Lesson date: 02/15/5859AA

(The Fourth Sabbath in Counting Seven Sabbaths
The 28^th Day of the Counting of the Omer)

Verses 1-2 – In verse 1 we see YHVH tell Mosheh that He has made Mosheh an elohim to Pharaoh. He is not saying that Mosheh is a god but a mighty-one or mighty man in the eyes of Pharaoh. In the eyes of Pharaoh, Mosheh is someone who carries the full weight and authority to speak in the Name of YHVH. In modern terms, he is empowered. He also declares that YHVH has made Aharon Mosheh’s prophet (spokesman).

YHVH tells Mosheh to speak all that He has told Mosheh to Aharon and Aharon will speak this to Pharaoh. The caveat is “speak all that I command you”, no more and no less.

Mat 10:18  “And you shall be brought before governors and sovereigns for My sake, as a witness to them and to the gentiles.

Mat 10:19  “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it shall be given to you in that hour what you shall speak,

Mat 10:20  for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.

Mar_13:11  “And when they lead you away and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand what you are to say. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that, for it is not you who are speaking, but the Set-apart Spirit.

Act 18:9  And the Master spoke to Sha’ul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not be silent,

Act 18:10  because I am with you, and no one shall attack you to do you evil, because I have much people in this city.”

Verses 3-4 – This is how I read it for today: I am going to harden the hearts of your family and friends and they are not going to listen (H8085 – shama) to you. ((the condensed version of 3 & 4)) Further: And I shall increase My signs and wonders in America and the world and shall bring My people out of America and the world by great judgments.

I have written this to show that there is a modern correlation to what was spoken to Mosheh for us in our lives today. YHVH is and has been judging America since 1996 and it will continue until the stench of the sins of America reach into the heavens and He says “Enough is enough”.

Gen 18:20  And יהוה said, “Because the outcry against Sedom and Amorah is great, and because their sin is very heavy,

Gen 18:21  “I am going down now to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me, and if not, I know.”

Exo_32:34  “And now, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See, My Messenger goes before you. And in the day of My visitation I shall visit their sin upon them.”

Jer_8:12  “Were they ashamed when they had done abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. So they shall fall among those who fall. They shall stumble in the time of their visitation,” said יהוה.

Luk 19:43  “Because days shall come upon you when your enemies shall build a rampart around you, and surround you and press you on all sides,

Luk 19:44  and dash you to the ground, and your children within you. And they shall not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

H7185 – קשׁה – qâshâh – BDB Definition: 1) to be hard, be severe, be fierce, be harsh. This word comes for the root word: H6983 – קושׁ – qôsh – BDB Definition: 1) (Qal) to lay bait or lure, lay a snare, lure

We see YHVH saying to Moshe “I am going to harden his heart so I can bait him for my trap.”

H226 – אוֹת – ‘ôth – oth – Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: – mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.

Gen 1:14  And Elohim said, “Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and appointed times, and for days and years,

Exo 13:9  “And it shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes, that the Torah of יהוה is to be in your mouth, for with a strong hand יהוה has brought you out of Mitsrayim.

Exo 13:10  “And you shall guard this law at its appointed time from year to year.

H4159 – מֹפֵת  מוֹפֵת – môphêth  môphêth – mo-faith’, mo-faith’ – From H3302 in the sense of conspicuousness; a miracle; by implication a token or omen: – miracle, sign, wonder

Psa 105:4  Seek יהוה and His strength; Seek His face always.

Psa 105:5  Remember His wonders which He has done, His miracles, and the right-rulings of His mouth,

Mat_24:24  “For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

Mar_13:22  “For false messiahs and false prophets shall rise and show signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

Mat 7:22  “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’

Mat 7:23  “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’

Verse 5 – This verse gives us the purpose of the signs, wonders and judgments, so that the people of Mitsrayim will know that YHVH is the Most High Elohim.

Isa 45:23  “I have sworn by Myself, a word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, so that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear.

Php 2:10  that at the Name of יהושע every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

Php 2:11  and every tongue should confess that יהושע Messiah is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father.

Rom 14:11  For it has been written, “As I live, says יהוה, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to Elohim.”

