Drew Boswell

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“A Change of Heart” Exodus 2

“Into the Wilderness”

A Sermon Series in the Book of Exodus

“A Change of Heart”

Exodus 2

 Introduction

  1. Lincoln, Proclamation of a day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, 1863.

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”[1]

When all is said and done, it is not our abilities, or talents, or skill, that we will make a difference for the Lord in this world, but it the condition of our heart – are we humble enough to cry out to God and plead for His help and guidance?

 Prayer

The Hebrew Child Becomes an Egyptian Child (Exodus 2:1-10)

“Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes1 and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

This man and his wife, from the house of Levi, as an act of faith had a child in this horrible time. God’s Word to them was, Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” They were seeking to obey and have faith in God, in spite of all the world’s darkness and despair.

God commends them later in Hebrews 11:23 “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”

(v. 3) “she took for him a basket,” – the author is very specific with the word that is used for basket, literally, “ark.” The only other place that it is used is in the story of Noah (Genesis 6:14-9:18). God saved Moses in the same way that he saved Noah – a savior is rescued from drowning. The ark was a vessel of salvation for them.

(v.3) “she took for him a basket made of bulrushes1 and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.” The salvation of God’s people was tucked away in tiny basket and gently placed amongst the bulrushes. The child was exposed, delicate, fragile, but he was never in any real danger – God was with him, and it was God’s plan. The baby Moses was never safer than when he was in that basket. Moses was far safer when mom pushed him into the water, than had she kept him close to her. She had to let him go, for him to be safe. Why weren’t the parents afraid to do this dangerous thing? “they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” It was God’s plan to save their son, but also to save the nation.

The Pharoah’s daughter ignores her father’s order to kill all Hebrew males, she even acknowledges that he is Hebrew, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children,” And eventually adopts the boy, and names him Moses as her own son. This reminds us that the salvation that was to come was for not only God’s people but for the world, all those who put their faith in the one true God. When it was time to finally exodus there were many Egyptians who went with them, Exodus 12:38, “And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them,”

God had given Moses’ mother a plan, she told his sister to stay close by, and when the infant was discovered to ask the pharoah’s daughter to help her find a nurse maid – which, by design was his own mother, and then was even paid to take care of her own son. Moses’ mother was able to freely take care of and teach her son the ways of God’s people. She had three years to teach all she could about God to her son.

Moses was a type of redeemer, he was one that pointed God’s people forward to a future true and ultimate redeemer. Jesus’ birth was similar to Moses’ birth. A Deliverer, as a child his life is threatened by a king. All the males are killed in order to try and prevent him from becoming the Savior (Matthew 2:16).

At the end of this sections we see, “and he became her son. She named him Moses,” – the Hebrew infant boy, now becomes the adopted child of the Pharoah’s daughter – at three years old he becomes an Egyptian. Moses grew up in the Pharaoh’s palace and would have the best food, clothing, education, housing – everything would have been “the best.”

The Egyptian Man Acts Like An Egyptian (2:11-22)

11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.3 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

In Acts 7:20-22 Stephen the martyr describes what Moses was like before Ex. 2:14-15 “At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, 21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.”

A running theme throughout the book of Exodus is the comparison of two ways, two gods, two cultures competing to see who is truly the most powerful, which way is the best way – the one true way. For three months the baby Moses was hidden by his mother, then for about three to four years his mother raised him, and way able to teach him the ways of the Hebrew people and their God. But then, for the rest of his life (by Ex. v. 11 he is 40 years old), as an adopted child of the Pharoah’s daughter Moses grew up in the Egyptian culture.

Look again at Acts 7:23-24 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.”

Moses at 40 years old wanted his people to be free, he wanted them to follow him – but he made one huge mistake. He was trusting in his “mighty words and deeds.” Instead of following him, they say, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian.”

Moses is using Egyptian strength, Egyptian words, Egyptian deeds “he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” – The way of salvation for God’s people is not to trust in the Egyptian ways. God never told Moses to do anything; Moses took action and then wanted God to bless his action; he never even took God into account at all. Egyptians don’t ask what the One True God wants. Moses thought like an Egyptian, he acted like an Egyptian, and he thought that the people would follow Egyptian ways (even though it was the Egyptians that had enslaved them!)

