[uplifting music] 00:00:00.46\00:00:04.30 [uplifting music] 00:00:11.64\00:00:14.54 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:00:14.58\00:00:15.88 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:00:15.91\00:00:18.21 Glad to have you with us today. 00:00:18.25\00:00:19.81 We are studying through the book of Exodus, 00:00:19.85\00:00:23.05 a fantastic book, a beautiful picture 00:00:23.08\00:00:25.92 of God working with and through His people. 00:00:25.95\00:00:30.26 Today, we're looking at lesson number three. 00:00:30.29\00:00:32.39 It's called "A Rough Start." 00:00:32.43\00:00:34.83 On our first week, we kind of looked at the background 00:00:34.83\00:00:37.63 of the book of Exodus, where Moses came from, 00:00:37.67\00:00:40.24 what his life was like. 00:00:40.27\00:00:41.87 Last time, we took a look at his encounter with God 00:00:41.90\00:00:44.17 at the burning bush, and now we're going to 00:00:44.21\00:00:46.51 take a look at Moses as he comes face to face with Pharaoh. 00:00:46.54\00:00:50.95 You are in for an exciting ride today. 00:00:50.98\00:00:53.45 But before we dive into it, let's start with prayer. 00:00:53.48\00:00:56.69 Father, we thank You for being with us today 00:00:56.72\00:00:59.02 and for promising to guide us as we study Your Word. 00:00:59.05\00:01:02.32 We ask that You will bless our time together, 00:01:02.36\00:01:04.33 open our hearts and minds to a message from You, 00:01:04.36\00:01:07.30 and we thank You, in Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:07.30\00:01:11.27 We're grateful to have you with us, 00:01:11.30\00:01:12.60 but we are also grateful to have the author 00:01:12.63\00:01:14.94 of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson with us, 00:01:14.97\00:01:17.41 Dr. Jiri Moskala. 00:01:17.44\00:01:19.37 Dr. Moskala, thank you again for joining us. 00:01:19.41\00:01:21.71 >>Dr. Jiri Moskala: Thank you for having me here. 00:01:21.74\00:01:23.38 It's a pleasure for me to study the book of Exodus 00:01:23.41\00:01:25.81 together with you and with all the people around. 00:01:25.85\00:01:28.82 >>Eric: It's an exciting story, and we've kind of 00:01:28.85\00:01:31.62 come up to the point where Moses has now been called. 00:01:31.65\00:01:34.46 We've seen him-- you know, how he was raised. 00:01:34.49\00:01:37.29 We've seen him spend some time in Egypt, 00:01:37.33\00:01:39.46 had to leave Egypt, then the episode 00:01:39.49\00:01:41.76 of the burning bush, and now, he is coming face to face 00:01:41.80\00:01:45.23 with Pharaoh with that message 00:01:45.27\00:01:46.94 that God has called him to share. 00:01:46.97\00:01:51.27 So what does Moses say to Pharaoh 00:01:51.31\00:01:53.71 in their first encounter? 00:01:53.74\00:01:55.54 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, in the first encounter-- 00:01:55.58\00:01:56.95 and not only in the first but even the later-- 00:01:56.98\00:02:00.42 his start was very clear. 00:02:00.45\00:02:02.08 It's in chapter 5, verse 1. 00:02:02.12\00:02:04.65 "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says." 00:02:04.69\00:02:07.66 And I love that, because he's not coming 00:02:07.69\00:02:10.29 and saying, "Well, Pharaoh, listen to me. 00:02:10.33\00:02:13.09 "I have something very unique to tell you. 00:02:13.13\00:02:16.00 You need to do this and that." It is not Moses' word. 00:02:16.03\00:02:18.83 It is not the word of the committee of the elders. 00:02:18.87\00:02:22.64 It is God's word. 00:02:22.67\00:02:24.47 So it is not Moses' invention. 00:02:24.51\00:02:27.51 So Pharaoh need to understand that he is now dealing not 00:02:27.54\00:02:32.01 with human authority but with God Himself. 00:02:32.05\00:02:37.02 And he probably heard more already 00:02:37.05\00:02:40.49 about this God of Israel, but God--Moses is coming 00:02:40.52\00:02:45.99 and saying, "Look, this is the God, our God, 00:02:46.03\00:02:50.13 "God of Israel, who is now asking you 00:02:50.17\00:02:52.93 something to do." 00:02:52.97\00:02:54.27 And this continues, says, "Let my people go." 00:02:54.30\00:02:57.94 The Lord says, "Let my people go, 00:02:57.97\00:03:01.68 so that they may hold a festival to me in the [desert]." 