An Abundant Deliverance
Notes
Transcript
1 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. 2 “Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. 4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 ‘Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 ‘But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 “All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Introduction
When was the last time you had to take a test? Summer is almost here which means there are a lot of students doing finals around this time of year. It’s that time in the semester when everything you’ve studied and everything you’ve been taught is demanded of you all at once. Most of the time the question being asked among students is, “How much did you study?” Some are up all night. Some cram the hour before the test. There’s a certain stewardship of the teaching and preparation they’ve received that becomes apparent right before the final, and oftentimes that stewardship is evident in the final grade which everyone is often stressed about. If we steward that preparation well often there’s a good grade, and if we are poor stewards of the teaching and preparation that often reveals itself too. Stewardship is part of the conversation, but the teaching and preparation by the professor also deserves some attention. What happens if the students are tested on something they were never taught? If students are tested on material they were never asked to read, what then? If that student gets a C on the exam is that a reflection on them or how they were equipped to take the test? Hopefully you haven’t been in that situation and you’ve had the opposite experience to look back on. You come to take the test, the standard is good and right, your teacher has equipped you well, you’ve stewarded that equipping well, and you got the A.
We’ll talk about stewardship more another time, but this morning I’d like to focus on the good teacher. Someone who has a genuine favor towards those being taught. A teacher who wants the students to succeed and so abundantly provides all they need to meet the standard. In our text this morning, God is the teacher setting the standard. We’re approaching Exodus 20 where the law, the standard will become clearer, but in the greater context of Exodus, the standard is worship. God is calling His people to be set apart, to be holy, that they might worship Him. As we’ll see, God is faithful in accord with His favor to abundantly provide for Israel in their deliverance that they might worship Him.
The LORD’s favor toward us assures us an abundant deliverance in granting us everything pertaining to life and godliness.
The LORD’s favor toward us assures us an abundant deliverance in granting us everything pertaining to life and godliness.
As we work through the text, we’ll see some very tangible ways in which God has abundantly provided for Israel so they might be free to worship Him. We may be tempted to think that God has not provided for us because his provision isn’t as tangible for us as it was for Israel. I’d like to ask three simple questions to outline the text today that will help us see God’s provision for Israel’s worship. We’ll see that provision is very tangible. At the same time I’d like to ask those three simple questions before us today so we can see God’s abundant provision for us and for our ability to worship - our ability to worship as the church. That provision may not be as visible or as tangible, but it is even more abundant than what was given to Israel.
Who are the blessed? (vs. 1-3)
Who are the living? (vs. 4-6)
Who has dominion? (vs. 7-10)
Who are the blessed?
Who are the blessed?
We’re at a turning point in the larger story of Exodus. All the way back in chapter 3 God foretold of this moment that is about to occur.
Exodus 3:19–20 (NASB95)
19“But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.
20“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.
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Israel has been waiting for 400 years to reach this moment when finally they will be free of Egypt. For much of the plagues the focus has been on Pharaoh and the judgement that is falling on him and his people for being unwilling to let Israel go. The tenth and final plague will still be a judgement against Pharaoh for his unwillingness to listen to God’s instruction, yet much of the text moving forward around the tenth plague isn’t about Pharaoh at all. It’s about all that God is going to provide for Israel on the way out of Egypt. Certainly we see in the wake of their deliverance Pharaoh and his people with nothing left, but in contrast the camera turns if you will to Israel and all that God has abundantly provided for them. One people full of idolatry and pride literally empty handed before a holy God, then there’s Israel, slaves of Egypt yet their about to be abundantly blessed and ready to meet with God in worship at the mountain.
1 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely.
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From the onset, we’re reminded, God has known exactly the number of plagues from the beginning. God hasn’t been throwing blows at Pharaoh wondering when he will fall. Each has been calculated in God’s sovereignty for His glory and we’ve come to the end. “One more plague.”
