God Prepares His Deliverer

Admit it. We are impatient. Yet God is not. We want what we want now! God is never in a hurry. He has an exact time for His purposes, and He will never be a moment late in anything He does.

Moses had a decision to make at age forty. His decision required careful consideration of all the various facets and circumstances surrounding him. Would he claim his legal right to the throne of Egypt? Or would he decide to give the glories of the world up to go to his own people, in bitter bondage, as their deliverer and so to suffer with them and all that would be involved in delivering them out of their bondage? His answer is seen in Hebrews 11:24-26:

Hebrews 11:24–26 NASB95

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Acts 7:23 NASB95

“But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.

1. Moses’s flight from Egypt, vs 11-15

Moses was grown in all the ways of Egypt (Acts 7:22), but not yet in the ways of God…

A. Moses slays an Egyptian, vs. 11-12.

Exodus 2:11–12 NASB95

Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Moses, by going out to his brethren, demonstrates that even though raised in the Egyptian courts, his heart was with the children of Israel. He had seen the difference in circumstances between his life situation and theirs:

· He was free, they were slaves.

· He was rich, they were poor.

· He was not burdened, but they were, and he chose to make their burden his burden.

Stephen in his speech before the council in Acts 7 says that Moses’s actions were in defense of the Hebrew. Here he was seeking to be a deliverer before God had properly prepared him for the task.

A lesson for us today in this section of Scripture: Do not be in haste to carry out God’s will before His time.

One day a man went with his young son to his neighbor and he went into his neighbor’s field to pick a watermelon without permission. Looking toward the farmhouse and around the field, he didn’t see anyone watching and returned to where his son was standing. His son, who had attended Sunday school earlier in the day, observed, “Dad, you didn’t look up!”

Looking this way and that, seeking if there would be any witnesses to what he was about to do, Moses didn’t look the one way that was important—he didn’t look up!

Moses learned an important lesson from his time in the wilderness. That lesson is the difference between horizontal vision and perpendicular vision. Moses learned not to look side to side as he did when he killed the Egyptian but to look vertically; to Him who is invisible, God Himself.

Moses killed the Egyptian, saving the Israelite and completely aligning himself with his people. Moses acted in this as a goel, a kinsman redeemer, the avenger of one suffering wrongly. Nowhere in Scripture is this act ever referred to as a crime. Moses was technically not wrong in what he did, but spiritually he was wrong.

It was not God’s will to redeem one Israelite at a time by killing one Egyptian at a time. Dr. Ironside said it this way,

“God’s way of delivering Israel was not killing Egyptians one by one. He would make a clean break in His own way. So now He does not save by delivering from one sin after another, but by a complete settlement at once.”

But Moses was guilty by the laws of Egypt and could be punished. Moses tried to conceal the evidence, but it was to no purpose. He discovered that the very next day.

B. Moses seeks to mediate, vs. 13-14.

Exodus 2:13–14 NASB95

He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.”

The next day, Moses went out as if nothing had happened and came upon two Israelites fighting. He understood what was going on and approached the one in the wrong, questioning his motives. The day before, Moses used his strength; today he uses his brains, but God will use neither one to redeem His people Israel.

The man who was in the wrong came up fighting, throwing two punches:

“Who made you a prince and judge over us?” This was a rejection of his rulership and leadership.

“Are you intending to kill me like you did the Egyptian?” This was the knockout blow: This act of Moses was known!

Now Moses’s life was at stake. Pharaoh would kill him for seeking to cause an insurrection among the Hebrews.

C. Moses flees from Pharaoh, vs. 15.

Exodus 2:15 NASB95

When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

For Pharaoh, Moses had become public enemy #1. Moses was a threat to his throne. Not only could he have been a contender for the throne as the adopted son, but he potentially could have started in insurrection among the Hebrew slaves. So, Pharaoh would naturally desire to stamp out the instigator.

Years later, when Moses was attempting to deliver Israel from Egypt, he would not flee the face of the Pharaoh in office then, even at the risk of his own life. Then Moses was doing the will of God, but here in the text he was not. The will of God always makes us more courageous in doing what is right. Sim makes us cowards.

Who are the Midianites? They are Semites. Midian is the half-brother of Isaac; their line comes through Abraham by Keturah. They have knowledge of the God of Abraham. As for where the land was, Midian was generally considered east of Egypt, its general territory taking in a lot of area at times. Most scholars suggest that the land of the Midianites was SE of Israel, east of the Gulf of Aqaba but they also were very close to Moab and even lived in the Transjordan region at a time in their history. They had the characteristics of a nomadic people in that region.

Moses has been rejected by his own people and sought for death by Pharaoh, but there will be others who will receive him.

2. Moses and life apart from Egypt, vs. 16-23.

It really did not take Moses long to make his presence known in the land of the Midianites…

A. Incident by Midianite well, vs 16-17.

Exodus 2:16–17 NASB95

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.

