Moses, the Ark, and the Second Coming: Unlocking the Prophetic Pattern

Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. And again, it's good to have everybody back with us. And for those of you watching on television, in case this is the first time you've watched, we're just an informal Bible study. We do not hold any one denominational line. We're not trying to convince people out of one and into another. We just like to have people learn how to study the Word on their own and to enjoy it as they do so. So, if you'll turn with me again to where we left off at the end of our last program, in Exodus chapter 2, Israel is now exploding in population. The pharaohs, in order to control it, have put them under extreme servitude. And now, of course, God is going to step into the picture and get ready to deliver His covenant people. But He's going to take a deliverer. And so now in chapter 2, we have the birth of what the Bible calls the deliverer. And there went a man of the house of Levi, and he took to wife a daughter of Levi, and the woman conceived and bare a son. And when she saw that he was a... Underline the word, goodly, because that just simply again in the Hebrew meant that they by faith, as we saw in the last program, by faith they saw that he was not just a pretty baby physically, but that here was something that God was going to use. He was special. And so they took extra pains to keep him alive, all right? So when they saw that he was this kind of a child, she hid him three months. Then, when she could no longer hide him, in verse 3, she took for him an ark of bulrushes. Now remember, an ark is an ark. And remember when we were way back in Genesis, I told you that the Hebrew word ark is also translated in the last verse of the last chapter of Genesis as what? A coffin. So it was just simply a box. It didn't necessarily have to be any certain dimensions, but an ark according to the Hebrew was just a rectangular box. Now when we get to the ark of the covenant, behind the veil, what was it? Well, it was primarily a rectangular box. Oh, it was special. It was overlaid with gold, and it had a role to play, but it wasn't anything but a rectangular box. So the same way here. She places him in a box, but just like Noah's instructions with the ark back at the flood time, God gives the same instructions here. I don't know if you've ever noticed it before. And she took for him an ark of bulrushes, in other words, made this rectangular box and daubed it or caulked it with slime and with pitch. Now, do you remember way back, that's a long time ago, when we were in Genesis chapter 6, when they made the ark, do you remember what I told you the Hebrew word translated pitch also translated atonement, atonement, and atonement is in the blood. So here again, we have that same picture that this little box that she builds for Moses is a place of safety. But more than that, God is in all this. And so she caulks it or she literally seals it with pitch, which is again a picture of the atonement, because everything here is pointing to the work of the cross. Everything in the Old Testament is looking forward to the time when Christ would become the Savior of mankind, when He would bring in the true atonement. So anyway, she daubs it with slime and with pitch, and she puts the child therein and latheth it in the flags or by the reeds at the river's brink. And his sister, which we're quite sure must have been Miriam, and she stood afar off to watch to see what would be done to him. And then verse 5, do you think it was just an accident that Pharaoh's daughter came along at this particular... No, it's not an accident. Here again is the sovereign God using even a pagan young woman. And she comes along the river and she sees this little ark or this little box floating in the water. And at the very same moment that she spies at what happens from within, the baby cries. And no doubt it was a cry that just tore at her heartstrings. And so she saw it amongst the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it, verse 5. And then verse 6, and when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. Now, that's not in there just to fill space. That little weeping child at the exact right moment tugged at the heartstrings of this pagan Egyptian lady. And she had compassion on him, see? Had compassion on him and said, this is one of the Hebrew's children. She wasn't fooled, she knew who it was. And then came Miriam on the scene. And then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women? Now, hey, those Egyptians weren't any more stupid than we are. Did she know who she was referring to? Why, of course. Can I take it back to its mother? And here again, she condescends. And she doesn't say, well, daddy says all these Hebrew boys have to be put to death. She says, you go ahead. You take it back and nurse it for me. And verse 9, so Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, take this child away, nurse it for me, I'll give thee thy wages. The woman took the child and nursed it. Verse 10 now, the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, because she said, I drew him out of the water. Now, in order to prove my point here in just a moment, let's go back again to Hebrews. You might want to just keep a mark in there, because we're going to be using Hebrews 11 quite a bit in the next few lessons. This great faith chapter, back in Hebrews 11, let's look at verse 23 and 24 again. Hebrews 11, 23 and 24. Hebrews 11, verse 23, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw, or they understood, we read that in the last program, that he was a proper