Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 3 * BOOK 7

POPULATION EXPLOSION:

BIRTH AND REJECTION OF MOSES

Genesis 46 – Exodus 4

Let’s turn again to Exodus Chapter 2. I always like for you to follow the references with us, because we always maintain it’s the Word of God that counts, and nothing I can say or anyone else can say, can make the difference. But to understand what God’s Word really says is what I hopefully am attempting to do.

Remember last lesson, Moses had made his presentation to Israel, and he had everything going for him but he was rejected. I’m going to take a few moments to review. So turn to Genesis 15. You must remember all of these things were in God’s mind before they ever happened. That’s the beauty of prophecy, and that’s again the substantiation that the Bible is the Word of God, because God foretold things before they ever happened. Here in Genesis 15, it’s shortly after God has given the Covenant to Abraham, that out of him would come this nation of people which he would put into a land, and give them a government, and he would be their King. So Abraham says in verse 8:

Genesis 15:8

“And he said, Lord God, Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”

This land You are talking about. When we were teaching this we said that God literally descended to man’s level and went through the very rites of transferring real estate. And I always tell people to write in their margins of Chapter 15, verses 12-21 ISRAEL’S DEED! He was going through this transferring of real estate, or the deeding of the whole Middle East to Abraham, he gives some prophecy. Verse 13 is where it begins:

Genesis 15:13

“And he (God) said unto Abram, Know of a surety (In other words God said it and you can bank on it) that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs (Egypt), and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;”

Genesis 15:14-16

“And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I Judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”

“And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.”

“But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again (To the land of Canaan.); for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

It is all prophesied that they would end up in a land that wasn’t theirs, they would go under slavery, but God would bring them back to the promised land. Now, let’s come back to Exodus 2, and after Moses kills the Egyptian, he has to flee:

Exodus 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 (A land east of the Sinai Peninsula): and he sat down by a well.”

Here again is where I want to give credit to the movie, The Ten Commandments. I think they made it rather clear how, that as Moses now fled to that East country, he met certain young women herding sheep; and as they were about to water them, they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flocks, as we see in verse 16. Now, let’s look at verse 17:

Exodus 2:17-19

“And the shepherds came and drove them (the daughters of the priests of Midian) away: but Moses stood up and helped them,…”

You see there again, he wasn’t a puny individual. He wasn’t afraid of anybody. And so, even those rough old eastern shepherds, as they tried to usurp the well, Moses chased them away. And he did it single-handedly. Now verse 18:

“And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today?”

“And they said, An Egyptian…”

Now, underline that. From all outward appearances, from his language, from everything, what was Moses? He was Egyptian. He had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace for 35 years. But inside, what is he? He’s a Hebrew – an Israelite. Now, let’s finish verse 19:

“…delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.”

Then you know what happened. Let’s look at verse 21:

Exodus 2:21-23

“And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.”

Here again, is the perfect picture all through the Old Testament. It happened to Joseph and it’s happened to Moses. We’ve also had other instances, where these men of God, driven away from their original setting, will marry what kind of a girl? A Gentile! You remember several lessons ago that when Christ was rejected, (and as I said in the last lesson, He was literally exiled back to Heaven), and while He’s in exile, what kind of a Bride is He calling out? A Gentile Bride. The Church is predominately Gentile. And so you have this picture all the way up through the Old Testament – even here with Moses. He was a Jew – an Israelite – but he marries a Gentile.

“And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

“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.”

When it says, ‘in process of time,’ do you know how long it’s speaking of? 40 years! Again, you go back to Acts Chapter 7 and there we see that Moses’ life was broken down into three 40 year segments. Not counting the five years in his mother’s house. But the first 40 years is in Pharaoh’s palace, as the son of pharaoh’s daughter. The second 40 years he is on the back side of the desert, herding sheep. And then the third 40 years, as you’re all aware, he comes back and delivers the children of Israel. So now let’s look at verse 23:

Acts 7:23

“And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.”

Then drop down to verse 30:

Acts 7:30

“And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.”

That’s the beginning of his third 40 years when he will go back and lead Israel out into the wilderness. So he has three 40 year segments. Now, let’s go back to Exodus, Chapter 2 and verse 24:

Exodus 2:24,25

“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”

Now, I hammer that Covenant into people, constantly. In our Tahlequah class we are presently in the book of Acts. And I’m just showing them, and they are seeing it – how that everything that’s happening all the way through the gospels, and well into the Book of Acts, is based on that Abrahamic Covenant. And that Covenant said what? “I’ll make of you a great nation. I’ll put you in a geographical area and I’ll give you a King.“ But Who would be the King? The Son of God – the Messiah. Now here it is again. God, now realizes that it’s time for Him to move, according to His own prophetic utterances, back there to Abraham. He remembered the Covenant that He made with Abraham. He repeated it to Isaac. He repeated it to Jacob and that Covenant carries all the way through. Now verse 25:

“And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”

God remembered them, and now He’s going to start making things happen. Let’s go on to Chapter 3:

Exodus 3:1

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law…”

In plain English, what is Moses’ title? He’s a shepherd. Let me show you what this must have done to the man. Now, for all practical purposes, he’s an Egyptian. Turn back with me to Genesis 46, the last verse of that Chapter and that will tell you, I think, without a doubt, what this did to the man, Moses. And we’ll see more of it in the verses to come. You’ve got to get the setting, and we haven’t got time to read all the verses previous to this one. Joseph is making things ready for Jacob and his other sons to come down into Egypt and to dwell in Goshen. Please remember, Joseph is the second man. He’s not the top. So everything has to be with Pharaoh’s blessing. So now Joseph is preparing the family so that they don’t blunder. And so he tells them what to do. When they get ready to approach Pharaoh, to say they are coming down into Egypt. Now let’s look at what the Word itself says:

Genesis 46:34

“That ye shall say, ‘Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers [There’s a colon(:), so the thought goes back to Joseph, and why is he telling them that?]: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen (So that you get pharaoh’s okay, but don’t tell him that you’ve got sheep): for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.'”

It sort of reminds you of our old West, doesn’t it? The cattlemen thought cattle were king. So do I. I don’t like sheep. I suppose I’ll have some sheep farmers call me on that one. But I just don’t have a nickel’s worth of time for sheep. I think they smell, and are dumb, and all the rest of the things; and I think maybe that’s why God uses sheep as examples in Scripture – because they are a dumb animal. But nevertheless, Pharaoh knew that, and he just thought anybody who tended sheep was an abomination.

Now, are you getting the point? This is where Moses ends up. A shepherd! With those smelly old sheep, after having been 40 years in the pomp and circumstance and the wealth and luxury of Egypt. Now why? God had a purpose. Now, come back to Exodus again, if you will. As Moses is herding his sheep, he comes to the back side of the desert. Do you know what that really means? We use the term, “boondocks.” This was worse than that! This is boondockey boondocks! This is way out in the wilderness part of the desert – miles from any civilized city. And he comes to Mount Sinai.

Now I don’t know how many of you realize the geography of the Sinai Peninsula. Years ago, National Geographic Magazine had a whole center spread just on the Sinai Peninsula. I often have kicked myself for not making a point of putting them on file. The

Sinai is the most rugged, most wilderness country that you’ve ever laid your eyes on. How the children of Israel even negotiated it is beyond me. Anyway, it was not a very nice place to spend 40 years. And poor old Moses is going to have 80 of them out there. By now, he’s had 40 years back there tending sheep. Now, verse 1b:

Exodus 3:1b,2

“…and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.”

