Out of Egypt I Called My Son: Looking ahead, and Looking behind

Introduction

I Invite you to turn with me in God’s word to Exodus chapter 6.

You can find it in the pew bibles on page 48 & 49. And If you are joining us today here at Grace and you do not have a bible that is yours, then this pew bible is our Gift to you.

We have reached the exciting conclusion to our secondary series titled: out of Egypt I called my son.

Where several of our pastors, and lay leaders have brought us through the first 5 chapters of exodus. And even though we’re concluding this series, the book of exodus is by no means finished. We’ve only covered the first 5 chapters.

But there’s a lot that’s happened in those 5 chapters.

We’ve seen a major development in the history of Israel. A Pharaoh comes to power, with no knowledge of Joseph or his deeds. The children of Israel then quickly find themselves enslaved. By a wicked and murderous regime. And they quickly realize they don’t have the ability to save themselves. They will need a deliverer. A baby is born under interesting circumstances and miraculously saved and raised up in Pharaoh’s house.

He could very well be the deliverer! But then, oh NO! He spends 40 years in luxury then 40 years in hiding because He’s a murderer.

But then, God redeems him and commissions him to go back and lead His people out of Egypt

That brings us to chapter 5 where we see that Moses’ efforts to deliver Israel out of Egypt “appear” to still be ineffective.

Because what Israel needs, as Moses realizes, is a deliverer that is more powerful than Pharaoh.

And that cliff hanger in chapter 5 where the Israelites are still slaves, They’re still suffering, and even worse off than before, is where we left off.

Pastor Kyle posed the question to us from this chapter: what happens when suffering is a part of God’s plan?

We can hear the suffering and disappointment in Moses voice in Verse 22: When Moses says…(read 5:22)

Moses is asking God why.

And kind of accusatory.

Why have you let this suffering happen? Why did you choose me, God? Why have you not delivered your people like you said you would?

Have you had a similar conversation with God? I certainly have.

God, why did you allow me to lose my job?

Why did you let my wife get cancer?

God why did you choose me after I gave into the same sin, again and again.

I think we all, in our weakness, in some point in our lives have asked, Lord, Why should I trust you, when everything around me is going wrong?

And Chapter 6 is what is going to give us a sufficient answer.

But it might not be the answer that we expect. Because it wasn’t the answer that Moses expected.

In fact, chapter 6, like chapter 5 Is going to end on somewhat of a cliff hanger. In the sense that we will not see the immediate promise God made to Moses and the Israelites fulfilled. But it WILL give us encouragement to look at the promise that he has already fulfilled for us.

Which is why I’ve titled this sermon Looking ahead, and looking behind.

This chapter’s narrative naturally divides itself into four conversational parts that happen as The Lord is talking to Moses and Moses answers back.

First, God responds to the people’s suffering. Second He discloses his activity in the past, what He’s doing now, in Moses’ time, and what He will do in the future. Third, we see Israel’s rejection of and Moses’ hesitation to fulfill His role, and then finally, we’ll see a validating genealogy.

All of which will tell us our main point:

We have a hope for the future because the Lord is trustworthy because of who He is.

Lets look at God’s Word:

Read Chapter 6

Where we are specifically in the story is that Moses has just beed handed a crushing defeat

You remember it took a little while for God to convince Moses to even go back to Egypt. He finally just tells him Go! That He will be with him, and he’ll even allow His brother Aaron to go with him.

So he goes. He meets with the elders of Israel, He tells them what God said and they believe.

The next scene is Aaron and Moses before Pharaoh. But Pharoah’s response Is less than positive.

His next order concerning the Israelites is to increase their workload to an unsustainable rate. And then beat them when they can’t meet their quotas.

So they look at Moses and blame him because they were trusting in his ability to deliver them.

Moses is then discouraged because he was trusting in his self to lead them out

And he asks God why.

God responds to the people’s suffering VS 1-3

And then God answers.

Read Vs1-2a

God immediently responds to Moses’ inquiry about their situation

He doesn’t address any of the wrong things Moses has just said, he just goes straight to the point.

And says I will deliver you.

“You think Pharoah’s plan to keep you here and keep you in Egypt will work against me?

Pharaoh is going to be the one who drives you out of his land.

And then, God says something interesting.

Read vs 2a

Here is a mention of the divine name. Yahweh. I Am. I want you to see that this is a new name that God has given to Moses. Now, it’s not new in the sense that Moses never heard it. This is the name that God gave to him from the burning bush. in fact in this chapter alone, God will give his name as the divine name 4 times. So he’s heard this name before, but has the implications of that name really set in?

Read Vs2

What God is telling Moses is that the relationship with the patriarchs and the relationship with him is different. by the name That God revealed himself as.

To Abraham, Issac and Jacob only knew him as The Almighty God. The one true God, El Shaddai.

But Moses not only knows him as the most High God but now He will know him as a saving God.

A God who’s saving power is far and a way more revealed than before.

So The difference isn’t in form or essence, but in time

This new name, comes with a new relationship, a fuller relationship a relationship with God not just as God but as a savior.

Application:

This order, this progression of revelation is the same for us as we receive knowledge of our savior. In light of these verses, I would ask you How full is your relationship with the Lord?

Have you head the divine name of Jesus? Do you have intimate, personal, and a saving knowledge of Him? Have you cried out to him in your sin and frustration, and has he brought you the comfort of his salvation?

If you’ve here this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ for salvation, today can be that day.

I hope that through this scripture, as God reveals himself as a savior

If you ask him for salvation, he will be he one to answer you, and start a full relationship with you. Not by your own merits but by His. Which is why he says “I am THE LORD”

But what does that mean? Why does that solidify what God is saying?

