The Birth of a Deliverer

Please open your bibles to Exodus 2.

Read Exodus 2:1-22

This week we zoom in on the troubles of Israel within Egypt.

Moses likes to write this way.

He writes a chapter broadly.

Then the next chapter he zooms in and describes in greater detail what is going on.

Think of Genesis 1 and 2.

Genesis 1 describes the first 6 days of creation.

It broadly describes how God created everything that there is.

Then Genesis 2, zooms in on the 6th day.

It describes in detail how God created man.

Last week we looked at Exodus 1.

That was an overview of how bad things were in Egypt for the Israelites.

The previous dynasty of Pharaoh’s that was kind to the Hebrews had been removed.

A new line of Pharaoh’s rose to power, and they were fearful of the Hebrew people, of the Israelites.

They oppressed the Israelites.

First, putting them into forced labor, slavery.

Then, calling for the death of all the young boys.

That’s the broad view.

Chapter 2 zooms in on the life of the Hebrews in Egypt.

What did the Egyptian domination look like?

It’s like when you watch the news, and they describe riots that are happening in the streets.

They give a bird’s eye view of the situation.

Then the newscasters zoom in on a reporter who’s live on the scene.

There is a newsvan on location.

They are live at the scene, showing the audience what’s going on from an upclose look.

With a gritty view of the life of a Hebrew, while under the thumb of Egypt, we see God still caring for His people.

But it’s not just Israel, we get a glimpse of how God cares for people.

We learn 3 ways that God deals with humanity in Exodus 2:1-22.

First, God saves the weak

We learn in verse 1 of a Levite couple.

We learn from the rest of Moses’ writings that this couple already has at least 2 other children.

A son named Aaron.

And a daughter named Miriam.

And at an unfortunate time, they had another son.

This boy was born in danger.

From the moment he took his first breath, his life was threatened.

By Pharaoh’s order he should have been killed, because he was a Hebrew boy.

But out of faith and obedience, the boy’s parents kept him hidden for 3 months.

Hebrews 11, commends Moses’ parents, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”

Because they feared God, and loved the son He gave them, they chose disobedience over conformity.

I’ve learned something this past year, Moses’ parents did nearly did the impossible, they hid a baby for 3 months..

Babies are loud.

Babies cry.

Babies change your whole schedule.

The fact that they kept him hidden for 3 months is an accomplishment.

After the 3 months, he could no longer stay hidden, so they built an ark.

They couldn’t kill the child, that would be evil.

But they couldn’t keep him any longer.

Babies are hard to hide.

They put him in a basket, and floated him down the river.

This was the equivalent of taking a child to a fire station and leaving him for adoption.

Verse 4 tells us that Miriam, Moses’ older sister went downstream and watched what would happen.

The first point of this sermon is that God saves the weak.

God saves in unlikely ways.

His plans are not often our plans.

His plans are not how we would imagine things.

The Egyptian government had instituted a policy of genocide.

Young Hebrew boys have been ordered to be killed.

Wisdom says that if you are Moses’ parents, you’d sent him as far away from the Egyptians as possible

But in this instance, through the sovereignty of God, and the perfect plan of God, notice where Moses drifted -

He didn’t float to a nearby Hebrew town.

He didn’t escape into another country.

He floated right into the hand of the Egyptians.

And not just any Egyptians, but Pharaoh’s daughter.

Moses has been sent into the center of the hive of evil in Egypt.

Pharaoh’s daughter sees the baby boy, hears him crying and it says she “took pity on him”.

She knew that he was a Hebrew child.

She wasn’t ignorant.

She knew what should have been done to him.

She knew her father’s orders.

Miriam, Moses’ sister happened to be nearby,

She went to the princess and asked if she could get a Hebrew mother to nurse the child.

Now again, in the sovereignty of God, Miriam gets Moses’ mom.

And Moses mom gets to raise Moses.

Do you see the great plan of God?

Earlier in the day, Moses’ mother, sent her son drifting down a river, thinking she’d never see him again.

A final goodbye.

The boy is saved.

And not only is he saved, but the mother gets to care for the child.

She gets to see him.

Hebrews 11 says that Moses was a beautiful child.

This mother was able to spend time with her beautiful, precious child.

When Moses grew older, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted Moses.

Verse 10 says that it was Pharaoh’s daughter who named Moses.

His name means, “I drew him out of the water.”

