Front matter (continued, part 14)
In most cultures, firstborn sons are considered special, and in Egypt, they were considered sacred. We must remember that God calls Israel His firstborn son (Ex. 4:22; Jer. 31:9; Hos. 11:1). At the very beginning of their conflict, Moses warned Pharaoh that the way he treated God's firstborn would determine how God treated Egypt's firstborn (Ex. 4:22–23). Pharaoh had tried to kill the Jewish male babies, and his officers had brutally mistreated the Jewish slaves, so in slaying the firstborn, the Lord was simply paying Pharaoh back with his own currency.
"Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11 nkjv). God's mercy should have brought Pharaoh to his knees; instead, he repeatedly hardened his heart. Pharaoh's officials humbled themselves before Moses (Ex. 3; 8); why couldn't Pharaoh follow their example? "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18 nkjv).
Compensation is a fundamental law of life (Matt. 7:1–2), and God isn't unjust in permitting this law to operate in the world. Pharaoh drowned the Jewish babies, so God drowned Pharaoh's army (Ex. 14:26–31; 15:4–5). Jacob lied to his father Isaac (Gen. 27:15–17), and years later, Jacob's sons lied to him (37:31–35). David committed adultery and had the woman's husband murdered (2 Sam. 11), and David's daughter was raped and two of his sons were murdered (2 Sam. 13; 18). Haman built a gallows on which to hang Mordecai, but it was Haman who was hanged there instead (Est. 7:7–10). "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7 nkjv).
Passover and the Israelites (12:1–28, 43–51) Passover marked a new beginning for the Jews and bound them together as a nation.1 When the Lord liberates you from bondage, it's the dawning of a new day and the beginning of a new life. Whenever you meet the words "redeem" or "redemption" in the New Testament, they speak of freedom from slavery. (There were an estimated 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire.) Jewish believers would immediately think of Passover and Israel's deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lamb.
As to the justice of this tenth plague, who can pass judgment on the acts of the Lord when "righteousness and justice are the foundation of [His] throne"? (Ps. 89:14 niv) But why should one man's resistance to God cause the death of many innocent young men? However, similar events happen in our world today. How many men and women who died in uniform had the opportunity to vote for or against a declaration of war? And as to the "innocence" of these firstborn sons, only God knows the human heart and can dispense His justice perfectly. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25). When you read the book of Genesis, you learn that God often rejected the firstborn son and chose the next son to carry on the family line and receive God's
The Jewish nation in the Old Testament had two calendars, a civil calendar that began in our September–October, and a religious calendar that began in our March–April. New Year's Day in the civil year ("Rosh Hashana"—"beginning of the year") fell in the seventh month of the religious calendar and ushered in the special events in the month of Tishri: the Feast of Trumpets, the day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. But Passover marked the beginning of the religious year, and at Passover, the focus is on the lamb.
Isaac's question "Where is the lamb?" (Gen. 22:7) introduced one of the major themes of the Old Testament as God's people waited for the Messiah. The question was ultimately answered by John the Baptist
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bitter herbs, each of which symbolized an important spiritual truth.
when he pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29 nkjv). That the Passover lamb is a picture of Jesus Christ is affirmed in the New Testament by the evangelist Philip (Acts 8:32–35; Isa. 53:7–8) as well as by the apostles Paul (1 Cor. 5:7), Peter (1 Peter 1:18–20), and John (Rev. 5:5–6; 13:8).2
In order that the lamb might be kept whole, it was roasted in the fire and not boiled in water. It's not likely that the Jews had vessels large enough for boiling a whole lamb, but even if they did, it was forbidden. The bones would have to be broken and the meat in cooking would separate from the bones. The bones were not to be broken nor were pieces of meat to be carried outside the house (v. 46; John 19:31–37; Ps. 34:20). It was important to see the wholeness of the lamb.
The lamb was chosen and examined (vv. 1–6a) on the tenth day of the month and carefully watched for four days to make sure it met the divine specifications. There is no question that Jesus met all the requirements to be our Lamb, for the Father said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). During the days preceding Passover, our Lord's enemies questioned Him repeatedly, waiting for Him to say something they could attack. During His various trials and interrogations, Jesus was repeatedly questioned, and He passed every test. Jesus knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), did no sin (1 Peter 2:22), and in Him there was no sin (1 John 3:5). He's the perfect Lamb of God.
We trust Christ that we might be saved from our sins by His sacrifice, but we must also feed on Christ in order to have strength for our daily pilgrim journey. As we worship, meditate on the Word, pray, and believe, we appropriate the spiritual nourishment of Jesus Christ and grow in grace and knowledge.4
Along with the lamb, the Israelites ate bitter herbs and unleavened bread (Ex. 12:14–20, 39; 13:3–7). Tasting the bitter herbs would remind the Jews of their years of bitter bondage in the land of Egypt. However, when circumstances became difficult during their wilderness journey, the people usually recalled "the good old days" and wanted to go back to Egypt (16:3; 17:1–3; Num. 11:1–9; 14:1–5). They forgot the bitterness of their servitude in that horrible iron furnace.
On the fourteenth day of the month, at evening,3 the lamb was slain (Ex. 12:6b–7, 12–13, 21–24) and its blood was applied to the lintel and side posts of the doors of the houses in which the Jewish families lived. It wasn't the life of the lamb that saved the people from judgment but the death of the lamb. "Without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb. 9:22; Lev. 17:11). Some people claim to admire the life and teachings of Jesus who don't want the cross of Jesus, yet it's His death on the cross that paid the price of our redemption (Matt. 20:28; 26:28; John 3:14–17; 10:11; Eph. 1:7; 1 Tim. 2:5–6; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 5:9). Jesus was our substitute; He died our death for us and suffered the judgment of our sin (Isa. 53:4–6; 1 Peter 2:24). However, to be effective, the blood had to be applied to the doorposts; for God promised, "[W]hen I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Ex. 12:13). It isn't sufficient simply to know that Christ was sacrificed for the sins of the world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). We must appropriate that sacrifice for ourselves and be able to say with Paul, "The Son of God loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20), and with Mary, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46 nkjv). Our appropriation of the Atonement must be personal: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
Their bread was unleavened (without yeast) for two reasons: there wasn't time for the bread to rise (Ex. 12:39), and leaven was a symbol of impurity to the Jews. For a week after Passover, they were required to eat unleavened bread and to remove every trace of leaven from their dwellings.
Yeast is an image of sin: it's hidden; it works silently and secretly; it spreads and pollutes; and it causes dough to rise ("puffed up"—1 Cor. 4:18–5:2). Both Jesus and Paul compared false teaching to yeast (Matt. 16:6–12; Mark 8:15; Gal. 5:1–9), but it's also compared to hypocrisy (Luke 12:1) and sinful living (1 Cor. 5:6–8). Paul admonishes local churches to purge out the sin from their midst and present themselves as an unleavened loaf to the Lord.
If any meat was left over from the feast, it had to be burned. The lamb was so special that it couldn't be treated like ordinary food. In a similar way, the manna was special and couldn't be hoarded from day to day, except for the day before the Sabbath (Ex. 16:14–22).