We go through life, and let’s face it – often times it is very difficult. We get sick, we lose our job, we don’t get the promotion, we struggle with debt, on and on – so how do we engage the struggle? Moses thinks that you should engage with Egyptian strength, words, and deeds? But that is not engaging the world as God would have us engage the struggle.

In the conflict between the two fighting Hebrew men Moses steps ins and seeks to mediate. “The use of the technical legal term for the offending party expresses succinctly that Moses’ concern is with the issue of justice.”[2] The Hebrew man says, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” – No one did, He took it upon himself to lead. Even later when God approaches Moses from the burning bush, when told to go back to God’s people in Egypt Moses gives the excuse, Ex. 4:1 “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice,” I tried to lead them, and they wouldn’t listen.

The Hebrew man used Moses’ decision to kill a man, as a threat against him, “Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” His ill planned attempt at a rebellion collapsed.

This failure and bad decision rocked Moses to the core, be became afraid, it filled him with self-doubt, and he abandoned any thoughts of leadership, rebelling against Egypt, and even being apart of the liberation of his people. He runs into the wilderness and hides. We wants to disappear. Later, when God goes to Moses and tells him that He wants to use him, Moses gives excuse after excuse and in Exodus 4:10 he says, “But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past (40 years ago when I tried to lead a rebellion) or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

If Moses was ever to lead God’s people, then he would have to stop being Egyptian and start being Hebrew. This is not a racial thing, it is a mindset thing. Also, God allowed Moses to try it Moses’ way – and it took 40 years to get him to understand that Moses had to completely depend upon God. You can’t be Egyptian and lead God’s people. You can’t be lost and point people to Jesus.

One may even ask, “If Moses had not killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand – he seemed to be destined to greatness.” Was it this one mistake that took him out of the picture of leadership for so long? No, Moses’ whole mindset had to change, he had to learn what it means to be a follower of God, before he could ever lead God’s people. With Moses we see that leadership is not about eloquence, physical strength, wealth, or power – it all comes to an identity (whose are you?) and the heart. So what does God do, to get Moses ready for leadership?

Hebrews 11:24-27 “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” “By faith,” From this passage we see that Moses wanted to please the God of his people, “by faith,” he rejected all the wealth and power that came with being Egyptian, and slowly became a Hebrew.

The Egyptian Man Becomes a Hebrew Man (vv. 16-22)

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

It will take another 40 years before God goes to Moses in the burning bush (the first 40 years was in Egypt as the son the Pharoah’s daughter, the second 40 years was as a shepherd in the wilderness). God sends Moses to and places him in a family that will help him remove the Egyptian way of thinking. He would grow to think like a Hebrew shepherd and not like an Egyptian warrior. God puts us in a church family, and over time we become more like Christ. This is why being a part of a church family is so important, we must chip away at wrong thinking and sin in our lives.

Genesis 46:34 “for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

By the time he has a son, he says, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” Or “I am a stranger in a strange land.” Moses is lost – he’s not Egyptian and he’s not accepted as a Hebrew. He has the best education, training, and he thought he would be a great leader, and those who knew him said that he was “mighty in words and deeds.” but he has been moving sheep around for forty years – that all seems like another life, long long ago.

By the time God speaks to Moses in chapter 3, his heart as been humbled. Numbers 12:3 says, “Now the man Moses was very meek (humble), more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Before you can be used by God, you must humble yourself. Moses not only is humble, but he is racked with self-doubt, and he doesn’t think he will ever be of any use for God (because he made a really big mistake, many years ago.)

In some parts of India the locals have a technique for catching monkeys, which they then sell in the market place. The technique is very simply and it works like this: First of all, they put some tempting tit-bits of food, maybe some fruit and nuts, into a heavy glass bottle which has a narrow mouth. They then secure the bottle to the ground or to the base of a tree, sprinkle a few more tit-bits around it, and leave it alone for a while. The monkey comes along, puts his hand through the narrow mouth of the bottle and grabs a fistful of goodies. – This is the monkey’s mistake! – You see, the monkey can’t get its clenched fist back out of the bottle, and it doesn’t have the sense to simply let go of its treasure! It becomes trapped in a blunder of its own doing.[3] Mistakes from our past are like those nuts in the jar, if you don’t let them go you are trapped.

Will Moses let go of his past? we will see next week in chapter 3.

Toward the end of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones is hanging perilously over a cliff, with his dad holding on to one hand. With the other hand, Indiana is trying desperately to grasp the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail has been the subject of his dad’s research, and most of his life has been spent searching for it. Now, it is within their reach. Indiana’s dad recognizes, however, that he can’t save him and get the cup, and so he tells Indiana Jones to let it go. Indiana ignores him, and his dad tells him, tenderly, again to let it go. It is a touching moment when Indiana’s dad is willing to let his life’s work go to save the life of his son. So often we give so much of our time—indeed, our entire life— over to something other than Jesus. But we only truly find life when we surrender our lives to Christ.

God Responds to the Hebrew People (2:23-25)

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

While Moses was in the wilderness, hiding from his mistakes, and learning to be a follower of the One True God – God was preparing the day for him to return to Egypt. The king who wanted Moses dead or brought to justice is dead.

God’s name is repeated four times – all relating to the people coming liberation. Moses was saved from death, he was raised and trained with the best, and now his time of humbling is almost over. But when we see, “God heard, God remembered, God saw, and God knew.” It is clear that it is God who will save his people.

_________________

Appendix – Things important to the text, but I don’t have time to get to in the sermon.

What do we do with the fact this account is very similar to other historical accounts? “The world of the ancient East provides the legend of the birth of King Sargon of Akkad who was an important ruler in Mesopotamia in the second half of the third millennium BC. According to this, when Sargon was born, he was put by his unnamed mother in a little box, made of reeds and sealed with pitch, and was then set afloat on the Euphrates. A peasant saw him and adopted him, and finally the goddess Ishtar grew fond of him and made him a great and powerful king.”[4]

“He (the author) may have been consciously employing this echo (the similarity between the Egyptian myth and the Moses birth narrative) from a well-known Egyptian myth for polemical reasons. What was no more than a myth in Egypt truly came to pass for Israel in Egypt. In other words, the author takes a famous pagan myth and turns it on its head in order to ridicule and taunt Egypt and then to highlight the truth of the biblical story.”[5]

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[1] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/pride.htm

[2] Brevard S. Childs, The Old Testament Library, The Book of Exodus (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Westminster Press, 1974) 30.

[3] https://accessinspiration.org/topic/mistakes/

[4] Martin Noth, The Old Testament Library, Exodus (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Westminster Press, 1962) 27.

[5] John D. Currid, A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2016) 76.

“The Purpose of God’s Family” Exodus 1

“Into the Wilderness”

A Sermon Series in the Book of Exodus

“The Purpose of God’s Family”

Exodus 1

Introduction

The book of Genesis ends with the Hebrew word for “in Egypt.” Genesis 50: “So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” And by the time we get to the book of Exodus 400 years have passed where they have been enslaved. “This slavery fulfills the prophecy God gave in Genesis 15:13, which says, ‘Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.’”[1] There was already a promise of going out of the land, where they would be “servants there.”

The Hebrew title for the book of Exodus comes from two Hebrew words in the text, which are translated as, “And these are the names of . . .” There is a flow from Genesis leaving off being in Egypt and what happened to the descendants of Jacob (and Joseph).[2] Genesis leaves them “in the best of the land” Goshen (Gen. 47:6). The book of Exodus is God keeping his promise – Egypt’s time of judgment has arrived. The desert sand in the hour glass have dropped for four hundred years, and now the last grain of sand has fallen. God always keeps His word.

There is also throughout this book a comparison of the Hebrew God (the Creator God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) against the world’s gods – specifically Egypt’s gods. The pharaoh’s name is never given, because he represents all of Egypt. In these opening verses, the pharaoh who experienced the salvation that came through Joseph’s dreams and the great famine (the skinny cows that devoured the fat cows) were well over four generations ago. The world needs to be reminded (pharaoh thought he was the incarnate Son of Re – the sun god), and God’s people need to be reminded of who the one true God is, and what he is capable of.

Also, Pharoah and Egypt were fooled by Satan into thinking that they were gods, that they ruled the world, but it was Satan behind the scenes. The Hebrew people were Yahweh’s chosen people, they were promised a land of milk and honey, and they were going to multiply and increase. So, Pharoah says, no, I am god, you will serve me not Him, and you aren’t going anywhere – you will be mine.

Prayer

One Family Can Change the World (vv. 1-7)

(And) These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

The world was built around a family (Adam and Eve). So when Satan attacked God’s creation, he attacked the created order. Satan went to Eve, insinuated that Adam had lied to her (“Did God really say, . . .”). Satan’s goal was to destroy the family because it is the basic building block of humanity. Here in Exodus, we see another attack against God’s plan, here the plan is for the redemption of mankind through a family.

