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The Plagues (Exodus): The ten plagues in ancient Egypt represent a systematic victory over and judgment of the Pharaoh and gods of Egypt by the one true God, Yahweh. We are given many opportunities to humbly repent in life. But can anyone actually stand under the judgment of God? Yes, but only because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Recorded on Oct 20, 2024, on Exodus 7:8-24 by Justun Hart.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

Bricks Without Straw (Exodus): When God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go,” Moses did exactly what God told him to do. But the suffering of the Israelites got worse, not better! The truth is, in a broken world, obedience to God’s word is no guarantee of short-term prosperity. But this doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you or that no good will ever come from times of suffering. Our God is faithful to redeem. You’ll see. Recorded on Oct 13, 2024, on Exodus 5:1-6:12 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

Sermon Transcript

We’re working through a sermon series on the book of Exodus called Journey to Freedom. And we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. The first few chapters of Exodus describe the bitter suffering of the family of Abraham and Sarah (ancient Israelites) when they were slaves in Egypt, the most powerful kingdom in the world at the time. We’re introduced to Moses, who would go on to be the mighty prophet and deliverer of Israel for Yahweh God. But his story was not this smooth rise into power. It didn’t seem to go according to any sort of plan. But God was faithful, and he didn’t abandon Moses even after his forty-year exile in Midian. But when the set time had fully come, God sent Moses, born in Egypt and adopted into the royal household of Egypt, back to Egypt to redeem his people who were still enslaved in Egypt. But this was a mission Moses didn’t want. Maybe he thought he was too old. Or maybe after his first disastrous attempt at leadership, he doubted his leadership abilities. But Moses gave one excuse after another before asking Yahweh just to send someone else. But God was merciful (and patient) and provided miraculous signs to verify his message and calling. He also allowed Moses’ brother, Aaron, to help him speak and lead. But the most important thing God promised was his own Presence. Yahweh would go with Moses. So Moses packed up his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons and went to Egypt to do this crazy thing God called him to do. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron spoke to the elders of the Israelites and shared the message God gave them: that Yahweh God, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was going to deliver them from Egypt and would bring them out into the land he had promised them. They performed the signs, as well, and the Israelites believed and worshipped the God who had seen their suffering, heard their prayers, and had concern for them. Chapter 5 picks up the story in the courts of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. How would he respond to Moses and the message and miracles of Yahweh God? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 5:1.

Exodus 5:1–9 (NIV), “1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.” 6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.” So that didn’t go well. But this was only the first of many meetings between Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh, King of Egypt. It’s interesting to think that Moses, adopted/raised by an Egyptian princess, and the current Pharaoh probably grew up together. We’re never told if they had been close before Moses fled to Midian. Historians are not settled on which Pharaoh this would’ve been, but many believe it could’ve been Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great. Well, whoever he was, in response to the famous “Let my people go” line, Pharaoh arrogantly asks, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh and I will not let Israel go.” Moses tried to tactfully make it clear that there might be serious consequences if this request was ignored. But not only did Pharaoh disdainfully ignore Yahweh, but he also decided to punish the Hebrews out of spite. He thought the Hebrews were lazy and didn’t believe Moses and Aaron had a message from God. He told the slave drivers and overseers not to listen to what he considered to be lies. (“Did God really say, ‘You must let the Israelites go?’”) But would Yahweh have some secret up his sleeve? Would he miraculously provide straw to make bricks? How would he do what he said he would do? Let’s see.

Exodus 5:10-23 (NIV), “10 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’ ” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?” 15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” 17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.” 19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” 22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” We know from Chapter 1 that the Israelites were doing the back-breaking work of building store cities for Pharaoh. And they were already suffering bitterly as slaves. But now, they had to do the same work and meet the same quota without the supplies they needed. This was a serious problem, and they knew they were in trouble. They were being beaten every day for not meeting this impossible quota. The Israelite overseers didn’t have any luck appealing to Pharaoh, and afterward, they let Moses and Aaron know how they felt about their great rescue plan. “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Moses, in turn, let God know in prayer how he felt about this great rescue plan. Moses could’ve prayed, “What are you doing, Lord? Wasn’t Pharaoh supposed to let us go? We did exactly what you asked, but it only made things worse!” I wonder if Moses thought about running back to the safe obscurity of Midian. This was the second rejection of his leadership from his fellow Hebrew people, and they made it clear how they felt about all his help. The text implies that some time had passed, but eventually, maybe after Moses had waited to see if some miracle was coming…Moses started praying. And this is so helpful. When you’re upset, when things aren’t going your way, in the middle of the storm, when the miracle hasn’t happened yet, you better start praying. The Lord cares about you. And he knows what’s happening. Bring your praise and your problems to him. Well, how would God respond?

