Source: http://www.Quora.com
The Whole Exodus Account Was an Allegory, and an “Historical Parable“, to Show the Power of God to Save a People for Himself and to Show That God Alone Is Sovereign. The Account Makes Clear That Judgment Day is Real, That God Is The Judge, and That All Glory Belongs to Him.
Within the Bible, there are many historical accounts that serve as pre-figurements, or allegories that are in effect, Historical Parables, which portend The Final Judgment Day that is going to occur at the end of the world (and likely very soon), such as the Flood of Noah’s Day, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea, the destruction of Jericho, the death of the Canaanites in Judges 4&5, the death of the Jew’s enemies in Esther, etc. But God provides some additional insights on His Sovereignty with regard to His dealing with Pharaoh and the Egyptians during the Exodus.
We must remember that God created Satan, just like He created Pharaoh, and raised them up (exactly like the evil kings: Shalmaneser, Sennacharib, and Nebuchadnezzar) to serve God’s purposes for bringing judgment on His people for their disobedience and then later saving a remnant of the people for Himself and Glorifying Himself in the process. Pharaoh was a powerful ruler who held God’s people in bondage, he served as an allegorical “type” for the devil, who holds mankind in bondage to sin, death, and ultimately hell (note that God referred to Egypt allegorically as the “iron furnace” in Deuteronomy 4:20, “But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.” (similarly also see 1 Kings 8:51 and Jeremiah 11:4)
Just as God, by a mighty out stretched arm, working through amazing signs and wonders brought National Israel out of that house bondage, so too God, through the amazing sacrifice of His dear Son, Jesus Christ (as also the Passover Lamb of God) brought out His eternal spiritual Israel from bondage to sin and the devil (and otherwise destined for hell…the eternal “iron furnace”). We can say this confidently, for we read in Revelation 1:18, where Jesus (as the Lamb of God) says, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.“
God Is Known by the Judgments He Executes!
We read in Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.” (Please see also the studies on Psalm 9:16 and Psalm 37)
The Songs of Moses
In Exodus 15:1-19, via Moses, in what is referred to as the “Song of Moses“, we can read the following in this excerpt: Exodus 15:3-7, “The LORD [is] a man of war: the LORD [is] his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, [which] consumed them as stubble.” This is a clear statement on how God deals with His enemies and how He will ultimately destroy all of the unsaved on Judgment Day.
But as for those God claims as His own, the true eternal Israel (those whom God “redeemed” (Exodus 15:13) and “purchased” (Exodus 15:16)), we read further on in Exodus 15:17&18, “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, [in] the place, O LORD, [which] thou hast made for thee to dwell in, [in] the Sanctuary, O Lord, [which] thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.” The words “for ever and ever” can only mean the eternity in the “new heavens and the new earth” that we read about in Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and 2 Peter 3:13.
We should also remember that God explicitly stated the following in what is known as the “second Song of Moses“ in Deuteronomy 32:1-43, where God makes clear that He is the ONLY True God, and that He is completely Sovereign, and that He Alone has the power over life and death, and that goes this goes beyond the physical, because it includes spiritual eternal life in Heaven and eternal death in Hell notably:
Deuteronomy 32:35, “To me belongeth vengeance (נָקָם (nāqām)H5359, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that [their] power is gone, and [there is] none shut up, or left.”
And then later in Deuteronomy 32:39-42, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword (“Barak”, in the original Hebrew, please see the Barak study), and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.” (Additional valid insights on the Second Song of Moses can be found here: https://www.gotquestions.org/Song-of-Moses.html)
Additional confirmation can be found in 1 Samuel 2:6-10, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.“
The Exodus Account Provides Us With Insights on How God Works With Those He Loves and Those He Hates. Moreover God Alone Determines Who is Who.
We can see something very interesting in the Exodus account of the ten Plagues that God brings upon Egypt in response to the Pharaoh’s repeated refusal to let God’s people go out from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Moreover, it is not only interesting, but quite contrary to most people’s understanding of those events. Hollywood, for example, has, through at least one cinematic film effort, created the impression that Pharaoh would not let the people go despite the repeated ten plagues solely as a result of his innate natural stubbornness or stupidity. However, in the Exodus account of the Bible (NOT the Hollywood version), we read where God informed Moses, beforehand, exactly how things would happen, and why they would happen that way. God said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that Pharaoh would not let the people go!
