SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 08

DARKNESS

A DARK PLAGUE FROM THE EAST WIND

From Exodus 10

[Return to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials,] Adonai told Moses. [I am doing this so that I may perform more miracles to show My Power. You will have much to tell your children and grandchildren about the wonders I have done in Egypt, how I made the Egyptians look foolish as I proved to them that I am Adonai.] When Moses and Aaron returned to Pharaoh, they took Adonai’s message to him. [How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?] Adonai asked Pharaoh. [Let My people go so they can serve Me. If you refuse, tomorrow I will cover the whole land with locusts. They will be so thick that you will not be able to see the ground, and they will eat everything which the hail did not destroy. The locusts will strip every part of the land and swarm into your houses, even the houses of your officials. This will be the worst plague of locusts which you or your ancestors have known.] As soon as Moses had finished, he walked away. But Pharaoh’s officers said to Pharaoh, [How long will you permit our land to be destroyed? Let those people go to serve their YHVH. Don’t you realize that Egypt is already in ruins?] Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron again. [Go,] he commanded. [Serve your YHVH. But who will go?] [We shall take our sons and daughters and our flocks and herds,] Moses answered. [Everyone must go, for this is a sacred feast to Adonai.] [Absolutely not!] Pharaoh shouted. [Do you think I’m going to let your families go with you? You men can go alone! You’re plotting something against us.] When Pharaoh had spoken, he ordered his men to drive Moses and Aaron from the palace. Adonai Commanded Moses to stretch out his hand toward the land of Egypt. [When you do, the locusts will come to devour the land,] Adonai said. [They will destroy all that the hail left behind.] Moses, holding the rod, stretched his hand across the land of Egypt. Adonai caused a wind to blow from the east. All day and night the east wind carried locusts until the land was covered with them. There had never been such a plague of locusts before, and there never will be again. The locusts swarmed over the land in such great numbers that they covered the ground and filled the skies until the skies grew dark. They devoured every green plant left by the hail and even stripped the trees of their leaves. Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron. [I have sinned against you and Adonai,] he confessed. [Forgive me this time and plead with your YHVH to take away this deadly plague from the land.] Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with Adonai to take away the locusts. Adonai sent a great wind from the west and blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in Egypt. Then Adonai again hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Once more Pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel go. [Stretch out your hand toward heaven,] Adonai told Moses. [I will send darkness upon the land so terrible that the people must feel their way.] Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven and a terrible darkness came upon the land of Egypt for three days. During those days the people of Egypt could not see one another or move about the land. But the people of Israel had light in the land of Goshen. Pharaoh summoned Moses. [You may go to worship your YHVH,] he said. [You may even take your families. But leave your flocks and herds behind.] [We must take our cattle, too,] Moses answered. [From our herds and flocks, we shall offer sacrifices to our YHVH. No, not one hoof will remain behind.] But Adonai hardened Pharaoh’s heart. [Go away!] said Pharaoh. [Don’t ever come to see me again, for if you do, you shall die!] [By your own mouth you have condemned yourself, for I will never see you again,] said Moses.

COMMENTARY

NIGHT AND DAY: SOME GODS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

The Egyptians worshiped many gods. Each of the plagues had demonstrated YHVH’s Power over one of their deities. Now the chief god, Ra, the sun itself, was challenged. For three days a darkness that could be felt hung over the land of Egypt. Ra had been conquered. No wonder utter terror struck the Egyptians! But still Pharaoh would not let YHVH’s people go. The three days of darkness that fell on the Egyptians terrified them, causing them to fear something much greater than night-time darkness itself. Their religion explains why. Instead of believing in the one Elohiym who Creates and Rules everything at all times in the universe, they believed in many gods. Each was responsible for different things and often each had several different names. Because there can be no life without the sun, the sun-god was thought of as king of all gods. His most important name was Ra, but he was given other names for the sunlight at different times of day. At his fullest strength, he was called Amon-Ra. The Egyptians believed that Amon-Ra travelled through the underworld each night. Riding in a boat, he had to fight the enemies of light. His most dangerous enemy was the god Apophis, who was represented by a giant snake or crocodile. Before he could rise in the morning, Amon-Ra had to fight darkness, storms, mist and night. His weapon was the burning heat of the sun. Amon-Ra always won, but the dried-up Apophis had the power to renew himself each day to fight Amon-Ra each night. The Egyptians believed that if Amon-Ra ever lost this battle sunlight would never appear on the earth again. When the sun disappeared for three days during the Exodus, the Egyptians thought Apophis had won and the end of the world had come. No wonder then that this plague was so frightening!