child, and consequently they were not afraid of the king's commandment. So far, so good. Now look at verse 24, By faith, when Moses come to years, and he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Now you've got to come back to Acts chapter 7. Acts chapter 7. We just have to use the Scripture for all of these things, because I think over the years I've tried to make it so plain. I don't want anyone to try to remember what I think. Once in a while I'll put it that way, hey, this is my idea, I'm just projecting, but most of the time I want people to see what the book says, because what man says or thinks doesn't amount to anything. Yet we have to be able to come back and substantiate everything from the Scripture. All right, now it says, When Moses was come to years, well how old was he? Exodus doesn't tell us, but Acts chapter 7 does. Come down to chapter 7, and let's just start with verse 19, because here Stephen at this tremendous sermon is reviewing all the Old Testament. And he says here in verse 19, The same, that is, the king that knew not Joseph, the same dealt subtly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair. You see, there's that same analogy that he was a special child, not that he was extra pretty or had curly locks or anything like that, but that he was designated by God Himself for a special role. He was exceeding fair, was nourished up in his father's house three months, and when he was cast out, that is, put in the river, Pharaoh's daughter took him up and nourished him for her own son. Now verse 22, And Moses was learned, or educated, in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Now stop a minute, have you ever seen the Dalai Lama or any of the Buddhist monks in television news or anything? And have you ever realized that the only real education in those nations that are under that kind of idolatry is through the priests? That's the only education that's available. If a young lad up in Tibet wants to get an education, he's going to have to get his education under the priests, and the same way under the Buddhists for the most part. Now same way here, when Moses received his education in Egypt, from whom did he receive it? Well, from their idolatrous mythological priests, and so he was saturated with all the idolatrous doctrines and worship of the Egyptians. Now remember, he's only been in his mother's care until he's weaned, and then he goes right from their home into Pharaoh's palace and is now under that influence. Now that's why I want you back here in Acts chapter 7, because Hebrews said that when he comes to years, it was faith that prompted him to choose the Hebrews rather than Egypt. Now how old was he? Verse 22, and he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, was mighty in words and deed, and when it was full, 40, 40 years old. He's been 35 years away from his kinfolk. How did he know that he would choose to be with the people of God? Well we said by faith, but faith has to come from a word. Where did he get it? Those first five years, now this will shock a lot of people, but it's still common in the Middle East. Mothers did not wean their children from the breast until they were five, sometimes six years old. So you see, little Moses, even though as soon as he was weaned, he went to Pharaoh's daughter, yet he was more than likely with his mother and his father for five years. Now I think all of you know that what do our Catholic friends say, especially the priesthood? Give me a young lad until he is six, and he's a Catholic forever. Why? Psychiatrists now tell us that what a child puts together up here in those first six years are going to be the biggest influence in the rest of his life. So Moses, now then come back with me to Exodus if you will, so Moses in those five years that he was nursing on his mother's breast, believe it or not, it was more than just the physical sustenance, but all his parents were people of faith, and they had revealed to Moses that someday, someday the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is going to take us out of Egypt, and He's going to put us back up in the land of Canaan because that's what He promised them. And Moses by the time he's five years old has that locked in, and that in spite of 35 years of being under pagan idolatrous and of all the sumptuousness of Pharaoh's lifestyle, Moses never forgot. Oh, maybe he didn't respond to it for a long time. But again I always have to remind people, I have so many parents that get, oh they get distraught, and I can see why over their wayward children when they're sometimes teenagers or 20. And I don't do it glibly, but I'll always remind them. You know the book of Proverbs says that if you'll train up a child in the way he should go, it doesn't say he'll always stay with it, but what does it say? When he is old or older, he will not depart from it. So I tell parents, never give up, because even though your children have been trained and they're in the Word, they know the Word, and they may stray from it during those youthful years, I think God will bring them back. And I've seen over and over where that's exactly what He does. And when these kids reach a maturity, maybe even in their 30s, they'll suddenly realize, hey, Mom and Dad weren't so dumb after all, and they'll come back to it. And so I always tell parents, I've told a bunch of them, don't give up on them. Don't cut the lines of communication, because what they have picked up while they were under your roof, someday is going to start ringing a bell, and they'll come back to those precepts. So anyway, now if you're back in Exodus chapter 