Moses course 2 - 15/06/2015

So we'll be looking at the foundation of the Unification movement. If you remember, this is an actual foundation received on the side, established originally by Jason Lee. He saw those brothers and children management that was only on an individual family level, but now God is trying to expand this foundation to create a national foundation. The Messiah is very important; when the Messiah comes, it is crucial that people will receive him and also protect him. It's not enough for just a couple of individuals to follow him; we need to have a whole people who will be able to recognise, understand, appreciate him, and work together with him to expand God's providence from national to world level. That's what's going on here. He looked at Moses, of course; the first course didn't work out, and we're looking at the second course now. At the end of last week, we looked at Moses' encounter with God. God commissioned Moses and appointed him to lead the people out of Egypt. He suggested that Aaron, his older brother, and Miriam, his older sister, could support him and help him. So, there is some form of Trinity there. You can see that Moses, the younger of the three, had an older brother and sister who held him in such high regard that they were willing to recognise God speaking through him. Moses was a very humble person, which is significant because it's easy for an older brother or sister to be guided by the younger sibling. But you can see here that Moses was like that; he was humble, so his older brother and sister could see his qualities. God was working through him, and they were able to support him, protect him, and work together. So, Moses had to be a very humble person. Anyway, he went off down to Egypt, and the first thing he did was not to go see Pharaoh. The first thing he did was to meet the Hebrew leaders. Why do you think he went there first? He needed to find out what was going on. He needed their support. He gathered all the elders of the Israelites and told them everything the Lord said to Moses. He also performed the sign before the people, and the staff he threw on the ground turned into a snake. He picked it up again, and they believed. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped. When they realised that God cared about them and wanted to liberate them, they were moved to worship. This meant that Moses had their support. Moses could hardly go in front of Pharaoh and say, 'I represent the Hebrews,' if the Pharaoh went and asked, 'Have you ever heard of this Moses? Does he really represent you?' They would have said, 'No, we don't know who he is, and he doesn't represent us.' Anyone who said that would have been thrown into prison. So, Moses needed the support of the elders; he needed the support of the Hebrews. He went before Pharaoh representing not just God, who was invisible, but representing all the Hebrews. This meant that Pharaoh would have to treat Moses seriously, as opposed to just a random individual who walked out of the desert. It was very important for Moses to get their support. It's not just that God has told me to do this; I need their support. After that, Moses goes to meet Pharaoh and says to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you to let my son go to worship me.' How does God define himself here? He defines himself as the God of Israel, but also as a parent. He cares about Israel because Israel is his firstborn son. God defines himself in relation to the people, as a Divine Parent to human children. So, he says, 'Let my son go to worship me.' Moses didn't say, 'Let my people go and never come back.' He just said, 'Let my people come into the desert for three days to worship me.' It's a reasonable offer. Pharaoh responds, 'Who is the Lord that I should pay attention to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.' Pharaoh is saying that in Egypt, every nation has its own gods, and in Egypt, there are many gods, like the god of the Nile. So, Pharaoh is questioning who the God of Israel is and why he should pay any attention to him. He only worships and pays attention to the gods of Egypt, who are the only ones with any power and authority in Egypt. This makes sense. So, Pharaoh answers, 'Because of you, I will increase the people's workload.' Up until then, the Hebrews had to make bricks, but the straw was provided. Now Pharaoh said, 'You have to go collect your own straw and do everything else.' Their workload was hugely increased. When this happened, the Hebrews said to Moses, 'May the Lord look upon you and judge you. You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials; they have put a sword in their hand to kill us.' They were complaining that instead of making things better, Moses had made things a lot worse. Sometimes, things can get a lot worse before they get better. Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon his people, and you have not rescued your people at all.' How do you think Moses is feeling about this situation with God? He expected things to turn out differently. He thought he would go speak to Pharaoh, and then things would happen, but actually, things got worse. Moses wasn't expecting this. He goes and talks to God about it. It's interesting to see that whatever happens, Moses always talks to God about it. Whether he's happy, unhappy, miserable, sad, or angry, he always engages in conversation with God based on where he is at. He's not pretending with God; he's honest, open, and frank. He tells God how he feels. This kind of relationship is important. God is like a friend to him, and he starts talking to God about ways out. He's not thinking, 'I'm not in the right mood to pray,' or 'I'm not good enough to pray.' He just talks to God. At that point, God speaks to him and says, 'You ought to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I have multiplied my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you.' What do you think about this? God hardens Pharaoh's heart. Some people think, 'Well, that's not fair.' They wonder why God would interfere with Pharaoh's freedom to make choices. This is an objection people often make. They ask why God hardened his heart. I think God hardened his heart through his attitude. Pharaoh's heart was hardened because he was obstinate. It's interesting to see how this plays out. If you never really think about it, it can be a great discussion. Sometimes people say, 'Well, we have complete freedom.' Others argue that people are not free at all. Some think we're free, but our choices are just the result of our chemical processes or our environment. They argue that freedom is an illusion. However, it's interesting to look at the biblical understanding of freedom and to understand what's going on in terms of how it works. We'll have a look at these plagues, and you can see how this raises questions about whether we are free or not, and what freedom really means. So, let's run through these ten plagues according to the Bible: the plague of blood, the plague of frogs, the plague of lice, the plague of flies, the plague on livestock, the plague of boils, the plague of hail, the plague of locusts, the plague of darkness, and then the death of the Egyptian firstborn son. These things are all recorded in the Bible. Sometimes people say, 'Did they really happen? Maybe this is all just made up.' There are ethical issues we talked about, like whether it's nice for God to do all these dreadful things. The first question is, did that happen? There is a scientific view on the plagues. Professor Sir Colin John Humphreys wrote a book called 'The Miracles of Exodus.' He is a serious scientist, having been the Goldsmith Professor of Material Science at Cambridge University and also a professor of experimental physics at the Royal Institution in London. He tries to make sense of the scientific explanation for what is recorded in the Bible regarding the miracles of Exodus. There is also a YouTube video based on his book. If you have never seen it before, I can get it to work for you. The first question is, did it really happen? If it did happen, it's interesting to explore what was going on during this whole process of going from slavery into freedom. What is happening with God hardening Pharaoh's heart? The first question is whether these were real miracles. If you give a scientific explanation for what took place, was this really a supernatural intervention by God, or was it a very convenient natural phenomenon? Some people say that if you give a scientific explanation, it means God wasn't intervening, which means it wasn't a miracle. For some, they feel happy to find out there's a scientific explanation. So, suppose you were there at the time; what would you see? How would you explain it? If you were there, how would you know what was going on? Did anyone know that a volcano had exploded? Was there something there to record it and transmit it to Egypt? Suddenly, all these things started to take place. If you were there, would you have understood what was going on? In the ancient world, until very recently, why did people think earthquakes happened? They didn't know why they happened. When an earthquake took place, people didn't know why. They always tried to come up with an explanation. What kind of explanation would people come up with in the pre-scientific age? They might think that giants were angry or that a volcano exploded. This is similar to how some people attributed an earthquake to tourists behaving disrespectfully. They thought that their actions caused the earthquake. In a pre-scientific age, people often thought coincidences were causality, that one caused the other. This is a common perspective throughout human history. So, if you imagine yourself as a Hebrew or an Egyptian three and a half thousand years ago, how would you explain the sequence of events? You might think that God was working somewhere. When we talk about a miracle, we are talking about something that people don't understand. If people can't understand it, they might say God is doing it. In that sense, that's part of what's going on. Is it natural, or is it just coincidence? Did God cause the volcano to explode, which led to the sequence of events, or was it going to explode anyway?

