Exodus 20:7 -- Do Not Misuse the Name of the Lord

Exodus 20:7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.

We should not use the name of the Lord in a way that would bring dishonor to him.  We should not use his name unless we are addressing Him or telling someone about Him.  Passages in the Old Testament tells us to take our oaths in Him name.  

The Bible is filled with references telling the people to not misuse God's name, here are a few.

Leviticus 18:21 “You are not to make any of your children pass through the fire to Molech. Do not profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh."

Leviticus 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God; I am Yahweh.

These two verses are straight forward.  Do not profane the name of God.

Deuteronomy 18:19 I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to My words that he speaks in My name.20 But the prophet who dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet must die.’

Here, a punishment is given for those who profane or misuse the name of God, he must die.

Psalm 74:10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult Your name forever?
11 Why do You hold back Your hand?
Stretch out Your right hand and destroy them!

The Psalmist is pleading with God to destroy those who insult the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
9 Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.

Here in Proverbs it suggest that having plenty or too little could cause someone to profane the name of God.  Having just what one needs can help keep one from doing so.

Ezekiel 20:39 “As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

Ezekiel is telling Israel that they are defiling the name of God by serving idols.  By rejecting God and raising our lives to another god profanes God's name because we are not seeing Him for being the Holy God he truly is.

Ezekiel 36:21 Then I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.
22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh”—the declaration of the Lord God—“when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight. 

Romans 2:23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

These two verses show that the name of God is defiled when those who proclaim His name do not act as though they follow God.  They confess with their lips but their actions are completely different.  Thus, those who see them out in the world get the wrong view of God, this His name is profaned.

1 Timothy 6:1 All who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters to be worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and His teaching will not be blasphemed.

If you are subjected to following the rules or under the authority of another individual, no matter who they are, or how they act, you must show them respect so that your witness in Christ may be protected and that you will blaspheme the name of God.

Revelation 16:8 The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. He was given the power to burn people with fire, 9 and people were burned by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God, who had the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory.

The people here experienced something horrible.  Instead of turning to God and repenting or even acknowledging the power of God to remove these horrible plagues, the people grumbled and complained that they were being burned.  Grumbling and complaining against God is another way to blaspheme His name.

There are many ways we can defile the name of our God.  It is more than spewing out a profanity.  It is a way of life.  If we have idols, if we grumble and complain against Him, if our actions do not match our speech concerning Him, if we deliberately sin, we are guilty of profaning the name of God.  God is all about His glory.  His name must be praised and exalted.  We must strive to do this every day by praising him and turning from our sins.

Exodus 20:3-6 -- God must be your God.

Exodus 20:3 Do not have other gods besides Me.

This is pretty self explanatory.  The Lord God must be the only God we follow after.  It leads directly into the second commandment:

Exodus 20:4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.

If we keep God first in our hears and minds, we will not make idols of anything to take his place.  Here God gives a specific punishment and reward to breaking and keeping this law.  If you bow to another idol, whether physically or mentally, you will be punished, your children will be punished, your grandchildren will be punished and so on.  Those who keep the command will be blessed, with their children and grandchildren and so on.

God is jealous.  He wants all of our hearts and minds.  Not part.  Not this little piece over here, he wants it all.

Leviticus 19:4 Do not turn to idols or make cast images of gods for yourselves; I am Yahweh your God.

Here the command is repeated, this time without the consequence.  He says do not make idols because I am Yahweh your God.  I am God.  That is all the excuse He needs to want your full heart and mind and obedience.

Again there is greater incite to this command:

Deuteronomy 4:15 “For your own good, be extremely careful—because you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb— 16 not to act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of any figure: a male or female form, 17 or the form of any beast on the earth, any winged creature that flies in the sky, 18 any creature that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the waters under the earth. 19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the array of heaven—do not be led astray to bow down and worship them. The Lord your God has provided them for all people everywhere under heaven.20 But the Lord selected you and brought you out of Egypt’s iron furnace to be a people for His inheritance, as you are today.

The Lord chose us to be his.  This alone should keep us from making idols.  The Lord said that when he appeared to the Israelites, he did not show them His form.  He was just a smoke cloud to the people.  God did not reveal his true form, so the people cannot make a form and call it Him.  We were made in God's image, but we did not create God, so we cannot conform God to an image we know.  He has chosen not to reveal that to us at this present time, so we should not attempt to create an image of Him.  He also says we should not worship the sun, moon and stars.  God placed them on earth for all to enjoy.  They are His creation.  We should not worship something that was created, but worship the one that did the creating.

Time after time though out scripture, we see where Israel turns from God and becomes an adulterous nation by putting other gods in place of the one true God.