You may recall that picture of the veteran boxer in the ring who knew from the beginning he could finish the fight at any time with the amateur. He’s gone 9 rounds with the amateur, who thinks in his pride he still has a chance in this fight. It’s the tenth round, and God is going to bring the fight to a close with one final swing and in extraordinary fashion. Not only is Pharaoh going to let them go, they will be driven out of the land. (at the end of vs. 1) This isn’t merely, “Fine, you can go” with a sense of reluctance, there’s urgency to it, “Please, get out!”
The people of God will go out with the encouragement of their captors, but also with a few gifts. You might say Israel is going to leave with Egypt’s blessing.
God gives Moses some really interesting instructions to give to Israel. They’re not just going to leave empty handed.
2 “Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.”
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Again, if we recall, God had this all laid out from the beginning when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush
21 “I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 “But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”
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Just put yourself in the shoes of an ordinary Israelite for a moment. You’ve been spared from the plagues. You still have all your livestock. Your crops are still alive and well. The family is healthy. For all intents and purposes, everything is normal around the dinner table at night, but you know full well that just down the street, the Egyptians have lost nearly everything. Their crops are gone. Their livestock is gone. The Nile river doesn’t have a living thing in it. They’ve likely lost servants and relatives due to the hail. They’re just getting over a plague of severe boils, and utter darkness has covered the land for the last three days. Perhaps one of the few things they have left are the clothes in the closet and the jewelry on the dresser, and God says, “Go ask for it. Plunder the little they have left.” … How might that go across on an ordinary day in Egypt? “Hey neighbor I’m leaving town in a few days, mind if I take your spare clothes and jewelry before I go?” On an ordinary day, someone would likely tell you to take a hike. This is no ordinary day in the life of Egypt however. What has God done for Israel?
Exodus 11:3
3 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
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There was no reluctance in the hearts of Egyptians to give up the remainder of all they had, why? God in His sovereignty will use the Egyptians to bless His people. God works in the hearts of the Egyptians to willingly, with a disposition of favor toward Israel, even after all that has happened, to give them their riches. To bless them on their way out of Egypt.
If you step back for a moment, how did Israel come into Egypt? Should we go all the way back to Genesis, there was a kind of plague over Egypt when Joseph was in Egypt. 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. During that seven years of famine, Joseph ensured Egypt survived with the storehouses he filled. Not only did Egypt survive, they sold what was in their storehouses for seven years. Wealth and lands poured into Egypt all because of Joseph, a son of the covenant given to His great grandfather Abraham.
3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
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All of Egypts wealth and even their very survival is attributed to the blessing they received from God through Joseph. Egypt would have had nothing apart from the presence of Israel in their lands. And now we come to a point where Egypt has cursed Israel with slavery and oppression, and the covenant promise will come to fruition. Egypt will have nothing apart from the presence of Israel in their lands. As Israel leaves, all the blessing they brought with them will leave with them down to the clothing and jewelry.
Should we come back to our original question, “Who are the blessed?” We can say with certainty: those who have the LORD’s favor. God’s covenant people, those who have received His promise and keep His covenant, they will know the LORD’s favor and true blessing.
We might ask ourselves today, where is my blessing? As believers we know a new and better covenant. One that cannot be broken. We can say with certainty, we know the LORD’s favor because Christ has won it for us in keeping the law - in fulfilling the Old Covenant and dying as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. If God’s favor is for me, where is my blessing?
You may experience extraordinary sickness.
You may be all too familiar with loss.
You may have experienced the burdens of this broken world more than most.
You may wonder, if God is for me in Christ, if His favor is for me, where is my blessing? Why is life so hard? The neighbors aren’t exactly dropping by with gifts and blessings in this season of life.
It’s a difficult question that has no easy answer, but I believe our text sheds some light on the matter of blessing. God’s favor toward us isn’t evidenced by our wealth or our riches or the favor of our neighbors toward as much as it’s evidenced by God’s provision for our worship.
