Ex. 21: Other laws: Slavery, Injury, Bulls

Was God done with just giving them the ten commandments? Oh no. There is much more to life than just ten statutes to live by. Starting in chapter 21, God tells Moses more standards to give to the Israelites.

Slavery/Servants
A servant bought and paid for will serve for six years, and is free to go in the seventh year. He will not be separated from his wife if he has one already. However, if the master provides the servant with a wife, that wife and any children belong to the master.

If a servant does not want to be set free, and thereby separated from his wife and children whom he loves, then the master will have to take him before the judges to verify it. An awl driven through the ear of the slave into the door post signifies that he is a servant for life.

If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not allowed to go free like men after six years. If she isn't pleasing to her new master, he must let her be redeemed, traded. Because of this broken faith, the master cannot sell her to foreigners. If the master gives her as a wife to his son, she must be given full birthrights as a daughter. If this son marries another (a second?) woman, he has no right to abandon the servant he married. If he does, then the servant girl can go free, without having to buy her freedom.

Slavery is obviously a hotly debated topic, and I am trying to see both sides of it biblically. I wonder how slaves were treated before these statutes were handed down. My guess is not well. And I thought, Where do they get slaves? Possibly from conquered nations, or if someone sells one to them, as mentioned in Ex. 21:7. Why would God create laws regulating treatment of slaves if He didn't allow for it? If human lives are valuable to God, why are some more valuable than others? I'm thinking of the races on earth whose sole purpose was to test the Israelites, like the Egyptians. This is clearly something I'll need a bigger picture of. What is the point that I am potentially missing? Am I in some way a slave? Or am I in some way a master?

Personal Injuries
In a land not overrun by attorneys, God made the law pretty cut and dried, and simple to follow.

For example, anyone who kills another man receives the death penalty. God said so. In cases of manslaughter, the man is to flee to a place God will designate. This would be a case-by-case thing for God to deal with. The death penalty was also the punishment for killing mom or dad, kidnapping, kidnapping with intent to sell, or cursing mom or dad. That's a serious offense. Nowadays, what would happen if someone cursed his parents? Likely there is no law on the books regarding that...anywhere. Kidnapping? OJ is still alive.

If someone beats up a guy, but the guy lives, but he is bedridden, then the smiter is not responsible if the smitee eventually gets up and walks around with his staff. However, the smiter has to see to it that the smitee is healed and paid back for his trouble. That would make someone think twice before relentlessly pummeling someone. If he had to see to it that whoever he beat down made it back to full health (as opposed to, I don't know, being imprisoned) I think that would be a pretty good deterrent.

If someone beats up a slave and kills him or her, he will be punished. But if the slave is ok in a day or two, no big deal, as the slave is property. Again something that stings my bleeding heart, but is this simply not the way it was? The system?

I laughed at verses 22-25. Because I just pictured a fight getting so out of hand that it would injure a pregnant woman. Not that injuring a pregnant chick is funny, but two dudes whaling on each other to that extreme is cause for snickering. And here is a place in the Bible where it says "eye for an eye..."

If someone damages or knocks out an eye or a tooth of a servant, that servant is allowed to go free as compensation for his eye or tooth.

Also, check this out. If a bull gores someone to death, the bull will be stoned, and the meat uneaten. If said bull has made a habit of goring people, resulting in an unheeded warning from the owner, and it kills someone, the bull and the owner will be put to death. Unless the owner owes money. Then if he pays, his life will be spared by this redemption. In goring a slave, the bull-owner has to pay 30 shekels of silver to the slave-owner. Is 30 shekels a lot? Additionally, if a bull gores another man's bull and it dies, they have to sell the live one and divide the money and the dead animal equally. Goring-habit bulls in this situation lead to the habitual offender bull's owner having to pay, animal for animal, and the dead one is his to keep.

Just take care of your animals, people.

Also, we need to take care of how we dig our pits. If I dig a pit or leave one uncovered, and your donkey or ox falls into it, then I'm on the hook for the cost of it. But at least the carcass is mine.

Thus saith the LORD.

Ex. 20: The Ten Commandments

Up until now, God's conditional covenant with the people of Israel was rather nebulous. "Keep my commandments, obey me fully..." Well, what commandments? Obey what? Whatever you happen to say at the time? Whatever my conscience tells me is ok? Was God going to set precedent as things happened? How was a man supposed to know what was out of bounds, and what he should do as a child of God?

Well, God was about to let them know.

1. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

2. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

So, idolatry and other gods were readily available at this point in history. I'm not sure what exactly punishing children for the sin of the father to the third and fourth generation entails, whether God would put a curse on that house, or whether the sin nature is something that is evident in the father, emulated by his son, exaggerated by the grandson, and by the time the fourth generation comes around, the kid has either become completely reprobate, or rejects the sin nature of previous generations, and comes back to God. It also shows how influential a person who loves God can be to his descendants. Oh, and God makes it pretty clear He is the lone power.

3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

What I'm reading here is that the name of God is so holy, so separate from our vulgar tongues, that His name should only be used in direct reference to or in addressing Him. That's why I cringe when I hear "Oh my God," etc. Makes shows like Extreme Makeover so excruciating to watch, because it is an avalanche of misuse. Yeah, its emotional. Congrats. Stop swearing already. Using God's name as a curse on someone or something...I find that behavior unbelievable.

4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Its very easy to get caught up in work, and all the distractions of life, that we don't take a moment, even more a day, to just relax. To allow some time to be thankful to God. An entire day was set aside as a sabbath to the LORD. God rested. In our striving to be like Him, I wonder why we cut this out? Seems like it would be easy to just take a whole day off. In our society, its nigh impossible.

5. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Amen. Now that I'm all grown up, I recognize how important this command is. God gives us a reason why we should honor our father and mother. Does it mean the God will mystically give us long life through some kind of a miracle? I'm not sure. Mom and dad are pretty wise in that they have gone ahead of us, and experienced what we may have not yet. Honoring their advice and their rules is a form of self-preservation, and an extremely valuable one.

6. You shall not murder.

Murder is just about the worst thing you can do to a person, so this one seems to be a no-brainer. God included it anyway. A reference point? Is there a distinction between murder and killing? Apparently. God allowed for military killings, as we have already seen with Abram and Joshua. It's my guess that murder refers to the premeditated or random acts of violence out of hatred or revenge. Does it include animals? Unlikely, as animal sacrifice is pleasing to God. But any killed animal was used, so I wonder if just randomly killing an animal because it's there (not for protection or food) is akin to murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

Marriage was designed by God. It is not allowable to let the heart wander outside the covenant of marriage. Sexual sin is self-defeating to a marriage, whether currently or not yet married.

8. You shall not steal.

I wouldn't want anyone taking my stuff, so don't take other people's stuff. Anything that doesn't belong to you is not yours.

9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Gossip and lying about someone is not cool. Honesty is a commandment from God. Fascinating.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Coveting something, or wanting someone else's stuff for your own is pretty depressing. If I keep dwelling on something I don't have, but someone else has, I'll begin to dehumanize that someone as a person, and think of him more as a competitor. A torturer who is keeping this thing from me that I think I deserve.

So, there's the ten commandments, and looking back through them...I could see why they shouldn't have any place in a courthouse where justice is carried out...

The first four deal with our relationship with God, while the final six encourage us to treat our neighbors and fellow people the way God wants them to be treated.

And then there was thunder, and lightning and smoke. And the trumpet. The people were so scared that they thought if God were to speak to them Himself that they would die. What awe. And to think how the 3rd commandment is broken almost constantly. Moses tells them that it is their fear that is keeping them alive.

Then God gives Moses further commands on how God is to be regarded. No gods alongside Him, none made of silver or gold (or anything, probably). The altars were not to be made of dressed or cut stone. Rather of earth and stones. Using a tool on it was said to be defiling it. God also adds not to have steps go up to the altar, lest his nakedness be exposed. Protect the eyes and protect the heart, I spose.

Oh, and a tip on how to remember where the ten commandments are in the Bible...

Exodus 20. 20th chapter in the 2nd book. 20 / 2 = 10.

Ex. 19: Fire on the Mountain

Month three after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reach the Desert of Sinai, in front of the mountain. Mount Sinai, to be clear. So Moses goes up to God as he typically did, and God gives him instructions.

Moses has to remind the Israelites of what they saw God do to Egypt, and how God saved them and brought them to himself.

Exodus 19:5-6: "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

A conditional covenant. If Israel does this, God will do this. Moses tells the elders and they're like, "Yeah, we will do whatever the LORD says."

God wants to meet with Moses in a manner that the people of Israel will be able to hear their conversation. In order for Israel to be consecrated, they needed to wash their clothes, abstain from sexual relations, and be ready in three days. God is coming down onto Mount Sinai in His dense cloud for all of them to see. God tells them to barricade the mountain, and not to let anyone touch the mountain, or they will have to be put to death. God's holiness. What can you do? Not only would the offender be put to death, it would have to be via stoning or shot with arrows. No one could touch this person. Or animal. At least until the ram's horn sounded, signifying God's departure from the mountain.

On the morning of the third day, it was the God show. Thunder, Lightning, loud trumpet blasts, and a trembling encampment of people. God came down in fire, and smoke poured upwards. The mountain shook violently. Seismically serious. The trumpet crescendoed. And Moses and God began to speak. God wants to make sure no unauthorized Israelites are able to push through the crowd and set foot on the mountain, and Moses tells God that they can't, because God Himself made them put up barricades.

God has Moses go down and bring Aaron up with him, but Aaron will be the only one allowed up. Apparently God has something important to say regarding this covenant.

Ex. 18: Father-In-Law's Suggestions for the Son-In-Law

Word travels fast, and amazing words travel at light-speed. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law whom we first met way back in Exodus 4:18, got word of all the amazing things God was doing through Moses.

Apparently, at some point, Moses had sent Zipporah and his two sons Gershom and Eliezer away. I don't know when, and I don't know why. Perhaps it was because she was a Midianite, and wasn't into the whole circumcision thing.

But Jethro comes to visit Moses in the desert, with Zippy and the boys in tow. I think Jethro was just kind of curious about what was going on, and wanted to witness for himself these great things God was doing. So Moses gives him the whole story.

Jethro also appears to come to some sort of a faith in God, the LORD of Israel. A priest of Midian, Jethro offers praise and a burnt offering to God, celebrating how God delivered Israel from Egypt and from those peoples who treated Israel with such arrogance.

Well, the next day, Moses takes his judgment seat in front of the Israelites. Evidently it was Moses' job to settle any disputes or issues that may arise among the Israelites. They lined up in a huge crowd around him, and sought God's will from Moses.

Jethro offered a bit of advice, with humility and grace, in that Moses should set up some trustworthy, Godly men to be his subordinates, and handle all the little petty things that come up such as parking tickets and jaywalking. Jethro suggests having officials in charge of the thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people. It will lighten Moses load, and involve more people in sharing God's commands.

Moses figured this was a pretty good idea, and picked out some guys, put them in charge, and things went the way Jethro suggested. That's neat.

Then Moses sent him on his way.

I wonder if Jethro brought God back to his own country, whether he spread it around, or kept it to himself, or if this newfound faith faded.

Ex. 17: Drink Struck Rock, Amalekites Get Doomed

In Chapter 17, there are a couple of very interesting stories. The first is how the Israelites get fresh water from a rock, and the second is the Israelites' first big military victory.

In the middle of the Israelites' wandering, they set up camp at a place called Rephidim. Great place to set up camp, Israel, there's no water there. So what do they do? Freak out and get mad at Moses. Of course. They set their requests too low. They don't really recognize at this point that it isn't by Moses' power that they are fed or able to drink fresh water.

Again with the melodrama. Again with the pining to be back in Egypt.

And Moses, losing his cool, cries out to God, saying, "Help, these people are ready to stone me! What do I do?"

God instructs Moses to take up the same staff with which he struck the Nile back in chapter 7, bring some of the elders out to this rock at Horeb, and strike the rock. God, who will be standing there with him, will cause potable water to flow from the rock. He was probably invisible, or in His cloud. What an amazing miracle! This rock, probably fairly big since it was named "the rock at Horeb," bursts forth with a spring of water that everyone can drink. Awesome stuff. God didn't just make water come up from the ground. Moses had to hit a rock with a stick. Why is that? Couldn't God have just done the underground water thing? I wonder why God chose to go through a man. And water poured out. A lifesaving water. From the rock.

Moses called this place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested God.

God was among them.

Verse 8 begins the second half of the chapter with Israel under attack from the Amalekites (the same Amalekites who were defeated by the king of Elam in Gen. 14:7). Apparently the Amalekites were not too fond of Israel settling there in Rephidim, temporary as it may have been. So Moses goes and finds a man named Joshua to raise an army to fight them.

As Joshua and his men fight the Amalekites, Moses stands on a hill above the battle. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites would be winning. But whenever Moses lowered his hands, the Israelites would begin to lose. How completely weird. Why would it be like this? Moses raises his hands, I don't know if it was a touchdown type of pose or perhaps it was more like his arms were outstretched from his sides, like a "T." When the hands are lowered, Israel faces defeat. One can only speculate.

Anyway, as you'd expect, Moses arms get tired eventually, so Aaron and Hur (I don't know who Hur is yet, I just met him now) get a rock for him to sit on, and then hold his hands up until sunset, giving Joshua enough time to put the Amalekite army to the sword. Victory in battle comes through someone else's actions and power.

God wants this series of events remembered, so he instructs Moses to write it all down on a scroll as such, and to make sure Joshua knows about it, which may be what we are reading here. The name of Amalek will be completely blotted out from under heaven. Was this the son of Esau in Genesis 36:12? Amalekites existed before then though, too. Scary stuff though, to have God say He would blot your name out from under heaven. There's no reason to carry on at this point. And why weren't the Egyptians subject to this kind of fate? Sure, they lost their entire army, but they held the Israelites in cruel bondage for 430 years. God deals with certain people differently at His will, apparently.

Moses' altar to the LORD here is called "The LORD is my Banner." Moses said there was a precedent set here. With the hands lifted up to Him, God will be at war with the Amalekites from now on.

Ex. 16: What is It?

In chapter 16, we are a mere 45 days out from having escaped the Egyptians. Apparently the cuisine in the desert was not as delectable as what was served to them between whippings in Egypt. So the Israelites again grumbled to Moses. Once again, the melodrama, "If only we had died in Egypt! At least there we sat around pots of meat and ate all we wanted, but now here we are in the desert starving to death." Talk about a lack of perspective. No foresight. No expectations of God to deliver.

This makes me wonder...maybe freedom is a desert at times. Maybe in freedom, there is wandering. Do we expect too much from our freedom from whatever it was that had us in bondage? Do we miss our bondage because we perceive that life was better then?

The LORD pulls Moses aside and tells him that He is going to rain bread down from heaven. It came with instructions...

1. They are only allowed to gather enough for that day. Every day.

2. On the sixth day, they are to prepare what they bring, and should gather enough for two days, as the seventh day will be one of what's called "sabbath" rest.

Moses goes and tells the Israelites that they can expect this miracle from God, so they will know again that He is the LORD, and they He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. Also, he adds that they shouldn't grumble against him and Aaron. Moses and Aaron don't have the power to induce anything grumble-worthy. But the Israelites saw that Moses was being used by God.

Anyway, that evening, quail came and covered the camp. So...there was lots of quail. The next morning the dew was replaced by thin wafers like frost on the ground. The Israelites emerged from the tent, and marveled at the sight.
"What is it?" They asked one another. That's how it got the name...Manna. It was white and tasted like wafers made with honey.

"What it is," Moses said, "is the bread the LORD has given you to eat." And Moses disseminated the command God had given to him earlier.

Some of them were like, whatever, I'm not listening, and gathered too much. By morning it was all maggoty and rotten. There was just enough time in the morning for the Israelites to gather however much they needed before the sun melted it away. So this bread was just enough for everyone. It wasn't possible to have too much. Everyone had what they needed.

God commands a day of rest beginning in Exodus 16:23. The Israelites were commanded to do all of their work on the sixth day, so that they could rest on the seventh. Like creation. This time around, the gathered extra did not get all maggoty and rotten.

When people went out on the seventh day anyway, there was nothing to be gathered. There was no benefit to working when God commanded rest.

Moses and Aaron take an omer of manna, and preserved it in a jar before the LORD, so that future generations would be able to see the bread God provided for them in the wilderness. For forty years, this manna sustained the people of Israel until they reached the border of Canaan.

Ex. 15: The Song of Moses; Bitter Water Sweet

With the entirety of the Egyptian army now bloated and rotting corpses bobbing in the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites revel in the vanquishing of their oppressors in song. This is lyrical worship at its simplest, and deepest.

This song sets a standard for worship in a couple of ways.

It recounts who God is - Highly exalted, our strength and defense, our salvation, a warrior, solely the LORD, majestic in power, holy, awesome, wondrous, unfailingly loving, the redeemer, a sanctuary, reigning forever.

It glories in the things that God has done or will do - Hurled horse and driver into the sea, drowned the best of Pharaoh's officers (who says worship has to be generic?), shattered the enemy, threw down (on) those who opposed him (and us), unleashed a consuming anger, piled up surging waters, covered the enemy, will guide us to His holy dwelling, will tremble the nations, will grip them with fear, power will be still as a stone, will bring His people in and plant them on the mountain of inheritance ( I claim this verse - Exodus 15:17 - right here...what an amazing thought, that God would plant us on a mountain of inheritance in the place He made for His dwelling...a beautiful sanctuary), will reign forever and ever.

It tells us who we are in Him - his subjects, those who exalt Him, benefactors of His power and victory, delivered, redeemed, protected, servants of the one and only God, purchased by Him (Ex. 15:16), We are His, and will be gathered unto Him someday.

