From the Water to Covenant: The Redemption Story of God's People

Bible Passage: Exodus 1:1–6:1

Summary: The passage traces the beginnings of Israel's oppression in Egypt and God's promise of deliverance, linking back to the covenant made with the patriarchs. It emphasizes God's faithfulness to His people amidst suffering.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that God’s redemptive plan unfolds through history, and His covenantal promises are trustworthy. Just as He had a plan for Israel's deliverance, He has a plan for each believer's life, rooted in His faithfulness.

Big Idea: God's plan for redemption is steadfast and reaches beyond individual stories, showing that despite hardship, He is actively fulfilling His promises to His people.

1. Oppression Under Providence

Exodus 1:1-14

2. Preservation Through Faith

Exodus 1:15-22

3. Deliverer in an Ark

Exodus 2:1-10

4. Preparation in the Wilderness

Exodus 2:11-25

5. Revelation Through Flames

Exodus 3:1-10

6. Equipped for God's Mission

Exodus 3:11-4:17

7. Promises Under Pressure

Exodus 4:18-6:1

The narrative begins by recounting the names of Jacob’s sons who came to Egypt with him, establishing the connection to Genesis, where Joseph had brought his family to escape famine. Over time, the Israelites became exceedingly fruitful and multiplied, filling the land.

However, a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph and saw the Israelites’ growing population as a threat. Out of fear, he enslaved them, subjecting them to harsh labor in building cities like Pithom and Rameses. Despite the oppression, the Israelites continued to multiply, which further alarmed Pharaoh, leading him to intensify their suffering.

This aligns with the prophecy in Genesis 15:13-14, where God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land, enslaved and afflicted for 400 years, but ultimately delivered by God with great wealth. Exodus 1 marks the beginning of this prophecy’s fulfillment, highlighting God’s overarching plan for His people. As 430 years had indeed passed. It was time for Israel to return to Canaan.

Pharaoh, fearing the increasing population of the Israelites, commanded the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all newborn Hebrew boys during childbirth while allowing the girls to live. This order reflects the Pharaoh’s moral depravity, as it sought to weaponize the sacred role of midwives—those who assist in bringing life—into agents of death.

However, the midwives feared God and defied Pharaoh’s command, allowing the boys to live. When questioned by Pharaoh, they claimed that Hebrew women were vigorous and gave birth before the midwives could arrive. Because of their reverence for God, He blessed the midwives with families of their own.

Pharaoh, undeterred, escalated his cruelty by commanding all Egyptians to throw every Hebrew male child into the Nile River. This chilling act highlights the depth of Pharaoh’s wickedness and his willingness to violate moral and natural law to maintain power.

 Around this time, Levite woman gave birth to a son. Pharaoh’s genocidal decree to kill all Hebrew male infants was given. In an act of faith, she hides her child for three months. When she can no longer conceal him, she places him in a basket coated with tar and pitch and sets it afloat on the Nile River, entrusting his fate to God. This echoes the story of Noah’s ark, where an ark, covered in pitch, is used as a vessel of deliverance amidst destruction.

The child’s sister, Miriam, watches as the basket drifts and is discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who, despite recognizing him as a Hebrew child, has compassion and decides to raise him as her own. Miriam cleverly offers to find a Hebrew nurse for the baby, reuniting him with his biological mother, who is paid to nurse and care for him. When the boy grows older, Pharaoh’s daughter adopts him, naming him Moses (meaning “drawn out”), signifying his deliverance from the water.

This narrative demonstrates a tension between obedience to Pharaoh’s decree and hope in God. While Pharaoh intended the Nile to be a place of death, it becomes a place of deliverance through the faith and courage of Moses’ family. The ark-like basket represents hope and divine intervention, leading to Moses’ preservation. He would later become God’s chosen deliverer, fulfilling the promise of liberation for Israel. The God man Pharoah could not cause the waters to destroy. Instead the God of Israel made the waters bring about his destruction. The Pharoah did not know that the Lord is jealous and so he sought to destroy what God intended to save.

Moses grew up aware of his Hebrew heritage despite being raised in Pharaoh’s household. One day, witnessing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, Moses intervenes and kills the Egyptian, burying the body in the sand. When his act is discovered, Pharaoh seeks to kill him, forcing Moses to flee to Midian. This story parallels the tale of Cain and Abel, where violence disrupts the established order, but with a redemptive twist: instead of being cast out of paradise as Cain was, Moses is cast out from the oppressive Egyptian palace, marking the beginning of his transformation.

In Midian, Moses finds refuge with Jethro (Reuel), a priest of Midian whose name means “friend of God.” Moses defends Jethro’s daughters from shepherds at a well and is welcomed into Jethro’s household. He marries Zipporah, one of Jethro’s daughters, and starts a new life as a shepherd. In this exile, Moses transitions from a place of violence and oppression to a life of peace, service, and connection to God.