And according to Acts 7, he became a part of the royal family.

He was raised as an Egyptian elite.

He received the best education.

Strangely, he even became an heir to the throne.

This sets the stage for how God saves.

He saves the lowly.

God is not choosing the finest or the wisest.

He chooses the lowliest.

He saves the weakest.

He saves the helpless.

Moses was helpless.

Remember what you were.

Turn forward in your Bibles to Ephesians 2.

Look at verses 1-3, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

As far as people in God’s kingdom goes, this was us.

We were in a position of damnation.

We were living our lives, counting down the minutes until God’s justice was unleashed upon us.

Then look at the next verses, Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

But God … being rich in mercy.

Moses was floating down the river into a dreary future … but God caused Pharaoh’s daughter to take notice.

Why was she there that day?

The text says to take a bath.

But why that day?

Why that time?

Why that location?

Because of the sovereignty of God.

It was God’s plan that she be there that day.

But God.

And you were floating in life towards death … but God … made us alive together with Christ.

This is how God saves … but God.

The Christian should embrace humility.

When we evangelize, or engage with nonChristians.

We don’t approach them because we think we are better or more holy.

We don’t look down upon them.

Instead, it’s the understanding that God saves those who are helpless..

I Timothy 1:15 says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

I was floating in life towards death.

But God saved me.

And if God save me, then he can save others.

God saves the weak.

God saves the powerless.

This becomes a picture of how you are saved.

Moses was 3 months old floating down the river.

There were dangers in that water.

Crocodiles.

Predators.

Egyptians.

But he was 3 months old.

A 3 month old cannot defend himself.

He couldn’t free himself.

He couldn’t swim to shore.

He needed someone to rescue him.

He needed someone to reach into those waters and pull him free.

You, like Moses, could not on your own save yourself.

John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

That verse describes an inability on your part.

Moses couldn’t respond, he was 3 months old.

There was an inability.

You could not respond, because you were a slave to sin.

At no point can you take credit for your salvation.

Instead, it’s boasting in God’s saving work.

Moses becomes a picture of how God saves.

Next we see that God humbles the proud

We see the next phase of Moses’ life.

The first stage I titled Baby Moses.

This stage I have titled, Adult Moses.

I think this next part of Scripture is one of the greatest reasons to trust in the truth of Scripture.

You could title this the unedited version of Moses’ life.

The beauty of the Bible, is that it doesn’t remove the sins of its characters, even when they are the author of the books.

If your life was recorded in a book so future generations could learn of your life, what would you write?

Moses left it all in.

Warts and all.

Sins.

Ugly truths.

I told you this is a zoomed in view of chapter 1.

We’ve seen murder of children.

Now we see the oppression of the Egyptians.

Verse 11 says that one day, he saw this oppression.

He saw the burden of the Hebrews.

He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew.

Though adopted by the Egyptians, Moses knew that he was a Hebrew.

Moses was raised by the Egyptians.

He looked like an Egyptian.

He spoke like one.

He thought like one.

But in this moment, he had to make a decision, who was he.

Look at the end of verse 11.

It says he saw the Egyptians beating a Hebrew.

Then notice the next 4 words - one of his people.

That was a defining moment.

At that moment he identified with God’s people.

Hebrews 11:24-25 says, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”

He was raised in luxury.

He was raised as a prince.

He could have looked down on the Hebrews.

They could have been his slaves.

He could have lived in the hedonism of the Egyptians.

But in this moment, he made the wise and faithful choice to identify with the people of God.

To identify with the slaves.

Let me take a moment and encourage our parents.

Parents, you struggle with raising your children.

I know that you worry about how they think and what they believe.

You worry that they are influenced by the world too much.

Let this text be an encouragement to you.

Moses was raised in a similar situation as your children, if not worse.

He was influenced by the world.

He went to the Egyptian schools.

He was educated to think like the oppressors.

He had an Egyptian worldview.

What you try to protect your children from -

Thinking like the world.

Living like the world.

He had.

Yet, Moses changed.

Your children are influenced by the world.

And this doesn’t negate your responsibility to train up your children in the way they should go.

But this is a reminder and an encouragement, that even if they think like the world they are never so lost that the Lord cannot change them.

In that moment of choosing the Hebrews, we get a glimpse of what Moses’ faith was.

Hebrews 11:26 says, “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

Moses identified with the people of God, that God had promised to redeem through a promised offspring.