Now, I hope you all realize that Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai are one and the same.

“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him a flame of fire …”

Now, keep your hand here in Exodus, as we’ve got to go back to Genesis 48 for a moment. This term, “angel of the Lord” pops up so often through the Old Testament and I want everyone to know without a doubt who is this angel of the Lord.

Genesis 48:16

“The Angel which redeemed me…”

In other words Jacob says the Redeeming Angel. Remember, there is only one Redeemer in Scripture and Who is it? It’s Christ. He’s Jehovah in the Old Testament, the Son of God, The Angel of God, but it’s always the second Person in the Trinity. It’s God the Son. So Who then, is in the bush? Jehovah, God the Son. I don’t think Moses saw him bodily like Abraham did back in Genesis 18, but the voice was still the voice of Jehovah. Verse 2 continuing:

Exodus 3:2-5

“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.”

Someone once made the comment that this burning bush was a picture of Israel. Israel is constantly in the fires of judgment. Everyone is always trying to obliterate them. But after 4000 years they have never burned up! The nation of Israel is still on the scene.

“And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”

“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.”

All through these verses we are going to see that God and the voice which is Jehovah are used synonymously; and why is that? Because Christ is God! I’m going to emphasize it because I’ve said so often that this is one of the first signs of the cults: they do not recognize Christ as God, but the Scripture does.

“And he said, ‘Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.'”

Remember, Mount Sinai will remain that way for a long long time after that.

Exodus 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 (why does God repeat this over and over again? So that it soaks in! All of these Covenant promises were repeated to those three patriarchs, and we cannot forget it.). And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

There is another person that comes to mind, that said, “I see God.” Remember who that was? The most unlikely of people – it was Hagar. Jacob also saw God; he wrestled with Him. But always remember I’ve always taught you that the God-Head, The Trinity, is The invisible Spirit God. The Trinity is invisible, and no man has ever seen the God-Head. But Who steps out of the Trinity and reveals Himself to mankind, time after time? God the Son. Another perfect example of this is found in Hebrews Chapter 1 verses 1 and 2, and this is a lesson in its self:

Hebrews 1:1,2

“God (Just plain, absolute GOD, the Triune, the Eternal Sovereign God), who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets…” – The Old Testament. That same God:

“Hath in these last days (Remember the last days in Scripture are from the birth of Christ till the end – and how has he spoken?) spoken unto us by his Son,…”

So, in verse one you have the Triune God, but how does the Triune God speak to mankind? – through the Son. It was the same as was in the creation. “In the beginning God…” Scripture contributes the creation to God the Son. In fact, it right here in this same verse 2:

“whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he (The Son) made the worlds;…”

Now, back to Exodus Chapter 3 for a few moments:

Exodus 3:7,8

“And the LORD said (Do you see how we have that constant change in Name of the Deity? First it’s “God,” – Elohim, the Triune Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Now, when you see that term LORD in capital letters Who is it? Jehovah. And who is Jehovah? God the Son. Who is God the Son? Jesus the Christ.), ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt (What did the LORD call them? My people. Who is He talking about? The Jew – and I think you realize that now), and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;'”

“‘And I am come down to deliver them out of the land of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land (Canaan. I will bring them into that)… land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites,'”

Remember what He said back in Genesis 15? Israel would have to stay in bondage until the Canaanites’ iniquity was full. In other words, the Canaanites had gone so deep into sin and wickedness, that God was perfectly fair in telling Joshua when he brought the Children of Israel into the Promised Land, that they were to kill them all. So this is the reason that God let his own people go into Egypt and suffer, so that the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, could prove the worthiness of the judgment that was going to come upon them.

Today, the nation of Israel is still God’s chosen people. He was the one that took them out of Palestine, as recorded in the Book of Acts, as a result of their rebellion. He had the Romans destroy the Temple. But always keep in mind, when He took them out, what did He promise them? “I’ll bring you back.” It’s their land, and now we are seeing it happen right before our eyes. God is bringing the Jews back to Palestine. I feel for the poor Arabs, they have their homes and business there, but something is going to happen, because that land belongs to Israel. And they will get every bit that belongs to them, because God made that promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 2 * BOOK 7

POPULATION EXPLOSION:

BIRTH AND REJECTION OF MOSES

Genesis 46 – Exodus 4

Let’s begin this program in Exodus Chapter 2. Israel is now exploding in population. God is now ready to step into the picture to deliver His Covenant People. But it’s going to take a deliverer. In Chapter 2 we have the birth of the deliverer:

Exodus 2:1-5

“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.”

“And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child,… she hid him three months.”

Underline goodly because that simply means in the Hebrew, they by faith, saw that he was not just a pretty baby physically, but here was someone that God was going to use. He was special, so they took extra pains to keep him alive. Now, verse 3:

“And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes (remember that an ark is an ark and I taught you way back in Genesis that the Hebrew word “ark” is also translated in the last verse of Genesis as a coffin. So it was just simply a box. When we get to the Ark of the Covenant, behind the veil, what was it? A rectangular box that was very special. Just like Noah’s instruction with the ark at flood time, God gives the same instruction here.), and daubed it with slime and with pitch (Now, remember back in Genesis 6 when the ark was made? Remember what the Hebrew word for pitch was? Atonement. And atonement is in the blood. So, here again we have that same picture, that this little box she built for Moses, is a place of safety, but more than that God is in all of this. So she seals it with pitch. Note carefully everything here is pointing to the work of the Cross. Everything in the Old Testament is looking forward to the time when Christ would become the Savior of mankind, when He would bring in the true atonement) and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.”

“And his sister (probably Miriam) stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.”

Do you think it was just an accident that Pharaoh’s daughter came along at this time? No, it’s not an accident. Here again is the work of a Sovereign God, using even a pagan young woman to carry out His work. She comes along the river, and just at the moment she spies the ark, what happened? The baby cries. And no doubt it was a cry that just tore at her heart string. Now, verse 5:

“And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.”

Exodus 2:6,7

“And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept (that’s not in there just to fill space. That little weeping child, at the exact right moment, tugged at the heart strings.). And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” She wasn’t fooled, she knew who it was. And then came Miriam on the scene.

“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?

Did Pharaoh’s daughter know who she was referring to? In other words, “Can I take it back to its mother?” And Pharaoh’s daughter condescends. She doesn’t say, “Well, daddy says all the Hebrew boys must be put to death.” She said you go ahead and take him back and nurse him for me.

Exodus 2:8,9

“And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ And the maid went and called the child’s mother.”

“And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her (Moses mother) ‘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.”

Exodus 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.'”

To prove my point, let’s go back to Hebrews again. We’ll be using this great faith chapter of Hebrew 11 quite a bit in the next few lessons.

Hebrews 11:23,24

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.”

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; “

Let’s turn to Acts 7, you must use the Scripture for all of these things. Over the years I have tried to make it so plain, that all can see. Not what I think, but what the Scriptures say. If it’s my idea, I’ll tell you. So remember everything must be substantiated from Scripture. It says here in Hebrews: “… Moses, when he was come to years…” well, how old was he? We don’t know that till we come to Acts 7. This is Stephen, reviewing the Old Testament.

Acts 7:19,21

“The same (The King who knew not Joseph) dealt subtly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.”

“In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair…”

There’s that same analogy that he was a special child. He was designated by God Himself for a special role. “and nourished up in his father’s house three months:“

“And when he was cast out (Placed in the little Ark), Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.”

Acts 7:22,23

“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,…”

When Moses received his education in Egypt he received it from the idolaters; mythological priests. And he was saturated with it. That’s why I wanted us to come to Acts 7, because Hebrews said that when he comes to years, it was faith that prompted him to chose the Hebrews rather than the Egyptians. How old was he?

“And when he was full forty years old,…”

He been saturated now for thirty-five years with Egyptian teachings and away from his kinfolk. So how did he know that he would choose to be with the people of God? Well, we said by faith. But faith must come from a word. Where did he get it? Those first Five years! Remember mothers did not wean their children from the breast until they were five or six years old. I think all of you know what our Catholic friends say, especially in the Priesthood: “Give me a young lad until he is six years old, and he’s a Catholic forever.” Why? Psychiatrists now tell us that what a child learns the first six years are going to be the biggest influence for the rest of his life.

So Moses, while he was nursing on his mother’s breast those first five years, not only gained physical substances, but faith. His parents were people of faith, and they had revealed to Moses that someday the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would take them out of Egypt, and put them in the land of Canaan again. So Moses has that locked in by the time he is five, and he never forgot. I always remind parents, when they are distraught over their wayward children, that the Book of Proverbs tells us if you will “Train up a child in the way that he should go…” It doesn’t say he will always stay with it. But it does say “When he is old (or older) he will not depart from it.”

So I tell parents never give up, because even though your children have been trained and they’re in the Word; they know the Word; and they may stray from it during those youthful years; I think God will bring them back. I’ve seen this happen over and over again. Normally, when these kids reach maturity, they suddenly realize mom and dad weren’t so dumb after all. And they’ll come back to it. Always keep the line of communication opened. So now back to Exodus, Moses now becomes the greatest man in Egypt; Moses had it all. He was in charge of everything in Egypt, and had great power and influence.

Exodus 2:11-13

“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.”

“And he looked this way and that way (In other words to make sure no one would see),… and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”

Evidently Moses wasn’t a puny little individual. I think with one blow he put this Egyptian away. It was that easy for him. Then when he realized what he had done, that he had slain the Egyptian, he buried him in the sand. Now verse 13:

“And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews (two Jews) strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, ‘Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?'”

Exodus 2:14

“And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?…”

Right there should ring a bell. Where do you get that very same statement? In the New Testament, when Jesus had presented himself as Israel’s King, what did Israel say the morning of his trial? “Who made you to rule over us.” And when the Roman authorities asked Israel, “Is He your King?” What was their answer? They said they had no king but Caesar.

So all of this is laying the ground work. They reject Moses and they have nothing to do with him, because, “who made you to be a ruler over us.” Let’s come back again to Acts Chapter 7. And for those of you who may not have done a lot of Bible study or reading, Acts Chapter 7 is the sermon of Stephen, who was one of the six deacons that were appointed back there in Acts Chapter 6, you remember. A man full of the Holy Spirit. I think this was about seven years after Pentecost. And for at least six or seven years, Peter and the eleven, and the other believing Jews, have been presenting Israel with their King, even though they crucified Him. God had raised Him from the dead and He could still be their King. So, here Stephen begins this appeal to the nation of Israel. Trying to convince them that the One they killed was their Messiah. And so he goes through the whole history of it.

Now let’s pick up with verse 9, and the account of Joseph. That’s why I’m glad we studied Joseph a little bit in the last few lessons. I hope that you are remembering what we spoke concerning him. Let’s look at verse 9:

Acts 7:9-13

“And the patriarchs, moved with envy (that is the 11 brothers or the 10 because Benjamin was at home), sold Joseph into Egypt; but God was with him,”

“And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.”

We know this has happened so often throughout human history, where a Jew who is foreign in a Gentile land, becomes one of the top men in government. Another one you all know real well was Daniel. He became the second in the Babylonian Empire. It was overrun by the Medes and Persians, but Daniel survived and becomes the second man in the Mede and Persian Empire. And so it has been all through human history. Well, the same thing happened here with Joseph. He comes in as a slave, and he ends up the second man in Egypt. Let’s go on to verses 11-13:

“Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance (Nothing to eat).”

“But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.”

“And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren;…”

Do you remember the account? How the brethren came down from Canaan the first time with the little donkeys and carts, to get grain to take back to Canaan. And who was the guy they had to bump into? Joseph! Joseph knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was. And it shook them up, if you remember, that he set a banquet for them, and he sat them at the table from the eldest to the youngest. On the way home, they were all concerned about how that Egyptian knew who was the oldest right on down to the youngest. You see, he knew them, but they did not know him. But, as the story rolled on, they ran out of food and Jacob had to send them back the second time.

When they get there the second time, what do they find out? They discover who Joseph is! Oh, the great elation! How they wept tears in that final reunion, when they suddenly realized that this second man in Egypt was really their savior? How? Because he had the food that they never would have had. But on top of that, he was their own brother. Now come all the way over to verse 24 and continue with Stephen’s account of Moses again.

Acts 7:24-29

“And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:”

“For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.”

Now, stop a minute. When Moses, in his place of power and prestige (and no doubt, wealth), approached these Jews out there in the sand, what did Moses really think that they would do? He thought they would recognize him as the one that could get them out of their slavery. And he was ready to do so. Now, of course, Moses was a little ahead of God’s time-table, but he thought that surely he could deliver his people out of Egypt. And that’s exactly what Stephen is saying here. He thought, (Moses did) that these Jews that he had approached would have understood that he was to be their deliverer. But look at what the last part of that verse says – “they understood not.” Now verses 26-29:

“And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again (He again appealed to them), saying, ‘Sirs, your brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?'”

“But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, ‘Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?'”

“‘Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?'”

“Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.”

Moses left the country. Are you using your mind and thinking ahead? When is all this repeated? Why is all this set back here in the Old Testament? Isn’t that exactly what happened to Jesus? He came unto His own and presented Himself as their King. He proved His credentials with all of His miracles.

I remember many some little things that stick in my mind. Several months ago, we were talking about this very thing in one of my classes, as to why did Jesus perform all these miracles? I’ve got one or two elderly retired pastors in that class. One was sitting right on my left, and I’ll never forget his answer, and I’m always going to use it. He said, “He validated Who He was.” That was why He performed those miracles. He validated who He was. Israel should have known. Just like these Jews should have known what Moses was trying to do.But they understood not.

Now, as time went by, Jesus presented Himself and they rejected Him. They said they would not have this man to rule over them. What did they do? They killed him. And what did God do, according to Psalm 110:1? God said, ‘come and sit at my father’s right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.‘ He left the world; He left the country, so to speak. And He is now like an exiled King in glory.

Those of us who remember World War II, whenever a government went into exile, what did they wait for? The day that they could go back. That’s the way I want you to picture Christ. He came to His people the first time and they rejected Him. And He went back to glory as an exile. But when He left, what in so many words did He say? ” I’m coming back.” And that’s what He will one day do. And then, and that’s why you underlined the word “second,” when He appears the second time. Israel always has to have a first time, it seems. But now let’s turn back to the book of Zechariah and see what will happen the second time. We’ve looked at this passage before. Zechariah 12:10:

Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.”

As we read this verse, keep reminding yourself of how they treated Joseph the second time. How did they treat Moses the second time. And now here’s Christ, and it’s telling them that He’s the one they crucified. “And they shall mourn for him,” ( as those 11 brothers wept tears of reunion, that’s the mourning that’s expressed here) they will mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son. Now, let’s quickly look at Chapter 13, verse 6. And this is all about His second coming, when He returns to the nation of Israel in power and glory.

