070 - The Great Rescue Begins

You pick up your Bible and wonder, is there more here than meets the is there something here for me.

I mean it's just words printed on paper right it may look like just print on a page, but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own. As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than a good fairytale start with a more modern movie far far away long time ago. These are all stories that are fictional but for today will start to get a true story deals during the Bible not going to miss this one. Start today on more than good morning lovely fall day. I'm Jim and I'm Dorothy and Wyrick's you with as we are paying the lead as as anticipated going to start into the book of Exodus and and I'm really excited about and backwards. What you need to do is you need to consider this as suitable an adventure and exploration, like like say you never read this before just going to walk away into this or like the metaphor alike uses being a riverboat. We have a guy pointing at stuff on the bank so were going to go down this river boat together and will point stuff at the bank that maybe you haven't noticed, is that they want you to notice them as you go along. So I'm I'm really looking forward to this adventure. Exodus is a great invention well. I'm looking forward to it too, and I think this is one place where we have to really practice that observation will so central to Bible study. We have to notice what the text actually sets is when we come to Exodus we a lot of us have formed our thoughts based on the movie we size children and perhaps some movie we've seen is adults are some we got we got the stories handed down to us by maybe not the most accurate means. And so when we come to actually reading the text is really helpful to the actual words of Moses who was there so read in the corners have to cut do movies and stuff like oh yeah. Although stokers through seeing Charlton Heston will put that away away so we really weren't jumping to chapter 1 and start this so to say I might want to mention forces briefly why it's important to read something like this is this is a historical narrative. This is going to tell you a real event that happened but why do that well.

Exodus is in many ways the very central story of the whole Bible right that word Exodus. This is based on two Greek words, but it means the way out.

You know that is the central story of the Bible God our deliverer provides a way out of bondage and so this and this is the central story of how Israel became a nation, not just an extended family and from Abraham so so before we start reading. Why don't we cover kind of the prehistory leads us up to this point why we have to white yeah why do they need free and why they need to rescue what would happen before this read Genesis well rightly. The interesting thing is you have to read all of Genesis is a later part of the blood in order to understand the context of the story because Exodus 1 picks up right where Genesis left off. In fact, the very first word in Exodus is the word and right so it really picks up right where Genesis weasel right now these are the sons right right so and if you just think about. Remember in you know this story in Genesis 15 God promised Abraham I would make a great nation of the nation by first your family will have to go down to Egypt and I'll be there for hundred years and will be enslaved.

You can go to read this in Genesis 15). I bet you that confused Abraham and probably what what about the promised land at the point at which God actually cut the covenant with Abraham right this was sealed in blood. This is going to happen is that I'm going to give you this land. But first, your people, you will have to go to Egypt and then I will bring them out of there and bring them into this land right right so you have Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob has the 12 son right and and one of the sons. The second youngest Joseph. Joseph is despised by his brother sold off into slavery to a bunch of Midianite traders were on their way to write so I said they sell Joseph into slavery, and from there the story really picks up steam and we really encourage you to read that because it's it's it's a great story. Me know it already, but I made a note. It starts around Genesis 37. That's where the being sold in slavery happens, but by the by the time you get to the end of Genesis not only Joseph is down there, but his entire federal family yeah family, which really only numbers about 70 saying that that's where starting with the were starting to 70 people to go down to Egypt, but they're not in the promised land, which is in the place that God promised Abraham and what looks like a detour is not really detour this one question two answers will go along with it was that was a stay in Egypt, a detour or was it necessary for you now. It was initially part of God's plan all along said to Abraham, yeah, but when they first get there. It's just Jacob and his 12 sons and their wives and children, and they settle in the land of Goshen. This rich healthy green growing place that is good for them to raise their flocks and that first generation was happy because Joseph was essentially ruling Egypt and they were treated as kind of extended royalty yeah yeah so you know by the time we get to the action part of this narrative were many, many generations right past even the death of Joseph right Jacob, and many generates over 400 years so so just pick up in chapter 1 verse one and this is the problem the Israelites are living in Egypt and by this time you need a rescue Genesis ends with Joseph saying now I'm about to die. But God will surely take care of you and your ring you up from this land so that Genesis ends with the with the reiteration of God's promise to bring them will bring about yeah which at the time of Joseph when he still alive doesn't seem like a great deal because it's a great place to charge the place got pulled about see why later why that's necessary. Like what chapter 1, oh yeah, we really out.

