Turn with me, if you would, to
Exodus chapter one. Exodus chapter one. We. We call this first service a
Bible study. And I was thinking about how
used to they called Wednesday night a prayer meeting. And whatever
we call it, we want a message, don't we? We want it to be a
message. I pray that the Lord would cause
this to be more than a Bible study, because I think that's
what this is about to be. We're going to look at some words
and study it. Pray the Lord would make these
a help to us, a true help to us. Our text is verses 1 to 6,
Exodus 1 verses 1 to 6. It says, Now these are the names
of the children of Israel which came into Egypt. Every man in
his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the souls that came out
of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls, for Joseph was in Egypt
already. And Joseph died, and all his
brethren and all that generation. Now, the title of this Bible
study, I'm going to tell you the title and it will give you
our theme. It's called, Words to Walk By. Words to Walk By. Verse 1 says,
These are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt,
every man in his household, came with Jacob. These are the children
of the man, Jacob. His actual children. And Jacob
represents all of us. All of us. Born into this world,
we're all sinners and tricksters and supplanters and liars and
cheaters and we're just good for nothing. There's no good
in us. But Jacob also represents some
of us. God changed his name to Israel. All who God chose to call out
and to break, he wrestled with Jacob and he broke him. and all
whom he's made to acknowledge who we are. I'm Jacob. I'm Jacob. All whom he's called to do that,
God says to those elect, not anymore, you're not. Not anymore. I've made you to be a prince
with God. That's what the name Israel means.
Prince with God. And then the Lord calls there
to be a famine in the land, a separation from bread, the bread of life. That's what happened in the garden.
There was a separation from the bread of life. And God sent Jacob
and his children out into this cruel world called Egypt. And they walked into Egypt And
we know the story. They walked throughout their
time in Egypt, and then they walked out of Egypt. And the Lord, in His mercy, He
gave them, for their journey, some words to walk by. He's given these same words to
us. We have here no continuing city. We're pilgrims and we're sojourners
in this earth. So what we want to do is look
at these names of the children. That God gave to Jacob for his
journey. Is that confusing? OK, verse
one says now these are the names of the children of Israel which
came into Egypt. Every man in his household came
with Jacob. In verse two says, Reuben. The first word to walk by. Reuben. His name means see a son. S-O-N. See a son. It means to see. It means see
ye. It means behold. It means look. It means look up. As you walk,
look up. David said, I'll lift up mine
eyes unto the hills. It means look upon. The psalm says, O soul, are you
weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you
see? There's light for a look at the
Savior. And life more abundant and is
free. Turn your eyes upon the Lord
Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of this earth
are going to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and
grace. Look up. As you walk, look up. The next name God gave to Jacob
is Simeon, and his name means hearing. It means to hear. It means to cause to hear. It means to make to hear. A true sinner is going to say,
I'm Jacob. I'm a dead man. I'm a dead man,
a real dead man. I'm dead in my trespasses and
sins. I can't see. I can't hear. I'm a dead man. The Savior is
going to say that's right. You can't. But I can. And I will. I've opened your
ears. And let you hear. Gladly the
warm truth. I've allowed you the honor of
hearing my voice. Remember that while you walk.
You hear my voice. Our Lord said, Give ear, O ye
heavens, and I will speak. And hear, O earth, the words
of my mouth, and my doctrine shall drop as the rain. My speech
shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender
herb, and as the showers upon the grass, hear. He that hath
ears to hear, let him hear. Our Lord said, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear are going
to live. Hear and live. As you walk, look up. And listen to my voice. Keep
you going. The next name in our text is
Levi. And his name means union. It means joined. attached, it
means to twine together like a wreath, to unite, to cleave,
and to abide with. Jacob, yea, though you walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, fear not. I am with thee. Oh, be not dismayed. I am thy
God, and I'll still give thee aid. You're going out into Egypt. You're walking out, walking through.