Zechariah 13:6

“And one shall say unto him, ‘What are these wounds in thine hands (The wounds of crucifixion)?’ Then he shall answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'”

Now, do you see how all this ties together? Joseph appeared the first time and they didn’t know who he was. Moses goes out the first time and they didn’t know who he was. And Jesus comes the first time and the Scripture makes it so plain, that they did not know Who He was.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 1 * BOOK 7

REVIEW OF JOSEPH

Genesis 46 – Exodus 4

If you remember last lesson, we were winding up the Book of Genesis. And as one gentleman wrote in one of his letters, tongue in cheek I’m sure, “By the time you finish Genesis will you be through the Bible?” He was close, but not quite. We’re going to review just for a moment or two, and then we’ll be ready to go into the Book of Exodus.

So, let’s turn now to Genesis 46, because I’ve made it a point over the years to make it so plain where the nation of Israel came from, because I had several people who had taught Sunday School for years that never really knew where the Jew come from in the first place. When did Israel become a nation? As we’ve been studying now for the last several months, it all began when God called Abraham out of the midst of idolatry. I always have to stress that the whole human race was steeped in paganism and idolatry. No one had a knowledge of the one true God. But God saw in that man Abraham a potential for faith, and so He revealed Himself to him, and told him to leave Ur with his family and go to a place that He would show him later. We now know that was the land of Canaan.

Then, you remember, from Abraham we have the Covenant, and that was passed on to Isaac. Isaac in turn had two sons, Jacob and Esau. We saw that Esau was destitute of faith so Jacob ascends to the place of having the birthright and the blessing. It’s through Jacob that the Messiah would come, the Seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15. Then Jacob went back up to his kinfolk in Syria, married Leah and Rachel up there, and with a couple of women servants, he has 12 sons. And those 12 sons and their families, by virtue of Joseph being sold into Egypt earlier, they all end up in Egypt because of the famine.

You all know the story of the seven years of good production. Joseph piled up the grain and foodstuff in order to carry the world of that time through the seven years of famine. He had the grain and food and the other 11 brothers, and old Jacob and the family, were about the starve to death in Canaan. Then they found out there was grain in Egypt and you remember the story – how they all end up in Egypt, where Joseph, being the second highest man in Egypt, was able to give them the very fruit of the land. That would be the land of Goshen, around the Nile River. And so in the area of Goshen those 12 sons are then the setting for the population explosion that we will see when we come into the Book of Exodus.

All through the sojourning, from the time that God called Abraham and told him that he would have a nation of people coming out of his loins and from his own wife (even though she was now well passed child-bearing time), yet the promise was always associated with the stipulation that if they would stay in the land, the land of promise, then these things would come to fruition. I’ve had you turn to Genesis 46, but you see, under the circumstances and in God’s sovereign plan in bringing all this to pass, He finally tells Jacob in no uncertain terms to go on down into Egypt. Let’s look at it:

Genesis 46:3

“And he said, I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there (in Egypt) make of thee a great nation.”

Now, lock that into your computer. You see, God’s time table is so exact, that when He told Abraham that it would be 430 years, that’s exactly what it was. So it’s in that time period, 215 years, from Abraham until Jacob goes down into Egypt with all of his offspring. Another 215 years, while they’ll be in Egypt under slavery, will fill the 430 years. Exodus tells us that the day they left Egypt was exactly 430 years.

Now, just one other little comment out of the Book of Genesis and that is in Chapter 50, the very last Chapter. Let’s just look quickly at verse 22-26 because again, the word of God is so accurate. I told one of my other classes, I want people to get to the place where you can believe every word, of this book even though there are things that we can’t quite put together and can’t quite understand. And it may almost seem illogical at times, but BELIEVE IT!!! It’s the Word of God and God does not lie nor make mistakes.

Now, of course, we always have to remember that our Bibles are translations. Our Bible may contain a little error here and there, because they are translations. But when we say that the Word of God is without error and that it’s perfect, we’re talking about the originals. And on the other hand, I’ve always maintained that God has been so jealous of His Word, that He has not permitted a gross error to come in. There may be a word or two here or there, and maybe a number that could very easily have lost it’s original through the process of translation, but you can believe it! The Word of God is true and the more you study it, the more true it becomes. So now, let’s look at verse 22 of Chapter 50:

Genesis 50:22,23

“And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.”

“And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation (Remember Ephraim was Joseph’s son);… the children of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees.”

Genesis 50:24-26

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, (In other words to the rest of the family of Jacob) I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land (Egypt) unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'”

Now those three names just keep popping up all the way through Scripture, well into the New Testament.

“And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence (In other words, back to Canaan).'”

“So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”

And so ends the Book of Genesis, the Book of Beginnings. This Book that starts, “In the beginning God created…,” but it ends with, of all things, a coffin. Death. Always remember, and this is not original with me – God buries his servants, but never his programs.

Now, we are at the Book of Exodus. Israel has been in Egypt over 200 years. The children of Israel are multiplying, and God is about ready to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will now take them into the land that He had delineated in the Abrahamic Covenant. Remember, Exodus is a Book of Redemption, as we mentioned last program. You see, this is the entire matter of buying back something He had once owned but had lost. This is the whole idea of man’s redemption itself. That which God had in the beginning with Adam and Eve (He fellowshipped with them, everything was perfect), until sin entered. Sin separated Adam and Eve from God, and, of course, out of the garden, and immediately what did God have to institute? A plan of redemption. To be able to buy back, and pay the price for that which He lost control of. Now, it’s the same way here with Israel. It was the sin of the brothers selling Joseph into slavery that started the ball rolling, where God lost control of His Covenant people. They are now down in Egypt. And now He is going to redeemed them.

Exodus 1-1

“Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.” Of course the sons are all mentioned here. But drop down to verse 7:

Exodus 1:7-9

“And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied (That word multiplied in the Hebrew almost speaks of swarming. So this wasn’t just a casual increase. They had a real population explosion)…, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.”

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”

Right here, you need a little knowledge of ancient history. Back then, things were not any more stable than they are now. An empire could rise, and a line of kings could come on the scene, but it wouldn’t be very long before someone that was stronger would come in and they would over-rule the Pharaohs and set up a new line of kings. History indicated the line of Pharaohs who had been on the throne from the time of Joseph coming on the scene, were friendly with the Israelites. But along comes a new king who didn’t know Joseph, and had nothing to do with any agreement the Israelites might have had with previous Pharaohs:

“And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier then we:”

How would we feel as Americans, if we looked up one day and we were out-numbered by another nation, right here in our own country. We might get a little defensive, also. So you can see how the Pharaohs and Egyptians must have felt.

Exodus 1:10

“Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.”

How many people do you suppose that Pharaoh and his Cabinet were looking at? Well I want you to forget the few thousand that were in the Movie – The Ten Commandants. It’s millions, and if you doubt me on that, let’s look at Numbers Chapter 22. Here in Numbers they have ended their 40 years of wandering, and Moses is leading them around to the Southeast of Canaan, through the land which was called Moab. And as they come across the land of Moab, their king gets just as worried as the Pharaohs did. I just want you to see where I get this figure of 3-7 million Israelites that will leave Egypt on the night of that Passover.

