God is in control.  We started this program discussing Jesus as the seed promised in Genesis 3:15 and last week discussed Jesus as the seed promised to Abraham who would bless the world in Genesis 12:3.  This week we will see Jesus as the Angel of the Lord and other titles He assumed as presented in Genesis and other parts of scripture.  You should be complete with the first twenty-six chapters of Genesis and the first twenty chapters of Isaiah.  The overwhelming theme in both books is that God is in control.

Open your bibles to . . .

Genesis 4:6-7
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry?  And why has your countenance fallen? 
7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." 

Genesis 32:24-30
24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 
25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 
26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 
27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 
28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 
29 Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?"  And he blessed him there. 
30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." 

First, you might be asking what do these two stories have to do with each other.  Think about this, the Lord told Cain that he must master sin.  Sin is right in front of you, but you must show self discipline and control.  Jacob was not wrestling, but holding on.  A man wrestled with him, but this was not a normal man and Jacob knew it.  I find it interesting that He asks him his name.  God know his name, but he wants Jacob to say it.  What does Jacob mean?  Deceiver.

Cain was not wrestling anyone, but he is doing battle against the man in the mirror.  Jacob is not wrestling God, but the man in the mirror.  God asks Jacob his name so Jacob can see himself for what his name indicates.  God is going to change this man from a man of the flesh to a man of the spirit.  That is signified with the name change to Israel.  We will see that it does not happen overnight.  This sounds a lot like the years it takes a Christian to walk in faith and grow into what God already knows that person could be if they would just walk with Him.  It takes God years of working on us for us to submit to His authority in our lives.  Sin is right in front of you, but you must master it. 

Open your bibles to . . .

Genesis 4:6-7
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry?  And why has your countenance fallen? 
7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." 

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

You can not save yourself.  Jacob can not save himself.  Cain can not save himself. When God says that he must master it, it signifies that that man does have a role to play in this process.  Man can do battle against himself and fight the desires he has against the will of God.  Jesus said that out of the heart of man proceed evil thought, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and slanders.  That includes you and me.  Your first step in ministry is to deal with the man in the mirror.  This concept fits neatly within the reason why God allows evil in this world; His glory.  When a man turns from his natural instincts and does what God says because he loves God, God is glorified. 

Let's make one point crystal clear; works do not save.  Salvation comes from God alone by grace without works.  Works do follow real faith in the form of good works.  You must master sin in your life and have faith in God which will produce works in your life as a natural cause and effect result.  That is just how life works.  Think of it like this; gravity just works.  My job is to not put myself in a position where I engage the law of gravity on my life and break my arm.  I must stay away from the edge of the cliff to avoid gravity causing a negative effect on my life.  Cain can not save himself, but he can stop himself from sin.  Jacob can not save himself, but he can choose to cling to the Anointed One who can save him.  Are you clinging to Jesus?

Open your bibles to . . . 

James 2:21-26
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 
22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. 
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 
25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. 

Your faith should produce action in your life.  Your love for God should be a reflection to how you walk in this world.  Your respect for the image of the Living God should be reflected in how you treat and love other people.  A test shows what you know.  Works show your faith in what you hold as true.  You do not receive different grades from A-F in this course of life.  It is a pass/fail arrangement based upon do you accept Jesus as the Christ, Messiah, Anointed One, Lamb of God, etc. 

I would like to do a quick overview of both books to make sure we are all on the same page.  Genesis was written by Moses, but he was told what to write down by the Angel of the Lord (Jesus prior to taking on our flesh).  God tells mankind where we came from and why things are as they are plus He tells us what the solution is for our problem of sin.  Genesis 1:1 says God created the heavens and the earth.  Verse 1:2 show the Spirit of God moving over the surface.  God tells us that it all started with Him and that He has a plural nature.  That is expanded in 1:26 when He says Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.  We are told that God is Spirit and we are a reflection of Him.  That reflection of God in the form of our spirit is what He wants to save and transform into an adopted child.

Isaiah has sixty-six chapters and our bible has sixty-six books.  These chapter and verse divisions were added by monks later while they made copies, but I do think it is interesting.  The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah deal with the nation of Israel.  The Old Testament has thirty-nine books which deal with Israel.  Understand that the purpose of the nation of Israel was to bring the Messiah into this world.  Everything else related to Israel is just God keeping his Word.  The second half of Isaiah deals with the grace of God just like the new testament deals with the grace of God through Jesus as our Christ.  Isaiah provides prophecy for events during his lifetime and well beyond.  Isaiah deals with the physical and with the spiritual.  He tells of Jesus' virgin birth and His second coming as identified in The Revelation.  Isaiah describes Satan prior to the fall and the spiritual battle man can not see.

Consider this contrast between Genesis 17:1-10 and Isaiah 14:13-14.  Open your bibles to . . .