How did Moses know it was going to walk? Hissing Panther was Moses of brilliant climatologists and ecologists. He was able to read the signs and knew what was going on. Didn't an angel reveal to Moses what was going to happen? These are questions that arise. Einstein said there are two ways to live: either as if nothing is a miracle or as if everything is a miracle. A lot of it has to do with the way we interpret events. Sometimes people think it's just a coincidence that they meet someone, while others believe it is God orchestrating the meeting. You might think about someone and then suddenly meet them. Is it just coincidence, or is it a miracle? What we can say is that the event took place, and how we explain it varies. Some say it is just coincidence, while others see it as God at work. From a scientific perspective, the fact that there is a universe is a miracle, given the unlikelihood of it existing at all. Many scientists are awestruck by the fact that we exist at all; it is indeed amazing.

Moses went on to meet Pharaoh and performed signs in front of him and his officials. The magicians and sorcerers of Egypt were able to replicate some of these signs, throwing down their staffs to become snakes. However, Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet, Pharaoh's heart became hard, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. When it says that Pharaoh's heart became hard, we must ask why. Was he not impressed by Aaron's snake trick? He shrugged it off, thinking his magicians could do the same. So, Pharaoh's heart became hard. He was not impressed by the signs. Then Moses warned Pharaoh that there would be a plague of frogs. Pharaoh asked Moses to pray to the Lord to take the frogs away, promising to let the Israelites go. However, once the frogs were gone, Pharaoh hardened his heart again and would not listen to Moses, just as the Lord had said.

The question arises: whose heart was hardened? The text indicates that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. He made a promise but then changed his mind. When we break promises, we often feel guilty. Pharaoh's guilt may have led him to harden his heart further. By breaking his promise, he was corrupting his soul. If you keep promising things but then break those promises, you damage yourself. Pharaoh's actions were damaging to his own heart. After the plague of frogs, Moses warned Pharaoh again, but Pharaoh continued to harden his heart. The magicians acknowledged that this was the finger of God, yet Pharaoh ignored their advice. He was closing himself off, hardening himself against the truth.

Moses continued to warn Pharaoh about the consequences of his stubbornness. Pharaoh's obstinacy was evident, as he refused to accept the reality of the situation. Even when faced with logical reasoning, he remained closed off. This is a common trait among those in power who become deluded and refuse to listen to the truth. They may think they are winning, but in reality, they are heading towards disaster. Pharaoh, despite being the most powerful man, was gradually losing his freedom by becoming more obstinate. He could no longer think rationally. This pattern is seen throughout history, where leaders ignore reality until catastrophe strikes. The situation in Greece today mirrors this, as leaders refuse to accept the economic realities they face, leading to a potential disaster.

Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not let the people go. He investigated the reports about the livestock and found that not one animal had died. Yet, his heart remained unyielding. The Israelites lived far from the Egyptians, which may explain why the plagues affected them differently. After the hail, Pharaoh admitted he had sinned and promised to let the Israelites go. However, when the hail stopped, he hardened his heart again. This pattern continued, with Pharaoh and his officials hardening their hearts against the signs and wonders performed by Moses. God had predicted this would happen, and it was clear that Pharaoh was not going to relent. God wanted to show the Hebrews that He was the Lord of nature, performing incredible signs to demonstrate His power.

The officials of Pharaoh eventually realised the disaster that was unfolding. They advised Pharaoh to let the people go, acknowledging that Egypt was ruined. Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go but tried to bargain over who would go. Moses insisted that everyone, including women and children, must go. Pharaoh's heart was hardened again, and he refused to let them leave completely. After further plagues, including darkness, Pharaoh continued to negotiate but ultimately would not let the Israelites go. Finally, after the death of the firstborn sons in Egypt, Pharaoh relented and told Moses to take the Israelites and worship the Lord. This was a tragic conclusion to a series of events that demonstrated the consequences of stubbornness and refusal to accept reality.

Take your flock and go. I'm also blessed. What’s happening? Taro says, before you go, bless me. Then why are you finding Pharaoh? What are those blessings? That very functional behaviour of the Israelites, even though all the plagues, I think if one is becoming humbled normally, the king here, normally people ask the Pharaoh for blessings. Another Pharaoh, why am I asking Moses to bless him? He is saying, 'You are higher than me.' It is treating Moses as a mediator to God in that sense. In that sense, finally, Pharaoh is recognising the authority of the God of Israel. He wants, and he realises actually God is working through Moses. Moses, the prophet of God, has finally got the point. His spirit is broken and he is asking Moses, 'Please bless me,' because he realises without God's blessing through Moses, he cannot proceed. Now suppose you're Moses and you've gone through this incredible struggle with Pharaoh. Now Pharaoh asks you to bless him. How easy or difficult does that sound? So, what kind of place does Moses need to get himself into so he could bless somebody? After what he has been through, he has to feel love for them; he has to care about them. Yes, Moses has to love. He can't bless someone if he doesn't love them. So, after this incredible battle, Moses finds himself in a position to love Pharaoh, to care about Pharaoh, and to keep God's blessing for Pharaoh. So why is that dynamic taking place? Yes, that's him. Love's essence was core to human territory. What number? I will walk around. Today is titled roughly 'Me.' So, he says here in composition, has any way for Moses to receive God's local college because of traffic? He is so not science, and as you said, Moses finally does not fear. They go slowly with CC. But also, back by Moses loving Pharaoh, blessing Pharaoh means that Moses had no resentment towards Pharaoh. It's really important because God wants to free the Israelites. God wants to free them. It's not just external freedom, going through slavery, out of slavery, leaving Egypt. They also have to be free inside, which means they have to be free from resentment, free from any bad feelings towards Pharaoh or towards Egyptians. So, the Hebrews actually have to love the Egyptians, and Moses, in turn, loves and forgives and blesses Pharaoh. So when he leaves, his heart is completely free. This kind of whole process is not just about getting out of slavery; it's also a process of development. So, that's why these sorts of things are taking place. I'm just picking out bits, but there is so much more in the text. If you look at it, the Israelites are interesting. While the Israelites ask the Egyptians for silver and gold, the Lord had made the Egyptians favourably disposed towards them, and they gave them what they asked for. So then, two things here: why did the Egyptians feel favourably disposed towards the Hebrews such that they gave them silver and gold? I think the Egyptians were ejected, just hiding it well. But in whose fault was it? Was it the Egyptians' fault? It's all Pharaoh's. So how do you think the Egyptians felt towards Pharaoh? They were not happy with him because, from the Egyptian point of view, all the disasters that came were because Pharaoh wouldn't listen to Moses and wouldn't let the people go. They felt, 'Pharaoh, you brought disaster, ruined Egypt.' So, the Egyptians had no good feelings towards Pharaoh. And then, Pharaoh had been so badly treated. The Egyptians actually felt sorry for the Hebrews because they had been so badly treated by Pharaoh. I'm saying this is how the dynamic develops. The Egyptians then want to give thanks to the Hebrews because they feel sorry for them, having been treated so unfairly by Pharaoh. So, if the Egyptians give gold and silver to the Hebrews and anything they ask for, how do the Hebrews feel towards the ordinary Egyptians? Do they have bad feelings towards them? No. So, the Hebrews and Israelites leave Egypt without bad feelings towards the Egyptians. This is really important. Internally, they are free from resentment or bitterness. They just feel love and compassion for the Egyptians. Throughout the Old Testament stories, there is never any sense of antagonism towards Egypt or the Egyptians. You don't get that at all within the Old Testament; this is just absent. So, this is very important as Exodus is not just about leaving Egypt and slavery, but also about the inner state of freedom as well. To modern times, whether this nearly small plate serves at it, what do the Israelites have? A good relationship? I want a dissolution for all those years ago. Really, so that day, that visiting more amenities, a modern-day reality. Where is your perfect between Israel and all that? If I can, you know, you're lacking the initiatives for visionary better. So especially many years ago, it was easily said Jesus was