SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 01
DELIVERANCE
AMONG THE BULRUSHES
From Exodus 1:1 – 2:10
Many years had passed since Jacob had come to live with his son Joseph in Egypt, leaving his home in the Promised Land. His other eleven sons had come with him; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher; along with their families. There were seventy in the entire clan who had migrated to Egypt. As time passed, Joseph and his brothers died, bringing that generation to an end. But because their children and grandchildren and following generations all had large families, with the passing of years the land of Goshen was filled with the descendants of Israel, another name for Jacob. The passing of years also brought new kings to Egypt. At last, there came a king who did not care that Joseph had saved Egypt from starvation. He felt that he owed nothing to Joseph’s descendants. [There are too many people of Israel,] the king complained. [They are building too much power as they multiply. If war comes, they may side with our enemies and escape from the land. We must find a way to decrease their number.] The king’s plan was to make slaves of the people of Israel and he did so, setting taskmasters over them and forcing them to build the store-cities Pithom and Ramses for him. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the people of Israel multiplied. And the more they multiplied, the more the Egyptians became alarmed. The Egyptians, therefore, oppressed them even more, making life bitter for the people of Israel, forcing them to work hard for long hours cultivating fields and making bricks with mortar. Moreover, the king, who was also called Pharaoh in Egypt, gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: [When a Hebrew baby boy is born, you must kill him,] he said. [But you may let the baby girls live.] The midwives feared YHVH, so they refused to obey the king’s order to kill the baby boys. Before long, the king discovered their disobedience and called the midwives before him. [Why have you disobeyed my orders?] he demanded. [Why are you letting the baby boys live?] [The Hebrew women have their babies much faster than the Egyptian women,” the midwives told Pharaoh. “By the time we arrive, the baby is already born.] Adonai blessed the midwives and gave them families of their own. He also continued to bless the Hebrews with children and they continued to multiply and grow strong. Then Pharaoh gave orders to his own people, the Egyptians, to destroy the Hebrew boys. [Throw every new Hebrew baby boy into the Nile River!] he ordered. [But let the baby girls live. About this time a man and woman of the tribe of Levi were married. Pharaoh's orders to destroy the Hebrew baby boys came when this couple had their third child; a son. Jochebed, the mother, tried to hide the child at home for three months, but she realized at last that she could hide him there no longer. One day Jochebed made a basket of papyrus reeds or bulrushes, covered it with tar to keep out the water and placed her baby in it. Then she hid it among the bulrushes along the Nile River. The baby’s older sister Miriam stayed nearby to watch the basket. While she was there, a daughter of Pharaoh came to the Nile River to bathe. As the princess walked with her maids along the river, she saw the basket and sent a maid to get it. When she opened the basket, she found a baby crying and felt compassion for him. [He must be a Hebrew baby,] she said. Immediately Miriam ran to the princess. [Shall I find a Hebrew woman to be the baby’s nurse?] she asked. [Yes, go find one,] the princess ordered. Miriam ran home quickly to tell her mother what had happened. When Jochebed returned, the princess made arrangements with her for the child. [Take the child to your home and be his nurse,] said the princess. [I will pay you.] So Jochebed took the child home and nursed him and he grew to be a strong boy. In time, Jochebed took him to live with the princess, who raised him as her son. The princess named the child Moses, which meant [To Draw Out,] for as she said, [I have drawn him out of the water.
COMMENTARY
MAKING BRICKS IN PHARAOH'S EGYPT
Hundreds of years passed since the days of Joseph. The Israelites multiplied in Egypt: they filled the land. Fear moved the Egyptians to enslave these now unwelcome guests. Finally, YHVH acted in a quiet, unusual way. A boy was born to a slave family. He was hidden in a floating basket in the rushes that grew along the Nile. There the baby was discovered by a princess, and named Moses. With Moses, the story of YHVH’s deliverance of His people begins. Most of what is known today about brick making in Moses’ time comes from two sources. One is the Bible. In Exodus 5:7-8, it is mentioned as the primary task of the Hebrew slaves. The second source is a wall painting in an ancient tomb. It was built about the time of the Exodus. About 1450 B.C., a high-ranking official of Upper Egypt died; the Vizier Rehkmire, or Rehk-mi-re. Since he had been a wealthy and important person, he was buried in a richly decorated tomb. The walls were painted with scenes of daily life as it was lived during his time. One of the wall scenes showed brick makers at work. Although the drawing looks strange by today’s standards, the steps involved in making bricks are clearly seen. The drawing follows the sequence from collecting raw materials to laying the finished brick. The workmen all wear very simple clothes. Their Egyptian taskmasters are almost as simply dressed, but they wear a headdress of some kind that looks like a turban. They also carry a stick, which was probably used to discipline the workers. The slaves in the painting have not been identified, but they may well be the Hebrew slaves mentioned in the Book of Exodus.
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...My judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
John 8:16
Yeshua's words to the Pharisees echo Joseph's words to his brothers in Genesis 44:15 "Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?" Your response to Yeshua's life and teachings will reveal your character. Repent and submit, and you'll be saved. Get offended and make excuses, and you will be cast aside.
TONIGHT… 8 PM Eastern… Scripture reading and prayer time for women only. Very informal. On Zoom.
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#goodmorning and #happythursday! December 22 #biblestudy links to readings and study resources:
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Today’s Old Testament chronological reading is in Ezra 7 and 8.
The Psalms/ Proverbs reading is in Proverbs 22.
The New Testament reading is in Revelation 16.
Links to previous studies.
Ezra 7 and 8, Hebrew paragraph divisions, historic timeline, and the prophetic nature of the history of the Persians and the Jews
https://alittleperspective.com/ezra-7-and-8/
Proverbs 22, Hebrew paragraph divisions, chiastic structure, and explanation
https://alittleperspective.com/proverbs-22/
Revelation 16, Seven bowls of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-seven
Revelation 16, The first bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-f
Revelation 16, The second bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-s
Revelation 16, The third bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-t
Revelation 16, The fourth bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-f
Revelation 16, The fifth bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-f
Revelation 16, The sixth bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-s
Revelation 16, The third interval period
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-t
Revelation 16, The seventh bowl of wrath
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-the-s
Revelation 16, Third interval and seventh bowl
https://alittleperspective.com..../revelation-16-third
Revelation 16, Chiastic structure
https://alittleperspective.com/revelation-16-2016/
Chiastic structure of the seven bowls of wrath series
https://alittleperspective.com..../chiastic-structure-
December 2022 Bible Reading Schedule
https://alittleperspective.com..../december-2022-bible
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SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
Beloved, I have empowered you to do all that I have set before you. Do not be afraid to depart from your comfort zone, and get ready for a spiritual growth spurt as you set your heart to yield to the moving of My Spirit. Your consecration and dedication have conditioned you to be wholly devoted to Me. You will be rewarded. Psalm 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
SERIES B --- A CHOSEN PEOPLE --- LESSON 25
JOSEPH’S DEATH
THE GREAT PROCESSION TO CANAAN
From Genesis 50
With his sons gathered at his bedside, Jacob breathed his last and died. Overcome with grief, Joseph fell