00:03:01.71\00:03:06.41 And I think that this is a very famous sentence: 00:03:06.45\00:03:08.85 "Let my people go." 00:03:08.88\00:03:10.82 And it's occurring several times in the book of Exodus. 00:03:10.85\00:03:13.96 And Pharaoh, in his response, is very clearly saying, 00:03:13.99\00:03:19.36 "I will not let [the people] go." 00:03:19.39\00:03:23.87 And this is that very important statement. 00:03:23.90\00:03:28.20 And when Moses is starting, "Thus says the Lord," 00:03:28.24\00:03:33.04 the first response of Pharaoh is, "[And] who is the Lord, 00:03:33.07\00:03:38.51 that I should obey Him and let Israel go?" 00:03:38.55\00:03:43.42 So I think that this is now the whole 00:03:43.45\00:03:47.09 great controversy play, 00:03:47.12\00:03:49.76 where you have the living God 00:03:49.79\00:03:53.60 who is demanding, "Let my people go, 00:03:53.63\00:03:58.27 my people, Israel, go to worship freely." 00:03:58.30\00:04:01.60 And on another side is Pharaoh, who plays to be God, 00:04:01.64\00:04:07.11 who wants to, you know, demand that divine authority 00:04:07.14\00:04:12.11 that he commands, and everybody had to obey. 00:04:12.15\00:04:14.95 He was used to that all the time, but now 00:04:14.98\00:04:18.35 he's playing a very clear game. 00:04:18.39\00:04:23.36 And his conviction, probably, "I am who I am," not God. 00:04:23.39\00:04:31.53 "And He is who He is," not "I Am" now. 00:04:31.57\00:04:34.90 "And I demand here's my country, my territory, my people. 00:04:34.94\00:04:39.84 So who is this God?" 00:04:39.87\00:04:41.71 Okay, "Who is the Lord?" 00:04:41.74\00:04:44.11 And the Lord is here, this Yahweh. 00:04:44.15\00:04:47.08 He is very clearly using the term, you know, 00:04:47.12\00:04:52.09 and he's refusing. 00:04:52.12\00:04:55.99 "I do not know the Lord," speaking again about Yahweh, 00:04:56.02\00:05:01.23 "and I will not let Israel go." 00:05:01.26\00:05:04.43 So it's a willful, deliberate action. 00:05:04.47\00:05:08.40 It's not a play. It's a decision. 00:05:08.44\00:05:14.24 God demands, you know, now through Moses and Aaron, 00:05:14.28\00:05:18.95 but, "I will not do it." 00:05:18.98\00:05:21.02 And this is very strong refusal. 00:05:21.05\00:05:25.79 It's a stubbornness which comes through 00:05:25.82\00:05:28.79 his decision and his words. 00:05:28.82\00:05:30.46 >>Eric: So Pharaoh is very firm in his answer. 00:05:30.49\00:05:35.43 He is--he's not resistant; he's rejecting. 00:05:35.46\00:05:39.93 I mean, it's not even partial; it's just, 00:05:39.97\00:05:43.17 "And who is this God anyway?" 00:05:43.20\00:05:45.17 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, he has no questions for clarification. 00:05:45.21\00:05:50.51 And so now Moses and Aaron, 00:05:50.55\00:05:56.05 "They said, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us. 00:05:56.08\00:06:00.86 "'Now let us take a three-day journey 00:06:00.89\00:06:02.96 "'into the [desert] to offer sacrifices 00:06:02.99\00:06:05.13 "'to the Lord our God, or he may strike us 00:06:05.16\00:06:08.33 with plagues or with the sword.'" 00:06:08.36\00:06:11.33 And now you have, again, Pharaoh's response. 00:06:11.37\00:06:15.94 And what is interesting that you have in this chapter now, 00:06:15.97\00:06:20.11 chapter 5 and the beginning of 6, 00:06:20.14\00:06:23.95 different sets of dialogue. 00:06:23.98\00:06:25.95 It starts Moses and Aaron speaking to Pharaoh. 00:06:25.98\00:06:29.62 Then you have Pharaoh, who's speaking 00:06:29.65\00:06:32.12 with slave masters and the Israelite supervisors. 00:06:32.15\00:06:36.29 Then you have the slave master and the Israelite supervisor 00:06:36.32\00:06:39.83 with the people. 00:06:39.86\00:06:41.93 Then you have a dialogue between the Israelite supervisors 00:06:41.96\00:06:44.87 with Pharaoh. 00:06:44.90\00:06:47.54 After that, you have the Israelite supervisors 00:06:47.57\00:06:50.61 talking with Moses and Aaron, and then comes that Moses 00:06:50.64\00:06:55.28 speak with the Lord, and then Moses speak 00:06:55.31\00:06:59.61 with people, and the Lord, again, speak with Moses. 