Yeah okay so these are the names of the sons of Israel went down to Egypt with just with Jacob each of his household, Ruben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin Dan and NAFTA like adding Asher all the descendents of Jacob were 70 persons. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died and all his brothers and all that generation, but the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong since the land was film filled with so they went from 70 people to the landing field so they were everywhere there everywhere in affecting is an interesting point. Culturally speaking, had to going to Canaan right now. The dangers of intermarrying their rivalries and writings and deal here, you know, the Egyptians were so ethnic they they allowed to the Israelites to live there without really intermixing with them. And so in a sense it was, perfect cultural incubator determine extended family and nation. It's it's an interesting thing to me strategically from God's perspective. It was brilliant but is more brilliance, so this is keep reading what is okay so now there arose a new king over Egypt, you did not know Joseph and he said to his people. Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Okay, let's stop for a second so new king arises that there's been some political turnover and there's a lot of historical stuff that's kind of buried here or that Moses submits that you can go back and read some of the history of Egypt, but in many cases, Moses assured him, saying, now. Time passed. The people grew a new king came in. Joseph was pretty chummy with the previous Pharaoh right just that some responsibility so that so the fair was very favorable towards right and right Israelites, but you change the Pharaoh you change in favorability. Let's reset the political system has changed somewhat and and now because of their size, their threat okay and this is generations past generation that initial generation self century verse 10, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiplied if war breaks out. They join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. Therefore, they sent taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens they built for Pharaoh store cities pay them and Ramses. But the more they were pressed, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad, and the Egyptians were in Dragon of the people of Israel so they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and all kinds of work in the field and all their work. They ruthlessly made them work as slaves. So they're seeing is seen as, latent military threat know the Egyptians were mostly dealing with the Hittites at this time who were extended from northern Canada and the Syrian stuff like that so they were afraid that what was going to happen was that somebody's Hittites will invade and Israelites are to say will war with you and will take over the land so their numbers were just too much of a threat for the Egyptians so they said we had to do something that we will oppress them. We will oppress them and that will keep them under our control, and barley. Just as a ruler note this slavery. It's debate about one summer between between Leica hundred 50 and 300 years so it was it was many generations of enslavement and by the way to look at your calendar. This postdates the building of the pyramids we know about today's of the pyramids were already already there. Were talking about. Here's what they did go to the building.

They built every building that the Egyptians knew they were enslaved to better deal. While this move pick up okay yeah so then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives. These are the people who help deliver babies to midwives, one of whom was named shipper and the other poor. When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew meant women and see them on the birth stool.

If it is a son. You shall kill him, but if it's a daughter, she shall live. So you see the deal here run to thin out the men generally him in one lesson generation will remove the potential fighting for right so they go so but the midwives were 17 feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children lips of the king of Egypt called midwives and send them why have you done this and let the male children live in. The midwife said to Pharaoh, will because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women for their vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them. So, God dealt with the midwives dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and grew very strong and because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people all his people, not just the midwives every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the now, but you shall let every daughter live so this is his way of thinning out the Israelites, especially fighting force and it's all this whole thing here is almost comical in terms of effective Pharaoh says I want less of these people, and God says no more.

These people because this is a writer that the increased. The decrease is interesting to me that the command was throw those babies into the river email and and let it go off the page a little bit here but if you know anything about Egypt you know that the Nile was the lifeblood of the nation were all their water came from. It was the central issue in Egypt. That's why they were there because of the Nile Delta and to throw all those male babies into the Nile in a sense is sacrificing them to the strength Egypt yes yes yes because they had a lot of worship that was tied into right on a sentence like throwing your babies to some pagan God right so that that's clearly figured right here to buy way to I love I love the fact courses. The obvious, that the women decide to obey God and not men.

In this case, yeah, and that's that.

That was very brave but a lot of people point at the excuse they made and say were they lying there while I don't think they they were really like.

