All that knew Joseph “loved him, and were kind to his relations for his sake." (Benson) But “there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Exo 1:8)- nor his God. And the Egyptians feared lest the children of Israel should join their enemies, and get them up out of the land. Thus the land of Egypt became to Israel a house of bondage. An edict was issued requiring all Israelitish parents, on pain of death, to give up their male children that they might be thrown into the river. Destroy or be destroy!
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. (Hebrews 11:23)
By faith the parents of Moses—Amram and Jochebed— hid him for three months, “because they saw that Moses was a beautiful child,” "fair to God, Acts 7:20, having a divine beauty and comeliness..." (Trapp) And the Word of God “formed the foundation of their confidence, and supplied the motive—power of what they did. It is true they knew from the prophecy given to Abram (Gen. 15) that the time for the deliverance of Israel from Egypt was drawing near, as they also knew from the prediction of Joseph (Gen. 50:24) that God was going to undertake for His people… Most probably the Lord made known to these parents that their child was to be the promised deliverer….” (A. W. Pink) —And “they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” They were not afraid of him who could kill the body but not the soul. They feared Him who could destroy the whole man in hell.
"By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Heb 11:24-26)
And Moses became a disciple of Joseph. “Moses, when he become of age,’ or 'was great'; a nobleman in Pharaoh's court; or when he was arrived to great knowledge, being learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians..." (Gill), that is at forty years old, Acts 7:22. And he became a son of the Commandments of the God of Israel and “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” He felt that God was with the children of Israel though they lived in bondage. “His Word and ordinances are with them; there are large provisions of grace in the midst of them.“ (Gill) Thus he “gave up a princely position, the possibility of an earthly throne and identified himself with the people who had become slaves, because he believed them to be the people of God.” (Gaebelein)
“Without some experience and consciousness of this kind, we are not warranted to conclude that we are of Moses’ religion.” (Thomas Scott) We too ”renounce all worldly honors, advantages, and preferments, with the advantage annexed thereto. When God calls us from them, we cannot enjoy them with a good conscience” (Thomas Manton) “Ruth left her country and her gods for the sake of poor Naomi, destitute and afflicted, saying, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. There is no union, no friendship like that which is inspired and cemented by true religion... Oh how sweet... to mingle our joys and our hopes, and even our sorrows and tears with those who fear God and keep his precepts." (Joseph Sutcliffe)
He calls us to “cast away the idols of the world, turn from its vain pleasures, cease walking in its evil ways, and set his affections upon things above. Scripture is unmistakably plain upon this point, declaring, ‘Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God.’" (A. W. Pink)
Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ"— the criticism and shame which he bore for acting on the doctrine he had received of Christ— as “greater riches than the treasures in Egypt;” he cherished the shame “for he looked to the reward." "For he could not have hoped that it would be better for him to be with the people of Israel than with the Egyptians, had he not trusted in the promise [of Christ] and in nothing else.” (John Calvin)
Moses Saw Jesus and Kept the Passover
I have come to believe that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— the UNKOWN God, who Paul proclaimed to the philosophers of Athens. (Acts 17) "And the Angel (Messenger) of the LORD appeared to him [Moses] in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush." (Genesis 3:2) Then it is the LORD who speaks: "…I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So, I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…" (Exodus 3:5-8)
“By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king (cp. Heb 11:26); for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27)—the Angel (Mal'ak or Messenger) of the LORD who “appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush." (Exodus 3:2) He subsequently identifies Himself as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 3:6)... and when Moses asked His name so that he could tell the Israelites who sent him. He told him, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14) And Jesus told the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then they said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."… identifying Himself as the Great I AM— the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because of this, they took up stones to kill Him; but Jesus hid Himself.
And the Angel of God instructs Moses to go with Aaron and the elders of Israel to tell Pharaoh: "The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God." (Exodus 3:16-18) The LORD God of Israel sent ten plagues on the land of Egypt as signs to convince Pharaoh to let His people go. The Israelites were exempt from all of the plagues, except death.
Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart so he would not let them go (Exodus 4:21; 7:3; 7:13; 9:12; 10:1; 10:20; 10:27; 11:10; 14:4; 14:8; 14:17). “The same combination of human obstinacy and Devine judgment in the hardening of the hearts is seen in God’s Word to Isaiah ‘ Make the heart of this people calloused’ (Isa 6:9) which Jesus applied to His own teaching ministry (Matt 13:13-17), and Paul applied to his (Acts 28:25-27).” (John R. W. Stott)
The comes the last plague- the death decree on the appointed teachers in every household in the land. “Then Moses said, ‘Thus says Yahweh: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.’” (Exodus 11:4-5) Yet He offered a kippur in Exodus 12:3-7. Take a male lamb without blemish from the sheep or the goats. “Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it." (Exodus 12:7)
“By faith he kept the Passover”— in fact, “he instituted the rite and made the arrangements for its observance” (Barnes)— “‘’And the sprinkling of blood,’ the pouring out of the blood - of the paschal lamb, which was sprinkled on the door-posts..." (Wesley)— "as the mark of committing those who dwelt under such roofs to the divine protection. (Benson)— "lest he who destroyed the firstborn”— Yahweh Himself (Exodus 12:12, 23)— “should touch them.” "Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12:13) It proved the faith of those inside-"faith assured of the command, argues not, nor gainsays, 'Hath He said, and shall He not do it? is a self-answering question, when God is the subject." (Dean Vaughan)
In the first nine plagues, Yahweh had made a distinction between Israelites and Egyptians. But here, Yahweh said, “‘About midnight I will go out’— The servant with his symbolic action retires; Jehovah will Himself step forth from His hidden throne, and march through the whole of hostile Egypt in judicial majesty…” (J. P. Lange) “The design of these expressions is to show that none would escape this calamity threatened, neither the king nor his nobles, nor any of his subjects, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free: and all the firstborn of beasts.” (John Gill) Without the blood, the firstborn of all families in Goshen and Egypt would surely die. For everyone was under the condemnation of sin and death, unless they became Israelites by faith.
Why did the firstborn only of each disobedient family die? I believe that if blood was not on the doorposts of the house, the eldest son was at fault. He was not doing his job. "The first-born represented the whole race (Gn 49:3; Ex 22:29; Nm 3:13)of which it was the strength and bloom.” (John Wycliffe) And why the cattle? “The firstborn of all animals used in sacrifice was to be sanctified to the LORD (Ex 13:2, 15)” (William Tyndale)
Passover was an everlasting ordinance- “‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to Yahweh throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.” (Exodus 12:14) We must still look to the Paschal Lamb. “Christ is our passover... His blood upon our consciences is our only protection from the wrath of God." (Thomas Coke) It cleanses us and thus allows us to draw near by faith. “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 (Cor 5:6-8) "Faith regards the blood of Christ as the foundation of human hope, and looks to it as the only safeguard from the Destroyer." (Justin Edwards) It leads to baptism.
Israel Stepped Out By Faith
“By faith they [Israel] passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,” (Heb 11:29a) “When Israel ‘by faith,’ obeyed the Divine command to ‘Go forward,’ God wrought a miracle and delivered them from their dire situation… As He has made thy Red Sea, only He can cleave a way through it for you… ‘Stand still’ and rest yourself upon God. View ‘by faith’ anticipatively, expectantly, His ‘salvation’ or deliverance... ‘Go forward’ in obedience to His command, and He will show Himself strong on thy behalf… But, it may be asked: Did not the unbelieving portion of the nation also pass safely through the Red Sea? Truly, and herein we have illustration of the fact that unbelievers are frequently made partakers of temporal blessings as the result of their association with people of God.” (A.W. Pink)—“whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”(Heb 11:29b) “Whence was this difference, but that the Israelites had the Word of God [to pass through], and that the Egyptians were without it.” (John Calvin) "The destruction of the Egyptians by the return of the waters in accordance with natural laws, showed that the Israelites would have been destroyed in the passage if a divine energy had not been employed to prevent it.” (Albert Barnes)
Teaching and, ultimately, Baptism was given by the Lord Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20) and confirmed by the apostles (Acts 2:38-39). Yes, there are baptized pagans in the seen church of God. You must only answer for yourself. The Israelites "were baptized in the cloud and sea- 1 Corinthians 10:2, because by submitting to God’s command they gave up themselves to God’s direction and the conduct of His providence by this initiating act, that He should lead them through the wilderness unto Canaan, and the land of promise; as we pass through the waters of baptism, that we may give up ourselves to be led through this world, which answers to the wilderness, to heaven, to Canaan, the land of promise, to be commanded and governed by Him till He brings us to our rest.” (J. H. Evans, M. A.) Many in effect become the firstborn among their brethern in the wilderness of this world.