, all we have to do in this battle against the flesh is to believe in Jesus whom the Father has sent!!

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Exo 2:13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 
Exo 2:14  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 

These two verses show us the fiery word of the Lord which set into motion our (Moses’) exit from Egypt. Our exit from the world to start serving the Lord is not achieved by our own decision at ease. We all rush to leave because of tribulation and persecution of the word of Christ.

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

The second day that Moses went to visit the Israelites served as a witness to confirm to Him that the Lord had indeed made him a deliverer, that is, prince and a judge over the Israelites as spoken by the Israelite who was striving with his neighbor.

Act 7:27  But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

This verse affirms to us the reward awaiting us!! Indeed, when this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, we shall become rulers with Christ. Later in the lake of fire age, we shall sit on thrones to judge the whole world!!

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

As we indicated, Pharoah here represents the beast within, and Moses signifies the saints or the elect. It is when the deadly wound of the beast (the killing of the Egyptian) is healed that he makes war with the saints to overcome them.

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 

Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

It is significant to know that Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to the land of Midian. Midian means ‘strife’. Thus, our long, drawn-out war or strife with the beast does not stop when we leave Egypt or the world. Rather, our leaving Egypt signals the intensity of this strife. It is also insightful to know that when Moses went to the land of Midian, he sat down by a well of water. Our refuge in these times of strife is Christ or the word of Christ. That is what will ensure our victory over Pharaoh (the beast)!!

Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.

This is the second time that a priest is named who is not an Israelite. The first one was in Genesis where Abraham met Melchizedek, and this priest of Midian is the second one. This second priest, who became the father-in-law of Moses, is a witness to us that our Lord’s plan of salvation includes us, the gentile, right from the very onset. It is also to let us know that the Lord will save all humanity as He always starts with few people (the nation of Israel) and through these few people (Israel), extends His salvation to cover all nations.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

The seven daughters represent the complete churches of this world. The verse here talks about the role of the church. That is, to draw water to quench the thirst of our father’s flock. As we are aware, the water is the word of Christ and our role is to give the flock the water of the word.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 

These shepherds signify pastors and leaders of the physical churches of this world called Babylon. Instead of helping quench the thirst of the flock with the word of Christ, which is able to save us, they rather prevent the flock from accessing the living water. This is what the Lord Jesus had to say about these shepherds:

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 
Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Again, this is what Peter and Jude had to say about these shepherds:

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 
Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 
Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 
Jud 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Moses symbolizes the elect. After escaping from Egypt or the world, we had so much zeal to help quench the thirst of the churches as we saw Moses help water the flock of the seven daughters and stood up against the shepherds. In this case, our zeal was without knowledge as we had not yet had an encounter with the Lord, just like Moses. In Babylon, we begin to see that these shepherds are not doing the right things and so we stand up against them. In the fullness of time, however, this standing up against these shepherds will facilitate our exit from Babylon.

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 
Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 
Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
Exo 2:20  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.

Moses here is described as an Egyptian, as he was likely wearing an Egyptian cloth. This Egyptian cloth is the world’s standard of righteousness based on the law. In another perspective, what these seven daughters, who represent the churches of this world, said about Moses being an Egyptian is to let us know how the churches regard us. They think the Lord’s elect are spiritually dead as being an Egyptian means being of the world.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

The father of the seven daughters, Reuel, in these verses signifies Christ who is inviting us to come and eat bread, which is His words immediately after leaving Egypt. Unfortunately, because at that stage of our walk we have not had an encounter with the Lord to know His voice, we are not able to decipher between the true word of the Lord and false doctrines of man’s wisdom. In our hunger, we come into the churches of this world imbibing all the false doctrines given to us.

Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

On a positive note, as Christ comes to dwell in us, His gift to us is the body of Christ or the church of the first born, which is represented here by Zipporah who was given to Moses as wife. It is through the church that we can give birth to the new man in us who is after the image of Christ. It is the birth of this new man in us that we come to see that indeed, we are strangers here on earth.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

If we are called and chosen, then in the fullness of time the king of Egypt, signifying one of the horns of the beast within, will be uprooted. However, we continue to be under the dominance of the beast within. This verse is to let us know, therefore, that the death of the old man is a process and during this period of being under the burden of sin, we groan. The good news is that in all of this, our Lord hears our groaning which means He is working out a great deliverance on our behalf.

2Ki 20:5  Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.

Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The Lord hearing their groaning and remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is another way of saying that because He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, we should be holy and without blame, He hears our cry of desperation from bondage to sin.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

In verse 25, it is stated that the Lord looked upon the Israelites and had respect for them. A better rendition of this verse is:

Exo 2:25  and because he knew what was happening to his people, he felt sorry for them. (CEV)

Our Lord feels what we go through. To be our High Priest, He experienced all that we were to go through first except sin, so that He can be merciful to us as we strive under the burden of sin.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 76 Discussion

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 Isa 20:1-6 How Shall We Escape From The King of Assyria?

Isa 20:1  In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
Isa 20:2  At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3  And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
Isa 20:4  So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
Isa 20:5  And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
Isa 20:6  And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?

We now have the king of Assyria right back in his voracious ways, in this next chapter after the Lord Himself called Assyria the "blessed... work of My hands".

Isa 19:24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
Isa 19:25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

And what is 'the king of Assyria doing here in this chapter? He is conquering and plundering "the Egyptians... and the Ethiopians", Israel's only hope of being saved from the king of Assyria.

Assyria and Egypt will both be saved through the lake of fire. But in the mean time both are used as instruments in the Lord's hand. Egypt symbolizes our flesh, the world within us which wants us to depend upon her for our well being, while Assyria, symbolizes the rod of the Lord's indignation against both Israel and Egypt. (Isa 10:5)

That is the message of our study today. Our old man is sacrificed for the salvation of our new man:

Isa 20:1  In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
Isa 20:2  At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3  And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
Isa 20:4  So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

The first thing to notice is that God always first warns us, then admonishes us to repent, before He pours out His judgments and His wrath upon the kingdom of our rebellious old man. Just as He first warned Adam and Eve of the consequences of disobedience, so also the fall of Ashdod was a warning to Judah and Jerusalem, the Old Testament types of you and me, the Lord's rebellious apostatized people, that their own judgment was very near.

Spiritually Egypt and Ethiopia symbolize and typify the rebellious Adamic flesh into which we are all born. Egypt and Ethiopia, in these verses, typify "all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." It is our own flesh and our own wisdom and  our own understanding upon which we just naturally depend to get us through every trial of life. For this reason we are told:

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Leaning on our own understanding and being wise in our own eyes is symbolized by our hope in the Ethiopians as our expectation and Egypt as our glory. It is a recipe for disaster because "The inhabitant of this isle" in verse six symbolizes apostate Israel, who as "types of us" (1Co 10:6), has turned her back on her true and only Savior and is now depending upon her own flesh and the things of this world for deliverance and for salvation.

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, just before his stoning, tells us this about ourselves:

Act 7:41  And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Act 7:42  Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things, (CLV)

Deu 4:19  And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

Before we come to know The True Shepherd we are "the nations under the whole heaven". It is we to whom the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, has been divided.  The worship and service we render to those heavenly bodies is accomplished by keeping the "days, months, times and years [of] the traditions of men" in every society on earth. Societies absolutely insist that their citizens participate. The pressure to partake is irresistible. Never mind, they insist, these holy spirit inspired words:

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Gal 4:12  Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him" (Pro 3:6) means that we should have His word directing our every move, and His Word does not sanction the observance of the traditions of men:

Col 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

"As you have been taught" tells us that Paul spoke the same thing to these Colossians that he had taught to the Galatians. The Greek word translated "rudiments of the words" here is the same Greek word translated as "weak and beggarly elements" in Galatians 4. It is the Greek word 'stoicheion', and this is how Strong's defines this word:

G4747
στοιχεῖον
stoicheion
stoy-khi'-on
Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of G4748; something orderly in arrangement, that is, (by implication) a serial (basal, fundamental, initial) constituent (literally), proposition (figuratively): - element, principle, rudiment.