The narrative contrasts Cain’s alienation from God with Moses’ journey toward God’s purpose. While Cain’s exile leads to wandering, Moses’ exile leads him to a godly mentor, a family, and preparation for his ultimate role as Israel’s deliverer. In his separation from Egypt, Moses begins to align himself with God’s plan and people. Meanwhile, God hears the groaning of the enslaved Israelites, remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, setting the stage for their deliverance through Moses.

Moses, now 80 years old, is shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro in the wilderness near Mount Horeb. After spending 40 years in Pharaoh’s court as an Egyptian prince and 40 years in Midian as a humble shepherd under Jethro’s guidance, Moses has undergone a profound transformation. The number 40 signifies a period of preparation, testing, and transition—Moses has moved from a life of privilege to one of servanthood, readying him for his divine calling.

As Moses tends the flock, he encounters the angel of the Lord in a burning bush that is not consumed by fire. The presence of both the angel and God Himself in the bush underscores the unity and mystery of God’s presence. When Moses approaches, God calls to him by name and identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, emphasizing the covenant with Moses’ ancestors. Moses, recognizing the holiness of the moment, hides his face in fear.

God reveals that He has seen the suffering of the Israelites in Egypt and has heard their cries. He declares His plan to deliver them from bondage and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey. To Moses’ surprise, God calls him to be the one to confront Pharaoh and lead His people out of Egypt.

This moment marks the culmination of Moses’ journey from a self-reliant prince to a humble shepherd, prepared to serve God. The encounter bridges Moses’ past and future, showing that God has been shaping him for this mission, even during his time under Jethro’s guidance.

Moses, once a murderer and servant to both Pharaoh and Jethro, doubts his ability to carry out God’s command to lead Israel out of Egypt. When God calls him, Moses responds with hesitation and self-doubt, asking, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” God reassures him, promising His presence and pointing to the deliverance of Israel as a sign of His power.

When Moses asks for God’s name, God reveals Himself as “I AM WHO I AM” (YHWH), affirming His eternal, self-existent nature and His faithfulness to His covenant with Israel’s ancestors. Despite this, Moses continues to resist, expressing concern that the Israelites will not believe him. In response, God provides miraculous signs to validate Moses’ authority: turning his staff into a serpent, making his hand leprous and then healed, and turning water from the Nile into blood. These signs not only assure Moses but also serve as a polemic against Egypt’s magicians and their gods, foreshadowing the confrontation with Pharaoh.

Moses further protests, claiming he is slow of speech and not eloquent. God, growing angry but patient, reminds Moses that He created human abilities and promises to help him speak. Yet Moses still resists, pleading for someone else to take the role. God then appoints Aaron, Moses’ brother, as his spokesperson, forming a team where Moses would act as God’s prophet and Aaron as his mouthpiece. This partnership reflects God’s provision for Moses’ weakness while ensuring His will is carried out.

This passage highlights Moses’ human frailty and reluctance, contrasting with God’s unwavering confidence in His plan. It underscores that God does not choose leaders based on their qualifications but on His purpose and power, equipping them for their mission. Through Moses and Aaron, God sets the stage for a direct challenge to Egypt’s gods and Pharaoh’s authority.

After receiving God’s call, Moses returns to Egypt with his wife, Zipporah, and sons. On the way, however, God confronts Moses and almost takes his life because he had failed to circumcise his firstborn son, an essential sign of the covenant with Abraham. Moses’ failure to uphold the covenant contrasts sharply with his divine mission to command Pharaoh to release Israel, God’s “firstborn.” In a decisive act of obedience, Zipporah circumcises their son and touches Moses with the blood, thus saving his life and ensuring he could fulfill his calling.

Moses and Aaron then go to Pharaoh, identified by many as Thutmose II, and deliver God’s command to let the Israelites go into the wilderness to worship Him. Pharaoh, dismissive of God’s authority, refuses and increases the Israelites’ oppression by forcing them to produce bricks without straw, intensifying their labor. This causes great suffering among the people, who blame Moses and Aaron for their worsened conditions.

Moses, disheartened by Pharaoh’s rejection and the criticism of his own people, questions God’s plan and his role in it. God reassures Moses, declaring that Pharaoh’s resistance is part of His purpose. Through this adversity, God will display His power and ultimately compel Pharaoh to let Israel go.

This passage reveals Moses’ continued insecurities and shortcomings. It highlights the tension between God’s ultimate plan and the immediate challenges Moses faces. Despite the opposition from both Pharaoh and the Israelites, God reaffirms His sovereignty and commitment to deliver His people. With power.