Today we come a turning point in the book of Exodus. As we concluded chapter 6 last week we saw a genealogy, and when we came to that part of the text I told you the genealogy was put there for help us as the readers pause and reflect on what weve seen and learned in the narrative so far. Now, as chapter seven begins we launch back out into the main plot. What will be the main theme and reality in view in the chapters to come? The plagues. The plagues are about to fall on Pharaoh and all Egypt. In these plagues God Himself will attack the gods of Egypt, and make it plain as day who is God and who is not. Our passage this morning, 7:1-13, prepares us for all of this. How? By giving us a preview of the contest to come, hence the title of this sermon, a prologue to the plagues. Two headings this morning. See first Commission (v1-7) And theLordsaid to Moses, See, I have made you likeGod to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be yourprophet.You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.ButI will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though Imultiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.The Egyptiansshall know that I am theLord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as theLordcommanded them.Now Moses waseighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. As we left Moses in the end of chapter 6, he had yet another moment of doubt as he said he was uncircumcised in lips, meaning unfit and unqualified to do what God had called him to do. God had every right to respond with severe rebuke for Moses doubting yet again, but look at what God does. God give Moses another commission, and in so doing God gives Moses divine authority by saying See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh Now be clear, Moses is not God, God is God. But God has made Moses like God to Pharaoh, and like God, Moses will speak to Pharaoh through the mouth of his prophet, Aaron. It is helpful to remember at this point that Pharaoh considered himself to be divine, an incarnation of the gods of Egypt.[1] So when God says Moses is to be God to Pharaoh here in v1-2 God is putting Pharaoh in his place. Moses in a sense will appear before Pharaoh as no one ever has, for he will be like God to him.[2] This is indeed setting the stage for whats about to happen. This emphasizes that the Exodus conflict isnt a political struggle between nations, but a cosmic clash between the sovereign Lord and a rebellious, human king. Pharaoh might truly believe he is divine and mighty at this moment, but he'll soon learn that the One making these demands of him is mightier still. Yet, though this is the case Pharaoh will still resist and refuse to listen to Moses. See v3? In v3, for the second time, we read of God hardening Pharaohs heart. The last time we saw this was back in chapter 4 and there the reason for God hardening Pharaohs heart was generally put, that Pharaoh would not let the people go. Now see more of the reason here in v3. God will harden Pharaohs heart, why? So God can multiply His signs and wonders in Egypt. Meaning, Pharaohs resistance is a key ingredient in setting the stage for the plagues, which will display both the great might of the true God as well as the weakness and frailty of the gods of Egypt. Again by telling this to Moses God is removing Moses resistance and giving him realistic expectations about what will happen as he goes back to speak to Pharaoh. Moses needs to know that Pharaohs rejection is part of the plan and is part of the catalyst for the plagues to come.[3] v4-5 further describe the plagues using the phrase God laying hands on Egypt. This phrase is used often in the OT and it usually refers to hostile actions or judgment, which leads to death.[4] Here this phrase is used to speak of what God will do to Egypt. Add to this what v5 says. There Gods actions to Egypt are described as God stretching out His hand against Egypt. This language of a mighty stretched out hand was used a lot in ancient writings to refer to the power of a king or rulers strength in war. Ancient Egypt even used this phrasing to describe many of their Pharaohs, saying they were strong armed.[5] Taking v4 and v5 together, this is quite the imagery being used isnt it? It gives us a sense of Gods fierce intent toward Egypt for oppressing His people. Perhaps, think about it like this. In a playful manner, sometimes when I play with my kids, Ill bear hug them or, wrap around them, and they try to escape or get out of my grip somehow. They try and try and try and try andwhen they cant and give up, what do they learn? They learn how strong Dad really is, yes, but they learn more. They learn how safe they are in Daddys grip, and how Dad can protect them against the bad guys. In a much more violent and strong and frightful manner, this is something of what God is saying He'll do to Egypt in v4-5. God will harden Pharaohs heart so that he wont let the people go, then God will reveal His wondrous strength as He stretches out His had and lays hold of Egypt, and then God will lead His people out into freedom. When God does this what will the Egyptians learn? Notice the beginning of v5, The Egyptiansshall know that I am theLord What does this mean? Does it mean the Egyptians will be saved and forgiven? Does it mean the Egyptians will be redeemed and know Gods great love? No. This means all of Egypt will learn who God is, but what they learn wont encourage them or bring them rest or comfort, no. What they learn about God will terrify them. In the Exodus they shall come to know that God is God and Pharaoh is not. See the double edge here. When God attacks in the plagues Israel will be redeemed, while Egypt will be judged. One God, doing His singular work, revealing His glory, brings about two different results. Salvation for Gods people, judgment for Gods enemies. This double edge is real. It is said, The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. We see that reality displayed for us here. This is something we need to remember. I often meet people who truly believe that when it comes to God they are unaffiliated, or neutral, as if its all a matter of personal choice. How blind we are. Becoming a Christian, and following Jesus is not a personal choice, as if one group of people decides to take up a hobby of knitting while we have decided to take up religion as a hobby. No, no, no. Church, no one is neutral when it comes to things of God. The double edge reality we see here in Exodus remains true for the gospel too. How? The same Gospel which melts some to repentance hardens others in their sins.[6] Well, as Moses was commissioned again in v1-5, we might wonder how he responds to all of this. Will he doubt again? Will he bring more objections or complaint to the Lord? Praise God we dont see any of that. In v6 we see a refreshing sight. Moses and Aaron obey, doing all just as the Lord commanded them. In fact, for the next long while, we do not see Moses doubt or complain at all. He is 100% on board with what Gods doing. What changed? It doesnt say explicitly, but we can make an educated guess. Moses has tried and failed, and yet, God has called him to go back again. In this I think Moses has realized three things: 1) his own weakness is great, 2) the task before him is impossible, and 3) Gods call remains clear. Perhaps in these things Moses is beginning to understand that he cannot do what God has called to do in his own strength and wisdom. He must trust the Lord to do all of this through him. And so he goes back to Pharaoh courageously, not trusting in himself, but in God who has called him to go. So too Church, we can find strength and courage to obey God, to even try the impossible, not because of what we find within ourselves, but because of the God we look to in faith![7] And lest you think doing hard things for the Lord is a young mans game, did you see v7? Moses and Aaron were both in their 80s! This affirms what we see later on in Deuteronomy, where it tells us Moses will die at 120 years old, which shows us how Moses whole life was evenly split into three 40 year segments. D.L. Moody described it best, Moses spent 40 years in Pharaohs court thinking he was somebody, 40 years in the desert learning that he was nobody, and 40 years showing what God can do with a somebody who found out he was a nobody.[8] May we embrace such a posture as well. Look ahead now to our second heading Contest (v8-13) Then theLordsaid to Moses and Aaron,When Pharaoh says to you,Prove yourselves by working a miracle, then you shall say to Aaron, Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as theLordcommanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, themagicians of Egypt, alsodid the same by their secret arts.For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.StillPharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them,as theLordhad said. v8-13 is a brief moment, but in it there is contained most all of what well soon see in the plagues: the obedience of Moses and Aaron, the counterfeit miracles of Satan, the power of God, and the hardening of Pharaohs heart.[9] Here all of these themes are present as the great contest begins. God commands Moses in v8-9, When Pharaoh asks you to prove yourselves by a miracle, throw your staff down on the ground before Pharaoh that it might become a serpent. Question: why a snake? Of all things God could have chosen, why a snake? Answer: because of what the serpent means to the Egyptians. Many historians note that Egyptians were afraid and fascinated by snakes. So many Pharaohs wore the symbol of a snake on their crown or head-dress to strike fear into others. That God turns a staff into a snake tells us He is directly challenging and assaulting Pharaohs supposed sovereignty.[10] To use a modern comparison, it would be like someone taking a bald eagle into the Oval office and wringing its neck.[11] Can you see the challenge in view in that? By doing this before Pharaoh, God begins the great contest of power. Moses and Aaron obey in v10, cast down the staff, and it becomes a snake. Or did it? The normal word in Hebrew for snake is the word nahash but here in v10 the staff becomes a tannin. This Hebrew word tannin can also mean snake, but curiously it has other translation options as well. In Ezekiel and Jeremiah this word tannin is used to describe not just a snake but a large reptilian monster like a crocodile. Some even believe Ezekiel and Jeremiah are referring to a dragon by using this word tannin.[12] So, what did the staff become? A snake, a crocodile, a reptilian monster, a dragon? I always thought it was a simple snake, and it really might be, but the Hebrew word used here is intentionally slippery, causing us to pause and wonder if something more menacing is in view.[13] Whatever it was, it was powerful, because see what happens next. In response to this miracle Pharaoh summons his own wise men, magicians, and sorcerers and in v11 it says they did the same by their secret arts. Pharaohs henchmen were able to reproduce the miracle, but is that the way were to interpret this? Some people believe they were able to reproduce to miracle by magic or a kind of parlor trick, illusion, or sleight of hand. Others believe they were gifted snake charmers who knew the exact nerve on a snake to make them straighten out stiff as a board. But still others believe they really did turn their own staffs into snakes because they had given themselves over to the powers of darkness. Heres what I think. Many modern scholars tend to believe trickery was used here, I disagree. All naturalistic explanations seem, at least to me, to be misleading. The whole point of this moment is the great contest of strength between the Lord and the powers of darkness. So I think Pharaohs magicians really did duplicate this feat but that they did so by demonic spells and incantations, ultimately by the power of Satan. But look what happens in v12. See it? There was a great swallowing. When the magicians of Pharaoh duplicated the wonder, the staff turned to serpent monster from Moses and Aaron swallowed up the others. Pay attention to this phrase swallowed up. It occurs many times in the Bible from this point forward. There is a swallowing up here. Pharaoh and is armies will soon be swallowed up by the Red Sea in Exodus 15. Korah and the rebels will be swallowed up in the earth in Numbers 16. And Jonah will be swallowed up by the fish in Jonah 1. All these moments indicate a snuffing out, or a destroying. Here Pharaoh learns firsthand how much greater and stronger the Lord is, that God can destroy the supposed gods of Egypt, but that this God is the true God over all. Church, this closing scene reminds us that there are spirituals powers and forces all around us, both good and evil. While God is stronger than them all, the spiritual powers of evil are still considered powers. In many cultures around the world families have little altars in a corner of their homes dedicated to various spirits who have plagued their family, village, or region. We saw this in Vietnam firsthand when we went there, and it was dark. But the good news was truly good to them when they heard how Christ had existed well before these spirits and had power over all the spirits and could protect them from the spirits forever. I think in v11-12 we see a glimpse of a small spiritual battle, not only showing us what God is greater, but showing us a preview of the bigger battles to come in the plagues. Yet, v13 ends our text with a sobering note. Pharaohs heart was hard and he would not listen. This sobering final note is a warning to anyone who sees the power of God and yet refuses to bow the knee before God.[14] Conclusion: Id like to end by showing you the rich fulfillment of this passage. Weve seen Moses dwell with the Lord on the mountain by the burning bush and descend to save Gods people suffering in Egypt. This Moses who came down from the mountain of God was like God to Pharaoh. In a richer and greater way, one day far after this moment the eternal Son of God would descend from the presence of God to save Gods people suffering in sins of all kinds. This Son of God is far greater than Moses because He would not just appear to be like God, He would be God Himself wrapped in flesh. And this Son of God would fight greater battles, and would win them all, showing us the true power of the Lord. But in the end, many thought all was lost as death swallowed Him up on the cross. But what happened? The greater swallowing would occur. Yes, the Son of God died in our place, bearing our sin, as our substitute on the cross, and He would enter the grave. But in His resurrection, as He walked out of the tomb death itself was swallowed up in defeat! So Paul rejoices in 1 Cor. 15 saying, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting? Church we began with Luthers reformation, and we end with it too. Luther once said, When the devil throws your sins in your face and says you deserve death and hell, tell him this. I know I deserve death and hell, what of it? I know One who suffered on my place, and made satisfaction for all of my many sins. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is one day I shall be also! Praise God! [1] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 172. [2] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 87. [3] John D. Currid, Exodus 1-18 - EP Study Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: EP Books, 2014) 148. [4] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 114. [5] Hamilton, 114. [6] This phrase is normally attributed to Charles Spurgeon. [7] Jay Sklar, ESV Expository Commentary, vol. 1, ed. Iain Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., Jay Sklar (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2025) 508. [8] D.L. Moody, quoted in Ryken, 175. [9] Ryken, 182. [10] Currid, 154. [11] Ryken, 185. [12] Durham, 91. [13] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible, vol. 1 (New York, NY: Norton, 2019) 239. [14] Ryken, 190.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0YQpysdU0E

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq6d24xjQzs

Every now and then its good to remind ourselves what were doing here in this teaching moment called a sermon. Were in a sermon series where were going through the book of Exodus, yes. Were working through it verse by verse, yes. But, how are we approaching this book as a whole? Four ways.[1] Were approaching the book of Exodus historically, meaning were seeking to see the historical context in which these events occur. Were approaching the book of Exodus theologically, meaning were seeking to see who God is and shows Himself to be in Exodus. Were approaching the book of Exodus Christologically, meaning were seeking to see how Exodus points far on ahead of itself to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Lastly, were approaching the book of Exodus practically, meaning were seeking to see how Exodus, like everything else in the Bible, teaches us how to live the Christian life. This is how were approaching the book of Exodus. Today we come to Exodus 5:10-21. But remember whats going on in the story. Three big themes are beginning to emerge that will continue to stand out as the main themes for the next ten chapters or so.[2] First there is the demand God makes to Pharaoh to let His people go. Second, there is Pharaohs resistance to that demand which will grow in the chapters to come, even though it ebbs and flows at times. And lastly, there are the consequences Pharaoh and all of Egypt face for Pharaohs resistance to Gods commands. Its these three themes weve begun to see and will continue to see throughout many chapters ahead of us, as God and Pharaoh face off in head-to-head combat. But at this point where we are in chapter 5, weve only seen Moses first interaction with Pharaoh, Pharaohs initial stubbornness, and Pharaoh increasing His cruelty toward Israel. And yet, we must remember, Israel is moving closer and closer towards freedom, even though their suffering is increasing in the present moment. God is saving them, yet, their discomfort grows. This is the big idea set before us today in 5:10-21. A Cruel Yoke (v10-14) So thetaskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, Thus says Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.Thetaskmasters were urgent, saying, Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaohstaskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past? So after Moses and Aarons first chat with Pharaoh didnt go so well in v1-9, v10-14 shows us the result of that poor encounter. Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron that the people are clearly far too idle if they have time to think about going out to worship their God, so he set his mind to increasing their workload by not giving them any straw to make bricks while still demanding the same daily quota of bricks. How does Pharaoh carry out this cruel measure? v10-11 show it, Pharaohs taskmasters went out to the foreman of Israel to convey the cruel message. But notice a few things about the message.[3] It begins with the phrase, Thus says Pharaoh This is not the normal way Pharaoh would speak. He does this to make a mockery of Moses and Aarons request. Back in 5:1 Aaron said, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel so as Pharaoh rejected the Lord and His commands, he now uses the same language to ridicule God and the Israelites. Also notice what he says after this. The message of Pharaoh is, Thus says Pharaoh, Go Why is this the first word he chooses to say? Because that was the main message Moses and Aaron came with, to let the people go. Now, in arrogant mockery Pharaoh will let the people go, not to leave, but to gather up their own straw to make bricks. This language shows us the great contest has begun between Pharaoh and the Lord. And we as readers can look back in wonder and awe because we know Pharaoh wont stand a chance in this fight. The Lord will win, were just watching it play out. In the meantime Israel suffers in many ways. The command was clear, the same number of bricks are required, but now they wont be provided any straw to make them, which means theyll have to go out and gather their own. So off they go in v12-13, scattering all over Egypt to try and get what they need while the Egyptian taskmasters are urgently reminding them of the required task. The sense we get in v12-13 is that they cant find much straw at all and have to resort to using stubble to try and make bricks. What is this about?[4] Well, normally the straw used in brick making came from the stalks of longer crops, normally from grains and vegetables in the fields. When those were harvested they would set the stalks aside and give them to those making bricks. Thats where the straw came from. And straw was an essential part of making bricks as it would reinforce the clay and help it not fall apart when it dried. You can see this firsthand for yourself in many museums around the world that display artifacts from ancient Egypt. In some of them you can see bricks with pieces of straw sticking out of them.[5] Stubble on the other hand, is different. Stubble was the short part of the stalk but the stubble was just above the root. It was not only a bad substitute for making bricks and holding clay together, it was incredibly hard to gather. Not only would it have to be harvest season to get it, but gathering the stubble required tedious cutting and careful pulling to not damage it in the process. So as Israel hears this command, a few days pass and it becomes clear the quota of bricks is simply not going to be met under these harsh new conditions, which is what leads to the dreadful scene in v14. There we see the foremen of Israel are brought before the taskmasters of Egypt, and theyre beaten. Why? Because they didnt meet the quota of bricks. And as theyre being beaten the taskmasters mock them by asking a question they already know the answer to, Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past? At this point the sense of crushing desperation and injustice is high for Israel.[6] Out of sheer spite and arrogant mockery, Pharaoh requires an impossible task and then beats them when theyre unable to complete it. This is a complete humiliation of Israel. One commentator described the scene in vivid detail saying, They worked out in the hot Egyptian sun all day, driven to optimum production by their taskmasters. They had no hats to protect their heads and wore nothing but thin aprons on their bodiesno one stood by to give the slaves a drink every few minutes. It does not take much imagination to conclude that the severe rigor imposed on the Hebrews resulted in many of them dying of dehydrationheat stroke and the like.[7] This comment was about their normal toil when they had straw! Can you imagine how impossible their work became when they no longer had any straw? Their enslavement was horrid enough, and now Pharaoh just made it worse. What do we learn from this? Well we certainly learn about the historical context of the Israelites enslavement in Egypt. But we can learn more. Weve already mentioned how Moses is a type or preview of Christ, and weve rejoiced as weve seen that so far in our time in Exodus. If we pull those threads a bit further, and say that Exodus gives us a powerful picture of what it means and looks like to be enslaved by sin.[8] Just as the children of Israel were held prisoner in the house of bondage in Egypt under Pharaohs cruel thumb, so too all humanity comes into the world already incarcerated in the prison of sin. Just as the Israelites had to take orders from Pharaoh and despaired in his service, so to all sinners have a worse and crueler master in the Devil, and all in his service face the greatest despair. You see, sin is a harsh taskmaster. Many have said it because of how true it is, sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. When you indulge in sin, you think its done, that youve satisfied the hunger, and you can move on. But the tricky part about sin is that its hunger only increases. It only grows and increases until it consumes everything in its path. The Devil promises great freedom, but he never tells you about the cost of life in his service. See, the more you give room to sin, the more he tightens his grip, and the more he tightens his grip, the more he binds the chains of sin around our necks. Satans strategy is always like Pharaohs, more bricks, less straw. But praise God (!), just as Pharaohs cruel yoke on Israel would be broken by the Lord, so too the Devils crueler yoke on sinners is broken by Jesus as soon as that sinner turns to Christ. Jesus said, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin but if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34, 36) Considering how cruel Pharaohs yoke is to Israel, how wonderful is the yoke of Christ? Matthew 11:28ff, Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. So to all who are weary and need rest, all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares, all who sin and need a Savior: the gospel offers welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Weve seen the cruel yoke of Pharaoh, now see A Confused People (v15-21) Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, Why do you treat your servants like this?No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, Make bricks! And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.But he said, You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, Let us go and sacrifice to theLord.Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh;andthey said to them, TheLordlook on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. Here in v15-21 there are really two scenes. In the first we see the foremen of Israel before Pharaoh in desperation, and in the second we see the foremen of Israel before Moses and Aaron in anger. In both scenes we see Gods people in deep confusion. Well take them in turn. As this dire situation continued to play out with the Israelites suffering at the hands of Pharaohs decree, the leaders of Israel, called the foremen here in v15, come before Pharaoh. Perhaps they believed there had been some mistake in protocol, breakdown in communication, or failure in the chain of command going on. Clearly the fault lies with these Egyptian taskmasters who refused to give straw and were beating them for not reducing the quota of bricks, and maybe Pharaoh didnt know about it.[9] Notice the words used in v15. It says they came and cried out These are familiar words. As they face moments of deep distress we see Israel doing a lot of crying out to God. They did it back in chapter 2 during their suffering, theyll do it again at the Red Sea, theyll do again it in the wilderness, and theyll do it in many more places too. But here, who are they crying out to? At the first sign of trouble, they run to Pharaoh. Theres no mention of them coming to the Lord and crying out to Him. It seems that theyve recognized Pharaoh as not the source of their problems but as the one who can give them relief. This shows their confusion. I think this is confirmed even further in v15 when we see them identify themselves. See it? How do these foremen identify themselves in v15? Why do you treat your servants like this?Here and in the verses that follow they identify themselves like this two more times. I think this is more than mere words.[10] It seems they have a true and real devotion to Pharaoh, which is completely out of bounds. They ought to see themselves as servants of the Lord, wherever they are, whatever their condition, yet here we see their confused identity. This is one reason why the Exodus must happen, to save them from Pharaoh and from themselves, and this is one reason why God begins the Ten Commandments, not with a command, but with an assurance of their true identity. Exodus 20:2 says, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. They must ever know the Lord as their Redeemer and know themselves as the redeemed. But here they come before Pharaoh in bitter distress. They state the obvious in v16, and Pharaoh responds in v17 with the same reasoning hes given before, You are idlethat is why you want to go and worship, go make bricks, go back to gathering your own straw, I will not reduce your quota. In Pharaohs words the foremen of Israel learn two things. First, they learn the reason behind all their trouble is Moses and Aaron. They went and asked to be let go, Pharaoh heard that and believed the people were idle, so he stopped giving them straw and forced them to get their own. The second thing they learn is in v19, see it? At this moment they saw how dire their troubles truly were. Its like a wake-up call for them, as they realize how difficult it actually will be to be freed from Pharaohs grasp, if its possible at all. This brings us to the second scene. The foremen go out from Pharaohs presence and, what do we see in v20? Moses and Aaron are waiting for them to see how things went. Whats this whole scene like from their perspective? Perhaps theyre hoping against hope, maybe they believe Pharaoh will realize his mistake, repent of his sins, alleviate the misery of the people, and let them go. But what happens? The foremen see Moses and Aaron on their way out and they say the following to them in v21, TheLordlook on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. On one hand their anger is understandable. When people are angry they always try to find someone to blame. So here Gods people in their anger blame the leaders God sent to them. And humanly speaking, they were right, Moses plan had entirely failed. Moses sought to free them and ended up increasing their sorrow and suffering. For this they are angry, and they turn that anger toward Moses and Aaron, using strong spiritual language to rebuke them, going as far as to say God will judge them for their actions! While their anger is understandable on one hand, its entirely inexcusable on the other hand. Instead of suffering and running right back to Pharaoh, they shouldve gone straight to the Lord and pled for rescue and relief! Their current anger is a dark contrast to the worship at the end of chapter 4. Remember that? They met with Moses and Aaron, saw the signs of God, heard the words of God, they believed that God was going to come save them, and so they worshiped God! Im sure they boldly encouraged Moses and Aaron to go out and speak with Pharaoh, without even giving thought to the fact that there might be a cost. They were worshiping, but now at the first taste of increased suffering, their worship turns to anger and confusion. Question, what is their sin is this moment? Its a common one, I wonder if you see it. You might think its anger, or doubt, or even treating Moses and Aaron so poorly. While all of those could truly be in view, I think the biggest sin of Israel here in this text, is believing God wouldnt let such bad things happen to them. Their Gods people after all, hadnt God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and called him to do all these things, and given him the signs to prove it? Hadnt God said He was going to free His people and bring them out by His strong arm? Yes! So why in the world are they suffering so much if God had promised them all of these things? Has God forgotten them? Has Moses and Aaron made all of this up? Clearly something has gone astray, because obedience to God doesnt bring this much suffering, right? Remember the big idea here. Israel is moving closer and closer towards freedom, even though their suffering is increasing in the present moment. God is saving them, yet, their discomfort grows. For this they grow angry. Weve all heard language like this before from Christians, perhaps youve even said it yourself. Language that assumes if people come to God and obey God and love God that bad things wont happen to them. I remember hearing it when I first became a Christian, Adam, staying in the middle of Gods will for your life is the safest place to be. But Church, thats a lie. This passage reminds us that being in the exact place God intends us to be, might just be the most unsafe place to be. Yes, God commands obedience, but God never promises an easy road if we obey. Conclusion: Why do we think this? I think deep down, many Christians believe that if they obey God, God will be in their debt and will give them a good life here and now. Its almost a kind of prosperity light gospel. Of course, none of us would say this out loud, but our anger in hard circumstances might just reveal it. What then are we to do? Church, were to trust the Lord. Wherever He calls us to go in life, even if its incredibly difficult, it is truly the best place for us to be. Amid all the hardship and pain and suffering, God will be God to us, even there! We should never assume that our obedience will bring us a life of ease. The kingdom of darkness never rages so fiercely as when Jesus invades the world. Gods servants will face fierce opposition from the enemy and sometimes from the Church too. But Jesus continues to reign over it all. He will build His Church nonetheless. In His reign and rule, we can ever rest! [1] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 132. [2] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus NAC (Brentwood, TN: BH Publishing, 2006) 159. [3] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 119. [4] Stuart, 165. [5] Ryken, 133. [6] Currid, 121-122. [7] Howard Vos, quoted in Ryken, 135. [8] Ryken, 136. [9] Ryken, 137. [10] Currid, 122.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ld9GflF2LI

I. A Bold Approach (1) Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. -Ill: There is a boldness that comes from assurance, that sometimes gets us a bit ahead of ourselves -Moses here jumps right to the end with the word of the Lord to him in Exodus 4:2223 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. Ignoring the original commands from Exodus 3:18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. A few things missing and off: -The Elders do not appear to Join Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh (Lots of speculation) -They begin with the Role prophetic command (Let my People go/release in Hebrew) -There is no designated time her the Hebrew is a command of permanent release (They are released from Pharaohs hand to the Lords) There is plenty of Debate as to whether or not Moses was in the Wrong here at the beginning but not following Gods original command or if he simply to his wires crossed with the different phases of Gods plan. but what we do see ultimately is the His encounter with the Lord combined with the worship of Gods people have embolden these two men to stand before the most powerful man in the known word and speak the words of God. So while I would fall in to the camp of seeing Moses being Moses and getting to far a head of himself the reason he does it is quiet remarkable. He Believes God will do what God said he would do -We are reminded of the disciples boldness to go and proclaim the gospel -Have you ever had that kind of faith to boldly proclaim the gospel without fear but with assurance that Gods word doesnt return void - Moses is living life high on the mountain top of God and just went for it, laying all the cards out on the table right from the start. -Of course we have seen his excitement he has left many questions unanswered of which Pharaoh will quickly point out: II. A Prideful Rejection (2) Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go. -Pharaoh is not impressed by Moses presentation and command -Pharaoh is quick to point out and question who is this Lord -Israel up to this point doesnt us the name Yahweh so even here it could come across as some new foreign deity -Pharaoh is a god unto his own mind and has no room to take any commands from a would be usurper to his own authority (Letting them go would look poorly on him) -This Lord is of no match for his own power in his own mind (Since Israel has been enslaved for generations where has this Lord been) -The Bold words of Moses and Arron fall on deaf ears -Ill: Now it is quick to Look at Pharaoh and call him a fool, I want to linger on a quick application point before we move to the Purposeful response of Moses to Pharaohs words: Pharaohs reaction should reminds us of the depths of the blindness that exist for those who do no know the Lord. -Yes Pharaoh is a prideful king, but even we apart from Christ were just as self centered and prideful -Our world today has created an individualized culture were each person is their own god with their own value systems (that should not be challenged) and their own set of ethics, which usually entails they are never wrong, never in the wrong, and are never to be questioned about the possibility of being wrong. And if you are amenning that statement about others be reminded you are apart of the same world. -So Apart from the move of God no man willingly sees their need of a savior and no man hears the call of the Lord with humility and a brokenness, they must meet God and know God to be changed by God. -And there are only 2 end results of knowing God being changed by him in repentance or broken by him in the rebellion. (Pharaoh will as we see experience the later) -The call for Christians here is to not forget you once were a pharaoh in your own mind, but God is the one who broke through and redeemed you not yourself, He paid the price and so now you have no place to see yourself as the any type of Pharaoh but rather as the humble recipient of the grace of God who saved you. just as Israel will. We can not place ourselves above one another but rather in humility understand our place equally as recipients of Gods grace So from the place of Pharaohs complete rejection of anything Moses just said Moses responds: III. A Purposeful Response (3) Exodus 5:3 Then they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. Now Moses Returns to the original wording of chapter 3 when he was first commissioned to go: -Yahweh is the God of the Hebrews -He has physically meet with them (They are not coming of their own accord or power) -It is not a call to permanently release the people but a simple request of a three day trip to worship God -We covered this back in chapter 3 that this was to proves the pride and hardheartedness of Pharaoh that even this simple request was too much for him (according some ancient tablets dating back into approximation of the exodus It was common in Egypt to let slaves have a break/ holidays if you will for the purpose of worship (Now ether that was a result of the exodus or common practice can be debated) -He adds though here at the end an very interesting addendum: If we dont go free the pestilence and sword will come -Now no where do we see God saying this to Moses about Israel but he says it often about Egypt so Moses is doing 1 of 2 things: He is trying to leverage sympathy for Israel with Pharaoh that God would punish Israel and Pharaoh should show kindness. (Seems like a stretch) He is saying that the us in view is both Israel and Egypt. God will rain down on them all with pestilence and the sword. (Thus giving Pharaoh a warning that judgment is coming if he doesnt listen and it will be widespread) -Ultimately we see in Moses second response a fuller explanation to Pharaoh about who God is and what he has in store for the future should pharaoh not relent and let the people of Israel go to worship their God. -Of course God has already revealed to Moses that they will not be released except after Pharaoh is humbled greatly and the Lose of his first born, but that doesnt equally negate God command for Moses to warn and offer the hand of repentance (in this case releasing the people and rejecting his own false sense of Lordship over them). So even here we now have another example of Moses after being rebuffed: calmly and accurately presenting the word of God to Pharaoh. -He isnt enraged if anything he might be a little more subdued, but he doesnt back away -Which is still a great reminder for us that people will reject the gospel, but that doesnt negate our call to be a light in the sharing of it. -The rejection of the message is not an excuse to cease being a messenger, especially when we unlike Moses dont know the final result of the messages proclamation However Moses calm and polite response to Pharaohs prideful first response is now an out right and malevolent denial of the whole endeavor: IV. A Malevolent Denial (4-9) Exodus 5:49 But the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens! The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God. Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words. -With Pharaohs First response we see he has no regard for God now we see has no regard for man -Pharaoh doesnt even interact with their request he simply dismiss them as a waste of his time. -Pharaohs heart isnt just dismiss of the word that they brought his actions indicated he is angered by them. -He will now seek to crush this new found optimism in this Hebrew God Yahweh who claims to be worthy of his peoples worship, Pharaohs authority is challenged by God and so in many ways pharaohs is going to show them whose god -So he calls them lazy for wanting to take a break and worship God, if they have so much free time maybe they need to work harder. -The goal as we see is to stomp out their faith through brutal labor showing that Pharaoh is stronger than their god. He is no different than those today who see the experiences of the saints and are confused by the faith in the midst of hardship and the belief in that which is unseen. Od those who wish only to make life more difficult based on their misperceived reality. 1 Peter 3:1217 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be Gods will, than for doing evil. 2 Peter 3:47 They will say, Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. In the end though Pharaohs attempts to bring Israel down into a miry pit of pain and sorrow will only lead to a greater display of the truth of who their God really is and how much more powerful he is over Pharaoh.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOykZ3KjPlc