The way 'stoicheion' is used in Galatians 4 and Colossians 2 speaks of the "basal, fundamental arrangement" of the "elements of this world". This pull of  our flesh to fit into society is symbolized by "Egypt [our] glory".

When we look at the base G4748 this what we see:

G4748
στοιχέω
stoicheō
stoy-kheh'-o
From a derivative of στείχω steichō̄ (to range in regular line); to march in (military) rank (keep step), that is, (figuratively) to conform to virtue and piety: - walk (orderly).

This base of 'stoicheion' is 'stoicheo', and of the five times it appears in the New Testament, it is always translated with the English word 'walk' as in:

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk [stoicheo] in the Spirit.

So both words mean the same thing. They both mean to conform to the accepted principles we are expected to uphold, whether it is the principles of the doctrine of Christ or the principles of "the elements of this world [and] the traditions of men".

It always helps us to better understand a word when we see it used in both its positive and its negative applications. Galatians 4 and Colossians 2 both demonstrate the negative application of this Greek word 'stoicheion'. Both of those scriptures admonish us against conforming to the world's accepted principles of submitting to, conforming to, and participating in the observance of the days, months, times and years of the traditions of men.

Here is an example of its positive application:

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles [G4747: 'stoicheion', basal, fundamental...arrangement] of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Romans 14:1 tells to bear with the weak in faith who can "eat [only] herbs" and who "esteems one day above another". We are told "let every man [weak and strong in the faith] be fully persuaded in his own mind." Romans 14 also lets us know that it is those who are:

Rom 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6  He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Any "weak in the faith... babe in Christ" (1Co 3:1-4) can esteem birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, Easter and Halloween, and fit right in with the traditions of men. It requires being very strong in the faith to "regard not the day... unto the Lord".

So what are the strong in the faith to do with the weak in the faith? These are our instructions for how we are to treat those who are not yet given the strength to "regard not the day... unto the Lord":

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 15:7  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Christ died for us "while [we] were yet in [our] sins" (Eph 2:1-5). The least we can do is to be patient with those who are "weak in the faith... esteem[ing] one day above another". Nevertheless, nothing said in Romans 15 contradicts Romans 14:1, and it is incumbent upon "We which are strong" never to permit "them that are weak in the faith... to [engage in] doubtful disputations" about already established discernments and already established Biblical doctrine, such as Galatians 4:1-10 and Colossians 2:8-22.

The vast majority of ancient Israel's history was spent desiring to be like the nations about them and living in total rebellion against their own marriage covenant which required fidelity to their Husband, Christ, and to His laws. Here is how Christ portrays Israel's history:

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

The martyr Stephen said this just before he was stoned to death:

Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Act 7:52  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

In this chapter of Isaiah Christ is telling Israel, a type of us, that the time has come for them to be punished for their infidelity. As we have seen, Assyria is the symbol for "the rod of [His] indignation".

Isa 10:3  And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?
Isa 10:4  Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Isa 10:5  O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
Isa 10:6  I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

"The people of [Christ's] wrath" is us, if we are "the house of God" in this age, because His judgment "begins at the house of God" (1Pe 4:17). This judgment begins with Christ revealing our own nakedness to us. Let's put Isaiah's words together with the words that say the same thing in the book of Revelation.

Here again is Isaiah:

Isa 20:2  At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3  And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

And this is the book of Revelation:

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

The fact Isaiah was instructed to expose his own nakedness for three years tells us the process of judgment has begun at the house of God. [Link to the study on the number three.]

The phrase "At the same time" refers to the time that the king of Assyria fought against and took Ashdod. The king of Assyria had already come up against King Ahaz and had placed him and his people under tribute.