And you too, must come to a place where you choose to identify with Christ.

You forsake the world.

You leave them behind, and you pursue Christ.

But then we see the ugly truth.

The part that Moses didn’t edit out of his conversion story.

He was watching the Hebrew getting beat, and he took action.

He became violent, and he struck down the Egyptian.

This was an act of murder.

You can see that it was murder based on the response of other Hebrew people.

They didn’t thank him.

They didn’t see him as saving them.

Verse 14, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Pharaoh heard of Moses’ actions and put a bounty on his head.

Verse 15 says, “When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.”

What did Moses do?

Moses wanted to free the Hebrews, but he went about it wrong.

He tried to deliver them by the strength of his own hands.

He thought that if he tried hard enough, he could change it all.

It was a moment of pride.

He thought that the Lord needed him to free the Hebrews.

Moses acted self-reliantly, and independently.

He went rogue.

He was right, though he didn’t know it yet, God was going to use him in freeing the slaves.

That was going to happen, but not in this way.

Moses’ impulsive action, was an attempt for him to free the slaves.

He was trying to take credit.

But God would receive all the credit for the actions.

God would free the slaves, not Moses.

Exodus 20:2, ““I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

The plan was for God to receive the credit.

Here’s an important lesson for Christians, especially our younger Christians.

When you are first converted, there is a desire to do great things.

There is a desire to find your purpose.

To find your place.

And you try to change things.

You rely on your own strength, and on your own efforts.

But what does Proverbs 3:5 say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Young Christians, or new Christians sometimes can demonstrate little patience for others.

You look around and wonder why others aren’t doing more.

There is a temptation to become judgmental of others.

You wonder why others don’t think like you.

Yes, we need to do hard things.

Yes the Lord will challenge us.

But don’t go beyond the work of God.

God does not need you.

God isn’t in heaven saying, “I could do great things, if only there was someone that could help me.”

He is not handicapped by the people that He works with.

Acts 17:24-25 says, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

He doesn’t need us.

The Lord’s will will be accomplished.

Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.”

I hope you believe that.

Because if you don’t, you will stoop to human practices, thinking it brings godly results.

Moses, saw slavery.

Moses, saw oppression.

He stooped to human practices, using murder to bring about godly results.

We cannot fight the Lord’s battles, with the world’s weapons.

Violence won’t convert people.

Politics won’t convert people.

Christian schools won’t convert people.

We must rest in the grace of God.

We must be convinced in our hearts, of our own weakness, and of the greatness of God.

We love to quote Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

But remember, that applies to others as well.

If there is going to be any change in this world, it’s not of your own doing.

It’s going to be the grace of God, a gift of God.

It’s going to be God sovereignly, and freely working in their lives.

So how do we fight these battles.

By using the weapons that God has given us.

II Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”

It’s a life depending upon the Spirit.

It’s walking by the Spirit.

It’s using the gifts that God has given you by the Holy Spirit.

It’s being in prayer.

It’s confessing sin.

All of these things, acknowledging your own weakness and the greatness of God.

So what is the battle in front of you?

Are you fighting it on your strength, or on the Lord’s strength?

What weapons are you using?

The rewards are better when the victory comes from God.

Think of Moses.

You know the rest of the story of Exodus.

Israel was sent out of Egypt as victors, without raising a sword.

There was the parting of the Red Sea.

Moses’ method would have been a violent revolution, probably resulting in the deaths of many Israelites.

The Exodus becomes a testimony to Israel, Egypt, and the surrounding nations of the power of Yahweh.

And that must humble the proud.

Lastly, God cares for the hurting.

This second chapter of Exodus is like an 80’s montage.

Remember movies from the 80’s there was always a montage.

A scene that showed a span of time taking place, usually the length of a popular song on the radio.

Rocky, there’s the training montage.

He’s running through Philadelphia.

Cuts to him being in a meat locker punching cow corpses hanging on hooks.

Running some more.

Boxing.

Running.

Finally running up those 72 steps that lead to the Museum of Art on Philadelphia, surrounded by fans.

Then by the end of the montage, time has passed and the character has developed.

That’s chapter 2.

We have Baby Moses.

We have Adult Moses.

Then we have Married Moses.

After killing the Egyptian, Moses ran away.

He had some kind of conversion there in Egypt.

He identified with Israel.

Hebrews says he identified with Christ.