From Exodus 18:12, this priest of Midian was serving the true God. His seven daughters helped take care of their father’s flock, but not without opposition. It was hard work to draw water from a well, removing first the stone cover that helped protect the water source, then drawing the water up from the well, then to carry it to the troughs where the sheep would have easier access. All that hard work, and just when they are finished, other shepherds drive them away to use the water they have accessed for their own needs.

Moses stood up for the girls against the shepherds, and the implication is that they did not want to tangle with this man. In Egypt women were respected; it seems Moses was incensed at the treatment these shepherdesses experienced. He helped them and watered their flock. He did not wait, but when he understood the situation, he acted in a timely way. He did not fear the shepherds, even though he was outnumbered—He was upset at the injustice he observed.

After what he had experienced in Egypt, he could have stayed out of it—but he chose not to! He didn’t let discouragement or fear keep him from doing the right thing for others. His good deed did not go unnoticed.

B. Information gathering by Reuel, vs. 18-19.

Exodus 2:18–19 NASB95

When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” So they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock.”

It is evident from the question the girls were asked that the harassment they received from the shepherds was a daily occurrence. Reuel, also known as Jethro, means “God is friend.”

The daughters explain what has happened. It was a strange occurrence. No one in their community stepped out to help them. It took an outsider, an Egyptian, who responded to their need, not only for protection but for help in their labors. As a result, they were able to return much earlier than normal to their father’s tent.

C. Invitation to live among Midianites, vs. 20-22.

Exodus 2:20–22 NASB95

He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

It was an affront to Moses -- and brought dishonor to their father-- if they did not invite him to sit and eat with them. Reuel rebukes his daughters for their lack of hospitality considering the good done for them by Moses, and commands them to invite Moses to join them for a meal.

Moses didn’t do any of this for a meal; he did it as a response to injustice. His concern was not with reward or praise, yet God saw, and God rewarded through Reuel.

This became more than just a meal. Moses had impressed the girls’ father so much that an invitation to join the family and marry into Reuel’s household was given – a great honor. Moses was willing to do so, learning the shepherd’s trade, receiving Zipporah as his wife, and soon having the blessing of a son.

In naming his son Gershom, Moses shows that he has not forgotten his people in Egypt. But he also settled into life out in the land of Midian—for forty years! However, this was not Moses’ home, place or people. Herding sheep was not his calling, for God had a higher calling and Moses was learning to patiently wait and endure until God called.

Here in the land of Midian, God taught Moses just as He did while he was in Egypt. He was earning his B.D. – his “Backside of the Desert” degree.

Here is a summary of what God was teaching Moses during his lifetime:

1) In the first forty years in the classroom of life, God was teaching Moses what God could do with a man who was trying to be somebody. Moses became a fugitive.

2) In the second forty years in the classroom of life, God was teaching Moses what God could do with a man who was trying to be a nobody. Moses was mightily used by God as a deliverer.

3) In the last 40 years in the classroom of life, God was teaching Moses what God could do with a man who had learned the first two lessons.

Just as God was preparing Moses, God was also preparing the hearts of the children of Israel.

3. Moses’ people cry for help, vs. 23-25.

God waits until we cry to Him. He does not do anything apart from prayer and from a people who look completely to Him to work. It is not enough to have a redeemer prepared; the nation must also be prepared.

A. Reason for the cry, vs. 23.

Exodus 2:23 NASB95

Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.

The days of bondage are only marked by the passing of a Pharaoh and the rise of a new Pharaoh. The Pharaoh who attempted to kill Moses is gone, but a new Pharaoh is in place. God, in this way, has made the return of Moses possible for his life will not be at stake before a new Pharaoh.

Finally, the Israelites have come to the end of themselves and in desperation cry out to God. Now they are ready to be delivered by God’s redeemer.

They sighed (anach) – under the pressure of evil they expressed great physical and emotional pain; they cried out (zaaq) – with a loud voice, expressing publicly their anguish with the hope that someone would respond; their cry for help (shava) – calling for assistance in the light of their great distress – rose up before God. No matter how small a cry the people of God give toward the Lord, He always hears.

They have finally realized their hopelessness, now God is able to move on their behalf. He has always been willing, but they had to realize their need and that He was their only hope. “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

B. Response to the cry, vs 24-25.

Exodus 2:24–25 NASB95

So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

Four statements record the moving of God in these two verses:” God heard . . . God remembered . . . God saw . . . God took notice.”

God’s hearing is with attentiveness – He is attentive to the afflictions, even the heaviest afflictions, of His people.

God is faithful to His covenant promises with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He didn’t need to be reminded of what He promised, but now His people have cried out and He will complete what He had promised to their forefathers. He will bring them out of Egypt’s bondage and back to the promised land.

God saw. He had special concern for Israel. He saw and made judgments based upon His observations. He would examine for Himself the wickedness of the oppression of Pharaoh and would act in righteousness. He is motivated by His special concern for His people. God loves us so much that He cannot take His eyes off us!

God will take action. The people are now ready for emancipation, the cup of iniquity is full for the Egyptians, and now God will bring His deliverer forward, spiritually prepared for the task he will be called to do.