If we step back once more and look at the entirety of Scripture and recognize, the greatest blessing man can receive is to walk with God in the garden, the evidence of His favor is the ability to reenter the garden, to approach God and worship Him. God Himself is the blessing!
God is blessing Israel on the way out of Egypt with another means for their worship. By the time we get to the end of the book, God will be calling upon Israel to build him a house, a tabernacle laden with gold. A mercy seat made of pure gold. Unfortunately, before God’s instructions can even be passed to the people they’ve used all this blessing to make a golden calf. Riches and wealth in the context of Exodus is all about, “Who are you going to worship?”
The truth is the blessed aren’t those who have riches or an abundance as if simply having things is a blessing.
No, those who are blessed are those who have an abundance with which they can come into the presence of God and worship Him.
I hope that today, we might revel in the deliverance which God has accomplished for us in our salvation and realize the abundance we’ve been provided in Christ such that we can boldly approach the throne of grace as children holding His unwavering favor. We gather this morning to worship precisely because we have His favor. We have the blessing of the Spirit. We have the blessing of the truth.
What did Jesus say to the woman at the well?
John 4:23 (NASB95)
23“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
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As believers we have the Spirit’s presence in us, sanctifying us as into fine gold. We’ve been given the truth of the gospel in which we set our faith. This is the evidence of the Lord’s favor and blessing, and with these extraordinary blessings we gladly gather together and worship Him.
Let’s ensure we don’t let the world define blessing for us. What we have here this morning, the favor of the Lord in Christ, the presence of the Spirit in us, the ability to sing the praises of God as His children, that is more blessing than the world could ever offer us.
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There’s something even more fundamental to God’s provision however. We recognize clearly who God has blessed to worship Him, but God’s provision begins with life. At the center of our text is the root of God’s provision. Life itself.
Who are the living?
Who are the living?
4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 ‘Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.
Much of Exodus 11 is laying out the fullness of God’s provision for His people, yet there’s a dark back drop which is the depravity of Egypt before God. I’ve mentioned it before, but if you every really want to see the brilliance of a diamond, you set it on a black velvet cloth. We get a bit of that effect here, as the final plague is delivered. It serves as a backdrop, but it’s certainly not irrelevant. What God is doing to the Egyptians says something about God himself. God is jealous for His people and He is a God of justice.
Should we look back once more:
23 “So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
God has seen from the beginning the sins of the Egyptians and declares beforehand the penalty for their sins. The time has come for that just penalty to fall, and God will take it upon himself to deliver it.
It’s God Himself in the midst of Egypt during the final plague. For most of the plagues we don’t see God’s presence identified like this. God is certainly working in all the rest of the plagues but here we expect something different with God Himself in the midst of Egypt.
We have something of an understanding of what that’s like don’t we? If you’re at work, you know the boss is working, but it’s usually indirectly. The boss usually isn’t on the ground getting his hands dirty. Every once in a while however, the boss steps out of the office and steps onto the front lines. At that point you know something serious is happening. You may not know exactly why the boss is there, but you know he doesn’t waste his time and he’s here for a reason.
When God’s presence arrives in the midst of Egypt to deliver the final plague, we know this isn’t to be taken lightly. God has arrived to personally deliver just punishment against Egypt.
(vs. 5) all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
None are exempt from the death of the firstborn, not even the slave girl who works the millstone, yet it’s not a rampant plague that takes whomever it will. It’s measured. Only the firstborn will die.
I don’t know that we view it the same way today, but when God takes the firstborn from Egypt, He’s taking their vitality from them. A family’s firstborn son was the assurance of their livelihood. He would care for their parents when they were old. He would provide for the family for much of his life. He would likely receive an inheritance. The firstborn is the symbol of life and well-being in ancient culture. When God exacted this cost with the precision and justice He did, He was communicating to them the depravity of their very lives. Your well-being, your security, your provision. All that sustains the remainder of your lives is gone.
