This post is the revelatory teaching notes that Dr. Aikens taught from in the Bootcamp entitled “Going Forward High Handed”. Posted by Rev. Jane Babich after attending the Bootcamp.
Consider Exodus 3:13-14 (Apostle-aphrasing)!
And Moses asked God; “When I go to the Children of Israel as you instructed; and tell them the God of your fathers sent me unto you; what do I say when they ask; “What’s His name”? And God said unto Moses say; “I AM that I AM!”
I AM – THAT I AM is broken down into having two very powerful Hebrew words as its foundation.
The first is “hayah” (haw-yaw); which means so much more than the I EXIST; so many scholars settle for translating it as.
I AM: as “hayah” also means I exist; and become; to make to come to pass!
Now please note; God has spoken what is referred to as a most emphatic declaration. It is made all the more so; because He repeats it twice; in the same short but most powerful sentence ever uttered or caused to be written!
THAT is just as emphatic a declaration; meaning what God said, and causes to be spoken; that He is; and is absolutely relative to every being and gender; thing and number that exists anywhere!!!
I AM-THAT emphatically emphasizes the Who, the which, the what, and the all that; of when, the where, the how, the cause; the in order that; and the even more He becomes. For all He commits to do; accomplish and prosper at as He sends unto; absolutely cannot be broken; for He remains; thus cannot be made to fall or fail! Wow!
I AM-THAT signifies He is as “hayah” that beacon of light; that I AM able to show the way to bring to pass; and I AM the same He; that causes a thing to happen all together and the very same He that cannot be made to even feel faint!
I AM-THAT also emphatically emphasizes that as God; He does not follow, but it is He that is the first and the last; the Alpha as well as the Omega; the beginning and the end; thus He is all that has and is still able to give that which pertains to all.
I AM-THAT emphatically emphasizes that as God; being He that cannot quit and is not a man that has any need to lie; repent; or to “deny” Himself; all that He is prevails over all else!
I AM-THAT also emphatically emphasizes that as God; as He that requires of; in order to use; who and as He wills they will do; and cause to be seen as choice fruit remaining; that He shall cause to be reaped; in the afterward of every due season.
And … if “all THAT” so emphatically declared and emphasized still didn’t quite encourage you to encourage yourself in who the Lord is; or provide you enough revelatory answers to; “Who is like unto the Lord our God”; then don’t forget; the “’asher” of THAT makes His answer loudly resound like an echo throughout eternity; Only “I” AM … “THAT” … “I AM” which makes this definition of Him as our connection be as indefinable as it is indeclinable!
It is as if God literally tells Moses; and through his experience, us; to selah and make sure we receive this Word as to the “All that He is; into our mouths so it may transcend to our hearts to become that revelatory fire that keeps us!
Exodus 3:15-22 (Apostle-aphrasing)!
So simply say unto them; “I AM” sent me unto you; the God of your fathers; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Say “I AM THAT I AM” is My name forever and will stand as My memorial speaking unto all generations. Go; and in gathering the elders of Israel together; say unto them; “the Lord God of your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared unto me saying; “I have surely visited you and seen what Egypt has done to you. Thus will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto land inhabited by Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites; a land flowing with milk and honey! They shall hearken to your voice and you and they shall then go unto Pharaoh where you will say unto him; “The Lord God of the Hebrews met with us, and accordingly we come beseeching you to let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices unto Him there; as He is the Lord our God”.
Then God said; “Moses as I AM; I send you already knowing; Pharaoh will refuse to let you go! But know I will then stretch out My hand to smite his Egypt with My wonders; as plagues being loosed in their midst. In the afterward of that; Pharaoh will then let you go! God also reassured Moses that what He orders He has already made provision for as He revealed all of the “ridiculous favor” He was sent ahead of Moses being assigned to “surely visit” the Children of Israel for Him.
“Ridiculous Favor”
Ridiculous Favor signifies what unbelievers often feel when observing our lives; as if what they can see that we say God did on our behalf is purely preposterous, absurd, bizarre even outrageous, ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous, define.
“Surely Visit”
Surely Visit for God declared He’d cause it to come to pass as He was bringing them out of Egypt’s rigor filled captivity; He’d do so lifting them high as His standard; His shews of not being made to “go out empty”; still splintered and or broken; due to the havoc of heavily cumbering weight that rigor chronically endured wreaks as slave mentality!
“Not Go Empty”
Go Empty is emptily; ineffectually, undeservedly, without cause, in vain or appearing completely void of purpose.