Fear not. Keep walking. Those are words
to walk by. Keep going. Keep going. The next
name in our text is Judah. And his name means praise. When Leah, Jacob's wife, had
Judah, she said, now will I praise the Lord. Jacob, sinner, as you walk, praise
you the Lord. In everything, praise you the
Lord. His name Judah means celebrate
who he is. In all His glory, it means revere
or worship who He is. It means confess. As you walk,
confess who He is. And it means give thanks for
who He is in everything. Give thanks. Turn with me to
Philippians 2. This is what a sinner who's been
made a prince with God will gladly confess. Philippians, chapter two. Verse five says, Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. but made
himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant
and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly
exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven
and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. As you walk, confess Jesus Christ
is Lord. Back in our text, the next name
is Issachar. And his name means he will bring
a reward. Keep walking. He'll bring a reward. A true sinner says, I am nothing. I have nothing. I can do nothing. But he has promised in his word that
he will bring a reward. What's the reward for our good
works? No, I don't have any good works. There's none good, no, not one.
Ephesians one says we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh. All things after
the counsel of his own will, I can't earn this reward, it's
a gift. It's a present, the reward belongs
to him. But he said he's going to give
it to all whom he's chosen to call Israel. And that's called
sovereign grace. Sovereign grace. What is the
reward? What is the inheritance? Lamentation
says the Lord is my portion. We're going to get Him. Keep
walking, you're going to get Him. Keep walking, you're going
to get Him. If we have Him, we have all things. That'll make you want to keep
walking. And it'll put pep in your step. The next name God has given to
all who travel this pilgrimage, all who see this world as being
nothing but temporary. It's just temporary. Lord, give
us grace through these trials. Be with Brother Donnie. Be with
Brother Todd. Give us grace through these trials,
but it's temporary. For all who truly are looking
for a city that has foundations. For all who long for comfort
and safety and rest, the Lord has given us the name Zebulun. And it means habitation. It means
you have a home. You have a home. If you see Jesus Christ as your
destination city, if Christ is your foundation,
if He's your comfort, if He's your safety, if He's your rest,
then keep walking, because you're walking home. He said, I'm going to prepare
a place for you. And if that was not so, The Lord says, Jacob, if I've
chosen you and redeemed you by my blood and made you to be a
prince with God. While you walk along your journey,
I want you to remember this name, Benjamin. It means son of the right hand. You're a son of the right hand. When you call, I'll hear you
because you're a son of the right hand. When you approach the throne
of grace, you may enter my presence with boldness because you're
my son, a son of the right hand. The Father addresses His people
as my little children, my little children. And he said, whoso
shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it
were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Because if he believes
in me and believes on me, I've made him a son of the right hand.
I've put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And I'm not even going to allow
a dog to move his tongue. Don't touch him. The next name in our text is
Dan. And it means to judge, to rule,
to execute or minister judgment. And it also means to plead the
cause. The word I want us to take from
all that is rest. Rest. Brother Paul's article
in last week's bulletin titled Rest. That was an excellent article.
Rest. Our Lord is saying, I am in control. As you walk this path, you remember,
I rule. I reign. I judge and the judge
of the earth is going to do right. Rest, just rest. Keep walking
and rest. This election that's coming up
on Tuesday. I'm very hopeful for a certain outcome. But I
need to rest. I need to go vote. The lot is
cast into the lap, but rest. The whole disposing thereof is
of the Lord. Just rest. Now, there's another
kind of election. Our Lord said, I will only have
mercy on and save mine elect. Israel, if this brings you great
fear and trouble, rest. I pledge your cause. I pledge your cause. If you fear me, if you fear me,
if you don't, then don't rest. Now, this next one is very important. We need to be reminded of this
all the time. The name Naphtali means my wrestling. It means my struggle. It means
to show myself unsavory. What it means is humble yourself. Wrestle with this old self. Put
him down. Struggle with him. He's unsavory. Israel, as you walk, remember
to humble yourself. For the sake of time, I want
to read you some Scriptures here. Psalm 69. Verse 29 says, I am
poor and sorrowful. Let thy salvation, O God, set
me up on high. I will praise the name of God
with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also
shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullet that hath
horns and hooves. The humble shall see this and
be glad and your heart shall live that seek God, for the Lord
heareth the poor. and despiseth not his prisoners."
