How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 14
How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 14
Exodus
The book of Exodus is an ongoing view of the of trials and tribulations in the historical accounting of God’s chosen people – the Hebrews.
The new boss is not the same as the old boss:
Exodus begins with an immediate connection to Genesis:
…Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation, but the Israelites were prolific and increased greatly; they multiplied and became extremely strong, so that the land was filled with them. Ex. 1:6, 7. AMP
Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph [nor the history of his accomplishments]. He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us [they greatly outnumber us]. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they will not multiply and in the event of war, join our enemies, and fight against us and escape from the land.” Ex. 1:8 – 10. AMP
This new king (Pharaoh) is not the same as the one in Joseph’s lifetime and possesses no knowledge of about how Joseph was the second most powerful man in Egypt, and how he saved it from a ravaging famine.
So, he is hatching overt oppression plans against the Israelites – calling on the Egyptians to demand hard labor from them, making mortar and bricks and building storage cities. What was the outcome?
But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. Ex. 1:12 NLT
Subsequently, Pharaoh turned up his campaign to include infanticide:
Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” Ex. 1:15, 16. NLT
(Dennis Prager, author of the Rational Bible, a treatise on the Torah, says that the Hebrew wording for the phrase ‘Hebrew midwives’ is equivocal, that it can be translated as ‘the Hebrew midwives’ or as ‘midwives of the Hebrews’ – inferring in the latter, that they may not be Hebrew. He also noted that it would be abhorrent for a Hebrew to take another Hebrew life.)
How many did the midwives kill?
But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too. Ex. 1:17 NLT
This brings the Pharaoh’s ire:
“Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?” Ex. 1:18 NLT
The midwives lie to him, saying that the Hebrew women were ‘vigorous’, saying they gave birth so quickly that they could never get there in time.
Pharoah raises the stakes much higher:
Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” Ex. 1:22 NLT
The Shaping of Moses
Now a man of the house of Levi [the priestly tribe] went and took as his wife a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was [especially] beautiful and healthy, she hid him for three months [to protect him from the Egyptians]. When she could no longer hide him, she got him a basket (chest) made of papyrus reeds and covered it with tar and pitch [making it waterproof]. Then she put the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to find out what would happen to him. Ex. 2:1 – 4. AMP
Recall that Pharaoh had issued an edict that all newborn Hebrew males were to be drowned in the Nile River. We will see in this case, the hand of God saving this one.
As Miriam watches her infant brother, Pharaoh’s daughter comes to the river to bathe and sees the basket and has one of her slaves bring it to her. She identifies the male as a Hebrew and takes pity upon the child, knowing firsthand about her father’s edict.
Miriam immediately approaches Pharaoh’s daughter and asks her if she needs a Hebrew wet-nurse to breastfeed the child. Pharaoh’s daughter answers in the affirmative, and Miriam (unbeknownst to the Egyptian) brings in her own mother.
After the child was weaned, Pharaoh’s daughter made the child her own and named him Moses (which is both a Hebrew and Egyptian name). Then, the Bible takes a leap forward in time:
Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. Ex. 2:11, 12. NLT
We don’t know anything about Moses’ education, who told him that he was a Hebrew child, etc. What we do know is that he identified with the Hebrew slave and thought to administer justice. Yet within 24 hours, he would find out that he would not get away with his vigilante behavior.
He came across two Hebrews fighting the next day and sought to break it up by asking why they were fighting. One of them rebukes Moses:
“Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Ex. 2:14 NLT
Whoa! Moses knows the jig is up. Indeed, Pharaoh finds out and tries to have his own grandson killed. But Moses flees to the land of Midian (modern-day Arabia), where he rescued seven daughters from harassment by shepherds trying to prevent the girls from drawing water out of a well for their father’s flock.
Out of gratitude, the father (Reuel or Jethro), gives Moses one of his daughters (Zipporah) in marriage.
Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. Ex. 2:23 – 25. NLT
Moses first encounter with God – up close and personal:
Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro (Reuel) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb (Sinai), the mountain of God. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing flame of fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was on fire, yet it was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn away [from the flock] and see this great sight—why the bush is not burned up.” Ex. 3:1 – 3. AMP
When God sees Moses take notice, He calls out to Him from the bush:
“Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet [out of respect], because the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Ex. 3:4 – 6. AMP
God is showing Moses that He is the God of Israel, the Author of the Abrahamic covenant. He tells him that He is aware of the Israelites’ plight in Egypt, and in the keeping of His promise to the Patriarchs, He is going to deliver His children from bondage. In what way specifically?
Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and then bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Ex. 3:10 AMP
Moses is taken aback and protests, saying he is but an insignificant person with none of the power that it would take to accomplish that. God basically agrees with him:
“Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve and worship God at this mountain.” Ex. 3:12 AMP
Moses objects again, saying he doesn’t even know God’s name. Patiently, He answers:
“I Am Who I Am”; and He said, “You shall say this to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’” Then God also said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Israel), has sent me to you.’ This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial [name] to all generations. Ex. 3:14, 15. AMP
‘I AM’ is a literal translation of the first-person singular Hebrew verb ehyeh. The third-person singular of this verb is transliterated yehweh for ‘He Is.’ This is where we get the word ‘Yahweh’ for God’s name, most often translated in English as LORD. YHWH in Hebrew is called the tetragrammaton, from which also the name ‘Jehovah’ is derived.
He is the same God who spoke to the Patriarchs of old, and of Whom all existence is dependent upon. He is pure, all-knowing, all-seeing, and lies outside of time, dependent only upon Himself.
Now, Jehovah gives Moses a little tease of His plan:
The elders [of the tribes] will listen and pay attention to what you say; and you, with the elders of Israel, shall go to the king of Egypt and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; so now, please, [we ask and plead with you,] let us go on a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ Ex. 3:18 AMP
But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless [he is forced] by a strong hand. So I will reach out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. And I will grant this people favor and respect in the sight of the Egyptians; therefore, it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall [insistently] ask her neighbor and any woman who lives in her house, for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and daughters. In this way you are to plunder the Egyptians [leaving bondage with great possessions that are rightfully yours].” Ex. 3:19 – 22. AMP
Moses objects again! This time he whines about what to do if the Israelites refuse to believe that he represents God. I love how He works. He asks Moses what it was that he was holding in his hand. Moses replied that it was a staff. Jehovah tells him to throw it on the ground and it becomes a living serpent.
He then tells Moses to grab it by the tail, (in and of itself dangerous, because you are supposed to grab them by the neck so as not to get bit; God is building his trust), and it turns back into a staff. Then he tells Moses to put his hand on his chest inside his robe, and when he pulls it out it looks like leprosy. God asks him to repeat the gesture, and his hand is restored.
Moses has some chutzpah! He objects again:
“Please, Lord, I am not a man of words (eloquent, fluent), neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and will teach you what you shall say.” Ex. 4:10 – 12. AMP
God is starting to get hot. Yet, fear has gotten the best of Moses. He has run out of excuses and must admit that he is scared to death:
“Please my Lord, send the message [of rescue to Israel] by [someone else,] whomever else You will [choose].” Ex. 4:13 AMP
Then the anger of the Lord was kindled and burned against Moses; He said, “Is there not your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed. You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth; I, even I, will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; he will act as a mouthpiece for you, and you will be as God to him [telling him what I say to you]. You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs [the miracles which prove I sent you].” Ex. 4:14 – 17. AMP
And that’s it. God always has the final say.
Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. Then Moses and Aaron went [into Egypt] and assembled all the elders of the Israelites; and Aaron said all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then Moses performed the signs [given to him by God] before the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the Israelites and that He had looked [with compassion] on their suffering, then they bowed their heads and worshiped [the Lord]. Ex. 4:28 – 31. AMP
Stay tuned for the plagues!
Building Better Americans 131
How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 13
The Trials and Tribulations of Joseph
Joseph was Jacob’s second youngest son. At 17 years of age, he tended the flocks with
his brothers, but he would tell Jacob about any mischief his brothers were up to. They hated him for that.
