“Thou shalt have no other gods before ME”
Most of the people that grew up in the last few centuries learned this verse as one of the Commandments and as I often said these Commandments were “Not Suggestions.” Most people speak of Ten Commandments when in reality there were 613. However, there is an oddity to that number 613 for if we add the digits together we get 10. Even before GOD gave the Children of Israel these 613 HE had what was called the “Noahide Laws.” Noahide laws were given right after the “Flood” as a codified collection of legal and moral laws. Just for information when we study the Commandments we find they resemble closely to “Hammurabi’s Code” that was set up in what we understand as being Babylon or modern day Iraq. These laws were set up in the center of the city for all to see and they covered almost every aspect of man’s life. Read First Peter 2:13-17 and see what the Apostles considered about man made laws.
We are all familiar with the story of the 10 plagues GOD sent upon he land of Egypt. The first four miracles the idolatrous magicians of Egypt could replicate, so Pharaoh was not impressed with Moses and Arron. We love to tell and read about the tenth plague of the “First Born Dead” which even included the cattle in the stalls. It also struck Pharaoh’s home as well. We know these plagues were directed at the “false gods” of the Egyptians. The people of Israel left Egypt “with a high hand.” (Ex.14:8) There are several meanings of this, but mostly it is they went out in “great defiance and with much wealth.” Now let us see something strange here. “There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh Barnea.” Kadesh Barnea is located on the Southern most tip of the Negev (desert) of Israel, now a part of Gaza. They could have been to the Promise Land in eleven days, but it took them forty years, because of “doubt, fear and listening to false prophets.” Israel lived in Goshen which is located in Lower Egypt, which in reality is the Northern Most part of the Nile River. Egypt is the only nation that stands in reverse Upper Egypt is down South and Lower Egypt is in the North. They did not have very far to go to get to the Promise Land. Now we must keep in our minds that this was not just a few hundred people, as we see in the movies, for the Bible says there were 600,000 fighting men between the ages of 20-50. That was not counting the women, children or elderly and also we are told there was a “mixed multitude that went with them. (Egyptians.” (Ex.12:38) They also had large herds of animals with them.
The Children of Israel left in a hurry, but they also left an unfinished defeat of another Egyptian god. They reached the outer skirts of the Promise Land when GOD stopped them and had them to head back into the land of Egypt.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea (RED), OVER AGAINST BAALZEPHON, BEFORE IT YE SHALL ENCAMP BY THE SEA (RED). For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land (of Egypt) and the wilderness (desert) hath shut them in.(In other words they are lost.) And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them, and I will be honored upon Pharaoh and upon ALL his hosts, that the Egyptians may know THAT I AM THE LORD. AND THEY DID SO.” (Ex.14:2-4 KJV)
After getting out of Egypt then GOD gives very specific instructions to “retreat back toward Egypt.” Pi-Hahiroth was originally called Pithom which the Israelites had built for Pharaoh as a city of treasure and also Ramses. (Ex.1:11 KJV) Pi-Hahiroth was located between two high rocks. Now the Bible does not tell us this but I believe another reason GOD sent them back here was to collect their rightful pay for all the work they did building these two cities. Now where they camped they also had their face toward the Red Sea. Then GOD set HIS PILLAR of FIRE between the children of Israel and the Egyptians. Israel had light and the Egyptians had darkness as before in the plague. The “Migdol” mentioned was a “Watchtower that overlooked the Red Sea and the desert” All watchtowers were called “Migdols.” So they camped with their backs to the watchtower and they could not be attacked from behind and they faced the Red Sea so they could not be attacked from the front and the two high rocks of Pithom served as protection on both of their sides. That is why GOD says Pharaoh would say the children of Israel were locked in by the desert and wilderness.
Now we learn that GOD says for them to camp “before” (RIGHT IN FRONT) Baal-Zehon, the god of the North. “Baal” in Hebrew always references as a god.” For some reason GOD wants them right in this spot. By now they are thirsty, hungry, tired and in bad need of a good refreshing bath. They are really not up to fighting an enemy. By the time they get their camp set up it is getting late. The Bible doesn’t say, but we surely can imagine that when Moses turned them back toward Egypt I am sure there were plenty of critics that thought they knew more than Moses did. As the old song, Take Your Burdens To The LORD and Leaven Them There, says, ‘If you trust and never doubt, HE will surely bring you out.” The ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead mentions a major god called “Lord of the Northern Sky.” This “god” is also called “Set.” He is known as the “patron deity” of Northern Egypt. It is believed he was responsible for fierce desert storms. The myth teaches that Set killed his own brother and attempted to kill his nephew Horus. Horus was also known as “Heru, Har, Her, and Hor” and he was worshiped as the god of “kingship, healing, protection, the sun and the sky.” “Set” was cast out into the desert for eternity as punishment for killing his brother. It is taught that his parents were “Geb (Earth)” and “Nut (Sky)”. The often depiction of the “sun burst” around the iconic images of JESUS and Mary is directly adapted from the ancient Horus of Egypt after Egypt fell to Rome. Rome’s adaptation that JESUS is the “second person of the trinity” came about as a direct mixing of Egypt’s and the Greek’s and Roman’s gods. GOD’S COMMANDMENT says, “Thou shalt have NO other gods before ME!” And then HE COMMANDED for them NOT to make ANY GRAVEN IMAGES. During the 19th Dynasty of Egypt the worship of “Horus” was revived because he was supposed to keep the desert restrained from damaging Egypt and he also was said to have kept Egypt’s enemies out.
We know Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace and for 40 years he was trained to be a ruler in Egypt. It is said of Moses: “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of GOD, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” (Heb.11:25 KJV) Many of today still try to make “Upper Egypt” to be in the North, but because the Nile flows from South to North, Upper Egypt is in the South in and around Lake Victoria. Lower Egypt, in reality, was in the North and it was considered to be a region of darkness, cold, mist, and rain. The land of Goshen was in this region and often the people of Israel called the place “Sephon” another spelling of the word “Saphon” which literally means “North.” An 11th century Rabbi, Abraham Ibn Ezra taught that “Baal-Zephon” had the power to keep all of Egypt’s slaves from escaping. Baal-Zephon was not in any of the cities of Egypt but out in the desert, therefore, this “god” was still remaining so Pharaoh was able to be really arrogant and ask Moses just who the real GOD is that he (Pharaoh) should obey him. Even after the “Plague of the First Born Dead” which included Pharaoh’s household too and he relented and told the children of Israel to leave and then he changed his mind and went after them. By this time he had received word they had turned back and were camping between Migdol and the Sea. Baal-Zephon was also worshiped as the “god of the sea.” GOD gave Moses the specific instructions where to camp.
GOD even told Moses what Pharaoh would say when he got the message they were marching back toward Egypt. He said, “They are imprisoned, the land has locked them in.”
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots, and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do NOT look to the HOLY ONE of ISRAEL, OR SEEK HELP FROM THE LORD. Yet HE (GOD) is wise and can bring disaster, HE DOES NOT TAKE BACK HIS WORDS. HE WILL RISE UP AGAINST THAT WICKED NATION, AGINST THOSE WHO HELP EVILDOERS.” (Isa.31:1-2 New International Version NIV)
The Hebrew word used here is “nevchim” that “i m” on the end of a word makes it plural in Hebrew. This word is also translated as “perplexed, depressed, and confused.” The Aramaic translation in the “Tagum pseudo Jonathan” renders the word to be “metarfim” (again we see it in the plural) and it means “CRAZY” in other words Pharaoh was saying that Israel had gone crazy and we still often hear of people going crazy in deserts and in snow covered areas. Pharaoh was saying, “Baal-Zephon” our god has captured them.”
The second phrase in Pharaoh’s reaction is from “sagar aleihem hamidbar” meaning “the desert has locked them in.” However, the most favorable meaning has evolved as being, “the desert has locked them in.” It is true I have always preached and taught that the Children of Israel faced the Red Sea on one side, mountains on one side and desert on one side. Literally they were boxed in and then Pharaoh ordered his chariots and horsemen and soldiers to pursue them and bring them back. Pharaoh knew exactly where they were camped and he knew they would now be too exhausted to fight and probably hungry too. He did inquire of his “wise men” his “astrologers” his “military leaders” and he listened to these “evil doers” and set out to overtake the Children of Israel and keep them enslaved and most likely he would kill Moses and Aaron. Unlike our modern day skeptics that try to diminish the “TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD” Pharaoh knew that was the Red Sea and not the “lying concept of the “Reed Sea.” He knew they would drown if they went into the water and he knew they did not have time to build any boats so he believed the desert had swallowed them up.
As I often say we only have mostly what I call The Reader’s Digest Version” of the Bible stories, so we often have to understand, in human terms, what actually took place. This is not adding or taking away from the WORD of GOD for it is merely giving us understanding. “And there are also MANY OTHER THINGS WHICH JESUS DID, the which, if they should be written every one, I SUPPOSE THAT EVEN THE WORLD ITSELF COULD NOT CONTAIN THE BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE WRITTEN. AMEN!” (John 21:25 KJV) JESUS very often spoke in “Parables” for this very reason, so we could understand. JESUS’ disciples asked HIM why HE spoke in “parables.” Here is what HE said, “ … Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven , but to them it is NOT given.” (Matt.13:11 KJV)
With Israel camped and closed in on all sides the stage is set for GOD’S ULTIMATE VICTORY OVER THE LAST STANDING FALSE god OF EGYPT and we need to notice this god is all about “Climate Change.” Does this sound strangely familiar? This god is about wind, storms, rain, drought, cold etc etc. (Proving again that the Bible is right every time, for the WORD of GOD says: “What has been will BE again, what has been done will be DONE again; THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.” (Ecc.1:9 New International Version) GOD even told Moses exactly what Pharaoh would think and say. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our GOD; but those things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, THAT WE MAY DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW.” (Deut.29:29 KJV) “For the LORD GOD will do nothing, without revealing instruction to HIS servants the Prophets.” (Amos 3:7 Brenton Septuagint Translation) GOD’S secret was to overcome all the gods of Egypt and make an open show of them before the whole known world, so HE revealed the entire story of the crossing of the Red Sea to Moses ahead of time.
With Israel standing right in front of the “Climate Change” god of ancient times GOD used the “wind” to defeat this false god. Wind in the Middle East are most often considered as being destructive if it comes from the East in the Spring or Summer. When Moses stretched out his hand with his rod, GOD made the wind to blow hard from the East across the Red Sea. This type wind had a very drying affect on the land but once across the Sea it often created floods of water. The Egyptian god “Baal-Zephon” appeared to be coming to aid the Egyptians. GOD made it blow all night, but remember what Moses told his people that the Egyptians they now were seeing they would see no more. Again GOD used the fake god against the fake god believers and today HE is still doing it against this “revived Baal-Zephon” often referred to as “Climate Change.” The LAW of GOD against having another god ahead of HIM is still on the Books and GOD will extract a complete “pound of cure.” I will say this again, “I do believe in Climate Change, for it changes four times a year whether I like it or not.” Right now the politicians and world leaders are fixated on this false god of ancient Egypt known as “Baal-Zephon.” Hardly can we listen to an advertisement that doesn’t include the mentioning of “Baal-Zephon” (Climate Change.) Do you believe GOD is pleased with us falling for this filthy false god of Ancient Egypt?
The miracle of the “Red Sea” crossing is the greatest of the miracles of deliverance of all the plagues. It appears Israel could have gotten clean away, but the job was unfinished and there remained yet another god which the LIVING GOD needed to allow HIS people to overcome. It is for this reason we are told “to resist the devil and he will flee from us.” It was then that Israel realized there was no GOD except the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commens.