Numbers 22:4,5

“And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, ‘Now shall this company of (Israelites) lick up all that are round about us, as the Ox licketh up the grass of the field…'”

“He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt (now watch the language): behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:”

Of course, that’s a play on words, but, nevertheless, in later verses when the King of Moab took Balaam up into a high mountain, and told him to look, he said, “you can’t see the end of them.” They went beyond the horizon, even from a high place. Now that’s not a few thousand. That is millions. To give you an idea, Dallas and Fort Worth is approximately 3-4 million people. So when the children of Israel start their exodus from Egypt, I want you to picture something like Dallas/Fort Worth moving out all at once. Now, let’s turn to Numbers 26:

Numbers 26:2

“Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.”

Numbers 26:51

“These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.”

When you have a little time, sit down and do some calculation. Using your own logic, see what you come up with. As you see from verse 2, the 601,730 in verse 51, were not all the children of Israel, but only that select few that were able to go to war in Israel. Normally, an Israel soldier was between the ages of 20-30 years old. How many other family members would be involved for one soldier, unmarried, between 20-30 years old? So, in order to get 601,730 young men of military capabilities, you would have to have a minimum of 3,000,000 people total when you are taking into account parents, grandparents, sisters, and other brothers not qualified for military service. And remember, there was also a mixed multitude that came out with them. Consequently, always figure between 3-7 million came out of Egypt. So now let’s turn back to Exodus. In order to slow down this population explosion among the Israelites, we read:

Exodus 1:11-14

“Therefore they (the Egyptians) did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.”

“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.”

“And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:”

“And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.”

Exodus: 1:15-17

“And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah.”

“And he said, ‘When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools (now, the word stools in the Hebrew was evidently a little hewn-out stone, where they would immediately wash the newborn); if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.'”

Now, if the baby was a boy, they were supposed to kill him. You might wonder, how in the world could people get the thought of such a thing. Well, you want to remember back there in Genesis 3:15, God said it in plain English to old Satan, that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent which was Satan. So what is Satan going to do throughout the human race? He’s going to do all he can to keep this Seed of the woman from ever coming to fruition. That’s why Israel has suffered so many times throughout her history, almost a complete demolition of her people. Genocide, as we call it. You see, Satan was attempting to totally remove that group of people through whom the Savior, or the Messiah, must come. And so, even here, before Israel even gets into the land of promise, and gets started on all these promises associated with that Abrahamic Covenant, Satan is going to try to stop it in its tracks. His first ploy is to kill all the boy babies as they are born, with the excuse, of course, that they are multiplying too fast. Now let’s look at verse 17:

“But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.”

Let’s go back to Hebrews 11, because unless we comprehend what God’s Word says about the activities of these people, it probably just goes in one ear and out the other. But there’s more to it than that. It’s not just a story. This is a Biblical truth. It all helps build to the plan of salvation as we now know it today. In fact, when we get a little further into the Book of Exodus, we’re going to jump to the New Testament to show how clearly (beginning with the night of the Passover and their trip through the Red Sea) all this is a perfect illustration of our plan of salvation as we know it tonight. Hebrews 11, is a tremendous faith Chapter. We just read about Joseph so we might as well start with that one in verse 22:

Hebrews 11:22,23

“By faith… (That’s why Joseph said when you leave this place, take my bones with you. We always have to come back and define faith. You know, I get disturbed when I read or hear people say, “I’m of the Methodist faith, or Catholic faith, or this faith or that.” Please listen, that isn’t faith. That is not what the word “faith” means. Faith means taking God at His Word. In Romans Chapter 10 when it says, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So, you cannot exercise faith until God speaks it! Joseph could not have faith in the fact that Israel would one day leave Egypt unless God had said they would! And knowing that’s what God said, Joseph could, with all the faith at his command say, “You take my bones with you because you’re going to leave. God said so!” And it’s that way in every aspect of how God deals with us. That when He says something, that’s when we have to believe it and not until. Now, let’s look at verse 23:

“By faith Moses, when was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw…”

Not through physical eyes, but through spiritual eyes. And they knew that what God had promised and what God had said, He would fulfill. And through those eyes of faith, they saw in this little infant, the working of God. And so they took their chances, and never forget – nothing happens by accident. This is all sovereignly unfolding as God has commanded it. Now, let’s go back to Exodus once again. We’ll finish Chapter 1 at least. Here, when the authorities find out that the midwives are not killing all the boy babies as they are supposed to, they come in verse 18 and say:

Exodus 1:18-22

“…Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?”

“And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively (They are strong. You want to remember that God has had His hand on them.) and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.”

“Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.”

“And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.”

“And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”

But, oh, listen, God is watching over His people, Israel. No one is going to destroy the nation of Israel tonight because they are God’s Covenant people.

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 1 * PART 4 * BOOK 7

JOSEPH – SOLD INTO EGYPT: PICTURE OF CHRIST

Genesis 25-46

Once again, we’re going to get into the Book, starting with Genesis 36. And now, as is always the case, you look first at the natural posterity, which in this case is Esau, and the spiritual. It’s always been the case. First Cain, and then Seth, and so on down the line. Ishmael and Isaac, and then Esau and Jacob. In Chapter 36, we won’t go through all these names. They don’t mean that much to us except for one which we find in verse 12:

Genesis 36:12                         

“And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz (who?) Amalek:”

Now, who in the world is Amalek? I’ve got you thinking haven’t I? Do you remember when Israel came out of Egypt, under Moses. They were heading down to Sinai. What was the first war they had to fight? The Amalekites. And they all stemmed from these relatives of Esau And that’s what makes it so interesting. Statistically, where do most murders take place? Within the family! Because that’s where all the affiliations are, the closeness – that’s where feelings are generated the quickest. So, consequently, it’s among that environment then, that our passions and emotions seem to get the best of us. It’s the same way here. All these relatives become arch-enemies as you follow through the Old Testament history. I just wanted to make note of the fact that the Amalekites originated from one of the offspring of Esau. Now, let’s go on over to Chapter 37, where we’ll pick up once again with Jacob.

Genesis 37:1

“And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.”

Now Jacob has come back from Haran after twenty years of herding Laban’s sheep. He came back with his wives, his eleven sons, then Rachel has Benjamin and she passes off the scene. But now, we are introduced to Joseph. And Joseph almost fills the rest of the Book of Genesis. Again, this is one of those areas of Scripture that I seldom treat verse by verse because I feel that almost everyone knows the story of Joseph better than I do. You know all that he went through down there in Egypt, and everything else. But there are a few things I’d like to point out. Let’s look at verse 2:

Genesis 37:2,3

“These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah (You remember that was one of the maid servants of the girls up in Syria), and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.”

“Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children…”

I’ve put a few things on the chalk board and we’re not going to take time to look at them verse by verse. But just remind yourself that in the life of Joseph, we have so many things that (what shall I say?) will be repeated almost exactly in the life of Christ. And so Joseph is that Old Testament picture of Christ.

Number one, Christ was The Son of The Father – the Beloved Son, whom the Father loved intrinsically. And so was Joseph. Joseph was given the coat of many colors. And again, it goes back to what I taught you a few lessons ago. Why was there a special cloak given to the favored, or to the eldest son? Now Christ, of course, had a special cloak. What was unique? It was seamless. It was woven of one seam from top to bottom. Then, they were both hated and rejected by their brethren.

When Joseph tells his brothers about his various dreams; and how that he sees eleven sheaves and they all bow down to his sheaf; what did his brothers pick up? “Hey, this guy is telling us we’re going to bow down and worship him!” And that really burned them up. Now, when Christ came to the nation of Israel, what did He claim? That He was their King! And what did they say? “We have no king but Caesar. Crucify Him! Away with Him!” So they were both hated and rejected by their brethren. Then, of course, for all practical purposes, so far as type is concerned, when they cast Joseph into the pit, they considered him dead.