Verse 6 – This is the hard part, to do what we are commanded to do.

Psa 119:4  You have commanded us To guard Your orders diligently.

Psa 119:5  Oh, that my ways were established To guard Your laws!

Exo 19:5  ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine –

Exo 20:6  but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.

Exo 31:16  ‘And the children of Yisra’ĕl shall guard the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant.

Exo 31:17  ‘Between Me and the children of Yisra’ĕl it is a sign forever. For in six days יהוה made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”

Verse 7 – Mosheh was 80 years old and Aharon was 83. What is so important about this Scripture? It shows we are never too old to answer the call and do as we are commanded to do.

Gen 7:5  And Noaḥ did according to all that יהוה commanded him.

Gen 7:6  Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood-waters were on the earth.

Gen 12:4  So Aḇram left, as יהוה had commanded him, and Lot went with him. And Aḇram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Ḥaran.

Gen 47:8  And Pharaoh said to Yaʽaqoḇ, “How old are you?”

Gen 47:9  And Yaʽaqoḇ said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”

Gen 47:10  And Yaʽaqoḇ blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

Verses 8-12 – Mosheh and Aharon confronted Pharaoh and delivered the message as instructed. Aharon through down the rod as instructed and it transformed in a serpent. Pharaoh’s magicians ((Jannes and Jambres of 2 Tim. 3:8(KJV))) duplicated the magic but Aharon’s rod swallowed the rods of the magicians.

Mat_24:24  “For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

Mar_13:22  “For false messiahs and false prophets shall rise and show signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

I want to interject before I go any further: the word used for serpent is not nachash but rather tanniyn/tanniym- H8577 – תּנּים / תּנּין – tannı̂yn / tannı̂ym – BDB Definition:1) dragon, serpent, sea monster

I do not believe that the rod of Aharon or the magicians for Pharoah turned into a serpent or cobra as is popular to believe. I believe that the rods turned into crocodiles.

The image above has 3 crocodiles which indicates Sobek Re/Ra the god of the Nile River. The image of the Pharaoh was 2 crocodiles with a hawk above it. When the magicians threw down their rods and they turned to crocodiles, in effect, Pharaoh was saying, “Look how many gods (Sobeks) I have on my side.” In Egyptian belief the Nile River was created by the tears of Sobek: Eze 29:3  “Speak, and you shall say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I am against you, O Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, ‘My River is my own, and I, I have made it for myself.’

Eze 29:4  “And I shall put hooks in your jaws, and I shall make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales. And I shall bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, and all the fish in your rivers cling to your scales.

Never, ever underestimate the cunning nature and power of Hasatan. Jud 1:9  But Miḵa’ĕl the chief messenger, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Mosheh, presumed not to bring against him a blasphemous accusation, but said, “יהוה rebuke you!”

Verse 13 – And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, All of us have seen this happen, not with a king, pharaoh or sovereign but with our families. Do you think, that even though Mosheh and Aharon had been told to expect it that they were disappointed?

Verses 14-22 – The First Plague – BLOOD –  ((Remember Shem. 4:9)) Why blood? Blood is a symbol of a covenant so why use it for a curse?

Please notice how YHVH instructs Mosheh to tell Pharaoh the YHVH, the Elohim of the Hebrews has sent me to you. There can be no doubt of His Name or Identity.

2Ki 5:15  And he returned to the man of Elohim, he and all his company, and came and stood before him and said, “See, now I know that there is no Elohim in all the earth, except in Yisra’ĕl. And now, please take a gift from your servant.”

Verse 17 – This verse makes it plain the YHVH was the one striking the waters, not Mosheh or Aharon. Notice in verse 22 that the Egyptian took what water was left and proved they could do the same thing and by doing so showed what fools they really were. ((This reminds me of something that Wiley Coyote or the Three Stooges would do.))

Verses 23-25 – Whether or not Pharaoh turned and went into his house because of what Mosheh and Aharon had done or the foolishness of his magicians I’m quite sure he was shaking his head as he did so.

Why did the people dig around the river?

We see in verse 25 that this plague completed a sabbath.

Ahavah vberakhot,