2Ki 16:8  And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

Babylon, the king of Assyria, is called "the great city wherein our Lord was crucified", revealing that Babylon is the Lord's own people (Rev 11:8). Israel, as a type of us, was already naked and yet refused to acknowledge her own nakedness, telling herself:

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

It is the blindness and stubbornness of His own people, you and me, which gives the Lord the excuse He is seeking to destroy the kingdom of our old man within us, and to show us our own spiritually naked condition.

Isa 20:4  So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

If we think this twentieth chapter of Isaiah is simply a history lesson, then it has no personal application. This is not just a history lesson, rather:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

At the appointed time, we are brought to see our own nakedness, and we are made to acknowledge that there is no way to avoid the destruction which is staring us in the face:

Isa 20:5  And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
Isa 20:6  And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?

"This isle" is us, those whom the Lord is judging in this age. This all happened to Israel, to Ethiopia and to Egypt, as a "type of us", and it is all "written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come."

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things. (CLV)

Up to this time our own pride, our own flesh, has been our "expectation" and our "glory", and we have indeed been "lusters after evil things". We actually think we can deliver ourselves from the judgment of the kingdom of our old man. It is our old man, the beast within us, who is symbolized in this passage by Ethiopia and by Egypt, both of which had been very formidable powers at their own appointed times. "Their expectation [and] their glory" is our own 'expectation... and... glory', as the Lord's apostatized people. But now "the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?"

Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Revelation 17 portrays our beast within us, and all of his allies within us, as "ten kings" who will agree to give their power to the beast and to go to war with the Lamb. The number 'ten' in scripture signifies the epitome and the perfection of our corruptible, dying flesh: Link to the study on the number 10.

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

"These shall make war with the Lamb" tells us that judgment has come upon us and that the destruction of the kingdom of our old man is at hand, because "the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful." They are not just called and chosen, but those who are with the Lamb are "called, and chosen, and [they are also] faithful [to the end]", which is required of those who will rule with Christ in His kingdom:

Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

The fact that we are now granted to be "ashamed of Ethiopia [our] expectation, and of Egypt [our] glory", and the fact that we now are saying, "Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?" tells us that we have been brought to accept the fact that our old man has no way of escaping from, or being delivered from, the king of Assyria. We have been brought to accept the destruction of the kingdom of our old man and to see that allying ourselves with our own flesh was a very dear mistake because:

2Ki 18:21  Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

Isa 36:6  Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

King David tells us the same thing in these words:

Psa 146:3  Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
Psa 146:4  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Psa 146:5  Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Egypt and its king, Pharaoh, symbolize our corruptible flesh. It is inevitable that we will seek to Egypt as our ally against the judgment the Lord has placed in "the rod of His indignation... the King of Assyria." When we do so, we become the enemies of Christ, and we are actually going to war against Christ. But "the Lamb... is Lord of lords, and King of kings", and He will judge us and He will send us into Babylonian captivity, before He brings us "out of her" and before He will overcome and utterly destroy the kingdom of our old man. It has proceeded out of the mouth of God, and we will live by these words:

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:2  As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Hos 11:3  I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
Hos 11:4  I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
Hos 11:5  He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
Hos 11:6  And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.

But it is all "working together for good to them who [have been dragged to] love God, and who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28).

So the gospel of Jesus Christ really is good news for all men because He came into this world to judge it:

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Only a "few... firstfruits" are given to be faithful to the end in this age, but in the Lord's time "all in Adam [will] be made alive... in Christ" (1Co 15:22), and then all mankind will say together:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

We will stop here for now, and we will cover these verses in our next study:

Isa 21:1  The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
Isa 21:2  A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
Isa 21:3  Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
Isa 21:4  My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
Isa 21:5  Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
Isa 21:6  For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
Isa 21:7  And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:
Isa 21:8  And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
Isa 21:9  And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
Isa 21:10  O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

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Awesome Hands – part 43

“A burning bush, but not consumed”

Previously, we studied book two of Exodus and discovered how the Lord works with His hands to form the situations that cause us to be His chosen people.