They ate as families and as a congregation (vv. 25–28; 13:8–10). The meal was prepared for the family (see 12:3–4) and was to be eaten by the family members. God's concern is for the entire family and not just for the parents. If the precious Jewish children were not protected by the blood and strengthened by the food, they couldn't be delivered from Egypt, and that would be the end of the nation.5
The Jews dipped flimsy hyssop plants into the basins of blood and applied the blood to the doorposts (Ex. 12:22). Hyssop was later used to sprinkle the blood that ratified the covenant (24:1–8) and that cleansed healed lepers (Lev. 14:4, 6, 49, 51–52). Our faith may be as weak as the hyssop, but it's not faith in our faith that saves us, but faith in the blood of the Savior.
Though there were many Jewish households in the land of Goshen, God saw all of them as one congregation (vv. 3, 6). When local Christian congregations today meet to celebrate the Lord's Supper, God sees each individual assembly as part of one body, the
The lamb was roasted and eaten (vv. 8–11, 46), and the eating was done in haste, each family member ready to move out when the signal was given. The meal consisted of the roasted lamb, unleavened bread, and
Exodus 12
focus of attention is on the Lord because what occurred that special night was because of Him. At least seventeen times in Exodus 12 "the Lord" is mentioned because He was the one in charge.
church. That's why Paul could write about "the whole building … the whole family … the whole body" (Eph. 2:21; 3:15; 4:16 nkjv). Israel was one nation because of the blood of the lamb, and the church is one fellowship because of Jesus Christ.
God revealed His power (vv. 29–30). After the Jews held their Passover feast "between the evenings," they waited for God's signal to depart. At midnight, the Lord struck the firstborn, death visited every Egyptian household, and a great cry arose throughout Egypt (11:6; 12:30). Death is no respecter of persons, and that night it touched the family of the lowest Egyptian prisoner as well as Pharaoh himself. However, not a single death occurred among the Jewish people in the land of Goshen. The lesson here is obvious: Unless you're protected by the blood of Christ, when death comes, you'll be completely unprepared, and you don't know when death is coming.
Not only was the Passover supper an ordinance to be obeyed (Ex. 12:14, 17, 24, 43), but it was also a "memorial" to be celebrated to keep alive in Israel the story of the Exodus (v. 14; 13:8–10). After Israel had entered and conquered the Promised Land, it would be easy for the people to settle down and forget the great acts of God on their behalf. The annual observance of Passover would give Jewish parents another opportunity to teach their children the meaning of their freedom and what God did for them. The adults were to be "living links" with Israel's past so that each new generation would understand what it meant to be a member of God's chosen nation. (See Deut. 6:1–15; 11:18–21; Ps. 34:11; 78:1–7; 145:4.) In later years, orthodox Jews took Exodus 13:8–9 and 16 literally, along with Deuteronomy 6:8–9 and 11:18. Moses said that Passover was to be "like a sign" (see Ex. 13:9 niv), that is, a reminder to them of what the Lord had done. Instead, the orthodox interpreted this to mean that the Jewish men were to wear the Scriptures on their person. So, they wrote Scripture passages on parchment and put them into little boxes which they wore on the left arm and the forehead. In the New Testament, they are called "phylacteries" (see Matt. 23:5).6
God kept His promises (vv. 31–36). God told Moses what was going to happen and Moses announced it to Pharaoh (11:1–8), but Pharaoh didn't believe it. However, God's word didn't fail. Just as He said to Moses, the firstborn in Egypt died, there was a great cry in Egypt, Pharaoh told the Israelites to leave, and the Egyptian people freely gave them of their wealth. Promises were fulfilled that night that were made to Abraham centuries before (Gen. 15:13–14). "There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses" (1 Kings 8:56 nkjv).
God delivered His people (vv. 37–42, 51). The Israelites marched boldly out of Egypt in full view of the Egyptians who were busy burying their dead (Num. 33:3–4). If there were about 600,000 Jewish men taking part in the Exodus, then the total number of Jews must have been about 2 million. Like an army with its divisions (Ex. 12:17, 51), they marched quickly in orderly fashion, with their flocks and their herds. Not one Jew was too feeble to march, and the Egyptians were glad to see the Jews get out of their land (Ps. 105:37–38).
Eating the feast was forbidden to those outside the covenant (Ex. 12:43–51). Not only did a "mixed multitude" join with Israel when they left Egypt (v. 38), but the Jews would encounter many different nations on their march and when they reached Canaan.
Israel might be tempted to let their Gentile neighbors join with them in celebrating Passover, their "national independence day," but the Lord prohibited this practice. Later, He would forbid the Jews from joining with their neighbors in their pagan religious ceremonies, for Israel was to be a separated people (Deut. 7:1–11).7
Two different words are used to describe what the King James Version calls "the mixed multitude" that left Egypt with the Jews. In Exodus 12:38, the word is simply a "swarm" or "multitude," while in Numbers 11:4, it's "rabble" (see niv). This suggests that the "mixed multitude" originated most of the complaining in the camp that created so many problems for Moses. Some of this crowd may have been Egyptians who had married Jews, contrary to God's law; others were probably Egyptians who were frightened, impressed with Jehovah's power (Ex. 9:20), and wanted to benefit from being with God's chosen people. Perhaps they thought more judgments might fall on the land and they wanted to escape them.
Who were these "foreigners" whom God said the Israelites couldn't invite to the Passover celebration? They were non-Israelites who had never been circumcised and therefore were not children of the covenant. They might be slaves in the camp of Israel or simply strangers (resident aliens) living among the Jews. Any stranger or servant could submit to circumcision and become a part of the nation and share the covenant privileges, but they also had to accept the responsibilities.
Passover and the Lord (12:29–42, 51) We usually call this event "the Jewish Passover," but the Bible calls it "the Lord's Passover" (vv. 11, 27; Lev. 23:5; Num. 28:16). The observance was more than an "Independence Day" celebration, because the feast was kept "unto the Lord" (Ex. 12:48; Num. 9:10, 14). "It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover" (Ex. 12:27). The
Whoever they were, this "mixed multitude" represents those in this world who outwardly identify with God's people but inwardly are not truly the children of God. They might be church members and even religious leaders, but their attitudes and appetites are
Exodus 12—13
Egyptian firstborn, both humans and livestock. Even though he had nothing to do with the birth order in the home, each firstborn son in a Jewish family was very special to the parents and to the Lord.
radically different from those who truly belong to the Lord. Jesus warned, "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21 nkjv). Great multitudes followed Jesus during His earthly ministry, but He wasn't impressed with these crowds. See Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23; Luke 14:25–35; and John 6:60–71.
Passover and Moses (Heb. 11:27–29) We must never forget that it was the once timid and excuse-making Moses who, with his brother Aaron, confronted Pharaoh time after time and finally conquered Pharaoh and all the power of Egypt. Hebrews 11 reminds us that Moses accomplished all of this by faith in the living God. Passover and the Exodus are memorials to the power of faith.