Joseph was always Jacob’s favorite, even having a special robe made for him. The
brothers hated him for that as well.
Finally, to make matters worse, Joseph shares two of his dreams. In the first one, all his brothers were bowing before him. The second included his parents as well. And, yes, the brothers hated him the most for this.[1]
Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers in the pasture. They see him coming:
When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. Gn. 37:18 NLT
The brothers took away his special robe and tossed him almost naked into a pit, where they were going to leave Joseph to die. Meanwhile, they start eating, and as they are doing so, they see a caravan of Ishmaelites coming. Judah speaks up and says that they should sell Joseph to the caravan instead of having blood on their hands.
Yet what happened is that Midianite traders came first and pulled Joseph out of the pit and then sold him to the Ishmaelites.
The brothers, meanwhile, dipped Joseph’s special robe into some goat’s blood and brought it to Jacob. Just as they had hoped, Jacob assumed that Joseph had died from a wild animal attack.
Ultimately, Joseph was sold into slavery:
…they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard. Gn. 37:36. NLT
But God intervenes for Joseph immediately:
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. Gn. 39:2 – 4. NLT
He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. Gn. 39:4 – 6. NLT
Unfortunately, the wife of Potiphar gets the hots for Joseph and demands that he have sex with her. Joseph told her that Potiphar had given him complete control over everything except his wife. And he answers with:
“How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” Gn. 39:9 NLT
She was after him day after day.
One day he came into the house to work, and none of the other household staff was there. He was immediately accosted by Potiphar’s wife, who grabbed him by his cloak, which he left in her hands as he ran outside.
She called all the servants to herself and lied, blaming Joseph for making sexual
advances at her. She repeated her fabrication to Potiphar, and he had Joseph imprisoned.
Even then, God kept watching over Joseph:
But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. Gn. 39:21 – 23. NLT
Time passes and Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker offend Pharaoh, who has them tossed into prison with Joseph. Joseph was to attend to them. They both came to him downcast, because the previous night they each had a dream, but had no one to interpret them. Joseph responds:
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.” Gn. 40:8 NLT
Joseph interpreted the cup bearer’s dream first:
“This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.” Gn. 40:12 – 15. NLT
Now the baker is all excited to get his dream interpreted. Unfortunately, his interpretation was grim:
“This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days. Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.” Gn. 40:18, 19. NLT
Three days pass. It was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he summoned the cupbearer and the baker, and both of their futures played out exactly as Joseph predicted. However, the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph, and two years pass…
Joseph walks like an Egyptian
Pharaoh has two dreams. They trouble him. Looking for their meaning, he calls all his ‘magicians’ and ‘wise men’, but no one can interpret them. It was then that the cup bearer remembered Joseph.
Joseph was released from prison and brought to Pharaoh, who said:
“I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”
“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Gn. 41:15, 16. NLT
Pharaoh describes his two dreams, and God gives Joseph the interpretation:
Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity. The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.
“This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.
“Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.” Gn. 41:25 – 36. NLT
Wisely, Joseph provided the interpretation and offered a solution (with a flimsily veiled inference that he should be put in charge of implementing it). Pharaoh is very impressed with Joseph, and he does that very thing – going so far as to placing him in charge over all of Egypt, answerable to only Pharaoh himself:
So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.” Gn. 41:38 – 40. NLT
Joseph is 30 years old. Pharaoh marries Joseph off to an Egyptian wife, who bears him two sons, Manasseh, and Ephraim.
As Joseph predicted, the next seven years provided abundant yields of grain that he had strategically placed in storage. And then the seven years of famine struck:
The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food. Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.” So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world (the Middle East). Gn. 41:54 – 57. NLT
During this time of famine, word comes to Jacob that there is grain for sale in Egypt. He sends 10 of his sons to purchase grain, leaving his youngest, Benjamin, to stay with him.