Moreover it was to bring out national Israel “by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm” as we read in Deuteronomy 4:34 “Or hath God assayed to go [and] take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?” See also: Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 7:19, Deuteronomy 9:29. And BTW: God tells us that He will similarly bring out His people from all nations of the world to His Salvation as we read in Ezekiel 20:33 &34 but also with the words “with fury poured out”“¶ [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.”
God Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart
Exodus 4:3, “And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.”
Exodus 7:3, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 7:13, “And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.”
Exodus 7:14, “And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.”
Exodus 7:22, “And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said.
Exodus 8:15, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.” (If this verse is taken out of context, it might appear that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, but the whole context shows that this was not the case).
Exodus 8:19, “Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
Exodus 8:32, “And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.” (this again would seem to suggest that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, but from the other verses we see that God was the initiator)
Exodus 9:7, “And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”
Exodus 9:12, “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses.” (This verse, like the majority of the others before it, makes it clear that it was God who hardened the heart of Pharaoh and not Pharaoh)
Exodus 9:34, “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.” (what is interesting in this case is that it says Pharaoh sinned yet more! How could Pharaoh be responsible for this sin, if his heart was hardened by God and as had God had ordained?…this will be addressed below in the Postscript.)
Exodus 9:35, “And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.”
Exodus 10:1-2 “And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord.“
Exodus 10:20, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.”
Exodus 10:27, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.”
Exodus 11:10, “And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
Exodus 14:3, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.”
Exodus 14:8 “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.”
Exodus 14:17, “And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.”
These verses all clearly reveal that the evil that Pharaoh subsequently does in preventing, and trying to prevent, Moses from leading national Israel, the representative chosen people of God, out of the land of Egypt…was all planned, ordained, and orchestrated by God. Therefore, Pharaoh was no more than a pawn in God’s hand, as Pharaoh was created by God, raised up by God, and used for God’s purposes…which purpose was solely to bring glory and honor to God. He was used of God to fulfill God’s promise to Moses in Exodus 6:6, “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:”
God goes further in Exodus 9:16 to say in regards to Pharaoh: “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” This statement is repeated in the New Testament in the writings of Paul to the Romans, as in Romans 9:17-18, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.“
Note that this is referring back to Exodus 33:19, “¶And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.“
God begins the introduction of the Ten Commandments by saying in Exodus 20:2, “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” And then in Deuteronomy 5:15, “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” Similarly, we also read in Deuteronomy 4:33-35, “Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.” And in Deuteronomy 26:8, “And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:” It is also notable that we read after Exodus 7:5,
1) “That the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD”, and after Exodus 14:4:
2) “I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host: that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.”
Daniel 2:20-22, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” For more on God’s Sovereignty please see “God Is The Potter and We Are the Clay“
Postscript: God Is NOT the Author of Sin!
Note: The following section is excerpted from “The Real Inconvenient Truth“.
Let’s take a look at a few important verses that reveal how God creates and uses evil, such that He can and has/will overcome it to His own Glory. But before we do that, let this be very, very, clear…God is NOT the author of sin! (Romans 9:14, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.”) Sin is an inherent trait of man since the fall of Adam and Eve. However, God has allowed sin to continue to exist and He clearly can and does use the outcomes of sin for His purposes. The Death of Jesus on the cross was the result of man’s sin…being necessary in order to save sinners due to the fall of Adam, and was effectuated by the sin of mankind who crucified Him…God allowed the crucifixion to occur as it served God’s purposes to bring about mankind’s (the believers’) salvation and redemption… which absolutely brings glory to God.
God makes this all clear in Romans 5:12-21, “¶Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift [is] of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the giftof righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) ¶Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift] came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. ¶Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” and we know from Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
However, nonetheless, we must always bear in mind what Jesus said in John 10:14-17, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I laydown my life, that I might take it again.” Jesus voluntarily went to the cross, even though outwardly it appeared otherwise.
We are also informed and admonished in James 1:13-15: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” This three step process ends only in death. Mankind is responsible for the sin (Not GOD!), despite the circumstances that led to it as ordained by God, Who is totally Sovereign.
