Brackenhurst Baptist Church

In Exodus 5 we have the account of Moses (and Aaron) beginning what will become known in Jewish history as the Exodus. The events of chapters 1 through 4 have occurred over a period of some 80 years; what follows from chapters 5-40 will all occur within about one year. And this inspired record of the next 365 days has much to say to us in 2008.

Moses has finally submitted to the call of God and after some challenges along the way he is now back in Egypt. He has met with the elders and declared to them what Yahweh had declared concerning the imminent deliverance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage unto freedom in the Promised Land. God in His covenant faithfulness is bringing His everlasting promises to pass! Israel will soon see the hand of Yahweh moving powerfully in Egypt to secure their promised release. But, first things first.

You see, before Pharaoh relents to grant them deliverance he will become hardened and recalcitrant in his behaviour towards God. Yahweh had informed Moses that Pharaoh would not easily submit to the Word in the mouth of Aaron and Moses. In fact only by God moving mightily would Pharaoh relent at all, and even when he did it would only be a temporary reprieve. And, of course, all of this was according to plan—God’s that is.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations enquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

(Isaiah 11:1-10)

So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

(Acts 5:40-42)