In Genesis 12:2-3 God promises that Abraham and his descendants would become a great nation, and the Savior promised in Genesis 3 would come through his family, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Israelites were increasing in number because God was blessing them. Where it says, “they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.” It’s the same word used in Genesis to describe hordes of marine or animal life (Gen. 1:20, 7:21).[3] He was blessing them because they played a major role in the redemption of mankind. They were increasing at an amazing, miraculous number.

The family grew from one man and his wife (Jacob/Israel), to their sons and families (the twelve tribes), and an initial family of seventy persons. From this group now, when we arrive in Exodus, are over a million – it is a nation. God has blessed Abraham and has kept His promise to make him a great nation. But will they bless the entire world with a Savior – that has not happened yet (in the story), and for Satan that has to be stopped.

The story moves from a mentioning a family to now referring to them as a nation. But also, “Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.” – all the previous generation and even the great leader and dreamer Joseph were gone . . . “The writer is somewhat emphatic to show the Israelites that “who you are now” must be understood in connection with “who came before you and who they were.”[4]

Isaac, Jacob, Abraham, Esther, Ruth, Noah, Peter, Paul, John, Matthew – these are not just stories – these were people of faith that have passed down God’s Word and what it means to be a follower of the One true God – the same God is with us now, as was with them centuries ago. And we will pass it on to the next generation.

The purpose of God’s Family is to remain faithful to God (despite circumstances),

and to pass on His truth to the next generation.

The Worse Things Get, the Stronger God’s Family Becomes (1:8-22)

Slavery

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.[5] 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and lRaamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

(v. 8) “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” – another way to translate this verse is to say, “who chose not to know about Joseph.”[6] It is in the historical record, carved in hieroglyphs – but he chose not to take history into account. The new generation chose not to take into account the historical knowledge of the previous generations. That pride would lead to the deaths of countless people.

The new pharaoh is trying to control the Hebrew people, because he is concerned that if their number become too great, then they will “fight against us and escape from the land” – the fear is not that they will take over; they have a prophecy of a promised land, and they have made it known that want to leave.

The Egyptians don’t want to lose their slave labor force. So, to keep them from rebelling, conspiring, and multiplying, they afflicted them with heavy burdens as slaves. Again, there is God blessing the Israelites and them becoming a nation, But “under a regime of slavery, subjects become objects. The Hebrews, who have been identified as a people, are in the process of losing their identity.”[7]

The Egyptians in their attempt to deal shrewdly with God’s people, and they came up with a plan to keep them from multiplying by enslaving them. Like the crack of a whip, we see these words through text, afflict them, heavy burdens, oppressed, ruthlessly, slaves, bitter, hard service, work in the field, crack, crack, crack. The goal of slavery was to “bend them down, . . .to crush their spirit, so as to banish their very wish for liberty.”[8] But the harder they oppressed, the more they increased.

Psalm 105:25 “Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes. 25 He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.”

Why would God allow His people to go through such a horrific and difficult time? God would show His power and might in the chapters to come, surely He had the power to stop it. Why slavery? God intentionally turned the Egyptians against the Israelites.

(1) To Keep Them Detached. Look what happens in the later books about God’s people: When left on their own, when warned not to marry foreign women, or take on the cultures of the people around them, when warned by prophet after prophet to keep God’s ways, they again and again go away from God.

(2) To Keep Them Distinct. They could not be God’s distinct people, if they took on the ways of the Egyptians – which they would have, if left on their own.[9] Before we get onto the OT believers, the church has a tendency to do the same thing. When Christians are left alone, when they are not persecuted and oppressed – they don’t read their Bibles, they don’t share their faith, they tend to overlook sin and eventually whole countries which were previously devout Christian nations now are some the most lost places in the world. But when the church is persecuted, it flourishes; it becomes doctrinally sound, and believers take their faith very seriously.

(3) To Keep Them Wanting to Depart. Also, another reason for their suffering was if they had simply blended in with the Egyptian culture, worked alongside of them, raised their families as neighbors, would they have ever desired to leave Egypt? If things are wonderful why do we need God? Suffering drove them to realize their need for a Savior, a Deliverer. The hardest people to reach with the gospel are the rich and worldly successful – because they don’t believe they need anything.

Even with the incredible suffering, it doesn’t take very long of being free before the people, say “we want to go back.” Slavery forced them to stay together and isolated long enough to grow into a great nation, and suffering pushed them to leave. If we never suffer, we will never long to see heaven or be with the Lord.

(4) To Give Others A Chance to Repent. We also get a clue in Genesis 15:16 where God was promising Abraham that he would be a great nation, and they would have a land flowing with milk and honey, but they will have to be in bondage “And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” God has a plan for everyone, and in this instance the Israelites had to wait because there was something else going on with another group.[10] The Amorites had four hundred years to turn to the one true God, but there was a limit – God’s grace was being given.

(5) So that God’s people can identify with those who have been enslaved and experience death, “The recalling of oppression is to lead to an identification with those who suffer.”

There are many reasons why God allowed the Hebrew people to suffer, some we will never know, but what we see is that God uses suffering, it has a purpose. For His people it is always redemptive. Also, the pharaoh said, “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them,” the wisdom of this world, is fooled into thinking that it can stop the plans of the Lord, 1 Corinthians 3:19 “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.”

Suffering pushes us away from the world and toward God’s plan.

Then things got much worse . . .

Genocide

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

When slavery didn’t work to control the population size, pharaoh turned to slaughter. His first attempt is to have the midwives secretly kill the boys as they are being delivered. But the midwives, refuse to do it. When asked about when they were not following the orders, they lied – “they always give birth before the midwife can arrive (so they can’t secretly kill them as they are being delivered.) The irony of their response to pharaoh is that the women are in such good shape, that when it’s time for delivery, they have the baby so fast, they push the child out like an Olympic athlete – how are they in such good shape? They carry bricks all day.

The midwives did what they could to protect innocent life. “So God dealt well with the midwives.” (vv. 17, 21) “But the midwives feared God . . . And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.” – The midwives were commanded to destroy life, they honored God above all other authorities and so were rewarded with a family. God gave them what they were unwilling to take from someone else. They refused to take the life of an innocent, so they were rewarded with the gift they knew was worthy of fighting for. “Their reverence for life reflected a reverence for God.”[11] That reverence for God resulted in their being a house of Shiphrah and a house of

So when secret killing doesn’t work – Pharaoh then gives the order for open genocide, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile.” Why males and not females if the goal is population control? Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Pharoah doesn’t understand how he is being manipulated, but Satan knows that the redeemer is through this chosen people’s bloodline. His goal is to keep them from being what God has designed them to be.

“Such noncompliance with the law on humanitarian grounds is rooted in a creation theology.”[12] When you don’t have a God of creation theology, then to flinging babies into a river becomes much easier – they are subhuman, slaves, cattle. They are not like us.

“Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile. ” “All Egypt has been recruited to destroy the population explosion of the enemy.”[13] The Egyptian people had to go along with this order, for it to be accepted. The nation went along with a genocide of countless babies – did they believe that there would not come a day of reckoning.

Exodus 12:29-30 “At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.” The Egyptians were made to suffer in the same way that the Israelites had suffered.

There are two enemies of God’s people bondage (sin) and death. Once we are captured, bound in sin, it will always lead to death. What God’s people needed was a savior, to free them from their bondage and live. John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” That sin that we are slaves to results in death, Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Satan attacks two big things in the opening chapter of Exodus, the family,

and God’s people fulfilling their purpose.

__________________________

[1] John D. Curid, A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2016) 69.

[2] Hebrews 11:22 “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.” Joseph showed faith by giving directions to take his bones with the people when leave at the Exodus. He knew God would keep his promise, and he wanted to be buried with his people.

[3] F. B. Huey Jr., A Study Guide Commentary, Exodus (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1977) 20.

[4] Peter Enns, The NIV Application Commentary, Exodus (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 2000) 45.

[5] Similar to our remembering things from 1624.

[6] Brevard S. Childs, The Old Testament Library, The Book of Exodus, A Critical Commentary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Westminter Press, 1974) 5.

[7] Terence E. Fretheim, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, Exodus (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1991) 29.

[8] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985) 422.

[9] Philip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word, Exodus, Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 32.

[10] Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Exodus (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1977) 11. see also1 Thess. 2:16

[11] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1990) 306.

[12] Fretheim, 32.

[13] Childs, 17.

“Responding to God’s Favor Upon Your Life” Luke 2:15-20

Merry & Bright

A Christmas Sermon Series

“Responding to God’s Favor Upon Your Life”

Luke 2:15-20

Introduction

Our story today picks up right after the angels leave the shepherds standing in the pasture. Before they were going about watching over their flocks by night, then the message from and angel, then the appearing of the heavenly host, and a worship service right there in the night sky. Then as soon as they had appeared, they are gone.

Prayer

Now What? (vv. 15-20)

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Go and See (v. 15b-16)

Many times, we try to define faith and we make too complicated.  Faith is simply taking God at His Word.  The shepherds had just been given a message – There is a Savior, you can meet Him, Here’s how you will recognize Him. The step of faith for the shepherds was to go to Bethlehem.  “16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger”

The step of faith that God requires us to take is not to run to a nearby barn, but Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God offers us forgiveness and salvation as a gift – the step we take is to receive or reject this good news as a gift.  (Christmas gift around the tree)

Is it good enough to hear about Jesus. Even if Jesus was born a mile away, they would have been just as lost as if he had been born on the other side of the planet. The shepherds could have gone and found Jesus, and said, “oh how nice, what a cute baby. This gives me such warm feelings.” “The Christ who was born into the world, must also be born into your heart.”[1] The shepherds rejoiced when they were told that a savior had been born!

Going and then Telling (v. 17-18)

There was something within this group of shepherds that told them that they simply could not go back to the pasture to watch the sheep. They knew they had to tell others the good news.  The town was amazed – but what the Bible doesn’t say is how the town responded.  Did they go and see the Christ child?

We are even commanded to go and tell what we have experienced with Christ, as Jesus was ascending into heaven he gave the command, Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But humans rarely follow Jesus’ commands because we are told to – we usually follow because we genuinely desire for others to know Jesus, as we know Jesus. I have heard salvation described as, “one beggar telling the other beggar where the bread is.” It’s when we forget how Christ has changed our lives, that we quit, unlike the shepherds, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,” They knew it was not right for them to keep such a wonder and treasure to themselves. They knew how they felt when they found Jesus and wanted others to feel that way as well.

II Kings 7:8-9 tells the story of God’s people being surrounded by an army, locked up in a city and all the people are starving. Two beggars say, we are going to die, why not try to sneak over to the enemy camp, but no one was there, “8 And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them. 9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.” Imagine all those starving people in the city discovering that these two had more than they could eat in a life time, and they didn’t tell anyone?

The book of Jonah ends with him sitting on a hillside overlooking the city wanting God to destroy it, but the people are putting on sack cloth and ashes in repentance of the message from God – five words led to an entire city turning to God. If our story told to another person can keep them from hell – how can we be silent?

Treasuring and Pondering (v. 19)

(v. 19) “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Another way of saying this is, “she kept on keeping together all these things.”[2] Mary had just given birth in a very difficult place to deliver a child.  A barn is filthy.  Was there clean water? Did they have blankets? Mary would have been exhausted from labor, pushing and the pain of delivery.  She would have looked a mess. But as she is sitting there with her newborn child, she is “treasuring up all these things.” She is thinking, lining up details, remembering all that she has experienced.

She was also pondering, “placing together for comparison.” Mary was going over all the details of the angel Gabriel’s words, and now the shepherds were arriving. Sometimes God takes us through things were all we can is just sit there and take it all in. She had just delivered the Savior of the world.  He was healthy and there weren’t any complications.  Animals were nearby, shepherds were arriving, soon townspeople would be getting there. Later magi from the east would be arriving.

But you know what? People weren’t coming to see her or Joseph – they were coming to see Jesus. You should not dress up the gospel – it is what it is.  Life is messy, the way God dealt with our sin was messy, ministry often times is messy, life many times is messy.  But if we point people to Christ – the focus is not on us.

What if Mary had turned people away – “no you can’t come in right now, Mary is resting.”  “no one come into the barn right now, Mary is putting on her makeup.”  When people came to the door she only had to point to the manger.  Jesus was the main attraction.

Often we as Christians think it’s all about us, and how we look to the world – as though we must be perfect and put together before the lost, and lonely, and seeking can come in – keep Jesus the focus of your life, and then point others to Christ (not ourselves).

With all that Mary and Joseph experienced at Jesus’ birth, Mary still doesn’t understand it all. Later when Jesus begins his ministry at the wedding feast, she tells the servant to do what Jesus says, she knows he is a miracle worker. But later once he beings teaching, Mary and his brothers go to find him, Mark 3:21 “And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” . . . (v. 31) “And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.”

