Yahweh said to Aaron, 'Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.' And so he went, and met Moses at the mountain of God; and he kissed him. Moses then told Aaron all that Yahweh had said when he set him His task and all the signs He had ordered him to perform.

Moses and Aaron then went and gathered all the elders of the sons of Israel together, and Aaron told all that Yahweh had said to Moses, and in the sight of the people he performed the signs. The people were convinced, and they rejoiced that Yahweh had visited the sons of Israel/Jacob and had seen misery, and they bowed down and worshipped. - Ex. 4:27-31 -

After this, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. Pharaoh - the title of the kings of Egypt until 323 B.C. In the Egyptian language the word Pharaoh means 'great house.' This word was originally used to describe the palace of the king. Around 1500 B.C. this term was applied to the Egyptian kings. It meant something like 'his honor, his majesty.' In addition to this title, the kings also had a personal name (Amenhotep, Rameses) and other descriptive titles.

The Pharaoh was probably the most important person in Egyptian society. The Egyptians believed he was a god and the key to the nation's relationship to the cosmic gods of the universe. While the Pharaoh ruled, he was the son of Ra, the sun god, and the incarnation of the god Horus. He came from the gods with the divine responsibility to rule the land for them. Thus, there were no law codes, because the king upheld order and justice and insured the stability of society.

The Pharaoh was the head of the army as well as a central figure in the nation's religious life. As an inter-mediator between gods and men, the Pharaoh functioned as a high priest in the many temples in Egypt. The Egyptian people believed their fate was dependent on that of the Pharaoh, they seldom attempted to overthrow the government, although some pharaohs were very cruel.

In several instances the Israelites came into contact with a Pharaoh. Abram (Abraham) went to Egypt around 1900 B.C. because of a famine in the land of Palestine. However, after 300 more years in Egypt, a new dynasty came to power. Its kings did not acknowledge Joseph and his many deeds to save Egypt. Therefore, all the Israelites but Moses were enslaved. Moses was raised in the Pharaoh's own court.

After this, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel/Jacob, has said, "Let my people go, so that they may keep a feast in the wilderness in honour of Me."' 'Who is your Yahweh' Pharaoh replied 'that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I know nothing of Yahweh, and I will not let Israel go.'

Pharaoh rejected the demand of this unknown God of whom Moses and Aaron spoke: He showed his contempt of this God of the Hebrews by increasing the oppression of the slaves. As a result, the people grumbled against Moses. - Ex. 5:1-5, 20-21 -

Moses did not waver in his mission but complaint to Yahweh, 'Lord', he said to Him 'why do You treat this people so harshly? Why did You send me here? God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am Yahweh. To Abraham and Isaac and Jacob I appeared as El Shaddai; I did not make myself known to them by my name Yahweh.

The promise of the Exodus began with God's revelation of Himself to Moses at the burning bush. This was followed by the commissioning of Moses and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites.

When Pharaoh refused, a series of ten plagues began. Nine of these involved natural occurrences that were concentrated within a short period of time, affecting the Egyptians only and leaving the Israelites untouched. Each plague involved an Egyptian god in some manner, showing how powerless such deities were in comparison to Israel's/Jacob's God. - Ex. chapter 7 to 13 -

The final plague resulted in the death of all the first-born children and animals. Only when this had happened did Pharaoh agree to release the Hebrew/Israel people. They were spared from death by remaining in their houses and putting sacrificial blood on the doorposts of their houses before they ate the newly "Instituted Passover Meal." -

The Egyptians were so glad to be relieved of what had become a great burden to them that they gave the departing Israelites gifts of gold, silver, and clothing.

The sons of Israel did as Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for silver ornaments and gold, and for clothing. Yahweh gave the people such prestige in the eyes of the Egyptians, that they gave them what they asked. So they plundered the Egyptians. - Ex. 12:35-36 -

The departure of the Israelites........

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -