Isaac's Wife and the Bride of Jesus Christ

Road to Emmaus

Lk 24:13 ¶  And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

14  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

15  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

16  But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

17  And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

18  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

19  And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

20  And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

21  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

22  Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

23  And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

24  And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

28  And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

29  But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

30  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

31  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

32  And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

33  And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,

34  Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

35  And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

So we see here that Jesus while in Divine disguise, opened the scriptures to these two concerning Himself. This is the first day of the resurrection, so there was no New Testament; in other words, all the scriptures were from the Old Testament.

Jesus is in every book of the Bible, but there are some very powerful representations or types in Genesis.

·         Noah’s Ark

       Here we see the benevolence of God to save the righteous. The Ark is a symbol or type of Jesus. When God called Noah and his family into the Ark, he said "Come into the Ark", for God was already inside. The door in the side is another type of the spear that pierced Jesus' side and out came blood and water, which is our redeeming Salvation and the Holy Ghost.

      Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac

      

Here we see the type of God offering His only Son Jesus for the world. Isaac was Abraham's son of promise from Sarah and Abraham had the blood covenant with God.

Joseph Prince of Egypt

Joseph was a type of Jesus as well. Sold for 20 pieces of silver as a slave and taken to Egypt when he knew that God had told him in dreams that he would be a person of great power. Jesus was sold to the Sanhedrin for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph ended up interpreting Pharaoh's dream and being exalted to the 2nd highest ruler in Egypt. His wisdom given by God saved the ancient world. Jesus was given to bear the iniquity of the world and save all mankind.

All of these historical happenings have Jesus hidden within them. You can read my other blogs concerning each one. 

But, the longest chapter in Genesis is 24, which is the story of Abraham sending his servant to find a bride for his son, Isaac. Joseph Prince does an excellent study of this story which is a type of the Holy Spirit sent by God to gather the Church for Jesus.

Types in chapter 24 are: Abraham = God, Servant (unnamed) = Holy Spirit; Isaac = Jesus; Rebekah = Church; Laban = carnal Christians

This was no doubt one of the things that Jesus revealed to  Cloepas and the disciple with him on the road to Emmaus. 

Gn 24:1 ¶  And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

*All things: youth renewed, wealth, health, prosperity, inheritor of the promises of the world.

Rm 4: 13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

2  And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

*Circumcision, the covenant of God was like the Bible of the time. The hand under the thigh is in close proximity to the covenant mark.  This would be like us laying our hand on the Bible to swear.

3  And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

4  But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

*The bride picked from the believers, those who would follow God, not the world.

5  And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?

6  And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

*Jesus will not return to heaven without planting the Spirit to find His bride. This took place on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

7  The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

*Spoken in faith, which is how God made everything. He trusts in God to perform His will. Abraham, like God, calls things that are not as though they were: 

Ro 4:17  (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were.

8  And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.

9  And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

*The servant is obedient and trustworthy. The Holy Spirit is God but subservient to God the Father.

10 ¶  And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

*The trusted servant we know from earlier in Genesis is Eliezar. However, as a type of the Holy Ghost, he is not named in this chapter.

Ten camels carried an abundance of goods. Plus he had his guard and helpers also with him.This was about a 600 mile journey from Canaan to Mesopotamia, and would take over a month.

11  And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.

12  And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

*Good speed is as Godspeed, the way of prosperity. Kindness is Grace, in Hebew, hesed.

13  Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:

14  And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

*The idea of right happening…not luck but providence, spoken by faith.

15  And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16  And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17  And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

18  And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19  And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

*Very Beautiful…like the church without spot our wrinkle, as Paul describes the Church of Christ made beautiful by the Grace of God through Jesus, Eph 5:27.

20  And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

*Ten camels would drink up to 100 gallons…several trips down to the well. These wells were dug into the ground with a stairway that led down to a platform where the water could be dipped out.

Rebekah was willing to help a stranger with his needs while putting her own needs aside until she was finished.

21  And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

*This is the 1^st mention of prosperous. Prosperous is a journey in life, blessed by the Holy Spirit. Of the 7 times that this word is used in Genesis, 4 of them are in this chapter. Rebekah was of a beautiful countenance inside and out. 