across his father’s face and wept, kissing the old man’s lifeless body. Then Joseph commanded his attendants to embalm Jacob’s body, which required forty days. When the time of mourning was over, a period of seventy days, Joseph made a request to Pharaoh through the king’s household. [Please tell Pharaoh that my father made me swear that I would bury him in the tomb which he had prepared in Canaan. Ask Pharaoh’s permission for me to go there to bury my father. Tell him that I will come back.] [Go and bury your father as you promised,] Pharaoh said. The procession to Canaan included many high-ranking Egyptians; Pharaoh’s officials, leaders of his household and rulers of the land of Egypt. A great number from Joseph’s household, as well as from Jacob’s family, went there with Joseph. The people of Israel left their children and flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. The procession that went with Joseph included chariots and horsemen and a great throng of people. When this procession reached the threshing floor of Atad, beyond the Jordan River, they stopped to mourn for seven days, led by Joseph. The Canaanites who lived nearby renamed the place Abel-mizraim, [The Mourning of Egypt,] because of the great lamentation there. Thus, the sons of Jacob fulfilled his wish to be buried in Canaan, taking his body to the Cave of Machpelah, east of Mamre. Abraham had bought this cave, along with a field, from Ephron the Hittite, to use as a family tomb. When he had completed the burial of his father, Joseph led the great procession back to Egypt. But Joseph’s brothers were concerned now that their father was dead. [Joseph will surely seek revenge and repay the evil that we brought upon him,] they said. So, Joseph’s brothers sent word to him. [Before he died, your father left word for you to forgive the sin of your brothers, servants of your father’s YHVH. We also beg you to forgive us the evil that we did.] When Joseph received this word, he began to cry. Joseph’s brothers came to him and knelt down before him, begging for his forgiveness. [We are your servants,] they said. [You must not be afraid, for I cannot take YHVH’s place as a judge,] Joseph answered. [You wanted to hurt me but YHVH used your evil for good. He put me here to keep many people alive. No, you must not be afraid, for I will provide for you and your families.] Joseph’s words were a great comfort to his brothers, for they were assured now that he would not harm them. Joseph and his family lived in Egypt for many years. Joseph lived to the age of a hundred and ten and was able to see Ephraim’s grandchildren as well as Manasseh’s grandchildren through Manasseh’s son Machir. One day Joseph told his brothers that he would soon die. [But YHVH will someday take you from this land to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,] he told them. Joseph also made them swear with an oath that they would carry his bones back to Canaan when they went. When Joseph died, they embalmed him and placed him in an Egyptian coffin.
COMMENTARY
AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN FUNERAL
Joseph lived for many years, honoured as one of the greatest men of Egypt. When death came, Joseph’s body was prepared as an Egyptian mummy. But it was not buried in Egypt. Joseph knew that one day YHVH would bring His people back to the land promised to Abraham. When the day came, Joseph’s remains would return with them. He had lived as a ruler in Egypt, but his heart had always been fixed on YHVH and on the Promised Land. With the body now forty to seventy days old and fully mummified, the funeral party marched from the dead person’s house to the tomb. The mummy itself was in a coffin within a coffin, the outer one painted and in the general form of a mummy in a headdress. Placed on a bier sometimes shaped like a boat, this was pulled by men and oxen. A priest led the way, followed by two women who stood for some goddesses that protected the dead. Next in line came the female mourners, wailing and singing lamentations, which were songs of mourning. Behind them came the male mourners, uttering cries, beating their chests and sometimes gashing themselves with knives. After this came a long line of servants and slaves, carrying the things the deceased would need to be comfortable in his life in the next world. They carried chests, boxes and bags filled with food, oil, perfume, jewellery, toys, tools, favourite objects, even furniture. They also carried small figures, called [ushebtis,] that were supposed to come alive, grow to full size, and perform any work the dead person might be asked to do in the next world. At the tomb door, the mummy in its coffin was set upright against a mound. Priests recited passages from The Book of the Dead, a kind of ancient Egyptian guidebook containing prayers and spells to insure a safe journey to the next world. A papyrus scroll, containing other texts, or a stone scroll to represent it, was placed in the tomb. The most important part of the funeral was the ceremony of the Opening of the Mouth. The priest, using a special adze, a long-handled tool, touched the jaw, mouth, eyes and ears so the deceased could speak, eat, see and hear in the next world. Animals were sacrificed, and gifts were presented to the mummy to make sure this happened. The funeral party then went to a great feast, complete with entertainers, where they sang songs of praise to the dead person and enjoyed themselves in his honour.
Thought for Today: Thursday December 22:
In these days of war, famine, crime, high cost of living and uncertainty, may YHVH give you a faith that cannot be shaken. While everything is in chaos, may you have a divine clarity to see Elohiym’s Highest Will and Divine movement all around you. May you know peace that passes understanding and pass it on to others. Stand strong in your faith in Adonai Yeshua today! You possess all in Him. Go through this day without fear and be blessed!
Shalom dear fellow Shofar Blowers and Listeners!
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