When the brothers turn up to buy grain, Joseph immediately recognizes them, but they don’t recognize him in his Egyptian garb, hairstyle, and clean-shaven face. Plus, they haven’t seen him since he was 17, (presently 39). And he was speaking in the Egyptian tongue.
Joseph first accuses them of being spies. They protest:
“Sir,” they said, “there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us.” Gn. 42.13 NLT
So, they did not lie to Joseph. Joseph presses them, however. He’s looking for ways to see if they are changed men, looking for repentance. Joseph says he will test their story by keeping one of them in detention, while letting the other nine return to their father, but they must come back with their youngest brother (Benjamin).
The brothers begin conversing with one another, unaware that this ‘Egyptian’ speaks Hebrew:
Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!” Gn. 42:21, 22. NLT
What did Joseph learn? One, his brothers felt remorse for what they did, and two, Reuben tried to save his life. He left them and broke down in tears.
Joseph then had nine of the brothers’ sacks filled with grain and secretly stashed their purchase money back into the grain sacks. During their return journey to Jacob, they discover the money and worry that they’ve been framed to resemble criminals.
They relate their entire story, including brother Simeon being in detention, and the demand for Benjamin before he will be released. After much protest from Jacob, he finally acquiesces to sending his youngest son.
Judah took responsibility for Benjamin’s welfare, and the ten sons return with double the money they took the first time. When they presented Benjamin to Joseph, he had his Egyptian steward prepare a meal in his house for all the brothers.
Once there, the brothers relayed their surprise to Joseph’s household manager that they had found their money bags were returned to them on their first trip. The manager replies:
“Relax. Don’t be afraid,” the household manager told them. “Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks. I know I received your payment.” Gn. 43:23 NLT
This must have given them pause, coming out of the mouth of an Egyptian.
Joseph greets them and asks them about the health of their father, and they respond that his health is good. Then he notices Benjamin and says:
Then Joseph looked at his brother Benjamin, the son of his own mother. “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Joseph asked. “May God be gracious to you, my son.” Gn. 43:29 NLT
He left the room to cry elsewhere, overcome by seeing his only full-blooded brother.
Joseph returned, and the brothers sat to eat – in designated places that rightfully had them sitting in order from youngest to the oldest. They were beside themselves in wonder. Then he had all the brothers’ food bags filled, their money returned again, and had his silver ‘divination’ goblet secretly packed into Benjamin’s bag.
The brothers had just left the city to return home, when they were suddenly confronted by Joseph’s house steward, who accuses them of the thievery and says the culprit will be enslaved. The unknowing culprit was, of course, Benjamin.
Joseph plays the victim. Judah offers himself as a substitute for Benjamin to live a lifetime of slavery in his stead. Joseph could not take it anymore. His brothers had changed, had repented. He sent all his attendants away.
Then he burst into tears in front to his brothers, now speaking Hebrew:
“I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive? … “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. Gn. 45:3 – 5. NLT
God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.
“Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately! Gn. 45:7 – 9. NLT
All of Joseph’s brothers returned to Jacob and told him everything. The brothers brought their families. In fact, all the people who made up the Hebrews left for Egypt. They were 70 in number…
Jacob was laid to rest:
Jacob was old and ill. Joseph was called to his bedside, as were his brothers for their blessings:
Jacob gave Joseph the biggest blessing; first by adopting his sons into the Hebrew clan, thus giving the two boys a share of the inheritance, as well as receiving a double portion for himself.
Ruben did not receive an inheritance because he slept with Jacob’s concubine.
Neither did Simeon and Levi, for murderous acts they committed after their sister was raped.
Except for Judah, the rest of the blessings are not worth mentioning. Judah’s went like this:
“Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you. Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.” Gn. 49:8 – 10. NLT
(Be advised that ‘the coming of the One to Whom it belongs, the One whom all nations will honor, is a reference for the coming of Christ for Christians.)
Jacob passes, and Joseph buries him in the cave in the field of Machpelah. Everyone returns to Egypt. Joseph passes as well at 110, with a promise to someday have his bones moved to be with his father’s…
[1] Gn. 37:2 – 11.