22  And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

*Goodness was shown from the heart of Rebekah before any gifts. The gifts are symbols and types of the gifts of the spirit given to the believer who is filled with the Spirit: 1 Cor 12; earrings= vocal gifts: tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy; bracelets are power gifts: miracles, faith, healing; nose jewels revelation gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits.

*Earrings were some times attached to the nose as well, face jewelry. In India they still use this as well. 

23  And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?

24  And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

*Descendents of Godly folk. The Spirit dwells deeply within families. The chance of one knowing God at a young age is much better when raised in a believer’s home. The Bible tells us that even a child is known by their doings, good or bad. There is children of the devil as well as Children of God.

2 Tim 1: 5  When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. (Paul speaking to Timothy)

25  She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

26  And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

*This is the 1^st mention of bowing you head to worship the LORD. 1^st mention of bowing head in New Testament was Jesus bowing His head before giving up His Spirit, Jn 19:30.

Piety, reverence, and thanksgiving are shown in this servant. The Holy Ghost is always at prayer and communication with the Father, and the Son; for all are one God.

We can pray with the Holy Ghost we allow Him to use our mouth by speaking in tongues. Rm 8 and 1 Cor 14. This is also known as your prayer language. It is always in the will of the Father, because it is the Holy Ghost praying with your mouth. You will not understand with your mind, unless the Holy Spirit interprets, again this is one of the gifts. 

27  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

*Answered just as he had prayed in faith. As the Holy Spirit never acts without the direction and will of the Father.

28  And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

29 ¶  And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

30  And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

31  And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

*The sight of the gifts caused a reaction of the flesh in Laban. This is a type of carnal Christian. Rebekah was kind and charitable before she saw the gold presents.

32  And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.

33  And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

*The Holy Ghost will not rest until His mission is accomplished…then He can bask in the Omni powerful Presence of Jehovah.

34  And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.

35  And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

36  And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

*God has entrusted Jesus with all. He is the King of the Universe.

37  And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:

38  But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.

39  And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

40  And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:

*Abraham knew that God would send His angel to prosper this quest. The angels also help the Holy Ghost in His gathering the Bride of Christ. We are all given guardian angels as a child, but if one is not aware of this, the age of accountability, the angel is not effective because of unbelief. If we are taught and live in thanksgiving to God for the angels, then our angel can move, because they act according to the Word of God.

41  Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.

42  And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:

43  Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;

44  And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.

45  And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

*Jesus told the woman at the well to give Him a drink.

 Jn 4: 7  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8  For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food.

9  The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water?

12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?

13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14  but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.

46  And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.

*Ruth 2:3 And she went and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz… This was not by chance, but by the right happening of the providence of God. Those who belong to God have favor in their lives.

47  And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.

*Here again we see “face” jewelry. Remember the gold jewelry gifts represent the gifts of the Spirit of God to the Church as listed in 1 Cor 12.

48  And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.

49  And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

*At some point one has to make the decision when drawn by the Holy Ghost, whether to go with it and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, or reject Him.

50  Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.

51  Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

*Accepting the power of the Holy Ghost as the Word of God.

52  And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

*Totally reverent, and thankful to Jehovah. As I said earlier, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is constantly in communion with the Father (and the Son as well).

53  And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

*All the Church can receive gifts.

1Cor 12:4  Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

54 ¶  And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.

55  And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

*Carnality will hinder the gifts and the Church from accepting the Grace of Jesus…even presented by the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of Christ.

56  And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

57  And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.

58  And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

*Faith of the new Christian to follow the Spirit and seek Jesus is represented here.

59  And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.

60  And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

*Mt 16:18  And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

61  And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

*Rebekah is a symbol of God’s Church and Bride, and we can see that she is living in prosperity. She has a personal nurse and handmaidens.  

*The true Church will follow the Spirit. This journey took a while, and while camped and night, no doubt Rebekah asked to hear about the story of the son of Abraham. We love to hear about the story of Jesus, we love Him in whom we have rested in Salvation, even though we have not seen Him.

*The camels are the ships of the desert and can go a few days without water. They would all be bedded down when camp is set up.

62 ¶  And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

*Well of the Living One Seeing Me.

63  And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

*Jesus meditates for His Church and to God always. He prays for us always.

Ro 8:34  who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

64  And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.

*She was overwhelmed and fell off the camel…as we will be when we see the Lord Jesus… we will be raptured into his presence…we will see Him as He is and be swept off of our feet.