00:06:59.65\00:07:05.62 And so this is a set of dialogues which unfolds 00:07:05.65\00:07:10.53 this narrative, dramatic narrative, of how 00:07:10.56\00:07:15.16 everything was done when Moses and Aaron 00:07:15.20\00:07:20.17 came to Pharaoh. 00:07:20.20\00:07:23.94 You know, when I was younger, I always thought, 00:07:23.97\00:07:27.78 "Well, when God is telling, 'I will be with you, 00:07:27.81\00:07:31.68 "go and do this,' so, then, everything will be smooth 00:07:31.71\00:07:35.32 because God is in command." 00:07:35.35\00:07:37.65 He is telling, "Trust me. 00:07:37.69\00:07:39.65 It will go according to my will." 00:07:39.69\00:07:42.12 And we, over and over again, see that in the Scriptures 00:07:42.16\00:07:47.20 it's a little bit different. 00:07:47.23\00:07:49.13 God is calling, you trust God, 00:07:49.16\00:07:53.54 and instead what you would expect 00:07:53.57\00:07:54.94 that will be now success and smooth, and maybe 00:07:54.97\00:07:58.61 with one exception with Jonah, but every time comes 00:07:58.64\00:08:03.21 more and more difficulties. 00:08:03.24\00:08:05.21 This is why also the title for this study week is harsh-- 00:08:05.25\00:08:11.95 >>Eric: "A Rough Start," yeah. >>Dr. Moskala: "A Rough Start," 00:08:11.99\00:08:14.02 you know, it's very rough, you know, 00:08:14.06\00:08:16.96 what you would not expect is happening. 00:08:16.99\00:08:19.29 God revealed several times and said, "I hear your cry. 00:08:19.33\00:08:23.80 "I hear that you are in misery. 00:08:23.83\00:08:26.00 "I know your despair. I know your disappointments. 00:08:26.03\00:08:29.60 "I know how you are treated. 00:08:29.64\00:08:31.67 So I will come and do something for you." 00:08:31.71\00:08:35.24 And instead that beautiful things will happen, [chuckles] 00:08:35.28\00:08:40.62 you see that through this dialogue, you are-- 00:08:40.65\00:08:44.12 the story unfolds that there are bigger and bigger difficulties. 00:08:44.15\00:08:49.12 >>Eric: So walk us through some of those 00:08:49.16\00:08:50.63 bigger and bigger difficulties. 00:08:50.66\00:08:51.96 What was, like, the immediate effect 00:08:51.99\00:08:54.46 or the immediate consequences 00:08:54.46\00:08:56.10 of Moses and Aaron going before Pharaoh? 00:08:56.13\00:08:58.43 Like you said, it wasn't a smooth start. 00:08:58.47\00:09:00.60 It was very rough. 00:09:00.64\00:09:02.10 What did that rough start look like? 00:09:02.14\00:09:03.61 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, the rough start was that Pharaoh says, 00:09:03.64\00:09:07.28 "You are only making excuses. 00:09:07.31\00:09:09.94 You want to"--you know, 00:09:09.98\00:09:12.95 that people go and do something else to worship their God. 00:09:12.98\00:09:16.28 "No, they are here to be my labor force, 00:09:16.32\00:09:20.52 "and they are very important for me. So you-- 00:09:20.56\00:09:24.86 "I will do, actually, things more difficult for you. 00:09:24.89\00:09:29.83 "In order not to be distracted by something else, 00:09:29.86\00:09:34.00 "you will now work even harder. 00:09:34.04\00:09:35.94 "So, before I will-- I always gave you some material 00:09:35.97\00:09:40.91 "with which you will work on the building, the cities, 00:09:40.94\00:09:45.65 "and palaces, and whatever was needed, 00:09:45.68\00:09:47.85 "different buildings. 00:09:47.88\00:09:49.68 "Now I will not give you that material. 00:09:49.72\00:09:52.19 "You will be responsible to have it, but the quota 00:09:52.22\00:09:56.83 you need to produce every day will be still the same." 00:09:56.86\00:10:02.06 And, of course, he is giving that order. 00:10:02.10\00:10:04.97 It is not a possibility. It's an order. 00:10:05.00\00:10:07.97 And now comes that, you know, the slave masters 00:10:08.00\00:10:12.11 and the Israelite supervisors are speaking with people 00:10:12.14\00:10:16.58 and saying, "Yes, this will be like that. 00:10:16.61\00:10:18.68 We need to do it." 00:10:18.71\00:10:20.35 You have in between also 00:10:20.38\00:10:23.35 that these Israelite supervisors 00:10:23.39\00:10:27.06 are now trying to talk with Pharaoh 00:10:27.09\00:10:29.99 because they were beaten, the quota was not done, 00:10:30.03\00:10:34.00 and they think that this is 00:10:34.00\00:10:36.30 the matter of the supervisors, 00:10:36.33\00:10:39.80 and they did not anticipate that it was Pharaoh 00:10:39.83\00:10:43.10 who made that command. 00:10:43.14\00:10:45.91 So speaking with Pharaoh, their situation is even worse. 00:10:45.94\00:10:51.25 They--he told them, "You are lazy. 00:10:51.28\00:10:54.28 You need to work hard." 00:10:54.32\00:10:57.29 So it is a desperate, desperate situation. 00:10:57.32\00:11:02.42 People cannot produce what is needed, 00:11:02.46\00:11:06.66 so they are under the bigger oppression, 00:11:06.70\00:11:09.13 and these leaders are even beaten. 00:11:09.16\00:11:12.63 And in that situation, you read that they are now-- 00:11:12.67\00:11:19.37 when these leaders are going from Pharaoh, 00:11:19.41\00:11:25.08 Moses is there waiting for them, and we read 00:11:25.11\00:11:29.92 "The Israelites' [foremen] realized [that] they were 00:11:29.95\00:11:32.59 "in trouble when they were told, 'You are not to reduce 00:11:32.62\00:11:36.96 "the number of bricks required of you for each day.' 00:11:36.99\00:11:40.96 "When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron 00:11:41.00\00:11:44.03 waiting to meet them." 00:11:44.07\00:11:46.80 And here are this whole frustration going-- 00:11:46.84\00:11:50.97 bursting out, and they are saying 00:11:51.01\00:11:54.61 to Moses and Aaron, "May the Lord look [upon] you 00:11:54.64\00:11:59.51 "and judge you! 00:11:59.55\00:12:01.62 "You have made us [a stench] to Pharaoh and his officials 00:12:01.65\00:12:05.92 and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." 00:12:05.95\00:12:10.96 So you're saying you promised-- you said that God is with us, 00:12:10.99\00:12:16.00 but it's now even worse. 00:12:16.03\00:12:18.50 You should leave us, 00:12:18.53\00:12:21.07 and we should be in better position. 00:12:21.10\00:12:24.54 If you would not come, it will be better for us. 00:12:24.57\00:12:28.21 And then, of course, you hear that Moses 00:12:28.24\00:12:32.95 is really touched 00:12:32.98\00:12:34.52 and is crying to God, you know, 00:12:34.55\00:12:37.29 and in verse 22, you read that "Moses returned" to God, 00:12:37.32\00:12:41.96 "to the Lord and said, '[Oh], Lord, why have You 00:12:41.99\00:12:45.36 "'brought trouble upon this people? 00:12:45.39\00:12:49.73 Is this why You sent me?'" 00:12:49.76\00:12:52.07 You know, like, "Ever since I went to Pharaoh 00:12:52.10\00:12:55.97 "to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble 00:12:56.00\00:12:59.07 "upon this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all. 00:12:59.11\00:13:04.81 "You promised You will rescue. 00:13:04.85\00:13:07.72 "I am talking to Pharaoh. Situation is worse. 00:13:07.75\00:13:11.35 "So I was right when I said 00:13:11.39\00:13:14.49 "I should not go to Egypt, 00:13:14.52\00:13:18.49 but You led me." 00:13:18.53\00:13:20.16 So now you hear that frustration of Moses. 00:13:20.20\00:13:26.30 "You promised, and You did not rescue." 00:13:26.33\00:13:29.74 And I think that we are very often in our life 00:13:29.77\00:13:32.74 also with our frustrations. 00:13:32.77\00:13:35.71 When we talk to God, He is promising to be with us. 00:13:35.74\00:13:39.58 We do the right decisions for Him, we follow Him, 00:13:39.61\00:13:43.95 and then come the complications. 00:13:43.99\00:13:46.45 And it's, again, how God is teaching us 00:13:46.49\00:13:49.59 to trust Him even more, because He will intervene, 00:13:49.62\00:13:54.10 but unfortunately not according to our time, 00:13:54.10\00:13:57.20 but according to God's timing. 00:13:57.23\00:13:59.23 And we very often need to learn how to wait for the Lord. 00:13:59.27\00:14:04.91 >>Eric: So this is a lesson that Moses is learning here 00:14:04.94\00:14:07.24 and something that we hopefully will take away as well. 00:14:07.28\00:14:10.91 In addition to the Sabbath School Adult Bible Study Guide 00:14:10.95\00:14:14.75 that we're going through together, 00:14:14.78\00:14:17.02 there's also a companion book that goes with this lesson. 00:14:17.05\00:14:20.32 Tell us a little bit about that companion book 00:14:20.36\00:14:22.89 and why someone might wanna pick it up 00:14:22.92\00:14:25.43 in addition to the lesson 00:14:25.46\00:14:27.23 that we are studying through right now. 00:14:27.30\00:14:29.93 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, this companion book 00:14:29.96\00:14:31.77 is some additional material because in the quarterly, 00:14:31.80\00:14:35.27 you can do only something. 00:14:35.30\00:14:36.94 In the teacher's edition, you can also add 00:14:36.97\00:14:39.91 some more things. 00:14:39.94\00:14:41.24 But in the companion book, you can put a few things 00:14:41.28\00:14:44.55 together with some additional information. 00:14:44.58\00:14:47.68 So this, you know, companion book, chapter 3, 00:14:47.72\00:14:52.89 has this rough start, and the God who challenges, 00:14:52.92\00:14:56.52 a God who challenges not only Pharaoh, 00:14:56.56\00:14:59.33 but also us in our trust in the Lord when we follow 00:14:59.36\00:15:04.97 and it does not happening according what we expect 00:15:05.00\00:15:08.34 to follow still and to stay on the right path. 00:15:08.37\00:15:11.81 And so here we have this additional insights 00:15:11.84\00:15:15.44 for our quarterly. 00:15:15.48\00:15:17.81 >>Eric: So if you have perhaps faced 00:15:17.85\00:15:19.91 something like that where you did the right thing 00:15:19.95\00:15:22.48 and you expected a certain outcome 00:15:22.52\00:15:24.85 and it didn't happen, don't be discouraged. 00:15:24.89\00:15:28.12 Don't despair. 00:15:28.16\00:15:29.62 Moses wore the same sandals that you are wearing right now, 00:15:29.66\00:15:33.29 and we can learn some great lessons 00:15:33.33\00:15:34.83 from what he went through. 00:15:34.83\00:15:36.63 So pick up that companion book. 00:15:36.67\00:15:38.57 You can find it at itiswritten.shop. 00:15:38.60\00:15:41.24 Again, itiswritten.shop. 00:15:41.27\00:15:43.47 Just look for the companion book to this quarter's 00:15:43.51\00:15:45.44 "Sabbath School" lesson, and you will be blessed by it. 00:15:45.47\00:15:48.54 We're going to come back in just a moment as we continue 00:15:48.58\00:15:50.55 looking at this rough start that Moses had when he went 00:15:50.58\00:15:53.82 and spoke to Pharaoh: we'll be right back. 00:15:53.85\00:15:56.52 [uplifting music] 00:15:56.55\00:15:59.05 >>John Bradshaw: It Is Written is committed 00:16:01.29\00:16:02.96 to giving people the opportunity to experience the love of Jesus. 00:16:02.99\00:16:07.00 Eyes For India brings hope and vision to thousands 00:16:07.03\00:16:09.53 of people in need, and there's much more. 00:16:09.56\00:16:12.23 Through high-impact international medical ministry 00:16:12.27\00:16:14.80 and other humanitarian projects, hearts are being reached 00:16:14.84\00:16:17.84 around the globe. 00:16:17.87\00:16:19.64 You can partner with It Is Written 00:16:19.67\00:16:21.41 in changing lives for eternity. 00:16:21.44\00:16:23.61 Your support now will bring healing and blessing 00:16:23.65\00:16:26.28 to people in desperate need, enabling them to experience 00:16:26.31\00:16:29.48 the power of God for the very first time. 00:16:29.52\00:16:32.42 Call now: 800-253-3000. 00:16:32.45\00:16:35.69 That's 800-253-3000. 00:16:35.72\00:16:38.96 Visit us online at iiwworld.com 00:16:38.99\00:16:43.26 or text "world" to 71392. 00:16:43.30\00:16:47.20 Designating your gift to missions 00:16:47.24\00:16:49.50 will directly support these life-changing projects. 00:16:49.54\00:16:52.44 Thank you for partnering with It Is Written 00:16:52.47\00:16:54.71 in opening eyes to the goodness of God 00:16:54.74\00:16:57.11 and offering hope to the world. 00:16:57.15\00:16:59.41 [uplifting music] 00:17:01.35\00:17:05.45 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 00:17:05.49\00:17:06.96 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17:06.99\00:17:09.02 We're looking at lesson number three, 00:17:09.06\00:17:10.89 "A Rough Start," as we examine the story of the Exodus 00:17:10.93\00:17:14.93 and Moses' difficulties and challenges in standing 00:17:14.93\00:17:17.90 before Pharaoh. 