They probably were telling the whole truth, but it could very well be that the Hebrew women being enslaved and working harder than they actually did do better at delivery. This this could be a truism or without the other. Question two is satisfied is satisfied Pharaoh and in God. I like to the fact that God rewarded the midwives by giving them face established families that sign the implication of that is not just they had children, but that they became somebody yeah and often the midwives are qualified to be midwives because they had no family but now God says, good for you. You're going up established families as just a wonderful, wonderful thing. While Pharaoh is trying to conniving to figure out how to reduce the people of Israel God saying not on my watch the midwives to try to pull into this whole shenanigan of family give them even more families of them so it's interesting to me that something say well you know women really have no part sure they don't really shop the story and here we have these two that are the heroes by not buying the part of the story yeah and I think when we approach the Scripture assuming that women have no part or no place it's because we really haven't read it through their and they were very bold, very bold to do this.

It's great.

So we get to the end of chapter 1 and in general dictate goes out to the entire populace that you find you spot a Hebrew baby baby son right Chuck come in the Nile yeah Chuck.

Which brings us to ship it to. So the scene is set for the birth of Moses. So beginning in chapter 2 now man from the house of Levi went and took us his wife, a Levite woman and the woman conceived and bore a son. Incidentally, this was not her first son she already had an older daughter and son right and the daughter, Miriam older she figures in the story so okay so this woman conceived button, but the writer here is concerned with Moses, so that's how he's telling the story and when she saw that the child was a fine child, she hid him three months and when she could hide and no longer. She took for him. A basket made of bulrushes adopted with bitumen and pitch, and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank. So technically she didn't put them is no longer a woman so he drank and his sister who is that that's Miriam right now she's not named chair. She plays a key while she happens to be there and his sister stood at a distance. No damn now. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to pain the river while her young women walked beside her and she saw the basket among the reeds and center servant woman and she took and when she opened it she saw the child and behold the baby was crying while you think you think he's three months old basket instead of on his mom is something he was crying because they spotted well okay so she took pity on him and said this is one of the Hebrews children well. She now interesting. It is then his sister says if you find of the website to find a baby river chance is very likely okay. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter. Shall I go and call you and or cerebral women to nurse the child for you and been there very long.

No, just long enough to get hungry and guide you in Pharaoh's daughter said to her, no. So the girls went and called the child's mother and Pharaoh's daughter said to cool. Take this child away nursing for me and I will give you your wages so the woman took the child and nursed him, and when the child grew older she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son and she named him Moses because she said I drew him out of the water. All my gosh got all that great story why the sisters there watching knowing what's going on.

She's pivotal right here because after the baby is his notice by Pharaoh's daughter. Then she also notices babies crying, probably because he's hungry he's hungry you know exposures money but also hungry so then sister suddenly appears on the sites is can I help you she's the baby brother and I hope you're well. You can you go find someone to nurse this baby from the Hebrew women. She doesn't say go find the babies mother now just find a Hebrew woman go find Mrs. yeah, practice. No very common practice but instead of just finding any old Hebrew woman. She brings a baby right back to his mom gets paid. Baby is this the best thing ever.

Yeah, not only does she. After she puts the baby into the basket want to sum out into the Nile, thus obeying Pharaoh. Not only does she give up Moses by launching the Nile, but she gets them back and gets to raise him and get paid for it to boot.

It's it's just great God thwarts all these plans in a very creative and it's ironic is just really something if you look at the power Pharaoh and think of his powers absolute and ultimate God's just, walking his way through the same note don't think so don't think so were going to reboot us right back to his mom and in doing so, Moses then benefits from my Hebrew upbringing, which is important in Egyptian upbringing. No Hebrew to start with that, you know, until he's all. Until easily, until Wright was a young child and then he gets Egyptian so he gets the very earliest training from his mom from his family just to stay there and then quite clearly, after at least he's weaned right. How long after that Denny's brought goes in Egyptian so he benefits both the very early upbringing from his mom from Hebrew background and then in Egyptian because both why because very clear in the next chapter that Moses knew he was a Hebrew. He knew from his birth, so we know that just raises a whole ton of questions about this period of time and yet it's Pharaoh's daughter who gives him his name Moses right which means drawn out, he was lifted out of the water drawn out and in a larger context. Moses life, he was drawn out to be used by God so and then he drew out you write God's people yeah yeah it's all one very well naming picture here prefiguring to what's going to happen gasoline now just making observations of this text, I realized that you know Moses is found. He's identified and rescued and adopted into Pharaoh's household. There's some interesting kind of prefiguring theology there by God's hands are all over this thing is we just look and I am again this is Moses writing his own story and when did he do that, probably while they were traveling in the wilderness that is 40 years. He said these people need to know their own history, and so he began to write these. Traditionally we understand that Moses wrote these first few books of the Bible, but he probably got this story from you know his family well.

