How many children were born to the man Israel? 
How many children were born to the man Jacob? 

Jacob has twelve sons and one daughter.  The man Israel did not have any children.  God changed Jacob's name to Israel.  I propose to you that God adopted the twelve sons of Jacob as His nation and as His own possession.  I am not of the Jewish bloodline, but I have received Jesus as my Savior.  I am adopted as the child of the Living God by the blood of Jesus. 

Have you received Jesus and believed in His name as the Christ?

John 1:10-14
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 
12 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, 
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 

Galatians 4:21-31
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? 
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 
23 But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, 
and the son by the free woman through the promise. 
24 This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 
25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 
26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 
27 For it is written, "Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more numerous are the children of the desolate Than of the one who has a husband."
28 And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 
29 But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 
30 But what does the Scripture say?  "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman."
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.
 

Romans 9:6-16
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed.  For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through Isaac your descendants will be named." 
8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 
9 For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." 
10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 
11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 
12 it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." 
13 Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 
14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there?  May it never be! 
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
 

John 1:12-13
12 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, 
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

We established from the book of Genesis that God is in control.  This is His salvation plan, His Heaven, His Earth and mankind just needs to understand that God is in control.  Exodus is an extension of the story started in Genesis with the Nation of Israel.  Remember that God created the nation for His purposes.  God does not need the people.  The people need God.  As we get into Exodus, you will see where the people would not obey God and God wanted to destroy the people.  Not the nation.  He could make a nation from Moses, but He was going to destroy the people.  The prophet, Moses, made intercession for the people just like Jesus made intercession for the people when He came as Immanuel.  This is what we discussed last week.

Exodus 32:9-10
9 The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 
10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; 
and I will make of you a great nation." 

Sarah was barren, but God opened her womb and she gave birth to Isaac.  Isaac married Rebekah.  Rebekah was barren, but God opened her womb and she gave birth to the twins Esau and Jacob.  God created the nation of Israel when He renamed Jacob Israel.  All the kids of Jacob had already been born and God adopted all of them as the nation of Israel just like He adopts us as His children by the blood of Jesus.

Luke 1:34-35
34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 
35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Mary was a virgin, but God overshadowed her.  Jesus was born not of the seed of man.  God's redemption of mankind was not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.  God is in control.  My God controls tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, but He deals with man using a cool breeze.  The book of Exodus continues the theme that God is in control.
Open your bibles to . . .

1 Kings 19:11-13
11 So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 
12 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 

What are you doing oh saint of God?  Do you understand the fear of the Lord?  Do you grasp just how powerful our God is?  Do you comprehend just how much He loves you?  He set aside all His glory to submit Himself to this fallen existence to save us for His glory.  I read the other day that around Bethlehem it was common for shepherds to use caves as a manger for their cattle.  Some believe that Jesus was born in this type of manger instead of the one displayed in the Christmas cards with the shepherds and wise men.  The wise men came almost two years after Jesus birth so the manger scene in the card is not accurate.  I like to consider that maybe the manger for Jesus was in one of these caves.  He rose from the grave in a cave to become the first fruits.  Why not start the journey in a cave?  He is the Rock of our salvation.
Open your bibles to . . .

Exodus 6:6-8
6 Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 
7 Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8 I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.'" 

My God is in control.  My God brings, delivers and redeems. 

Exodus 8:17-19
17 They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. 
18 The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast. 
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

This section of Exodus is really spooky if you really pay attention to what is being said. The magicians could actually do some of the miracles.  And these miracles was not simple card tricks.  They made the frogs come up from the Nile in 8:7.  In 7:22 the magicians turned the water into blood.  In 7:11 the magicians turned their staffs into serpents, but Aaron's staff swallowed them up.  Look at 7:5.

Exodus 7:5
The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst." 

The miracles were a testimony to the Egyptians that the Creator of Heaven and Earth was dealing with them.  God was wanting to save the Egyptians just like He was saving the Israelites. He was using miracles to show them that He was the real deal. Were some Egyptians saved? 
Open your bibles to . . .

Exodus 12:37-38
37 Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children.
38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

Numbers 11:1-6
1 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 
2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died out. 
3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them. 
4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? 
5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 
6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna." 

Is this rabble the same as the mixed multitude from Exodus?  What about the anger of the Lord? 

Exodus 4:1
Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.'" 

Exodus 4:10-14
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 
11 The Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 
12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."
13 But he said, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will." 
14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, "Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 

Exodus 4:22-26
22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, "Israel is My son, My firstborn. 
23 So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go.  Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'" 
24 Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 
25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, "You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me." 
26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood"-because of the circumcision. 