After leaving the Red Sea, the Israelites were three days on the road into the Desert of Shur. They came to Marah, where the water was bitter. I don't know what makes water bitter, or why that's bad, but the Israelites were not happy with that. So they grumbled to Moses about it. Apparently some of them did not hear or remember the song.

So Moses passes the complaint on to God, and He pointed out a piece of wood to Moses to throw into the water, and it became sweet. You happy now, Israelites?

So the Lord then issues a ruling that if the Israelites listen carefully to God, and do what is right in His eyes, pay attention to His commands and decrees...basically do whatever He says, He will protect them from the diseases He brought upon the Egyptians. Because He is the LORD. Because He can do that.

We'll see how long this lasts.

Then the Israelites set up camp in Elim, where there were 12 springs (probably sweet) and 70 palm trees.

Ex. 14: Across the Sea on Dry Land

The Israelites are making their way out of Egypt. Boldly, and with out trepidation. God is ahead of them, leading them. Pharaoh let them go, the Egyptians are backing them. Life is good.

God is still not done showing his power, though.

As the Israelites are traveling, God has them stop at a place called Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. This is meant to make Pharaoh think that the Israelites are wandering around, and trapped by this huge natural boundary. Well, God allows Pharaoh to come to what's left of his senses momentarily, and, slapping his forehead, Pharaoh exclaims, "What have we done? We let our slaves go!" So Pharaoh readies his armies, including 600 of his best chariots, plus all his other kinda mediocre chariots, all with officers, and Pharaoh sends his armies after Israel.

As the Egyptians get closer and closer, Israel sees them, and then they freak out, and cry out to God. They accuse Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to die because there were no graves left back there. What a cynical take. They are in danger, and they need protection. They assume they are going to be killed, there's no sense of fight in them, even though they probably significantly outnumbered Pharaoh's army.

Here is what Moses says, and I love this. It removes any power that fear may have over Israel. "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Man, I love that in verse 14. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Isn't that amazing? I don't even have to take up arms or fear death, because it is the LORD fighting for me. I need only to be still. Not to be nervous. Not to be distracted. I can focus on God, and not on my own talent, my own fortitude.

God tells Moses to tell the Israelites to move on. Even though they are right by the Red Sea. And Egypt pursuing hard behind them. I wonder how these Israelites must have felt, having been told to pick up and get moving again. To leave camp and head for the sea. Futile? Last chance? Probably. I can't imagine they felt confident in their leadership at this point.

God also tells Moses to raise his staff over the sea and divide, so that the Israelites can go through the sea, and then God will influence the Egyptians to go in after them. And then God vaguely says that the Egyptians will know He is the LORD.

Tactically, the angel of God moves from leading the Israelites to bringing up the rear, standing behind them, between them and the advancing Egyptian army. Kinda weird here is how verse 20 says that this pillar of cloud brought darkness to one side, and light to the other, so that neither side went near the other all night long. Wow. That is something I wish I could have seen...its like a wall of light. Except being in the dark, you wouldn't be able to see what was in the light, not like looking out of a dark room into a lit room. What a bizarre phenomenon.

So Moses stretches his hand out over the sea, and all that night, God drove the sea back with a strong east wind, and turned it to dry land. With the waters divided, Israel walked across, with a wall of water on each side. Another absolutely mind-blowing occurence. I always through it was an instant division, but the Word says God sent this wind to blow all night. It doesn't say Israel trudged through a muddy swamp during a dry season, they walked across the Red Sea on dry land, with a high wall of water on both sides. Awesome.

As Egypt pursued, God allowed them to get into the sea, and then jammed their wheels so they couldn't drive. And they were conscious of the fact that it was the LORD fighting for Israel, as God promised in Ex. 14:18. Then, with Israel safely on the other side of the Red Sea, at daybreak, God has Moses stretch his hand back out over the sea, and the water went back into its place. The walls of water crashed down around the Egyptians, and covered the entire army of Pharaoh. No survivors. Chuck Norris? Would have drowned.

This day, the LORD saved Israel from the Egyptians. Imagine being an Israelite, looking out from camp, seeing the dead of the Egyptians washing up onshore...who were you going to trust? There was no deliverer except for the LORD.

This chapter ruled.

Ex. 13: Consecration of the Firstborn; A Redemptive Plan

Well, Exodus 13 opens up with another one of those "Bible" words that I memorized, that I sing in the hymns, but I don't really know its meaning. God says "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal."

I didn't know what consecrate actually meant, but I gathered from the context of the verse that these sons were to be set apart, made sacred for God. To be given over to God for His purpose. To let go of your own plans for something, and give it to God.

Moses then reiterates to Israel what God had said about the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

You know...

• Commemorate this every year.
• No yeast whatsoever, not even in your homes, (in the NIV, within the borders)
  
• Celebrate for seven days, and then hold a festival for God on day 7.

God also says to tell their children why they do this, and of course it is to commemorate the exodus out of Egypt. So here in Exodus 13:8 is the importance to God of telling others what great things He has done.

How important is this commemoration? It will be like a sign on the hand and a reminder on the forehead that God's law is to always be on their lips, as God brought them out of Egypt in His might. What kind of might? Well, lets consider the plagues...the frogs, the blood, the flies, hail, gnats, locusts and the death of the firstborn. Who could control that type of phenomena without being the one who created it? And it was overwhelming to those it intended to punish...or teach...and separate from those who were to be protected. God can do that.

God then explains this consecration of the firstborn. They all belong to God. God kind of set this in motion with the precedent of Abraham and Isaac back in Genesis 22. When Israel gets into the land promised to Abraham, they will consecrate their firstborn sons to God. They will also set aside the firstborn of each of their livestock to God. If the Israelites want to, they can redeem a lamb for the firstborn donkey. The lamb takes the place of the ass. However, if they choose not to redeem the ass, they must break it's neck. Apparently, thats what I'm reading.

This consecration of the firstborn is done in order to remember how God took the firstborn of the Egyptians, and yet offered a way for Israelites to be spared this horror. Future generations who were not witness to this deliverance will receive this consecration as a sort of object lesson about God's power and wilingness to spare their firstborn sons.

This is the second time God has spared the firstborn...the first being the aforementioned Abraham and Isaac episode. God also provided a substitute to take the place of the sacrifice/firstborn with the blood of a sheep...or lamb. And there was much rejoicing.

So God was leading the people out of Egypt. Whether there was some sort of a visual sign, or God led them with some sort of a mystical conscious connection, that's not really the point. He led them not through the lands of the Philistines, because he knew if the Israelites were to encounter war, they freak out and want to go back to Egypt, to their slavery. Israel probably wasn't ready for war. They spent 430 years as slaves. There was no sense of fight in them, only submission. God instead led them the long way, through the wilderness and to the Red Sea.

Interesting that Moses had the bones of Joseph with him. Weird. After 430 years, Joseph still hadn't been buried in the land of his people. In Genesis 50:25, Joseph told Israel before he died that God would hold them accountable if they didn't bring his bones out of Egypt. Fair enough, Joe, you're coming with us. So they had to be stored away somewhere for all that time...

Oh, and it is written that God led Israel with a pillar of clouds during the day, and a pillar of fire during the night. So that settles that.

Ex. 12: Enter the Destroyer: Passover

The beginning of chapter 12 is an instruction manual to Israel for how God has designed for them to celebrate the LORD's Passover. Basically, God started them off in their first month, Nisan. Apparently around March-April.

God gave very explicit instructions...you wouldn't want to screw this up, believe you me.

• On the 10th day of this month, each man will take a defectless, one-year old lamb (from sheep or goats) for their household, sharing with their neighbor if they have too much.
  

• This lamb will be slaughtered on the 14th day of the month, when all of Israel slaughters them.

• Some of the blood from this slaughtered lamb must be painted on the sides and tops of the doorframes of each house.

• That same night, they must eat every part of the lamb (head, legs, organs, etc.), and it must be roasted over a fire, not boiled in water. Probably it just tasted better. Anything left over until morning must be burned.
  

There were even instructions as to how to eat it: Ready to run: Cloak tucked into belt, sandals on feet, and staff in hand. And eat it quickly. Probably because what God is getting ready to do tonight will force a fast escape. God said He would strike down the firstborn of every household...Pharaoh on down to the prisoner in the dungeon and the livestock as well. The blood on the door will be the sign that God will pass over them. They will go untouched if they follow these instructions.

Other instructions include that any hired help or slaves could partake of the passover feast, provided they had been circumcised first. Worth it? Probably. GO under the knife to save my firstborn? Where do I sign up?

It also had to be eaten inside the house only. Don't go waving it around outside.

Don't break any bones. That was another instruction. Why would broken bones be a no-no? Is it just sloppy? Is it a sort of "disrespect" to the sacrifice? A sort of needless additional destruction when only the blood was necessary?

And this day, the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt. 430 years to the first day of official enslavement.