Exodus 32:7 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly. 8 They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, this is your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”9 The Lord also said to Moses: “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave Me alone, so that My anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

This is probably one of the most recognized stories of idolatry among the Israelites.  Moses did not return when the people expected.  The wanted something to worship and Aaron make them a golden calf.  Aaron... Moses's brother.  The one who stood beside Moses and saw how all the plagues happened, crated the golden calf for the people to worship.  God wanted to completely destroy the people for doing this.  Moses interceded and God chose not to completely destroy them.

2 Kings 21:10 The Lord spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11 “Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these detestable things—greater evil than the Amorites who preceded him had done—and by means of his idols has also caused Judah to sin, 12 this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will shudder. 13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the mason’s level used on the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in My sight and have provoked Me from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until today.’”

The punishment here was quit severe.  Jerusalem was wiped clean.  All the was detestable and dirty was taken away.  Manasseh's son was just like his father and he was killed in his own home.  The above are just a few examples of Israel's disobedience.

God takes his place in our lives seriously.  He wants it all.  He does not want us to follow after anyone or anything but Him. That was true for the Israelites and that is true for us today.  God's punishment for not obeying and following him completely are always severe.  Complete destruction.  The Israelites who followed after idols gained God's wrath and vengeance and were ultimately destroyed, while today, if we do not obey God fully, while we may not suffer now on earth, we will suffer for eternity.

1 Corinthians 6:8 Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! 9 Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, 10 no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.

Exodus 16 -- Manna from God

Exodus 16:1 The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. 2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”

First they were thirsty.  Now they are hungry.  Didn't the Lord provide them with plenty of water when they were thirsty?  Now they wish they had died in Egypt instead of being hungry in the dessert.  

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow My instructions. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”

God says he will provide food for the people, just like he provided water.  He has instructed that each person gather enough for what they will eat in one day, except the sixth day.  On the sixth day, they gather enough for two days, since the seventh day is a day of rest.

Exodus 16:6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7 in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because He has heard your complaints about Him. For who are we that you complain about us?” 8 Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and more than enough bread in the morning, for He has heard the complaints that you are raising against Him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

The people grumbled against Moses and Aaron, but they were really angry with God.  Why are they suffering in the dessert?  God should have just killed them in Egypt with the Egyptians.  Moses says God will show them his power by providing food for them everyday.  A physical food to satisfy their physical hunger.  God has also provided us with food as well.  Here in the US, we have the bible and access to many resources for our spiritual hunger.  We can have our spiritual hunger satisfied if we go and take it, just like the Israelites can have their physical hunger satisfied is they just collect the food provided.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’” 10 As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.”
13 So at evening quail came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. 15a When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was.

What is it?  Manna.  Manna is the Hebrew for "what is it?"  That is why it is called manna today.  

Exodus 16:15b Moses told them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’”

There was a limit on what they could have.  The people could not be greedy.  That is a sin.  The people had to be fair.  They only could take what they needed... NEEDED... to eat to be full.  Not over full.  Not stuffed.  But satisfied.  Each person was allowed 2 quarts.  Just enough to be full.  It was a test, as we read earlier, to see if the people could obey the Lord.

Exodus 16:17 So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. 18 When they measured it by quarts, the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat. 19 Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” 20 But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and smelled. Therefore Moses was angry with them.

Some of the people did not listen.  They did not trust that the Lord would provide for them everyday as he promised.  They saved some to eat for later, so they would not starve. In their minds, they did not want to risk being hungry later.  So they saved some of what they gathered to eat the next time they needed food instead of trusting in God's provision.  This just hit me.  Not trusting in God's provision.  I know I am guilty of that.  Thinking that building a savings fund will somehow keep us financially stable or stocking up on food can help us save in the long run.  I can become too focused on trying to be monetarily comfortable, but I need to trust that the Lord will provide all we need.  If we need anything, the Lord will provide.  It may not be what we want, when we want and how much we want, but he will provide.

Exodus 16:21 They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts apiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.23 He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’”
24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t smell or have any maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26 For six days you may gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

So, just as the Lord rested on the seventh days of created, he also rested on the seventh day of each week the people were in the wilderness.  He did not provide food on the seventh day, but instead he provided enough for two days on the sixth.

Exodus 16:27 Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any.28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commands and instructions? 29 Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.”

Some people still did not rest.  They tried to go gather even when told there would be nothing to get.

Exodus 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel named the substance manna. It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
33 Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be preserved throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony to be preserved.

So two quarts of manna were preserved for all generations.  I wonder where it was put?  It was placed before the testimony to be preserved.  A commentary I read said it was placed in the ark after it was built.  And we know that has disappeared.

