Exodus 2:1-10 - God’s Faithfulness in Bringing Forth a Deliverer
Notes
Transcript
The Word Read
The Word Read
Please remain standing for the reading of the Holy Scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord from Exodus 2:1-10:
1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 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 river bank. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 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. 6 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.” 7 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?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 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. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
Behold, brothers and sisters, this is the Word of the Lord. Please be seated.
Exordium
Exordium
Dear Church,
I invite you to open Holy Scripture to Exodus 2:1-10. Last week, we saw how a new Pharaoh and a new dynasty arose in Egypt. This new leadership knew nothing of Joseph. They placed the people of Israel under severe oppression and even committed selective genocide. Despite these horrific conditions, the Lord was incredibly faithful to the people of Israel. He caused the people to multiply time and time again. As we come to these verses today, we must remember that the conditions have not changed. Oppression is still occurring. Genocide is still happening. Will the Lord provide a solution to help the oppressed people of Israel? The Exodus truly is an adventure of faith!
The Lord continues to be faithful by providing a deliverer for His people - Moses. Now, Moses is not the Deliverer, but he is a deliverer. God brings this deliverer into the world in a time of chaos and genocide. God is faithful to bring forth a deliverer at just the right time.
As we navigate these verses, we will once again see the brilliance of Moses as an author. Moses is going to connect his birth with the story of Noah in Genesis 6. Moses writes in such a way that the readers of the original languages would have seen that Moses is connecting himself with Noah. We will look at this connection and ask, “Why did Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, make this connection?” Additionally, Moses employs language in these verses that references the creation of the universe in Genesis 1. Ultimately, when we take a comprehensive view of the entire Bible, we see that Moses is a type of Christ who is to come. Moses won’t be the Messiah, but he points to the Messiah, who is the true prophet and leader of His Church, throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This past week, during one of our family worship sessions, we read Jude 5:
5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
Do you know why we can trust Jesus to lead His Church in 2024? He was the One who led His Church out of Egypt thousands of years ago. Jesus has led His Church for thousands upon thousands of years. As I’ve said every week thus far in Exodus, we will come face-to-face with Jesus Christ in this book. Jesus permeates the passages of Exodus.
With this in mind, the sermon title is “God’s Faithfulness in Bringing Forth a Deliverer.” The sermon will have two sections: 1) Exodus 2:1-4 - A Child Hidden, and 2) Exodus 2:5-10 - A Child Delivered.
Exodus 2:1-4 - A Child Hidden
Exodus 2:1-4 - A Child Hidden
Chapter 2 begins with the word “now” in the ESV. This signifies that there is an event that is going to happen within the context of Pharaoh’s oppression and genocide. What is this event? A Levite man, Amram, takes a Levite woman, Jochebed, and marries her, and she gives birth to a child. You might wonder, “Why does Scripture specifically say that a Levite man and a Levite woman are married? Why is it important to know both are Levites?” This is important because we will later learn that the tribe of Levi is designated for the priestly office on behalf of the firstborn sons of Israel. Moses becomes a spiritual and religious leader of the Israelite people. Thus, by his very birth and family lineage, he is prequalified to be their spiritual and religious leader. God left no detail undone in providing a deliverer and leader for His people.
Do you see the word that is used to describe Moses at his birth? Jochebed saw that Moses was a “fine” child. I’m sure we could all relate to this, right? We see a newborn child and we gush over them, regardless of whether they are our children or not. Newborns are cute and cuddly. Jochebed looks at Moses with loving eyes. A fine child that she holds in her arms. Yet, the word for fine used here goes beyond a mother’s loving look of affection for her son. This word, "tob" (pronounced "tov"), is used seven times in the Creation story in Genesis 1.
Genesis 1:4:
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:10:
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:12:
12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:18:
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:21:
21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25:
25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:31:
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Throughout Genesis 1, God looks upon His creation and sees that what He made was “tob,” or good. Likewise, when Moses is born, God’s approval and goodness cover him. God chose Moses long ago to lead His people out of Egypt. The Lord’s favor and goodness are so evident that his mother can see this as she looks lovingly upon the child.
Jochebed faces a significant problem. The baby is a boy and could be thrown into the Nile River by any Egyptian. She hides him for three months, but then is unable to hide him any longer. The baby boy’s cries may be too loud to hide at this point. Jochebed does what any mother would do: protect her son. She builds a basket for him made of bulrushes or papyrus and adds bitumen and pitch to glue it all together. Now, we would imagine a basket with an open top, but this is not the case with this basket. Exodus 2:6 says that Pharaoh’s daughter opens the basket. The basket has a top over it, which would conceal the child. The child is placed in the reeds by the bank of the Nile, and the boy’s sister watches to see what will happen.
Here we are left with incredible tension. What will happen to the baby boy? Will his sister rescue him in some way? Will he perish in the Nile like the rest of the baby boys who have been born during this time? Will the parents face punishment for hiding the child? We find an incredible answer in these verses.
The word used for basket is tebah. This word is used in this passage and one other portion of the Bible, Genesis 6-9. I’ll read the first time tebah is used in the Bible.
Genesis 6:14:
14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
What did Jochebed make for her baby boy to hide him in the Nile River? A miniature ark. God put Noah in an ark, and God placed Moses in an ark. Moses is bringing all of this together for his readers. God delivers Noah from certain death, and as we shall see soon, God delivers Moses from a similar fate.
In Genesis 6, God delivers Noah and his family at just the right time. In Exodus 2, God provides a deliverer at just the right time. And at just the right time, the Son of God was born so that we might be adopted as God’s sons and daughters.
Galatians 4:4-7:
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
At the perfect, predetermined time, God sent the eternal Son of God to be born of a virgin, born under the law, with the expressed purpose to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as the Father’s sons and daughters. My question for you this morning is, do you believe that truth? Do you believe the gospel message? And as a result, have you been made sons and daughters of the Most High King?
Christ Jesus is the only deliverer who can save you; no one else can. As Romans 5:10-11 states,
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
We were all, at one point, enemies of God. We needed a Deliverer who would save us from God’s wrath. And here’s the wonderful truth: God saved us from His wrath by sending Jesus, the Great Deliverer, to reconcile us to God. One white lie is worth eternal wrath, and yet the grace of God in Christ has saved us from what we rightfully deserve. Every day we should thank the Lord that He sent the Deliverer, at the right time, to save us from being enemies of God, and our sins by his precious blood. The question every person faces is not, “Is Jesus the Deliverer?” This question we know to be objectively true. The question every person faces is, “Will I repent of my sins and recognize Jesus as my Deliverer?”
Exodus 2:5-10 - A Child Delivered
Exodus 2:5-10 - A Child Delivered
Moses is laid in his miniature ark and sits among the reeds. The daughter of Pharaoh notices the ark when she comes to bathe. She sends one of her maidservants to the ark. The ark is opened, and Pharaoh’s daughter hears the crying child, and she is moved to compassion. She notices the child is a Hebrew boy. Moses’ sister, who has been watching, comes to Pharaoh’s daughter and asks if she should find a wet nurse to nurse the child. Pharaoh’s daughter agrees. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, is paid to nurse and raise the child until he has weaned, which would have been around 2-3 years. This was not uncommon in ancient times, especially among the wealthy. A child would have a wet nurse who would care for them. Legally, the parents would maintain legal custody, but the wet nurse would act as a paid guardian.
The Lord miraculously delivers Moses. The Lord, in His providence, has put Moses’ sister in just the right place at just the right time. She watches Pharaoh’s daughter and her compassion for her brother. Could you imagine the moment she ran and found Mom? “Mom, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby. She wants you to be the wet nurse.” She is going to adopt him! I’m sure Amram and Jochebed had many feelings. “The boy has been saved! He won’t be killed! However, he won’t be our’s, he’ll belong to Pharaoh’s daughter instead…”
When Moses had stopped nursing, he was given to Pharaoh’s daughter. He is to receive a world-class education. He will be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses’ story could be told as that of a humble Hebrew who became a Royal Egyptian. Sitting in the background is God’s faithfulness to bring forth a deliverer for the people of Israel.
After the baby is born, he is given to Pharaoh’s daughter and he is given the name “Moses.” “I drew him out of the water.” Pharaoh’s daughter defies her father’s edict. Moses should have been thrown in the Nile River when she found the baby boy. Instead, she draws him out of the water and saves him from certain death.
As an adopted child, Moses would have been expected to give up his Hebrew identity. He would have been expected to take their royal Egyptian identity. It would not have been okay for him to have two masters. So, God provides and protects a deliverer, but is this deliverer now in danger of forsaking his Hebrew status? Hebrews 11:24-26 gives us the answer.
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Moses had been supernaturally saved in the miniature ark, just as Noah had been saved. Here’s what we must continually remember about the book of Exodus: God is continuing His faithfulness to His covenant people. There is not a day that goes by that God is not faithful to the people of Israel. Day after day, after day, God’s faithfulness pours out upon these people. We’ve seen this every single week we’ve been in Exodus thus far. In Exodus 1:1-7, we saw God’s faithfulness to Joseph’s family. In Exodus 1:8-22, we saw God’s faithfulness to these people during oppression and selective genocide. Now we are seeing His faithfulness in bringing forth a deliverer. He is faithful to provide a deliverer, and He is faithful to save him from certain death.
God’s faithfulness to His covenant people does not start in Exodus 1, nor does it end in Exodus 2. God was faithful to Adam and Eve after their rebellion. God was faithful to Abram, as God chose Abram, who was a pagan worshipper. God was faithful to His people despite their continued rebellion against Him. God was faithful to send the people of Israel into exile. God was faithful to them while they were in exile, as seen in the book of Daniel. God was faithful to them when He brought them out of exile. God was faithful during the 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments. God was faithful when He sent the Son of God to be born of a virgin woman. God was faithful to the church in the New Testament. And God is faithful to us right now in 2024. God is always faithful to His people. How can we trust God’s faithfulness to us? He has thousands of years showing He is always faithful to His people.
I mentioned earlier that when we take a comprehensive view of the Holy Scriptures, we find that Moses is not the Deliverer, but rather a type of deliverer who points to Christ Jesus, the true Deliverer. In Matthew 2, we read about the birth of Christ. The wise men come to Bethlehem seeking to find the King of the Jews. Herod hears about this and becomes troubled. We pick up the story in Matthew 2:7:
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Just as Moses was a helpless child whom the Lord miraculously delivered, so Jesus, as a helpless child, is miraculously delivered from certain death by Herod. Moses is the deliverer born to lead the people of Israel out of bondage to the promised land. Jesus is the true deliverer born to lead all His people out of the bondage of sin to the eternal promised land. Moses is a type of Christ who is to come. This is why we will come face-to-face with Christ Jesus every week we travel through Exodus.
Closing
Closing
Moses typologically points forward to the person Jesus Christ. We have the incredible ability to look back and see the birth of Jesus Christ in the very Word of God. We look back and see in the pages of Scripture the angels declare, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” In Christ, the peace of God burst onto the scene in the babe in the manger.
For unto us a child is born, and a son is given. The government or the supreme power will rest upon Him. He shall be called the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He rules on the throne of David with justice and righteousness forever and ever. Church, behold, your risen Redeemer! He is the Eternal Son of God who came to earth to save us from sin. Moses was born as a deliverer, but Jesus Christ was brought forth as the Deliverer.