If not from his directly from his mother. He got it from his sisters as Miriam, who also figures prominently in the story of the Exodus sheep by name.

That's right yes so don't lose sight of her because she shows up all over the place. But there's also some some some fascinating early parallels the life of Jesus. Yeah, you know could remember Jeter the threat to the babies in Jesus time and and Herod said kill all to hell all those babies so you killed all the male babies. Somehow Jesus survive somehow. We don't how so many men again hair doesn't have ultimate power Pharaoh doesn't have ultimate power and and in trying to thwart God's plan. They will never succeed. Ironically, Jesus earthly parents take him to Egypt to escape the threat outlined on himself as a young man is drawn out of Egypt is drawing out of Egypt under some some prophecy is usually what I can touch on right here about that very phrase that will see these ideas develop the story but but sure enough, here's here's Moses who is a deliver Jesus as a deliver both of them in dangerous and infant helpless and you know both of them know it seems like early on that they are a deliver will see in the next section we look at that, so that their calling is clear God's God's sovereign care for them is clear and God's plans to enact a rescue through these two men is clear and un-thwarted so you know that's just the beginning thought of why we say that Moses was a tight type picture of a greater truth of Jesus is a type when we say type immunities calico model as a model but he just shares so many characteristics that like for instance if we were to talk to a Jew and train introduce to them who Jesus is. If they know nothing about Jesus, you could start with what he's kind of like my right, it's a it's a comparison I like to write an exact sliding and they could say one way is he like Moses understand you just start going to the parallels so there's so much of that in the Old Testament that it's a type of what of the truth, and we read this in Hebrews know that what we see we play in the physical world is actually a type of the of the real reality in the spiritual. It teaches you so you can say if you want understand this look at this with you all understand Jesus you can start looking Moses asthmatic. The writer of Hebrews says. And where is it is in chapter 3, I think what he says that Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house but Jesus's faithfulness assigns a son he owns everything, so he's like, but he goes to write so so so here we have a nexus we have is introduction of the beginning of the plot line which is you know the promise people are in a foreign place and we know that God's promises to bring them to the land of promise. How's that going to happen when you're when you're incarcerated in in the most powerful country in the world. They are on a world power and Pharaoh has absolutely autonomous control over everything and ultimate power. And yet in the midst of all that, against all odds. The sovereign God says throws nothing to make my plan come about because I'm God and is not that we want you all to start reading Exodus beginning to begin the book and read.

As far as you can. You it will just draw you forward through about chapter 12. Then you going to hit a kind of a slow down place and then the story picks up again so I and some of that has to do with just the way ancient writing takes place. Some of that has to do with what was in Moses his mind. What of the people need to know at this point before the story goes on said will unpack some of that a little bit as we as we go through this in the coming week is a narrative.

It's kinda like reading a novel. It is a great story and there's there's a lot of teaching that's embedded throughout the novel throughout the dark line of the plot and S delivered on guts but I always say you know as a pastor were really struggling to communicate truth by finding an illustration and this is where else. This is the illustration and now you have to pull out what your understanding about ideas. As a result of what you and for me, the most powerful pull up right here about God is this is this kind of clash of power you have, Pharaoh is no kid and he's the most powerful man on earth at the time, and yet he can't seem to squash the coming of the delivery and Moses and that's that's deliberate and and God uses his sister and these midwives by name and he uses all these nobodies to in order to bring his plan about because God is sovereign and he will not be thwarted in what is going to he's going to start this rescue and he's gonna finish his rescue and is going to use Moses in a very unusual way and you will see in the next chapter that it took place over a long period of time 400 is so long there is a long, long story, and guide us and seem to flinch. Taking a long time for the human story to develop. No time doesn't times different for him and flag outside every comebacker to pick up in the next verse and were going to go 40 years between what we just read in the next verse you get Moses being home right. Well, how did that happen.

Oh my goodness in the scene is set. The scene is set, and we hope that you join us in this wonderful adventure credible story that is full so I'm Jim and I'm Dorothy and were glad we hope you stay with us on this really see next week, more than Inc. is a production of mainstream church is solely responsible for its content. To contact us with your questions or comments you