Thought for Today: Monday December 26:

May Elohiym establish you in His Highest and best Purpose for you. May He point out your time-wasters and life-drainers and may you walk away from them. May His Passion become your Passion so that your life reflects His abundant life plan for you. And may you be restored, healed and blessed during this day.

Tonight (at sunset- 12/25/22) begins the 10th biblical month. Happy new month Triumph In Truth family!

That man may at length find favor with heaven and his present struggles issue in the recovery and establishment of his moral and political rights will be the prayer of my latest breath. -VP Thomas Jefferson, 1799

Joseph was betrayed and sold to foreigners by his brothers. In Egypt, he metaphorically died and rose again when he was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and then brought back out again and glorified by Pharaoh. He sat at the right hand of the king and judged his brothers when they came to Egypt for food. When he saw that Judah was willing to lay down his life for his own brothers, he revealed himself and glorified them too. The prophetic implication is that the Messiah promised by Moses would be betrayed by his own people, killed by foreigners, but rise from the dead to judge and grant eternal life to those who are willing to lay down their own lives and submit themselves to his mercy and judgment.
#yeshua #jesus

First Fruits Ministries Presents "Fruits of the Spirit: Kindness," the fifth part of a multi-part Bible-study series about the fruit of the spirit. Join us at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 27th, in person at the Quill at 131 Amory St. in Manchester, NH, or on zoom via https://bit.ly/3bBx3cm (Password to join: "Yeshua" ).

The series is produced as part of the Bible-study ministry of First Fruits Ministries, an affiliate of Corner Fringe Ministries. Bible studies take place on the last Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. EST. Guests are invited to join us on zoom or in person at 131 Amory St. in Manchester. The ministry meets each Saturday at noon. Contact andrew@firstfruits.cc for more information.

All parts of the Fruits of the Spirit series will be available at: https://odysee.com/@FirstFruit....sMinistries:b/Fruits

First Fruits Ministries Presents "Fruits of the Spirit: Kindness," the fifth part of a multi-part Bible-study series about the fruit of the spirit. Join us at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 27th, in person at the Quill at 131 Amory St. in Manchester, NH, or on zoom via https://bit.ly/3bBx3cm (Password to join: "Yeshua").

The series is produced as part of the Bible-study ministry of First Fruits Ministries, an affiliate of Corner Fringe Ministries. Bible studies take place on the last Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. EST. Guests are invited to join us on zoom or in person at 131 Amory St. in Manchester. The ministry meets each Saturday at noon. Contact andrew@firstfruits.cc for more information.

All parts of the Fruits of the Spirit series will be available at: https://odysee.com/@FirstFruit....sMinistries:b/Fruits

SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 07

KILLING PLAGUES

THE STORM THAT CHANGED THE LAND

From Exodus 9

[Go back to Pharaoh with another message,] Adonai told Moses. [Tell him that I demand that he let My people go so they may serve Me. If he doesn’t, I will punish him by sending a terrible plague upon his cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, herds and flocks. But the plague will not harm the flocks and herds of Israel, only those of the Egyptians. Tell Pharaoh that I will send this plague tomorrow.] The following day the Egyptian cattle began to die, but the cattle of Israel did not. Pharaoh sent messengers to Goshen and found that Adonai had not sent the plague upon the cattle of Israel. But he stubbornly refused to let the people of Israel go. [Take ashes from the kiln,] Adonai told Moses. [While Pharaoh watches, toss them toward the sky. The ashes will spread over all the land as fine dust, causing boils on people and animals throughout Egypt.] While Pharaoh watched, Moses took ashes from the kiln and tossed them toward the sky. Before long boils appeared on people and animals throughout the land. Even the magicians of Pharaoh had boils, so they could not stay there to try this miracle with their magic. But Adonai permitted Pharaoh to become hardhearted, as before, so he refused to believe in the miracle, as Adonai said he would. [Go back to Pharaoh early tomorrow morning,] Adonai told Moses. [Tell him I demand that My people go to worship Me. If he does not let them, I will send plagues that will speak to his heart, to his servants and people. Then he will know that there is no one like Me on earth. Tell Pharaoh that I could have destroyed him and his people with My hand, but I have spared them to show them My power and to honour My Name throughout the earth. Tell Pharaoh that he is not the great man that he thinks he is. I will send a hailstorm tomorrow over Egypt, the greatest the land has known since it was founded. All people and animals left in the field will be killed. But those brought in to safety will live.] So those Egyptians who believed Adonai brought their servants and cattle inside, but those who did not believe left them out. Again, Adonai spoke to Moses. [Lift your hand toward heaven so the hail will fall throughout Egypt, upon men and animals and the plants of the land.] When Moses lifted his hand, Adonai sent thunder and lightning, and the hail rained down upon the earth. The lightning flashed almost constantly as the hail fell. There had never been a more terrifying storm in all of the history of Egypt. The hail destroyed everything that was left out in the open, including the people and animals. The plants were ruined and all the trees were cut down to the ground. But the land of Goshen was safe, for there was no hail where the people of Israel lived. Pharaoh immediately called for Moses and Aaron. [I have sinned,] he confessed. [YHVH is right and I and my people are wrong. Plead with YHVH to stop this terrible thunder and hail and I will let you and your people go immediately.] [When I am out of the city, I will lift up my hands to Adonai,] said Moses. [The thunder and hail will stop and you will recognize that Adonai controls the earth. But I know that you and your servants will still not obey Adonai.] This great storm had come when the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom. So, these crops were completely ruined. But the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, for they had not come up yet. When Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city, he raised his hands to Adonai. The thunder and hail stopped and the rain ceased to fall. But when Pharaoh was assured that the storm had ceased, he and his servants hardened their hearts and refused to let the people of Israel go; just as Adonai had said through Moses.

