Sermon Tone Analysis

I. The Reading

A reading from Exodus 1, from the English Standard Version translation of the Bible.

[ Scripture Reading ~ 5 min ]

Say Amen

This is God’s Word.

If you believe this by faith, would you Say Amen?

Amen!

II.

The Exhortation

In this first chapter of Exodus, verse 17, God’s word says that —

“The Midwives Feared God.”

This revelation grabs our attention, because it is repeated again in verse 21 —

“The Midwives Feared God.”

Two of the “midwives” are named: Shiphrah and Puah.

Their naming is quite significant in this text, for these names are included in this chapter with the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, given in the introductory verses, but beyond these — no one else is named.

The king of Egypt is not named.

God, is also not named.

But these two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, are named as those who feared God.

Already, Exodus is guiding us to a question it wants to answer.

A question that we too, should answer, and must answer —

Who is God?

What is God’s name?

He is yet unnamed, but he is already feared by these two midwives.

Who is He?

Verse 8 introduces the rise of a new king over Egypt.

History tells us that the kings of Egypt were viewed as divine beings (TTC).

The kings of Egypt were seen as gods!

We must consider this question:

Could this new king of Egypt, be God?

However, Scripture says in verse 17:

The midwives disobeyed the king of Egypt because, as Scripture tells us, the midwives feared someone else.

As fearful as it might be to stand in the presence of Egypt’s new king, and as worthy as this new king might be, by virtue of his position and his authority, of honor and reverence and obedience, the midwives feared someone else other than the king of Egypt, and because of this, they disobeyed him.

The midwives feared God, which means (and don’t miss this) —

The new king of Egypt is clearly not God.

So, Who is God?

God is someone else.

God, whoever He is, is worthy of fear, reverence, and honor that exceeds what even the king of Egypt is owed.

When a choice must be made between obeying the will of God and obeying the command of Egypt’s king, it is God who these midwives obey, because it is God that they fear.

Exodus, from the opening chapter, draws us to the uniqueness of God who is above all gods.

Exodus reveals how other people and idols compete for humanity’s devotion and worship.

There are many things that compete for our devotion, and for our worship.

But God stands above the competition as unique, and holy, and one.

We must answer the question: Who is God?

The Hebrew midwives, by their refusal to obey the command of the king of Egypt, out of fear for someone else, known as God, reveals a clear answer —

There is only one God.

Only one God is worthy of our total allegiance, worship and obedience, and He is a present God, dwelling in the midst of His people.

Moses will later teach the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 6 —

[…]

Do you believe there is only one God?

Do you fear Him?

III.

The Teaching

In this opening chapter of Exodus, aside from one reference in verse 21 to God giving the midwives families, God is not actively participating in this narrative yet.

Instead, He’s watching.

We know this, because later, Exodus 2:25 will say —

God’s watching.

When God is not acting, it does not mean God is not aware of what is happening.

Never equate God’s inactivity with ignorance of a human kind.

God sees and God knows.

Exodus invites us to lift up our eyes, to widen our gaze and see beyond ourselves and our own story — by revealing to us what God sees through God’s story.

God sees four things in this text.

I’ve summarized each of the four in a way to help us learn and remember as we begin to preach through this important book.

I hope you’ll take notes.

First,

A. God Sees Successions (1:1-8)

This comes from verses 1-8, the introduction.

God sees successions of families and successions of kings.

We all have succeeded someone in our families.

To “succeed” means “to come after.”

None of us listening today came into existence from nothing.

We all came after someone else, we all succeeded someone else - our fathers our mothers, those who have raised us.

We all have inherited something from those who have gone before.

Many of us have children.

Some of our children have had children.

Some of our children’s children have had children!

God graciously allows us, during our short life spans, to see successions— The carrying on of our names and our families after us.

But what we see is just a mere glimpse of the whole!

How much more does God see?

God sees it all!

God sees all successions.

And God cares about all successions, because God was the beginning, and all successions lead to an end, and God is that end!

We are all a part of God’s story.

And if we don’t care about what happens after us, if we don’t care about what succeeds us, then we don’t fear God as we should, because all things are moving toward an end who is God.

Exodus itself, is a succession, coming after Genesis.

Exodus is not to be read in isolation, but it is God’s story, continued.

The first word of verse 1, in the original Hebrew, is the word “And.”

Exodus begins with a word of continuation.

Most modern translations leave off the word “And” because it makes for awkward English when starting a new book.

If you are reading from the NASB or the KJV, your translation begins with the word “Now.”

That’s one way of including the word “And” in a way that makes for smoother English.

Here is a translation that more literally translates the original Hebrew of verse 1:

Do you see that word “And”?

Exodus is a continuation of God’s story, succeeding the book of Genesis.

And this means the God of Genesis, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is still involved and fulfilling the promises He made, to those who succeed them in Exodus.

God chose a people for himself, and brought them down into Egypt, and the story is continuing in Egypt (NIVAC).

The same God who brought His people in to Egypt, will bring them out of Egypt, but in His time.

In Genesis, God had spoken this promise and prophesy to Abram:

God had a plan for Abram and his family, and God will see it through not all at once, but in successions, over four hundred years.

This requires trust in God.

This requires patience.

God’s plan is not accomplished all at once, but over time.