Peter babbled when he saw Jesus transfigured and wanted to build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Then God covered them with a cloud and when it lifted, only Jesus was there and God said “This is My Beloved Son, hear Him.”

65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

66  And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

*The Holy Spirit will report all about the Bride to the Lord Jesus.

67  And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

This wedding is a type and if you will a rehearsal of the wedding of Jesus to His Bride.

This is the 2^nd mention of love in the Bible. The 1^st was when God was speaking to Abraham about Isaac, his only son, Gn 22:2. So 1^st was the Son, and 2^nd was the Church.

Jesus is comforted in the Church, because His mother, Israel, had rejected Him as the Messiah of God. However all of Israel will be saved:

Ro 11:26  and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

This will take place in the tribulation when the 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be on the earth preaching the Gospel, with Angels also preaching from the sky, and the two witnesses in Jerusalem (Enoch, Elijah). We the Church (all of those who have been born again in Christ) will be in heaven at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

The embrace of Isaac and Rebekah is a shadow of us, the Bride being wed to our Lord Jesus;

who is the Lion from the Tribe of Judah.

Rebekah will have twin boys who will both become great. Esau will become Edom. Jacob will become Israel.

Abraham will be so glad to have his grand children in his old age.

The love of Isaac and Rebekah will bring 13 grand children from Jacob and 4 women. The 12 boys will become the 12 tribes of Israel. But for now they will just relish one another.

Just as Jesus will relish His Bride whom He gave His life for. Amen

If you enjoy my blog, you would enjoy my book, The Plan: A Biblical Adventure by Hal Richardson; available at Amazon.com

All scriptures are AKJV

Pictures/Art from Inet

Moses and Jethro

A historical story that shows you cannot do it alone... You need God, family, and friends.

Story taken from Exodus and Acts 7

Moses knew that he had been called of God to deliver his people from their bondage in Egypt. He had been raised miraculously in the Pharaoh’s palace by his daughter that had found Moses in a small ark made of bulrushes in the Nile River. Moses was placed there by his mother to save his life.  He was a Prince of Egypt and had learned that he was a Hebrew, and not an Egyptian. Moses had fought wars as a general in Pharaoh’s army and had learned all the skills of Egyptian culture.

(See my blogs: The Exodus: Real History Oct 2011, Into the Wilderness Nov 2011, and Into Sinai and God’s Total Presence Nov 2011.)

Now he was on the run for his life because he had killed an Egyptian guard who was beating on a Hebrew slave. He had hurriedly buried the body, but it was found out what Moses had done and Pharaoh’s guards were after him.

So he headed East above the gulf of Aqaba, through the harsh desert and down into Midian which is in modern Northwest Saudi Arabia.

Moses was tired and had traveled for nearly 3 weeks. He stopped in a village which today is called Al Bad and sat down by the well there.  

The Priest of Midian, known by the title Reuel, had 7 daughters that tended to his flocks of sheep and goats. When they came to get water from the well for their flocks the other men shepherds drove them away.

Moses would not stand for that, as a trained warrior, he fought the men off and helped the women to water their flocks.

When the women came home to their father, he asked, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” They replied, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.” He said unto his daughters, “And where is he?  Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread with us.”

So Moses went and stayed for supper and accepted Jethro’s hospitality, who introduced himself and was very grateful for what Moses had done for his daughters.

Jethro is a descendant of Abraham from Ketura who Abraham married after Sarah died, they had 6 sons of whom one was Midian. Even though the Bible does not give the lineage of Jethro, he is the Priest of Midian. The Druze religion claims that Jethro is a prophet and founder. However, the Druze religion was not really established until around 1000 AD, and was influenced by Islam. Jethro lived about 1400 BC, and he was no doubt influenced by his ancestor, Abraham to know of Jehovah. After the Exodus, Jethro was very much submitted to the God of Abraham and greatly impressed by all of the miracles Jehovah had performed in deliverance of Israel with Moses as their leader.

Ancient Midian and modern Al Bad

Moses at the well with Zipporah.

Moses was 40 years old when he fled from Egypt and went to Midian. Jethro took Moses in and was happy to give him his daughter Zipporah for his wife.

Jethro was glad to get a son-in-law, and Moses lived in Midian for 40 years and cared for Jethro’s flocks.

As mentioned, and by his actions, Moses knew he was called of God to deliver his people. But, he operated on his own resources and had to flee for his life. Now he is living 40 years in the very area that God will bring Israel by Moses’ leadership and the strong hand of God. He learns the lay of the land, where waterholes are, grazing areas, trails, etc. Moses is learning that you can't do it by yourself.

During this time, Zipporah had two sons born to Moses. The first is Gershom which means stranger, for Moses was a stranger in a strange land. 

The second is Eliezer which means God is my help, for Moses was learning to trust in the LORD and was delivered from Pharaoh’s sword.

Moses’ family in Egypt had been separate from him most of his life. His royal mother who raised him in the palace could not save him from her father, the Pharaoh, and so he now finds himself here with a wife that loves him and a father-in-law who loves him as well. He has 2 sons and 6 sister-in-laws, life is good. He is about to find out that God still has big plans for him.  

This could have been Moses' home in Midian.

Ex 2:23 ¶  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Jehovah in the Burning Bush

One day while grazing the flock, Moses went Northeast about 22 miles near the Mountain of God called Horeb or Mount Sinai. There he saw a strange sight up the mountain; a tree was burning but no smoke, and it did not seem to be consumed. So he decided to climb up to investigate further.

The actual Mt. Sinai is Jabel Al Laws in Saudi Arabia. Here is a picture of one of the sides of the mountain. (see Wyatt Archaeological Research- discovered by Ron Wyatt in the 1970's)

Here is a close up of the top of the mountain. You can see an ancient almond tree there. Could this be the burning bush that Moses saw?

Ex 3:2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

The LORD spoke to Moses and told him that He had heard the cry of Israel in Egypt, and was going to deliver them out of bondage in Egypt to a land of milk and honey, the Promised Land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He wanted Moses to go to lead His people out and said that He would be with him.

Moses was 80 years old now and questioned who was he that God would send him to Egypt. God wanted him to go gather the elders of Israel and tell them that God had heard their cry and would deliver them. God said that he would cause plagues on Egypt and that Pharaoh would let them go and they would not leave empty. Moses asked what was God’s name, for he did not believe that Israel would believe him. God answered “I AM that I AM tell the I AM has sent you.”

Moses protested more and God showed him signs by making his staff a serpent then back to a rod, and his hand leprous and then normal. Then Moses said that he was slow of speech and could not talk well. God said that He was the one who made the mouth and was getting angry with Moses. God said his brother Aaron spoke well and that he would go with him to speak for Moses, but Moses would be God’s representative.

Ex 4:18 ¶  And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

You can see the love and respect that Jethro had for Moses. No doubt, he had become dependent on Moses’ help, but had not tried to restrain him in any way.

19  And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23  And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 ¶  And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

25  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26  So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

This son had to be Eliezer, the 2nd born. Moses probably had circumcised Gershom, his 1st born several years prior. This must have abhorred Zipporah because of her statement when she had to circumcise Eliezer to save Moses' life. She is the one who stopped Moses from circumcising Eliezer, but now realized the absolute importance of obedience as God wrestled with Moses.

God had become angry with Moses when he was protesting going to Egypt. Now when Moses had not shown his obedience by circumcising Eliezer, God was not going to let him be the leader of Israel if he was not dedicated and obedient.

Several hundred years before when Jacob was bringing his family back to Canaan God met him and wrestled with Jacob all night and changed his name to Israel after dislocating his hip, Gn 32.

Remember this; when God appears as a man, it is always Jesus. These are two examples of a          pre-incarnate Jesus, there are others.

Deliverance of Israel

God spoke to Aaron, Moses’ brother, and told him to go meet Moses at Mt. Horeb. Moses told him what God had said and showed him the signs with the rod turning into a serpent and his hand turning leprous and back to normal. Aaron believed and accepted his brother as the leader of Israel. They went and gathered the elders of Israel and they were glad to accept Moses as God’s choice as leader when he and Aaron presented the signs to them. 

They all bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD.

Moses’ natural family were Levites. They were destined to be the ones who cared for the Temple and were the Priests of Jehovah. Moses and his siblings were the starting of God’s Theocracy: Moses was the leading Prophet, Aaron the High Priest, and Miriam a Prophetess.  Moses loved his family and was glad to be with them again. With God and his family together with him, his confidence was building. The Bible describes him as the meekest man on earth, Nu 12:3, but he was humble, and not weak.

Moses and Aaron went before the Pharaoh and asked to take Israel into the wilderness for 3 days to worship Jehovah, their God. As God had forewarned Moses, Pharaoh did not recognize God and was hard hearted and would not let the people go. He even increased their burdens and made them gather their own straw to make bricks. So Moses, by God’s hand, delivered the 10 plagues upon Egypt.  

The final plague was the death of every first born in Egypt; human and animal, as God had told Moses. However, those who had the blood of the sacrificial lamb on their door posts and lintel, were passed over by the angel of death. The blood is a type or symbol of the future blood of the Messiah of God who was our Lord Jesus the Christ. The Israelites were protected in the land of Goshen where the Nile Delta is located. They had been there since the days of Joseph. This event is celebrated annually in the spring as Passover.

The blood on the lintel and door posts represents the cross of the Lord Jesus, where He became the final sacrificial lamb of God and took the sins of the world on Himself, buying by His blood and death our eternal Salvation.

After Pharaoh’s firstborn son died, he finally let the people go. As God had said they did not leave empty, but took much of the wealth of Egypt with them; payment for many years of slavery. There were about 2.5 million people along with their flocks that departed Egypt.

All were healed with none feeble for their trip, another miracle of Passover.

God lead the people with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day. The fire would also give them warmth from the cool desert nights. The pillar of smoke would give them shade from the desert sun.

Zipporah Gershom Eliezer back to Midian 

The Bible is not clear here, but somewhere in this period, Zipporah and the boys went back to Midian with Jethro her father. Some Jewish writings hint that she was not used to royalty as was now surrounding her husband Moses, or that there may have been a problem with Moses’ office of Prophet that may have required celibacy. Regardless she was escorted safely home. Zipporah is not mentioned during the plagues or events that shortly follow.

There was also the fact of Moses' first wife. In Nu 12 we read: 
1 ¶  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
3  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
4 ¶  And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
5  And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
7  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
8  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
9  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
10 ¶  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
11  And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
12  Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.
13  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
14  And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
15  And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

The 1st verse is about the Ethiopian wife. I included the rest of the chapter to show God's feelings about Moses.

According to Jewish historian, Josephus 10 when Moses was an Egyptian Prince and General of the Pharaoh’s army there was a campaign in Ethiopia (Cush) which Moses led. They took the land and the Ethiopian king gave Moses his daughter as right of conquest. Her name was Tharbis.

Stephen said in Acts 7:22 that Moses was learned in all wisdom of Egypt and mighty in words and deeds.  

In the Egyptian historian Herodotus 2:110 concerning Sesostris the Pharaoh of the 12 Dyanasty, he was the 1^st to rule Ethiopia. He ruled it because of Moses' conquest. (That would make Moses’ adopted grandfather Osirtasin I.)  

The Red Sea Crossing

There are many traditions about where the Exodus route was, but only one is correct, and only one has archaeological evidence as was discovered by Ron Wyatt.

The crossing of the Red Sea was from the beach that is now at the town of Nuweiba on the West coast of the Gulf of Aqaba across into Saudi Arabia. Nuweiba is Arabic shortened for where Moses parted the waters.

Here is the satellite view from Google Earth.

Pharaoh changed his mind and took his army to kill the Israelites who now were camped on the beach of what is now Nuweiba. The people chided against Moses, but he told them to:

Ex 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

The fire pillar of God moved to the mouth of the wadi there and separated Israel from the Egyptian army. Moses then raised his staff over the water and the sea separated. Israel crossed to the other side during the night with a wall of water on either side. The Egyptians then tried to follow but the water collapsed and drowned them.

Here is part of the song Israel sang about it.

Ex 15:1 ¶  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

2  The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3  The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

4  Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

All of Israel was thankful and praising God. Miriam took her tambourine and sang a prophecy of the event as well.

Ex 15: 20  And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

21  And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Moses had Joshua and the young men to gather the weapons that were on the bodies of the Egyptians that washed up on shore. Then they went deeper into the wilderness of Shur. Where they found water, but it was bitter and they could not drink it. God then showed Moses a certain tree, and when he threw it into the waters they became sweet. This is a type or symbol of the cross of Jesus.