He declared; “Every woman must borrow silver, gold from those they sojourned with as slaves; and from their neighbors too; and also borrow fine raiment to dress their sons and daughters in! Thus as you finally are let go; it shall be said; you totally spoiled the Egyptians as I brought you out of with a “high hand; unto a day of “seeing My Salvation!”
Exodus 12:29-36 (Apostle-aphrased)!
It came to pass at midnight; the Lord sent the tenth plague upon Egypt; for they again refused to let His people go serve Him. So He smote all their firstborn; from Pharaoh’s own son; unto those of even prisoners in Egypt’s dungeons; and the firstborn among all their animals. And Pharaoh rose up in the night mourning. In a state of shock, he called all his servants and people together as a great cry arose in Egypt. For all firstborn was found dead in his palace; every home; and every byway.
Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron that same night and said; get your people up and get out from among my people! Just go serve your God as you said! And even take all your flocks and herds as you also said; just be gone and bless me then also. Pharaoh only did so; because his people and counselors grieving in great distress wailed; “let them go quickly before we’re all dead men”! So the Children of Israel being packed, dressed; having all they owned on their backs and shoulders; children in tow and everyone waiting in amped up anticipation; in hearing began to supernaturally journey in an Exodus.
And as the Children of Israel began streaming out of all the tough places they’d been made to serve in bitter bondage over 400 years; according to Moses’ instructions, they asked their Egyptian masters for jewels, gold, silver, fine silks, lavish finery and embroidered clothing needed to erect God a tabernacle in which they were going to freely worship Him. And as all this was provision God ordered; He gave them all the ridiculous favor necessary with the Egyptian’s. So they freely gave all Israel asked for and even more; so much so; later it was reported that they actually ravished Egypt in they left that night!
Exodus 12:37-14:6 (Apostle-aphrased)!
Thousands of non-Hebrew slaves even joined the Children of Israel’s Exodus while Egypt was letting folks go! They all hurriedly evacuated Egypt with their number estimated to have been 600,000 adults; besides all children, flocks, herds and lots of cattle. So they journeyed ponderously till Moses stopped at Joseph’s tomb to retrieve his bones. He prophesied they must do whenever God surely visited to lead them out; thus he too went up out of Egypt! And as they journeyed after Pharaoh let them go; God didn’t lead them out through the Philistine lands close by; but on into what was a wilderness no one clearly saw a way through! For God knew the thoughts He thought towards them and their future!
God purposed to lead them the hard wilderness way around; rather than through great but effectual doors of Philistine land; for many adversaries lurked waiting to oppose. He knew His people having slave mentalities in seeing such opposition would surely repent of ever leaving and run to return to Egypt. As He knew; so God intervened to bring them all out speedily lifted up on His Eagle’s Wings; thus harnessed by His Spirit; able to be expected to but go forward; led through speedily; not impotently as fear intimating; dares us to do! So the Lord was very present with them; He busily carried them; invisibly worked with His hand upholding to faithfully lead them forward. He appeared both as a pillar of cloud by day, and guarded them as a pillar of fire; giving them His marvelous Light to see clearly by at night; as if day. Thus the Lord never left them alone to face or fear the darkness He’d called them out of.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses telling him to stop the Children of Israel from going forward; to be still and know He is God; to encamp by order in the valley; be vulnerable between three cities and facing the Red Sea! God said; when Pharaoh hears he’ll think them foolishly lost; stuck, entangled and unable to change for the wilderness shut them in for me on all sides! And God did harden Pharaoh’s heart again; to rise in thinking to pursue, wear and take them out! But what we need to understand is the reason God kept hardening Pharaoh’s heart!
He did it to get honor on Pharaoh and his hosts, and so Egypt in hearing how He got such honor would exalt Him and know without a shadow of a doubt; He as I AM is Lord! And so Moses ordered the people; stop going forward to encamp and rest, and be glad to be free!
“Get Me Honor”
Get Honor signifies God would make Pharaoh feel heavy; suddenly “bow down; burdened by sheer weight of His glory he tried touching, claiming and keeping as his own as he made His people Israel serve him and Egypt; with much splintering rigor.
The revelatory is it also signified God intended to make Pharaoh recognize by public humiliation; he was but a vessel unto dishonor before Him. It signified God didn’t know Pharaoh as His; He saw him as an already defeated foe; a vessel of dishonor; one supplanting; and presenting himself as one of the sons of God; but unworthy to be lifted; too dysfunctional for use in His house; for He’d not empowered him to be so.