And just think for a moment about David lusting after Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 11:1-3 we read that…”And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman.” We subsequently read how David took Bathsheba and then eventually had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed in battle to cover up David’s sin. Soon thereafter those sins were exposed openly by the Prophet of God, Nathan, in 2 Samuel 12:1-11, where God led Nathan to say, “Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.” This whole series of events was no incidental accident. God foreknew, and clearly understood, what David would do when God presented David with that sinful opportunity (God was in no way surprised…But rather, God provided that opportunity…and God allowed it to happen… and He used it for our edification, exactly as it was recorded for us in the Bible!) One reason being that this account ultimately brings Glory to God, because it shows that God not only could, but would, save a sinner as evil as David was for having committed the sins of adultery and murder, to show us that God does not save the righteous, but rather sinners (like all of us), and moreover that despite those grievous sins, God would still have Jesus to be descended from David, via Nathan, through Mary (Luke 3:23-31).
God also provides some insights on how such orchestration serves His purposes, as God tells us in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” or in the case of such as King David (or really anyone) we read in Proverbs 21:1; “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.“
In Isaiah 14:24, “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand:“
So let’s now move on to gain other insights on this inconvenient truth….In Isaiah 45:5-7), God, in addressing Cyrus the King of Persia, says, “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form (יָצַר (yāṣar) H3335 the light, and create (בָּרָא (bārā’))H1254 darkness: I make (עָשָׂה (ʿāśâ))H6213 peace, and create (בָּרָא (bārā’))H1254 evil (The word for “evil” in Hebrew is the root word “רָע, (or phonetically “ra”) which can also be translated as adversity, calamity, distress, misery, trial, hardship, bad, or injury*): I the Lord do all these things.”
Note: Some may try to discount/dismiss the idea that God actually “created” “evil” (calamities and hardships) as opposed to having “evil” (adversity) just arise up as an oppositional consequence of God “making peace”. However, the same original Hebrew word for “create” (בָּרָא (bārā’))H1254 is used in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created H1254 the heaven and the earth.” and Genesis 1:27, “So God created H1254 man in his [own] image, in the image of God created (בָּרָא (bārā’))H1254 he him; male and female created (בָּרָא (bārā’))H1254 he them.” Can we that say that these creations are merely the result of something else formed or made and arose in opposition to them? Moreover, we later read in Genesis 1:31 that “And God saw every thing that he had made (עָשָׂה (ʿāśâ))H6213 , and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Therefore “create”(בָּרָא (bārā’))H1254 and “make” (עָשָׂה (ʿāśâ))H6213 would at least seem to be interchangeable, although it is not yet clear why different original Hebrew words are used by God if that is the case. We can only expect that there must be some additional subtleties that are yet to be revealed.
We also read in Amos 3:6, “…shall there be evil (רָעָה֙, ra-ah) in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” In Proverbs 16:4 we find, “The Lordhath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked (רָשָׁע , ra-sa)for the day of evil (רָעָה֙ , ra-ah).” See also: Job 21:30, “That the wicked (רָע , ra) is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.” We also read in Psalm 78:49 that God sent “evil (רָע) angels” to punish Israel during the wilderness sojourn, “He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels [among them].”
*The KJV translates Strong’s H7451 (רָע, ra) in the following manner: evil (442x), wickedness (59x), wicked (25x), mischief (21x), hurt (20x), bad (13x), trouble (10x), sore (9x), affliction (6x), ill (5x), adversity (4x), ill favoured (3x), harm (3x), naught (3x), noisome (2x), grievous (2x), sad (2x), miscellaneous (34x).
The day of evil, or day of wrath(s), which God is talking about, is Judgment Day (see 2 Peter 2:4). Please remember also that in the book of Esther (please see other commentary on this site), the adversary Haman, who was an allegorical representation of the devil, was also called “the wicked” (הָרָ֛ע, ha-ra). So, the result is that, in the Bible, God is making clear to us that He not only Is completely Sovereign, but He created all things, and formed everything for Himself, even including the wicked (whether רָע ra; רָעהָרָ֛ע, ha-ra; רָשָׁ֛ע, ra-sa; or הָרָשָׁ֔ע, ha-ra-sa) who will all be destroyed on Judgment Day.
This also brings us back to God’s complete Sovereignty. In Romans 9:21-23, we read, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? ¶ [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,” (This also harkens back to Isaiah 29:16. Please see: the Doctrine of Election)
Isaiah 43:10-13, “Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, [even] I, [am] the LORD; and beside me there [is] no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when [there was] no strange god among you: therefore ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I [am] God. Yea, before the day [was] I [am] he; and [there is] none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let (stop) it?“
The Saints Will Be Singing the Song of Moses in Heaven
The Believers, the Saints, will be singing the Song of Moses in Heaven as we read in Revelation 15:3&4, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy: for all nations shall come and worshipbefore thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.“
You must be logged in to post a comment.