2, Moses having had all this put in his little mind by the time he's 5, and he goes to Pharaoh's house for the next 35 years, becomes the greatest man in Egypt, the great engineer, the city builder, the great army general. He had it all. And on top of that, he was probably the economist. He was probably the chairman of the federal, well, I lost my word, for the banking system. He was probably, see, yeah. And he was in charge of just about everything in Egypt. And there was a lot of economics involved. Now you want to remember, he had gathered everything for 7 years in order to feed the world that then was for the next 7. And so federal reserve, that's what I was trying to think of. He was chairman of the federal reserve. Once in a while words escape you, you know. But nevertheless, Moses was a man of tremendous power and influence, but in the midst of an idolatrous people. Now let's read on. Came to pass when he was grown, that he went out to his brethren, and he looked on their burdens, and he saw or spied an Egyptian smiting or striking a Hebrew, one of his brethren. Verse 12, so he looked this way and that way. In other words, to make sure that no one would see. He saw that there was no man, and he slew, he killed the Egyptian. Like I say, Moses was not some puny little individual. I think he was probably, like I said, one of their head generals. He had probably fought quite a few wars, and he was again a man's man. And I think with one blow, he put this Egyptian in the sand. It was that easy for him. So then when he realized what he had done, of course, and he had slain the Egyptian, and he hid him or buried him in the sand. Now verse 13, and he went out the second day or the next day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews are fighting, two Jews fighting with each other. And he said to him that did the wrong, wherefore smitest thou thy fellow or your brother? And the Jew responds, who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Now right there it should ring a bell. Where do you get that very same statement? Well, up in the New Testament, when Jesus had presented himself as Israel's king, what did Israel say the morning of his trial? Who made you a ruler over us? And when the Roman authorities asked Israel, is he your king? What was their answer? We have no king but Caesar. And so see, all of this is laying the groundwork. And so they reject Moses, and they have nothing to do with him because who made you to be a ruler over us? Now I think we've got enough time left. I told you we'd be coming back to Acts chapter 7. Come back again. Acts chapter 7. Now for those of you who may not have done a lot of Bible study or reading, Acts chapter 7 is merely the sermon of Stephen, who was one of the six deacons that were appointed back there in Acts chapter 6, you remember, a man full of the Holy Spirit. And he also, as Peter has been doing in the 11 for the last several years, I think this is about seven years now after Pentecost, and for seven years or at least six or better, Peter and the 11 and the other believing Jews have been presenting Israel with their king even though they crucified him, God had raised him from the dead, and he could still be their king. All right. So here Stephen begins this appeal to the nation of Israel, trying to convince them that the one they killed was their Messiah. And so he goes through the whole history of it, as I mentioned before. But now let's come back, oh, into verse ... let's start at verse 9. Pick up the account of Joseph, and that's why I'm glad we studied Joseph at least a little bit in the last couple or three weeks. I trust that you're remembering what we spoke concerning him. And so in verse 9, Stephen says the patriarchs moved with envy, that is the 11 brothers or the 10. Benjamin was at home. So the 10 brothers moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him. And he delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Now you know this has happened so often through human history, where a Jew who is foreign in a Gentile land, yet he becomes one of the top men in government. Another one you all know real well was who? Daniel. Daniel became the second man in the Babylonian empire. It was overrun by the Medes and Persians, but Daniel survives and becomes the second man in the Mede and Persian empire. And so it has been all through human history. Well, same thing happened here with Joseph. He comes in as a slave, he ends up the second man in Egypt. Verse 11, and now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt, and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers found no sustenance, nothing to eat. But when Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. Now verse 13, I always have in my class when we teach Acts, and how I love to teach the book of Acts. It's the most exciting teaching that I think I can do. But anyway, verse 13, and at the underline or highlight the word second, and the second time, Joseph was made known to his brethren. You remember the account? You remember the brethren came down from Canaan the first time with their little donkeys and their carts to get grain to take back to Canaan? And who was the guy they had to bump into? Well, Joseph. Joseph knew who they were, but they didn't know who he was. And it all, and it shook them up. You remember that he set a banquet for them before they were to go back, and he set them at the table, the eldest to the youngest, and on their way home they were all concerned. Now how did that Egyptian know who was the oldest right on down to the youngest? How did he know? See, he knew them, but they did not know him. But now as the story rolled on, they ran out of food, and Jacob had to send the brethren back the second time. Now when they get there the second time, what do they find out? Who Joseph is. Remember? And oh, the great elation and how they wept tears in that final reunion when they suddenly realized that this second man in Egypt was really their savior. Oh, because he had the food that they would have never had otherwise, but on top of that he was their own brother the second time. Now come all the way on over to verse 24, and let's pick up Stephen's account now of Moses again. Verse 24, and so Moses seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him and avenged him who was oppressed, and he smote the Egyptian. For he, Moses, supposed his brethren would have understood. Now stop a minute. When Moses in his place of power and prestige and no doubt wealth, and he approached these Jews out there in the sand, what did Moses really think that they would do? Well, he thought they would recognize him now as the one that could get them out of their slavery, and he was ready to. Now of course, Moses was a little ahead of God's timetable, but Moses thought that surely he could deliver his people out of Egypt. And that's exactly what Stephen is saying here. He thought, Moses did, that these Jews that he had approached would have understood, see, that he was to be their deliverer. Verse 25 again, so he supposed that his brethren would have understood how that God by his, Moses' hand, would deliver them, but, what's the next words? They understood not. Then verse 26, and the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, he again appeals to them, and he said, Sirs, your brethren, why do you do wrong one to another? Verse 27, but he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me as you did the Egyptians yesterday? Then fled Moses, he left the country. Now, are you using your mind? Are you thinking ahead? When is all this repeated? Why is all this set back here in the Old Testament? Well, isn't that exactly what happened to Jesus? He came unto his own, and he presented himself as their king. He proved his credentials with all of his miracles. I'll never forget some little things just stick in my mind. In one of my telecom classes here several months ago, we were talking about this very thing of why did Jesus perform all these miracles? I got one or two old retired, I shouldn't say old retired, but I got one or two elderly retired pastors in that class, and the one was sitting right there on my left, and I'll never forget his answer, and I'm always going to use it. He said he validated who he was. That was why he performed those miracles. He validated who he was. Israel should have known, just like these Jews should have known what Moses was trying to do, but they understood not. All right, as time went by, Jesus presented himself. They rejected him. They said, we'll not have this man to rule over. What'd they do? They killed him. They killed him. They rejected him. And what did God do according to Psalms 110 verse 1? God said, come sit at my father's right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. He left the world. He left the country, so to speak, and he is now like an exiled king in glory. But I always like to put it this way, those of us who remember World War II, whenever a government went into exile, what did they wait for? The day that they could go back. All right, now that's the way I want you to picture Christ. He came to his people the first time they rejected him, and he went back to glory as an exile. But when he left, what in so many words did he say? I'm coming back. And that's what he will yet one day do. And then, and that's why I had you underline the word second. When he appears the, what, the second time. Israel always has to have a first time, it seems, that they can show their ignorance. But the second time, they're going to. Now, let me take you back to the Old Testament, then to Zechariah, verses that I'm sure we've looked at in earlier times. Go back to Zechariah chapter 12, and another one I think is in chapter 13. Let's look at chapter 12 a moment. Only have a few seconds left. Zechariah chapter 12, verse 10. And I will pour upon the house of David. Now as I read this verse, keep reminding yourself of how they treated Joseph the second time. How did they treat Moses the second time? Now here is Christ. And I will pour upon the house of David, upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication. And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced. In other words, the one that they had crucified. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him. In other words, as those leaven brothers wept tears of reunion. See, that's the mourning that's expressed here. They will mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son. Now flip over in just a second left, chapter 13, verse 6. Now this is all at his second coming when he returns to the nation of Israel in power and glory. And then what does it say? Verse 6, and one shall say unto him, what are these wounds in thy hands? See, the wounds of crucifixion. Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Now do you see how all this ties together? Joseph appealed the first time, appeared to them the first time, they didn't know who he was. Moses goes out the first time, they don't know who he is. And Jesus comes the first time, and the scripture makes it so plain, they did not know who he was. Good point. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. A weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552.