God's promises are never in error and His timing is never wrong (Ex. 12:40–41). The exodus took place 480 years before the fourth year of Solomon's reign (1 Kings 6:1), which was the year 966 BC That means that the date of the Exodus was 1446 BC and that Jacob's descendants had been in Egypt since 1876 BC Both Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:6 give "four hundred years," which is a round figure, but Galatians 3:17 specifies "430 years." Most conservative biblical scholars accept 1446 as the date of the exodus.
Hebrews 11:27 refers to Exodus 10:28–29 when Pharaoh threatened to kill Moses if he came to see him one more time. Moses believed God's promises and had no fear of what the king might do. Faith simply means that we rely on God and obey His Word, regardless of feelings, circumstances, or consequences. By faith, Moses kept the Passover, even though slaying the lambs and putting the blood on the doors looked ridiculous to the Egyptians and was certainly offensive to them. At any time, Pharaoh could have sent his officers to Moses and killed him, but God kept him safe.
Israel's exodus from Egypt is mentioned many places in Scripture as the greatest demonstration of Jehovah's power in the history of Israel. The prophets point to the exodus as proof of God's love for Israel (Jer. 2:1–8; Hos. 11:1). They also refer to the exodus when they speak about the Jews' deliverance from Babylonian captivity (Jer. 16:14; 23:7–8). Isaiah promises a future regathering of Israel to their land and compares it to the exodus (Isa. 11:15; 43:14–21; 51:9–11). Frequently, Isaiah mentions a "highway" that will facilitate this future exodus of the Jews from the Gentile nations (11:16; 19:23; 35:8; 62:10).
It was faith in God's word that had brought Moses back to Egypt to lead his people; it was faith that took him out of Egypt; and it was faith that separated him and his people from Egypt as they crossed the Red Sea. No matter what our circumstances may be, we can trust God to bring us out and take us through.
Jesus established the Lord's Supper after He had led His disciples in celebrating Passover, for He is the fulfillment of the Passover as the Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. Each time we share in the Lord's Supper, we look back and remember His death, but we also look ahead and anticipate His coming again. When Jesus returns, a wonderful exodus will take place! The dead in Christ will be raised and the living believers will be caught up with them and taken to heaven to be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13–18).
Passover and the firstborn (13:1–16) This section explains the significance of the firstborn in the nation of Israel. Not only once a year at Passover were the Jews reminded of God's grace and power, but each time a firstborn male, man or beast, came into the world, that firstborn issue had to be redeemed. Because of God's mighty acts in protecting and redeeming His people and saving the firstborn of humans and livestock from death (12:12–13), all the firstborn belonged to God. They were sanctified, that is, set apart for God's exclusive possession.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
This ordinance of redemption would take effect when the Jews were in the Promised Land, and later Moses explained how to do it (Lev. 12; Num. 18:14–19). The firstborn of an ass, being an unclean animal, could not be sacrificed to God, so it was redeemed by a lamb. Being a valuable work animal, the ass was spared only in this way, but if the animal was not redeemed, then it had to be killed. Parents would bring their firstborn sons to the Lord and offer the appropriate sacrifice (Lev. 12:6–8). When Mary and Joseph came to the temple to redeem the Redeemer, they brought the humble sacrifice of the poor (Luke 2:21–24). When a firstborn son was redeemed, or a firstborn animal, it gave adults the opportunity to explain how God had rescued the firstborn in the land of Goshen on Passover night, and how He had slain all the
1 The phrase "all the congregation of Israel" (v. 3) is found here for the first time in the Bible and indicates that God was now looking upon His people as one nation. Passover united the people around the killing of the Lamb (12:6), the putting away of the leaven (v. 19), and the eating of the feast (v. 47). See also 16:1–2, 9–10, 22 and 17:1. 2 In the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is called "the Lamb" twenty-eight times, and the Greek word used means "a little pet lamb." God's judgment is "the wrath of the Lamb" (6:16); the bride is "the wife of the Lamb" (21:9); and the throne is "the throne of the Lamb" (22:1, 3). The lamb is a type of Jesus Christ because the New Testament makes this clear. That is the ultimate and important mark of a type. Not everything that people call "types" of Christ really meet the New Testament qualification. 3 Keep in mind that the Jewish day was reckoned from evening
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rience with God; it was the new beginning. "It took one night to take Israel out of Egypt, but forty years to take Egypt out of Israel," said George Morrison.1 If Israel obeyed His will, God would bring them into the Promised Land and give them their inheritance. Forty years later, Moses would remind the new generation, "He [the Lord] brought you out of Egypt … to bring you in, to give you [the] land as an inheritance" (Deut. 4:37–38 nkjv). The same thing can be said of the redemption we have in Christ: God brought us out of bondage that He might bring us into blessing. A. W. Tozer used to remind us that "we are saved to as well as saved from."2 The person who trusts Jesus Christ is born again into the family of God, but that's just the beginning of an exciting new adventure that should lead to growth and conquest. God liberates us and then leads us through the varied experiences of life, a day at a time, so that we might get to know Him better and claim by faith all that He wants us to have. At the same time, we come to know ourselves better; we discover our strengths and weaknesses, and we grow in understanding God's will and trusting His promises.
to evening. The Passover lamb was slain "between the evenings" on Friday the fourteenth of Nisan, before the arrival of the next day. Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth of Nisan, at night. 4 John 6:51–59 compares our spiritual communion with Christ to feasting on Him. The literally minded Jews misunderstood this image and thought that Jesus was telling them to eat human flesh and drink blood, but He explained that He was speaking about feeding on His Word (6:63). Peter got the message and expressed it clearly (vv. 66–68). To call John 6 a sermon on the Lord's Supper (Communion, Eucharist) is to miss the point completely. Why would Jesus discuss a "family matter" like the Lord's Supper with an unbelieving Jewish crowd when He hadn't even mentioned the subject to His own disciples? 5 "And your house" in Acts 16:31 doesn't mean that the father's faith would automatically save his children, but that the children could claim the same promise as their father and be saved. However, the statement reveals God's special concern for families. He wants the children to believe and be saved. 6 This practice started about the second century before Christ. The four passages copied were Exodus 13:1–10, 11–16; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; 11:13–21. The English word "phylactery" is a transliteration of the Greek word phulakterion meaning "an amulet, safeguard, means of protection." It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for these little boxes— tephillin—which means "prayers." 7 When Israel got too friendly with the Midianites, it led to divine judgment and 24,000 people died. See Numbers 25.
God plans the route for His people (vv. 17–18). Nothing takes God by surprise, for in His providence He plans the best way for His people to take. We may not always understand the way He chooses, or even agree with it, but His way is always the right way. We may confidently say, "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Ps. 23:3 nkjv), and we should humbly pray, "Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me" (25:4–5 nkjv).