Wow.  Moses became a great man, but he almost did not make it.  Three strikes and you are out!  In Exodus 4:1, Moses does not believe God.  In Exodus 4:10, Moses does not believe God.  In Exodus 4:13, Moses does not believe God.  Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses.  Thank you Lord for being so patient with us. 

What is this story in Exodus 4:22-26.   God is sending Moses on his journey to Egypt, but on the way the Lord sought to put Moses to death.  What? Moses was a Hebrew so he would have been circumcised on the eight day.  Moses had a son, but he did not keep the covenant of circumcision.  If you are to serve the Lord, you must get your house in order.

What is the covenant of circumcision?  When sin and death entered this world, God said in Genesis 3:15 that the seed of woman would bruise/crush the head of Satan.  Women do not produce seed.  Seed is from the male.  God gave Abraham this sign of the covenant back in Genesis 17:1-14.  Notice that women are not included in the covenant.  It refers to the future seed that would come into the world to redeem mankind.  Immediately after this covenant, God changes Sarai's name to Sarah and then gives the promise of a son from her womb.  Sarah was ninety years old.

Exodus 3:13-15
13 Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" 
14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 
15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 

The phrase God used "I AM" is close to the name given in Exodus 6:3, but the full meaning is not completely clear.  YHWH is a typically used to express Lord God.  El Shaddai is the Hebrew word from 6:3, but I AM has a timelessness reflection of God.  In Revelation 1:4 it describes God as "from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come."  I took a basic Hebrew class to learn the alphabet.  My instructor showed me that in Hebrew writers did not use vowels.  They are implied based upon the context of the paragraph.  When you add the vowels to YHWH it creates a word that we pronounce in English as Jehovah.

Exodus 6:2-3
2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord; 
3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 

Jesus is a name we are given that Moses did not know.  Moses was given a name of God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not know.  Moses did meet Jesus during the transfiguration, but God slowly expresses Himself to the world over time.  Jesus is now the full expression of God to mankind.

When Joseph was in Egypt, the rulers of the land were not pure blood Egyptian.  They were a Semitic people known as Hyksos.  This may be a solid reason why Joseph was allowed to rule.  It also helps us understand how a new Egyptian king could take over who did not know about Joseph in Exodus 1:8.  When the Hyksos administration was finally expelled, Egypt was left with a very large population of non-Egyptians called the Israelites in the land.  This population was a threat so the Egyptians made the Israelites into slaves. 

Another piece of the history puzzle in Exodus 2:15-21 is the Midianites.  Who are these people?  After Sarah died, Abraham married a woman named Keturah.  Their descendants were the Midianites and it is logical to conclude that they worshiped the Living God of Abraham.  Moses married one of the seven daughters, Zipporah, of the Midian priest.  As we read in Exodus 4:25, Zipporah did not observe the covenant of circumcision given to Abraham which makes you wonder what they believed.  Conflict arose as seen in Numbers 12:1 between Zipporah and Moses' sister Miriam and Moses' brother Aaron.

Now you should be done reading the book of Isaiah.  People consider Isaiah as the fifth gospel because he has so much to say about Jesus.  I want to break down what I hope you saw in Isaiah.  First, Isaiah has 66 chapters with the first 39 dedicated to the Law and Prophets and the last 27 dedicated to the grace of God.  Our bible has 66 books with the first 39 dedicated to the Law and the Prophets and the last 27 dedicated to Jesus as the grace of God.

Out of the 27 New Testament books, 20 books have direct quotations from Isaiah.  Of those 20 books with direct quotations, you can find a total of 66 direct references from Isaiah in the New Testament (some scholars claim up to 85 references). 

Isaiah 1:4
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 1:16-18
16 "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.
18 "Come now, and let us reason together,"  Says the Lord, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
 

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 42:1-8
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.
 

Isaiah 43:7
Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."
 

Isaiah 44:28
"It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd!  And he will perform all My desire.'  And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.'"
 

Ezra 1:1-4
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: 
2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 
3 Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 
4 Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.'" 
 

Jeremiah 29:10-14
10 "For thus says the Lord, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 
11 For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 
14 I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' 
 

Isaiah 50:4-6
4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.  He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 
5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back.
6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
 

Isaiah 52:13-15
13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 
14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
 

Isaiah 53:5-6
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
 

Isaiah 54:5-6
5 "For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. 
6 "For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God.
 

Isaiah 55:8-11
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. 
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
 

Isaiah 58:5-7
5 "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?  Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?  Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? 
6 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 
7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
 

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
 

Isaiah 66:1-2
1 Thus says the Lord, "Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.  Where then is a house you could build for Me?  And where is a place that I may rest? 
2 "For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the Lord.  "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

I think that says it all.