00:17:17.93\00:17:20.24 Dr. Moskala, when Moses is having these difficulties, 00:17:20.27\00:17:26.34 interacting with Pharaoh, things not going as smoothly 00:17:26.37\00:17:30.28 as he liked, and you mentioned a variety of dialogues going on. 00:17:30.31\00:17:35.22 The Israelites are not very happy 00:17:35.25\00:17:36.92 with Moses and Aaron-- or God, for that matter, 00:17:36.95\00:17:40.09 at this point--because things have not been--gone very well, 00:17:40.12\00:17:43.66 not as they would have liked, 00:17:43.69\00:17:45.29 and so they're pushing back against Moses. 00:17:45.33\00:17:50.03 How does God respond to their suffering, 00:17:50.07\00:17:52.40 and what promise does He give to them? 00:17:52.43\00:17:54.27 They're not happy right now, 00:17:54.30\00:17:55.60 but God is still there. Walk us through this. 00:17:55.64\00:17:57.61 >>Dr. Moskala: And we understand why they are not happy, 00:17:57.64\00:17:59.94 because they are expecting that God will intervene, 00:18:00.04\00:18:02.81 that He will do-- that what He promised, 00:18:02.84\00:18:05.28 it will be immediately fulfilled, 00:18:05.31\00:18:08.02 as we expect that in our life. 00:18:08.05\00:18:10.89 And God's timing is different than our timing. 00:18:10.92\00:18:13.52 But what is really great here, that in that moment 00:18:13.56\00:18:17.53 of the ultimate frustration, even for Moses, "Why I am here?" 00:18:17.56\00:18:22.50 You know, "You sent me here, and the situation is even worse. 00:18:22.53\00:18:26.07 "If I would be not there, it will be better. 00:18:26.10\00:18:28.44 So, why, why I am sent?" 00:18:28.47\00:18:30.94 And in that very difficult down, God is saying, 00:18:30.97\00:18:35.34 "Well, I will rescue my people now." 00:18:35.38\00:18:38.68 And He is now promising-- and this is from chapter 6 on-- 00:18:38.71\00:18:43.32 that He's saying, "Now you will see 00:18:43.35\00:18:45.49 what I will do to Pharaoh." 00:18:45.52\00:18:48.22 So God is--God's timing is now here, and He's saying, 00:18:48.26\00:18:52.96 "Now is the time. I will do it." 00:18:52.99\00:18:55.93 And you have in the first eight verses 00:18:55.96\00:18:59.60 beautiful, beautiful testimony of God, how He is saying 00:18:59.63\00:19:05.94 what He will be for His people. 00:19:05.97\00:19:08.28 This is so important that in the Jewish tradition 00:19:08.31\00:19:11.68 they are reciting these passages here 00:19:11.71\00:19:15.32 every time when they are celebrating Passover. 00:19:15.35\00:19:18.85 And it's also so important for us because we are 00:19:18.89\00:19:22.02 God's people, and He's also telling us 00:19:22.06\00:19:25.09 how He wants to rescue us, not only 00:19:25.13\00:19:27.66 from the physical oppression but also from the oppression 00:19:27.73\00:19:31.17 of sin and evil in which we are living, in oppression 00:19:31.20\00:19:34.54 of our own thoughts and our fears. 00:19:34.57\00:19:38.21 And God is coming and saying from verse 2, 00:19:38.24\00:19:41.64 remember who I am: "I am the Lord." 00:19:41.68\00:19:44.65 This is that Yahweh. 00:19:44.68\00:19:46.82 It's--in the Bible, there is a difference 00:19:46.85\00:19:48.92 between "Yahweh" and "Elohim." 00:19:48.95\00:19:50.92 "Elohim" is like a mighty, strong God, from "El," 00:19:50.95\00:19:55.29 whom is God of everyone, who is the Creator, 00:19:55.32\00:19:59.49 mighty God, the Ruler of the whole universe, 00:19:59.53\00:20:02.66 King of kings, and Lord of lords. 00:20:02.70\00:20:05.17 But "Yahweh" is like a very intimate, close God, 00:20:05.20\00:20:09.04 personal God, who is intervening into our human effort. 00:20:09.07\00:20:13.94 He's God of the covenant. 00:20:13.98\00:20:16.08 And this God is now saying, "I am Yahweh. 00:20:16.11\00:20:20.05 I am this who I am," okay? 00:20:20.08\00:20:23.05 And then He says, "I appeared to Abraham, 00:20:23.08\00:20:27.02 to Jacob, to Isaac, and I am Almighty God." 00:20:27.06\00:20:32.76 This is interesting that God is saying, "I am Almighty," 00:20:32.79\00:20:35.66 in that context because He wants to tell them, 00:20:35.70\00:20:39.53 "I can do things what you think that are, like, 00:20:39.57\00:20:43.94 "not done, and I will make my name known. 