CHAPTER FIVE Exodus 13:17—15:21 REDEEMED AND REJOICING H
If there had been any military strategists in Israel that night, they probably would have disagreed with the evacuation route God selected because it was too long.3 Israel's immediate destination was Mount Sinai, but why take several million people the long way instead of using the shorter and easier route? The answer is: because there were Egyptian military posts along the shorter route, and the soldiers stationed there would have challenged the Jews. Furthermore, crossing the Philistine borders would have invited their army to attack, and the last thing Israel needed was a war with the neighbors. God knew what He was doing when He chose the longer way.
istory does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid." President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke those words in his first inaugural address, January 20, 1953. As the man who helped lead the Allies to victory in World War II, General Eisenhower knew a great deal about the high cost of victory as well as the heavy burden of freedom that always follows. British novelist Charles Kingsley rightly said, "There are two freedoms—the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; and the true, where a man is free to do what he ought." Throughout their history, the nation of Israel struggled with both of these freedoms, just as God's people struggle with them today.
If you permit the Lord to direct your steps (Prov. 3:5–6), expect to be led occasionally on paths that may seem unnecessarily long and circuitous. Remind yourself that God knows what He's doing, He isn't in a hurry, and as long as you follow Him, you're safe and in the place of His blessing. He may close some doors and suddenly open others, and we must be alert (Acts 16:6–10; 2 Cor. 2:12–13). God encourages His people's faith (v. 19). Before he died, Joseph made his brothers promise that, when God delivered Israel from Egypt, their descendants would take his coffin with them to the Promised Land (Gen. 50:24–25; Heb. 11:22). Joseph knew that God
It's a mark of maturity when we learn that freedom is a tool to build with, not a toy to play with, and that freedom involves accepting responsibility. Israel's exodus experience taught them that their future success lay in fulfilling three important responsibilities: following the Lord (13:17–22), trusting the Lord (14:1–31), and praising the Lord (15:12–21).
Following the Lord (13:17–22) Israel's exodus from Egypt wasn't the end of their expe-
Exodus 13—14
How foolish it would have been for the Jews to pause in their march and take a vote to see which route they should take to Mount Sinai! Certainly there's a place for community counsel and referendum (Acts 6:1–7), but when God has spoken, there's no need for consultation. On more than one occasion in Scripture, the majority has been wrong.
would keep His promise and rescue the children of Israel (15:13–16). Joseph also knew that he belonged in the land of Canaan with his people (49:29–33).
What did this coffin mean to the generations of Jews who lived during the years of terrible bondage in Egypt? Certainly the Jews could look at Joseph's coffin and be encouraged. After all, the Lord cared for Joseph during his trials, and finally delivered him, and He would care for the nation of Israel and eventually set them free. During their years in the wilderness, Israel saw Joseph's coffin as a reminder that God has His times and keeps His promises. Joseph was dead, but he was bearing witness to the faithfulness of God. When they arrived in their land, the Jews kept their promise and buried Joseph with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Josh. 24:32).
Trusting the Lord (14:1–31) "He [God] made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel" (Ps. 103:7 nkjv). The Jewish people were told what God wanted them to do, but Moses was told why God was doing it. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him" (25:14). The leadership of Moses was a key ingredient in Israel's success.
Is it idolatrous to have visible reminders of God's faithfulness? Not necessarily, for you find several significant monuments in the book of Joshua. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, they put up a monument of stones on the farther shore to commemorate what God had done (Josh. 4). They also put stones on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim to remind them of God's law (Ex. 8:30–35). A heap of stones bore witness of Achan's treachery (Josh. 7:25–26), and a "witness stone" was a reminder of Israel's rededication after the conquest of the land (24:24–28). Samuel set up a stone to commemorate Israel's victory over the Philistines and called it "Ebenezer, the stone of help" (1 Sam. 7:12).
Egypt's pursuit (vv. 1–9). It dawned on Pharaoh and his officers that, by allowing their Jewish slaves to escape, they had threatened, if not destroyed, Egypt's whole economy, so the logical thing was to go after the Jews and bring them back. Now we're given another reason why the Lord selected this route: the reports would convince Pharaoh that the Jews were wandering like lost sheep in the wilderness and therefore were fair game for his army to pursue and capture. The Lord was drawing the Egyptians into His trap.
What seemed like an easy victory to Egypt would turn out to be an ignominious defeat, and the Lord would get all the glory. Once again He would triumph over Pharaoh and the gods and goddesses of Egypt. Pharaoh commandeered all the chariots of Egypt, mounted his own royal chariot, and pursued the people of Israel.
As long as we keep obeying the Lord, such reminders can encourage our faith. The important thing is that they point to the Lord and not to a dead past, and that we continue to walk by faith and obey the Lord today.
God goes before His people to lead the way (vv. 20–22). The nation was guided by a pillar (column) of cloud by day that became a pillar of fire by night. This pillar was identified with the angel of the Lord who led the nation (14:19; 23:20–23; see Neh. 9:12). God occasionally spoke from the pillar of cloud (Num. 12:5–6; Deut. 31:15–16; Ps. 99:7), and the pillar of cloud also shielded the people from the hot sun as they journeyed by day (105:39). When the cloud moved, the camp moved; when the cloud waited, the camp waited (Ex. 40:34–38).
Israel's panic (vv. 10–12). As long as the Israelites kept their eyes on the fiery pillar and followed the Lord, they were walking by faith and no enemy could touch them. But when they took their eyes off the Lord and looked back and saw the Egyptians getting nearer, they became frightened and began to complain.
These verses introduce the disappointing pattern of Israel's behavior during their march from Egypt to Canaan. As long as everything was going well, they usually obeyed the Lord and Moses and made progress. But if there was any trial or discomfort in their circumstances, they immediately began to complain to Moses and to the Lord and asked to go back to Egypt. However, before we criticize the Jews, perhaps we'd better examine our own hearts. How much disappointment or discomfort does it take to make us unhappy with the Lord's will so that we stop believing and start complaining? "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
We don't have this same kind of visible guidance today, but we do have the Word of God which is a light (Ps. 119:105) and a fire (Jer. 23:29). It's interesting to note that the pillar of fire gave light to the Jews but was darkness to the Egyptians (Ex. 14:20). God's people are enlightened by the Word (Eph. 1:15–23), but the unsaved can't understand God's truth (Matt. 11:25; 1 Cor. 2:11–16).
The Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of Truth, guides us by teaching us the Word (John 16:12–13). Just as God spoke to Moses from the pillar, so the Lord communicates with us from the Scriptures by making them clear to us. There are times when we aren't sure which way God wants us to go, but if we wait on Him, He will eventually guide us.
When you forget God's promises, you start to imagine the worst possible scenario. The Jews were sure that they and their children would die in the wilderness as soon as Pharaoh's army caught up with them. The frightened people reminded Moses that they had told him to leave them alone (Ex. 5:20–23), but he had persisted in challenging Pharaoh. Israel was now in a
Exodus 14
drove the sea waters back and opened the way for the Jews to cross. Psalm 77:16–20 indicates that a severe rainstorm accompanied the high winds, and after Israel had crossed, the rain turned Israel's dry pathway into a muddy road. When the Egyptian soldiers tried to follow, the mud disabled their chariots and impeded their progress, and when the waters returned, all the Egyptian soldiers were drowned. It was indeed a night to be remembered.
terrible predicament, and Moses was to blame. Unbelief has a way of erasing from our memory all the demonstrations we've seen of God's great power and all the instances we know of God's faithfulness to His Word.
