Future Proof

Introduction

Pharaoh was supposed to be a power unmatched and a name renowned. So, it’s ironic how much of the book of Exodus is about how impotent and insignificant the pharaohs actually were. There are two mentioned in the book, and we don’t even know their names. History can’t even tell us who they were, and they once demanded to be worshipped. Yet, we know the names of two, seemingly forgettable and insignificant midwives, Shiphrah and Puah. The Hebrew people had obeyed God’s command to be fruitful and multiply so that there were more than a million of them living in Egypt at the time of Exodus. And, Pharaoh, the one supposed to have been so mighty, so insurmountable shows marked insecurity, fearing the Hebrews would overtake his people as allies of their enemies. So, he enslaves the Hebrews and places harsh taskmasters of them. Further, he called for an infanticide in which the Israel’s midwives were to kill any male baby that was born. Pharoah feared his slaves, but these lowly midwives didn’t even fear the king himself. Because Pharaoh pretended to be a god while the midwives feared the true and living God. The fear of God made the midwives secure, and the fear of man made the mightiest man insecure. So, we know their names but not his, and that’s chapter one.

Pharaoh discovers that the male children are continuing to multiply and issues a royal edict, a state-sponsored infanticide not unlike the abortion laws of today. Every male, Hebrew child was to be thrown into the Nile river, where the river would determine their fate, almost certainly death. Except there was a young mother and a big sister that were more cunning, more caring, more courageous than the Pharaoh was insecure. The mother made what amounted to a miniature ark (that’s the word that’s used) in which she would place her son among the reeds of the Nile and out of harm’s way. The baby’s big sister would watch him during the day, and the current would cover his cries. And, one day, Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the baby hiding in the reeds and determined to adopt him. Big sister was there to suggest them find a Hebrew nurse, and the baby’s own mother was brought in to be the nanny to the child. And, we know the name of that mother, Jochebed, and that big sister, Miriam, but we still have no idea the name of the mightiest man on the earth at the time, Pharaoh. Because you see, the boy they saved was a man by the name of Moses, and Moses would serve as the servant of a King before whom Pharaoh would bow, a King who had made a covenant with his people that He would not forget. And so, chapter two comes to a close with God, the great King, saying that He remembered his covenant with his people. So, there’s a very real sense in which the great Exodus of Israel begins with the faithful mothers of Israel fearing God more than their king. So, before Moses, before plagues, before the Red Sea, God initiates his great redemption through diaper-changing, staying-up-all-night, ferociously protective moms and midwives. Oh mom, in the economy of heaven, your role is immeasurable!

God’s Word

Read Exodus 3:1-12

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

6 And 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 at God.

7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

The Questions of a Call (headline)

God has called you to do something. God has never saved a single person so that they might waste their life without consequence. And, that’s what we’re seeing in Moses here in Exodus 3. God is placing an impossible calling upon Moses, one that Moses meets with questions and protest. It’s likely that we’re to have the same questions and protests when God is calling us. Let’s look at the first two today and the other three next week.

Who am “I”?

3:11 “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” You’ll see that the first question that Moses asks is: Who am “I”? Moses is alone in the wilderness, living a seemingly simple and contented life, when a burning bush catches his eye. He must’ve watched it for some time because he watches it long enough to realize that the fire was in the bush, but the bush wasn’t being burned, it wasn’t being consumed. He must’ve thought himself crazy when he drew nearer to it, only to have a voice come from the bush warning him not to take another step. Like someone who mistakenly grabs hold of a hot pan, Moses realizes in an instant that he is the presence of holiness. That’s why God is revealing himself to Moses through fire. It would be fire that would lead God’s people through the wilderness, fire that would give the Law on top of Sinai, fire that would burn upon the Tabernacle’s altar, and fire that would ignite the apostles at Pentecost. Fire purifies. Fire stands out. Fire is both an ally and a foe, keeping you warm or burning down your house. And, here is the One who is truly pure, truly bright, truly the greatest ally to his children and the greatest foe to his enemies. And so, He calls out for Moses to take his shoes off, “for (he) is on holy ground.” That is, God’s people approach God in humility and reverence. We don’t glide into the presence of God; we go to him the way that He has commanded we go to him. For He is holy and sovereign and transcendent, and we are lowly and sinful and pathetic.