Whether good or bad form our perspective, and just as happened with a baby Moses, the Lord uses all circumstances; yay, He has formed all circumstances to serve His own purpose and for His own glory.

With the admonitions, type and shadows found with Moses and his upbringing we have started to see a pattern immerge of how the Lord works with us to mold us into the vessels which will be used for honor in His kingdom.

In our study today, we are going to continue to follow Moses as he starts off in the wilderness and finds himself staring at a very “great sight” of a burning bush which is not consumed.

As we will see, Lord willing, this will be a very pivotal happening in our life and it will forever change the direction of our walk on this earth seeing as we are entering unto Holy Land.

“Moses kept the flock”

Exo 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

We ended the last study looking at the Hebrew word for shepherds or pastors and we compared the spiritual difference between the pastors that drive away those who come to the well for water versus those who help those who come to the well by helping to water the flocks.

As we start of in chapter 3, we now see that Moses has been invite to eat bread with the family of Jethro and was also given a place in Jethro’s family by being given Ziporrah, meaning “bird,” and representing the heavenly.

It is here, in type and shadow, in the heavenlies that we will get to know the start of the commandments of our Lord as we also discover His name.

It is on the backside of the desert that we come to the mountain of the Lord to Horeb, meaning desolate.

The angel of the Lord appeared from the middle of the burning bush because He is in the middle of His people. His people dwell comfortably in the fire, and you cannot separate the Head from His body.

Lev 1:7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
Lev 1:8 And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
Lev 1:9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Jer 23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Isa 33:10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.
Isa 33:11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
Isa 33:12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
Isa 33:13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
Isa 33:16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Isa 33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

We come to this point, where we are least aware that we are about to presented with the Fire of the Word of God, that the Lord sends an “angel of the Lord” to bring a message to us.

Keep in mind; this is all in type and shadow but indeed the Lord dwells in His people and He sends His messengers of Light to bring the Fire in their mouths. Christ is in their MIND and as such, we can know that just as the bush represents Christ, we represent Christ to those who we are sent to.

Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Exo 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Exo 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
Exo 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

If we look closely at this first encounter with the Lord, we’ll notice that there is an event the Lord Himself has created knowing that this event ALONE would have Moses turn aside to see this “great sight”.

From this, the Lord tells Moses that his walk is about to change. “Put of thy shoes…the place you stand is Holy Ground,” means this is the Rock of foundation of which we all start off from.

The Lord then goes on to tell Moses that He has seen the affliction of His people and heard their cry.

Do you think that Moses is included in this group? Is Moses one of God’s people? Of course He is!

Did you notice in verse 3:8 that the angel of the Lord says, “I am come down to deliver my people”?

It is the Lord who comes down and is stripped of His glory so that He can take on the form of man. It is when the Lord “comes down” to His people AGAIN, that He comes down from the heavenlies to dwell in the hearts and minds of His people and this starts at the mount of Zion, in Horeb, where there is DESOLATION.

“I will send thee unto Pharaoh”

Exo 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
Exo 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

As we have covered in many of the previous studies, it is the Lord who puts the circumstances and situations in our lives in order to have everything shaped so that His will can be accomplished.

If a leopard cannot change his spots nor an Ethiopian change the color of his skin, how then can we expect that anything we do can change one iota of an inch of what the Lord is going to do or is actively doing in our lives?

Jer 13:20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
Jer 13:21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
Jer 13:22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Jer 13:24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
Jer 13:25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

All we are given to do is act upon the faith the Lord has given us to PRAY to Him that we be delivered from the situation He has placed us in.

This is all orchestrated so that the Lord can cause us to be in distress so that we can call out to Him for deliverance. That is why we are sent to the “mount of desolation”.