This morning we continue our journey through the book of Exodus, and today we arrive at a passage that is both foundational and perplexing. Fresh from his encounter with the living God at the burning bush, Moses is now tasked to go back to Egypt and lead Israel out of slavery. But his return journey is not without its difficulties. We see Moses navigating family dynamics, receiving further divine instructions, and experiencing a deeply unsettling incident involving his own family and the covenant of circumcision. This passage forces us to grapple with profound theological truths: Gods sovereignty and mans responsibility in the hardening of Pharaohs heart; and the foreshadowing of a greater salvation through a bloody sacrifice. Our text is Exodus 4:18-31, and it is a text that challenges our assumptions and deepens our understanding of a God who is both mighty in power and intimately involved in the lives of His people. Let's pray and turn our attention to God's Word. Again our passage is Exodus 4:18-31, see our first heading this morning in v18-23 Toward Egypt (v18-23) Moses went back toJethro his father-in-law and said to him, Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.And theLordsaid to Moses in Midian, Go back to Egypt, forall the men who were seeking your life are dead.So Moses tookhis wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses tookthe staff of God in his hand. And theLordsaid to Moses, When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all themiracles that I have put in your power. ButI will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says theLord,Israel is myfirstborn son,and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, Iwill kill your firstborn son. Here we begin to see Moses return journey to Egypt, and the first thing we see him do is return to his father-in-law Jethro. Why? One reason is because Jethro is his father-in-law, and Moses desires his blessing before leaving. Another reason is that Moses has been the one shepherding Jethros flock, so he needs to return his sheep back to his care, so Jethro can find another shepherd. Yet another reason is the one Moses gives to Jethro in v18, he desires to leave in order to see how his fellow Israelites are doing. Do you find this to be interesting request? I do. Im glad to see Moses identifying with the Israelites, yes, but I find it interesting because he mentions nothing about what just happened to him on the mountain. He mentions nothing about the burning bush, about God appearing to him, and about God calling him to go back to Egypt to deliver Gods people from slavery. Moses tells none of that to Jethro. Why did he leave all of this out? I dont think Moses was trying to deceive Jethro. I think Moses said what he did in v18 because Moses himself was still struggling to process and believe everything that had just happened to him. Like many people, I think Moses was somewhere between belief and unbelief.[1] Jethros answer is simple and straightforward, Go in peace. And we dont hear of Jethro again until chapter 18 where he and Moses are reunited.[2] So off Moses goes, or did he? Im unsure of how much time passes between v18 and v19 but I think some time does go by because the next thing we see happening in v19 is God speaking to Moses to encourage him to actually leave for Egypt. God tells Moses that all those who were seeking his life are dead, which means, Moses no longer has to fear returning to Egypt and facing former enemies. So what does Moses do upon hearing this? He leaves. We see it in v20. He packs up and all his family and his staff, and they ride out of Midian toward Egypt. This moment in v19-20 is very similar to a moment much later on in Matthews Gospel when Joseph and Mary remain in Egypt until the death of Herod and only upon hearing of Herods death do they return home. Just as Moses knew it was safe to return to Egypt when Pharaoh died in our text, so too Jesus parents knew it was safe for them to leave Egypt and go home in Matthew 2. This isnt the only foreshadowing in our text, more will come soon. As Moses and his family are leaving to return to Egypt God speaks again to Moses in v21-23 and in this moment Moses learns much from God. Two massive realities in fact. First, God tells Moses hes to do the signs and miracles before Pharaoh, to reveal the power of God. So while these signs are intended to validate his calling and ministry from God with the Israelites, what does God intend to do in these signs with Pharaoh? See it? Through the signs He gave to Moses, God intends to harden Pharaohs heart, so that he will not let the people go. This is the first time in Exodus we see the reality of God hardening Pharaohs heart, and this is important for us to see because this is a major theme throughout Exodus. I dont think this should surprise us all that much really. Weve already read back in 3:19 that Pharaoh wont let the people go unless compelled by a strong and mighty hand, and in the plagues God will do just that. But what does this language mean, God hardening Pharaohs heart? Throughout the Exodus event well read about Pharaohs hardened heart in three different ways.[3] Sometimes well see it phrased that God is hardening Pharaohs heart. Other times well see it phrased that Pharaoh was the one who hardened his own heart. And at other times, well see it phrased more generally, stating that Pharaohs heart was hard without telling us who did the hardening. Church, we affirm all of these. Too often people like to see this one way only, saying it was only God who hardened his heart, or only Pharaoh who hardened his heart. But as the Bible displays in many instances, here is the affirmation of both Gods full sovereignty and mans full responsibility. So yes God was at work hardening Pharaohs heart so that he would not let the people go. This opened the way for the ten plagues were about to see, and thus, revealed the greatness and power of God over all the gods of Egypt. And yes, Pharaoh was a sinner himself who made bad choices that resulted in the hardening of his own heart, and thus in the same way, his choices paved the way for his downfall to come. As we keep on in Exodus and see more of these various statements of hardening, well say more on them as we see them in their own context. For now, just notice this is the first instance of this theme, where we see God as the sovereign One at work, ordaining all these events for His glory and His peoples good. So Moses has learned about Gods hardening of Pharaoh yes, but he learns more in v21-23. The second massive reality he learns about Israels sonship. For God, the Exodus is a family affair. See that detail in v22? God calls Israel His firstborn son. What does this mean? Simply put, it explains why the Exodus happens. Why did God go to all the trouble to strike the Egyptians to save His people? Because they belong to Him! The Exodus, then, is a story about a Fathers love for His son. How that Father rescued His son from great suffering to bring him out to the mountain to worship Him. God loves His son Israel so much, that for enslaving them, God warns that He will strike Pharaoh where it hurts the most by taking his own son away from him. God is a jealous Father. Later on in OT the prophet Hosea will speak of this. In Hosea 11:1 God says, When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. Much later on in the Bible, the NT picks up this thread and uses it to speak of Jesus. In Matthew 2, the very same text we mentioned earlier where we see Joseph and Mary leaving Egypt to return home after Herods death, Matthew says this in 2:15, This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt I called My Son. What does this mean? By quoting Hosea 11 and Exodus 4:22 Matthew is showing how Jesus is retelling and summing up the story in Israel in Himself.[4] Since Israel disobeyed, Jesus has come to do what they should have done, so in His own life Jesus retraces Israels steps and at each point where they proved faithless, He proves faithful. Lesson? Jesus is the true Israel of God, meaning Hes the true Son. Theres great encouragement to grab hold of here Church. This matters so much not only because it shows us more of the glory of Jesus, it matters so much because it shows us more of ourselves. We who believe in Jesus, what do we become upon believing in Him? We become adopted sons and daughters of God, who are so closely united to Christ that well now never be without Him. So to trust in Jesus the Son is to become sons ourselves, and being sons we relate to God as our Father, and to read Exodus as a Christian is to see and know our Father for who He really is. Our strong and mighty God who will always defend us from our enemies and rescue us in the end. Amen! As wonderful and clear as this is, we now move to something more difficult and unclear in v24-26. Toward Death? (v24-26) At a lodging place on the waytheLordmet him andsought to put him to death.ThenZipporah took aflint and cut off her sons foreskin and touched Mosesfeet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!So he let him alone. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. This is a tough text indeed. Many of you actually requested we deal with this text in our current Sunday evening series on tough texts, but because were in Exodus on Sunday mornings we knew wed arrive at this passage and would deal with it then. Well Church, here we are. I have many questions about these three verses.[5] Question 1: who is God seeking to kill in v24, Moses or one of his sons? Question 2: if its Moses, why seek to kill him when God just labored with Moses to convince him to go to Egypt? Question 3: if its Moses, what did he do to anger the Lord? Question 4: why does it say God sought to kill him? Cant God do whatever He desires to do? Is this evidence of God being unable to carry out something? Question 5: in v25 how does Zipporah immediately seem to know what to do to solve this problem? Question 6: why does she touch Moses feet with the foreskin she just cut off? Question 7: what does bridegroom of blood mean? Question 8: who is the bridegroom of blood Zipporah is referring to? And question 9: why is God satisfied in v26 with Zipporahs actions? Anyone have any answers to these questions? This is certainly among the most difficult passages to understand in the Bible. Perhaps, we can view it like this. As they were resting during their travel, God sought to put Moses or Moses son to death. Why? Because of circumcision. I think its safe to assume this was the issue here, because v25-26 gives circumcision a central place. So whats going on is that God was not going to let someone in this family get to Egypt due to circumcision.[6] But what about circumcision so angered the Lord? In v25 we see that Zipporah performed a circumcision on their son and then seemed to give Moses an emphatic remark, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me! This leaves the impression that she was angry at Moses for not doing the circumcision, thus implying Moses was the guilty party in view, which Zipporah made up for by doing it herself, which allowed them to continue on their journey. If this is what happened Zipporah would then be another woman in these early chapters of Exodus who saves the day. After this, Zipporah took the foreskin and touched it to Moses feet[7], which seemed to signify that the blood serves as a covering or atoning sacrifice for Moses sin because v26 says So He (God) let him alone. All in all, because of his sin Moses almost loses his life or the life of his son. God truly was about put someone to death, but when the blood covered Moses, God stayed His anger. This tough and strange text, in a deep way, prepares us for whats to come.[8] The God who appears here in anger, ready to kill father or son is the same God who will meet Pharaoh in the plagues. This is the same God who will provide atonement for His people in the blood of the Passover lamb, that is, if they put the blood over the doors. Zipporah responded well by offering a bloody sacrifice to atone for sin. How will the rest of Egypt and Israel respond to God in that final plague? How glorious to see it Church, here God makes a way through the blood. How beautiful to see it, and to see the greater moment this leads to far ahead to the cross of Christ. There its not the blood of circumcision, or the blood of a small lamb, but the blood of Gods beloved Son. His blood that speaks a better word, His blood that opens a better and more lasting way, His blood that can atone for all the sins of all who would come by faith. Just as God stayed His anger at Moses through this hurried circumcision, so too anyone who comes to the Son of God in faith wont be met by an angry God out to kill, but a God of love eager to forgive and save and keep forevermore. Indeed, God makes a way through the blood. Now, after working through a very complex passage, we end our text with clarity once again in v27-30 as we see a final summary. Toward Worship (v27-31) TheLordsaid to Aaron, Go into the wildernessto meet Moses. So he went and met him at themountain of God and kissed him.And Mosestold Aaron all the words of theLordwith which he had sent him to speak, and allthe signs that he had commanded him to do.Then Moses and Aaronwent and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.Aaron spoke all the words that theLordhad spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the peoplebelieved; and when they heard that theLordhadvisited the people of Israel and that he hadseen their affliction,they bowed their heads and worshiped. These final verses of the chapter serve as a summary, moving us as the reader away from the scene at Sinai and the burning bush in chapters 3-4, toward the scene at Egypt in chapter 5 and beyond. Here were brought back to see more of what Moses and his family did before leaving for Egypt. We see Aaron heading out to meet Moses in v27. We see Moses telling Aaron all the words of God, and the signs of God, and we see them both set out for the people of Israel in v28. We then see Moses and Aaron gather the people, speak to the people, and perform the signs for all the people in v29-30. It's a fast wrap up for sure. But does the fast pace surprise you? It's worth noticing how little space is devoted to this meeting between Moses and the people. I say this is worth noticing because this is the moment Moses was dreading and fearing, so much so that it caused him to doubt the Lord before the burning bush. But despite all his fears when the moment finally came, the moment went fine. Moses fear proved to be an invention of his own making. There's a big lesson in this for us. Worrying about what might happen in the future so much so that we doubt the Lord is a sin that can overburden the soul. Once Moses obeyed and went out to meet Aaron and the people, it went fine! Lesson? If God calls you to it, Hell take care of you in it. Theres no need to worry. If youre on a train and you enter a dark tunnel, you dont jump off for fear of the dark, do you? No! You trust that the engineer knows what theyre doing even if you cant see the tracks ahead. Church, when can see, when we cannot see, trust the Lord. He is God, and He is good! Conclusion: Hear v31 again, And the peoplebelieved; and when they heard that theLordhadvisited the people of Israel and that he hadseen their affliction,they bowed their heads and worshiped. Here at the end we see the people who Moses said would not believe, believe, and more, we see them worship God because of what He had said to Moses![9] This is right for them to do.[10] We should take their cue. We know more than Israel does in v31. We have not only heard of the Lord visiting us in the Person of His Son, we have read of it, and we have come to know and trust and love this beloved Son of God. Into our darkness Christ descended to save, and ascended to reign! We know the gospel offer, of freedom from all our sins, and freedom to enjoy God by glorifying Him forever. The only right response to seeing these wonderful works of God, is to worship God. [1] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 113. [2] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus NAC (Brentwood, TN: BH Publishing, 2006) 143. [3] Ryken, 114-115. [4] G.K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011) 406-422. [5] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 81-82. [6] Stuart, 152-153. [7] Feet here refers to the male genitalia of Moses. [8] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible, vol. 1 (New York, NY: Norton, 2019) 229. [9] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 59. [10] Ryken, 120.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgHvkq71_Jk

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFhlnyGoXQQ

After the events of the Exodus Moses led all of Israel in singing the following song, I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my fathers God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosenofficers were sunk in the Red Sea. Thefloods covered them; theywent down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, OLord, glorious in power, your right hand, OLord,shatters the enemy. In thegreatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; itconsumes them like stubble. At theblast of your nostrils the waters piled up; thefloods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said,I will pursue, I will overtake, Iwill divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them. Youblew with your wind; thesea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like you, OLord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome inglorious deeds,doing wonders? Question: how did Moses first learn that God is a God who of wonders? Answer: long before Moses saw Gods wonders in Egypt, and long before Moses saw Gods wonders by the Red Sea, Moses learned of Gods wonders at the burning bush. In our passage today, Exodus 4:1-9, we see this very thing. Weve been with Moses before the burning bush for two weeks now. Last week we looked at the glories and beauty of the Divine Name given in 3:14, and the week before we looked at all of chapter 3 and the first three scenes of this great burning bush moment. Today we come to scene 4 in this great moment, found in 4:1-9. The passage easily divides into two points, see first The Weakness of Man (v1) Then Moses answered, But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The LORD did not appear to you. As we begin, see Moses in v1. He now raises yet another objection. This is becoming quite the pattern for him. Back in chapter 3 we saw him fearfully doubt God in v11 and v13, inventing excuses twice even though God had revealed His own name to him and promised that His own presence would go with him into Egypt. More so, God promised to do wonders in Egypt to ensure Pharaoh let them go in v20. And God promised He would give Israel such favor that theyd plunder the Egyptians on the way out in v21-22. How does Moses respond to God after all these gracious promises and encouragements? He continues to question God. Thats what we see in 4:1. Even though God had said the people will listen to him, Moses stubbornly says they wont listen to him or believe him. There is a lot to learn in v1. First, I think this is ironic.[1] Why? Because Moses is accusing Israel of doing exactly what he is doing to God right now. Moses doesnt believe Gods Word, he hasnt trusted what God has said, and in his own lack of trust he believes Israel wont trust what he says! Ironic indeed. Second, I think this is almost reasonable.[2] We can understand why Moses would ask this question. He was the only eyewitness to this appearing of God in the burning bush, and now God was calling him to go tell Gods people of this moment and that their God was sending him to be their savior? Remember the last time Moses tried to speak to some Israelites about him saving them from the Egyptians? In 2:14 they told Moses, Who made you a prince and judge over us? Its understandable, remembering how poorly the previous moment went, that Moses would doubt that theyd listen to him in the present moment. No one else is with Moses on this mountain before the burning bush, so hed have to explain it to the Israelites and theyd have to trust his word about all of this, and theyd have to trust him in all of this.[3] But third, I think that as understandable as this is, his doubt is inexcusable. Why? Because its a direct denial of what God said. Look at 3:18. There God tells Moses they will listen to your voice yet here in 4:1 Moses says, They will not believe me or listen to my voice Understandable? Yes. Inexcusable? Yes. Church, see in this the weakness of man. God has revealed so much to us in His Word, and yet we still doubt Him. God has been faithful to us on so many occasions, and yet we still doubt Him. God has proven again and again to us how trustworthy He is, how kind He is, how strong and true He is, and yet we still doubt Him. We look at Moses here and frown on him as he doubts and fears, while we so often do the same. What will it take for us to trust the Lord? Church, here in v1 is a sin to avoid. Doubting God and the fear of man, as understandable as it is, is also inexcusable. These things will rob much of your assurance and joy in the Christian life. Hear it plain and simple Church, God has given us no reason to doubt Him, He can be trusted. Somay you trust Him, and from trusting Him, may you cease fearing man. The Wonders of God (v2-9) TheLordsaid to him, What is that in your hand? He said,A staff.And he said, Throw it on the ground. So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.But theLordsaid to Moses, Put out your hand and catch it by the tail so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand that they maybelieve that theLord,the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.Again, theLordsaid to him, Put your hand inside your cloak.And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand wasleprouslike snow.Then God said, Put your hand back inside your cloak. So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold,it was restored like the rest of his flesh.If they will not believe you, God said, or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nilewill become blood on the dry ground. As we saw before in chapter 3, now we see again in chapter 4 as God responds to Moses doubt graciously. In response to his doubt God gives Moses 3 signs. The first sign comes in v2-5, the staff turned to serpent. This is the first time in Exodus we hear of Moses famous staff. In the time to come he will use this staff to bring many of the plagues onto Egypt, part the Red Sea to walk through, as well as close the Red Sea on Pharaohs armies. In many ancient and modern cultures the staff functions as a symbol of rule and authority and power. Such was the case in ancient Egypt as well. Numerous historical images show Pharaoh with a staff. Some of them even picture Pharaohs staff with an animal head on it. That Moses carries a staff doesnt only remind us of his humble origins as a shepherd, its a subtle hint that Moses carries great authority. Authority that is greater than Pharaohs. Authority will take the form of an animal itself. All of this shows us Gods power. We know Moses isnt going to Pharaoh in his own authority, but Gods. Pharaoh will be forced to learn this in time too. But be sure to note, for now these signs are given to Moses to do before Israel so that they will trust and believe what hes saying. The first sign is described simply enough. In v2 God asks whats in Moses hand. Moses responds that its his staff. In v3 God tells him to throw it on the ground, he does, and wonder of wonders, it becomes a snake. Humorously Moses runs away from it. But God in v4 calls him back and tells him to pick it back up by the tail. Why the tail? I think its because God was encouraging Moses to trust Him. After all, grabbing a snake by the tail can be dangerous because its head can swing around and bite you (which is why most people who pick up snakes grab them near the head). Moses did this from a distance, notice that? It doesnt say to walked up to it and grabbed it. It says he stretched out his hand, implying some distance, and picked it up. And as soon as he did this, the snake became a staff again. Then in v5 we read this sign was given so Israel would believe God had appeared to Moses. God is teaching Moses a lesson in this staff to snake and back again sign. If God can do all these wonders with a stick, imagine what He could do with Moses! The apologist Francis Schaeffer once commented on this very thing in his book No Little People saying, Many years ago when I was just a young pastor out of seminary, the study of Moses rod which I called God so used a stick of wood was a crucial factor in giving me the courage to press onconsider the mighty ways in which God used a dead stick of wood. Though we are limited and weak in talent, physical energy and psychological strength, we are not less than a stick of wood. But as the rod of Moses becomes the rod of God (Exodus 4:20), so that which is me must become the me of God. Then I can become useful in God's hands. The Scripture emphasizes that much can come from little if the little is truly consecrated to God.[4] A bit further on in the same book he makes his point clearer saying, Those who think of themselves as little people in little places, if committed to Christ and living under his lordship in the whole of life, may by God's grace change the flow of a generation. And as we get on a bit in our lives, knowing how weak we are, if we look back and see we have been somewhat used of God then we should be a rod surprised by joy.[5] This is what God is teaching Moses in his staff. That He can take the smallest and weakest of things in the sight of the world, and change the world with them. And it just so happens, God was about to do just that. The second sign comes in v6-8, the leprous hand. This second sign is like the first in that it was something harmless changing into something harmful and then changing back again.[6] But its not a snake this time, its leprosy. That word, leprosy, is an umbrella term, referring to a variety of skin conditions, most of which were severely dangerous and contagious. Which is why later in Leviticus we find many laws and precautions given so that those infected do not come into contact with others. This shows us how dangerous leprosy could be, and this is the second sign God chooses to give to Moses. Again its described simply enough. In v6 God tells Moses to put his hand into his cloak and pull it out. He does so and as he pulls his hand back out it is leprous, white as snow. In v7 God tells Moses to repeat this, and when he took his hand out this time it was back to normal. Then comes the interesting detail in v8. God says He is giving Moses this second sign, just in case they do not believe the first one. So this is a backup wonder. And for good reason. If they didnt get it with the staff and snake, this sign surely wouldve stunned them. When Moses put his hand in his cloak and pulled it out all leprous-like people wouldve immediately recoiled from him, just like he did from the snake because no one would want to catch the disease. But when he put it back in and pulled it out as normal as can be. It wouldve been seen as nothing short of miraculous. They wouldve been stunned at this second sign because in this culture there was a strong association between diseases and divine judgment.[7] Such that if you had leprosy of any sort it was assumed that the gods were judging you for something you did. That Moses can take his hand in and out of his cloak and go from unclean to clean in a moment wouldve been to the Israelites something only God can do. The third and final sign comes in v9, the bloody Nile. This sign is different from the first two because its uncertain if Moses actually did this one. And it doesnt seem to be about Moses credibility with the people either, about them believing him as the other signs are. Rather, this third sign seems to be of a grander sort, hinting at the fact that God has some serious threats in store for Egypt.[8] Whether this third sign was reserved for the plagues alone, or if Moses did it unknowingly giving Israel a preview of whats to come, v9 is clear. If they people dont believe the first two signs, this greater third sign then comes in. Moses simply is to take water from the Nile, pour it on the ground, and it will become blood. Unlike the first two signs there is no going back in this third sign. Once the water becomes blood, it stays blood. To Egypt this wouldve been terrorizing. Not only was the Nile a source of life to them, giving water to all their livelihood, but the Nile was revered as a god in Egypt. Seeing Moses take some of the water and turning it to blood wouldve been like watching one of their gods bleed. Lesson? God is the strongest god. No one is like Him, and no one messes with His people. As terrifying as this wouldve been to an Egyptian, it wouldve been bolstering for an Israelite. That God would not be overpowered by the gods of Egypt. That He would stand His own. And that He would defeat and lay waste to His enemies to save His people. Yes and amen. These then are the signs and wonders God gives to Moses.[9] In the first sign something supportive becomes something serpentine. In the second sign something healthy becomes something harmful. And in the third sign something pure becomes something putrid. Each of them will resurface in the time to come. And each of them served the purpose of validating Moses credentials, and authenticating his ministry as being from the Lord.[10] Israel must believe Moses as we see Moses here struggling to believe God.[11] And it seems from what we read later on in v30-31 that Moses did all these signs before Israel, and that upon seeing them, they believed and bowed their heads in worship. Conclusion: As signs and wonders are present here, signs and wonders continue down through redemptive history, all the way to Jesus Himself, who performed many signs and wonders. Yet, He would rebuke the people for needing them or even demanding them in order to believe His message. Ultimately though, He would provide one of the greatest signs wonders ever seen in the history of the world. The signs given to Moses were powerful, but they pale in comparison to the power displayed when Christ walked the earth. In Christ, we see God's power not just to change the nature of objects, but to change the nature of man. He takes our dead hearts and makes them alive. He takes our doubting and fearful souls and makes them whole. He gladly and willingly bears the leprosy of our sin on the cross and makes us clean forever. So Church, let the wonders at the burning bush remind you of God's incredible power, and then let your gaze go forward and be fixed on the greatest sign and wonder of all, the cross and empty tomb of Jesus. Here our salvation was accomplished. Here all sins are defeated. Here all hopes are secured. Here all fears are dashed. Here all that is sad is declared to be untrue. In the face of all the evil and dark sin in the world, this gospel shines bright. May the light of Christ lift up your soul afresh today. [1] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 91. [2] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 95. [3] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 44. [4] Francis A. Schaeffer, No Little People (Grand Rapids, MI: IVP, 1975) 13-17. [5] Schaeffer, 25. [6] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus NAC (Brentwood, TN: BH Publishing, 2006) 130. [7] Stuart, 131. [8] Stuart, 131. [9] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 71. [10] Ryken, 98. [11] Durham, 46.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_HDfUl4T2Q

Id like to begin with a question this morning: what was God doing before He created the world? This is a question every Christian eventually asks. One way to answer this is to say that before God made the world He was lonely, feeling a lack, and desired to fill an emptiness within Him, leading Him to make the world and all in it. And now that the world is here and we ourselves are here, God isnt lonely anymore but feels fulfilled and whole.[1] If you took a survey of Christians from all over, asking them this question, I think youd hear something like this answer quite often. This morning Id like to propose a different answer to the question. What was God doing before He created the world? I dont think He was lonely, feeling empty, or just twiddling His thumbs, no, I think God was just fine. More than fine in fact. I think before God created the world He was infinitely content and happy in Himself. Why do I say this? Because the God of Scripture is a God who has no needs, is fully independent, and fully self-sufficient. And Church, I think this is very good news for us. Last week we arrived at one of the most foundational moments in the whole Bible, the moment where God appears to Moses at the burning bush. We took a big look last week at all of chapter 3, and when we came to v14 where God tells Moses His name I said wed spend our entire time together this week on that very reality. Well Church, here we are. Open your Bibles to Exodus 3. Again the single verse before us today is Exodus 3:14 which says this, God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM And he said, Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you. All kinds of books covering all kinds of things have been written on this single verse. That alone ought to let us know that this is so significant a verse that it demands at least one entire sermon. To simplify this, Ive decided to focus on two major realities this verse teaches us. First, the God not like us. And second, the God who became like us. The God Not Like Us In the context of Exodus 3 we must firstly say that this verse is Gods gracious response to Moses fearful questioning. There he expressed great doubt and fear. God had commanded him in v10 to go back into Egypt, to Pharaoh himself, to demand that he let Israel go. We saw last week how this terrified Moses in v11. He expresses his fear to God, and God responded to Moses fear by making a great promise v12. He promised Moses that His very presence would be with him as he went before Pharaoh. Yet Moses fear and doubt remained, prompting him to ask God a new question in v13. This time he asked God what he should do if one of the Israelites ever asks about Gods name. And then we see it. In v14 we see Gods gracious response to Moses fear and doubt as God reveals His divine name. While v14 is certainly Gods response to Moses questions, it is far more than a response to Moses. Here God is making an assertion of authority, a confession of eternal and essential reality.[2] When God says His name is I AM WHO I AM, and that Moses should say I AM has sent him, the name actually given here is only four Hebrew letters, YHWH. These four letters are the imperfect tense of the Hebrew verb to be, meaning I am or I will be. This name is sometimes called the tetragrammaton because it only contains four Hebrew consonants. If we supply the vowels needed it becomes something like Yahweh. Now, Jews of old believed this name was so holy and so revered that you should never utter it for fear of taking it in vain. This is reflected in our English translations. When the divine name shows up it's usually translated with the word LORD, in all caps. The KJV does a bit more, adding more vowels to the divine name, ending up with the name Jehovah. In this name we learn much. We learn that God is not like us. Why? Because Hes the I AM. Meaning He is self-existent, He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is utterly separate and unique and independent over and above all things. Moses asked a question and God responded, yes. But Gods response isnt so much an answer as it is an entire theology.[3] Church, almost all of what is revealed to us here in v14 can be boiled down to one attribute of God, His aseity. Have any of you ever heard that word before? The word aseity comes from two Latin words, a meaning from and se meaning self. God is thus from Himself. Aseity is the first attribute of God we encounter in the Bible.[4] Think back to how Genesis begins, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In this opening chapter to the Bible we see many beginnings. The beginning of the heavens, the beginning of the earth, the skies, the sea, the land, birds, fish, creatures, and mankind. Many beginnings indeed. But dont miss that in Genesis 1:1 we also are introduced to the God who was there before the beginning, the God who never had a beginning. It makes perfect sense then, that when God reveals His name to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3, He reveals it as I AM. That God is the I AM, that He has aseity, leads us to think of the great difference between God and us. We are born into this world as dependent finite beings. Our existence comes from our mother and father. We are because they had us. More so, the whole of our lives, from conception to death, must be upheld and sustained by God, making us dependent not only on our mother and father, but above all on God. In other words, the whole of our life comes from God the author and source and fountain of life. Church, God is not like this. His nature isnt like our nature. Unlike ourselves and unlike everything in this world, His existence doesnt come from someone or something else. No one brought him into being and He isnt dependent on another to be sustained in His existence. We can be measured, God is immeasurable. We are contingent beings, God is not contingent on anything else. Our entire existent is grounded in Him, Gods existence is grounded in Himself alone. We are because of others, we continue because of another. God simply is. He is the I AM. St. Anselm of Canterbury described this long ago saying God has of Himself all that He has, while other things have nothing of themselves. And other things, having nothing of themselves, have their only reality from Him.[5] So while our nature is that of a derived being, having our source in God, Gods nature and essence is pure being. What does this mean? It means that God isnt like us. He and ourselves are different types of beings. While we are needy, weak, dependent creatures, God is an eternally and perfectly independent being. All this comes from the fact that God has aseity, that He is the I AM. This is weighty stuff I know. So perhaps an illustration will help. On occasion Holly and I will hear our kids get into arguments with each other making big statements of ownership. For example we will sometimes hear them say to each other, You messed up my room. Or, Dont move my stuff. Or, You knocked over my Legos. This is pretty normal for kids to talk like this, its actually pretty normal for us too. When our kids get a bit too intense in moments like this we come in, try to assess the situation, de-escalate tempers, dole out the appropriate correction/discipline, and remind them that they dont own anything. Everything they have was given to them by us as a gift. It is good parenting to remind our kids of this truth. And if its good for our kids to be reminded of this, its also good for ourselves to be reminded of this truth too. That all we are, all we have, all of usmeaning all our needs that are met, all our weaknesses that are strengthened, all our lack that is filled comes from the God who has no needs, no weakness, and no lack in Himself. Lets ask a further question then. Why does God give anything to us at all? Or perhaps a bigger question is better. Since God has eternally been fully content and sufficient in Himself, why did God create anything in the first place? Well, it certainly wasnt to fill a lack in Himself, no. He created and sustains and gives and blesses because He is gracious. And as an eternally full being, like a fountain, God cannot help but overflow. This truth has a massive effect on our worship. In Psalm 50 this comes out so clearly. There God has been stirred to anger because of His peoples sin, and they think in all their sin they can worship with no problems. God rebukes them for this saying in Psalm 50:7-15, Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrificesdo I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are Mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Then in an astounding statement, a few verses later God rebukes us for thinking He was like us. In Psalm 50:21 God says, you thought that Iwas one like yourself. But now Irebuke you andlay the charge before you. Our worship of God, then, is not intended to meet the needs of God, as if He were insecure and our worship of Him gave Him security. No, Hes the I AM. The essence of our worship is fueled by who God is and what God has done. At His holiness, righteousness, greatness, and wisdom. And this great God has done great things, for usso we worship Him as a being utterly above us in every way possible. Church, this grand reality is the very thing Moses is hearing on the mountain in Exodus 3:14. The God Moses encountered in the burning bush was the God of absolute and infinite being, different from himself in every way possible. I hope you can now see a little bit of why Exodus 3:14 is absolutely foundational for how we view God, how we approach God, what we think of God, and the words we use to describe God. Only aseity belongs to Him, only He is the I AM. In this it is crystal clear, God is not like us. The God Who Became Like Us Weve seen how foundational the I AM moment is, and weve seen how different God is from us. But as time would unfold God did something we would never believe unless the Bible told us. This God, the God who has aseity, the great I AM, became like us. Into all our sin, all our darkness, all our fears, concerns, worries, doubts, and weaknesses. Into all that we are not, God descended. How did He do this? In the person of His Son. When Jesus came, He came not just in the name of God as a prophet or a messenger, He came as God Himself. And again and again He attributed the name of God to Himself. Meaning, He took Gods own name, I AM, as His own. In John 6 the disciples were scared in a boat as a great storm raged around them. They looked up and through the wind and waves and miraculously they saw Jesus walking on the sea directly toward them. At this they didnt shout for joy, or feel a great sense of relief. They knew storms. They knew no mere man could do what Jesus was doing at that moment and so John 6:19 says they were afraid. What did Jesus say as He drew near the boat? John 6:20, It is I, do not be afraid. When Jesus says do not be afraid we understand that. God often told that to people in the OT. Angels would even say this first to anyone God sent them to, and for the fearful disciples to hear do not be afraid from Jesus in the midst of the storm had to be an encouraging moment for them. But He said more than just do not be afraid. He said, It is I; do not be afraid. Do know what the phrase It is I in v20 is in the original Greek? Ego eimi. Do you know what that literally translates as? I AM. Therefore, when Jesus comes to the frightened disciples walking on the water He literally says I AM, do not be afraid They wouldve understood the weight of His words. They wouldve understood the reason Jesus was giving them to not be afraid. Why should they not fear? Because Jesus is the great I AM, God Himself. No storm can defeat a God as great as this. Later on in a heated exchange with the Pharisees Jesus makes a similarly staggering claim. In John 8:56 he says to a group of angry Pharisees, Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad. They responded in the next verse saying, You are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham? To which Jesus famously replies in John 8:58, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM. Using the divine name of God revealed to Moses on the mountain in reference to Himself was a clear claim to deity. It cannot be taken any other way. He did not say I was to teach simply old age and long years, he said I AM to teach of His aseity and divine nature. Jesus would of course do this many more times, using the I AM name to attribute deity to Himself. I AM the bread of life. I AM the light of the world. I AM the door of the sheep. I AM the good shepherd. I AM the resurrection and the life. I AM the way, the truth, the life. I AM the true vine. Then wonder upon wonder, there is a greater glory to behold. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the I AM, the God who has aseitywillingly died for sinners. This is staggering. The more we see of His greatness and glory in Exodus 3, the more well come to see how low He truly came to save His own. The same I AM who burned in the bush, who struck Egypt with plague after plague, who thundered on Mt. Sinai, would one day cry in the manger, and ultimately would embrace death on the cross for all who would ever believe. No wonder the grave couldnt hold Him down, Hes the I AM. Hes the eternally perfect infinite fountain full of life and beauty and majesty in Himself. Death fled from His presence as He walked out of the tomb that Sunday morning. Conclusion: Church, throughout history every culture has searched for something that is a se. Theyve searched for some kind of ultimate being, or ultimate standard of truth. People have tried to say its Mother Nature, this god or that god, human knowledge or human experience, reason, logic, or some type of combination of these things. Philosophers for ages have sought after the concept of the Absolute because they know if such a being exists that being would be the origin and source from which all other life flowed forth. But the world has refused to see Jesus Christ as ultimate in any way. Thus, the souls search for the ultimate a se being has been frustratingly empty because though theyve never found it, He is directly before their eyes. The result of this frustration is that many give up the search and choose to embrace the dark idea of chaos or meaninglessness as the ultimate reason or answer for existence. Contrasting this is Exodus 3:14, which is bright with hope. Only this God, of the Bible can give meaning to human experience and reason. So dont think divine aseity or the independence of God is something that is only abstract, or a theory to be known or taught in classrooms. The bottom line is this: if God were not a se, and fully independent, if He depended on anything else for His being, He would cease to be God. This makes us thankful for who He is. There is no one like Him, and there is no god but Him. Praise God that He would willingly and gladly desire not only to create us and to reveal Himself to us, but to redeem us in Christ as well. [1] Matthew Barrett, None Greater (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2019) 55-56. [2] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 38. [3] Goldingay, quoted in Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 66. [4] Kevin DeYoung, Daily Doctrine (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024) 49. [5] Anselm, On the Fall of the Devil 1, quoted in Barrett, None Greater, 57.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSpIM3CSZrU

A single day can change your life forever. Davids life would never be the same after the day he fought Goliath. Pauls life would never be the same after the day he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. And the day that would change all our days, the day the stone rolled away revealing an empty tomb. Exodus 3 is like this. It begins on a day like any other day. Nothing special. Moses isnt in a palace anymore, he isnt living as a son of Pharaoh. Hes been in the desert for forty yearstending sheep. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, just desert, sheep, silence. But then on an ordinary day, in an ordinary place, he sees something extraordinary. A bush burning yet not being consumed. He draws near, and in a moment, everything changes. This day would not only change the course of Moses life, it would change the course of history. Church, today we come to the great burning bush moment. It begins in 3:1 and goes all the way until 4:17. It is so monumental a passage, that well take the next month to work through it. Today, Ill begin by leading you through the first three scenes of this great moment, all of which are found in chapter 3. Scene 1 (v1-6) Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, themountain of God.Andthe angel of theLordappeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.And Moses said, I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.When theLordsaw that he turned aside to see,God called to himout of the bush, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am.Then he said, Do not come near;take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.And he said,I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, forhe was afraid to look at God. As we see Moses keeping the flocks of Jethro in v1 we need to remember a few things. First, we need to remember Stephens sermon in Acts 7. There before hes stoned Stephen gives an overview of this moment in Moses life and he says in Acts 7:29-30, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian,where he became the father of two sons. Now when forty years had passed,an angel appeared to himin the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. So as Exodus 2 ends and Exodus 3 begins, we need to keep in mind that 40 years have passed, making Moses an 80 year old man. Second, back in chapter 2 we met Moses father-in-law the priest of Midian. Hes called Reuel in chapter 2, and here in v1 hes called Jethro. As we saw last week, many think Reuel was his priestly title and that Jethro was his given name. He has surely grown older, because now we see Moses is the one keeping the flocks. Right here from start then dont miss what God is doing. To man, Moses is a picture of a failure. He had to flee Egypt after a failed attempt to rescue Israel, and now hes reduced to the simplest kind of labor, shepherding. But to God, all is going according to plan. Here is one who has been humbled, reduced to shepherding, yes, but one who will one day shepherd all of Israel.[1] God is indeed preparing Moses for whats to come. The rest of v1 serves the purpose of letting us know how Moses came to be so far away from where he normally leads his flock.[2] He went way out into the west side of the wilderness likely because it was unusually dry and all the grass had dried out. Thus, he comes to Mt. Horeb. Horeb, you should know, is either another name for Mt. Sinai or its the region Mt. Sinai is located in. And its called the mountain of God in v1 because thats what it will become to Israel in the future. For now, its just a mountain. But is it? Look at v2-3. Here we see a thing of wonder. The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Moses wouldve known how to keep warm on cold nights and wouldve known that once a regular bush was lit on fire it would soon burn up. Yet this bush was burning while not burning up.[3] So what does he do? He goes nearer to get a closer look. As he draws near in v2-3, the moment comes, and angel of the Lord appears in the fire. Fire is often associated with the presence of God and the purity of His holiness, as well see in the rest of Exodus, and sure enough, Moses is about to have an encounter with God. But, who is the angel of the Lord mentioned here? Weve seen this language before back when God appears to Hagar, and well see it again when God appears to Joshua. There is much debate here as you can imagine. Some believe the angel of the Lord is a literal angel functioning as a messenger of God. I dont think this is the case because while the text identifies this angel as being from the Lord, it also identifies this angel with the Lord. And in v4 it says God called out from the bush, meaning this angel didnt just speak for God, He spoke as God.[4] So I believe we have two options. Either the angel of the Lord is God Himself come down to meet with Moses, making this a theophany (God revealing Himself to man), or the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ (making this a Christophany, Christ revealing Himself to man). While I tend to believe that this is the pre-incarnate Christ, good arguments can be made on both sides of this. All in all, do not miss the forest for the trees here. From no initiative of his own, Moses meets God on this mountain. As Moses nears the burning bush God calls out in v4, Moses, Moses! Moses responds Here I am. God then says two things. First He says, Do not come near;take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.And secondly God says, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. That Moses was to keep a distance and not come near, emphasizes the gap between the holy God and sinful man.[5] This is the first time in the Bible that the word holy is explicitly used in reference to God.[6] That explains much about this scene. Moses must remove his sandals, not because sandals are unholy, but because of reverence. Just as one would normally remove their shoes in this culture when coming into the presence of or the home of a superior, so too Moses removes his shoes because he now knows Mt. Sinai is where God has chosen to dwell. Thus, Gods holy presence makes ordinary ground, holy ground.[7] What did Moses do next? See v6, Moses hid his face, forhe was afraid to look at God. His curiosity turns to fear as He realizes who has appeared to him. In this moment Moses learns from God what Israel would one day learn from him, that God is holy, that no one comes into Gods presence irreverently, because God is a consuming fire.[8] Now only the bush is burning with the holy fire of God, soon the whole mountain will burn as Israel draws near to receive the Law.[9] Lastly, v6 shows us that what we learned (as readers) in 2:23-25, Moses learns for Himself as God declares that He is the God of his father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is of utmost importance. It highlights that God is now continuing the story He began in Genesis. This is the covenant faithfulness of God. It reminds us that He keeps the promises He makes. Much time has passed yes, His timing isnt our timing, yes, but He remains faithful to His Word, yes. Thus, our hope in Him can always remain firm. Scene 2 (v7-12) Then theLordsaid,I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of theirtaskmasters. I know their sufferings,andI have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians andto bring them up out of that land to agood and broad land, a landflowing with milk and honey, to the place ofthe Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.And now, behold,the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen theoppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.But Moses said to God,Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?He said,But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt,you shall serve God on this mountain. Now we hear God tell Moses of His own intimate knowledge of the woes of His people. God has seen, God has heard, God knows all the suffering of all Israel. And He will act. See it in v8. God will come downto bring His people up. We see so much gospel in these words dont we? God comes down, to what? Bring us up! As Israel couldnt do it on their own, we cant do it on our own. As God delighted in saving them in the Exodus, so too He delights in saving us in Christ. Our God is a God who saves! What will God bring Israel out and up to? A land that God describes in three ways.[10] First, the land will be good and broad. That is, it will be bigger and larger than their cramped lodging in Egypt. Second, the land will be flowing with milk and honey. That is likely a figurative description of Canaans fertile and full nature as opposed to a literal description of milk and honey. Milk and honey are often used as pictures of purity and abundance throughout the OT, and I think the same is meant here. And third, the land will also be full of people. See the list of the various peoples? The list occurs frequently in Moses writing, it appears in different variations, but this list is nearly identical to the list God gave Abraham in Genesis 15 when He first made these promises. This hints at what is coming for Israel. Yes, theyll be saved out from Egypt, but theyll have to fight their way into Canaan. Will that be hard? Yes. But v9 assures them, the God with them now in their troubles will also be with them then in the midst of their fight. In v10 there is a bit of a shift. Moses now learns he will not be an onlooker to God saving Israel, he will be the means by which God saves them. This seems, I think, to strike fear into Moses because he responds in v11 with doubt. Some do say Moses is showing a true humility here, but I disagree.[11] Throughout the burning bush moment Moses repeatedly calls the mission into question and speaks of his inability to carry it out.[12] The question then becomes, why does Moses doubt? The answer likely lies in his past. Specifically, his past experience in failing to come to rescue Israel. I think this stayed with him and dogged him, and as soon as he heard God was going to call him back there, a familiar fear sprang up afresh in him.[13] Yet, see how God responds to his fear and doubt in v12. God doesnt tell Moses to stop his negative thinking.[14] God simply says, I will be with you intending to replace his fear with trust. More so, God then gives him a sign to prove all of this, saying the sign of His presence with him will bewhen Israel returns to this mountain to serve God. It is certainly unique that this sign will not occur until the Exodus is over, but perhaps thats where the point. Moses must step out in faith, go to Egypt, and do what God has commanded of him, and lead the people out. Then and only then will Moses get the assurance of the sign, once the people have returned to serve God at the mountain. That word serve, by the way, is the Hebrew word for worship. Thats what God is saying here. The sign is that after the rescue of God, the people of God, will gather before this mountain to worship God. Scene 3 (v13-22) Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? what shall I say to them?God said to Moses, I am who I am.And he said, Say this to the people of Israel:I amhas sent me to you.God also said to Moses, Say this to the people of Israel: TheLord,theGod of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This ismy name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.Go andgather the elders of Israel together and say to them, TheLord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying,I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt,and I promise thatI will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a landflowing with milk and honey.Andthey will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israelshall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, TheLord, the God of the Hebrews, hasmet with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to theLordour God.But I know that the king of Egyptwill not let you go unless compelledby a mighty hand.SoI will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt withall the wonders that I will do in it;after that he will let you go.AndI will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty,but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, forsilver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. Soyou shall plunder the Egyptians. In v13 we see Moses second fearful doubting. Gods promise that He will be with Moses and will indeed return to this mountain to worship doesnt seem to be enough for Moses, so he now asks another question. He asks God about His name. This question is interesting. Does Moses not know Gods name? God has used it before, but maybe after all the years of steeping in Egyptian culture and being oppressed by them slaves Moses has forgotten it? That is a real possibility, and maybe even Israel no longer knows it as well? Well, one thing is certain. Throughout the Exodus, no Israelite ever asks Moses about the Gods name, as if that were the sign or password to gain Israels trust. Moses then is like us, he seems to excel at raising problems that will never come into reality.[15] Gods answer to Moses in v14-15 is so famous and foundational for our understanding of God nature and character that well spend our entire time together next Sunday morning looking at the divine name in v14. For now, just know Gods answer is that His name is I am who I am and that is what Moses is to tell Israel, that the I AM, Yahweh, is saving them. As our passage comes to a close in v16-22 we see God instruct Moses on what to say to the Israelites. In v16-17 he is to go and tell them that God sees, observes, and knows all their suffering, and that He will bring them up and out of their slavery to a full and fertile land. In v18-20 God instructs Moses to tell all of this to the elders of Israel. Here we see that not only has Israel organized itself by putting leaders in place, but God now calls these elders to go with Moses to Pharaoh and demand to be let go. This is a command that clearly wasnt obeyed, as none of the elders go with Moses.[16] Yet theyre all to tell Pharaoh let them take a three day journey to worship. Whats this? Its merely a simple request, a request that Pharaoh will not grant at all. His denial of such a simple request exposes what v20 makes clear, that Israel will only escape Egypt by Gods strength and wonders.[17] Lastly in v21-22 we see God make another promise. When Israel is freed, God will give them such favor that Egypt will be plundered like God said would happen back in Genesis 15. As great as this is, there is a hard truth to see in it. Some of the gold they take out of Egypt will be used to build the tabernacle, but some of it will be used to make the golden calf. Conclusion: As we close, remember we believe the entire Bible has one unified story that culminates in the Person and Work of Jesus. The goal in preaching then isn't to find a clever way to mention Jesus, but to see how every story, including this one, finds its ultimate meaning in Him. So where is the gospel here? It shines brightest in the contrast between Moses's doubt and Gods answer. When God called, Moses's response is our own, Who am I? Its the cry of a man who knows his failures, his weaknesses, and his sin. And it is our cry, too. We look at our lives, the ordinary routines, the past mistakes, the feeling of being stuck in the desert, and we know we are not enough. We are not holy enough, not strong enough, not good enough. Into that honest cry of inadequacy, God speaks. He doesn't tell Moses to look deeper within himself. He reveals His own name, I AM. And He promises His own presence. This is a promise that points far beyond the wilderness of Midian, directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Into our sin, our darkness, and our doubt, the great I AM did not stay distant. He came near. He became one of us in the person of His Son. The same I AM who met Moses in the fire is the I AM who stood in the temple and declared His divinity. He is the I AM who draws near to us now in the gospel. But He did more than just draw near. He took our sin and shame and fear, all of our Who am I? questions on Himself and carried it to the cross where He would enter the ultimate wilderness, ultimately dying in our place, so that in exchange, we can be forgiven, washed clean, reconciled to God, and be given His very presence. Thus, Jesus says to all who look to Him in faith, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Because of His finished work, His holy presence is now our guarantee. That changes everything. It makes all our days holy days. It makes the very ground we walk on, in our homes, in our workplaces, in our struggles, holy ground. Not because of who we are, but because the great I AM who is with us. [1] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 71. [2] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus NAC (Brentwood, TN: BH Publishing, 2006) 108. [3] Stuart, 109. [4] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 71. [5] Ryken, 72. [6] Ryken, 72. [7] Stuart, 115. [8] Stuart, 114. [9] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 47. [10] Currid, 77-78. [11] Stuart, 118. He cites Davids similar language in 2 Sam. 7, yet I still disagree, seeing David as humble but Moses as fearful and doubting. [12] Currid, 80. [13] Hamilton, 58. [14] Hamilton, 59. [15] Hamilton, 63. [16] Currid, 85-86. [17] Currid, 86.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGy5OMbKAWM

Context: Moses according to Acts 7 is now about 40 Acts 7:23 When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. -Last week we left off with the birth of Moses and his adoption into the house of Pharaoh The people of Israel have been oppressed the Pharaoh has begun a mass genocide of the male children and yet in the midst of these tragedies the Lord spares this child through the ingenuity of his mother and the kindness of Pharaohs daughter. Moses in retelling his birth leads us with many questions but few immediate answers as he pulls us deeper into the work that God did in his life to use him to lead the people out of Egypt. And so from his birth we quickly jump forward 40ish years, and now find our prince of Egypt striving to be a would be savior to his people: I. The Life of a Would-Be -Savior (11-22) A. Moses Avenges his own (11-12) Exodus 2:1112 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. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When we time jump we now find Moses no identifying with his place in the royal palace but with his own people. -We dont have a exact reason for the change in him, We dont know what spurs him on that here he is 40 years of watching the Hebrews be oppressed, but now he cares. -What we know is this is all part of Gods timing and for whatever reason Moses now will no longer identify with the house of Pharaoh but will now align with the nation of his birth. -But the first thing we see with this adult Moses is that he has a sense that Justice is being distorted int he the Land of Egypt. -He sees their burden and seems to be amazed that these things are transpiring. -He sees an Egyptian Beating (Same word that we will see later for what Moses does, but this context seems to be a normal occurrence not killing him ) a Hebrew -The phrase that he looked this way and that has 2 debated meanings (Either he was looking to make sure no one saw him or he was looking to see if anyone would stand up for the injustice being perpetrated against the Hebrew being beaten) -Both carry with them the fact that Moses is concerned with what is transpiring against his own people -Maybe a bit of a There but by the grace of God go I moments But either way Moses does take justice into his own hands and kills the Egyptian hiding his body and seeming to be proud of himself. The book of Acts will highlight that Moses in this moment did see himself as a type of savior to his people. Maybe he could free them from their bondage, maybe he was the right man at the right time to rise up and ends Pharaoh oppression of his people -He has a sense that he has accomplished something, unfortunately we will see he has done nothing of true consequence but seal his own fate and future and in this moment it is not as a leader of his people, for what he attempted to do of his own strength will be of no use for he is quickly dismissed by his Own As we continue: B. Moses Rejected by His own (13-15a) Exodus 2:1315 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? 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. 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. -The very next day he goes out again to his own, but now no longer seeing them oppressed by Egypt but rather oppressing each other. -Its an amazing fact of life that the oppressed and abused historically become oppressors and abuser, In their weakness they seek to beatdown those weaker than themselves. - Our text doesnt sugar coat the people of Israel here. They too are not innocent of violence (No one comes out clean and worthy of Gods mercy on their own) -MOSES the seeker of Justice now turns to the one in the wrong and question his actions and is quickly rebuffed and rejected. -These are the first words of Moses in the text and they give us a picture of his heart. He is seeking the good of his people and justice, unfortunately the people are not as concerned as he is Ill. The Students Revolution in France (Les Miserable) -The man asks a very pointed question that will take 40 years in the wildness of Midian to materialize but it was relevant in the moment: what gave Moses the right to judge them -In that moment the only position he had was as a son of Egypt they did not recognize him as their own -His killing of the Egyptian didnt change his place in their eyes -If anything this could be used rather as a way to boost this mans place by turning Moses over to Pharaoh -Our would be saviors time has run out and he is not going to save the people, rather he is the one in needing of salvation and so with Pharaohs anger kindled against him he flees -He has no home in Egypt and no home with the Hebrews and so to the land o Midian he will go. -and there we will begin a new life at a well. (Sound familiar) -We say many wells in Genesis and many new family formed there. -Both Rachael and Rebecca are found at wells. C. Moses Saves Reuels Daughters (15b-21) Exodus 2:1521 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. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their fathers flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, How is it that you have come home so soon today? They said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock. He said to his daughters, Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. Moses quick transitions in the storm help to feel the intensity and quickness of how the Lord moved him out of Egypt and into the wilderness. -Midian is general associated with the region from the red sea to the northern Sinai peninsula, but that is often debated. They are generally considered a nomadic people from the son of Abrahams second wife (Genesis 25:12 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ) Moses Highlights here his third attempt at seeking justice (this time involving 7 daughters of the priest of Midian) -Here he is successful and not only does he save them but he then gives water to their sheep. -Moses really putting the moves on here (No indication that that is happening) -The daughters when returning home tell their father everything -His name here is probably more often associated with his position (Rue El means Friend of El) -He will later be called Jethro throughout the book of Exodus -The refer to him as an Egyptian which probably highlights that his appearance was in keeping with his royal place _ He calls Moses to join them (A proper right of hospitality) D. Moses Accepted in Midian Exodus 2:2122 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. -While Moses was cast off from Egypt and Israel in Midian he finds a new home -He is given a wife -He has a son -His name has been interpreted in two ways -Moses is a sojourner in Midian Moses was a sojourner in Egypt -Based on the context it seems best to see him highlighting the fact that he has now found his home having been cast out of his old life -This also parallels the fact God will continually refer to his people as sojourners in Egypt awaiting their new home -just as we are sojourners -For Moses though at the end of our text His life is good He is settled in a new land with a new family, but life back in Egypt has not gotten any better II. The Covenant Faithfulness of the True God (23-25) Exodus 2:2325 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. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israeland God knew. -While Moses is living it up in Midian the Pharoah has died but the trials have not gone away -New King same problems -But into the seen we now have a glimpse into heaven -The time has come The final 3 verse of chapter 2 are the catalyst for all that is top come and a bridge to all that has been For through it all there is the question where is God -He blessed the midwives (but death continued) -He spared Moses (Oppression didnt end) -Where is God Its a serious question but also one the harkens back to genesis 15 Genesis 15:1316 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. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. -God will now act -4 Words describe this moment with God A. God Hears -The people actively Cry out for help -They seek salvation from their oppression -They acknowledge their inability to save themselves (Even Moses failed at this) -He was not deaf to their sorrow (This theme of crying and hearing will carry on throughout the OT) -His timing was active even in their suffering App: God Hears our suffering cries (Even if it doesnt feel like it) B. God Remembers -From their cries the text says he remembers -It is not that he forgot -Uses human language to convey a deeper meaning -IN remembering it highlights God is now going to bring about the covenant promise form Gen 15. It is a call back -It is also a reminder that the work he is going to do in Israel is not a new work, but a continuation of what he began in Abraham (We see this even in the parallels of Moses as a new Patriarch figure) App: God will never forget his promises to his children. Our salvation is secure even if it looks bleak C. God Saw -He saw his people -He saw them let that sink in, There is an intimacy in the text. -He sees his own (His people) D. God Knew He knew -The ESV gets this translation right, but leaving it objectless. -The final phrase her captures the sense of God at work. -He knew, we has about to act, he was at work, the time has come Two Cathedrals (2.22) Mrs. Landingham: Look at you, you're a boy king. You're a foot smarter than the smartest kid in the class. You're blessed with inspiration. You must know this by now, you must have sensed it. Look, if you think we're wrong, if you think Mr. Hopkins should honestly get paid more than Mrs. Chadwick, then I respect that. But if you think we're right, and won't speak up because you can't be bothered, well, god, Jed, I don't even want to know you. Jed: Mrs. Mueller gets half as much to teach band as Mr. Ryan does to coach crew? Mrs. Landingham: You're going to do it. Jed: Well, I didn't say that. Mrs. Landingham: Yes, you did. Jed: When? Mrs. Landingham: Just then. You stuck your hands in your pockets. You looked away and smiled. That means you made up your mind. Gods Mind is made up, His sovereign plan from the beginning told to Abraham is now about to begin, but he will need to call a man to lead his people out of bondage, and what better choice is there, then their failed would be savior living it up as a shepherd in Midian. God will succeed in enacting justice where Moses failed So what do we do with all this: We learn that our plans are not the same as Gods plan We learn that suffering is not the same as being left alone by God We see Christ suffer for us to bring us salvation We learn that we have a God who will not forsake us And it is not because we are so Great it is because he is so merciful If we are in Christ his promise are for us If you are a believer then He is a God who Hears, remembers, sees and knows Even if you dont you can trust he does He works all things according to his timing In the full ness of time Christ came bringing salvation (many generations removed from Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEEUy25MXCs&t=6s