Faithful and Determined

But, God had not come to speak to Moses without something to say. He had essentially two points He wanted to make: He is faithful and steadfast in his love. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They haven’t heard from him. They have largely forgotten him. But, He has not forgotten them. He has not forgotten his promise. His love has remained, and, now, He will act to deliver his people so that they can enjoy the fullness of his promise. He is faithful, and He is determined. That is, He has willed that He will deliver his people through Moses. This wasn’t Moses’ decision. This was God’s, and his decision is determined and irrevocable. Moses will go before Pharaoh, and Moses will go to the people in slavery. Moses will speak for God. And, Moses responds the same way we most often respond when we receive an impossible call from a holy God: “Who am I?” Moses is like: “Obviously, you don’t know me like you think you do. You might want to reconsider.”

Your Life is not About You

And, God says the same words to Moses that He says to us: “But I will be with you.” It’s as if God is saying, “Did you not just listen to everything that I just said? I’m the One who called Abraham, and I’m the One who provided the substitution for Isaac, and I’m the One who wrestled with Jacob.” Moses isn’t the main character of the Exodus; God is. This is about Him. God’s call on your life is not about “you”. It’s about who He is. It’s about His character, his strength, his glory. Of course, it’s impossible for you. But, with God, all things are impossible! Because of who He is, it doesn’t matter who you are or who you’re not. God’s response to Moses essentially amounts to: “So?!?! What you do you mean ‘Who are you?’ That’s irrelevant. I will be there.” I wonder how many of us are rationalizing away the calls that God is placing on our lives with: “Who am I?” I can’t teach or lead family worship or start a homeless shelter or actually live overseas as a missionary. “Who am I?” And, God is saying back to you this morning “So?!?! Don’t you realize that I’m going to be there? Your faithfulness demonstrates what you believe about “God”, not “yourself”.

Who are “You”?

3:13 “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say them?’” And, you can see how this leads to Moses’ next question: Who are “You”? If this all depends on this God, you better know exactly who you’re dealing with. Read Exodus 3:13-15 with me.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the 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 thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

You have to understand that it had been 400 years since they’d heard a word from God. They didn’t have a written copy of the Bible; they had oracles. And, Egypt had oracles. Over time, more and more false gods would have infiltrated the worldview of the Hebrews. So, when you hear, ‘the God of your fathers’, it can be both comforting and confusing. Moses asks for clarity, and he knows that the people are going to demand it, too. And, God does not blink. He says, “I Am Who I Am. That’s my Name. Tell them that ‘I Am’ sent you.” Woah, like what? This is where we derive the name YHWH (which is a form of the verb ‘to be’), which went unspoken for so long we’re still not sure that we’re pronouncing it right. This is where we get the specific, personalized, covenant name of God. It is pointing us to the transcendence of God. That is, that God is not like us, and He is not like the gods we invent. He is above us all. He is self-existent. His being is not derived from any other source of energy or resources; his being is derived from himself and himself alone. He is self-sustaining, self-sufficient, and self perpetuating. Thomas Acquinas points out that He’s logically necessary. Without “I Am”, nothing “is”. You have no explanation for origins or purpose. You have no anchor points for logic. He is the Creator of every atom. He is the designer of every ecosystem. He is the witness and architect of all history, and, at the same time, He is the engineer of the future. God already is “anywhere” or “anytime” there ever will be. He is still in yesterday; He is with us here today; He is already in tomorrow. He’s “I Am”. He’s always present tense.

A King More Famous

He’s always been faithful, and his faithfulness is “future proof”. That’s the point to Moses, and that’s the point to us. God is still on plan A. He hasn’t called an audible. His covenant is as secure as when He first made it. He’s unsurprised by what’s taken place. And, He’s going to save and redeem his people. It’s who He is. That’s the guarantee of his Name. “I Am” the God of the covenant. He knows that Pharaoh will have to be “compelled by a mighty hand”, but there is no hand mightier than his. He knows that Israel will have great needs, but He will let them plunder the houses of their masters so that they have excess. There is a king more famous than Pharaoh, and there will be a Kingdom far greater than Egypt. Two pharaohs have died, and we don’t know their names, but YWHW was and is and will always be.

Shadows of the Gospel

And, He’s your King. If Jesus is your King, then this all applies to you. For Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am. I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the true vine, and no man gets to the Father except through me.” These two questions are shadows of the gospel. God has sent his Son to save us, and when we really have eyes to see we ask: “Who am I?” that you the King’s Son would die for me? He calls us to do great things, and, all the more we ask: “Who am I?” to serve such a privileged position in the King’s court? But, in our call to salvation and in our call to ministry, it’s not about who we are. It’s about who He is. So, come and find your place in his Kingdom no matter how disqualified you seem. Do the great things He’s calling you to, regardless of how impossible they seem. This isn’t about you; it’s about him. And, with him, your life is future proof.