1Th 3:7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:
1Th 3:8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

Psa 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.sssss
Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Jer 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

Moses, as a type and shadow of all who are brought to the Lord, are brought to the king of Babylon/ the Pharaoh of Egypt, in order to be recused from the same by the hardened of the Pharaohs heart.

In other words, the Lord creates the entire scenario form a to z so that the “old man” can be confronted with the fire of the Word of God of which represents the Truth that we have always been slaves to the old man and the Lord and His angels are here to deliver His people from this bondage!

Exo 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Exo 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

We have just been told that we are going to come BACK to the Lord to this same mount, but the second time we are going to come SERVING the Lord.

This first time around though, we think we are somehow involved in that we think just like Moses, “who am I, that I should go….”

This is very similar to how Saul answers the Lord when he recognizes the Lord after seeing a “great sight” and says, “what would you have me do Lord?”

Act 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Indeed, when the Lord initially works in our lives and shows us a “great light from heaven” we are going to tremble because we recognize a great thing is happening before us.

At the same time, we initially want to help the Lord along instead of diligently listening to what the instructions of the Lord are. Such is how the Lord has designed us in our initial blind state.

Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
Exo 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.
With this mindset of wanting to come in the name of the Lord and do something for Him at the same time, we want to make sure we are in the “right” with the Lord, so we make sure we are bringing the name of the Lord.

However, in type and shadow, the Lord telling us His name is “I AM THAT I AM” is just another way of saying we are going to come as carnal Christians who are not truly bringing the name of the Lord stamped on our foreheads having Him at the helm of every aspect of our walks.

Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Contrasted with:

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

The Head we will possess, as a token and a covenant the Lord makes with us, is that we will have Christ sitting on top of the “cherubim beasts” and the name we will have then will be, “the Word of God.”

“Say unto the children of Israel…”

Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Exo 3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
Exo 3:17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

So, we are going to go and tell the children of the Lord just what we have been told. Only initially, they will not have seen the bush burning but not consumed but will rather they will see it in the Words which we speak to them as the angel of the Lord.

Later, they will know that we dwell in the fire and have spoken the words of the Lord to them.

The thing that Moses tells God’s people initially though is that He is going to take them to the promised land, which milk and honey flow, but He doesn’t tell them this is only the beginning!

Exo 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Exo 3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
Exo 3:20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

The mere will of a man, even the hand (that is to say the work of the hands) of a mighty man will not be enough to un- harden the hardness the Lord has placed on the Pharoah’s heart.

When the Lord creates a scenario, it can only be relieved, changed or done away with by the Lord.

The Lord showed us this Truth from the foundation of the world, in that when He created everything He told us that it was good.

Apart of that creation is the creation of the adversary of the Lord of which is a very good adversary indeed! Such is the same with the Pharaoh.

It will take something the Pharaoh can absolutely not “buck” against that will eventually cause Him to let the children of Israel go.

This is no different in the spirit when the old man is confronted with the new man’s mind of Christ and that new man comes saying, “the LORD God of the SPIRITUAL Hebrews…hath met with us”.

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Exo 3:21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:
Exo 3:22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

When this all happens to us as spiritual Jews, it is of a special note that the Lord will bless us with the spoils of the Egyptians just to later use it for our destruction!

The Lord will constantly take what He has created in our lives and mold it into a situation that will then be cast into the Fire so that we can learn to JUDGE what is happening with His righteous judgment and realize that unless the Lord establishes a thing, it is NOT established!

Exo 32:19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
Exo 32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Exo 32:21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
Exo 32:22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
Exo 32:23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Exo 32:24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
Exo 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

Indeed, the gold that will be tried in the fire will be there with the wood, hay and stubble and anything that remains will be purified and will be a reward for us, the children of the Lord.

What can be hard to grasp at times, is that the Lord uses everything to bring about His glory so “at the end of the day,” all we can do is give honor, glory and lips of thanksgiving to Him alone.

Gen 9:17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Exo 6:4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.