As we dive into Exodus 2 we are witnessing one of the greatest contests of strength in history. In one corner stood Pharaoh, and Pharaoh had a plan, kill every Hebrew baby boy. In the other corner was the Lord, who also had a plan, save one baby boy and through him save a nation. Pharaoh had power, soldiers, and an army on his side. God had a crying baby in a waterproof basket. Guess who won? Our passage today, Exodus 2:110, is the story of Moses birth, how God took the weakest thing imaginable and used it to topple the strongest empire in the world. But Exodus 2:110 is not just the story of Moses, its the story of a God who delivers His people through unlikely means, and who can turn the place of death into the place of life. If He could do it then, He can do it for us now. Lets see these things for ourselves in the Scripture. See first The Birth of Moses (v1-4) Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Right away as the passage begins were introduced to Moses parents. Were not told their names yet, well find out later they are Amram and Jochebed, but what we are told is that they are Levites. This is not an insignificant detail, because it tells us that Moses, who is called by God to lead the people in all things spiritual, is himself from the tribe chosen by God to lead the spirituality of the nation.[1] That Moses will be a Levite by birth tells us as readers how he is qualified for the task of spiritual leadership. The next thing were told about Moses parents is that they married and had a son. If we forget how chapter 1 ended, we might be filled with warm fuzzies celebrating with them at the birth of a child. But if we remember the end of Exodus 1, about Pharaohs plan of death for all Hebrew baby boys, were not filled with warm fuzzies but filled with dread for this newly married couple because we fear what might happen to their child. But in their action we see great courage. During the desperate times of Exodus 1, these two dared to marry and conceive, knowing they might give birth to a boy. But on they went, the moment came, and sure enough, the baby was a boy. And what a boy he was! See that detail in v2? The Mother looks down at her newborn baby and sees that he was a fine child, so she hid him for three months. That word fine doesnt mean the baby was beautiful instead of ugly, nor does it mean the baby was good instead of evil, no. Rather the word fine in v2 means the baby was healthy.[2] Many infants died just after birth, and so it seems the mother was worried about that, but when she looks at him she is happy to see him looking as well as a baby could. So what does she do? She hides him! Why? Because he was born under a death sentence and any moment some Egyptian might hear his cries, come get him, and cast him into the Nile.[3] The book of Hebrews confirms this in Hebrews 11:23 as it says, 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 kings edict. Why only hide him for three months? Because they must have thought they could hide him easily until about that time, when he would grow old enough, to be active enough, and loud enough to be noticed by others. So v3 says when she could hide him no longer, she did what no one guess! She hid him in the one place no Egyptian would ever think to look, the Nile river, the exact place where Hebrew baby boys were supposed to be cast into.[4] Thus in quite the clever way she can be said to have obeyed Pharaohs dreadful decree.[5] Two things are worth your attention here. First, do not miss what Moses is put in. It says in v3 that she took a basket made of bulrushes, covered it with bitumen (tar) and pitch to make it waterproof, and then put Moses in that basket and then put him in the river. The word for basket in the original Hebrew is the word tebah. This word is only used in one other portion of Scripture, in Genesis 6-9 where we find the description of Noah and the ark.[6] That small Hebrew word tebah is the word that's used again and again there for ark. Lesson? Moses mother places him in an little baby size ark! We're meant to see the connection here between Moses and Noah. They both were raised up by God to deliver Gods people, both were led by God into and out of danger to a new location, where Gods people would be established, as a new stage of God's redemptive plan began.[7] Second, consider the mothers motives here. The passage does not tell us what the mother is thinking in this action of hiding Moses in the river. We could just say that God put this plan into her heart for reasons only known to Him.[8] That would be true, but I think we can say more. I think to her she was doing the best she could to protect Moses in this little ark. And the river was a great place to hide him. The thickness of the reeds on the riverbank, the noise of the water and the animals around it would all be contributing factors to hiding the noise of the baby. By doing this she could continue to care for him, keep watch over him from a distance, visit him, and even nurse him when no one was nearby.[9] And we learn more in v4. Up to this point we might think Moses is an only child, but now we find out he has an older sister. Shes unnamed here but well learn later on that her name is Miriam. For now, just see his sisters actions in v4. She stood at a distance to know what would come of her brother. Apparently this was something of her custom to do, staying off at a distance, watching to be aware of anything that happened to him. At this point were left wondering, what will happen to him? Will he be alright? Will he be eaten by crocodiles? Will he be found by someone else? Will he survive? To find out we must turn to see the rest of our passage and our second heading. Weve seen the birth of Moses, now see The Preservation of Moses (v5-10) 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.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.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?And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. So the girl went and called the child's mother.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.When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he becameher son. She named him Moses, Because, she said, Idrew him out of the water. So weve seen the birth and the plan to hide Moses in a spot on the river where he was unlikely to be discovered. But then in v5-6 another important woman comes into the view, a daughter of Pharaoh. She comes down the river to bathe and lo and behold, she sees the basket and finds Moses. She gets the basket, hears the baby crying, opens it, sees its a Hebrew baby boy, andwhat? We as readers think that the death of Moses is near at hand. Right? Thats supposed to happen when an Egyptian finds a Hebrew baby boy. But surprise of all surprises, in direct violation of her fathers command Pharaohs daughter has compassion on the baby. Moses sister must have been close enough to see this play out, and notice Pharaohs daughters compassion toward the baby. Maybe she even heard her express worry in words like Oh no, hes crying, or Hes probably hungry, or I cant leave him like this.[10] Whatever she heard and saw, at this point Moses sister comes nearer and in v7 says, Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?Of course, she knows who would be a perfect fit for this job. And Pharaohs daughter responds with one word, Go. So off she went to fetch her mother. Can you imagine what that conversation wouldve been like? She bursts into the home, sees their mother and says, An Egyptian woman, one of Pharaohs daughters has found Moses! You have to think their mother was terrified at what that meant, but as she heard the whole story she surely wouldve been calmed and convinced that now she must go out and come face to face with what used to be her worst fears.[11] We see the conversation between Moses mother and Pharaohs daughter in v9. Here another surprise comes. Whether there was more to this conversation or not, what we see in v9 is that Pharaohs daughter telling Moses mother that she will pay her to nurse the child. Which means two massive things. Not only does she no longer need to hide Moses, but also she could now openly care for him without worry. As wonderful as this news wouldve been, there was a sharp edge to it. One day in the future Pharaohs daughter would take Moses away from them, for Moses to grow up in Pharaohs own house. Even so, if she never sees him again, she is hoping a childhood growing up in the palace would not lead to working in the Hebrew slave camps. How crazy is this? One of Pharaohs own children delivers a Hebrew child who would later save Gods people from slavery to Pharaoh.[12] Only God could write such a story of redemption. That moment comes in v10, see it? The time came, Moses grew older, Moses mother brought him to Pharaohs daughter and he became her son. And she names him Moses, saying Idrew him out of the water. The name seems prophetic doesnt it?[13] Just as Moses was drawn out and saved from the waters of the Nile, so too will Moses one day draw out and save the Israelites from the Egypt itself. But it has more than just this meaning. The name Moses also means son of. It was a common ending to many names of Egyptian Pharaohs like Thutmose meaning son of Thut, Atmose meaning son of At, and Rahmose meaning son of Rah. That Moses is merely the ending means his name is just son of. So the text itself leaves us wondering, whose son will he be? He was born a Hebrew, will he be a son of Israel? Hes going off to be raised in Pharaohs palace, will he be a son of Egypt? We know the answer of course, Exodus shows us and the book of Hebrews tells us briefly in Hebrews 11:24ff, By faith Moses, when he was grown up,refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoythe fleeting pleasures of sin.He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking tothe reward. Church, we now get to see this play out before our very eyes as we keep on going in Exodus. Conclusion: I end with this thought: sometimes Gods greatest works begin in the most impossible places. The birth of Moses doesnt happen in a time of peace and comfort, it happens under a death sentence. Pharaohs decree has just gone out: every Hebrew boy is to be thrown into the Nile. The river that gives Egypt life has become a place of death. Into that darkness, a nameless couple has a child theyre not supposed to keep. We might expect the story to be about their courage or their ingenuity, but its really about something else: the quiet, hidden hand of God. A basket floating in the Nile becomes an ark of salvation. The daughter of Pharaoh, the one who should be the enemy, becomes the rescuer. And the little baby who should have been drowned will one day stand before the king and lead a nation out of slavery. The parallel to the birth of Jesus is clear. Moses is a savior, but he is not the Savior.[14] What Pharaoh was to Moses, Herod is Jesus. What his mother and sister are to Moses, Mary and Joseph are to Jesus. In both instances God sovereignly watches over and preserves the life of the little one who will emerge as the one chosen by God to save Gods people from their sins, either the sins of others (as in Moses case) or from their own sins (as in Jesus case).[15] So, what do we do with this? First, we must remember that God still works like this today.The same God who brought life out of the Nile and hope out of a manger is the same God at work in your life right now. Maybe you feel like youve been pushed into the reeds. Abandoned, vulnerable, exposed. But what looks like the end to you may just be the beginning to God. The hidden hand of God is not gone from you. Second, we must remember thatGod delights to use weak things.A crying baby, a worried mother, a watchful sister, even the compassion of a pagan princess, these were the instruments God used to defeat Pharaoh. In the same way, He takes our weaknesses, our small faith, our trembling obedience, and He weaves them into His mighty plan. Dont despise the day of small things. Dont even despise the smallness of what you can do. God delights to use weak things for more than you could ever imagine. Third, we look to Jesus. Moses was drawn out of the water so that one day he could draw out Gods people from slavery. But Jesus was drawn out of death itself so that He could draw us out of the slavery of sin. What Moses began, Jesus finished. And where Moses points us to hope, Jesusisour hope. So Christian, take heart If your life feels like chaos, He can bring order. If you feel dark, He can bring light. If you see nothing but death, He can bring resurrection. The same God who wrote Moses story is still writing yours. God still turns rivers of death into rivers of life. He still takes what is weak and makes it strong. He still delivers His people through unlikely means. And just as Moses was drawn out of the water, and Jesus was raised up from the grave, so too will God draw you out and bring you safely home on that final day. Thats the hope of Exodus 2, and thats the hope of the gospel. [1] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus NAC (Brentwood, TN: BH Publishing, 2006) 86. [2] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 51-52. [3] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 41. [4] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 16. [5] Durham, 16. [6] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 20. [7] Stuart, 88. [8] Currid, 53. [9] Stuart, 89. [10] Stuart, 92. [11] Stuart, 92. [12] Currid, 54. [13] Hamilton, 23. [14] Ryken, 49-50. [15] Hamilton, 26.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNC8XdTd_ow

I take a daily nap. I wake up quite early and so around 2pm-ish I tend to run out of steam. So I lay down on the floor in my office, set an alarm, and take 10-12 minute quick nap. It does much to refresh me to finish the day strong. The other day I did this, and I must have been in a deep nap, because I woke up and I didnt know where I was, who I was, or what I was doing. Anyone ever done that? It was an eery feeling for sure, at least for 5 seconds or so when I came to and realized what was going on. Now imagine this, imagine waking up one day to find that your government now sees you as a threatjust because of your ethnicity, your family size, and your background. Imagine this was no surreal dream but your new reality. What would you do with that? Such is the state of Israel in the end of Exodus 1. Meat: Last week we began our trek through the book of Exodus, looking at the basics of the book and the beginning of the book. Today we carry on, looking at the rest of chapter 1:8-22. There is much in this passage that will disturb us. But much that will give us hope and peace and rest in the Lord. See first Pharaohs Fearful Distress (v8-10) Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too might for us. 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. Right away in v8 were told a new Pharaoh has taken over. This means a huge political shift has taken place in Egypt.[1] But though this new king is quite likely the most powerful person on the planet at this time, notice how Moses doesnt tell us his name? In fact, all throughout this passage we dont learn his name. Why is this? I think its because as powerful and threatening as this Pharaoh will be to Israelin the grand scheme of things, hes small news. Yes hell do immensely wicked things to Gods people, but compared to God, this king is nothing. We need to remember that. By not giving us his name, Moses is subtly reminding us of that. Now, the first thing we learn about this new Pharaoh is that he, in v8, did not know Joseph. Does this mean the new king wasnt aware of Joseph? Or does it mean he once knew of him but has since forgotten about Joseph? No, I think this refers to something else. I think the phrase did not know Joseph refers to the new kings refusal to acknowledge and honor the life and legacy of Joseph in Egypt.[2] The closing chapters of Genesis show us how crucial Joseph was to Egypts survival during the great famine. How Joseph was made the right hand of Pharaoh and ruled over all of Egypt. That is not a small deal, Joseph was a foreigner to Egypt and yet he is the one ruling over all Egypt such that only Pharaoh himself was over Joseph? By the time of Josephs death you can be sure that his life and legacy was honored and celebrated by Egypt. But what happened in v8? A new king had taken over. A new king comes with not only new policies and procedures, a new king comes with a new agenda. And I think this Pharaohs agenda is clearout with the old and in with new. What does this mean for Israel? It means theyre no longer a favored and loved people living in peace. Theyre now foreigners in a country ruled by one who hates foreigners.[3] Only a Pharaoh bent on tearing down and destroying Josephs legacy would commit the wicked acts in the rest of this chapter. Bottom line: Israel is in trouble. And thats exactly what we see in v9-10 as the new Pharaoh makes a speech which contains a new kind of anti-Israel rhetoric. He says theyre too many and too mighty, so they now pose a threat to Egypt. And with words that sound all too similar to the builders of the tower of Babel, Pharaohs conclusion is Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest Israel keep growing and join our enemies if war breaks against us. Plain and simple, these are fear tactics.[4] The new king wants to get rid of numerous Israelites, so he changes the rhetoric about them from a peaceful group of foreigners dwelling in Goshen to a hostile nation of foreigners eager to destroy Egypt. This isnt all that surprising, is it? Most nations today tend to be afraid of losing power to outsiders, thats what the new king is doing in Egypt. Hes sounding the alarm in v9-10, carefully crafted to win the hearts of the nation, and begin his campaign of oppression against Israel.[5] Before we move on, notice the last phrase in v10. Pharaoh wants to deal shrewdly with Israel lest they keep growing, join with their enemies and fight against them, all in order to escape from the land? That seems like a strange motive for Israel doesnt it? Arent they content in Egypt? Theyve been there for years and years, growing slowly but surely under the blessing of God, and now all of the sudden they want to escape? On one hand this doesnt need to make sense. The new Pharaoh is inventing motives in Israel, saying theyll do all kind of things they wont do here in v9-10. But on the other hand, theres an issue with the English translation here I want to make you aware of. Most translations say something like escape from the land, or go up from the land or something like that. The actual Hebrew phrasing here literally reads, take possession of, overcome, or overwhelm. In the other OT places where this same phrasing is used its translated like that, but for some reason here it isnt. Now, if you re-read v10 with that literal meaning, I think we understand Pharaohs fear. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and overwhelm us, or take possession of the land. That is what the new king fears, that is why he sees Israel as a threat, and this is what inspires him to launch an all-out assault on the Israelites. Aiming not just to control their population but to exterminate them from the land.[6] So weve seen Pharaohs fearful distress, turn now to v11-22 to see Pharaohs Cruel Plans (v11-22) In this back half of our passage we see the cruelty of Pharaoh unfold. But be sure to recognize that it isnt one grand plan he executes or puts in motion, no. Its more like after one cruel plan fails, he engineers a crueler plan, followed by more failure, followed by more cruelty. He does this four times, ending with a plan of utter cruelty. This is sadly similar to the slow progression of the Nazis plans for the Jews from 1937-1945. They didnt begin with the Holocaust, but progressively grew in their wickedness until the end.[7] So too is the case here. Plan #1 in v11, Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. This is Pharaohs first attempt to stop Israel from growing so numerous. Because they had grown so much and become such a threat this new king decides to put them to work, afflicting them with heavy burdens. Specifically building the store cities of Pithom and Raamses. How would this reduce the population of Israel? For these cities to be built the men would have to leave their families for long extended periods of times, which would in itself cut down on the conceiving of children. Also, if the men are away building cities for Pharaoh who is going to care for the fields and crops and herds of Israel? Perhaps Pharaoh is thinking by removing the men hed also be creating something of a food problem also, resulting in the increase of poor health due to the lack of nutrition. Which in turn would create more problems. If the Israelites are getting weaker, they cannot function properly in an Egyptian labor camp, which was a setting where the weak and sick were tossed aside and left for dead. All of this, I think is in Pharaohs mind as he brings out the men to build these cities. But what resulted from this first plan? See v12, But the more they oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. Ironic isnt it? The more Pharaoh oppresses, despite the poor and vexing conditions Israel was enduring, the more they multiply. Pharaoh shows his blindness in this. There is simply no explanation for why Israel would thrive in such conditions. We the readers, on the other hand, know exactly why. God is caring for His people. What did Pharaoh do in response? He makes plan 2 in v13-14, So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 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. How hard these verses are to read. Its as if a chorus of labor reverberates from these two verses, repeatedly emphasizing the increasing brutality of these trials.[8] Bitter slavery, hard service, mortar and brick, all kinds of work, ruthless slaves. These tactics wouldve made those already weak and sick, even more weak and sick, perhaps even causing them to die from the severity. Surely as the following years unfolded there would be a visible diminishing of Israel in Egypt, right? Well, were not told of this exactly but it must be implied because something must prompt Pharaoh go from slavery to slaughter.[9] So clearly this second plan was failing to stop Israel from growing, so we see Pharaoh engineer a far crueler plan next. See plan #3 in v15-16, Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, Would 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. Hard and bitter labor hasnt produced Pharaohs desired results, so now he goes to murder. But not by his own hand, he asks the midwives to do it. Questions abound around these midwives.[10] One question concerns their own ethnicity. Were they Hebrew or Egyptian? v15 says Hebrew midwives, but this could also be translated midwives of the Hebrews. Their names seem more Hebrew than Egyptian, but if they were Hebrew how could they kill their own people? If they were Egyptian, would they dare disobey their king? Whether they were Hebrew or Egyptian, it wouldve put the midwives in positions of dreadful difficulty. Another question concerns their number. How could two midwives handle such a vast program of murder for such a vast people? The best explanation is that these two midwives functioned in roles like head nurses, in that they oversaw all the other midwives. Still, two seems like a small number to carry this message to all the others. Still another question concerns the plan to kill only the boys and not the girls. Here we wonder, if the boys are going to be killed what happens to Pharaohs workforce from the next generation? Wouldnt that undermine his plans? It would indeed. But it seems Pharaohs desire to exterminate is greater than his desire to build cities. All in all, if the boys are dead the Israelites cannot reproduce. And like so many other Pharaohs in history, it wouldve been likely that this Pharaoh simply wouldve taken all the women for himself.[11] What resulted from this third plan? See v17-21, But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children live? 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. So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Yikes. As soon as we read that the midwives fear God we know trouble is coming for them. Because of this, they will not render to Pharaoh what belongs to God. Rather than taking life, they protect it. However long it takes for Pharaoh to realize this third plan isnt working, He does, and calls them before him to explain themselves. And theywhat do they do? Do they lie in v19 about the Hebrew women being able to give birth more vigorously than Egyptian women? Some say so. Others do not. There is a lot of debate throughout Church history here (small groups would be a great place to trace through that). All in all, they faced an impossible choice here. I think the text itself is clear on how to view this. In v20-21 God blesses them for their actions, for fearing Him rather than Pharaoh. Thus we learn it is always wise and good to obey God, even if that means disobeying earthly rulers. Thats what the midwives did. They werent just eager to defy an earthly king, or even trying to be loyal to the Hebrews, they did what they did because they feared God.[12] So the story of these midwives is not the story of liars but the story of heroic resistance.[13] Theyre even named when the Pharaoh isnt.[14] Again irony is present here. These midwives save families through disobeying Pharaoh, so God rewards them with families of their own.[15] What does Pharaoh do next? He moves onto an even higher level of dark cruelty. See plan #4 in v22, 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. Here this slaughter of the innocents isnt told to just two midwives, but to all his officials. Into the Nile all the boys must go, and here chapter 1 ends. Yet, how interesting is it that while Pharaoh tries to destroy Israel through water, later at the Red Sea Israel will be saved through water while Pharaoh and his army are destroyed. Conclusion: This chapter is hard to see isnt it? The cruelty of Pharaoh is hard to stomach. Yet, as hard as it is, Id like to draw out one grand lesson from it for us today. Church, there is a gospel pattern to see here. Can you see it? As Moses the deliverer was born into this dark background, so too Jesus our Deliverer was born into a similarly dark background. The lives of both Moses and Jesus are threatened by a ruling king, at first secretly and then openly. Both children are rescued in the nick of time, while other children are slaughtered in a vain attempt to remove the perceived threat.[16] Lesson? Into our darkness, the light of redemption comes. This chapter ends with a river running red with the blood of innocent children. It ends with fear, cruelty, and silence from heaven, or so it seems. But what does chapter 2 begin with? A babys cry. Church, this is often how God works. In the darkest moments, He plants the seed of deliverance. When evil shouts loudest, God whispers through faithful midwives, mothers, and ordinary acts of obedience rooted in fear of the Lord. Hes not absent. Hes preparing the way. You may be in your own Exodus 1 seasonfacing injustice, pressure, or suffering that seems unending. But take heart.The God who sees your oppression is the same God who raises up a deliverer. Just as Moses was born against this dark background of Pharaohs making, so too Jesus came against the dark background of Herods making. And just as Moses would one day lead Israel out into freedom, so too,Jesus has come to free usfrom our sin, our shame, our suffering, and from every Pharaoh this world can throw at us. Perhaps what the Church needs every now and then is a new Pharaoh who doesnt know our Joseph to remind us where our hope truly is. So dont lose hope in the dark. The darker the night, the brighter His redemption will shine. Hold fast. Fear the Lord. And look to our great Deliverer, the Lord Jesus. [1]Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus NAC (Brentwood, TN: BH Publishing, 2006) 62. [2] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 7. [3] Stuart, 63. [4] Hamilton, 8. [5] Stuart, 64. [6] Stuart, 65-66. [7] Stuart, 66. [8] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 8. [9] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 34. [10] Ryken, 34-35. [11] Hamilton, 13. [12] Brevard S. Childs, The Book of Exodus (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004) 17. [13] Stuart, 73. [14] Stuart, 74. [15] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 47. [16] Childs, 21.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjCrBNo0X70

I love books. Many of you who know me know that, but what you might not know is that theres one part of every book that I enjoy a lot, and that is the introduction. Whether its called an introduction, a preface, a prologue, or a foreword, it is in this section where we the reader find out whats coming in the pages ahead. Consider the introduction to J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings. The prologue is called Concerning Hobbits and in these pages were introduced to the fanciful little creatures present in the entire tale. We learn about their history, about their culture and customs, about what excites them, what strikes fear into them, what frustrates them, and more. If you skip this prologue youll still read the same story, but itll take you more time to understand the hobbits and get acclimated to all characters in it. But, if you read the prologue youll be primed and ready to enjoy the epic tale that follows. The moral of the story is thisdont skip the introductions!! Now, I begin with this because today were beginning a new sermon series through the book of Exodus, and since were beginning a new book today, introductory matters are in order. If were going to begin Exodus well, we need to understand some things about it, like who wrote it, who first read it, what its purpose is, and why its in our Bibles to begin with at all. So today is all about introductory matters! If you look at the bookmark you were given on your way in this morning youll see what were doing today. Ill begin with basic information about Exodus, and then finish by looking at the first passage of Exodus, 1:1-7 which shows us more about this grand book were beginning today. The Basics of Exodus The Title Many just assume the title of this second book in the Bible is Exodus, and it is, but its not quite that simple. In the original Hebrew the title of this book is just the first few words of the book, Va Elleh Sem וְאֵלֶּהשְׁמוֹת or in English, And these are the names This begs the question, where did the name Exodus come from? Answer: it came from the Greek translation of this book.[1] The Greek word for departure is exodos, so they chose this word as the title to highlight the plot and storyline of the book, Israels departure from Egypt. The Author Simply put, we believe Moses wrote Exodus.[2] There are a few reasons we believe this. First, all throughout Genesis-Deuteronomy we find its Moses in view. Moses being with God, Moses being told to write down what God told him, and Moses instructing the people of God. So we believe that to be the case, that what God told him to write down is what we have here in these first five books. Second, the rest of the OT believes Moses wrote these first five books. Every OT author after Moses points back to Law of God given through Moses as the rule and guide for all of life. And fourteen other OT authors refer to Moses by name and what he wrote down, and how Israel as a nation should turn back to his writing. Third, almost every NT author refers to Moses and what he wrote, with Jesus Himself being the primary example of this. Lastly, a case from history. That Moses wrote Genesis-Deuteronomy was a given until the dawn of the enlightenment when all sorts of things longed believed started to be doubted. All and all, we believe Moses is the author of Exodus. The Structure The book of Exodus is big, containing 40 chapters. Throughout these chapters we see many familiar and important events like the revelation of Gods name at the burning bush, the plagues God sends to Egypt along with the signs and wonders accompanying, the Exodus itself, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, the giving of the Law, the golden calf, Moses shining face, and the creation of the Tabernacle. There is certainly much to see here. But these 40 chapters contains two large sections, that are easy to spot. Exodus 1-18 presents Gods gracious redemption in Israels rescue out of Egypt. And Exodus 19-40 presents Gods gracious covenant with Israel at Sinai. These two large sections really do contain to two main events in this book as a whole: the Exodus and the giving of the Law. The View of God The book of Exodus is foundational for creating a proper view of God. What I mean when I say that is that the book of Exodus shows us foundational realities about who God is and what knowing and obeying God looks like. In all that happens throughout this book, we discover that the real hero of Exodus is God.so to read this book is to encounter God[3] as a God who reveals Himself to His people. There are many moments to choose from where this is clearly displayed. First of all we see this in chapter 3 at the burning bush, that God is the I AM, that He has aseity, that He is fully and gloriously independent, that He doesnt have to reveal Himself to us, but He does, and as He reveals Himself we learn about Him. About His nature and about His character. We see God reveal Himself in the plagues He brings against Egypt. Not merely that He is attacking Pharaoh in these plagues trying to get him to let Israel go. But that in each of the plagues God is contending with and crushing the gods of Egypt, showing all how He is far greater, far truer, and far stronger than all that the Egyptians place their hope in. We see God reveal Himself in His Law that He gives to Israel at Mt. Sinai. His character shines forth from His Law in wondrous ways, such that we see in the Law what God has done to save His people and give them an identity, what God values, what God desires, how God is pleased, and how God graciously orders the chaotic lives of all His people. One last example, we see God reveal Himself in the lofty statement about Himself in chapter 34, The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the childrens children, to the third and the fourth generation. Simply put, in Exodus we learn that God is a God who reveals Himself to His people. This is good news for us. That God would be so kind to continue to shape and refine our view of Him, is a gift of grace. That is why I say the book of Exodus does much to create a proper view of God. The Purpose When we look into the purpose of a book, what were really asking is why was this book written? Asking that question of Exodus gives us two answers. The first purpose of Exodus is to tell the story of Israels salvation and rescue from slavery in Egypt. This is the immediate context. In this immediate context well see many things and learn many lessons. Well see Israel in despair, in agony, and in suffering, crying out to God for rescue. In these moments well learn much about what to do in our own despair, agony, and suffering, and how we ought to cry out to God as well. Well also see Israel sin, grumble, and complain about their circumstances and trials again and again. In these moments well see much of our own sin, grumbling, and complaining. Well see Israels enemies come against them, and in these moments well learn much about how the world often comes against us. Well see Moses lead Israel, sometimes out of joy and other times out of anguish and anger at other times. In Moses well see much of ourselves too, as well as what life is like as a leader of Gods people. All this and more, is given to us in the immediate context. Second, there is another purpose of Exodus. Theres the immediate context of the book, weve already seen that, but we cannot stop with that. We look at Exodus to see the immediate context, yes, but when we look through Exodus at the rest of the Bible and we see the Christological context of the book. What I mean is this. Exodus gives us a preview of the gospel. As sinful and enslaved Israel is saved by God from Pharaoh only to plunder Egypt as they walk out in freedom, we see a great foreshadowing of our greater redemption. Our redemption is from a greater slavery in sin, from a greater Pharaoh in the Devil, and our redemption leads to a greater freedom in the defeat of all evil. We must embrace both of these contexts of Exodus. The immediate context shows us much about this moment in Israels history, while the Christological context shows us much about what this moment means in the whole story of the Bible. To focus only on the immediate context would be neglecting the whole Bible context, and to focus only on the Christological context would be neglecting the OT context. So we must see both. Know this. The Bible is a big book, and it is about a lot of things. But there is a central plotline. The big idea in all of Scripture is not that the cosmos is going to be renewed (though it will) or that God must be obeyed (though He should). The big idea in all Scripture is not that the Bible contains mysteries to be explored or a journey to be experienced. The central plotline in Scripture is about how God glorifies Himself in sinners being saved. Thus, salvation is the central theme of our reading of the Bible, preaching of the Bible, and the mission of the Church.[4] That is where Ill end our introductory matters for Exodus. If youd like more than what Ive given you here, come and ask me, I can give you certainly a lot more to explore the book of Exodus. For now see our second heading today The Beginning of Exodus Now we begin the text. Follow along as I read Exodus 1:1-7. These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. There are two big ideas to see in these verses. The first is that the story continues on. This initial passage here serves as a bridge between Genesis and Exodus, reminding us that the story God began in Genesis is still developing in Exodus. So v1-7 connects the two books, reminding us of what has been, while also bringing us up to speed with the current moment. Specifically, while Genesis ended with an extended look at Joseph and his brothers and how they got to Egyptnow we learn its longer just the sons of Abraham in view, but a strong a numerous people.[5] In other words, what were being told here is that the story no longer is just about a family, but about a nation.[6] The second big idea to see in these verses is the immense growth of the Hebrew people. This really stands out in v7. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. All the main words and verbs in v7 bring us back to the early chapters of Genesis. To Genesis 1:28 where God blesses Adam and Eve, and instructs them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Note that in Genesis this was a command, and that here in Exodus we find these same words not as a command but as a description of what was happening. This means the Hebrews were being faithful to God, doing what they were supposed to be doing. But not only so. Yes they were being obedient to Gods original call, but this highlights more than just their obedience, it highlights Gods faithfulness to His promises made to Abraham. Moses desires we see more than a hint of miraculous growth, he wants us to recall a promise![7] In Gen. 1 Adam received the command to be fruitful and multiply. In Gen. 9 Noah received the command as well. But in Gen. 12-17 Abraham receives, not a command but a promisethat God would multiply his descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore. v7 shows us that God has kept this promise. Even though it was centuries later the family of Abraham has become a vast people. What a lesson there is for us in this, Church. God made a promise and kept His promise, yes. But it was years and years and years before His faithfulness was evident and visible. Lesson? God has made us many promises in the gospel. The gospel itself is a promise of a coming redeemer to crush the snake and save us from our sins. He made this promise long ago in the Garden and has kept in Christ the Son. In Christ, God has now made more promises to us. To keep us, grow us, sanctify us, be with us, and one day return for us. Though the cruelness and severity of life can truly make it seem like God is distant, or does not care, or has abandoned us, we must remember v7. God might seem slow to keep His promises, but He always does. Thus, we can always trust Him. Conclusion: So what have we seen today? Weve seen that Exodus is not a self-contained story on its own but is the continuation of the story that began in the beginning of the book of Genesis.[8] And now its a story God is moving into its next chapter. And yet, as weve said, Exodus shows us much about the gospel. So much that Luke picks up the very word exodus itself to describe the work Jesus came to do. In his own description of the transfiguration, Luke says this in 9:30-31, And behold, two men were talking with Him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Did you hear it? When Luke wants to describe the work of Jesus in dying for, rising for, and redeeming sinnersthe word Luke uses is exodus! So in the book of Exodus as we see God rescue Israel, we get a preview of the work of Christ. But there is even more of Christ to see in Exodus. There is one verse that just might change our whole view of the Exodus event. In the small letter of Jude, near the end of the NT, he refers to the Exodus in v5 and speaks of Jesus who saved a people out of Egypt. So in Exodus we not only get a preview of the work of Christ, according to Jude 5 the Exodus itself is the work of Christ! All in all, Church, we live in a culture that often forgets its history. Why should we care about a 3,000-year-old book about a bunch of slaves being rescued? Because the God of Exodus is still writing stories of rescue today, with you and with me. We arent in bondage to Pharaoh, but all of us are oppressed by sins of all kinds. Exodus tells us: God is a God who saves, rescues, and brings chaos into beauty. Exodus invites us to rediscover not only ourselves as sinners, but God as Savior, the One who moves heaven and earth to rescue His people. So as we journey through Exodus, lets expect God to move in power, expect Him to speak, expect Him to work in marvelous ways. Prayer: Lord, bless our time in Exodus, beyond what we can ask or imagine, we pray in Jesus name, amen. [1] Matthew R. Newkirk, Exodus A 12 Week Study (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 7. [2] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 2831. [3] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for Gods Glory Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 20. [4] Kevin DeYoung, Daily Doctrine (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024) 236. [5] Currid, 35. [6] Currid, 38. [7] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 5. [8] Brevard S. Childs, The Book of Exodus (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004) 2.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t--K2ScriY

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XevLSyOVV3M

Praying & Not Losing Heart Luke 18:1-8 Introduction: Ill never forget the day when my children were born. I experienced this three times now and each one was different and unique in their own way. When Jack was born Holly and I didnt have a clue what to expect. So there we were, the birth went great, Holly did great, and we were new parents. After the initial birth moments and protocol they took Jack over to a table to examine him to confirm if he was healthy or not, and the first thing they did was gently hit him with this rubber instrument to get him to cry. Apparently, this is important because a newborn babys first cry helps clear the lungs of fluid, signals that the baby is breathing on their own, and ensures that oxygen is properly circulating through the body. Well, Jack was a very calm newborn. When they took him over and started gently hitting him with this rubber thing he didnt cry, he just gave them a general look of displeasure, that said, Excuse me, why are you hitting me? They kept it up and eventually he did cry out, and they were satisfied that he was fine. Why tell you this? Well, Jacks first act of crying out is a lot like prayer. How so? As the first sign of life in a baby when theyre born is the act of crying out, so too the first sign of life in a man or woman when theyre born again is praying.[1]As soon as conversion happens the new child of God naturally cries out to our Father in heaven. Prayer, then, is one of the clearest marks of a true Christian. Weve covered a lot in our summer series on the marks of a healthy church. Weve looked at expository preaching, gospel doctrine, conversion, evangelism, church membership, church discipline, discipleship, and leadership. Today we come to the topic of prayer. Meat: Rather than simply discussing prayer as a topic on its own, Ive chosen to go to a favorite text of mine to show you prayer in action. The text is Luke 18:1-8. Ive broken the text up into three headings for us. See first The Point (v1) And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. To really lean into the glory of v1 we must look before it and dip into chapter 17. There in Luke 17 Jesus was asked when the Kingdom of God would come, and when He would return. Jesus answer is hard but honest and encouraging. In v22 Jesus answered saying, The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. He goes on to say that the days of His return will be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Where so many reject the Lord, give way into sin without abandon, and will be suddenly swept away like the generations of the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. So before Christ returns there will be times of great pain and suffering, and we His people will eagerly desire His return, but well have to wait in faith until that great day and not lose heart.[2] Go back to Luke 18 here before us. In v1 Jesus has much to say to us about this. Directly after speaking about His return, you know what we find? We find the words of 18:1, And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. That 18:1 comes after the content in chapter 17, means, in this present time were in right now, we will suffer, unbelief will rise, and there will be many reasons to stop praying and to lose heart, reasons outside of us and reasons inside of us. Outside of us, the world and its lostness and sin and ill-intent toward the Church will cause many to lose heart and abandon the faith. Inside of us, well also face many temptations to stop praying and lose heart. We might truly desire to pray for all the lostness we see in the world, but we could very easily grow callous to it all, becoming more eager to see Gods judgment come down than Gods grace and mercy to be embraced. Or, we may truly desire to pray, but we struggle to believe that God wants to do anything with the world anymore. Or, we may truly desire to not lose heart, but we sense our heart growing more inclined to the sinfulness of the world and so our desire to pray slowly evaporates. Or, we pray for God to provide and as far as we can see it doesnt seem like He has heard us. Or, we pray for a loved one to come to Christ and they grow in their hostility towards Christ. Or, we pray for our own growth and yet we just cant seem to get out of certain ruts. Putting all of this together, we all could very easily lose heart. Jesus knows this. And so He kindly gives us this parable to enable us to keep heart, and to help us to keep on praying even when we might want to give up. Thats the main idea here today. Dont you love how its just given to us right there in v1? Its clear as day what this is all about. Well, now that we know the point, lets hear the parable. The Unjust Judge (v2-5) He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Give me justice against my adversary. For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. Every good story has easy to spot main characters, and here we have just that, a judge and a widow, a man and a woman, one in a position of power and the other in a position of great need.[3] We learn about the judge first, and from all we see he looks less than promising.[4] So much so some even call this parable, the parable of the unjust judge. Clearly then, the character of this judge is in sharp contradiction to his calling. 2 Chronicles 19 is often used as the standard for all judges when it says in v6-7, Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking bribes. The description we have of this judge shows he lacks what is needed to be a judge. He could care less about fearing God and could care less about respecting man. Now Ive never been too law school, Ive never been a judge and very likely wont ever be a judge, but it seems to me this guy isnt a good judgebecause if its justice youre after, clearly the fearing and honoring the God of justice on one hand and respecting men and women enough to see no one suffers from injustice on the other hand would do a great deal of good. Yet ironically enough, this judge is aware of how unfit he is. In v4 he admits to these very things! So this is the judge. We learn about the widow next. From everything we see of her, its easy see how desperate her situation is. So much so some even call this parable, the parable of the persistent widow. She is a bit more complex than the judge. The main thing to see is that she is a widow, which in this culture wouldve made her one of the most helpless and defenseless people in society.[5] Widows were often abused, oppressed, neglected. Think of the some of the more well-known widows in Scripture. Among many others, Naomi and Ruth come to mind first for me. Both were in a dire situation, and if it werent for the kindness of Boaz they wouldve likely met a quick end. This widow here is similar. Now, dont miss one more thing about this widow, because it creates the conflict Jesus will use to teach us about prayer. This widow was wronged. It says she kept coming to this judge for justice and it mentions her adversary/enemy in v3. Whatever it was that happened, she had been the victim of grave injustice. But she was a poor widow, so she couldnt bribe this judge, and no one else came to her defense, so she did the only thing she could do, plead for justice, and plead she did. In v5 we see it happening. She was so persistent in her pleading it prompted a response from the judge. He speaks in v5 saying, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. The judge was bothered by her continual pleading with him about her case. But theres more to it than just him being bothered. The phrase here beat me down is an unusual Greek phrase which literally means to strike or blacken ones eye.[6] See what Jesus means for us to understand in this? The widow came to the judge and pleaded so much with him that he began feeling beat up by her, as if they were in a boxing match and she was winning. So even though she came to him pleading her cause, she pleads so effectively that the judge actually gives in, pleads with her to stop, and executes justice on her behalf. Thats the parable. Now see where Jesus takes it. The Just Judge (v6-8) And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Now we come to it, the grand lesson of the parable for all who read it. But perhaps its best to begin with a caution. Please do not interpret this is a manner that makes God out to be like this judge. As if the point of the parable was simply that if we pester and bother God enough, like this widow, God will give into our requests because hes so sick of our persistence in prayer. Dont do that. The parable isnt meant to be a one-to-one correlation, but a lesson of contrast.[7] A how much more kind of argument. Meaning, if the unjust judge grants the request of the widow, how much more will God, the Just Judge over all, always and ever more give justice to His people as they cry out to Him? How much more can God be relied on than this wicked judge who only doled out justice when it served his own desires and comfort? If there is hope in such a case as this one before us, how much better will it go for us when we are coming before the Lord knowing that were His people? You see, God is not like this judge. The judge here is described in a manner that undermines all our confidence in him. Being one who doesnt fear God nor have any respect for man he is exactly what a judge shouldnt be![8] God on the other handis exactly what a judge should be. God is good. God is gracious. God loves His own. God is just. Abraham was right when he confidently spoke the words of Genesis 18:25 saying, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? Yes He shall! The early Church father Cyril of Alexandria, speaking on this parable said, How will not he who loves mercy and hates iniquity, and who always gives his helping hand to those that love him, accept those who draw near to him day and night and avenge them as his elect?[9] Church, this contrast between the unjust judge and God is meant to do something to us. Remember v1? And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Thus, what we learn of God in this parable is meant to encourage us toward a deeper and more fervent and more persistent prayer. Consider how some of the content of this parable does just that. First, God is just. For God to be just not only means He always does what is right. It means what He does is always the standard of what is right. This means no one ever receives injustice from God. If one believes in Christ and is redeemed they receive mercy from God, and if one rejects Christ and is damned they receive justice from God. The one thing no one ever receives from God is injustice. Why? Because God is just. Now apply this to prayer. In the world even though judges and lawyers work hard, sometimes cases end unjustly. Maybe the wrong guy gets punished, maybe the bad guy goes free, maybe no one gets what they deserve. That God is just means we always have One who will hear us, always have One who will defend us, always have One who will work to right wrongs done against us, and always have One who will bring matters to a just end. Even if the whole world turns against us, we always have Gods ear, and we can always trust that He will bring every matter to conclusion in the end. Thus, we can always pray in great hope, because God is just. Second, God is sovereign. How fascinating that Gods sovereignty is included in this parable? In v7 we are referred to as Gods elect, Gods chosen people. This is not really the time or the text to go into a massive explanation of the doctrine of election and predestination. But I will say this. Many people take issue with this doctrine, saying it robs us of our free will, that it makes it robots, and that it drains the desire to evangelize and to even pray. Dont miss it Church. Jesus Himself uses the truth of our election to spur us onto deeper and more fervent and more persistent prayer. How does this work? What does election mean for how we pray? Our election ought to remind us that we are not like this helpless widow. We are the chosen of God, the very ones He set His love on from before the foundation of the world.[10] That were saved isnt some accident, or result of any decision weve made, no. Our salvation is from the Lord, rooted in Gods grace in Christ given to us in eternity past, that carries us into eternity future. This widow was truly helpless, we are not. Prayer brings us before the God who knows us, cares for us, greatly loves us, and the God who has promised to never us let go! Sovereign election drains our desire to pray? Hogwash! Gods elect are described here as a people who cry out to God day and night[11], because, election precisely gives us great confidence in prayer![12] Third, God is our Father. Look at the v7b-8, Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. In these words I hear the reminder that God is our Father. Just as any good earthly father desires to hear their childrens concerns and do whatever is in their power to help them, so too God, as our Father, loves to hear us and wants us to know Hes working speedily for us. You see that little detail there? He will not delay long, but will come through! Yes, His timing is not our timing, true. Yes, God doesnt always answer our prayer exactly as we desire Him to. And yes, He may delay in answering us. But any difference in answer or delay in timing from God doesnt mean denial or dismissal.[13] After all, in the gospel God becomes heavenly Father. Church, though much can cause us to lose heart and give up on prayer, here is what this parable teaches us: dont lose heart, but keep on praying. Why? Because God is just. God is sovereign. And God is our Father in the gospel, who will always hear us and come to our aid. Conclusion: Theres one more matter to attend to here isnt there? See it in the end of v8? Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? What is this? Its so like Jesus to end a parable with a surprising twist. But on further thought, its not all that surprising.[14] He had discussed His return in chapter 17, and had just told us here to keep persevering in prayer until that day. Now though, we find a question about the state of things at His return. Heres the gist: when the Son of Man comes as He promised in chapter 17, will Jesus find His people praying like He taught us here in chapter 18? Or will His people have lost heart and stopped praying? In one sense this question is easy to answer. Yes, Jesus will find robust and prayerful faith when He returns because He will keep His people till the end. But in another sense, here is the most pointed question for us: when Jesus returns, will He find you still praying? Still trusting? Still crying out? Not because youre so strong, but because He is so faithful. [1] J.C. Ryle, Practical Religion (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2013) 61. [2] R.C. Sproul, Luke, St. Andrews Expositional Commentary (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2020), 453. [3] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke 13-24, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR, 2009), 246. [4] John Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, WBC (Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1993), 867. [5] Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, 619. [6] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 868. [7] Norval Geldenhuys, The Gospel of Luke, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972), 446. [8] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 871. [9] Quoted in Ryken, Luke 13-24, 248. [10] Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, 620. [11] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke, vol. 2 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2015), 18990. [12] Ryken, Luke 13-24, 249. [13] Ryken, 250. [14] Ryken, 253.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNOS3zrdrRI

Biblical Leadership Hebrews 13:17 Introduction: We have set aside the summer for a sermon series on the marks that make up a healthy church. We have been going through these marks, not just because SonRise is a part of the 9Marks church network, but because we believe these marks are the ingredients that make a healthy ministry. Weve looked at expository preaching, gospel doctrine, conversion, evangelism, church membership, church discipline, and discipleship. Today we come to biblical leadership. To begin exploring this topic Id like you to take you on a brief tour of the history of western civilization. Its possible to define the history of the western world in three large time periods. First is whats called the premodern world, where it was commonly accepted by all that God had all the answers. So if anyone wanted to know the truth, have meaning, or gain a sense of purpose or identity they would look to God to show them the proper path. Then the renaissance or the enlightenment happened and ushered the premodern world into the modern world. In the modern world no longer was it believed that God had the answers. For the first time in history, it was commonly accepted by all that man had all the answers. So if anyone wanted to know the truth, have meaning, or gain a sense of purpose or identity they would look to themselves. This time period went on for a while and gave rise to some of the worst leaders in world history. Dictator after dictator burst onto the scene saying I have the answers, follow me! Masses and masses of people followed these leaders and died because of them. Slowly but surely people began growing weary of those who abused authority by claiming to have all the answers. This weariness gave rise to the next revolution of thought and culture. The modern world which believed man had all the answers became postmodern world where people didnt want answers. No longer do we look to leaders to give us truth, meaning, or a sense of purposepostmodern man doesnt think truth, meaning, or purpose really matters. Truth is relative and different for each person they say. This postmodern revolution still rages on today and largely at the center of it is a suspicion of authority, so much so in our day the exercise of authority is thought of as the abuse of authority. I begin by discussing this history because when it comes to this mark of a healthy church, when it comes to church leadership, one thing comes squarely into view authority. Our text to examine biblical leadership is Hebrews 13:17, you heard it read earlier, now lets take the time to walk through it slowly, phrase by phrase, seeing what God calls us to in it. Meat: Three headings work through: the duty of the people, the duty of the elders, and the shared delight of both. The Duty of the People In chapter Hebrews 13, v17 comes to us within the larger context of 13:10-21 where God gives instructions for how His people are to do life within His Church. The instruction in view in v17, obedience and submission, is the third one mentioned in this larger passage.[1] The same leaders the author calls us to consider and imitate back in 13:7, he calls us to submit to and obey in v17. See this for yourself in the first phrase of v17, Obey your leaders and submit to them I know the words obey and submit may bring negative ideas such as a strong leader forcing a weak follower to do something they dont want to do, or a leader intentionally making someone feel underneath or lesser than they are. Maybe even the idea of physical or emotional abuse comes to mind when you hear these words. This is not whats in view in this idea of obedience and submission. Rather the call for people to obey and submit to these leaders is a call to have a certain kind of heart attitude toward the leadership of the church. This kind of heart attitude is one of confiding in, trusting in, relying on, placing hope and confidence in, to yield to, willingly being convinced by, believing, assenting to, to listening to, and even following. All of these are possible translations for this first phrase in v17. These images describe what the character and behavior of every person within the local church ought to look like. Rather than seeing the leaders of the church as simply managers of people and programs, were called by God to see the leaders (specifically the elders of the church) as set apart and gifted men of God who are called by God to lead the people of God. So in a very real and weighty sense, to not obey and submit to them is to not obey and submit to God. Of course this duty of obedience and submission is not a call to a blanket obedience and submission.[2] If any of the elders, ever call you to do something the Bible forbids, or call you to not do something the Bible commands, it is your duty to disobey in order to obey God. Sadly, throughout history and even in our day, we dont have to look very far to find examples of this kind of pastoral abuse. Its often joked about but Jim Jones really did strong arm 900 of his followers into drinking poisoned Kool-Aid. Other more recent pastors of well known churches really did bully their congregations into submission for years before they were asked to resign. Whats the lesson here? If a leader ever calls you to something sinful or bullies you into submission, that leader is out of order and rather than leading with consensus and example theyre leading with command and coercion. But, insofar as the elders of a church lead and call you to live in line with the Bible, v17 says it is our duty and ought to be our first instinct to obey and submit to them. Paul asked the church in Thessalonica to do this very thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 saying, We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and admonish you and are over you in the Lord, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. When elders lead like this the church grows in peace, love, unity, and order is created within the church. But, questions might still remain. For example, why are the members of a church called to obey and submit to the elders of that church? Weve gotten hints of the reason, but the next phrase in Hebrews 13:17 clarifies it fully for us. So weve seen the duty of the people, now see The Duty of the Elders Look at the next phrase in v17, Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. As we saw leadership from the view of the people in the first phrase of v17, we now see leadership from the view of the elder in the second phrase of v17. The connecting word between the duty of the people and the duty of the elders is that little word for. The meaning is that the people should obey and submit to their elders for (or since or because) the elders are keeping watch over their souls. In other words the reason the people are to willingly obey and submit to the elders is because their elders are already willingly keeping watch over their souls. The obedience and submission of the people is a response to the watchful shepherding of the elders. This is the order presented to us in v17. Lets go a little deeper and ask what does keeping watch look like? The word translated as keeping watch is the Greek word agrupneo which literally means to keep awake. So v17 is really saying, Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are staying awake, or keeping awake, over your souls. These elders, therefore, are diligently doing a kind of pastoral care that caused them to stay awake or to lose sleep. Why would an elder lose sleep because of pastoral care you may ask? It could be that they lost sleep because true pastoral care demands being available at any hour of the night. Or it could be that they lost sleep because true pastoral care is sometimes so painful that it doesnt allow sleep to come easily. Both are likely in view, because both are an ever present reality for the elder. The image coming forth of this kind of pastoral care that elders willingly take on themselves is the image of a shepherd tending a flock. Remember the small detail given of the shepherds in the nativity story? They were keeping watch over their flocks by night (Luke 2:8).[3]Picture these shepherds. While the sheep sleep peacefully, they watch, scanning the horizon for predators, ready to defend them, even if it costs him. Thats the image Hebrews 13:17 wants us to carry when thinking of faithful elders. The elder to be ever watchful of the sheep. When multiple demands are pressing, when people are joining, when people are straying, when counsel is needed and accepted, when counsel is needed and given but rejected, when sermons have been prepared and preached, when much prayer has spent, its the elder who loses sleep over the congregation. You ever thought about this? For the elder, deep joy is truly had over those who are walking with the Lord and growing. The apostle John speaks of this in 3 John 4, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Yet the opposite is also true. Deep sorrow and grief is felt over those who are diving into sin, ignoring counsel, or slowly drifting away. Paul speaks of this when he says he feels a daily pressure and anxiety for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28). So, what does church leadership like? It looks like a group of elders willingly watching over and shepherding a congregation, experiencing daily joy mixed with grief over the congregation, which can and often does result in them losing sleep. As if the weightiness of pastoral work and care were not already heavy, the author of Hebrews brings it to a whole other level saying, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. Yes elders are shepherds of the congregation and are truly responsible to the congregation for how they shepherd. But there is a great Shepherd they must answer to, the Good Shepherd Himself, Christ. To Christ, then, every under-shepherd will have to give an answer for how he led, cared for, admonished, taught, pursued, counseled, and loved Christs sheep. 1 Peter 5:2-4 speaks of this weightiness also when it calls elders to, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. God truly gives the elders and increased responsibility but with that comes an increased accountability.[4] Knowing that God is ultimately the one with whom the elder has to deal, is also another reason why sleep can easily flee. Gods people are just that, His people. Elders dont have people, they shepherd Gods people. v17 doesnt end there. Weve seen the duty of the people, the duty of the elders, and now the author adds one more phrase to v17 and in that phrase we see our last point The Shared Delight of Both v17 ends by saying, Let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you. This final phrase calls the people to so live underneath the authority of their elders that the elders find shepherding them a joy and not a source of grief or groaning. Why? So all would benefit. The opposite of this is just as true. As all benefit when the people obey and submit, so too, all are wounded/stunted when the people disobey and refuse to submit. See here not only that personal actions have congregational implications, see here that God calls you to a shared delight with your elders. A delight that is deep and rich and joyful in the care of your soul. For the people to pursue this joy and for the elders to pursue this joy will profit the whole people.[5] Paul thanked the Philippians for this in Phil. 1:3-4, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy Paul thanked the Thessalonians for this as well, telling them in 1 Thess. 2:19-20, For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. And again in 1 Thess. 3:9, For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God I want to be careful here, lest too much is given to the elder. v17 has been abused from pastors all around the globe in strong arming congregations to bend to their own desires. When in reality, v17 is a call for pastors to have joy in serving and loving a people who take joy in having their souls attended to. Both the people and the elders must be willingly gracious with each other, or both their joy will be small. Conclusion: Let me sum all this up briefly. Paul, the apostles, and every elder ever since are not Christ. Christ is Christ. That is clear. But when elders lead like Christ, and the people submit to them like Christ, the joy of Christ abounds in all. True leadership within the Church and true membership within the Church is always a reflection of the gospel. What is the gospel? Its the good news that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:25-27). The love of Christ toward His Church is a costly love. Its a sacrificial love. Its a love loaded with good news. This gospel love is a model for how the elders are to lead and love the congregation as under-shepherds. This gospel love is also a model for how the people obey, submit to, and follow the elders. And this gospel love creates gospel joy among the congregation when both the elders and the people respond to one another as theyre called to. True leadership within the Church begins by the gospel, is upheld by the gospel, and lasts by the gospel. But, perhaps you think this is all too arranged, or structured and think because of this heavy structure that true love cannot be possible within the Church. People submitting and obeying, elders ruling and leading. Authority is too often abused, why cant we all just gather together and worship God? Why does there have to be any kind of authority or system of leadership in the church? Well, as much as some want to throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to authoritywithout the authority of elders the church would feel like a car with no controls, a busy intersection with no traffic lights, a board game with no rules, a home with no parents, and a road with no guard rails. A church without the authority of elders may go on for sometime, but in time it would not only become chaotic, it would become tragic.[6] Sure there are many bullies in the pulpit and these men will have to give an account for that one day, but dont overlook the fact that bullies can also exist in the pew. You may think its your calling to keep the pastor humble or in line, its not. Its your job to live joyfully under the leadership of the elders, and its the elders job to lead faithfully under the Great and Good Shepherd, Christ. Questions are in order: I ask my fellow elders: is this us? Do we lead SonRise in a manner that shows the sacrificial and costly love of Christ? How are laying your life down for the people? This is our call. I ask all the members of SonRise: is this you? Do you live in such a way to make it hard for your elders to lead you with joy? Do you follow and submit or do you bite back and vex? This is your call. Perhaps I can say it like this: Church leadership isnt about controlits about care. Its not about powerits about people. And the only way this kind of leadership can flourish is when its shaped by the cross, fueled by grace, and guided by the Chief Shepherd Himself. So lets pray for your elders, support them, follow them as they follow Christ. And lets strive together for the joy of a healthy, gospel-centered church. [1] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews, page 440. [2] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews An Anchor for the Soul, Preaching the Word Commentary, page 463. [3] Thomas Aquinas quoted Luke 2:8 in his own exposition of Hebrews 13:17, see Kent Hughes, page 463. [4] Ibid., page 464. [5] John Piper, Desiring God, page 306. [6] Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, page 255.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHwEX3uolro

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNMmwJ6sg1Q&t=4s

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atg0I3_6Hgg&list=PLyIh9eJuev_ycgYr83H73yiNW7AJsQZ8p

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGE0AT3b_48&list=PLyIh9eJuev_ycgYr83H73yiNW7AJsQZ8p

What Must We Do? - 1. The Gospel Proclaimed 2. The Heart Pierced 3. The Call to Repent 4. The Gift of the Spirit 5. The Marks of New LifeWatch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoXp-CRVpGE&list=PLyIh9eJuev_ycgYr83H73yiNW7AJsQZ8p&index=1