Interesting here, is that God tells Israel to "celebrate," not just observe or commemorate. This is a time to draw glory to God, and worship Him for His deliverance. It was meant as a festival that will continue with each generation to come.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

For seven days in this festival, the Israelites were commanded to eat bread made without yeast. They even had to remove the yeast from their houses, so no yeast accidentally even made it into the bread. In fact, anyone eating anything with yeast in it during this week was to be cut off from Israel. Period. Scary. The first and last days of this week, the Israelites were commanded to join together in a sacred assembly. Outside of preparing food for everyone to eat, there was to be no work done on these days.

The point of this feast was to celebrate God's bringing them out of Egypt.

So, first month, day 10 - 14: Passover. First month, days 14 - 21: Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Moses gathers the elders, and passes along what God told him, the Passover lamb, the blood on the doors, the protection from the destroyer. This is an angel or something, some kind of being, but I get the idea its not God Himself. Moses goes on to tell them what to tell their children if they ask why there is this feast. And the Israelites, apparently over the whole enslavement and no straw in the bricks punishment, do what he said.

As the clock strikes midnight, the LORD took out the firstborns, and Egypt resonated with the wailing of grieving familes. The Word says there was not one house without someone dead. Can you imagine?

By this time, Pharaoh had enough, and he summoned Moses and Aaron that very night, telling them to get out of there. Oh, and also to bless him.

The Egyptians also hurried the Israelites out. In the hurry, Israelites took their dough before the yeast was added, as well as the gold and silver from the Egyptians who gave it to them, essentially.

The exodus was 600,000 men, besides women and children...so I'd estimate it was at the very least 2,000,000 people? I dunno. That's probably low. Most families I've read about this far had anywhere from 2 to 5 children. What a mass of people, caterpillarring across the wilderness out of Egypt. Livestock and herds...I wish I could have seen that sight. They all had their unleavened bread, baked without yeast, because they didn't have time to snatch it up when they were being booted out of Egypt.

They lived in Egypt exactly 430 years. That's a long time to be enslaved by a country. That would be like America being enslaved since 1577. I wonder how many people lived and died only knowing enslavement to the Egyptians.

Ex.11: None Will be Exempt from Death

Chapter 11 is kind of a pause in the action, where God reiterates His plan to Moses. God says He has one more plague for Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This one is big time, and will prompt Pharaoh to drive Israel from the land completely.

God again tells Moses to have the Israelites ask their neighbors for silver and gold, because God had given them high esteem in the eyes of the Israelites. So, essentially, the Egyptians would help Israel loot Egypt.

So Moses begins to unfold God's plan to Moses. Apparently, he had not yet left Pharaoh's chamber. Come midnight, He will go through Egypt, and every firstborn son will die. Pharaoh's firstborn, the slave girl's firstborn, and even all the firstborn of the cattle, for Pete's sake. There will be loud wailing like no time since Egypt has existed. Again, the Israelites will be spared. Sounds cruel, but it shows that status is no protection from the reaper.

God is making the distinction very clear between His people, and...everyone else. But, Pharaoh's heart will be hard. But all Moses officials will bow down and reckonize, telling him to go. After that, Moses and Israel will skedaddle.

Ex. 10: Still More Plagues: Locusts, Darkness

By now in Exodus 10, I imagine Moses is either getting kind of tired of all this drama with Pharaoh saying he'll let the people go, and then not letting them go. But he is probably resigned to God's promise that God will harden Pharaoh's heart all these times. I wonder if Moses is getting to the point that his patience is running thin. "When will you release us to worship you!?" That would be my exclamation. "It's getting pointless!" I'd think.

But God tells Moses that some of this is intended to demonstrate His power to Moses' descendants. So that they could see how harshly God dealt with Pharaoh. After all, God did say to Abram in Gen. 12, and Isaac in Gen. 27 that He would bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel.

So the boys go and tell Pharaoh that unless they are released from the cruel servitude, God will send a plague of locusts to devour and destroy whatever the hail didn't get to. And the Word says they will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. Can you imagine? It will be like that part in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when they discover the ground is moving, and it's all insects. Gross dude. And what's a locust? See I always though those little grasshoppers...way off. Bigger?

When Pharaoh's officials hear this, they finally have the guts to stand up to their unquestionable ruler. "Let them go!" These people got it.

Pharaoh: "OK, go worship your God. But who is going?"

Moses: "Well, all of us, duh."

Pharaoh: "The LORD be with you -- Hey! All of you! You're clearly bent on evil. Have only the men go, that was the deal." Well, this was a Three Stooges-like change of mind mid-sentence. And it was never the deal.

Moses: "You blew it."

So, The locusts came, and did exactly as promised by God...completely demolishing all of Egypt's remaining green plants.

Pharaoh replays his "I screwed up, make it go away, and you can leave" speech, and God blows the locusts into the Red Sea. And then the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart again. So God sends the plague, removes it, then hardens Pharaoh's heart.

So then God tells Moses to stretch his hand out toward the sky, and God covers Egypt with darkness for three days. No one could see anything. It wasn't night. There was nothing to see but blackness. But the Israelites had the light. Pharaoh, fumbling around in the dark, stubbing his toes on mummies and such, summons Moses, and says, "Go worship the God, but leave your flocks and herds."

Moses: "Whatever, we need our flocks and herds in case God tells us to sacrifice them."

Pharaoh: "Get out of my sight." Which, probably everything was out of his sight. "Do not appear before me again, or you will die."

Moses: "As you say, I will never appear before you again." I wonder if this prospect troubled Pharaoh, in spite of his hardened heart. So I wonder if this madness ends here? Moses appeared before Pharaoh eleven times. Would this really be the last time?

Ex 9: More Plagues: Livestock death, Boils, Hail

This time if Pharaoh doesn't let Israel go, there will be a plague that kills the livestock. And Israel will be protected again. Pharaoh even looked into the Israelite herds and found that not one had been touched by this plague. Pharaoh does his country a favor and...still doesn't let Israel go. The magicians weren't recorded as even trying this one.

The next plague is one of boils. What is a boil? Well, pretty much the most heinous skin infection you can get. Have you ever had an infected hair follicle? That's a boil. Usually you get one, stick a hot needle in it, and your done. Well, Moses tosses a handful of soot into the air and it spreads throughout the land, covering Egyptians with boils. Imagine being covered with boils. It was so bad, the magicians couldn't even stand before Pharaoh. I figure a lot of it had to do with that they didn't want to test their magic and risk further boilage. But Pharaoh's heart is hardened.

By this time, God is interested in letting Pharaoh know there is none like Him in all the Earth. God instructs Pharaoh that He could have wiped him and his people off the face of the earth. Pharaoh wasn't getting it. But God spared him for the purpose of God using him to show His great power. Could it be that this was the sole purpose of Pharaoh's life? And the existence of Egypt and other nations outside of God's covenant? And He was going to show it with a hailstorm of biblical proportion, a storm so intense that any head of cattle or person caught out in it would perish. But God forewarned Pharaoh.

The Word says those who feared the word of the LORD brought their cattle (and slaves) inside. Those who ignored the warning left them out.

Then this hailstorm comes and the hail beats down everything growing. It even stripped the plants of their leaves. It didn't hail in Goshen, where the Israelites lived though. They were protected.

Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron, saying he has sinned. Saying "The Lord is right, and my people and I are in the wrong." Humble words. "Tell God to stop!"

Moses is like, "Alright, but I know you still don't fear the Lord." So Moses spread out his hands to the Lord, and just like usual, the plague goes away, and Pharaoh goes back to his old ways.

Ex. 8: Plagues: Frogs, Gnats and Flies

Chapter 8 reads like this:

The first plague, the bloody river, is followed a week later by the second plague: frogs.

And I'm like, frogs? Seriously? What about tigers or wasps or something? No, rather its something rather innocuous like frogs. But frogs are probably loud. Also, the Word says the frogs were in the palace, the bedrooms, and the bed. In the houses, and on the people. Into the ovens and in the kneading troughs.

These weren't frogs mildly going about their business. These were overly friendly fearless frogs.

Did the magicians do it too? You betcha. They always seem to compound a problem with their "powers." Pharaoh then asks Moses and Aaron to pray to God to remove the frogs, and then he'll let Israel slide. Moses is like, "Fine, it will be your honor." So they prayed to God, and God simply killed the frogs. All the frogs. All the frogs in the houses and ovens died, and were piled into heaps, and rotted away in the sun. Gross dude.

And Pharaoh saw some relief, and was like, "I ain't letting you go." He didn't keep his word.

So then, God doesn't even give Pharaoh a shot to refuse Moses and Aaron again, rather, He has Aaron strike the dust with his staff, and then all the dust in Egypt became gnats. Huge swarms of gnats. Pesky, tiny inhalable gnats all over the people, the cattle, in the food. Gnats. Upon gnats upon gnats. Gnasty.

And get this: The magicians couldn't duplicate this one. Why? Was it that they were not up to that level of power? I doubt it. If they could produce frogs, they could produce gnats. Verse 19 I think has our answer. "This is the finger of God," the magicians tell Pharaoh. God must have been letting them become sure of themselves. Then Pharaoh hardens his heart, and doesn't listen.

God again has them go confront Pharaoh by the river and tell him to let the people go. In verse 22, we see a little deviation. God says that He will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where Israel dwells. They will have no swarms of flies at all. God makes a distinction here. The plague that was upon everyone, will no longer be upon everyone. He is delivering these people.
I figured Israel was spared anyway from the plagues, but apparently they were not. I assume this didn't warm relations between them and Moses. No. Not one bit.

The fly plague cracks Pharaoh a little bit. Not wanting Israel to leave, he offers a sort of cop-out compromise. "You can worship, but you can't leave."

Moses pipes up. "We can't here. Our sacrifices are detestable to Egyptians. Your people will stone us." Moses is not willing to make a deal. He says they must go three days into the wilderness to do as God commands. Pharaoh agrees, and says he will let them go when Moses prays to God to call off the flies. But this is a lie. Pharaoh hardens his heart even though God completely got rid of the flies to the point that not one remained.

Ex. 7: Snake Staff, Blood River

So God demonstrates His power through Moses to Aaron. It is Aaron who verbalizes what God puts in Moses. Pr'strange to think about, but what an amazing feeling it must have given Moses. I can't imagine it. God speaks to Moses, and Moses is a conduit to Aaron from God.

God tells our heroes to go back to Pharaoh and ask him to let them go out and worship Him. This wasn't just so that the people of Israel could just get out of bondage, it was so they could worship God in their own freedom. This makes me think that any time spent not in worship is, in a way, a form of bondage. We are bound to ourselves, to our days, to our distractions. Worship frees us from all these extemporaneous things.

God also tells Moses and Aaron that in His judgement, the Egyptians will know He is the LORD. It won't just be them being mad because bad stuff is happening. There will be a recognition that God is powerful, and the one who is really in charge.

Moses and Aaron get in front of Pharaoh, and Aaron throws down the staff. The staff turns into a serpent. Pharaoh has magicians who are able to do the same thing with their staffs. Aaron's staff swallows up the staffs of the magicians. In a sense, the staff of Aaron has to bring itself down to that level in order to destroy that level. That these magicians use this power reveals to me that there is either a supernatural power out there that is not God, a power allowed to work by God, or that God did it himself. I don't recall there being any previous mention or implication of any supernatural power outside of God thus far in the scripture. I may have missed it.

This was not enough for Pharaoh, as God hardened his heart like he promised.

Then God tells Moses to go meet Pharaoh by the Nile for a special object lesson. Moses told Pharaoh that the LORD, the God of the Hebrews (the implication being that God is the one true God) has sent Moses to say to Pharaoh (not ask) to let His people go.

So they go down to the river, and Pharaoh is there, chillin'. Aaron raises his staff over the Nile and turns every drop of water in Egypt into blood. Not just puts blood in it. Turns it to blood. The fish died, the river stank, and the Egyptians pretty much had nothing to drink. Did the Israelites? Did God deliver them from this horror? I also wonder if blood held some special offense in the minds of Egyptians.

Pharaoh's magicians must have found some non-blood to turn into blood, because they pulled the same stunt. This caused Pharaoh's heart to harden. Deception. So Pharaoh's like, "whatever," and goes back inside, paying no attention to his desperate countrymen frantically digging along the bank for fresh water.

Ex. 6: Israelites to Moses: "Whatever, loser."

The LORD was definitely ready for this type of reaction. He didn't even mention the fact that Moses should have expected this kind of response from Pharaoh. He told Moses, "You watch...because of me, he will let them go...he will drive them out of his land." Because of God. Not because little old Moses with his couple of tricks was going to convince him.

Interesting here is how God reveals Himself to Moses. Not as God Almighty as he had to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but as Jehovah (KJV) or LORD (NIV). I'm not sure if this is a next level of revelation, if Jehovah is some sort of a superior title to God almighty...but I thought I read how God revealed himself as the LORD in time past. Maybe I missed it. The point is, God is making himself known in a real way to Moses, and gives him a message to prophesy to the Israelites.

He established His covenant with them (Gen 15:18). To give them the land of Canaan (Gen. 17:8), the land of their wandering, where they were strangers.

He has also heard their outcry, from being enslaved by the Egyptians.

He has remembered His covenant.

God is the LORD, and he will bring them out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I think the KJV says it beautifully here. He will bring them out from under their burdens. It is their yoke to carry. A burden is the Egyptian existence, and the covenant God has planned for the Israelites will not be a burden. It was not the intent. He will redeem them from their slavery with an outstretched arm, to bring them to Himself.

God will be their God, and they will be His people. And for their inheritance, God will give them the land He promised.

And the Israelites, still smarting from what happened the last time they tried this whole "God" thing, weren't listening. Would it have mattered to them if Moses had mentioned that Pharaoh would refuse their exodus, having had his heart hardened by the LORD? Would they trust a God who would harden their taskmaster's heart?

God gives Moses another opportunity before Pharaoh, but Moses reverts back to his Burning Bush attitude. "If the Israelites won't listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, as I am one of faltering lips?" But God gave His command.

Then we have another genealogy. And God's command to Moses is reiterated. Very important. Very challenging.

Ex. 5: No Go, No Straw

OK, I gotta get caught up here...Anyway, in chapter 5, Moses and Aaron go in to Pharaoh, and they tell him that God said to "Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness." You know, hold a festival and everything in God's honor. I never picked this up before, but Pharaoh was essentially getting in the way of what the Israelites were meant to do, and that is to be drawn to God, to worship him, and to fellowship with him. Could the Israelites do it while enslaved? I don't imagine that it would have done much good.

As you would suspect, Pharaoh doesn't take the request well. He has evidently forgotten about or didn't get the memo regarding that Pharaoh of Joseph's time. Pharaoh doesn't know God. So Pharaoh will not let Israel go.

Aaron and Moses persist. "Let us go, or the God of the Hebrews will bring pestilence or a sword upon us." Pharaoh again refuses and tells them all to get back to work. They're wasting time. Israel must have been gathered there before Pharaoh. As a matter of fact, he told the slave masters not to give them any more straw, they have to now gather their own, in addition to building ridiculous dog-headed statues and whatnot. To make matters worse, they were required to meet the same quota as before when they were being given straw.

"Lazy!" cried the Pharaoh. "They're all lazy. Beat them all, then they will no longer be lazy and want to go sacrifice to their God."

So God hardened Pharaoh's heart, yet the Israelites suffered for it. The Israelites just wanted to go worship God. After all, they were celebrating in the last chapter. But who do the Israelites blame? Moses and Aaron. According to the Israelites, it was their fault for going up to Pharaoh and requesting that he relinquish his free manual labor. And Moses then passes the blame onto God. And if I were there, I can't say I would do anything different.

I would think, What's the deal, God? You promised that these people would be delivered, you sent me, you gave me these signs, and now its not working? What is going wrong?

And then I look back at Ex. 4:21, where God told Moses that He was going to harden Pharaoh's heart. But Moses must have missed it, as he was so focused on his own shortcomings.

Ex. 4: Moses' Cool Snake Disease Hand Nile Blood Trick

Moses thinks his countrymen will not believe him if he tells them God met with him. I wouldn't either, probably. It would take some kind of sign, or I'd tell him to take a flying funk at a rolling donut. So God gives him some signs. The first is that his staff would turn into a snake if he threw it on the ground. The second would be that Moses would get some nasty disease all over his hand if he put it in his cloak and removed it. And if the Israelites really didn't get it, Moses could take some water from the Nile, pour it on the ground, and it would become blood.

So why would God use these types of signs? The staff, a symbol of strength and aid, becomes a deadly and poisonous serpent. Used as a weapon or crutch to help, it becomes lethal. The leprosy on the hand...a disease that was probably incurable at that time on one of the most important parts of the body. Water turning to blood...Water, a symbol of life, turning to blood, which is spilled at death. So in all three, we have symbols of strength and vitality turning to destruction. Is this a way of God telling the people they do need to rely on someone else to escape from their suffering?

So far, he's brought up his own lack of position (Ex. 3:11), the Israelites' wondering which God he be reppin' (Ex. 3:13), and that they may not believe him (Ex. 4:1). Moses raises yet another objection or misgiving. This even after God told him to go to the elders in Ex. 3:16. Moses admits to God that he is not the most word-pertyin' talkmaker there ever wuz. God finally gives Moses a less gentle response, reminding Moses just who it was who gave man his mouth, made a man deaf or mute, or gives sight or blindness to a man. And this is a reminder to me. In my shortcomings, in your shortcomings, they come from the LORD God. I don't know why God would make somebody blind, but its not for His lack of knowing or purpose. This is a lesson right here in Exodus 4. God says, "Go, I will help you speak, and teach you what to say." If I only I could embrace that in my own teaching. God Himself was offering to empower Moses with strength and effusiveness.

This was not enough for Moses, as in verse 13, he whines, "Can't someone else do it?" God is like, "FINE. What about your brother Aaron. He is well-spoken, and is on his way to meet you. You will put the words in his mouth, and I will help you both." Essentially, what's going on here, is that there would be some sort of mystical spiritual connection from God > Moses > Aaron > the people and/or Pharaoh.

And it makes me wonder just how often I have refused an invitation or an opportunity from God because I looked at the possibility of it ever being accomplished in my own power. May I never refuse God again.

So Moses bids adieu to Jethro, and with his blessing, goes back to Egypt with the staff of God. Meaning his stick. But when I read "staff of God," I imagined in my hotwired mind a bunch of personal assistants on cell phones, making copies, and asking God to sign stuff. Anyway, apparently everyone who wanted him dead back there was dead themselves, so fiddle-de-dee. God goes over a prescreen rundown of what Moses is going to do...show the wonders of the power of God. But then God will harden Pharaoh's heart, so he won't let you go. And I always marveled at this. Why would God harden someone's heart on purpose so that this person would face God's wrath if his heart was hardened? Would this person at God's signs and wonders basically believe on sight? Maybe he wouldn't. To my feeble brain, this is a paradox. I'll have to chew on this a little more. Just so that God could empower Moses to do these tricks? To lead Pharaoh by a ring his nose to see that Pharaoh couldn't challenge the power of God?

God tells Moses to say to Pharaoh that Israel is God's firstborn son, that he should let him go, so he can worship Him. But because of Pharaoh's refusal to release God's firstborn son, God will kill his firstborn son. So now the Egyptians lose firstborn sons over this. Let's not mess with God.

So on the way to Egypt, we find out that God was about to kill Moses. This is pretty shocking, in that in the previous verse, God was just telling Moses that he was going to do great things for him. Then I see the footnote says "Moses son." Not Moses, per se. Well, why not make it say his son? Were they one and the same? Did something mean the same in the ancient language? Anyway, to stave off this death, Zipporah cuts off the foreskin of her son. Which had to be painful. Thanks, mom. She touches Moses feet with this foreskin. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she says. And then the LORD let him alone. Well, what's that all about? The bridegroom of blood refers to the circumcision in verse 26. Zipporah, as we know is a Midianite. Maybe she wasn't well versed in the laws and customs of Israel. Perhaps Moses didn't circumcise his sons at all, thus negating or flouting the covenant God made with Abraham back in Genesis 17:9-14. The "bridegroom of blood" comment by Zipporah doesn't seem to be made with a happy heart. I'm guessing she was rather upset by the whole deal. Moses knew what he had to do, but didn't, and didn't inform Zippy of the consequences. So her sons were brought into the covenant by the blood.

As divinely ordered by God, Aaron meets Moses in the desert, and they exchange kisses. (Brothers don't shake hands. Brothers gotta...kiss.) So everything comes to pass as God said. His words came true. Moses and Aaron went before the elders, told them what God said, then they told the Israelites, performed the signs. Do you think he had to go through all three? Including the Nile water blood? Probably. When the Israelites heard that God was concerned for their suffering, there was much rejoicing. And worshiping.

Ex. 3: I AM: Why The Bush Does Not Burn Up

All righty, Moses is tending sheep again, as Hebrews are wont to do. He's watching the flock of his father-in-law, referred to in chapter three as Jethro. Apparently, his nickname. So Moses leads the flock to Mount Horeb, aka, the mountain of God.

Suddenly, this bush catches fire. No big deal. Maybe lightning struck it, or it was so dry, it just burst into flame. But this bush is not consumed. I imagine that the flames were running through it, not consuming it. This is what fascinated Moses so much that he was like, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why this bush does not burn up." What an amazing signal to get somebody's attention.

"Moses! Moses!" God calls out from within the flames.

I see Moses standing there with his mouth open..."Uhm...here I am." Moses is not sure at this point who or what is talking to him...maybe.

"Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for this is holy ground." I always wondered what that meant. And how far does this "holy ground" extend? And what would happen had Moses left his sandals on? Would his face melt like the Nazis in Indiana Jones? Holy ground must have been a place of supreme reverence, where God Himself must have trod. Why would we need shoes to follow in His footsteps?

God tells Moses that He is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, and at that, Moses hid his face, out of fear of looking at God. I wonder if this behavior was instinctual, or if it was learned. I wonder if someone told Moses and Jacob and everyone that to look upon the face of God was death?

God proceeds to tell Moses that He is aware of and concerned about the suffering of his people in Egypt. "My" people, according to the Word. God claims ownership, lordship over the Israelites. Well, God, why did you wait so long (however long it may have been)? Moses wasn't ready until now, apparently. God makes this part of His plan known to Moses. He will bring the people up out of the land, into the land of the Canaanites, a land of milk and honey. Hmm...animal byproducts. Must be some merit there if God Himself lists these as pros to moving somewhere.

"Moses, you are my man to go tell Pharaoh you all are shipping out." Moses probably choked on his bagel.

"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Who was he indeed? Some no-name Levite, a murderer, expatriate, shepherd. Not exactly the shiniest credentials in comparison to the Pharaoh.

But God tells Moses, "I will be with you. And this is the sign. When you have brought them out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." Mount Horeb. Far from Egypt. Far from oppression and slavery. If God chooses someone for something, according to Ex. 3:12, He will be with him or her.

Moses turns his concern to the Israelites. What if they ask him who this God is telling him to bring them out of Egypt? I wonder if this was Moses' roundabout way of asking this God who He was for his own sake?

God says to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM. Tell them 'I AM' has sent me to you. The LORD, the God of your fathers." I AM will be God's name forever, how he will be remembered from generation to generation. Very mystical. I AM. I don't understand this. I AM. He is existence. He is. Just accept that? I wonder about this. Maybe the ineffable is something to be grasped. But maybe not.

So Moses is told to go assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them what God told him. They will listen to him. Then he and they should go up to the king of Egypt and tell him that God has met with them, and that they should go three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to God. Aware that Moses next question was going to be "How is Pharaoh going to let me do that," God tells him "the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. He'll let you go." God is basically able to do what he wants, and these signs are probably going to be sweet.

What about the Egyptians? God's got that base covered as well. God will use the Force to make the Egyptians nice to them. As ordered, every woman is to ask her neighbor for silver, gold and clothing, and these neighbors will feel this uncontrollable urge to just give away all their possessions to the Israelites and say, "Have a nice day." Pretty awesome.

Ex. 2: Moses Born, Kills Egyptian, Gets Married...Whew

We open chapter two with the birth of Moses to a Levite couple. After three months, the mother could no longer hide him. He was a fine child, and because of Pharaoh's decree to throw every boy into the Nile, she did just that. Except she included a papyrus basket, coated with tar and pitch. (Sounds a lot like the ark, from Gen. 6:14. A vessel of deliverance.) Yep, then she placed him in the Nile. Pharaoh didn't say anything about pitch coated baskets. I don't think Moses' mom thought he was going to be safe exactly, just that he would last longer than if she just tossed him in the Nile. So Moses' sister walks along the bank to see what would happen.

Well, it just so happen that Pharaoh's daughter was at the Nile to wash up. She saw this basket and had a slave go retrieve it. Might as well get some use out of them. She recognized him as a Hebrew. Moses sister asked if she could go get a Hebrew woman to nurse him, and of course brings their mother. Pharaoh's daughter offers to pay Moses' mother to nurse her own son. Of course mom was going to have to give the baby up afterwards. I imagine that would have been very hard. Very bittersweet. At least the child would live. But here we have a parent forced to give up an only son. Again. But she let him go. And Pharaoh's daughter, since the baby was drawn out of the water, was named Moses.

Then Moses grows up in the span of one verse. He was observing his own people laboring in the sun. He saw an Egyptian wailing on some Hebrew dude. He looks around, figures, "Hey, no one else here," and kills the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. The next day, Wyatt Moses goes back out there and sees to Hebrews wailing on each other. "Why are you wailing on your fellow Hebrew?" He asks. Big mistake. In his rage, one of them says, "who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian?" This freaked Moses out, like when you pull a stunt, and then everyone knows its you.

Well, Pharaoh, his grandfather, heard about it, and wanted to kill him. So Moses skipped town to Midian, at least until stuff settles down back home. He takes a breather by a well. A priest of Midian had seven daughters who frequented the well to water his flock. Some jerky shepherds came along and chased them off. Moses came to their rescue like a nice guy and watered the flock.

So the girls return to Reuel, their father, and tell him the story, and he's like..."why didn't you invite him over to eat?"

So Moses agrees to stay with them, and he got hooked up with Zipporah, Reuel's daughter. Zipporah gave Moses a son, who he named Gershom.

During that time, Pharaoh finally died, and the Israelites were still groaning in their slavery. These cries were heard by God, who remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I don't think he forgot, he was aware of his covenant, and was concerned about them.

I react to this like, "Thanks for your concern, God, but 'concern' doesn't free me from this slavemaster." How long was God going to allow them to be enslaved? And why? We learned in Gen. 50 about God's intentions, in that Joseph's brothers intended for evil, but God intended good. In a situation like this, I am eager to see how God would use something awful like this into a plan for good.

Ex. 1: Kill Hebrew He-Babies!