Now, we know that the Ishmaelites came along, and there again, you have a type of resurrection. Even though he was dead, yet, he is alive and so of course was Christ. Then after they are taken for dead and they have been restored to life, both Joseph and Christ, they take what kind of a bride? A Gentile. Joseph ends up down in Egypt and takes an Egyptian bride. Christ is exiled, you might say, from His rightful throne in Jerusalem, as the King of Israel. And He went back to heaven, and you remember what God the Father said in Psalm 110:1,“…Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” And then He’s going to return.

The same thing happened with Joseph. He was sent down into a far country. He was rejected by his brethren. He takes an Egyptian bride, but while he’s there, you recall the brothers come down the first time to get their grain. Did they ever find out it was Joseph? No! They didn’t recognize him. And yet Joseph gave them some little hints and it just blew their minds. You know what one of them was? When he set up a banquet for them, he put them all at the table according to their age, from the eldest to the youngest. And they couldn’t believe it! They said, how does he know the eldest from the youngest? And they had no idea who Joseph was.

Now, it was the same way when Jesus came on the scene. Should they have known who He was? Sure, they should have! But they didn’t. They had no idea that He was the promised Messiah. Oh, a few did, but the nation as a whole, never understood. Keep your hand here in Genesis and go forward with me to I Corinthians, Chapter 2. Let’s continue reading at verse 7. Now, Paul of course is writing to the Gentile congregation at Corinth. Look what he says:

I Corinthians 2:7,8

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery (Or a secret), even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.”

In other words, there was the foreknowledge of God that Paul would be where he is.

“Which NONE of the princes of this world knew (Now that meant Romans as well as Jewish): for had they known it” (Known what? Who Jesus was) they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.”

That stands to reason, doesn’t it? Had the Romans really known who Christ was, do you think they’d have put Him on that Cross? Never! Had the high priests of Israel known that He was the very Creator, God of the Universe, would they have allowed it? No! So why did it happen? They did not know. Now, let’s go back to Genesis and this is so beautifully put there, in type – in picture form – illustrated, that these brothers of Joseph, were totally dependent on the grain that he had gathered in the seven good years to carry them through the seven lean. And yet they had no idea of who he was. And even some of the things that transpired, sent things reeling through their mind, but they couldn’t put it together. So, as you come all the way over to Genesis 37, as they have rejected Joseph and they are conspiring to put him to death, let’s look at verse 20:

Genesis 37:20

“Come now therefore, and let us slay him (Joseph), and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

Now, when they are concocting what they are going to say, what are they setting up? A deception! And who are they going to deceive? Oh, the master of deception – Jacob! Alright, let’s go on:

Genesis 37:21,22

“And Reuben heard it (The eldest), and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.”

“And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness (Out there in the desert) and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands….”

In other words, Reuben was conspiring by himself to have the brethren throw him into the pit, and then when they didn’t know it, he’d go back and draw him out and send him back home. So Reuben was really trying to be a benefactor here. And he doesn’t get away with it.

Genesis 37:-23-25

“And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him;”

“And they took him, and cast him into a pit; and the pit: was empty, there was no water in it.”

And then in verse 25, underline this

“And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.”

They threw him into a pit, and for all practical purposes, they were killing him and then they did what? They sat down! Now, what does that remind you of? When Christ was put on the Cross, what does it say they did? And they sat down and they watched him there. Isn’t that beautiful? Oh, it’s such a perfect picture of what would transpire thousands of years later. And they sat down to eat their bread. Now, let’s continue on and read the rest of 25 – we can’t skip that. “…and behold a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.” Now, let’s go on:

Genesis 37:26-28

“And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?”

“Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh, And his brethren were content.”

“…and they drew and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver:…”

They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; (although that number is a little different, they sold Christ for how much? Thirty pieces of silver. But, nevertheless, the analogy is so close that you can’t avoid it.)

Genesis 37:29

“And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.”

Reuben was responsible because he is the eldest. How can he dare go back to his father and tell him what had happened. Then we’ll see in verse 31 that they all conspire together:

Genesis 37:31

“And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;”

Now, is the bell ringing? What did Rebekah use to deceive Isaac? The kid. Previously, I said what goes around comes around. What do the brethren use to deceive old Jacob? The kid! Now, I think little tidbits like this make this great old Book so interesting. You can’t escape some of these things. It’s always going to come back, even in these old patriarchs. What goes around comes around. And so they took the kid, and they dipped the coat of many colors in it’s blood. Let’s go on:

Genesis 37:32-34

“And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, ‘This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.'”

“And he knew it, and said, ‘It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.'”

“And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.”

And, of course, we know how that Jacob went through tremendous mourning for the loss of his son, Joseph.. And then in Chapter 39, we have all that happened to Joseph and, like I said, most of you probably know the story as well, or better, than I do. All that he went through, first in the house of Potiphar, and then because of his chastity, he ends up down in prison.

Now in Chapter 49 you get to the blessings that Jacob puts on his twelve sons. The one son that was most unchaste; the one who was the most promiscuous; who did the most awful deed was Reuben, the eldest. I know that most of you are aware of what he did. But, actually, he committed adultery with one of Jacob’s wives. And evidently nothing was ever said of it – until you get to old Jacob’s deathbed.

And then, as he begins to put the blessings on these twelve sons, he starts with Reuben, and you know what he brings to mind? He said Reuben is not going to have the birthright, or the blessing. He’s not going to be esteemed as the eldest, because he committed adultery with one of his wives. And seemingly, no one else ever knew it. So how Jacob found out, the Scripture doesn’t tell. But it came back, and Reuben suffered the consequences of it.

And then Joseph, the one who maintained his chastity back here under all the pressures, he ends up with the blessings. It was passed on to his two sons, but, nevertheless, Joseph is finally elevated to the place of seniority over all the others. God keeps records, He keeps track. Now let’s go over to Chapter 45. I surely would like to finish Genesis in this program, so we’ll be ready for Exodus when we come back for the next one. In Chapter 45 the brethren have come down to Egypt to get grain. But they’re here for the second time. And I want you to keep that in your mind, because when we get into Exodus, I’m going to refer back to this, that Israel has always got to have a second time, it seems. But now in Chapter 45, as the brethren have come up again for grain, let’s start in verse 1:

Genesis 45:1,2

“Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.”

“And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.”

He wept. A weeping of what? A reunion! I’ve always got to use another Scripture verse. Turn with me to Zechariah. The next to the last book in your Old Testament. And you’re going to have much the same thing happening when Christ returns and the nation of Israel suddenly, as a nation, will realize who He is (This is speaking of Christ, of course). And then you have this great event.

Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced (Who are the ‘they?’ Oh, The Israelites, the Jews)… and they shall mourn for him.”

There’s going to be a time for weeping. A reunion that the One they rejected, the One they crucified, the One they killed, is finally their God. And that New Covenant will become a reality, and every believing Jew will suddenly know that He is their God and they are His people. Come back quickly to Genesis 45, where we see there was a session of weeping as they begin this great reunion.

Genesis 45:4,5a

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.'”

“‘Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither:…'”

Now, remember again everything that has happened to Joseph, and a lot of it was pretty miserable. Why? Because it was all in God’s sovereign plan. There are a lot of things that God does that we can’t understand. But, you see, He does things in His own way, according to His own will. Joseph knew that. But in spite of all those horrible times he had gone through, yet the years of blessing came.