The truth is that God could have justly exacted from Egypt each and every life in that moment, but he didn’t so that he might fulfill his purpose which he stated,
4 “When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”
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The life of Egypt will be taken from them in accord with God’s justice in the form of their firstborn, and yet Egypt will behold the glory of the LORD when they watch Israel be delivered from before them.
We can say simply in response, apart from the favor and provision of the LORD we can only expect His pure and measured justice which declares us dead in our sins. Before a holy God, everything tainted by sin is subject to his holy justice. There must be punishment for sin else God would not be just. And should we hesitate or waver before the idea of a just God exacting just punishment, would an unjust God be better?
I’ve had a number of conversation with Muslims in the past that will say with absolute sincerity, Allah will do what he wants with me when I’m dead. It doesn’t matter how many good things I’ve done he can send me to hell if he wants. I have a hard time digesting a worldview that for one demands your devotion and righteousness else you’ll certainly be punished, but if you do all the good things, there’s still a chance that Allah will do away with you in the end. It’s truly a tragedy.
There can be no good news if God is not just! What we see here is sobering; It’s frightening perhaps, but it’s the foundation of the gospel. A God who is wholly devoted to justice means there is a sacrifice that can be paid to satisfy His justice. If God is not just then nothing can satisfy Him.
We come to the important question. How will God provide for the lives of Israel? Can he merely withhold this plague from them like all the rest? If God is a God of justice He withholds his righteous standards from no one, not even covenant Israel. How then will Israel stand before the perfect, holy justice of God when he Himself comes to require the lives of all the firstborn in Egypt?
You might notice that there’s no mention of God’s provision for Israel in this respect. Amidst all this talk of God’s provision for Israel, you might expect at least a mention here. I believe what Moses is doing here is describing the ring on which that diamond we spoke about is going to be set. There’s something really beautiful about a gold ring. There’s worth and value in it. There’s time and energy put into fashioning that piece of gold with the setting on top just waiting for the diamond, but you wouldn’t exactly where a gold ring with a diamond setting on top without the diamond.
Exodus 11 is a wonderful testament of God’s provision for His people in their deliverance, but it’s a gold ring without the diamond if you will. Next week we’ll talk at length about the beauty of the diamond, the lamb which God provided for His people that they might live, the center piece of God’s provision for His people.
For us this morning however, I’d like us to focus on the purpose of the ring!
I’m afraid we’re in a culture that has a certain kind of respect for spirituality, even the idea of worship. The acknowledgement of a higher being is respectable in many circles. Christian and non-Christian alike. In a moment we’ll consider God’s provision of freedom and dominion to His people. These too have plenty of respect in the culture. If you have some kind of influence and dominion in the public square that allows you to advance some good cause, there’s often praise for that. There are numerous causes that are praiseworthy to some degree that reflect the advancement of some kind of good dominion in society.
In short, worship, spirituality, dominion, and influence are a diamond ring without the diamond if the lamb, Christ Jesus, is not at the center. Apart from Christ we all stand as Egypt without a sacrifice before the perfect and holy justice of God. You might imagine an Israelite who was just given an abundance of wealth from his neighbor. He has all the riches and clothing he could ever want. His neighbors are bowing before him in reverence granting him influence and dominion, yet he fails to put the blood on the doorposts. What good is the influence, dominion, and wealth with which to honor God without the blood of the lamb?
The purpose of the ring is to serve the diamond.
Let’s ensure that our worship, no matter how great or humble, is there to serve the lamb of Christ.
Let’s ensure that the dominion we’ve been given no matter how great or humble, is there to serve the lamb of Christ.
The provision of God in Christ for our life is the heart of all God’s provision for us, it’s the only thing which can satisfy His justify demands and without it everything else falls apart.
We’ve addressed it here briefly, but let’s look at the dominion which God provides for Israel in greater detail.
Who has dominion?
Who has dominion?