Being a Christian is a life long journey of treasuring and pondering God.

We see this same word for ponder (like Mary is doing) in Genesis 37 when Joseph is telling his brothers and his mom and dad about his dreams, “And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” He is lining up the details and what has happened, and is trying to have it make sense.[3] Mary takes the events, experiences, and all that is going on around her and in that moment tries to be faithful and grow in her knowledge of God.

Solomon has been described as the wisest man to have ever lived, this wisdom was a gift from God, yet he had to put forth effort. Ecclesiastes 1:13 “And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.”

With Mary we see a believer treasuring and pondering, and with the shepherds we see a overflowing desire for others to see and experience what they have seen and experienced – the Savior of the world. Both reactions are apart of worship and what it means to be a follower of Christ. God wants us to think and put pieces together, (we will do this our whole lives and never approach fully understanding God), and to put our faith in action by going outside the walls of our church.

We don’t wait until we have it all figured out (we will never have it all figured out), and it is our knowledge and personal experience of our Savior that drives us to action. We are learning and growing as we are going and doing. If all you do is sit around and learn (you are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good), and if you are just action, reacting and just doing something to be busy (you are ignorance on fire).

A while back on “The Merv Griffin Show,” the guest was a body builder. During the interview, Merv asked “Why do you develop those particular muscles?” The body builder simply stepped forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The audience applauded. “What do you use all those muscles for?” Merv asked. Again, the muscular specimen flexed, and biceps and triceps sprouted to impressive proportions. “But what do you USE those muscles for?” Merv persisted. The body builder was bewildered. He didn’t have an answer other than to display his well-developed frame. I was reminded that our spiritual exercises–Bible study, prayer, reading Christian books, listening to Christian radio and tapes–are also for a purpose. They’re meant to strengthen our ability to build God’s kingdom, not simply to improve our pose before an admiring audience.[4]

Return to Worship (v. 20)

(v. 20) “The shepherds returned (literally, went back to work)[5], glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  Sunday is over, the worship service is complete, Monday has arrived, and it’s time to go back to work. You know what this doesn’t say, is how many times they returned.  When God pours out His favor upon us, and we meet the Savior, we can’t help but want to return to meet with Jesus again, and again, and again – and worship Him because his Word is true “just as He said it would be.”

When the shepherds return to worship the Savior, they glorify (lift up), and Praise (to vocally lift up) – to lift up God with all that they are, “for all the things they had heard and seen” So why do we as Christians return to worship week after week, year after year? What did they see and hear, that we also see and hear? We return to worship because . . . We Are Reminded that;

 God desires to draw close to us; God sent an angelic messenger to appear before them, the heavenly host were dispatched, and they were given a very special message to share – God desires a relationship with His creation, so He sent a Savior.

 Luke 2:9-14 “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” God wanted Jesus to be called “Immanuel, which means, God with us” (Isa. 7:14, Matthew 1:23).

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God desires to be close to his people. He did what was necessary to get rid of the thing that has kept us from Him – our sin.

There is meaning to life. The shepherds would return to their profession of taking care of the sheep, they would return to the pasture, but their lives were forever changed. Yes they were shepherds as before, but now they were people whom God had favored with salvation. We may all find our hands doing something with skill, craftsmanship, even calling but it is hollow without life purpose – but it is so much different when you do it for the Lord, when you seek to give Him glory first – then the profession.

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” As the shepherds went about their routine of leading the sheep, seeing that they had water, protecting the sheep from predators, they would have been “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.”

With salvation also comes a work for us to do, which may be part of our profession, or in addition to it, Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God created us and set us apart to do works prepared for us to do.

God presents wonders for us to treasure and ponder; For Mary, and angel had appeared to her and told her what was going to happen, then she became pregnant yet remained a virgin, she had given birth and there were very special guests (shepherds, magi eventually). God allows things to happen in our lives, that we should consider, ponder, and treasure.

Conclusion

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[1] R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke, That You May Know the Truth (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 91.

[2] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume II (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 25.

[3] Another example is in Daniel 7:28, when the prophet has a vision, “As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”

[4] Gary Gulbranson, Leadership, Summer, 1989, 43.

[5] Herschel H. Hobbs, An Exposition of The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1972) 54.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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