the positional tripod. So we constantly, for years ago, for the late 80s and early Israel, to hear the most sense. But yeah, there was a reason for the Egyptians to feel this way towards the Hebrews because they were foreigners. Most prosperous exceptional was in some legitimate placement sense disguised. Okay, so then there was the Passover, which happened this time when the Egyptians' firstborn died. God said to roast the lamb and to put some blood on the lintels of the doorposts. They had to make unleavened bread for when they went on this journey. Unleavened bread is bread made without yeast; it doesn't rise, meaning it is very flat. This means you can take it easily. If you have loads of bread, it takes a lot of space and is very hard to carry. It says spacious. Then it says that the angel of death passed over; that’s where the name comes from. The angel of death passed over all the houses in Egypt, and where there was a house with the blood on the lintel, the angel of death didn't go in. The Hebrews were spared, but the angel of death went into the houses of the Egyptians. Then they gave clothing and jewellery, and finally, Pharaoh allowed them to depart for three days. Imagine all this effort for three days! It was really difficult. You know what Moses said: 'Let my people go for three days.' It’s just that I'm going to the desert for three days now. So how difficult it was to deal with Pharaoh! He couldn't even get a three-day holiday to go and make offerings to God and worship God. So, where is all the second place? This is whether this is the route of Pharaoh out here, the land of the earth. Israel has seen bruises lower down, and so they went down here. They went for three days, and the idea is they got to here by three days. Sometimes people say they crossed the Red Sea. While the Red Sea is just impossible, just no, she’s out there closed. So, another idea is that sometimes people say they crossed the Red Sea a little bit here, a marshy area. But we actually read the text; it seems it took them a week, seven days, to go from here to here before they crossed over this Red Sea. They were gone taking three days to get here. The best explanation I have come across is living carry on travelling here until they got to this point. This point here is where the remains of a land bridge are found. If we think of Cornwallis, the mass sandwich at St. Michael's Mount, when the tide goes down, you can cross, and when the tide comes in, it is covered up. Well, over there, there are also ancient lands, and there are two towns on either side. The remains of the land bridge have been found through archaeological work; they’ve found Egyptian chariots and things like that. So, the best explanation I have come across is back to where the dead is, where the crossing place is. It’s quite possible that this is where the crossing was, and as the tide might have gone out a very long way, they made a crossover, then the tide came in and drowned the Egyptians. So, you either got footage while they left Egypt, a bacterial cloud put a fire and chased them. People lose heart, and then Moses said to the people, '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, but you must be silent.' Moses stretched out his rod, the sea parted, and they crossed over. It says in Israel, they saw the great power of the Lord avenged against Egypt. The people were in awe of God; they believed in God and in His servant Moses. This incredible phenomenon took place, and the water came back, and the Egyptians were engulfed. They went on to this wilderness of Shur. So again, I think, how does this happen? This parting of the Red Sea must have some kind of realistic explanation. I can imagine that Moses, for 40 years, had been wandering around the wilderness with Jethro, so he would have known all the features and all the phenomena that took place. It was no more the title; I could, but this language comes up at this particular time. I'm sure he would have been able to work in that kind of way. Then they ran out of water, or they went to some place called Mara. They ran out of water after seven days of supplies for eating and drinking. But now they were out of water to drink. So they went to the lake at Mara, and it was bitter; they couldn't drink it. Moses told them to take a particular tree and throw it into the water, and the water became sweet. So again, obviously, there was some kind of quality this particular tree had that Moses knew about. He knew through this country and the way it would change the taste or whatever it was. I think Moses was just very aware; he understood the environment in which he operated. Some of these things were miraculous, but all these things were based on his knowledge. After 40 years, he knew the area like the back of his hand. He knew where to go, and so I guess something like that.