Exo. 4:22
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh,
‘Thus says YHWH: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.”
At the burning bush, YHWH told Moses to tell Pharoah to let His people leave Egypt to slaughter animals to Him in the desert. Exo. 3:10, 18. They did not know this at the time, but the animals He was talking about were the bulls and rams that were used to form a covenant with His people. Exo. 24:4-8.
After YHWH revealed His name (Exo. 3:13-15) and instructed Moses how to go about liberating the children of Israel from Egypt (Exo. 3:16-4:17), Moses departed for his father-in-law in Midian. Upon receiving his father’s blessing, Moses took his wife and sons and headed to Egypt. Exo. 4:18-20.
Before arriving in Egypt, YHWH again appeared to Moses to remind him that Pharoah would not initially allow the Israelites to leave. He told Moses to tell Pharoah that Israel is His firstborn son and that if he refuses to let them go, He will kill Pharoah’s firstborn son. Exo. 4:22-23.
All this came to be. Pharoah did not initially allow the Israelites to leave. Nine miraculous judgments came upon Egypt as a result of Pharoah’s hardened heart. The tenth and final judgment that YHWH sent was that Pharoah and all the unfaithful Egyptian’s firstborn sons were killed. As Pharoah had intended to do to the Israelites (Exo. 1:16, 22), YHWH did to him. It was for this reason, that YHWH later commanded the people of Israel to set apart their firstborn sons and animals to Him.
There is something else we can learn from what YHWH instructed Moses to tell Pharoah in Exodus 4:22. As He later spoke through His prophet Hoshea:
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt, I called My son.”
The significance of this prophecy is how it is later applied. The people of Israel were delivered from a king who wanted to kill their young. Likewise, when Yeshua was a child, His life was delivered from a king named Herod. Instead of leaving Egypt, however, young Yeshua was taken there.
Mat. 2:14-15
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by YHWH through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
The wonderful thing about this comparison is that both Yeshua and Israel are called YHWH’s son.
Yeshua: Psa. 2:7; 1 Ch. 17:13; Pro. 30:4; Act. 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Mat. 3:17; 17:5; Joh. 1:18, 34, 49; 3:16, 17, 18; 11:27; 19:7; 20:31; etc.
Israel: Exo. 4:22, 23; Deu. 14:1; 32:19; Jer. 3:19; 31:9; Hos. 1:10; Isa. 1:2; 63:16; 64:8; Mal. 1:6; 2:10; 1 Ch. 29:10; etc.
What this teaches us is that through faith in Yeshua, we can be children of YHWH.
Joh. 1:12; Gal. 3:26; 1 Jo. 3:1; etc.
What this teaches us is that through faith in Yeshua, we can be children of YHWH.
Joh. 3:3, 5, 7
“Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of the Mighty One…
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of the Mighty One…
Marvel not that I said to you, ‘you must be born from above’”
From here, we can see Yeshua saying that it is paramount that a person be born of YHWH’s Spirit.
But how is a person born of His Spirit, but by putting their faith in Him?
1 Jo. 5:1-5
“Everyone who believes that Yeshua is the Messiah is born of the Mighty One, and everyone who loves Him who brings forth also loves him who is born of Him.
In this, we know that we love the children of the Mighty One, when we may love the Mighty One, and keep His commands.
For this is the love of the Mighty One, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not heavy to bear.
For whoever is born of the Mighty One overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Yeshua is the Son of the Mighty One?”
Only because of YHWH’s love toward humanity, can we even be expected to love Him in return. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 Jo. 4:19).
The way we express our love toward Him is by doing what pleases Him. Loving Him and obeying Him have always been inseparable. Exo. 20:6; Deu 5:10; Deu. 6:6; Deu. 7:9; Deu. 11:1, 13, 22; Deu. 19:9; Deu. 30:16, 20; Jos. 22:5; Neh. 1:5; Dan. 9:4; Joh. 14:15, 21, 23; Joh. 15:10; 1 Jo. 5:3; 2 Jo. 1:6. As David put it: “To do your pleasure, my Mighty One, I have delighted; and your law is within my heart” (Psa. 40:8). And as the apostle declared: “I delight in the law of the Mighty One after my inner man” (Rom. 7:22).
[The “law” (Psa. 40:8; Rom. 7:22) is His instructions, contained in all Scripture.]
By accepting His Messiah, we are obeying Him. For the Scriptures expressly teach: “Listen to His voice!” (Exo. 23:21). And again: “You shall listen to Him” (Deu. 18:15).
When we love Him in this way, we love all His children—those born of His Spirit (1 Jo. 5:2). For the Scriptures also teach: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart” (Lev. 19:17). And again: “You shall not take vengeance; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18).