Well, might as well start cranking out Exodus.

By this time, the descendants of the twelve brothers (the twelve tribes of Israel) are multiplying and multiplying and multiplying, filling the land of Egypt. I'm not sure how many years went by, but enough time had passed that Egypt's new king had no knowledge of Joseph. It's possible that this knowledge was kept from him. Just speculation, but when another group of people enters your country, and their population spirals out of control, your government may begin to take notice.

Anyway, the new guy tells his people that the Israelites have become too numerous. In his paranoia, he assumes (probably incorrectly in my opinion) that in a time of war, Israel would join Egypt's enemies, fight against them, and then leave the country. What would Israel have to gain by fighting against the nation that "welcomed" them?

This fear led to the Israelites being subject to forced labor under the watch of slave masters. They built Pithon and Rameses, two cities created for storing Pharaoh's...stuff, I guess.

While the Israelites were oppressed, their multiplication continued and spread, leading to more and more Egyptians dreading them and their numbers. So instead of reaching out to them and making friends, the Egyptians' intent was to work them even harder. The word says Hebrew lives were bitter. They were forced to make bricks and mortar, and labor in the fields. They were used ruthlessly.

So then the king figures that if he can't use labor for population control, infanticide is the wave of the future. He instructs the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill any Hebrew male babies. To kill their own kind. Because of their fear of God, and their intestinal fortitude, they refused to obey this order. This leads to a confrontation where the king questions them.

"Why are you letting them live?"

"Well, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."

Amazing. Not only do they lie to this evil tyrant's face, they seize the opportunity to denigrate his people while they're at it. Good stuff, Shiphrah and Puah. So God was kind to the midwives, and increased the Israelite numbers more. I can't believe that all the Egyptain people were 100% on board with this treatment of Israelite women or people, but maybe they were under the thumb of the Pharaoh.

Pharaoh, ever the strategic thinker, decrees that every boy that is born must be thrown in to the Nile, but the girls can live. Girls grow up to be baby factories, concubines and housemaids, after all.

Well, this plan can't possibly fail.

Ge. 50: Joseph Reassures his Brothers, and then Dies.

So there is mourning over Jacob, and Joseph takes advantage of his position in Egypt, and has the physicians embalm him for a full forty days. He was then mourned by Egypt for 70 days. This Hebrew. I wonder if there were any significant conversions from Egyptian religion to following God, because of His influence and power with Joseph? After this period of time, Jacob asks Pharaoh permission to go bury his father back in Canaan in the cave in the field of Mamre. What's Pharaoh going to say, no?

So Joseph leads this big caravan of people up north to Canaan from Goshen, including all the dignitaries from Pharaoh's court. When they reached Canaan, they mourned loudly and carried on, so much so that the Canaanites living there saw it, and were like, "Dang, those Egyptians are having a ceremony for one of their own, and called that place Abel Mizraim, meaning Egyptain mourning or Egyptian ceremony or something like that.

Joseph's brothers were still harboring fears and worry about what Joseph had pulled on them back in Egypt during the famine...which may still be going, actually. They thought he still held a grudge. They had been carrying this burden needlessly. So they make up this cock-and-bull story about how Jacob's instructions were for Joseph to forgive them for the wrongs his brothers committed against him. Joseph wept at these instructions. His brothers threw themselves down at his feet, saying they were his slaves. Pathetic really.

Joseph then tells them that in spite of the wrong they committed in the past, it was still used by God with a purpose. Its a beautiful declaration of forgiveness and reconciliation. Verse 20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." What perspective. What an attitude. Of course Joseph's situation was revealed eventually to him. But still, he held no grudge, and did not call his brother's into account for what they had done. He was kind to them.

Genesis ends withe the death of Joseph at 110 years. He did live to see his great-grandchildren at their birth. Then Joseph, the second youngest, told his brothers that he was about to die, and that God will aid them and bring them out of the land into the place promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Its a neat little package.

Ge. 49: You call that a blessing?

Chapter 49 is basically the blessing of Jacob's sons before he dies. So after blessing Joseph and his sons in private, he calls the remaining eleven in.

Reuben - Jacob's firstborn, and symbol of his strength. He is told he will no longer excel, because he defiled his father's bed. This is in reference to the tryst he had with Jacob's concubine back in Gen. 35:22. Interesting that Jacob didn't say anything much about it back then, but waited all these years to bring it up, and it was severe enough that Reuben would continue life with unease.

Simeon, Levi - Jacob denounces their anger and violence, referring to their pillaging of Shechem in Gen. 34. So much does Jacob want to distance himself from their anger, that he reports that they will be dispersed. Simeon and Levi were probably about as close as brothers could be, that part of this was that they would have to be separated. The Bible doesn't say that, its just a guess. Their rampage had them listed together, as did this ... curse, I guess.

Judah - In spite of the rather bizarre circumstances in which Judah placed himself in chapter 38, he gets off pretty good. At least from a material standpoint. He will have an advantage over his enemies, his brothers will bow before him, he will be in a place of lordship, have choice wine, and white teeth. Who wouldn't want that?

Zebulun - Basically told he will become a harbormaster, and have a border to Sidon. Neat. Good for you, Zeb.

Isaachar - He will labor doggedly like a strong donkey. He will become a slave or a forced laborer. That stinks. But he probably did something to deserve such a curse. Maybe he was lazy around the house?

Dan - He will provide justice for his people. He will be a serpent by the roadside, and will bite the horses heels so that its rider tumbles backward. The third reference so far to striking the heel, along with Gen. 3:15, and Gen. 25:26.

Verse 18 is kind of an interjection: "I look for your deliverance, O LORD." I don't know if that is part of what Israel is saying bout Dan, in that he will be a deliverer, or if he needs strength to finish talking to the boys. I'm not sure.

Gad - He will be attacked by raiders, but will attack them at their heels. So...the heels again. He'll have the last laugh on whoever will attack him? His name also had something to do with

Asher - Apparently will become some sort of a gourmand, providind delicacies fit for a king. But he will not be the king. Perhaps a servant in some king's court, frying up the mozz sticks.

Naphtali - A doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. So he will create something beautiful. Not sure if that means his kids, maybe some sort of art...KJV says "goodly words." Songs, I don't know.

Joseph - Ever the favorite, blessings are heaped upon him. A fruitful vine, near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. Lots of land, territory? God steadied him while arrows flew. God was his help. Blessings from above, from the deep, in offspring. Blessings greater than that of the mountains, than the fruit of the hills. He is declared to be prince among his brothers...he will be elevated above them all. That's pretty slick.

Benjamin - A ravenous wolf, devouring the prey in the morning, dividing the plunder in the evening. So, he will take what he wants first and fast, and then split it up in the evening.

And here were established the twelve tribes of Israel. And each of them received the blessing due.

Israel then gives instructions on how he is to be buried. First off, he says he is about to be gathered to his people. I don't know what the deal is with the afterlife just yet. The Bible doesn't yield much about the afterlife to this point. Heaven is a place. Angels went up and down a staircase from it. A tower was built in attempt to reach it. I may have missed something, but in Genesis, I don't recall anything being mentioned about an afterlife or a next world or anything like that. There is a belief that life continues beyond death, as Israel mentioned in verse 29. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Anyway, he wants to be buried in the cave of the field of Ephron the Hittite, the one Abraham bought at a high price in chapter 23. It is after all where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah are buried. Rachel was buried in Bethlehem, at Benjamin's birth.

Verse 33 is where Israel breathes his last, and is gathered to his people, as with Isaac. So the Bible says this, rather than reporting what someone said. Which is different. So wherever Jacob went, there were his ancestors.

Ge. 48: Israel Blesses Eph and Manny

Well, by this time, old man Israel is ailing, and Joseph takes his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to go see him. When Israel hears tell that his boy Joseph is there, and he brought the grandkids, he sits up in bed. He tells Joseph about the stairway dream he had, where the LORD told him that He would make Israel fruitful, increase in number, and give him this land as an everlasting possession to the descendants after him. Everlasting, as in everlasting everlasting? Like...forever? As in, would never end? Like eternity? Not sure if Joseph heard him tell this story before. It was years before he was born.

Israel then tells Joseph that the two sons born to Joseph in Egypt will be reckoned as Israel's, just like Reuben or Simeon. Joseph adopts the two boys as his own. He confers upon them all rights and blessings as if they were his own sons. This I find amazing. I wonder if in this time, they and Joseph sort of felt that they were in some kind of ancestral limbo. They were after all, half Hebrew and half Egyptian. You know, which table do they eat at on Thanksgiving and Christmas....the Hebrew table or the Egyptian table? Now they have a home. They have their ancestry and their nationality clearly defined.

Any children born after these two will belong to Joseph, and will inherit territory in the land of Manny and Eph. Then Israel tells Joseph how Rachel died and when, and where they buried her. Joseph was probably too young to really comprehend it at the time. I don't know.