A Divine DTR

He goes on in the next part of this conversation to tell Moses what that means

And he does so with 3 big promises

I am the Lord, and that comes with

1. a promise of redemption

2. A promise of adoption,

3. And a promise of a land.

Read Vs 2-8

So the first thing he says is that I am going to redeem you

I will bring you out from the burden of the Egyptians - the thing that’s weighing you down? I’m removing it from you.

I will deliver you from slavery - not only a removal of the burden of slavery from a removal from the slavery. True Freedom.

in the 1860’s after the civil war, there was an attempt to recreate the economic structure of antebellum’s south while still appearing to be a free labor system. by something called the black codes.

The black codes were a series of state level discriminatory working laws that would force black people into labor systems that were almost identical to slavery. Abusive apprenticeships, coerced labor contacts, kidnapping, even by former slave masters made life miserable for African Americans. The black codes would be nullified by the 14th amendment, but they would then just change form or wording. And they weren’t fully repealed until the Civil Rights Act. That’s an example of partial freedom. When the Lord says to Israel, I will free you, they were given total freedom.

I will redeem you - with great Acts of judgement

Buy back, to gain or to regain something that was lost. The Lord says I am going to gain you with an outstretched arm

I’ll buy you back with a great act of judgement.

This sets the stage for one of the biggest moments in redemptive History. The 10 plagues. But we’e not there just yet. God has more plans for Israel than just redemption.

His first set of promises is a promise of redemption

The next set is a promise of adoption:

Read vs 7

He says I will take you as my people And I will be your God.

Now you might think this order of promises sound familiar, because it’s repeated over 50 times in the the Old and New Testaments.

God says to the people I’ll take you as my people, I will be your God, but he also says a third thing that’s not included. Normally, what’s included is I will dwell in the midst of you.

And the reason it’s not included is because it’s not happened yet.

When the covenant is fully pronounced at Mount Sinai, When the glory and wonder of God comes down and finalizes the covenant, after he’s delivered them from slavery I Egypt. Then he will take them as his people, and be their God and dwell among them.

So It will happen, but just not yet,

And the Last few promises, the promises for a land possession are found in Verse 8.

Read Verse 8

God pledges with an oath with his uplifted hand o that by two immutable things: His word of promise, and his oath

These things will come true.

Not just for Israel though.

Because this is the same promise he’s made to all heirs of the covenant. Anyone who would seek refuge in Christ can have a deep hope That he will do as he says for you. Hebrew 6:17-20

Why?

Because he’s removed the burden of sin from your shoulders and placed it on himself.

He has redeemed you from being a slave to your sin, and given you true freedom in him.

He has adopted you as a beloved son and daughter and invited you not just to call him God, but Father

And He’s done so with a great act of judgement

But instead of the Nile turning to blood or darkness, and death,

Jesus shed a river of his own blood. Saw darkness from his separation from the father, and as the only begotten, tasted death.

Instead of that great act of judgement being upon us.

He stood as our true deliverer and true high priest.

Is there anything that can kill the mood after hearing this kind of good news?

Yes. Because the Israelites don’t believe him.

Israel’s rejection and Moses’ Hesitation

Read Vs 9

Optimism is often destroyed by suffering.

Especially ongoing suffering.

Faith is often weakened by hardship.

Our emotions play such a large part in the way we think. Where any kind of pain or stress or struggle can turn us into pessimists.

How many times have we been blinded to the truth of God, to his Word, because our hearts are so broken from this world.

My son River, has grown to the point where he can cry from sadness and disappointment.

Every night when it’s time to go to bed, I sit in the rocker with him and listen to his cries. And sometimes, he can be so distraught at the thought of going to bed, that he starts gasping for breath.

He’s so overwhelmed by sadness that even when he calms down, he still struggles to breathe.

Many Christians find themselves in the same place. They find it hard to trust God and believe that He is for them.

Which is where we find Moses once again in vs 10

A validating Genealogy

But there’s a pause, almost like a commercial break

Where in the midst of this

We get a little context added.

FB Meyer says “Tread gently here! This is a private burying-ground, the last resting place of the founders of a family to which the world is deeply indebted for priceless service.”

And we will, because the main point of the genealogy is to remind us of what we already know.

That Moses and Aaron are the one’s God has chosen to lead his people. And that God fulfills his promises.

Because the family tree included doesn’t just end with Moses and Aaron, to goes all the way to Aaron’s Grandson! During the time of the judges!

Application

Do not be blinded to the truth of the Gospel by your suffering

My son River, has grown to the point where he can cry from sadness and disappointment. Every night when it’s time to go to bed, I sit in the rocker with him and listen to his cries. And sometimes, he can be so distraught at the thought of going to bed, that he starts gasping for breath. He’s so overwhelmed by sadness that even when he calms down, he still struggles to breathe. Many Christians find themselves in the same place. They find it hard to trust God and believe that He is for them. I remember during one of the darkest times in my life, My wife and I were suffering through a miscarriage, we were broke, both battling depression. I sat down with a Pastor who asked me: what do I think God would say to me face to face right now. After I heehawing for a bit, He answered “This is my beloved son, in whom I’m well pleased.” Such a simple truth, that I couldn’t see because my emotions effected my faith.

Can I tell you, friends there is not a single trial on this earth that can stop God from fulfilling his promises?

That should give you a deep hope that anchors your soul through the toughest storms.

Missional Application

If I can cast vision for a moment, This is the last Sunday of 2024. We will not be able to fulfill the commission given to us, if we are hopeless. Paralyzed with broken spirits.

The world, and our neighbors need to see us trusting christ and hopeful for the future No matter what struggle we’re going through.

It may be a chronic illness.

It may be the death of a loved one.

It may be short pains,

It may be longer, endurance producing pains.

But will we face them with broken spirits?

Or will we say we have a hope for the future. Because our Lord Jesus is trustworthy because of he is.