Genesis 45:5b

“…for God did send me before you to preserve life.”

And had it not been for Joseph in Egypt, the 12 sons would have probably faded off the scene in the famine – they would have died. But God in His providence had prepared everything. Another thing I want you to see is that when the brethren hated and rejected Joseph and put him to death (so far as they were concerned), and he ends up in Egypt; remember that all of this shows us that so often, the Lord Jesus Himself, had to go through all these rejections, in order to bring about the whole plan of salvation – that He could die for us and extend salvation by grace. And yet all of this is so beautifully laid out in the life of this man, Joseph. God is Sovereign in everything He does.

Genesis 45:7

“And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives a great deliverance.”

I’d like to have you come all the way down to Chapter 46. Now, the sons of course, have gone back home to Canaan and naturally, they’ve told old Jacob that Joseph is alive and is the head man in Egypt. Also that Joseph has permission from Pharaoh to bring all of the family down into the best part of Egypt, right there by the Nile River, into Goshen. As we’ve studied, God has been telling Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not to leave the land of promise. Remember, He told Isaac back there in Chapter 26, “Sojourn in this land and I will bless you.” Now, these guys knew that. But with this invitation to come back to Egypt, Jacob is probably stammering a little bit. But God comes to his rescue.

Genesis 46:1-2a

“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.”

“And God spake to Israel…..”

Now, you see we’re talking in the terms of his spiritual side. Jacob the spiritual man. Let’s go on:

Genesis 46:2b-3

“…in the visions of the night, and said Jacob, Jacob (God uses both names for Jacob right here – Israel and Jacob). and he said, Here am I.” Now, God returns and says:

“And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; (Underline that last statement, if you don’t mind underlining in your Bible.) for I will there (in Egypt)make of thee a great nation.”

Now, if you ever wonder where did the nation of Israel come from, there’s your answer. It was when the 12 sons and all their wives and children end up in Egypt, because Joseph has the food. But, again, another thought we’d like to bring in, is that when these brethren rejected all this, for all practical purposes, Israel now ends up in a place of out of God’s control, or in a place of death, nationally. They’re out of the land of promise. They’re down in Egypt and for all practical purposes, God has lost His Covenant People .

The reason I’m trying to make that point before we get to Exodus is because I’m going to point out that Exodus is a book of redemption. And redemption always means only one thing and what is that? You buy back that which you have lost control of. In other words, if you hock something in a pawn shop, there’s only one way you can get control of it and that is to go in a redeem it. You buy it back. And it is the same in every aspect of business: if you have lost control of something, you have to redeem it. When Adam sinned, God lost the human race. And what does He have to set up? A plan of redemption. When the brethren sold Joseph down into Egypt, and all 12 sons end up there, as a result of their sin, God loses control of His Covenant People. And He’s going to have to buy them back.

This is all in His sovereign plan, of course, but Israel is going to end up in Egypt, and while they’re in Egypt, they’re going to become a nation of people. I think the best thing we can remember is that at this point in time, when Jacob finally goes down into Egypt (as I said in one of the earlier lessons), we are now in the middle of that 430 year time span that God had foretold. 215 years have elapsed from the call of Abraham until Jacob goes down into Egypt. There’s 215 years left. As I’ve mentioned earlier, as long as Joseph is alive everything goes well with the Israelites. They have it pretty good in Goshen. It’s a productive area by the Nile River and they prospered. And as they prospered, they multiplied.

Oh, we can’t imagine how much they multiplied. But again, keep the time element in mind. We’re talking 215 years. I always have to remind people, that’s as long as America has been a nation! And we’ve gone from a few thousand people to 270 million people.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 1 * PART 3 * BOOK 7

JACOB’S WIVES AND 12 SONS

Genesis 25-46

Let’s turn back again to Genesis 28 We will pick up where we left off in our last lesson.

We were studying about the Almighty (El Shaddai) and how He is going to make Jacob fruitful. Now I must point out that Jacob is still an unbeliever. He is the perfect picture of the Nation of Israel as a whole. He is going to be sent out into a far country, out of the Land of Promise. He’s going up into Syria, and even though he’s up there in unbelief, God still has His hand on him.

And this is what so many people today can’t comprehend. I have to remind folks, even in our class last night, that if you take the Nation of Israel today, their government is just as secular, and no more godly than any other government on the face of the earth. And don’t expect them to be any different. But, who is watching out for that little nation? Almighty God is!

I’ve said it over and over throughout the years, that God loves the Arab as much as he does the Jews. He loves Americans just as much as the Middle-Easterners, because this is the day of Grace. But, going back to His Covenant promises, God has delineated that the Nation of Israel is His chosen and Covenant People, and He is going to bring to fruition all of those promises He made to Abraham. That is why the little nation is in the news everyday. Even though they are out numbered, no one dare attack them. We all know right today, Syria has been fiercely building up their armed forces. And for all practical purposes, you would have to say that Syria could overrun Israel in a day or two. But, Almighty God is holding everything in check!

How would we feel if all of a sudden Mexico and Canada, and other nations would attack us? That’s exactly what happened to Israel in the six-day war in 1967. They were invaded from four different directions all at once. And yet, in a matter of hours, they turned the tide and literally destroyed those Arab armies. Now, what was that? That was a miracle of a Sovereign God! Even though they are for the most part in unbelief. So it is with Jacob; he’s going to be under the protection of The Almighty God. But he himself is still an unbeliever. He is still the deceiver, and supplanter. He is still Jacob.

Genesis 28:5-7

“And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.”

“When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;” (Which Esau had already done of course.)

“And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother,…”

Even in his unbelief, he has just enough faith, that he obeyed his parents, but it was enough that Esau could see that Jacob obeyed his father and had gone.

Genesis 28:8-10

“And Esau seeing that the daughter of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;…”

Now Esau tries to do two wrongs and make a right. And it just doesn’t work. It was bad enough to marry Canaanites, but now he takes one step worse, and what does he do? He marries daughters of Ishmael.

“Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.”

“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran”

Now we come to the story of Jacob on his way to Haran, where he has a dream.

Genesis 28:12-15

“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”

“And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, ‘I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed:'”

Now, there you have it, The Abrahamic Covenant repeated again, and again, and again.

“‘And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'”

Now, what is that Seed? That Seed is The Christ? The Messiah. It would be through the promised Messiah, that all the nations of the world, someday, would receive the blessing of God.

“‘And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land (Canaan); for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.'”

Genesis 28:16-18

“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.'”

“And He was afraid, and said, ‘How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven,'”

“And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.”

In verse 19 he names the place that becomes famous in Scripture. If you will notice, in “Bethel” you have the two letters el which is a short, or contraction of Elohim and Beth simply means house in Hebrew. So this place is called the House of God. Later on, when he comes back, he calls another place El Beth-el, for he had met face to face the God of the House of God. Do you see that? All of these words are so significant.

Genesis 28:19a-22

“And he called the name of that place Beth-el,”

“And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,”

“‘So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:'”

Is He Jacob’s God yet? No. I think that he’s bargaining with God. It’s sort of akin to a lot of battlefield statements where men say, “Lord if you will just bring me through this I’ll serve you.” But as yet, Jacob is not a true believer.

“‘And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.'”