Exodus 6:1-8 (NIV), “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” 2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord [Yahweh]. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord [Yahweh].’” In response to what seemed like a huge setback to their rescue plan and a second rejection of Moses, Yahweh El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, says, “Now you will see what I will do…” Do you want to see some crazy stuff? Do you want to see some fireworks? Just watch. Just you wait and see what I’ll do. “I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Pharaoh won’t get away with his arrogance or his abuse. He had asked, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him and let Israel go?” God tells Moses he’s about to show Pharaoh just what he’s capable of. But Yahweh isn’t just out to make Egypt pay for their idolatry or their enslavement and genocide of the Hebrew people. We also see God’s heart for his people when he promises, “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God…I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession.” This isn’t a setback. This is a setup for a cosmic showdown. But how can Moses know that God is able to accomplish all these things? What is the basis for these promises? It is God himself. vv. 2 and 8 bracket all these promises with a repeated statement of God’s identity and his covenant relationship with Israel. I am the Lord/Yahweh. I will do all these things because this is who I am. I AM WHO I AM. The I AM will do all this for you.  I’ll stake my name/reputation on it. What an incredible answer to prayer! Can you imagine if you were at a low point in your life and God gave all these promises to you? I will rescue you. I will defeat your enemies. Out of all the peoples of the world, you will be my people, and I will be your God, and I will provide all that you need. You just have to trust me, and I will do it. If I was in trouble and prayed for help and God answered my prayers with half of what he promised here, I’d be undone. This would be the ultimate source of security and hope, right? “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Ro 8:31b) Let’s see what Moses and the Israelites thought about all this.

Exodus 6:9-12 (NIV), “9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. 10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” This is God’s word. Well, our text ends at a low point. Pharaoh hadn’t listened to Yahweh because he didn’t believe in him or his word. The people hadn’t listened to Yahweh’s amazing promises because they were so discouraged. Their suffering had broken their spirit and killed their hope. And Moses was ready to quit again. This is the second time Moses mentions something about his ability to speak. He literally says he is of uncircumcised lips (faltering in the NIV). Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean he had a speech impediment, but it’s possible. However, I suspect the problem had more to do with his self-confidence in doing what God called him to do. After he gets going with this whole prophet/deliverer role, Moses delivers all kinds of speeches. At any rate, next week, we’ll see the “outstretched arm” and the “mighty acts of judgment” of Yahweh El Shaddai. But today, we’re still in the struggle. We’re still in the dark valley, and we’re not out yet. God promised a rescue but hasn’t done it yet. Maybe some of you can resonate with that today? Maybe some of you are in the desperately uncomfortable time between the prayer and the answer to prayer, between the problem and the solution? Now, obviously, none of us are in the exact same situation as ancient Israel. But I know that some of us are in the middle of something difficult, while all of us will be there at some point in life. What do we do? How do we wait for relief/deliverance and not lose our faith? How can we keep from becoming so discouraged we stop believing the promises of God? Well, we’ve said that Exodus is a great picture of the gospel and the Christian life. This chapter of the story is a helpful reminder that even those who are known by God and have been saved from the power of sin and death by faith in Jesus Christ still live (for now) in a broken world. So, unfortunately, things can sometimes get more difficult even when (as Moses found out) you are being obedient to God’s word. Doing the right thing can sometimes make things worse in the short run. This can be very disorienting if your expectations are wrong. Maybe it’s your expectations about timing. Commentator Douglas Stuart writes, “God’s timing only sometimes coincides with our expectations, and his idea of the hardships we need to go through only sometimes coincides with our idea of how much we can take.” (Exodus, vol. 2, TNAC, p. 169) Or maybe it’s your expectations about pain and suffering. That if you’re a good person, then good things will happen to you. This is the underlying belief of karma. Basically, everyone gets what they deserve. But this is not what the Bible teaches. In fact, the foundation of the gospel is that God doesn’t treat us as we deserve, he treats us as Christ deserved and treated Christ how we deserved on the cross. So if hardship in your life may or may not be what you deserve, what else might God be doing with those painful seasons? In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics, p. 604) Very few things drive needed change like pain and suffering. Now, on this side of eternity, we rarely see the full picture of all the good that God is able to bring out of any certain painful situation. But, As Tim Keller writes, “Just because you can’t see or imagine a good reason why God might allow something to happen doesn’t mean there can’t be one.” (The Reason for God, p. 23). God reminds us of his nature in Isaiah 55:8–9 (NIV), “8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” So, obedience to God’s word is no guarantee of short-term prosperity. In fact, it might lead to more struggle/suffering/pain/persecution. But, as we see in the Exodus story, this doesn’t mean God has abandoned you or that no good will ever come from the times when you’re walking in the valley of the shadow of death. Our God is faithful to his promise, and he is a redeemer. You’ll see. He brings life out of death and beauty from the ashes. He turns mourning into dancing and groaning into shouts of praise. But nowhere is this seen more clearly than at the foot of the cross. Jesus suffered and died on the cross in humiliation. He was subject to injustice and abuse. And he wasn’t just a good man; he was perfectly obedient to the word of God. He was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Heb 4:15b). Jesus did everything right. So why did God allow him to suffer? Was he abandoned by God the Father in heaven? No. There was a plan. And it would be the greatest act of redemption in the history of the world. Out of the brutal and unjust suffering of the Son of God, the Father would bring the greatest possible good. So, while we wait, let’s resist discouragement and doubt, let’s pray and trust the God who sees/hears/cares for us, his people, in Christ. Let us pray.

The Burning Bush (Exodus): When Yahweh God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses clearly had fears and doubts about his ability to do what God called him to do. Yahweh graciously (and patiently) provided his name, miraculous signs, and other help. But what would guarantee success? God promised, “I will be with you.” Recorded on Oct 6, 2024, on Exodus 3:1-4:17 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

Sermon Transcript

Well, today, and for about the next six months, we’ll be working through a sermon series on the book of Exodus called Journey to Freedom. For the last two weeks, we’ve said that Exodus is a wild story, but it’s a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. We’ve also said Exodus is a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. Chapter 1 started something like 3,200 or 3,300 years ago when the ancient people of Israel were suffering bitterly as slaves in Egypt. Would God keep his promises to the family of Abraham and Sarah? Would he be faithful to save? Last week, in Chapter 2, with the birth of Moses, we saw God’s rescue plan start to unfold. However, Moses’ disastrous first attempt at helping his people led to his exile in the foreign land of Midian. Was this God’s plan?? Well, today, in Chapter 3, forty years have passed. Moses married Zipporah, the daughter of a pagan priest named Jethro, started a family, and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. And for many years, that was it. It probably seemed like God was done with him. Have you ever wondered about this for your life? Maybe things haven’t turned out how you thought they would, and you wonder, “Is this it, or does God have something more for me?” Maybe a bigger question for Moses would be, given his first failure, would he be able to handle it if God called him more? Well, God’s not done with Moses. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 3:1. This is a fairly long text, but it’s all one story, and we’ll unpack it as we go. 

Exodus 3:1–4:17 (NIV), “1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Forty years have passed there in Midian. Moses was now eighty years old. After all these years, if he ever considered his ability to lead, Moses must’ve felt like a failure. His attempts to lead in Egypt resulted in precisely zero people following him and Moses having to flee for his life. Now here, forty years later, not only is no one following him, still, but he wasn’t even leading his own flock of sheep! He was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. At any rate, Moses had led the flock far from home, to the far side of the wilderness, to a mountain known as Horeb and later as Sinai. Probably because of this encounter, and later, when the Israelites came back to meet with God there after they had escaped from Egypt, Horeb (Mount Sinai) became known as the mountain of God. But here, Moses writes that he noticed a bush on the mountainside that was on fire but not burning up. This would’ve been very strange since no one else was nearby. Moses went closer to investigate when the angel of the Lord appeared and spoke to him. He told Moses he was the God of his ancestors, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” In the Bible, this kind of encounter with God is known as a theophany. A theophany is when God appears in some form to human beings. If you’d like more teaching on this, two years ago, we did a sermon series called Encounters with God on some of the most well-known theophanies in the Bible. These divine encounters always reveal something of God’s character or nature, but they also often reveal something of God’s plan for humanity. God shows up for a purpose. In this theophany with Moses, God says three incredible things: he’s seen their misery, he’s heard their prayers, and he’s concerned about their suffering. Does God care when we go through times of pain and suffering? Absolutely, yes. He says, “…the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.” So what? “So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” Four hundred years earlier, God promised Abraham that he would do this. And God keeps his promises. God is faithful to save. This is just one more example of the 10,000 in the Bible. But now (unexpectedly, if you’ve been paying attention), God’s plan is to send Moses back to Egypt, back to his adopted family in the royal household, back to lead his birth family, the Hebrews/Israelites, out to freedom. God saw/heard and now had come down himself to rescue his people. But what if it worked? If this plan worked, it’d be world-changing stuff, the kind of thing people might study/talk about for thousands of years. Moses, you want to be a leader? Here’s your second chance. But this was probably way bigger than anything Moses ever dreamed of. How do you think Moses felt about this? After so many years? Now, Lord? Me, Lord?!? How would you feel?

Exodus 3:1–4:17 (NIV), “11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. 21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.” Moses responded to this incredible theophany with two questions: “Who am I?” and “Who are you?” Let’s take each of those in turn. Who am I? “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” What qualifications do I have? I can’t even lead my own flock of sheep, and you want me to go to an enslaved people (who rejected my leadership once already, by the way) and try and lead them out of the most powerful kingdom on the planet? It’s not a bad question. Moses had serious reservations about his ability to do what God called him to do. But look how God responded in v. 12, “I will be with you.” God wasn’t just sending Moses; he would go with him. God was calling Moses to join him in the work that he would do. His calling wasn’t based on the strength of Moses’ faith, abilities, wisdom, beauty, wealth, or anything else. The plan of God, the calling of God, was entirely based on God’s strength, his wisdom, his resources, and his loving commitment to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Who am I? “It doesn’t matter,” says the Lord, “I will be with you. My presence is all you need. My presence will guide and sustain you. The elders of Israel will listen to you, you will plunder Egypt as you leave, and you will come out of Egypt and worship me here at Mount Sinai. I will be with you.” Well, if that’s the case, then who are you, Lord? What is your name? Whose presence will be with us? Now, in Genesis chapter 4, Moses says that people had started to call on the name of Yahweh all the way back during the time of Seth and Enoch. But Yahweh had other names that people used from time to time, like the more generic title God (El) or God Almighty (El Shaddai). Moses likely had some knowledge of God from his birth family, the Hebrew people in Egypt. But here, understandably, being called into this official role representing this God to Pharaoh (and to his own people as well), he wanted to know what official name he should use. Yahweh replies with an incredibly profound statement: “I AM WHO I AM.” It’s as if God says, “My name is life, I am being/existence itself. I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. I am the one who was and is and ever will be. Who am I? I am.” This is what the divine name in Hebrew means: Yahweh, I am. But why, you might wonder, is the divine name of Yahweh translated as LORD in all caps in our Bibles today? Well, this substitution of Yahweh with LORD follows an ancient Jewish tradition out of respect for the divine name. However, the problem with that is that most Christians today do not understand that “Lord” in all caps in the OT is meant to be the personal name God gave to Moses here at Mount Sinai. Reverence for God is good and right, but we cannot lose the personal knowledge of God that he wants us to have about him. The Creator, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, the God who entered into a covenant relationship with the family of Abraham and Sarah, saw the suffering, heard the prayers of his people, and came down to rescue them. And his name was Yahweh. Would the Presence of Yahweh be enough to overcome Moses’ fears and doubts?

Exodus 3:1–4:17 (NIV), “1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” 6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow. 7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” So, in addition to the promise of his Presence, Yahweh graciously (and patiently!) gives Moses miraculous signs to validate/verify Moses’ divine calling/message both to the Hebrew people and the Pharaoh. Just like Jesus’ ministry, the miracles would testify to the truth of his message. The snake represents Yahweh’s power over death, and the leprous hand represents Yahweh’s power over disease. Those signs aren’t hard for us to understand, but the meaning of turning water from the Nile into blood is a little obscure. However, Egyptians believed in a whole pantheon of gods and goddesses, including Hapi (Hah-pee), who was believed to be the god of the Nile River flood. Hapi was associated with the abundance and life only possible because of the water of the Nile in an otherwise dry/desert climate. Hapi was broadly worshiped because the Nile was the main symbol of the abundance, life, and security of Egypt. I believe the third sign, of water to blood, represents Yahweh’s authority over both the abundance/life/security of both Israel and Egypt, but also Yahweh’s supremacy over Hapi and, as we’ll see throughout the Exodus, over every god and goddess of the Egyptians. Yahweh was the one, the only one, who was sovereign over life/death, healing/disease, abundance, security, and over any/every other ruler, authority, or power in heaven or on earth. Now, surely, these signs would help calm Moses’ fears and doubts, right? Yahweh’s own presence would go with him. And his miraculous power would testify to the truth of his message. What more could he want?

Exodus 3:1–4:17 (NIV), “10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” 13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” 14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.” This is God’s word. So, Moses would learn again and again that Yahweh is slow to anger, but he does get angry. After repeatedly questioning God, not so much about God’s faithfulness, but about his own ability to do what God was calling him to do, and after God repeatedly, graciously answered his questions and promised his own presence and miraculous signs, Moses still asks God to send someone else. Yahweh’s anger burned against him. No kidding, right? But just as he would do later with Jonah, Yahweh doesn’t give up on Moses. He allows his big brother, Aaron, to help him fulfill his calling. But with that, Moses, the Hebrew slave by birth, the Egyptian royalty by adoption, the murderer, the immigrant to Midian, the family man and elderly shepherd, became the unlikely prophet and deliverer of Yahweh God at one of the greatest turning points in all of human history. Did God pick the right guy? We’ll see. Would Yahweh’s presence be enough? Would the miraculous signs be convincing? Would Aaron be helpful? We’ll see. Well, there are so many big lessons from this text, but for now, I’d like to leave you with just one thought. If Moses had believed/trusted the very first thing Yahweh had said, he wouldn’t have needed anything else. Remember what God told him? Moses asked, “Who am I that I should go…?” And how did God respond? Who are you? It doesn’t matter. “I will be with you.” One of the great themes of the Exodus story (and the whole of the Bible) is the power of God’s holy and loving Presence among his people. Moses wouldn’t go back to Egypt alone. He had the Presence of Yahweh with him. Israel wouldn’t go into the wilderness alone. They would have the Presence of Yahweh with them. They would have to learn how to live with God’s holy Presence in their midst. But if all this was true and if Yahweh was who he claimed to be — sovereign over life, death, disease, idols, and empires — then they would have nothing to fear. But,  don’t you see? If this was who God was, then this is who God is today. He saw the suffering of his people and he sees the suffering of his people today. He heard the cries/prayers of his people, and he hears the cries/prayers of his people today. He was moved to action to bring freedom and justice into a broken world and he will be moved to action today. But today, because of the person and work of Jesus, we have the Presence of God here among us and within us today. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the very personal power and presence of God, was given not just to a mighty prophet or to a pastor or priest, but to every man, woman, and child who believes in Jesus and trusts him to be their lord and savior. Do you have fears and doubts about what God might call you to do or about God’s plan for your life? Would you rather God send someone else in your place? Just like Moses, you, too, have the Presence of God. So, in Christ, you, too, have everything you need. If you need a miracle to testify to the message of the gospel, I have no doubt our God will give it. If you need a coworker or your older brother to help you, I’ve no doubt our God will send them. But the one who is here among us even now, He is everything we need. Let us pray.

Moses Flees to Midian (Exodus): Chapter 2 tells the story of Moses’ birth and adoption into the Egyptian royal family, which seems to set him up to be the great deliverer of the Hebrew people. However, after his disastrous first attempt at helping his people, he was forced to flee to the land of Midian. Had he squandered his chance? Was this God’s plan?? Recorded on Sep 29, 2024, on Exodus 2:1-25 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

Sermon Transcript

Well, today, and for about the next six months, we’ll be working through a sermon series on the book of Exodus called Journey to Freedom. Last week, we started by sharing that Exodus is a wild story, but it’s a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. And we saw the context of this story was the bitter suffering and oppression of ancient Israel when they were slaves in Egypt, something like 3,200 or 3,300 years ago. Things went from bad to worse and culminated in the wicked command of the king to commit genocide against the baby Hebrew boys. They desperately needed God to intervene. But would God be faithful to save? If you missed that intro to our series, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But we said that besides being a great story, Exodus is a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. That in Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and are led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Well, today, in Chapter 2, we’ll see the rescue plan of God start to unfold with the origin of Moses. But it doesn’t go at all how you’d expect. In fact, by the end of Chapter 2, we might have more questions than answers about God’s rescue plan. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 2:1. Chapter 2 has three parts with a little epilogue at the end. Here’s part one…

Exodus 2:1–10 (NIV), “1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” Part one is all about the birth story of Moses, who would become the mighty prophet and leader of the Israelites out of Egypt. Here, Moses writes that his parents were both of the tribe of Levi. Later, we learn that Moses’ father’s name was Amram, and his mother was Jochebed. Now, Chapter 1 ended with what? With the wicked command of Pharaoh to kill all the newborn Hebrew boys. Moses was born during this time. Imagine the fear that Amram and Jochebed must’ve felt for their son. Jochebed did her best to hide the child as long as possible, but when she couldn’t any longer, she made a papyrus basket coated in tar and pitch. In other words, she waterproofed this little container so she could hide her baby among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. Perhaps this was close to where they lived, so she could visit as often as she could. But then, the worst-case scenario happened. He was discovered. And by none other than one of the members of Pharaoh’s own household, his daughter, a princess of Egypt. She went to the river to bathe and likely heard the cries of this little one. It was his cries that went up to the princess that moved her heart. She felt sorry for him. She knew this was one of the Hebrew boys her father wanted to kill, and she took pity on him. But then, the boy’s sister came and offered to find a nurse for the boy. Later, we learn that this was Moses’ older sister, Miriam. Commentator Douglas Stuart estimates Miriam to be between six and twelve years old when this took place. If she was part of our church, she might be part of Gospel Kids Midweek. If you work with kids, imagine having bold little Miriam in your small group or class! But it’s such a beautiful little detail in this story that because of Miriam’s quick thinking and courage, Moses’ birth mom, Jochebed, who had to give up her son, turned out to be the one who was hired to care for her son. She could’ve been ordered to do this by the Princess, but she was given the dignity and worth of being paid to do this work. I’m sure this would’ve been so hard for her as a mom. On the one hand, what a relief this would’ve been! Not that she wanted to give her son up for adoption, but this situation was far better than death! But her son was not only going to live; he would have a very different set of opportunities being adopted by the princess and raised in the household of Pharaoh. Of course, she probably would’ve wondered if Moses eventually would forget about her and their family and his ancestry. Historical evidence suggests Moses would’ve been about three or four years old when he entered Pharaoh’s household. Later on, we learn that as an adult, Moses would have a relationship with Miriam and also with his older brother Aaron. He wouldn’t forget about his birth family or his ancestors. But at this point, unexpectedly, Moses the Hebrew becomes Moses the Egyptian and an adopted member of the royal family no less! What a reversal! Now, before we continue, I must say that so far in our story, the women have all been amazing. Remember Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives who defied the evil command of Pharaoh, who feared God more than they feared the king? Here in Chapter 2, we have bold little Miriam, we have faithful Jochebed who trusted God with the life of her baby, and we have a compassionate Egyptian princess. God used all these women for his redemptive purposes. Ladies, how might God work in and through your lives? So what are we to make of this dramatic change of circumstances here at the end of part one? Well, what if Moses really would grow up to be the man God would send to deliver his people from Egypt? If that’s true, then this was a brilliant move. Get Moses out of the slave community and into the most powerful, wealthy royal family on earth. He’d have the best education for leading/governing a people you could possibly get. Moses would learn wisdom, how to work with people, how to command loyalty, and how to inspire people to do great things. He’d grow up with the next generation of royalty. Now, Moses wouldn’t become the next Pharaoh, but maybe he could be like Joseph had been and be second in command. Is that what God was planning here? Let’s find out.

Exodus 2:11–15 (NIV), “11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.” Well, that didn’t seem to go according to plan, did it? According to the book of Acts, Moses was forty years old when he went to visit his people and “watched them at their hard labor.” This was likely around the Nile River delta, where the Nile River emptied into the Mediterranean Sea. Generations earlier, Joseph had secured an area called Goshen for his people. But the Hebrews were building several store cities around that area, too (Rameses). But while he was there, he saw firsthand the suffering and brutal treatment of his people. He saw an Egyptian, likely one of the slave masters mentioned in Chapter 1, beating a Hebrew man. And he identified with the man being beaten. But instead of using his position in the royal family to lobby for better conditions for his people, Moses looked this way and that way (which suggests that he knew this would be wrong), and he attacked and killed the Egyptian and hid the body. What he had seen was surely wrong; it was a terrible injustice. But his solution was just as bad. In a burst of vigilante justice, he murdered a man and tried to cover it up. Maybe he thought he got away with it that night. But by the next day, when he tried to intervene again, this time between two Hebrew men, it became clear that someone had seen what Moses did. It wasn’t hidden. Moses was right to be afraid. Murder was a capital offense. But even worse, as a member of the royal household with a Hebrew background, Moses could be guilty of treason if it was believed that he was trying to lead a rebellion of his own people. But then, the Hebrew people (his people) didn’t welcome him with open arms, either! When he tried to use his status and royal education and training to lead and govern justly and wisely, what did they say to him? “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” This must’ve been a shock for Moses. It must’ve felt like he was a stranger in his own land and that he had no people. You see, Moses was a Hebrew by birth but an Egyptian by adoption. No doubt, there were some in the Pharaoh’s household or other Egyptians who never accepted him as one of their own. “You’re not one of us.” And no doubt, there were some Hebrews (maybe these men here) who resented his life of luxury growing up in the Pharaoh’s household while they suffered bitterly as slaves. So Moses had to run from his adopted family because of what he had done. But he was given no quarter from his birth family either. Was this God’s plan? To have his mighty prophet, who was supposed to lead his people out of captivity in Egypt, leave Egypt? To commit murder, be rejected by his people, and then run for his life to Midian, the middle of nowhere?!? What kind of plan is this? Have you ever wondered about God’s plans for your life? Have you ever cried out to God, asking him what he was doing or why things seemed to be getting worse instead of better? I’d be willing to bet that Moses prayed some of those prayers as he fled to Midian. So Moses traveled east, across the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, toward the Gulf of Aqaba, and most likely into modern Saudi Arabia. Did he just squander his first chance to help his people? Had he completely failed to be the leader his people needed? Would he ever get a second chance? Would he even be able to make a new life in Midian? Was any of this part of your plan, oh God? Part three, life in Midian…

Exodus 2:16–22 (NIV), “16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.” Chapter 2 takes us from what seems to be the providence and protection of God around the birth of Moses to his exile in Midian. But I like this part of the story. Though he’s alone and is a foreigner in a foreign land, Moses still cares about justice. So when shepherds were mistreating some women at a well, Moses intervenes yet again. But this time, he doesn’t kill the men. He was able to get them to leave and didn’t let them do anything more serious to these women. Then, though he was raised in the Egyptian royal household, he started serving them. He watered their flock and drew water for the women as well. When the seven sisters returned home and their dad, a pagan priest of Midian, heard what happened, he was like, “Where is this Egyptian?” He probably thought, “This sounds like a good man…and I have seven daughters.” So he said, “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” So they went back and invited him to stay with them. Eventually, Moses married Zipporah, one of the daughters of Reuel, who was also known as Jethro. In time, Moses and Zipporah had a little boy of their own and Moses seems to come to terms with his new reality. As a consequence of his disastrous attempt at doing justice for his people, he was now a foreigner in a foreign land. He had been rejected by the Hebrew people. He had a death sentence from his adopted people in Egypt. Now, he was a foreigner in Midian. Commentator Douglas Stuart writes, “He was a failure as a deliverer of his people, a failure as a citizen of Egypt, unwelcome among either of the nations he might have called his own, a wanted man, a now-permanent resident of an obscure place, alone and far from his origins, and among people of a different religion.” (Exodus, TNAC, p. 101) None of this seemed like it would be part of God’s plan. Did God even have a plan? If our story ended here, it might seem hopeless. But then, Chapter 2 ends with an epilogue that seems to give a glimmer of hope.

Exodus 2:23–25 (NIV), “23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” This is God’s word. Ok! So here, at the end of Chapter 2, two pivotal things happen that signal that this will be a rescue story. First, the people start to pray. If you go back to Chapter 1, the Israelites were suffering bitterly, but it never says that they cried out to Yahweh God. They never prayed for God to be faithful to the promises he made to Abraham and Sarah — promises to bless those who bless them and curse those who curse them — promises to make them into a great nation and give them a place to live (Promised Land). But during this time of suffering, the people remembered the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and cried out for help. The second pivotal thing was that the Lord heard their prayers. He heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He saw them and was concerned about them. His heart was moved with pity and compassion just as the princess was moved by the helpless little baby she found among the reeds in the river. And the Lord knew what he was about to do. God did have a plan. Despite the unexpected twists and turns of Moses’ story, we’ll see next week in Chapter 3 that Yahweh God isn’t done with Moses. So it was according to the infinite wisdom of God that his deliverer would spend the first half of his life learning to lead and govern in Egypt but the second half of his life learning humility and patience in obscurity there in Midian. What an incredible plan! No one could’ve predicted this! But today, instead of focusing on how we might apply this text to our lives as we close, I’d like to show how clearly this story points forward to Christ and to the gospel. The vital clue is slightly obscured by the NIV translation of the papyrus basket back in v. 3. The Hebrew word translated basket is literally the word ark. It’s the same word Moses used back in Genesis for Noah’s Ark. Moses saw his birth story as repeating a pattern where God graciously provided saving from a watery death through an ark. And just as Noah and his family was preserved by God to start a new chapter in history, so Moses would be used by God for the same purpose. Does this pattern remind you of anyone else? But even more, Moses was born into slavery in Egypt and under a sentence of death. But in the providence of God, Moses was saved by grace from the Nile River. But not only was he rescued from death, he was adopted by a Princess. He went from a child of slavery to a child of the royal family. In Christ, we, too, were born into slavery, not in Egypt, of course, but into slavery to sin. As slaves to sin, by nature and by choice, we were separated from God, and we, too, were under a sentence of death (“For the wages of sin is death…” Ro 6:23a). But the good news of the gospel is that because of the gracious providence of God, he not only rescued us from death God did this by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life, die the death we deserved on the cross for the sins of the world, but on the third day rise again from the dead. (“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ro 6:23) So today, if you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you will not only be saved from sin and death, but you too will be adopted as a beloved son or daughter of the Father in heaven, a member of the royal household of God. Did you know that? Did you know this was and is and ever will be God’s plan for your life? It is. So today, let us put our faith and trust in him. Maybe today you’re struggling or suffering, not as a slave in Egypt, but maybe life is hard right now. Don’t forget the pattern — the pattern of God’s saving grace, the pattern of God doing unexpected things not only to save us but to adopt us, to give us his whole kingdom. Let’s look back to these patterns and use them to help us trust in him. For the Lord sees us, he has compassion for us, even in our suffering, he hears our cries, and he will, in his timing, be faithful to save. Let us pray.

Slaves in Egypt (Exodus): This is the beginning of our series on the book of Exodus, called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the Christian life. Is God faithful to save? Recorded on Sep 22, 2024, on Exodus 1:1-22 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

Sermon Transcript

Well, today, we get to start a brand new sermon series on the book of Exodus in the OT called Journey to Freedom, which will run through March. But I’ve been working for months to prepare for this series, and I can’t wait to share this story with you. Exodus is an ancient story, something like 3,400 years old, and, as we’ll see, it’s a wild story. But really, Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah (i.e., the Promised Land). Along the way are heroes and villains, cosmic battles between good and evil, folly and sin, and incredible grace, mercy, and love. It’s a story expertly told. But one of the things I want you to see throughout this whole series is that Exodus is a wonderful picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and are led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. This is our Exodus; this is our journey to freedom. Do you think there might be some valuable lessons we might learn about our journey from this first Exodus? Absolutely. But today, as we start this series, we’ll see what life had become for the Israelite people suffering in Egypt. And we’ll see a clear need for God to act/intervene/send a savior. The question is: Would the Lord be faithful to keep the promises he made? Is God faithful to save? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 1:1.

Exodus 1:1-7 (NIV), “1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.” Exodus is the second book in the Bible and is the second of a five-part series known by two terms: the Pentateuch, which means five books in Greek, and the Torah, which means the Law in Hebrew. These five books, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, were written by Moses, the mighty prophet and leader of the Israelites during the time of the Exodus. Now, to say that these writings have been influential is a ridiculous understatement. No one, after Jesus Christ himself, has had a more significant impact on human history than Moses and his five books. Over half the world’s population considers his writing to be Holy Scripture. Exodus begins by picking up where the book of Genesis left off. Genesis begins with a collection of stories of creation. The creation of the heavens and the earth, of human beings, of work and marriage and life with God, of the catastrophic problems of sin and death, of the start of a rescue plan of God through the family of Abraham and Sarah, of the growth of their family into the twelve tribes of Israel, and then of how they wound up in Egypt because of a famine and the elevation of Joseph to be second in command over all of Egypt. Genesis records that Abraham had a son named Isaac, and Isaac had a son named Jacob, who was renamed Israel by God. Israel had the twelve sons and adopted sons listed here. Between the twelve sons and their families, they had 70 people total when they went down to Egypt. That’s a big extended family, but nowhere close to a nation. But in Genesis 12, God made several promises to Abraham and Sarah about their family. Genesis 12:1–3 (NIV), “1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God promised them people and a place. He promised to make them into a great nation, and he promised a land he would show them — the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. Here, Moses writes that in the generations after Joseph and the seventy, “…the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.” The Israelites went from only seventy to millions of people through exponential growth over hundreds of years. God’s original blessing of creation, to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, was being fulfilled, but his specific promise to make the family of Abraham into a great nation was being fulfilled. Now, it might seem strange to us to start a book with a genealogy, but beyond connecting us to the story started in Genesis, this was normal for them. In traditional cultures, the family or tribe is in many ways more important than you as an individual. It defines you and is the main marker of your identity. This isn’t our culture. We’re much more individualistic (for better and for worse). But not only would it have really mattered to Moses what the family history was for the Israelite people, but we must remember that he was writing after the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for at least 300 years. They needed to know their true origin and identity. They needed to know about the promises of God for their people. But this is all happening in the wrong place, right? God had promised Canaan to Israel, not Egypt. How would they get out of Egypt?

Exodus 1:8-14 (NIV), “8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.” When Israel went to Egypt, they had incredible favor there because of Joseph and the work he did during the famine. The Israelites were shepherds, which the Egyptians looked down on, but in the providence of God, Joseph became second only to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so his family enjoyed protection and lived in the land Joseph secured for them. But Joseph passed away, and so did the Pharaoh, who knew what Joseph had done for the Egyptians. As the royal dynasty changed, so did the political winds, which turned against the Israelites. Pharaoh made his case against the Israelites, saying they had become so numerous that if they didn’t deal with them more shrewdly, Israel might become an ally of one of their enemies and be a physical, political, and (likely) economic threat to them if war broke out. Few things are more effective in politics than making another group the source of all your problems and playing the us vs. them narrative until everyone in your tribe is angry and afraid whether the threat is credible or not. This other group might be a different ethnicity, religion, or economic class. This was certainly true for the Israelites. No longer appreciated and protected, they were seen as a threat precisely because they’d been so fruitful in Egypt. Unfortunately, God’s promises and blessings didn’t prevent them from experiencing injustice and oppression in this broken world. In some ways, they seemed to make things more difficult for Israel in Egypt. The truth is no one is immune from suffering here. But Israel was suffering bitterly. Moses writes that they were given slave masters. They lost their freedom. They became slaves and were forced to do hard labor in building cities, working construction, and in the fields. They were worked ruthlessly. But despite how harshly they were being used and abused, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. This wasn’t going to put anyone’s fears to rest. How would Pharaoh respond?

Exodus 1:15–22 (NIV), “15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live. 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” This is God’s word. So, things have gone from bad to worse. But it’s not that surprising. Once you get people whipped up with anger and fear of a certain group (ethnic, religious, etc.), it doesn’t take long to get to the point where violence or even genocide, as we see here, seems justified. So, when enslavement and harsh labor didn’t slow down the growth of the Israelites, Pharaoh commanded the midwives to kill all the newborn Hebrew boys. Can you imagine? Imagine hearing about this command when you or your wife were pregnant. Imagine the terror and anguish this would’ve caused. What were the midwives supposed to do? This was no small command. At this time in history, [Egypt map slide] Egypt was the greatest and most powerful kingdom on the planet. No one else was even close. They were in what historians call the New Kingdom period of Egyptian history (about 3,500 years ago). By this point, they were in something like their 18th or 19th royal dynasty and were more prosperous than at any time before or since. The Great Pyramid of Giza had been standing for over a thousand years. Their Pharaohs were worshipped, and their gods and goddesses were famous. And who were the Israelites? Some shepherds without a kingdom or a home of their own? Who was their God? Where was his temple? Where was his power to save and deliver his people? But God bless these women, Shiphrah and Puah, and their example. These brave ladies stood up to the most powerful man on earth because, Moses says, they feared God more than they feared this earthly king. Kill us if you want, oh king. But there is a King and Judge above even you. He is the Maker of the heavens and the earth. He is the One who is sovereign over life and death, not you. So, because of their faith and the strength of their character, Shiphrah and Puah defied the wicked command of Pharaoh. But then, when Pharaoh questioned them, it seems they might’ve bent the truth a bit about the vigorousness of the Hebrew women in childbirth. Although, who knows! Maybe it was true what they said about the Hebrew women. This could be a good case study for an ethics class. Is it ok to bend or even break the truth to prevent the senseless destruction of perhaps tens of thousands of helpless children? Well, God knew what they did, and he knew their circumstances, but he didn’t punish them for defying the king’s command. So, Chapter 1 ends with Pharaoh going around the midwives and ordering all his people to throw baby Hebrew boys into the Nile River. Imagine the relief young families would’ve felt hearing the midwives had successfully defied the king only to realize, in horror, that any one of their Egyptian neighbors might now try and kill their babies out of obedience to their king. This would’ve been moral insanity — utter Satanic chaos and brutality. But this is where our passage ends. There’s no relief here in Chapter 1. There’s no savior and no rescue plan yet. There’s no real sign of hope other than the fact that the Israelites continue to be blessed with children. So, for now, the Israelites are slaves. All this pain and suffering, discrimination, and brutal oppression form the context for the Exodus. This is the darkness that needed the light of God’s saving grace. This is the evil that needed the justice of God’s against sin. These are the chains that needed to be broken. The question is: Would God do something? Would God keep his word to the family of Abraham and Sarah? In Genesis 15, he promised that after 400 years of being strangers (and even slaves!) in a country not their own, the Lord would punish the slave masters and would bring them out with great possessions into the land that he had promised them. Would the Lord be faithful to keep the promises he made? In many ways, the whole book of Exodus is an answer to these big questions. Is God faithful to save? But just wait. Wait and see what God would do. Next week, with the story of the birth of Moses, we’ll start to see God’s rescue plan unfold. But for now, as is true for much of the OT history of ancient Israel, we feel the weight of the burden of sin in the world. And we cry out to God to do something about it. Is God faithful to save? Can we trust him in this? Is he able to accomplish his will in this broken world and bring redemption and freedom, or will the same old gods of worldly kingdoms, the false gods of money, sex, and power, win once again? We’ll see. But for now, as we close this morning, I’d like to point out this chapter of Israel’s history reminds us of our need for freedom today. Slavery still exists in the world, but there’s a bigger problem. Everyone everywhere, man/woman, rich/poor, young/old, slave/free is in bondage to the chains of sin and death. Try as we might, we fail to perfectly love God and perfectly love our neighbor. The truth is we just are not good enough to save ourselves. Therefore, we need God to act/intervene/send a savior. But the good news of the gospel is that God has already done everything we need to be saved. He sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. He came and lived the perfect life, then died on the cross in our place for our sins. But on the third day, God raised him from the dead. So today, Jesus is the King of the kingdom of God. He reigns and he rules but first, he saves. Have you trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins? Have you received life everlasting in his kingdom? If so, then you, too, are part of the Exodus. You, too, are on a journey to freedom. And together, as a church and with the whole company of the saints, we are making our way to the promised land of the world to come. It’s a wild story. But it is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Let us pray.