COMMENTARY

CATTLE AND COWBOYS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

YHVH brought increasingly severe disasters on Egypt. Stunning hail destroyed crops and animals. Egypt was nearly ruined. Pharaoh was forced to admit his sin and beg for relief. Yet again and again he changed his mind and refused to release the Israelite slaves. Israel once had feared the power of their Egyptian masters. Now the masters were beginning to fear the power of Israel’s YHVH. Here is a surprise for those who think that cowboys originated in the Wild West. Cowboys are as old as cattle-raising, which is as old as ancient Egypt itself. Cattle-raising and cowboys were a vital part of the land of the pharaohs long before Moses led the people of Israel from Egypt. The cattlemen of Egypt were not actually called cowboys, but that’s the kind of work they did. Since Egypt had cattle, used primarily for milking and for meat, it needed men to capture, tame, herd, feed and milk these animals. In those days, thousands of years before the motorized tractor and plough, cattle did the heavy work on the farm. They pulled loaded carts and dragged ploughs, prodded by a sharp ox goad. The Egyptians slaughtered some cattle, but usually for special sacrifices and meals. They did not normally eat much meat and still do not today. The cattle to be slaughtered lived in high style. They did no work. For one thing, that would have toughened them. For another, they were fattened by adding grain; wheat or barley; to their usual diet of fodder {coarsely ground stalks}. The [cowboys] were called in when it was time to slaughter the animals. After roping a wildly thrashing beast, they jumped on its back and twisted its horns, while someone else twisted its tail. Finally, it fell on its side, and its legs were tied together. The entire action must have looked something like an ancient Egyptian rodeo. The animal’s throat was slit while it was on the ground. Then the butcher took over. Either out in the open or in a slaughterhouse, he cut the animal into large chunks of meat. The Egyptians didn’t know about special cuts like rib roast or sirloin. The chunks of meat were hung on pegs or lines to dry. People came to look and buy. Birds by the dozens, thousands of flies and other insects came as well, to get their share of the meat hanging in the hot sun. Because meat was considered a special delicacy, cattle were sometimes used as sacrifices to the gods. There was even a bull-god named Apis (AY-pis). Only certain specially marked animals were used for the sacrifice. They were killed by drowning, not with a knife. After the ceremony of sacrifice, the animal was cooked and eaten. Its skin and some of its bones were kept, and the animal was made into a mummy before it was buried. The burial service was as complicated and colourful as the one used for people. The skins of other slaughtered or dead animals were used for many different purposes. The ancient Egyptians knew how to produce good leather, both sturdy and fine. It was used to make sandals, belts, harnesses, quivers to hold arrows, parts for chariots, seats and tires, and storage bags. They even sometimes made driving gloves for the charioteers. Since cattle were so important to Egyptian life, the plagues that afflicted them during the time of the Exodus were particularly distressing. They couldn’t drink from the polluted Nile. They were physically weakened by lice and flies, sickened by cattle pestilence, hurt by boils and hail. During the time of darkness, they could not be fed for three days. Finally, the oldest offspring of every cow, sheep and she-goat was killed in the death of all the firstborn in the land. Pharaoh had to learn a hard lesson before he would admit that it was time to let the Israelite people go.