Here again we have that tenth which has been in the Scriptures since Abraham gave the tenth of the spoil. Now, in Chapter 29 we want take it verse by verse, but first we find Jacob coming to the house of his relatives, and immediately he runs into the flocks of his Uncle Laban:

Genesis 29:6

“And he said unto them, ‘Is he well?’ (Asking about Laban) And they said, ‘He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.'”

Here, we are introduced to the apple of Jacob’s eye. And it was love at first sight. Everyone knows the story, and we won’t go through that verse by verse. But what happened? Jacob was deceived himself this time. It’s interesting as you read the story, and I would encourage you to read the story again, when you have time. Jacob, the deceiver, meets his match with his Uncle Laban. I’m convinced these two are two of a kind. They are constantly hoodwinking each other.

Jacob has love at first sight of Rachel, and eventually comes to his wedding night. Remember it was dark. Today with all the security lights it’s hard to find a dark place, but that’s not the way it was back then. And so it was no problem whatsoever for Laban to convince Leah, Rachel’s older sister, to go in as the bride. For after all, Laban can’t let Rachel become his wife when Leah is the eldest. So the wily Laban pulls one on Jacob before Jacob even gets started.

When it become daylight, instead of Rachel, the bride is Leah the oldest sister. Of course, Laban had a logical excuse. He said it’s the custom of his country that the younger daughter cannot have a husband until the eldest is married. So he makes a deal with Jacob, that if Jacob would serve him another seven years (and this is beyond the seven that Jacob had promised to serve for Rachel), then he could also have Rachel. There’s one thing I want you to understand. Jacob did not wait until the fourteen years were up before marrying Rachel. He had both Leah and Rachel from day one, but his contract calls for fourteen years of service in order to have them both.

As you go through those chapters, where Jacob is there with Laban those twenty years, you’ll see he has the two wives, Leah and Rachel. Leah will have six sons herself, and then she becomes barren. And as was the custom of that day (and God seemingly did not disapprove of it), he also had sons by Leah’s handmaid. Finally, Rachel also has some sons by her handmaid. That gives us ten sons by now. And then Rachel has Joseph. Ten years after they are back in the land of Canaan, Rachel gives birth to Benjamin to make a total of twelve sons. However Rachel dies during childbirth to Benjamin.

Now, those twelve sons are the setting for the Nation of Israel. I would hope that everyone clearly understands the Nation of Israel comes about by Abraham’s son Isaac, Isaac’s son Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons from which we get the TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. It will be those twelve sons that wind up in Egypt. But now, Jacob is coming back from Haran. He’s been there twenty years, and remember old Laban and Jacob have been hoodwinking each for those twenty years, but Jacob has finally gotten the upper hand. He’s got his wives and children, and the best of the flocks, and herds. So he comes back with quite a caravan.

Now lets come over to Chapter 31. Word comes back to Laban, that indeed, Jacob and Laban’s daughters, and the children are leaving. But the important verse I want you to see is verse 30. I’ve been teaching that, since the Tower of Babel, everyone on the face of the earth of the then-known world were idolaters. Then God called Abram out of idolatry, and Abram becomes a man who worships the one true God, as does Isaac, and we are going to see that Jacob will. But other than this family, they are all idolaters, even the relatives up there in Syria. Now, here it is in verse 30, where Laban catches up with Jacob’s caravan. He says:

Genesis 31:30

“‘And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longest after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?'”

Notice it is a small “g.” What kind of gods? They were his idols. Here is another thing that most people miss. Why was Laban so concerned about a bunch of little images? They were the family gods. And according to the pagan customs of that day, the child who received the blessing, was also the child to whom the family gods were given. Now, that meant something, if you had the family gods, you had it all. So Rachel, knowing that, slips them out without her father knowing about it, and she takes them along, and has them hidden.

Genesis 31:34-36

“Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.”

“And she said to her father, ‘Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me.’ And he searched, but found not the images.” Oh he looked but didn’t find them.

“And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?'”

Then they go into a conversation of accusing and re-accusing each other. They finally make an agreement, or treaty, and in verse 55 we read:

Genesis 31:55

“And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.”

Genesis 32:1-3

“And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him,”

“And when Jacob saw them, he said, ‘This is God’s host (You see Jacob is aware of all of these things that God is doing, but he is still not a “heart believer”): and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.'” In the Hebrew it means the two hosts. The one of course was God’s host, and the other his own.

“And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother…”

And, here again, you know the story of how Jacob sends this tremendous gift of livestock and wealth to appease his brother. But evidently Esau has forgotten his bitterness and there is no problem. Now, I want to come to verse 22. Jacob has divided some of his flocks and his family – he has sent them over the brook and is heading down to Canaan to meet Esau.

Genesis 32:22

“And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok,”

Jabbok was a little stream that flowed into the Jordan from the east. Probably just below the Sea of Galilee.

Genesis 32;24-26

“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”

“And when he saw that he prevailed not against him (In other words when the stranger saw that he could not overcome Jacob), he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint,”

In other words, he crippled Jacob. And from this point on, Jacob walks with a limp – it’s called a halt in Scripture. And the stranger said:

“Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, ‘I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”

That was quite a wrestling match wasn’t it. It must have gone on nearly all night. Now, does Jacob know who the stranger is? You bet he does! And who is it? The LORD himself.Now, here is what we call a theophany. It’s a great big word that simply means the appearance of God in human form. And anytime there is a theophany in the Old Testament it’s alwaysGod The Son. This is Christ, in other words, in an Old Testament appearance in human form, and He has literally been wrestling, flesh and blood with Jacob all night long.

Right there is the statement of Jacob’s faith! Simple? Absolutely! He suddenly realizes that he is dealing with the God of his father, Isaac, and his Grandfather, Abraham.

Genesis 32:27,28

“And he (The LORD) said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.” (the deceiver, the supplanter.)

“And he said, ‘Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed,'”

There is Jacob’s salvation! Now he becomes a child of God. Never again does the Scripture give the account of Jacob the deceiver. Never again will you find Jacob trying to cheat someone. He is now a changed man, and that is why God changes his name. From the deceiver to the prince with God. Every good Bible student should understand these two terms; Jacob and Israel. Many times they seem to be used synonymously, however they are not synonymous. It is the same nation, but it’s two aspects of that nation.

Isaiah 9:8

“The LORD sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.”

Do you see what that is saying? God sent the word into the whole nation into Jacob, but who heard it? The believers, the spiritual part of Jacob. So you will see this all through Scripture. Let’s go to Romans for another Scripture concerning this.

Romans 9:6

“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect; For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:”

See the distinction? In other words Israel too has a believing remnant. They are all called the house of Jacob or the Sons of Jacob, or Abraham. But Israel was that spiritual element of true believers. Paul tells us here in Romans that all of Israel will be saved:

Romans 11:26

“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”

And it’s that same connotation – of course all Israel will be saved. Every believer in Israel, but that doesn’t mean the whole nation. So always keep those two pictures sorted out in your mind. Now, let’s come back to Genesis.

Genesis 32:29,30

“And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name, And he said, Wherefore is it that thou doest ask after my name? And he blessed him there.” Now only God can do that. And if you doubted what I’ve been telling you, look at the next verse.

“And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

Always remember, no man has seen the Triune God, the Trinity, the Spirit part of God, but they have seen God the Son all through the Old Testament. Remember Abraham in Chapter 18, what did he do? He killed the fatted calf, and he sat down and ate. Who was it with? It was God the Son. At the burning bush (and we’ll see that in a few weeks), who was it? It was God the Son. So, remember, no man has seen God face to face in the Trinity, but Jacob saw God the Son face to face and his life was preserved.