God's power (vv. 13–31). Moses was a man of faith who knew that Pharaoh's army was no threat to Jehovah. He gave several commands to the people, and the first was, "Fear not" (v. 13).4 Sometimes fear energizes us and we quickly try to avoid danger, but sometimes fear paralyzes us and we don't know what to do. Israel was tempted to flee, so Moses gave his second command: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (v. 13). By faith the Jews had marched out of Egypt, and now by faith they would stand still and watch God destroy the Egyptian charioteers.
Knowing that the enemy was in pursuit, and hearing the wind blowing all night, the Israelites must have wondered what was going to happen and why God was taking so long. But when we have faith in God's promises, we have peace in our hearts. "Why are you so fearful?" Jesus asked His disciples after He had calmed a storm. "How is it that you have no faith?" (Mark 4:40 nkjv). Faith and fear can't live together in the same heart, for one will destroy the other. True faith depends on what God says, not on what we see or how we feel. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that's superstition—but obeying in spite of consequence.
Moses not only told them to stand still, but also to "be still" (v. 14). How easy it would have been to weep, complain, and keep criticizing Moses, but none of those things would have helped them out of their predicament. Unbelief complains, but faith obeys and brings glory to the Lord. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). What is there to complain about when we have the wonderful promise, "The Lord shall fight for you" (Ex. 14:14)? Later in their journey, the Lord would help Joshua and the Jewish army fight their battles (17:8); but this time, God would defeat the Egyptians without Israel's assistance.
This series of divine miracles was certainly a revelation of the greatness and power of God, His faithfulness to His promises, and His concern for His people. Future psalmists would extol the Lord for His mighty works at the Red Sea (Ps. 66; 78; 80—81; 105—106; 136), and the prophets would use the exodus to encourage the Jewish exiles in their return to their land after the Babylonian captivity (Isa. 43:1–7; 52:11–12; 55:12–13; Jer. 16:14–15; 23:7–8), as well as to motivate the backslidden nation to return to the Lord (Jer. 2:2–3; Ezek. 20; Hos. 2:14–23; Amos 3; Mic. 6:3–4).5
The next order came from God to Moses, "Go forward" (14:15). The fact that Israel was facing the sea was no problem to God, and He told Moses exactly what to do. When Moses lifted up his rod, the waters would part, and Israel would be able to walk across on dry land and escape the Egyptian army. At Moses' signal, the waters would then flow back, drown the Egyptian soldiers, and prevent Israel from returning to Egypt. In the years that followed, each time the Jews expressed a desire to return to Egypt, they should have remembered that God closed the waters and locked the door.
Moses' position (v. 31; 1 Cor. 10:1–2). Paul saw Israel's march through the sea as a "baptism," for the water was on either side like a wall and the cloud of God's presence was behind them and over them. As it were, Israel was "immersed" as they quickly crossed the dry bed of the sea. Their deliverance was certainly the act of God, but it was accomplished through the obedient leadership of Moses. As a result, "the people … believed the Lord and His servant Moses" (Ex. 14:31). They were now constituted as a nation with Moses as their leader. Through this "baptism," the people of Israel were identified with Moses, just as in water baptism God's people today are identified with Jesus Christ. The miracle of the exodus became a part of Israel's confession of faith when they brought their gifts to the Lord (Deut. 26:1–11).
Why did God perform this series of miracles for the Jewish people? They certainly didn't deserve it as they stood there cringing in fear and complaining that God didn't seem to know what He was doing. To begin with, He was keeping His promise that He would deliver Israel and take them as His people (3:7–8). In years to come, pious Jews would measure everything by the demonstration of God's great power at the exodus. But God had another purpose in mind: revealing once more His power and glory in the defeat of the Egyptian army. "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord" (14:18).
Praising the Lord (15:1–21) With their enemies drowned and their freedom secure, the people of Israel burst into song and praised the Lord. We don't read that they praised God while they were enslaved in Egypt, and while they were going out of the land, they were complaining to Moses and asking him to let them go back. But it takes maturity for God's people to have a "song in the night" (Job 35:10;
The pillar moved between the Israelites and the Egyptians, indicating that God had become a wall of protection between His people and their enemies. The pillar gave light to Israel but darkness to the enemy, for the faithless people of Egypt couldn't understand the ways of God. When Moses stretched out his hand, the Lord sent a powerful wind that
Exodus 14—15
Ps. 42:8; Matt. 26:30; Acts 16:25), and the Jews were very immature in their faith at that time.
In each instance, the Lord gives strength, salvation, and a song.8
This hymn of praise has four stanzas: God's victory is announced (Ex. 15:1–5), God's weapons are described (vv. 6–10), God's character is extolled (vv. 11–16a), and God's promises are fulfilled (vv. 16b–18). God's victory is announced (vv. 1–5). The Lord is mentioned ten times in this hymn as Israel sang to the Lord and about the Lord, for true worship involves faithful witness to who God is and what He has done for His people.
God's weapons are described (vv. 6–10). "The Lord is a man of war" who doesn't fight with conventional weapons. Using human characteristics to describe divine attributes,9 the singers declare that His right hand is glorious in power, His majesty throws His opponents down, and His anger consumes them like fire eats up stubble. The breath from His nostrils is the wind that blew back the waters and congealed them so they stood like a wall. When the overconfident Egyptian soldiers thought to catch up with the Jews, God simply breathed and the waters returned and drowned the army. What a mighty God is He!
God's victory was a glorious victory, for it was wholly the work of the Lord. The Egyptian army was thrown into the sea (vv. 1 and 4), and the soldiers sank like stones (v. 5) and like lead (v. 10). They were consumed like burning stubble (v. 7). Pharaoh had ordered the Jewish boy babies to be drowned, so God paid him back in kind and drowned his troops.
God's character is extolled (vv. 11–16a). In the ten plagues that He sent on the land, the Lord had already proved Himself greater than the gods and goddesses of Egypt. No wonder His people sang, "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?" (v. 11; see Mic. 7:18). The answer, of course, is nobody, for no other being in the universe is "majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders" (Ex. 15:11 niv). This stanza goes on to praise God for His power (v. 12), His mercy to deliver, His wisdom to guide (v. 13), and the awesomeness of His person to bring fear to the hearts of His enemies (v. 14).
The statement "The Lord is a man of war" (v. 3) may upset people who feel that anything relating to warfare is alien to the gospel and the Christian life. Some denominations have taken the "militant" hymns out of their hymnals, including "Onward Christian Soldiers." But Moses promised the people, "The Lord shall fight for you" (14:14; see Deut. 1:30), and one of God's names is "Jehovah-Sabaoth," which means "Lord of hosts, Lord of armies," a title that's used 285 times in the Old Testament. Martin Luther wrote in his Reformation hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God":
The nation anticipated their march to the Promised Land, knowing that the news of the exodus would travel quickly to the other nations and bring fear to the hearts of their enemies (vv. 14–16a). When the spies entered Jericho, they discovered that the people of the land were indeed paralyzed with fear as Israel arrived on the scene (Josh. 2:8–13, 24; see Num. 22:3; Ps. 114). The heathen nations knew that the true and living God was more powerful than their gods and would give Israel the victory.
Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle.
God's promise is fulfilled (vv. 16b–18). This stanza looks forward to Israel's conquest of Canaan and points out that God purchased Israel and they are His people. The nations in Canaan would be as still and dead as stones as the Jewish army conquered the land and the tribes claimed their inheritance. God brought them out of Egypt that He might bring them into Canaan and plant them in their own land (Ps. 44:2; 80:8, 15; Isa. 5). God would put His sanctuary among His people and dwell with them in glory. "The Lord shall reign forever and ever" (Ex. 15:18) is the climax of the song, emphasizing that God is sovereign and eternal.
If there is in this world an enemy like Satan, and if sin and evil are hateful to God, then He must wage war against them. "The Lord will march out like a mighty man; like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies" (Isa. 42:13 niv). Jesus Christ is both the Lamb who died for our sins and the Lion who judges sin (Rev. 5:5–6), and one day He will ride forth to conquer His enemies (19:11). To emphasize only "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16) and eliminate "God is light" (1 John 1:5) is to rob God of His attributes of righteousness, holiness, and justice.
When you read verse 19 in the Authorized Version, you get the impression that Pharaoh himself accompanied his army and led them into the sea where they all drowned, but the NASB clears up this misunderstanding. It reads, "For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea." Pharaoh was apparently on the scene (14:6), but he certainly wasn't leading the army.
On three special occasions recorded in Scripture, the Jews sing, "The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation" (Ex. 15:2): when God delivered Israel from Egypt, when the Jewish remnant laid the foundation of the second temple (Ps. 118:14),6 and when the Jews are regathered and return to their land to enjoy the blessings of the kingdom (Isa. 12:2).7
Not only did Moses lead the men in the singing of this anthem of praise (15:1), but Miriam10 formed a
Exodus 15
special choir of Jewish women who assisted her as she repeated the first words of the song. Their joyful enthusiasm was expressed as they sang, played their tambourines, and danced before the Lord (see 1 Sam. 18:6; 2 Sam. 1:20). Miriam is called "the prophetess," which explains why later she had the courage to criticize Moses (Num. 12:1–2).11
world. In both instances, God's power is revealed and God's name is glorified. 9 Of course, God is spirit and as such doesn't have a body, so the mentioning of His hand and His nostrils is simply figurative poetic language. Theologians call this "anthropomorphism," the use of human characteristics to describe divine attributes and actions. 10 Why Miriam is called "the sister of Aaron" rather than "Moses and Aaron" is a puzzle. Both Aaron and Miriam were older than Moses and had no doubt been together in Egypt while Moses was in Midian, and therefore were close to each other. Perhaps phrasing it like this was one way Moses had to show that his sister in her leadership was identified with Aaron the priest, perhaps as a director of praise, and not with Moses the prophet. When she and Aaron stepped out of line, God chastened them (Num. 12). This is the only place in Exodus where she is mentioned by name, although we assume it was Miriam who guarded the baby Moses (Ex. 2:1–10). 11 For other biblical prophetesses, see Judges 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Nehemiah 6:14; Isaiah 8:3; Luke 2:36; and Acts 21:9. In his Pentecostal sermon, Peter quoted Joel 2:28–32 and affirmed that the coming of the Spirit would enable their sons and daughters to prophesy (Acts 2:17–18). Not all Bible students agree that the gift of prophecy is still in the church, especially now that we have the completed Word of God. The danger in the church is not false prophets but false teachers (2 Peter 2:1; 1 Tim. 4:1–2).
"And the waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise" (Ps. 106:11–12). However, that isn't the end of the story, for the nation's singing soon turned into complaining as they entered the wilderness and headed toward Mount Sinai. "They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert" (Ps. 106:13–14).
It wasn't easy for them to carry the burden of freedom, and God had to teach them how to live a day at a time.
1 George Morrison, Sunrise: Addresses from a City Pulpit (London: Hodder and Stoughton), 66. 2 A. W. Tozer, That Incredible Christian (Christian Publications: 1964), 44–46. 3 If you consult more than one Bible atlas, you'll discover that Old Testament scholars don't agree on the exact route of the Exodus. For one thing, they aren't sure where some of the cities were located that are mentioned in the text (14:2). A second factor is that the Hebrew yam suph, usually translated "Red Sea" can also be translated "sea of reeds," that is, one of the smaller bodies of water north of Succoth. One of the best discussions is found in The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands by Berry J. Beitzel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 85–93. 4 Starting with Genesis 15:1 and ending with Revelation 1:17, the "fear not" statements of the Bible are a profitable study. 5 In the New Testament, the word "exodus" describes our Lord's passion and work of redemption on the cross (Luke 9:31; "decease" in kjv) as well as the death and homegoing of the believer (2 Peter 1:15). Jesus saw His suffering as a "baptism" (Luke 12:50), when "all the waves and billows" of God's judgment went over Him (Ps. 42:7). 6 Some Bible students believe that Psalm 118 was sung at the laying of the foundation of the second temple, as recorded in Ezra 3:8–13. Compare verse 11 with Psalm 118:1–4, and note how the entire psalm parallels the experiences of the Jewish remnant in the land, especially verses 10–14 and verses 18–23. 7 The emphasis in Isaiah 11—12 is on the future regathering of Israel to their land and the glorious kingdom of Messiah. Isaiah 11:15 even pictures a "second exodus" and a drying up of the sea to allow the Jews to cross. It will be a happy time for Israel, and they will sing to the Lord as they did at the Red Sea. 8 In heaven, the tribulation saints will sing "the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb" (Rev. 15). Israel sang by an earthly sea, but they will sing by the heavenly "sea of glass, mingled with fire." Israel sang after seeing God's judgments poured out on one nation, but the heavenly saints sing before the angels pour out the seven bowls of wrath on the whole
CHAPTER SIX Exodus 15:22—16:36 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE D
o not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." That wise counsel comes from American preacher and Episcopal bishop Phillips Brooks (1835–1893). When he spoke those words to his Boston congregation, perhaps he had the people of Israel in mind, for whenever the going got tough, the Israelites began grumbling and talking about returning to Egypt. It was one thing for the Jews to stand by the Red Sea and joyfully sing praises to the Lord, and quite something else to trust God in their daily wilderness walk. They were no different from God's people today. Life is still a school, and the painful experiences of life teach us some of the most important lessons.
D.The Lord provides for His people—15:22—17:16
Healing —15:22–27
As we trace the activities of the Israelites, we learn some important truths to help us in our own walk of faith.