00:20:43.97\00:20:50.15 "I did not make myself known to them so well. 00:20:50.18\00:20:53.98 "I want that you will now know me. 00:20:54.02\00:20:57.05 "I also established my covenant with them. 00:20:57.09\00:21:00.49 And I hear," again, it's repeated, the groaning, 00:21:00.52\00:21:04.49 the crying. And then you have this beautiful statement: 00:21:04.53\00:21:08.90 "I will remember my covenant." 00:21:08.93\00:21:11.07 I promise that, and it will be fulfilled. 00:21:11.10\00:21:13.54 And you have now four very important, redemptive, 00:21:13.57\00:21:17.31 like, salvific verbs what God will do. 00:21:17.34\00:21:21.91 "I will bring [them] out from under the yoke 00:21:21.94\00:21:25.91 of...Egyptians." This is the first. 00:21:25.95\00:21:27.98 Second, "I will free you from being slaves to them." 00:21:28.02\00:21:32.52 And third, "I will redeem you." 00:21:32.55\00:21:34.59 I will save you "with an outstretched arm 00:21:34.62\00:21:39.76 and with mighty acts of judgment." 00:21:39.79\00:21:42.06 And fourth, "I will take you as my people, 00:21:42.10\00:21:45.40 and I will be your God." 00:21:45.43\00:21:48.67 And so God is really telling, "I will now intervene, 00:21:48.70\00:21:53.58 "and this will be different. 00:21:53.61\00:21:55.48 Even though Pharaoh says, 'No,' you watch, 00:21:55.51\00:22:00.35 and you will be surprised." 00:22:00.38\00:22:02.35 And He is promising not only that He will do this thing, 00:22:02.38\00:22:06.32 "I will free you, I will bring you out. 00:22:06.35\00:22:09.52 I will redeem you, I will save you," 00:22:09.56\00:22:12.56 but also now, "I will take you as my people." 00:22:12.59\00:22:17.27 He wants to enter into the relationship with them, 00:22:17.30\00:22:21.40 that they will really know Him, personally know Him. 00:22:21.44\00:22:24.77 And it's saying, "And I will take you as my people, 00:22:24.81\00:22:30.08 and I will be your God." 00:22:30.11\00:22:33.42 So suddenly from this, you know, place between God and Pharaoh 00:22:33.45\00:22:39.65 and God and people, now it's very personal. 00:22:39.69\00:22:44.43 God is coming and saying, "You are my people, 00:22:44.46\00:22:47.93 "and I will do something for you. 00:22:47.96\00:22:50.13 "As I called your forefathers to follow me, 00:22:50.17\00:22:53.07 "now I will do unique things for you. 00:22:53.10\00:22:57.74 You will be my people." 00:22:57.77\00:22:59.57 And this in the Bible is a very significant formula 00:22:59.61\00:23:03.65 because it's a covenant formula. 00:23:03.68\00:23:06.01 It's, I think, here for the first time mentioned 00:23:06.05\00:23:08.95 in the Scriptures, and this formula 00:23:08.98\00:23:11.59 will be always repeated: 00:23:11.62\00:23:14.79 "I am your God, and you will be my people." 00:23:14.82\00:23:19.76 And throughout the Bible, when this formula appears, 00:23:19.79\00:23:24.47 it's a covenant formula. 00:23:24.50\00:23:26.13 And covenant is nothing else than legal establishment 00:23:26.17\00:23:30.11 of relationship between God and us. 00:23:30.14\00:23:33.07 This is God who makes covenant with us, 00:23:33.11\00:23:35.18 not we with Him. 00:23:35.21\00:23:37.58 And through this covenant, He wants to assure 00:23:37.61\00:23:40.38 that He is faithful, that He is keeping His promises, 00:23:40.42\00:23:44.79 and no matter what He's against, He will fulfill it. 00:23:44.82\00:23:49.42 So this merciful, compassionate God, gracious God, 00:23:49.46\00:23:54.50 He is now telling, "I will intervene, 00:23:54.56\00:23:57.47 "and our relationship will be great. 00:23:57.50\00:24:00.70 "It will be established on the new level. 00:24:00.74\00:24:05.11 "I will be your God, you will know me personally, 00:24:05.14\00:24:09.38 "and you will be my people, because I claim you 00:24:09.41\00:24:13.42 as my people." 00:24:13.45\00:24:15.15 And so God, in order to help people to be 00:24:15.18\00:24:20.76 really in that relationship, He knows that He needs first 00:24:20.79\00:24:24.23 to liberate them. 00:24:24.26\00:24:26.16 This is why there's redemptive, salvific promises. 