A Victory Feast

June 21, 2009

Lesson: Exodus 5:1–9, 22—6:5

Key Verse: Exodus 5:1

Introduction

Deliverance of Israel and deliverance from sin and its consequences results, not from man’s desire, but from God’s Covenant: “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Gen.17:7-8). God grants by grace alone that he will establish an eternal nation, a people who would rejoice ceaselessly as his redeemed household. Matthew Henry comments lifts our souls to rejoice in the Lord’s promise: “All the privileges of the covenant, all its joys and all its hopes, are summed up in this. A man needs desire no more than this to make him happy. What God is himself, that he will be to his people: his wisdom theirs, to guide and counsel them; his power theirs, to protect and support them; his goodness theirs, to supply and comfort them. What faithful worshippers can expect from the God they serve believers shall find in God as theirs.”

A victory feast has been given to his people as illustrated in these words of Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness” (Ex. 5:1). This is the power of the covenant that his people may know their Deliverer: “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Ex. 6:7). The Covenant in the Promise of Grace, that God would secure God will adopt Israel as his people, that he will be their God (Jehovah: salvation is of the Lord), the only Savior who alone is able to save by his own Word of Might, and that his people will be able to comprehend, understand, that he is the Lord, the Absolute Being who is able to save: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

Christ confirms the Covenant when he speaks to his beloved apostle, telling him that the Covenant is accomplished, saying, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev. 21:6-7). The deliverance of God’s people from the bondage of Egypt to the Light of Jehovah’s promises, should lead us to songs of thanksgiving for the covenant made sure in our lives, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:12-13).

The God of Israel –Exodus 5:1-3

Moses and Aaron went before the Pharaoh and told him, “Thus saith the Lord of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” The authority of any servant of the Lord is the Lord God of Israel. The same Lord that sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh is the Lord who sends his servants to make disciples of nations today. The church today seeks ways to gather in as many ‘members’ as possible, or to hold on to what members they have, especially targeting the young people. Thus they establish two services, one traditional and one contemporary. However, one should be warned, contemporary may breed contempt.

The Lord would deliver his people from the heavy hand of the Pharaoh, that his people may be free to worship him, and praise him with a “feast” (the solemn worship of the Almighty God). John Calvin speaks of the counsel of the Lord, which he does not reveal to the tyrant, but the deliverance of the Lord’s people, “for it was really His pleasure that a sacrifice of thanksgiving should be offered to Himself on Mount Sinai, and that they should be thus separated from the polluted nation with which they were mixed up; and, assuredly, He wished to arouse the tyrant’s wrath, by ignominiously condemning the whole of Egypt, as not capable of pure worship. For He was obliged by no law to declare openly their deliverance; but that He might draw forth from the mind of the tyrant the venom of his impiety, He asked for nothing connected with the advantage of His people, but merely demanded the worship which was due to Himself.”

When our Savior delivers us from sin and guilt through his shed blood, satisfying the justice of God on our behalf, he draws us out of the world into the wilderness of God, that we might worship him with much thanksgiving and praise. For we are to worship before the mighty voice of the Lord as he declares himself to be our Creator and Savior: “Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord the glory and strength. Give unto the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth” (Ps. 29:1-3).

Pharaoh’s response is one of arrogance claiming ignorance that there is someone greater than himself (which is still the reply of the enemy today): “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” Listen to those who claim the right of abortion or the right of marriage to other than a man and women, and you will hear the claim that they no such Lord who has a moral law, and will do anything to slave the Christian of the truth. Moses and Aaron’s response comes from the Lord not man, “The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.” The “God of the Hebrews”—the God who made and keeps his covenant—must be obey and worshiped. To burden the Christian with immoral laws is but the enemy’s desire to keep us from obeying and worshiping the true God of Holy Scriptures.

Discussion: What does it mean to have the Covenant God as our Lord and Savior?

Pharaoh’s Command –Exodus 5:4-9

Pharaoh, as well as the wicked in high places, are emboldened by their own voice, say unto the Lord’s servants, “Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? Get you unto your burdens … Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.” And so Pharaoh issues this command to his taskmasters and officers, “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves. And take of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.” They would have Christians silenced today by burdening them with burdens, hoping that their mouths would not have time to say, “let us obey and worship the Lord who demands righteousness, truth and justice.

To emphasize his desire to keep the Lord’s people under his rule, he continues his command, “Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words.” Matthew Henry remarked that “God’s words are here called vain words; and those that called them to the best and most needful business are accused of making them idle. Note, The malice of Satan has often represented the service and worship of God as fit employment for those only that have nothing else to do, and the business only of the idle; whereas indeed it is the indispensable duty of those that are most busy in the world.” The Lord speaks clearly to those whom he calls “mine elect,” that they will surely “enjoy the work of their hands;” for “They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring, I will hear” (Isa. 65:22-23). The Lord will bless us in our faithful obedience and worship, bringing strength and joy to our generation, and generations to come.

Discussion: What was the purpose of Pharaoh’s command, and that of our Lord’s command?

The Lord’s Covenant –Exodus 5:22-6:5

The people of Israel were scattered by Pharaoh to “gather stubble rather than straw.” Pharaoh vents his anger at God’s people as he denied their Lord. He would neither let the people go or allow them the time for worship. The leaders of the people moan before Pharaoh to no affect. Pharaoh again ridicules their worship and tells them get to work and not be idle. The leaders of Israel confront Moses and Aaron saying that they were at fault for their plight, for they had made them as an unwelcome stink “abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh.” Now the Egyptians desired to slay them with the sword.

Moses turns to the Lord, saying, “Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” Moses asks God a question which we so often ask, why does it seem that the results of faith in God’s word often end up as a presumably contradiction of his will? It is not wrong to ask God for assurance that his will is being done, and confirmation of our faith in him. Moses’ complaint proceeds “from faith which flies to God when it cannot understand the dealings of God, to point out to Him how incomprehensible are His ways, to appeal to Him to help in time of need” (Keil & Delitzsch).

The Lord replies to Moses, saying that he would see what he would do to Pharaoh, “for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.” Not only will God keep his promise by his very own power, but Pharaoh will be the tool in his hand that will deliver his people from Egypt. The omnipotent, all powerful God will show his grace to his people, and his judgment against Pharaoh.

Moses is then reminded that the One speaking to him is the Lord. The One who has revealed himself to Moses is the same Covenant God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, there is a change, with the patriarchs God had revealed himself as El Shaddai, the Almighty God. Now he reveals himself as Jehovah (the Lord is salvation), the Absolute Being in whom all things find their existence. It is in this name or character of the person of God that God hears the groanings of his people, “and I have remembered my covenant.”

Discussion: How does God keep his promise to deliver Israel?

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