Expect trials to come (15:22—16:3) "Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle," wrote saintly Andrew Bonar. It's possible to win the battle and yet lose the victory, which is what the Jews did as they left the Red Sea and began to march toward Mount Sinai. They forgot that life is a
Exodus 15—16
cried out to the Lord and then followed God's orders. God can solve our problems by changing things (like making the bitter waters sweet), by giving us something else (like the wells of water at Elim), or by giving us the grace we need to bear with our difficulties and not complain. The third approach is what produces lasting spiritual growth (2 Cor. 12:7–10).
pilgrimage during which we must learn new lessons and fight new battles. One great victory doesn't settle everything; we need challenging new experiences that will help us mature and glorify God. Yes, life is a school, and the Lord knows just when to give us an examination.1
"What shall we drink?" (15:22–27). Uppermost in the minds of the Israelites wasn't how to please God but "What shall we eat?" and "What shall we drink?" According to Jesus, these questions reveal an anxious heart, not a trusting heart (Matt. 6:21, 25–33), and this can lead to all kinds of problems.
To make "the tree" a picture of the cross of Christ is to go beyond what this passage teaches. Certainly God's children find victory in their trials by identifying with Christ in His death (Rom. 6) and resurrection (Rom. 8), but that isn't the lesson of this passage. The emphasis is on trusting God and obeying Him, knowing that the will of God will never lead us where the grace of God can't keep us. When we experience trials, our complaining is evidence of unbelief, but our obedience is evidence of faith.
A single day in the wilderness without water would be tolerable, two days would be difficult, but three days would be impossible, especially for the children and animals. And then to be disappointed by finding bitter water would only make the situation worse. (The word "Marah" means "bitter" and is related to the word "myrrh.") But God was testing His people, not because He didn't know their hearts, but because they didn't know their own hearts. People often say, "Well, I know my own heart," but they forget that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9).
From this difficult experience, the Jews not only learned something about themselves and about life, but they also learned something about their God, that He is "Jehovah Ropha, the Lord who heals" (Ex. 15:26).2 God promised Israel abundant physical blessings if they would obey Him, but physical afflictions if they disobeyed (Deut. 7:12–15; 28). These promises were a part of the old covenant with Israel and aren't repeated in the new covenant for believers today. If it is His will, God is certainly able to heal every disease except the last one, but our attitude must always be, "Not my will but Thy will be done."
The Lord tests us to encourage spiritual growth and bring out the best in us, but the devil tempts us to bring out the worst in us and to encourage spiritual immaturity. The attitude that we take toward our difficulties determines which direction life will go, for what life does to us depends on what life finds in us. If we trust God and obey His Word, we'll pass the test and grow, but if in unbelief we complain and disobey the Lord, we'll fail the test and remain immature (James 1:12–18; Heb. 12:1–11). The people of Israel were experts when it came to murmuring and complaining (Ex. 16:1–12; Num. 14:2, 27–29; 16:41; 17:1–10; Deut. 1:27; Ps. 78:17ff.; 106:14). While God was testing them, they were tempting Him by their attitude and their words. To tempt God means to deliberately adopt a disobedient posture and dare Him to do anything about it. On more than one occasion in their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites invited the judgment of God by their obstinate attitude and their persistent grumbling. Our Heavenly Father is lon-suffering and gracious, but sometimes He has to "spank" His children to teach us how to behave.
If life were nothing but tests, we would be discouraged. If life were all pleasure, we would never learn discipline and develop character. The Lord knows how to balance the experiences of life, for He brought His people to Elim where they found plenty of water and opportunity for rest. Let's be grateful that the Lord gives us enough blessings to encourage us and enough burdens to humble us, and that He knows how much we can take.
"What shall we eat?" (16:1–3). The Wilderness of Sin lay on the eastern shore of the Red Sea and must not be confused with the Wilderness of Zin which lay south of Palestine and east of Edom (Num. 13:21; 33:11–12). The word "Sin" should not be interpreted in its English meaning, as though Israel were traveling through a "sinful" place. The word "Sin" is related to "Sinai" but the meaning is uncertain.
Meat—16:1–13
Complaining doesn't solve problems, and if we try to run away from a difficult situation ("Back to Egypt!"), we'll meet the same problems in the new place and still have to solve them. Of course, the heart of every problem is the problem in the heart, and the hearts of many of the Jews were not right with God. They remembered the food they ate in Egypt but forgot the wonders God had performed (Ps. 106:7), and some of them had begun to worship the gods of Egypt that Jehovah had humiliated and judged (Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:6–9; 23:8). Imagine worshipping idols and then complaining to God about your problems!
The whole congregation complained because they were hungry. They had been away from Egypt only a month and still remembered the "flesh pots" of Egypt and the food they had eaten "to the full." But for some reason, they'd forgotten the bondage, the beatings, and the misery of their forced labor as slaves. They accused Moses and Aaron of deliberately leading them into the wilderness to kill them. They said they wished the Lord had killed them in Egypt when they were full rather than in the desert when they were empty! Little did these Israelites know that they would one day get their request, for the entire older generation would die in the wilderness and never get to the Promised Land.
Moses took the right approach, the way of faith: he
Exodus 16
Trust God to supply the need (16:4–18) God heard their murmurings and in His grace and mercy met their needs. He told them that in the evening, they would have flesh to eat (v. 8), and in the morning He would rain bread from heaven (v. 4). By giving them these special provisions, He was also testing them to see if they would believe and obey.
miracle as they emerged from their tents to find all the nourishment they needed waiting on the dew. The manna was small, like a seed, but it tasted sweet like honey (Ex. 16:31).
God's Son (John 6:22–59). The day after He fed more than 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two small fish, Jesus preached a sermon about "the bread of life" to a crowd in the synagogue in Capernaum. They wanted Him to prove He was the Messiah by duplicating the miracle of the manna (vv. 30–31), but instead, He declared that He was "the true bread" that came down from heaven. The Old Testament manna was a type3 or picture of God's Son who came to give Himself as the Bread of Life for hungry sinners.
God's promise (vv. 4–5, 8, 11–12). In our pilgrim journey through life, we live on promises and not explanations. When we hurt, it's a normal response to ask "Why?" but that is the wrong approach to take. For one thing, when we ask God that question, we're assuming a superior posture and giving the impression that we're in charge and God is accountable to us. God is sovereign and doesn't have to explain anything to us unless He wants to. Asking "Why?" also assumes that if God did explain His plans and purposes to us, we'd understand everything perfectly and feel better.
The Jews in the synagogue were following Jesus mainly because He gave them food for the body, but what they needed even more was food for the soul (Isa. 55:2). Jesus is the Bread of Life, and the only way to be saved is to receive Him into our inner being just as the body receives food. God gave the manna only to Israel, but He sent Jesus for the whole world. The manna only sustained their physical life in the wilderness, but God's Son gives eternal life to the whole world. Just as the Jews had to stoop and pick up the manna, and then eat it, so sinners must humble themselves and receive Jesus Christ within. The Jews ate the manna and eventually died, but whoever receives Jesus Christ will live forever.
As you read the book of Job, you see Job frustrated with God and repeatedly saying, "I'd like to meet God and ask Him a few things!" But when God finally comes to Job, Job is so overwhelmed he doesn't ask God a thing! (See Job 40:1–5.) Can we begin to understand the ways and plans of God when His ways are far above us and His wisdom unsearchable (Isa. 55:8–9; Rom. 11:33–36)? Explanations don't heal broken hearts, but promises do, because promises depend on faith, and faith puts us in contact with the grace of God.