7 ‘But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 “All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
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As Israel is on there way out of Egypt we catch this little glimpse of Adam in the garden of Eden in perfect dominion over everything. There’s no strife, no resistance, no curse, and every beast is subservient to him. Can you imagine herding what is likely millions of sheep out of Goshen without even a bark from the dogs of the Egyptians. Even the Egyptians are coming to bow before Moses as if he’s the rightful king.
At the end of chapter 10 Moses is effectively kicked out of the presence of the king with Pharaoh threatening his life. Moses is a disgrace in the eyes of the rightful king of Egypt, yet on his way out we find Pharaoh’s subjects bowing to this foreigner. If Pharaoh hasn’t lost enough already, he’s lost his dominion over his people as they bow before Moses, granting him his request as servants saying, “Go out, you and all the people who follow you.” The people have granted Moses what their king has explicitly said he would not provide.
God has not only provided material wealth to the people of Israel, he’s restored their freedom and dominion. They’re not being treated as slaves anymore. Moses is being treated like the head of a free nation, with respect and granting his request.
God’s provision for His people is subject to no earthly government or authority. His dominion is absolute! The entirety of the plagues have been making this simple point through their entirety, and as we near the end, God shares his absolute dominion with his people just like he did with Adam.
We stumble upon a similar temptation we’ve already seen. Does God provide us freedom and dominion just like blessings so that we can do what we want with them? Is this Israel’s opportunity to play god over the Egyptians.
No, there’s a purpose to this just like everything else.
God grants his people dominion and freedom from slavery so that they would have everything they need for life and godliness. To live as image bearers glorifying God as they take dominion, as they bear fruit and multiply, as they enjoy the presence of God Himself in worship.
God is restoring His people to the purpose of the garden. An abundance that they would build God a house, dwell with Him, worship Him. Dominion and authority so that they can be fruitful and multiply in the earth.
The purpose extends to us today as His church. We don’t exactly enjoy the same dominion however if you hadn’t noticed. People don’t exactly come up to us in the parking lot of the church and bow before us granting us our request. No, but we do take dominion. We do extend the kingdom of God by bringing people from every nation tribe and tongue under His rule. It’s not by force. It’s not with armies or material means. It’s through the proclamation of the lamb who was slain. Through this simple proclamation and the response of repentance and faith the church establishes the dominion of God as the redeemed are freed from slavery.
What did Jesus say to the disciples after he spoke with the woman at the well?
35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
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The church soon to come will worship in Spirit and in truth and they will bring in the harvest of new believers to the glory of God. Be fruitful and multiply, take dominion! There’s nothing Pharaoh could do to keep Israel from exercising the dominion given to them, and there’s nothing the world can do to keep us from exercising ours. The world can persecute us, they can malign us, they can even kill us, but they can’t keep the Spirit from granting life through the gospel. We don’t need the world to bow before us, we just need them to hear us.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
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The truth is, it sounds easier than it actually is. We may even find ourselves in the hot anger of Moses at times righteously desiring that the wrong be made right, that the world would be immediately subject to the Lordship of Christ. Christ himself walked into the temple a place intended for worship being used as a means for the powerful to abuse the dominion that had been given them. He rightly responded in anger and I believe we see a glimpse of that anger in Moses here as he walks out of Pharaoh’s house.
Our passage today ends as it has before. Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, yet the Wonders of God being multiplied in the land of Egypt.
Though Pharaoh might exercise his will and not let the people go, God is going to accomplish his ends. We have that very same comfort for us today. The world, the flesh, and the devil will continue to resist and deny us the freedom and dominion we have in Christ, yet Christ will ultimately be glorified and deliver us. His kingdom will be established!
We have this encouragement from
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
Not surprisingly, Peter begins with the diamond. You are alive in Christ, in this is everything pertaining to life and godliness.
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
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If I could put it this way, God’s favor toward us is supremely evident in His provision of His likeness in us.
He gives us life in Christ through His sacrifice.
He gives us the Spirit and truth that we might worship Him.
and He gives us dominion over sin and death such that we might invite others to life and to worship with us.
Let’s Pray