God told Israel through Moses and Aaron while there:

Ex 15:26  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

From there they went down to Elim where there were 12 wells of water and lots of palm trees. This is near the East coast of the gulf of Aqaba part of the Red Sea.

From there they went into the wilderness of Sin and camped at Rephidim. The people were nearly out of food, and were complaining to Moses that they should have stayed in Egypt, where they had food. 

God gave them "bread from Heaven" here and when they saw it they said, "what is this?", which in Hebrew is manna.  So, this is the name that stuck. It was miracle food that was on the ground and gathered about a half gallon per person or what a person could eat. Raw it tasted like honey wafer, but according to tradition it could be prepared to taste like many foods. Jesus said he was the bread from Heaven and that we must eat Him, Jn 6,  which is our Communion bread; along with the wine which is His blood.The manna had to be eaten every day, for if you tried to keep in till the next day it would spoil. Only on Friday could you gather double and it would miraculously last through the Sabbath Day of rest. 

Moses had his hands full for these people were hard headed and God called them stiff necked. God told them there would be no manna on Saturday the Sabbath, but they went out and looked anyway. They complained all the time and Moses was becoming overwhelmed. He was their leader and they came before him for everything. Even when God sent them manna, they complained they wanted meat. So God sent them quail in great numbers, “till it came out their noses.”

While camped in Rephidim they ran out of water and chided against the LORD and Moses. God told Moses to go the Rock in Horeb and take his rod and smite the rock and water would come out for God would stand before the Rock.

This was a symbol of Jesus the water of life and Him smitten for the sins of the world. 
All the people and their livestock had water to drink as the rock split and formed a lake there in Rephidim.  

Here is an altar still there under the Rock of Horeb.

While there, they were attacked by Amalek. Moses sent Joshua out to fight against Amalek with the young men. Joshua and Caleb became close friends with Moses.

The next day Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill and Moses would hold his rod up over his head. While doing this, Joshua would be winning, but if the rod came down, Joshua would be loosing. When Moses’ arms got tired, Aaron and Hur would hold up his arms and finally Amalek was defeated and left.

God told Moses to write it in a book, because He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation until he was eliminated. He attacked Israel when they were weak and really not trained or well armed. 

Jethro visits Moses

1 ¶  When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;

2  Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back,

3  And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:

4  And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:

5  And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

6  And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

7 ¶  And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.

8  And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

9  And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10  And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11  Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

12  And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.

13 ¶  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

14  And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

15  And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:

16  When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

17  And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

18  Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

19  Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

20  And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

21  Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

22  And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

23  If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

24  So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

25  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26  And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

27  And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

So we see that Moses loved and respected his father-in-law. He took his advice and put it into action. Also that Jethro sacrificed to Jehovah and worshiped Him. He called Him the God of all gods.

Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai, directly from God. The people of Israel continually rebelled against God, so that whole generation (except Joshua and Caleb) perished because God had them stay in the wilderness for 40 years. However, the next generation made it to the Promised Land.

So to review,So to review, Moses had some contact with his biological family while a child, because Miriam had convinced the Pharaoh’s daughter that she needed a wet nurse, and Miriam brought her mother Jochebed to the palace to nurse Moses.
 Moses knew that he was called of God to deliver Israel, but he tried to do it by himself. 40 years as a shepherd humbled him. So He had lost his royal family, but got a new family with Jethro, Zipporah, Gershom, Eliezer, plus 6 sister-in-laws

When he returned to Egypt, He was united with his siblings from his birth and with God with him, started a Theocracy for Israel along with his siblings.  His parents Amram and Jochebed had passed by this time. He was able to re-unite with Tharbis, his wife from Ethiopia. The Bible is not clear if his wives or children stayed with him the 40 years in the wilderness. The point made here is that with God, family, friends you can accomplish great things.

Aaron and Miriam both died in the wilderness journey. Moses lived to be 120 years old and got to see the Promised Land. Before Moses died, he anointed Joshua to take his place as leader. Joshua took Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones that lived from that generation through the 40 years in the wilderness. 

Joshua is a type of the Messiah, and his name is the same in Hebrew as Jesus which is Greek.

Jesus by his death and resurrection brought us into the New Covenant of Grace. The Holy Spirit revealed to us in Deu 18:15 that there would arise another Prophet greater than Moses. This was the Lord Jesus Christ, our only Salvation.

Bible quotes AKJV and pictures from the Inet.


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