There's a second application to the miracle of the manna: each day, you and I must "feed on Jesus Christ" by reading the Word, meditating on it, and obeying what it says. The Jews in the synagogue thought that Jesus was speaking about literally eating His flesh and blood (John 6:52–56), something that was contrary to Jewish law.4 Jesus made it clear that He was speaking in spiritual language and referring to receiving His Word (vv. 61–63). However, Peter got the message (vv. 67–68), and so must we. God's Word is the heavenly food that nourishes our spiritual life, and we must feed on it daily (Job 23:12; Jer. 15:16; Matt. 4:4; 1 Peter 2:2; Heb. 5:12–14).
God's glory (vv. 6–7, 9–10). The important thing was that Israel focus on the glory of God and not on their own appetites. If they walked by faith, they would glorify the Lord and bring honor to His name. It isn't important that we're comfortable in life, but it is important that God is glorified.
When circumstances are difficult, we're prone to pray, "Lord, how can I get out of this?" when we ought to be praying, "Lord, what can I get out of this?" It isn't important that we get our way, but it is important that God accomplishes His purposes and receives all the glory (Matt. 6:33). God permits trials so that He can build godly character into His children and make us more like Jesus. Godliness isn't the automatic result of reading books and attending meetings; it also involves bearing burdens, fighting battles, and feeling pain.
Obey God's instructions (16:16–31) Since God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), whenever He starts something new, He always gives the instructions necessary to make the venture successful. If we obey His instructions, He will bless, but if we disobey, there will be disappointment and discipline. The principle is still, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40).
Manna—16:14–36
God's faithfulness (vv. 13–15). That evening, the quail flew over the camp of Israel and the people caught them, dressed them, and cooked them. They had asked for fresh meat, and God provided it. The Jews had seen wild fowl before, but what happened the next morning was altogether new, for the manna appeared on the dew on the ground. God prepared a table in the wilderness and shared "the bread of angels" with His people (Ps. 78:17–25).
The gathering of the manna (vv. 18, 21). To begin with, the Jews were instructed to gather their manna daily, but only as much as each person in the family could eat (v. 16). An omer was a Hebrew dry measure equivalent to about two quarts. The manna was especially nutritious because eating it sustained an adult for a day's march in the wilderness. It appears that the members of each family pooled their supply each day and never lacked for sufficient food.5 Since the
The word "manna" comes from the question the Jews asked that first morning: "What is it?" (In Hebrew, man hu.) Manna was to be their food for the next forty years, until the new generation entered the Promised Land and the manna ceased (Ex. 16:35; Josh. 5:11–12). Each morning the Jews participated in a
Exodus 16
manna for the seventh day was an additional miracle. There are always some people who don't really get the message. Some of the Jews went out on the Sabbath, looking for manna, and they found none. They didn't obey Moses' instructions! Remember, the gathering of the manna was a test from God to see if His people would obey the law He was about to give them (Ex. 16:4). If they wouldn't obey a simple thing like gathering manna six days a week, how would they ever obey the statutes and laws that Moses would bring down from Mount Sinai! It was a privilege to eat "the bread of angels," sent from heaven, and it was an insult to the Lord to disobey the instructions He had given.
Jews marched and camped by tribes (Num. 1—2), no doubt each clan and family pooled the manna they'd gathered and saw to it that everybody was adequately fed.
It was important that the Jews got up early to gather the manna, because the hot desert sun would melt it (Ex. 16:21). There was no place in the camp of Israel for the sluggard who stayed in bed while others gathered his food. There's a lesson here for believers today: we must start the day with the Lord, gathering spiritual food from the Word, because if we wait too long to meet God, the day will become cluttered, we'll get distracted, and we'll suffer from spiritual malnutrition. The "early risers" of the Bible include Abraham (Gen. 19:27; 21:14; 22:3), Jacob (28:18), Moses (Ex. 8:20; 9:13; 24:4), Joshua (Josh. 3:1, 6), Samuel (1 Sam. 15:12), Job (Job 1:5), David (Ps. 57:8; 108:2), and our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:35).
Remember the lessons God teaches you (16:32–36) The instructions in verses 33–34 anticipate the giving of the law (or "testimony"; 31:18; 32:15) and the making of the ark of testimony (25:16, 22; 26:33) and the construction of the tabernacle. The information in 16:35 was added years later to complete the account. At that time, Moses wouldn't have known how many years Israel would march in the wilderness.
The keeping of the manna (vv. 19–21). Lazy Israelites might plan to save some manna so they could sleep in the next morning, but Moses warned them not to do so. Some of the Jews did it anyway, and their manna soured, smelled, bred maggots, and had to be thrown away. Not only were these people disobedient to God's instructions, but they were living contrary to God's own practice, for the Lord arranged for the sun to melt the manna that still lay on the ground. It doesn't pay to rebel against what God says in His Word and the example He sets in His creation.
As we shall see later, the ark of the testimony was the throne of God in the camp. It stood in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, where the glory of God dwelt, and within the ark were the two tablets of the law, Aaron's rod, and the golden jar of manna (Heb. 9:4). Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and that only once a year, but the Jewish people knew what was in the ark and taught this truth to their children. Each of these items reminded the nation of an important truth: that He is King and Lawgiver; that He established the priesthood; and that He fed His people because He cared for them.
Again, there's a personal warning here for God's people today: We can't hoard His Word and try to live on yesterday's spiritual nourishment. It's good to hear the Bible preached and taught on the Lord's Day, but we need fresh manna each day if we want to be healthy Christians. There's no substitute for a daily time alone with God, gathering fresh nourishment from His Word.
God gave the law to Israel because He loved His people. They needed a light to guide them, and God's law is a lamp and a light, and obeying the law means life (Prov. 6:23). When the people disobeyed, they needed a priest to help them be forgiven and reconciled to God. They also needed to be reminded that it was God who provided food for them, and that they didn't live by bread alone but by the Word of God (Deut. 8:1–3). Most people are prone to forget the way God has dealt with them, and they have to learn again the lessons they've forgotten. Some keep a journal and review it regularly, while others keep a "spiritual diary" in the margins of their Bible, noting special verses and experiences related to them. A photograph that may mean little to us conveys treasures of spiritual truth to the owner who knows why the photo is on the shelf. However we do it, we need to "nail down" the important lessons of life and permit them to influence us to walk with God and obey Him.
Manna for the Sabbath (vv. 22–31). In verse 23, the Sabbath is mentioned by name for the first time in Scripture. It's called "the seventh day" in Genesis 2:1–3 and commemorated the Lord's rest after six days of creation. It seems obvious that the Jews were taught to observe the Sabbath even before God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
While many sincere people call Sunday the Sabbath, this isn't biblical, for the Sabbath is the seventh day and Sunday is the first day of the week. The Sabbath was a day given especially by the Lord to the Jewish people as a reminder of His covenant with them (Ex. 20:8–11; 31:12–17; Neh. 9:13–15). The word "sabbath" in Hebrew means "to cease working, to rest" and is related to the Hebrew word for "seven."