It was while I was preparing for a Sabbath lesson that I came upon this verse and was inspired to write this 5 part series.
“So He [Yehovah] said; ‘I will certainly be with thee [Moses]. And this shall be a sign to thee that I have sent thee: When thou has brought the people out of Egypt, you [all] shall serve God on this mountain.’ “Â (Exo 3:12)
Our English, or perhaps our translators, or perhaps our preconceived ideas, or perhaps all 3 hardly do this verse justice. Who are the people who served Yehovah after they came out of Egypt? Ezrach (His son) people? Ger people? Man people? Woman people? Boy people or girl people? All people? Who did Yehovah say was to serve Him?
“Then thou shall say to Pharaoh; ‘Thus says Yehovah: Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to thee, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if thou refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill thy son, thy firstborn. ‘ ” (Exo 4:22-23)
It is the Yehovah’s spiritually born sons, aka “sons of Israel,” literally Israel’s son/seed who is to serve Him. We were serving Pharaoh, and now, we are to serve Yehovah.
After the eighth plague fell on Egypt, Pharaoh tried to let just the men go. But Yehovah’s men will only go with what belongs to them: their sons, daughters, male servants and female servants and the Ger (strangers) that went with them.
“Then Israel’s seed journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. And mixed heads of families went up with them also, and flocks and herds – a great deal of livestock.” (Exo 12:37-38)
Where were the women? They are rarely enumerated in Torah because they are one with their man. “Bone of my bone flesh of my flesh.” A woman serves Yehovah by serving her man. The hand, the arm, the leg, the bone and the flesh is always to obey their head.
Moses was told by Yehovah:
“When you [Moses] have brought the people out of Egypt, you [all] shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exo 3:12)
This word “God” is the word elohim, a lawmaker and a judge. Lawmakers make statutes and ordinances and a judges make judgments. Elohim is a Hebrew plural which can be used in a quantitative sense (more than one) to refer to all the world’s elohim, like Pharaoh, Obama, the Congress, the Legislature or anyone who creates and enforces their own laws and judgments.
But when we are referring to Yehovah it is always in a qualitative sense. Yehovah is THE Elohim or the Great Elohim of the whole earth. And that is the point of this verse. Yehovah is using the definite article before the word Elohim to drive home His point.
“When thou[Moses] has brought the people [Israel’s seed and the Ger who dwell with them] out of Egypt, you [all] shall serve THE Elohim [האלהים] on this mountain.” (Exo 3:12)
We (men) were not even allowed on the mountain once we arrived at Sinai but we all are to come out of our Egypt and serve THE Elohim on the mountain. It is not about the mountain, it is about who men serve! We are to serve THE Elohim on the mountain in every place where Yehovah has now scattered us.
Most of what I have said here is just a matter of getting correct knowledge in order to come to a correct understanding of what Yehovah’s word actually says. If our knowledge is screwed up we will never come to a correct understanding and be able to act in wisdom.
Just like we did in Egypt, a man must repent and decide to follow Moses, leave the kingdom of his birth and join himself (and his family) to a new kingdom and Elohim (THE lawmaker and judge). Once a year at the time of life (a.k.a. Passover) a man has the duty and the opportunity to enter into or renew his covenant with Yehovah and become His son, Israel. If he does, he has acted in both understanding and wisdom.
A man who chooses to remain in any kingdom of the earth demonstrates that he does not fully understand what Yehovah is saying to Moses and can never act wisely.
I really like the advice which David gave to his son Solomon from his death-bed. He said, “Prove yourself a man.”
“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man and keep the charge of Yehovah, your Elohim [your lawmaker and judge]: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Torah of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” (1Ki 2:2-4)
A real man does not keep the CHARGE of Obama, or any other lawmaker or judge on the earth. A real man leaves the kingdom of his birth and makes himself wholly Yehovah’s servant.
Wisdom comes from understanding, and understanding from knowledge, but understanding doesn’t become wisdom until it is acted upon. Many believe they have understanding and wisdom, but in the end all they have is lip service.
Yeshua quoting Yehovah’s words given through Isaiah said;
“Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, you hold the traditions of men [commandments of men], as the washing of pots and cups, and many other such like things you do. And he said unto them, full well you reject the commandments of Elohim, that ye may keep your own traditions [your own laws and judgements].” (Mar 7:6-9)
Yehovah’s first commandment is,
“You shall have no elohim [lawmakers and judges] existing before My face.”
Real men make their understanding a reality through wisdom, and trust Yehovah for their safety and provision.
Wisdom and understanding are two sides of the same coin. But there is no wisdom without understanding and understanding without acting upon it, only demonstrates the lack of understanding.
“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as Yehovah my Elohim commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ “For what great nation is there that has Elohim so near to it, as Yehovah our Elohim is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day.” (Deu 4:5-8)
A man who acts in wisdom organizes his life to serve only THE Elohim on the mountain.
Here is the overview of this series
Fear Of Yehovah Precedes Knowledge 1
Knowledge Precedes Understanding 2
Understanding Precedes Wisdom 3
Wisdom Is This – Serving Yehovah Wholly – 5