It signified God would ever abound higher than Pharaoh could ever think to attain and grievously afflict him in the process for boasting; thus causing memory of his existence to suddenly become a dim, fleeting, humiliating memory in men’s minds.
Exodus 14:5-8 Apostle-aphrased!
So it was just as God said; Pharaoh heard the Children of Israel were encamped; arrayed in order like foolish sitting ducks; God hardened his heart; caused him to lay aside his own grief and fear of the Lord in the havoc His 10 powerful plagues had wreaked upon him and all of Egypt; and he waxed bold to call upon his generals, officers, and their 600 chosen charioteers and determined to pursue hard after so prevent any to escape. His heart hardened; remembered despite numbering over 600,000 the impotence slave mentality was; from their serving Egypt with splintering rigor made them gaze doubleminded and reactive, and their minds glaze over with numbing indecisiveness exacerbated by their issues and fears.
Pharaoh thought he knew God’s people far better than He did; as his hardened heart stiffened and inflated him with a sense of his own self-worth; he encouraged himself in magnified thoughts of the superior military prowess of his 600 chosen chariots and captains until he arrogantly waxed so zealous; he led them out in hotly intimidating, loud pursuit! Now consider the Children of Israel had left Egypt with such a “high hand”; they never considered Pharaoh would hotly pursue them as only “hearts God hardens so will do!
“Hardened Heart”
Hardened Heart is signifying God gripped and seized hold of Pharaoh’s heart so effectually working it. He filled him with the taste of self-righteous indignation. It signified the Pharaoh was swollen with erecting pride; he even felt strengthened as if by God; so would rise thinking to exalt himself and do exploits to exceed; be abundantly above and beyond God’s ability to stand to withstand or stop him!
This hardening when one doesn’t know God; makes men feel fortified in their rebellion and filled with stubborn resolve to not be moved! But God sees such rebellion as the sin of witchcraft, and such stubbornness as bad as is iniquity and idolatry when found in us. 1 Samuel 15:23
It is also to suddenly be encouraged by one’s own worth; to feel fully established by our own sense of strength to rise even to a challenging God! The revelatory here is; God caused Pharaoh to be seized with a sense of his own strength and authority; thus, obstinate pride and unruly zeal reminded him in Egypt he was considered no less than a god; a sovereign conqueror. Such hearts say; “Who is this God; and why should I be still so He is exalted as if He is greater than I am”? Sadly they remain inconvincible!
“High Hand”
High Hand is only found twice in the Word; both times recounting the manner in which God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt and the rigors of slavery they endured there. In Exodus 14:8 this declares the Children of Israel exited Egypt by the same word we find in Psalm 46:10; as God declaring; “I will be exalted!”
In this instance, it signifies God brought the Children of Israel out high and lifted up to there, be exalted in His hand; as He brought them out! The revelatory is, it signifies God bare Israel up; brought them out of dire straits and dangerous situations; unto restful spaciousness, we experience only in Him were; if we’ll just be still; set ourselves; to but stand still and hold our opinionated or fearful peace; in being in awe of Him and all His invisible yet highly effectual working; we as shall all; will see His salvation!
High hand also signifies God brought Israel out of bondage up unto being seated by grace in heavenly places they hadn’t earned; in Him as if borne there carried on His wings like an eagle’s; for He will be exalted!
“Hardened Heart vs High Hand”
So when God brings us out with a high hand despite hardened hearts of any pharaoh pursuing hard after us; He also is setting us up to set us apart from, and make a clear difference between those His; and so not!
We’ve got to know our God; for as He will and does for all who turn aside remembering; knowing Him; He lifts us up high; takes us on through to a revealing how all our setbacks; were but mere setups permitted to exalt themselves; knowing He will be exalted to get great honor upon all!
Why? To set the stage for miracles of comebacks already purposed; already planned; already prepared, already laid up; already backed up as He waits to breathe on our Red Sea experiences as He did all night long enabling His Children of Israel to cross over on dry ground!
God will confound and overthrow our pharaoh’s 600 chosen chariots; even as He did for the fearful Children of Israel encamped by the Red Sea looking like over 600,000 spiritual sitting ducks!
Finally God will heave us up on the rock He is as our safety and refuge; so we dwell higher than; walk, talk, speak and be presumptuously promoted by Him to enjoy ridiculous favor far beyond our own ability to purpose or plan, to speak or say. And He always does know He’ll be exalted in the process!