Israel finally meets Joseph's sons, and kisses them and embraces them as they sat on his knees. The gift of grandchildren. Israel says in verse 11, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." What joy Israel had in this simple, yet amazing gift from God! This son, once feared dead and gone, is alive! And brings amazing blessings!

Interesting here is how Jacob arranged Manasseh and Ephraim in front of Israel for their blessings. He places his oldest, Manasseh at Israel's right hand, and the younger Ephraim at Israel's left hand, in order to receive what Israel had to give. The blessing was given with the right hand, the symbolically stronger hand. But as we have seen, the younger Isaac received the blessing, and the younger Jacob received the blessing.

Israel follows suit. He crosses his arms, and puts his right hand on the head of Ephraim. He blesses Joseph first, and then confers on them his ancestry along with Abraham and Isaac, and that they would increase greatly.

Joseph sees that his arms are crossed. He actually reaches out and takes Israel's hand from the head of Ephraim's and moves it to Manasseh's. It may have been because Manny was the first born, and it may be because, like his fathers, Joseph had a favorite between them. Is this that drastic of a change or a deviation? Why the second or younger? What is God's reason for doing this, or allowing this?

"No, my father, this one is the first born. Put your right hand on his head." That may be how they do things in Egypt...

"I know, my son. I know. He too will become a great people. But his younger brother will be greater than he. And his descendants will be a group of nations."

He pronounces them Ephraim and Manasseh. Not Manasseh and Ephraim.

Then to Joseph, he says, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. Have some choice land I took from the Amorites."

Well, didn't Joseph have everything he needed in Egypt? Couldn't they take over Egypt anyway? What about Joseph's other brothers. Do they not get an audience with their dying father? We'll find out tomorry, I'm sure.

Ge. 47: Settling in Goshen, Egypt Enslaved

Joseph reports to Pharaoh that Jacob and his family are now in Egypt, and living in Goshen. He takes five of his brothers and presents them to Pharaoh and they tell him that they are shepherds, moved to Egypt from Canaan, because of the severity of the famine. They had no pasture. They asked Pharaoh's permission to stay in Goshen. Pharaoh, because of his appreciation for what Joseph has meant to him, gives his blessing.

Then old man Jacob comes in. He's so old, Pharaoh can't help but be like, "How old are you old timer?" Jacob says "A buck thirty. But no where near as difficult as the years of my fathers."

Joseph settles them in Rameses, the Ada of Egypt, and provided them with land and food according to their children.

And there is much rejoicing.

But, all of Egypt didn't have any food. So big government takes over. First the people spent all their money on grain. Then the money was all gone. Joseph had it all.

The people came before Joseph in need, and since they had no money, Joseph suggested they trade their livestock. So the livestock becomes property of Pharaoh. Then all the livestock was gone.

The people came before Joseph in need, and since they had no livestock, Joseph bought them into servitude. So the people become property of Pharaoh. The only way they would not die is to become slaves.

Well that sucks. Joseph enslaved Egypt. Nice guy.

The priests were under a different system. Pharaoh paid for them. Apparently they had no separation of church and state. The clergy were government employees.

So not only were the people of Egypt slaves, they had to give back 1/5 of their crop yields to the Pharaoh. And it became law. So the Israelites settled in Egypt in the land of Goshen. They, as opposed to the Egyptians, acquired proprty and were fruitful. When Jacob was 147, he asked that Joseph take him out of Egypt and bury him in the land of his fathers. Joseph swore it to him.

Ge. 46: Jacob goes to Egypt

So Israel/Jacob (the Bible goes back and forth on this. Not really sure why. Maybe it goes way back where in one place it's Jon, and in another it's John. Is this enough to make me renounce my faith? Probably.) packs up the entirety of his possessions and heads south to Egypt. When he gets to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the LORD.

Anyway, in chapter 46, God spoke to Israel in a vision. I wonder if God was silent for this long time while Joseph was in Egypt. Apparently God told him nothing about what was going on with Joseph. Even in the midst of Israel's heartbreak and mourning, God was silent. As a human person, my reaction to this realization is, "Well, isn't God a God of comfort?" And God is. The comfort comes with quick answers, and sometimes it takes years to get the answers. God didn't let Israel drown in his despair. A father's beloved son was given over to death, and while Israel wept, God had planned out the entire path. Ending in an amazing posterity.

Anyway...yeah, God spoke to Israel, saying "I am your God, don't be afraid to go to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation, and I will bring you back again. Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." I'm guessing the "close your eyes" thing refers to the time at death where Joseph will be there to close his eyes...to bury him.

So the whole family packs up and moves on from there...once again, visual learner:

Israel and Jacob meet in Goshen, and its what you would expect....very emotional, they threw their arms around each other, and wept for a long time. Israel is ready to die now that he has seen that Joseph is still alive.

Then Joseph wants to introduce the whole gang to Pharaoh. So he tells them to tell Pharaoh the truth about what they do and who they are, since they are detestable shepherd types. If they do that, then they'll be able to settle in Goshen. Nice!

Ge. 45: They Make Themselves Known

So Joseph gets all antsy-in-his-pantsy and can't bear to wait another second longer to tell his brothers who he is. He throws out all non-Hebrews and starts weeping, so loud that the Egyptians heard him. (I think that's where we get that expression..."Man, his car stereo was so loud the Egyptians heard it.")

Then Joseph busts out, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" It had been over twenty years by this point. If I were to put myself in, say, Asher's shoes at this point, I'd be like..."how does he know about Joseph?" And once I realized he was serious, I'd pee my pants with fear. There's no telling what this weeping lunatic is going to do.

Then, in convincing his brothers who he is, he reveals an amazing work of the LORD. This is too wonderful. Not just what God did, but how Joseph realizes it. I hope you'll read it. I just love how the NKJV delivers it:

"But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt."

Can you believe that? Deliverance! Preservation! The dreams. The attitude. The selling. The prison. The place of honor. God was there, guiding all of that. God put that all together. In a coming time of need, God put in place a plan to preserve the family of Jacob. Years in advance. Everything that happened had meaning, and was a piece of a puzzle. God moved a nation to save a family. God had Joseph sold by his brothers for a reason. Had him become the servant of a high-ranking official for a reason. Falsely accused by Mrs. Potiphar for a reason. Imprisoned for a reason. Able to interpret the dreams of servants of the king for a reason. All these horrible things, God put together for something amazing.

Joseph realizes that it was God who did this. At the height of amazing power and position, Joseph didn't forget who put him there. Joseph tells his brothers to go home and tell his father what he has told them, and bring him back quickly.

Joseph even tells the Pharaoh what's going on, and the Pharaoh is pleased, and makes it so that Joseph's brothers have all the luxuries and gifts and provisions Egypt can offer for their journey back to Canaan. He gives Benjamin all this extra silver (on the sly or out in the open, I'm not really sure...doesn't say) and then promptly tells them not to quarrel on the way.

So they get back home, and they tell Jacob about what Joseph had told them, and that he is the ruler of Egypt. I had to laugh, because I pictured how I thought Jacob must have reacted. He was stunned. Probably thought they were messing with him. He thought his favorite son was long dead. Can you imagine the joy when Jacob saw all the loot they brought back from Egypt? Not superficially, in that..."Yay, I have all this stuff." No. "My son is alive." The NIV says Jacob's spirit was revived at that point. Now he was excited to go see his son.

Next time, on benchescleared:

The journey back.

Ge. 44: Who's Got The Silver Cup? Benjamin's Got The Silver Cup.

So after the feasting and joy is all done, Joseph, unbeknownst to his brothers, gives similar instructions as in chapter 42. Fill the sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put the silver back. I don't know if Joseph mentioned these were his brothers to the stewards, or if the stewards caught on, or what. Perhaps they were used to crazy orders from a capricious Pharaoh. You know, like, "Dig up that tree, and move it ten feet to the left." Or "Execute this slave with a flaming arrow, but force-feed him this pineapple first."

This time, Joseph tells them to put his silver cup in the youngest one's sack.

Well, the brothers were up with the sun, and gone with the wind. They didn't get far when Joseph sends his steward to go catch up to them and ask them why they repaid generosity with thievery. Why they took the cup the master uses for divination. Not sure what that's all about, perhaps to keep up the deception?

Of course the brothers are like, "Whatever, we didn't do anything. Why would we do that? Tell you what, if anyone has that stuff, he will die, and we'll be your slaves." Their certainty and impetuousness with these vows has got to stop. I would never promise myself as a slave to anyone, regardless of how sure I am the sun revolves around the earth.

Wouldn't you know it, the cup was in Benjamin's sack. D'oh. So they tore their clothes in agony and returned to the city. Remember what they promised Jacob?

Joseph, who wants to make these people suffer or something snaps at them, but only says he'll keep Benjamin as a slave. Judah, who had made a pretty intense vow tells Joseph the whole story about what he told his dad in chapter 43, mentioning how closely bound their father's life is with the well being of his youngest son. I think these guys' hearts are finally melting.

Pretty agonizing for them. Now they have to return to dad empty handed, exactly as they promised they would not.

When is Joseph going to put an end to this madness? His big reveal: Tomorrow.