He knew of a coming offspring.

He killed a man thinking he was doing the Lord’s work, but he was wrong.

And he ran away.

It says that he ran to Midian.

This was the land, East and slightly northwest of Egypt.

It’s where Sinai was.

The Midianites were nomadic people.

It’s amazing how the Lord works.

I think we would call it ironic.

Irony is often a humorous tool to tell a story.

You expect one thing, and you receive another.

Irony goes against the norm.

Irony would be a fire station burning down.

Irony would be a police officer losing his driving license for unpaid parking tickets.

Moses is lonely.

Moses wants a home.

Moses wants a family.

Moses wants to be a part of a people.

And where does he find it?

He finds it in Midian.

With nomads.

You want a home.

You find it with people who have no home.

That is irony.

It’s not what you expect.

It says that there was a priest in Midian, here he is called Reuel, later we learn his name is also Jethro.

Moses wants to identify with the people of God, and he finds a priest, but it’s a Midianite priest.

This priest has 7 daughters, and they were getting water for their father’s flock.

They ran into trouble with some local shepherds.

But Moses was there to save the day.

Verse 17 says that he stood up to them.

That night, Reuel, or later Jethro, he noticed that his daughters came home earlier than normal.

It wasn’t uncommon for them to have a hard time watering their animals.

They were nomads.

They were used to trespassing on other people’s land, and being driven off.

The daughters explained that they got home early because they had some help, an Egyptian, helped them out.

We see how much influence the Egyptians had on Moses’ life.

He spoke like them.

He dressed like them.

Jethro liked the sound of this man, and told them to get the man.

Moses came to dinner, and left with a wife.

Moses married Zipporah.

They had a son.

The name of the son says a lot.

Moses named his son, Gershom.

Which is more of a testimony to the Lord’s kindness.

Gershom means, “I have been a sojourner.”

But not any more.

Moses has had an identity crisis.

He didn’t know who he was.

He didn’t fit in with the Egyptians.

He didn’t fit in with the Hebrews.

He didn’t have a home.

He didn’t have a family.

He was given to the Egyptians.

He was raised royalty.

But they weren’t his family.

And now he finds a home..

He’s at home in MIdian.

He’s at home with his family.

He’s at home with his son.

His father in law is a priest of God, he’s at home with his God.

He is no longer a sojourner.

He is no longer lost.

He has found his place.

This reads like the words of Amazing Grace.

“I once was lost, but now am found.”

This reads like the beatitudes.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

He was poor in spirit.

His pride wasn’t working.

He was mourning, he was a sojourner.

He was lonely.

He was weak.

All of that Egyptian strength and confidence and education, couldn’t bring any real change.

And in this moment, he found a home.

God cares for the hurting.

I imagine you have been here before.

Something I’ve been learning lately, is that the moments of the biggest pain, that pain is the Lord sanctifying you.

That pain that you experience, is the Lord showing you where you need to change.

It shows you where you need Him.

Because you’ve been filling that need with counterfeit solutions.

And none of them stop the pain.

They leave you unsatisfied.

And it hurts.

The pain is the realization that your passions and desires are stronger than you first thought.

They have a control over you that only God should have.

You have become a slave to sin.

But God cares for the hurting.

In that moment of lostness, the Lord, in an ironic way gives and satisfies.

Moses found this in the desert.

As far away from what you would expect.

You have pain, and that pain is coming from some sin.

That sin has made big promises to you.

But it’s a lie.

Satan is the father of all lies.

And yet, the solution is so much more satisfying.

Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Moses took refuge in God in the desert.

There the Lord gave him a home.

He cares for the hurting.

You have sin.

That sin is on your back.

It’s weighing you down.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” - that cloud of witnesses are the people of the Old Testament who demonstrated their faith.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

How do you get rid of it?

Sin was removed at the cross.

The author of Hebrews says, “looking to Jesus”.

Look to Him who died for us.

Baby Moses

Adult Moses

Married Moses

They show us that God:

Saves the weak.

We are like babies before Him.

God humbles the proud.

We cannot do this on our own strength.

God cares for the hurting.

In your deepest hurting moments, there is a God who understands.

You have a great high priest who understands your pain.

He understands your heartache.

Not only does He understand, but He has acted, by sending His Son.

His Son suffered on the cross.

Received your sin.

So you would have eternal life.

Have you experienced this kind God?

Cry to Him today.