Genesis 17:1-10
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. 
2 "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly." 
3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, 
4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 
5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. 
7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 
8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 
9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 
10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 

Isaiah 14:12-14
12 "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!  You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 
13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 
14 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'

Selfish pride is the root of all evil and the primary reason for the fall of this world.  One of the biggest problems with drug and alcohol abuse is that the user steps deep into selfishness.  When a person becomes dependent of a substance, everything is all about me, me, me.  One of my goals in teaching this class is to guide my students outside themselves.  I want them to think of other people before they think of themselves.  This is a big step in the road of life.  Think about the greatest commandment.  We are to love God and then love our neighbor.  This is the opposite behavior of selfishness.

Now back to Jacob.  Open your bibles back to . . .

Genesis 32:28-30 
28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 
29 Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. 
30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." 

This is a famous story, but God did not call Jacob Israel until Genesis 35:10.  Why the delay?  See Genesis 35:4 for the answer.  First comes obedience and then a relationship.  Jesus preached repent and invited those into the knigdom.  You must first turn from yourself and come to God the way He says to come.  You must recognize that you are not the great I AM.

Genesis 31 is Laban chasing Jacob and they make a covenant of Mizpah. 
Genesis 32 opens with a statement about the angels of God in a place called Mahanaim.  This is not the stairway to heaven story.  Just before the wrestling story, Jacob crosses a tributary of the Jordan called the ford of Jabbok.  Then the wrestling match.
Genesis 33 is Jacob meeting Esau.  Verse 17 says Jacob went to Succoth and built a house. 
Genesis 34 is the rape of Dinah and the murder by Simon and Levi of all the men in Succoth.
How much time has passed since Genesis 32 and chapter 35?  A week, a month, a year?
Why is Jacob still being called Jacob and not Israel? 

Genesis 35:1-4
1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." 
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 
3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." 
4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. 

Genesis 35:9-10
9 Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 
10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name."  Thus He called him Israel. 

Based upon this story, what is the first step toward a relationship with God?  Repent.  That is what Jesus preached.

The bible sets man straight on what is real and what is fake in this life and beyond.  You think an issue is up and then you find that God says that it is down.  Consider this; Abraham was not Jewish.  Isaac was not Jewish.  Jacob was not Jewish until God changed him from Jacob to Israel.  Some may argue, but the facts are the facts.  Jacob and Esau were twins from the same womb and no one considers Esau or the Edomites as Jewish.  If Abraham was Jewish then Ishmael would be considered Jewish, but he is not. 

Abram is identifed as a Hebrew in Genesis 14:13 which means that Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and Esau are all Hebrews, but only Jacob is an Israelite.  Think about this; Jacob did not have any children after his name was changed to Israel, but God considers the sons he had under the name Jacob as Israelites.  God is in control.  That makes me think about John 1:12-13 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." 

Isaiah chapters 1-35 are judgments.  Here we see the sovereign on the throne.  Here we see the hope of a future child to be born of a virgin.
Isaiah chapters 36-39 are historic.  Compare this section to 2 Kings 18-19 and 2 Chronicles 29-30 and you see a prophetic picture of God's deliverance.
Isaiah chapters 40-66 shows salvation. Here we see that there is no peace for the wicked.  Your only hope is the Servant which we now know as Jesus. 

What did you see in Isaiah chapters 1-10?

Chapter 1 - God's charge against Israel
Isaiah 1:2-4
2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, "Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.
3 "An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master's manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand."
4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly!  They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.

Isaiah 1:11 "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.

Isaiah 1:14-17 
14 "I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.
15 "So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, 
I will not listen. 
16 Your hands are covered with blood."Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 
17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.

Chapter 2 - Preview of the future of Judah and Jerusalem
Isaiah 2:5-8  5 Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.
6 For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses And there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made.

Isaiah 2:22 Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?

Chapter 3 - Present view of Judah and Jerusalem
Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence.

Isaiah 3:16-24
16 Moreover, the Lord said, "Because the daughters of Zion are proud And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And tinkle the bangles on their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the Lord will make their foreheads bare."
18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 
19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 
20 headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 
21 finger rings, nose rings, 
22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 
23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils. 
24 Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.

Chapter 4 - Another preview of the future
Isaiah 4:4-6 
4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, 
5 then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. 
6 There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain. 

Chapter 5 - Parable of the Vineyard & woes predicted for Israel
Isaiah 5:12-13 
12 ... But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord, Nor do they consider the work of His hands. 
13 Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; And their honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.

Isaiah 5:21-23 
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!
22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Chapter 6 - Isaiah's call and commission as a Prophet
Isaiah 6:2-3 
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Seraphim means "to burn".  They brought the coal to touch Isaiah's tongue.  These guys are completely different than the Cherubim.  The Cherubim stand guard at the Garden of Eden and stand on top of the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.  This is a totally different rank of angel. 

Isaiah 6:8  Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 

Isaiah 6:12-13
12 "The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 "Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump."

Chapter 7-10 Predictions
Isaiah 7:14-16 
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 
15 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 
16 For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. 

Isaiah 8:13-17
13 "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy.  And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.
14 "Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 "Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught."
16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 
17 And I will wait for the Lord who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. 

Isaiah 9:2-7
2  The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:12 The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west; And they devour Israel with gaping jaws.  In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

Isaiah 9:13 Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 9:17 Therefore the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men, Nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, And together they are against Judah.  In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

Isaiah 10:4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among the slain. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

Isaiah 10:17 And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.

Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
 

Genesis chapters 1-11 show creation, the fall the flood and the confusion.
Here God opens His mouth and allows mankind to see who they are and where they came from.
Genesis chapters 12-50 is God's plan to bring in the Messiah.
Genesis 12-23 is where God selects Abram and gives him a sign of His Covenant which is circumcision. 
Genesis 24-26 is where the son and his bride which is compared to Jesus and the church. 
Genesis 27-36 shows God's mercy in dealing with man.  Again John 1:12-13 says not of blood, but of God.  God is in control. 
Genesis 37-50 is the shadow of redemption in the life of Joseph as compared to the life of Jesus.

This week we need to see life from God's perspective.  God is infinite.  Man is finite.  We have a beginning and an end, but God does not.  The problem with man is that we live our lives in a start/stop mode every day.  Man wakes each morning and goes to sleeps at the end of the day.  God does not think like a man and man does not think like God.  That's the problem.  This week we are looking at a nation God created for His purposes so we need to look at the situation from God's infinite perspective.  Open your bibles to. . .

Genesis 15:13
God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.

Exodus 12:40-41
40 Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 
41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 

God is in control.  This section of scripture tells us that God has a plan.  It tells us that God knows what will happen.  It tells us that God is in control and God allows the life of man to play out.  God allowed sin to enter this world.  God was not surprised, but He was disappointed.  God allowed the fall of mankind because He had a greater purpose from the outcome of man's disobedience.  Abram lived 800-900 years prior to his descendants becoming enslaved.  Why would God bother to tell Abram about this period of slavery?  Abram would be dead and gone.  He tells Abram for our sake.  Abram did not write Genesis.  Moses wrote Genesis based upon what God told him (or showed him) to write down.  All this was done so that we know that God is in control.

Open your bibles to . . .

Isaiah 42:1-9
1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 
2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 
3 "A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 
4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law." 
5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, 
6 "I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, 
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. 
8 "I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. 
9 "Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you."

Acts 26:15-18
15 And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 
16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 
17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 
18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

Let's go back to the story where Jacob wrestled God for a third time and I want to show you something very interesting.  God is in control.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 32:24-32
24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 
25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 
26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 
27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 
28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 
29 Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. 

30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." 
31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 
32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip. 

Notice in verse 32 where it says to this day.  Did you notice how the language shifted from telling the story to a personal insight of Moses.  The Angel of the Lord is telling Moses what to write and in verse 32 Moses comments on what is done today based upon that story.  Take a look at one of the most famous section of scripture and I want to show you the same thing. 
Open your bibles to . . .

John 3:10-21
10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

After Jesus tells Nichodemus the statement from verses 10-15, the tone of the language shifts.  The words say the same thing, but the question is who made the statements?  Are these the statements of Jesus (in red letter) or are the verses 16-21 the reflections of John from what Jesus just said in 10-15?  I lean toward the later that these are John's reactions to what Jesus just described about Moses and the serpent.  It does not change the meaning of the statements, just identifies who made the statements.  John was a Jew who most likely had heard this story of Moses and the serpent all his life.  If any Israelite just looked up at the serpent raised on the staff, they would be saved.  The serpent was a representation of evil from the garden when sin and death were introduced into humanity.  The message is crystal clear.  Salvation is black and white.  If a man looks to Jesus, you get saved.  If you choose not to look, you will die.  I think that statement just blew John away and his comments are recorded in verses 16-21. 

Open your bibles to . . .

Hosea 12:2-6 
2 The Lord also has a dispute with Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds. 
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God. 
4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor.  He found Him at Bethel And there He spoke with us, 
5 Even the Lord, the God of hosts, The Lord is His name. 
6 Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.

Did you see in verse 4 where Jacob found Him and there he spoke to Us.  Jacob was alone so the us must refer to plural nature of God.  God is in control.  Below is Exodus 33 where we will see a story of Moses speaking to God face to face.  Later in the same chapter, God says that Moses can not see His face and live.  God is one, but interacts with man in different ways.

Exodus 33:10-11
10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 
11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Exodus 33:17-23
17 The Lord said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name." 
18 Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" 
19 And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 
20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" 
21 Then the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 
22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 
23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." 

The Angel of the Lord was inside the pillar of cloud.  This was Jesus who would meet with Moses face to face prior to the virgin birth.  He has always been, but He set aside His glory as God to step inside His creation for your salvation and mine.  He loves you that much.  We can not comprehend just how big of a deal that really was for Jesus.  Jesus is described as the rock of our salvation.  I always liked who the Father put Moses inside the Rock (Jesus) for Moses' safety. 

Exodus differs from Genesis in that Moses experienced the situations described in Exodus, but God told (or showed) Moses about the events in Genesis.  So if you have ever asked the question why did Moses only give a few chapters to the creation of the world, the answer is that is all God told Moses to tell us.  We do not know everything, but what we know is enough.  Return to God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for the Lord continually.

Open your bibles to . . .

Psalm 33:4-6
4 For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

Psalm 33:13-19
13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine.