He Hears You (Exodus 2:23-25)

Jeremy Palma

Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Exodus 3

Exodus 2:23–25

Exodus 4:1–20

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Q: In the last few lessons, all of the teachers have been teaching you about one book of the Bible. What is that book?

A: Exodo (Spanish), Exodus (English). This is the second book of the Bible, after Genesis.

Q: What have you learned about in Exodus so far?

A: Answers may vary.

We will continue to learn about Exodus in this lesson, so I’ll refresh you at what point in the biblical story we’re in.

This story takes place in around 1450 BC, so 1450 years before Jesus was born. This means that this story happened almost 3500 years ago!

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, ends with a man named Joseph saving Egypt from a famine (a lack of food) and moving his whole family to Egypt. Joseph had the honor and respect of the pharaoh himself.

Later, a new pharaoh came to power who didn’t know about the good that Joseph’s family did for Egypt.

Rather than respecting Joseph’s family (the people of Israel), he turns them into slaves for Egypt.

Once the population of slaves got high, Pharaoh ordered for the all the male babies to be killed.

But one mother kept her baby out of compassion, and put him in a basket, and put the basket on the Nile River.

While Pharaoh’s daughter was in the river, she found this basket, and out of compassion, kept the baby.

Moses was educated in the Egyptian ways, but as he grew up, he got curious about his Hebrew heritage.

He saw an Egyptian hurting a Hebrew, got angry, and killed the Egyptian.

Moses found out that he was seen killing the Egyptian, and fearing the Pharaoh’s knowledge, fled.

Meanwhile, Israel was still suffering under slavery.

But God had not forgotten them...

Exodus 2:23–25 NKJV

Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

The main characters in this passage are the Israelites and God. The Israelites are important in this passage because they are in bondage, and God is important in this passage (and in every passage) because He is the One who listened to Israel's cries.

Egypt is important in this passage because it's the location of Israel's slavery, but it's also the beginning of their journey into the Promised Land.

This signifies how God's fully attentive to Israel's cries, not just hearing and not just seeing, but hearing, seeing, and acknowledging.

God's covenant, or promise, in times past, led Him to be faithful in the future.

In Exodus 3:7-9 , God tells Moses that He has known Israel's suffering, which is comforting for a man who had gotten angry over the suffering of his people.

Instead of getting angry over things, we should trust God in everything.

1. He heard them (Ex 2:23)

Exodus 2:23 NKJV

2. He saw them (Ex 2:24)

Exodus 2:24 NKJV

So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

3. He knew them (Ex 2:25)

Exodus 2:25 NKJV

And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

4. He helped them (Ex 3:1-4:20)

Exodus 3:1–4:20 NKJV

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover 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, for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and 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 that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.” Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.