00:24:26.19\00:24:29.43 "I will," you know, "bring you out. 00:24:29.46\00:24:33.84 "I will make you free. I will redeem you. 00:24:33.87\00:24:37.67 I will save you, and you will be mine." 00:24:37.71\00:24:40.48 >>Eric: So he's making these promises to His people, 00:24:40.51\00:24:43.35 explaining to them what He's going to do among them 00:24:43.38\00:24:47.58 and in them and for them. >>Dr. Moskala: Exactly, exactly. 00:24:47.62\00:24:50.95 >>Eric: And there's something that happens here. 00:24:50.99\00:24:52.95 Moses performs some miracles to demonstrate 00:24:52.99\00:24:55.59 God's power and authority. 00:24:55.62\00:24:57.73 Walk us through some of those miracles. 00:24:57.76\00:24:59.13 We don't have a whole lot of time, 00:24:59.16\00:25:00.46 but help us to understand these miracles that He performs. 00:25:00.50\00:25:02.53 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, He performs, you know, this change 00:25:02.56\00:25:07.57 of the stick into the serpent. 00:25:07.60\00:25:10.81 And later on, we will see how in their encounter, they will see 00:25:10.84\00:25:20.02 the mighty acts of God by the plagues. 00:25:20.05\00:25:23.45 So this will be the next lesson, which we'll be seeing how God 00:25:23.49\00:25:29.72 in His mercy but also in His power is intervening 00:25:29.76\00:25:34.46 and showing who is here in charge, that people 00:25:34.46\00:25:38.43 will be not confused, that they will be not slave 00:25:38.47\00:25:40.94 in their mind to all these forces 00:25:40.97\00:25:45.24 they see around them. 00:25:45.27\00:25:47.38 And it's very, you know, maybe discouraging 00:25:47.41\00:25:50.88 that when God is giving this final promise, 00:25:50.91\00:25:54.62 "I will now do something," that when Moses is coming 00:25:54.65\00:25:59.95 and telling it to the people, we read, like, I think, 00:26:00.06\00:26:05.19 it in verse 9: 00:26:05.23\00:26:07.13 "Moses reported this to the Israelites, 00:26:07.20\00:26:09.60 "but they did not listen to him 00:26:09.63\00:26:12.77 because of their discouragement and [cruel bondage]." 00:26:12.80\00:26:16.84 Maybe we sometimes are in the big pain 00:26:16.87\00:26:19.84 and we do not see the solution. 00:26:19.87\00:26:24.35 But this is probably the time when God is really in charge, 00:26:24.38\00:26:30.15 when He come and He can rescue us. 00:26:30.19\00:26:32.79 And "then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go, 00:26:32.82\00:26:35.92 tell [the] Pharaoh.'" 00:26:35.96\00:26:37.76 And after, you know, "If the Israelites 00:26:37.79\00:26:41.13 will not listen to me," Moses is saying, 00:26:41.16\00:26:46.74 "Why I should go to Pharaoh when people 00:26:46.77\00:26:51.21 are not believing You?" 00:26:51.24\00:26:53.24 And God is saying, "Now you go, and big things will happen." 00:26:53.27\00:26:58.05 And then you have the story how God is now intervening 00:26:58.08\00:27:02.65 through these 10 plagues, and Pharaoh is learning 00:27:02.68\00:27:09.22 who is really in control, if it is God or him. 00:27:09.26\00:27:13.80 >>Eric: So we're about to see God reveal 00:27:13.83\00:27:16.36 His incredible power through these plagues, 00:27:16.40\00:27:20.14 His ability to deliver through these plagues, 00:27:20.17\00:27:23.27 and that's what we're going to be looking at next week. 00:27:23.30\00:27:25.84 We're going to be diving into the 10 plagues, 00:27:25.87\00:27:29.44 a powerful, powerful study. 00:27:29.48\00:27:32.15 We're glad that you are joining us on this journey. 00:27:32.18\00:27:35.05 We're looking at the Exodus from beginning to end 00:27:35.08\00:27:38.55 and seeing how we can learn these lessons and apply them 00:27:38.59\00:27:41.32 to our lives today. 00:27:41.36\00:27:44.03 If you happen to have missed the first couple of episodes, 00:27:44.06\00:27:46.36 you can still go back and watch them on itiswritten.tv 00:27:46.39\00:27:49.83 or on the It Is Written YouTube channel. 00:27:49.86\00:27:52.03 But we look forward to seeing you again 00:27:52.07\00:27:53.60 with us again next week when we're taking a look 00:27:53.64\00:27:56.44 at lesson number four, "The Plagues." 00:27:56.47\00:27:59.44 We'll see you then. 00:27:59.47\00:28:01.28 [uplifting music] 00:28:01.31\00:28:05.31 [uplifting music] 00:28:24.80\00:28:26.77 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.aberdeen.io] 00:28:26.80\00:28:29.80