Exodus 16:35 The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Two quarts are a tenth of an ephah.)

The Lord was faithful to provide for the Israelites each day what they needed to eat.  He is also faithful to us to provide what we need as well.

Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these 40 years.

Yes.  We do not live on bread alone but EVERY word that comes from God.

John 6:30 “What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?” they asked. “What are You going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always!”
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry,and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.

Christ is out manna today.  He is our bread of life that will sustain us through this life until we reach our promise land of the New Jerusalem.   Once we reach our promised land, we will never go hungry for our Lord.  He will always be there!

Exodus 12:33-13:16 -- Keeping the Passover

Exodus 12:33 Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, “We’re all going to die!” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoulders.
35 The Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians’ sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot, besides their families. 38 An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they had been drivenout of Egypt they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the Lord’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because He would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor of the Lord, a night vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations.

The people finally left Egypt and traveled away from the city of their oppression.  This, of course was only the beginning of their long journey to the promised land.

Exodus 12:43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner may eat it. 44 But any slave a man has purchased may eat it, after you have circumcised him.45 A temporary resident or hired hand may not eat the Passover. 46 It is to be eaten in one house. You may not take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of its bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. 48 If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may participate; he will become like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. 49 The same law will apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”

Here, the Lord gives to the people of Israel the instructions on how to celebrate the Passover.  Each family that participates, whether Jew or foreign, must be circumcised.  Since circumcision is the sign of the covenant between God and his people, they must be in his covenant to participate in the Passover.  That is why if a foreigner becomes circumcised, he will become like a native of the land.

Exodus 12:50 Then all the Israelites did this; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 On that same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their divisions.

The Israelites obeyed the command of their God concerning the Passover.

Exodus 13:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Consecrate every firstborn male to Me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is Mine.”

Here, the Lord is demanding that every first born male to be consecrated to himself.  Just as God destroyed the first born of those in Egypt, he wants to separate the first born of Israel for his special purposes.  Just as his own first born, Christ, was set apart as the sacrifice for us all.

Exodus 13:3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of His hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you must carry out this ritual in this month. 6 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord.7 Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory. 8 On that day explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’9 Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the Lord’s instruction may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10 Keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

Here Moses commands again for the people of Israel to follow the Passover.   The people will constantly have to be reminded and redirected towards the will of God throughout their journey to and life in the promised land.

Exodus 13:11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord’s.13 You must redeem every firstborn of a donkey with a flock animal, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn among your sons.
14 “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘By the strength of His hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’16 So let it be a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for the Lord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of His hand.”

The Lord brought the Israelites out by the strength of His hand.  He showed his mighty power in taking all the first born of Egypt, and now he wants the first born of Israel, not to kill, but to redeem and set apart for his works.

I want to look at a phrase that has been in this section a few times:  "a symbol on you forehead."  I know this is mentioned many times in Revelation in reference to the mark of the beast as well as determining who is Gods.

Revelation 13:15 He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

Revelation 14:9 And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb

Here those with the mark of the beast are those destined to an eternity in hell.  They are not marked with the seal of God, and the only other option is the mark of the beast.  The mark is probably not literal in the since that you will see a physical mark on a person's hand or forehead, but it is their thoughts and deeds that hand them over to their destruction.

Revelation 7:3 “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelation 9:3 Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man.

Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.

Revelation 22:3b The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His slaves will serve Him. 4 They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will no longer exist, and people will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.

Again, the seal of God is probably not a physical mark on the person's body, but a showing of their faith through their deeds and thoughts.  Those are God's are marked and those who God has chosen will not be harmed by some of the upcoming judgments.

It seems that the mark on the hand comes from the deeds the person does.  If the person does evil or selfish deeds , they are marked by the beast but if they do righteous deeds they are sealed for God.  Likewise the mark on the forehead seems to be that if the person thinks evil things they have the mark of the beast, but those chosen by God have righteous thoughts and are sealed by God.

When referring to the Passover and the consecration of the first born males, the deed of keeping the Passover would be righteous in the site of God for the Jews, the mark on the hand.  Also, the fathers teaching their sons the importance of the Passover and the consecration of the first born, the mark on the forehead.  I could be completely wrong about seeing a connection here, and if anyone has any further incite, please let me know!

Deuteronomy 11:18 “Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children,talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy tells the marks are not literal.  They are symbols.  Keep the words on your heard and minds.  Bind them as a sign on your hands.  Keeping the laws in Deuteronomy would be a sign of righteousness, and this the acts of the hands in keeping the law would be the sign to show you have faith and believe in God.  Believing enough to do the deeds of God, you will want to teach them to your children.  The mark of the forehead is knowing the truth of God through and through, enough to teach others about the power and glory of God.

