March 8th - Age Five from Moses to the birth of Jesus - Exodus through Malachi

After Israel became slaves to the Egyptians God prepared a plan to deliver them. Moses was born in a time when the Egyptian Pharaoh had ordered all male Israelite children be killed at birth. He was delivered from death by the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh and raised in the palace. When he was about 40 years old he tried to help the Hebrew slaves, and in the process killed an Egyptian. To avoid the wrath of Pharaoh he fled to the land of Midian where he became a shepherd of the flocks of Jethro, who became his father-in-law.

"As for Moses, he had become a shepherd of the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian." (Exodus 3:1)

At the age of 80, God appeared to him and told Him to return to Egypt and tell the new Pharaoh to release  Israel from their slavery. When he did, Moses was to bring them to Mount Sinai to meet Yahweh. Moses argued that he was not a good speaker so God sent Aaron, Moses's brother, with him to help do the talking.

"Is there not Aaron, the Levite, your brother? I know that he can speak, yea speak...You will speak to him and place the words in his mouth. And I shall come to be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will direct both of you as to what you shall do." (Exodus 4:14-15)

After many plagues from God upon the Egyptians, Pharaoh let the people leave Egypt. Shortly after they had left, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to bring them back. God parted the Red Sea to allow Israel to cross over to the other side, and then destroyed the Egyptian army when they tried to follow.

"When the horses of Pharaoh had entered with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, then Yahweh returned the waters of the sea over them. Yet the sons of Israel, they had gone on dry ground in the midst of the sea!" (Exodus 15:19)

When Israel arrived at Mount Sinai Yahweh gave them ten commandments. Yahweh promised He would bless them if they obeyed those commandments. They all agreed to obey.

"So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words which Yahweh had instructed him. Now all the people responded together and said: All that Yahweh speaks we shall do." (Exodus 19:7-8)

Despite their promise, Israel disobeyed the first commandment in less than 40 days. God then gave Moses more laws for them to obey including the laws regarding how disobedience was to be dealt with. Jewish rabbis identify 613 laws given Moses for Israel to obey which included animal sacrifice to atone for their sins. Aaron and his sons were made priests to administer the law.

After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of Israel. Under his leadership Israel took possession of some of the land God had promised and divided it among the twelve tribes of Israel. Many years later God raised up Samuel as both a judge and prophet to speak for Him. In time Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a King to rule over them. Their first King was Saul but because of his sin in consulting with a medium God took the kingdom away from Saul and Yahweh Himself chose a young man named David to be king.

"And he sends, and brings him in, and he is ruddy, with beauty of eyes, and of good appearance; and Yahweh said, `Rise, anoint him, for this is he. And Samuel takes the horn of oil, and anoints him in the midst of his brethren, and prosper over David does the Spirit of Yahweh from that day and onwards." (1 Samuel 16:12-13)

King David's son Solomon became King and built a Temple for God in Jerusalem. There was 480 years from the exodus from Egypt to the building of the Temple.

After the death Solomon, Israel split up and became two nations, ten of the tribes if Israel retained the name Israel (sometimes called Ephraim) and the other two tribes were called Judah 

During the reign of their Kings God raised up prophets to speak the word of God to them, but the people rarely did what they were instructed. Over and over their enemies would enslave them because of their disobedience. Then they would cry out to God and in His mercy He would deliverer them.

The kings of Israel and Judah reigned over the promised land for a total 419 years from the start of the construction of the Temple, but because of their continued unfaithfulness God allowed the Assyrians to conquer the ten tribes of Israel, and some years later the Babylonians attacked Judah, and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. The Assyrians and the Babylonians removed most of the people out of the promised land, scattering them across their empires. 

The Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years. During the later part of that 70 years the prophet Daniel lamented their unfaithfulness to Yahweh while he was in Babylon reading from the words of the prophets...

"We have sinned, and we have been depraved: we have acted wickedly and have revolted; we have withdrawn from your instructions and from Your ordinances, and we have not hearkened to your servants the prophets...all the people of Israel, the near and the far, in all the lands where you have expelled them for their offenses with which they offend You. With You, O Yahweh, is righteousness, yet with us is shame of face: with our kings, with our chiefs, with our fathers, since we have sinned against you." (Daniel 9:5-7)

After his prayer, Yahweh told Daniel that there would come a time when He would put an end to Israel's sin and give them a faithful leader. Daniel was told that it would happen over a period of seventy sevens beginning when they were allowed to return to Jerusalem. After those severity sevens their sin would come to an end and their Messiah would be anointed.

"Seventy sevens are segregated for your people and for your holy city: to detain transgression, to make sin come to an end, to make a propitiatory shelter for depravity; to bring the righteousness of the eons, to seal the vision and the prophetic word, to anoint the holy of holies." (Daniel 9:24)

I believe the seventy sevens are 490 years which began with the end of the Babylonian captivity when a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem and its Temple. Daniel was told that after sixty-nine of those sevens (483 years) the Messiah would be born and rejected.

"Now you should know and be intelligent: From the going forth of the word to cause a return and to rebuild Jerusalem - from then until Messiah the Governor is seven sevens, and sixty-two sevens...After the sixty-two sevens, Messiah shall be cut off, and there will be no adjudication for Him." (Daniel 9:25-26)

The final seventieth-seven (7 years) is yet to be fulfilled. Daniel was told that it would begin with a covenant negotiated by a world leader between many, most likely an agreement between Israel and its enemies.

"Then he will master a covenant with many for one seven..." (Daniel 9:27)

When the final seven years of Daniel's prophecy begins and ends it will bring Age Five to a close.