Humble yourselves. Listen to Isaiah 57, verse 15. Thus saith the High and Lofty
One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in
the high and lofty place with Him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit. That's who I'm living with. To
revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones. Humble yourself. Matthew 5 verse
2 says he opened his mouth and talked and saying, blessed are
the poor in spirit. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn, they shall be comforted. Blessed
are the meek, they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 18 verse 2
says Jesus called a little child unto him. And set him in the
midst of them and said, Verily, I say unto you, except ye be
converted and become as little children, you shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble
himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such
little child in my name receives me. He humbled Himself more than
any man. He's the greatest. One more, Matthew 23 says, Whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be amazed. And he that shall humble
himself shall be exalted. Lord, remind me to humble myself. As I walk this path, as I walk
this life, remind me to humble myself. I don't want to be humbled
by you. If I don't, He'll humble me.
James said, God resisteth the proud, but He gives grace to
the humble. I want to humble myself. Now,
I love this next one. I love this next one. I need
right now this next one. The Lord gave us in verse four
the name Gad. And it means to crowd upon. It means to attack. It means
to invade, to overcome. It means to gash by pressing
into. This thing is life and death. This thing is life and death. Hebrews 12 doesn't say walk this
race, it says run this race. The Apostle Paul said, Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those
things which are before. I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I must have
it. I must. Our Lord said the kingdom
of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.
I must have him. I must. This is the only thing
I need in life. The priest told David, you can't
have that showbread in the temple. David said, I must have that
showbread. I must. It's life or death. Press toward the mark. How long
have you been listening to this gospel? How long have you been
listening to this gospel? Keep going. How long have you been sitting
in that pew? Keep going. Keep going. Press toward the mark. You're almost there. Keep going. Press toward the
mark. We're marching to Zion. Beautiful,
beautiful Zion. We're marching up the hill to
Zion. The city of God. Keep going. Press on. We're marching through
Emmanuel's ground. Keep going. This is Emmanuel's
ground. Once we get there, we're going
to understand the meaning of this name. Asher, his name means
happy. Happy. It means to be happy,
it means to bless and call blessed. Bless the Lord, oh, my soul and
all that is within me, bless his holy name, I'm happy. He
forgave all my iniquities. He healed all my diseases. He redeemed my life from destruction. He crowned me with loving kindness
and tender mercy. Happy is he that hath the God
of Jacob. Happy. Turn with me to First
Kings. I think this is just fantastic. First Kings, chapter 10. This is when the Queen of Sheba
goes to see Solomon. First Kings chapter 10. Look at verse four, when the
Queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom and the house that he
had built and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his
servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel,
and his cupbearers, and the ascent by which he went up into the
house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her." I can't
imagine what it's going to be like when the Lord gathers everybody
to the marriage supper of the Lamb. It's real. There's going
to be real tables with real, I guess, chairs. He said he was
going to drink wine with us. And all his people are going
to be there. Can you imagine what that's going to be like?
How do you have a place big enough to sit everybody at that table? Verse six says she said to the
king, it was a true report that I heard in my own land of the
accent of that wisdom. Howbeit, I believed not the words
until I came, and mine eyes had seen it, and behold, the half
was it told to me. Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth
the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men! Happy are
these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and
that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God,
which delighteth in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel.
Because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore, made he the
king to do judgment and justice. I'm so happy. Thank you. Happy. Our text, Exodus one, verse five
says, And all the souls that came out
of the loins of Jacob were 70 souls, for Joseph was in Egypt
already. Seventy souls. When you go back
into Genesis and look at the names of the people who came
out, it keeps saying three score and ten. Seventy souls. Three
score and ten. Three score and ten. That's how
long we walked this path. Three score and ten. Joseph's
name means Let Him add. Let Him add. He will do it. He'll continue this. How am I
going to walk this? He keeps me singing as I go. He'll preserve me. He'll press
me. He'll do it. Let Him add. Joseph
and his story is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. What's
our foundation? What's our hope for all these
words of promise, verse six says, and Joseph died. That's our hope. Joseph died. And all his brethren. And all that generation. These
keep listing generations upon generations, and Matthew 121
says this is the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. All his brethren, all that generation,
they died in him. When he died, they died. The Apostle Paul said, I'm crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. What will
give us a little strength to keep walking? Here in these words,
your sins are forgiven. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Christ died. Keep walking. Your sins are forgiven. Keep
walking. Keep pushing. I pray the Lord will bless His
Word. You're dismissed.