Exodus 9:8-12 -- Boils

Exodus 9:8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses is to throw it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the entire land of Egypt. It will become festering boils on man and beast throughout the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took furnace soot and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it toward heaven, and it became festering boils on man and beast. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had told Moses.

All the Egyptians had boils, all over their skin.  Their animals did as well.  You may think, but weren't all their animals just killed?  Well, yes and no.  Yes they were all killed during the last plague, but we do not know how much time passed between that plague and this one.  It is possible that the Egyptians acquired some animals in that time.

This plague showed the Egyptians that the God of Israel had control over their health.  The gods of Egypt could not overcome the boils and cure the Egyptians.  The magicians could not even stand before Moses.  They were so covered in boils they did not even attempt to replicate or remove the boils.

In Deuteronomy, the Lord says this:

Deuteronomy 28:15 “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all His commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:

and one punishment is:

Deuteronomy 28:27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured.

Pharaoh disobeyed God by not letting the people of Israel go, so one of their punishments was the boils on the skin, which they could not heal themselves.  

Genesis 49 -- The Death and Burial of Jacob

Genesis 49:1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
2 Come together and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel:
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my strength and the first fruits of my virility,
excelling in prominence, excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as water, you will no longer excel,
because you got into your father’s bed
and you defiled it—he got into my bed.

Because of his sin, Reuben will no longer be powerful. He slept with his father's concubine in his father's own bed.

Genesis 49:5 Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their knives are vicious weapons.
6 May I never enter their council;
may I never join their assembly.
For in their anger they kill men,
and on a whim they hamstring oxen.
7 Their anger is cursed, for it is strong,
and their fury, for it is cruel!
I will disperse them throughout Jacob
and scatter them throughout Israel.

Remember back when their sister was defiled?  It was Simeon and Levi who went to kill all the men in the city.

Genesis 49:8 Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 Judah is a young lion—
my son, you return from the kill.
He crouches; he lies down like a lion
or a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah
or the staff from between his feet
until He whose right it is comes
and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him.
11 He ties his donkey to a vine,
and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine.
He washes his clothes in wine
and his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.

We know that our Messiah will come from Judah.  Judah is often refered to as a lion.  Our Savior is often refered to as the Lion of Judah.  All his brothers will bow down to him.  All the descendants of Israel will eventually bow to the authority of Christ, as well as everyone else on earth.

Philipians 2:9 For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

"The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until He whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him." This is Christ.  He comes from the line of Judah and will reign forever.  You could also speak of David here and God's promise that an heir of David would always sit on the thrown of Israel.  Christ is our great King and is from the line of David, so even if there is currently no Earthly king of Israel, Christ is the King of us all, whether we choose to acknoledge him or not.

13 Zebulun will live by the seashore
and will be a harbor for ships,
and his territory will be next to Sidon.

We learn more about the tribe of Zebulun in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 33:18 He said about Zebulun:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They summon the peoples to a mountain;
there they offer acceptable sacrifices.
For they draw from the wealth of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.

In this chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses blesses each of the tribes of Judah, much like Jacob blessed each of his sons.  Go here to read all of Deuteronomy 33.

Genesis 49:14 Issachar is a strong donkey
lying down between the saddlebags.
15 He saw that his resting place was good
and that the land was pleasant,
so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load
and became a forced laborer.
16 Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 He will be a snake by the road,
a viper beside the path,
that bites the horses’ heels
so that its rider falls backward.
18 I wait for Your salvation, Lord.
19 Gad will be attacked by raiders,
but he will attack their heels.
20 Asher’s food will be rich,
and he will produce royal delicacies.
21 Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.
22 Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine beside a spring;
its branches climb over the wall.
23 The archers attacked him,
shot at him, and were hostile toward him.
24 Yet his bow remained steady,
and his strong arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 by the God of your father who helps you,
and by the Almighty who blesses you
with blessings of the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
and blessings of the breasts and the womb.
26 The blessings of your father excel
the blessings of my ancestors
and the bounty of the eternal hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
on the crown of the prince of his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey.
In the morning he devours the prey,
and in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 These are the tribes of Israel, 12 in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

 Jacob blessed each of his sons.  He gave each one a specific blessing.  I have expounded on a few of them and brought in some other verses or shown the reason for some of the statements, but I just do not know enough about the other tribes to make further comments.

Genesis 49:29 Then he commanded them: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30 The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31 Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there. 32 The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and died. He was gathered to his people.

Jacob wanted to be buried with his ancestors.  You may ask, where is Rachel?  Why was his beloved wife not buried in the plot with the rest of the family?  Remember, she died in childbirth with Benjamin and was buried "on the way to Ephrath."