The Deliverer Of Israel
Shalom dear friends and readers! I hope you have all had a wonderful Sabbath and Lord’s Day!
This week we start one of my FAVORITE books in the entire Bible: the Book of Exodus!
In this post we will focus on Exodus 1:22 - 2:10, but I highly encourage you to read the passage in it's entirety, to see what the Spirit will you in regards to the life, ministry, and doctrine of Christ.
And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. The Birth of Moses
Exo 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
Exo 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
Exo 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
Exo 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
Exo 2:5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
Exo 2:6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
Exo 2:7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
Exo 2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
Exo 2:9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
Exo 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
Exodus 1:22 - 2:10 KJV
I want to focus on the simi.arities between Jeusus and Moses in regards to their birth and the onslaught of infanticide by the foreign kings:For as Deuteronomy 18:
Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Deuteronomy 18:18-19 KJV
This seems like basic stuff but both Jewws and Christians seems to miss the importance of this prophecy. But notice v. 19, it says whosoever will not hearken to my words which he shall speak in my name. I shall require it of him. This should strike fear into each amd every one of us not listening to the words of Christ and submitting to his authority.
The Jews of course reject Christ because they do not believe that he is the Prophet spoken of here but we shall test that today.
Let’s go to The Gospel of Matthew:
Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Mat 2:17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
Mat 2:18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Matthew 2:13-18 KJV
Now this is where it get super fun! Let’s make a chart comparing the infancy of Christ to Moses:
This is by no means an exhaustive list but it does establish three witnesses that Jesus is the Prophet likened unto Moses.
Now let’s examine the project mentioned in Matthew 2 which comes from Jeremiah 31:15
The entire prophecy in Jeremiah 31 is amazing! Te entire chapter is about the reconciliation of Israel (all 12 tribes). We know this from a very famous verse quotes by Paul in Hebrews:
31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:31 KJV
I highly encourage each and every one of you to read this passage and unlock the bountiful blessings written of our Messiah.
Now when you read this you’ll notice Tue common theme of bringing Ephraim back. Ephraim was of course a son of Joseph who was a son of Rachel. What’s interesting is Jeremiah is writing this after Jerusalem has been sacked and the exiles are carried off. Jerusalem is in the territory of Benjamin, the other son of Rachel, so the weeping Rachel was doing was in a literal sense for those of her offspring torn from her land, but the spiritual implications go even further when applied to the ruthless murder of those poor precious babes in Bethlehem (the resting place of Rachel - Genesis 35:19). Alfred Edersheim on pages 149-150 of The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah shows excellently this very idea of the spiritual fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:15 as well as Hosea 11:1. I highly recommend this book as well. Edersheim was (and still is in my opinion) the foremost authority in 1st century Jewish life and thought. The insights he has into the life of Jesus are a true treasure.
I’m closing we see the amazing connection between Moses and Jesus and how as Moses delivered Israel and out of Physical Bondage, so Jesus came to set the captives free from a bondage all the more dire. The bondage of sin and death. But only those who place their absolute trust in Christ: his life, death, resurrection, and doctrine can be as the Apostle John says “called sons of God”
I pray that this study has been a blessing to you. It has been a blessing to be able to share with you.
Shalom and Maranatha!