[Call to Worship: Acts 7.1-45] Exodus 1.1-22 [I] Introduction [A] Epic is a word that is thrown around a lot today. Every story is epic. Every thought, or music video, or album, or awards show, or performance, basically everything in media, is produced at an EPIC scale today. There is no common. There is no ordinary. What these directors and producers have inadvertently accomplished is making these extraordinary performances all ordinary. The bar is apparently raised to such a degree that epic is what is expected. And if you don t self-pronounce your project as epic, it isn t worthy of consideration or time. In a world that so easily mischaracterizes and over-pronounces, it is difficult to convince anyone of the legitimacy of such characterizations. It is difficult to convince you that the story that we are about to encounter is one of the greatest stories ever told. It is a challenge to convince you that the story of the Exodus, or the evacuation of the Hebrews from Egypt, is the epic of epics. I would even go so far as to say that the things recounted to us through the eyes of Moses and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, dwarf even the Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. And that is no small statement coming from my mouth But, not only is this an incredible and fascinating tale of heroism and daring, courage and supernatural occurrences, not only do we meet characters that are famous beyond imagination, not only do we see possibly the greatest miracle of all time, but we are introduced to the God that makes all of these things happen. We are given the very name of God. We are prepared and instructed as to how to live lives with Him. We are told what is the appropriate way to respond to this God, Worship, and how we should go about worshipping him. This story truly is EPIC. And that is just one of the many reasons that we will study Exodus. [B] But, another important question to answer at this point is How will we study Exodus? We are going to attempt to work at this in 4 major ways. Each one will not be equally pronounced throughout the course of our study, but hopefully they all work together to bring the most glory to God and the most good to his people. [1] Biblically Chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and attempt to understand the meaning of each text. And attempt to understand that portion as a part of the larger book as a whole, and then maybe as its a part of the whole Bible.
[2] Historically Its more than just a cool narrative. Its not simply an epic story for the sake of impressing you with an ability to contrive ingenious plot devices. Moses presents this as history and we will treat it as such. This is true. [3] Theologically Its said that the main theme of Exodus is encountering God. We will not have to stretch and twist this portion of the Bible in order to get some theology. It is replete with God s self-descriptions and God s statements about himself, about his people, about his worship. God is at the very center and we will not be able to get around Him. [4] Christologically If God is involved, the 2nd person of the Trinity must be as well. Christ is found walking throughout this story, along with his people, in the wilderness, on the mountain, we will not be able to miss him either. [5] Literary An aspect of the work that we will not labor much over, but may be helpful from time to time, is taking notice of the style of the book, the way that it is pieced together and how that functions in a special way. [6] Practically And, as we have made so obvious over the last few months, Exodus, because it is a part of the Bible, will be very practical. The Bible is for application. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, with much familiarity, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. and then 1 Corinthians 10.1-13 says, directly referencing much of the history of the Exodus, For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. So, this book was written for us to learn from, and apply. Biblically, Historically, Theologically, Christologically, Literary, and Practically. Each of these will serve in various ways, but each for the glory of God and for our good. Now, as we get into this book, as we open up these sacred pages and look at this ancient story, allow God to speak to your heart and allow him to teach you through His Word. [II] Exposition - Exodus 1.1-22 [A] Genesis Beginnings 1.1-7 [1:1] These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: [2] Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, [3] Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, [4] Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. [5] All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. [6] Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. [7] But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. Moses wants to make clear that this is a continuation of the story in Genesis. It is believed that the 1st 5 books of the Bible are actually a literary whole, but at some point, for brevity sake, we split them up. This is one of the primary reasons that these 5 books are always referred to together, the Pentateuch, the 5 books of the law, the 5 books of Moses. So, Moses draws Genesis right into Exodus, and in so doing, draws our minds back to what has taken place up to this point. It is only appropriate to make sure that we all remember how exactly the Hebrews got into Egypt. You do realize that this was not the original dwelling place of all Hebrews? Abraham was not from Egypt. Isaac was not from Egypt. Jacob was not from Egypt. Verse 1 - these are the names of the sons of Israel WHO CAME TO EGYPT WITH JACOB So, why are they there? Why is the entire people group of the Hebrews living in Egypt now? Well, let s go back a ways in Genesis. We really need to understand all that took place beginning with Joseph. We could go back further and draw in Genesis 15.13-16, the prophecy concerning the descendants of Abraham, Then the LORD said to Abram, Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you
shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. But, for your comprehension s sake, let s just jump ahead to the life of Joseph. Joseph is one of the more familiar characters of the scriptures. Not many characters of the Bible have a Broadway show named after them. I m not sure about the accuracy of that show, but I know that you all are probably familiar with it, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Needless to say, we have more than likely, heard this story a few hundred times. His story really begins in Genesis 37. Let s read Genesis 37-50. Just kidding. I ll summarize it for you. > Joseph was 17 years old. He apparently tattled on his brothers, but it was not a give me more attention tattling. It was legitimate. However, it still alienated him from his brothers. > 37.3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. >Joseph began dreaming, told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. > All the big brothers were out shepherding and Joseph was sent out by their Father to be with them. And when they saw him approaching, they decided that they would kill him. But Reuben couldn t stand to let it happen, so he rescued him. >They still threw him into the pit, but did not kill him. They took his robe and left him for dead.and when they sat down near the pit, they saw a slave-trade caravan rolling near by. They sold him for 20 shekels of silver. And these slave traders took Joseph to Egypt. >So, we have our first HEBREW individual in Egypt on record. There are a few things that take place along the way, but we can simply attempt to hit the high points. >Joseph worked his way to the top very quickly, and God blessed the Egyptians for a time because of his appointment. Well, We all remember the story of Joseph being tempted by Potiphar s wife He flees, but is thrown into jail because of the accusation. >Most of us probably remember the dreams that were told to Joseph and his interpretation. First, it was his fellow prisoners, the cupbearer and the baker. One of them was given freedom and forgot Joseph and the other one was sentenced to
death. And then after a time, the one given freedom remembered Joseph because the Pharoah was asking for someone to interpret his dreams. >Joseph was given an opportunity to interpret these dreams and the Pharoah was grateful and released Joseph from prison. After another short stint, Joseph was promoted all the way to #2 in Egypt. He was 2nd in command of the entire population. >The dreams that Joseph interpreted had to do with bounty in the land for 7 years and then 7 years of famine. It was because of this famine, that we are reintroduced to those scoundrel brothers of Joseph s and eventually his entire family. We don t need to break down the entire dialogue between Joseph and his brothers, or even his dad, for the time being. We need simply to understand that Joseph forgave them and brought them into his protection IN EGYPT. >An important passage to keep in mind is Genesis 50.20,...You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to being it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. This was Joseph s response to his brother s apology. >And one last verse of importance for our purposes today is Genesis 46.26-27 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob s sons wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph, who were born in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy. Now, that is a quick scan of the last chapters of Genesis, of the life of Joseph, but we got the information that we needed. When we take some of that information into consideration, and then we look at these next few verses, a few striking facts come to surface. [B] New Pharoah, New Problems 1.8-14 [8] Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. [9] And he said to his people, Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. [10] Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. [11] Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. [12] But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. [13] So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves [14] and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
1 - A New King who did not know Joseph Who is this guy, if he didn t know Joseph? I thought Joseph was 2nd in command in all of Egypt? Why wouldn t he know Joseph? Well, we need to remember back to Genesis 15, the passage that we quoted earlier, 15.13-14 Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. Exodus doesn t pick up right after Genesis left off. We have a little break there and it needs to be pointed out. Give or take a few years in either direction, this is about 400 years, more likely it is about 430 years according to most historians. And for those of you who are historian-types, there is not a general consensus as to which Pharoah this is. There are some guesses, like Ammenhotep, or Rameses II, but no surety here. This pharoah makes a statement shortly after being placed on the throne that is also a bit strange, 2 - The Hebrews are too many and too mighty for us. Jacob s Family? Joseph s brothers and their kids? Egypt is not a small town. 70 people would not have normally produced a family that would cause much disturbance to a place like Ancient Egypt. 430 years produced more than we would imagine. Any guesses as to the population of the Hebrews at this point, that were living amongst the Egyptians? Exodus 12.37, And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children... Do any of you have family s that in 430 years produced roughly the equivalent to [1] Little Rock, [2] North Little Rock, [3] Jacksonville, [4] Searcy, and [5] Pine Bluff? And all of the areas in between those cities... That is why the Pharoah felt like they were growing too strong and too mighty. And notice that he wasn t really afraid of them, but he was afraid that if some other people group attacked, that the Hebrews would ally themselves with that invading group and easily overrun the Egyptians. I get the sense that this was God simply initiating the removal of his people from Egyptian bondage. The Hebrews were already the lower class of this area. They were already a part of forced labor, but the Pharoah made it worse. He wanted to deal shrewdly with them. He wanted to wear them all out so that they didn t want any more children to take care of.
They were made to be brick-makers, which was an awful job in that day. Mud everywhere, because the mud was sticky, the straw that they mixed with the mud stuck to them. If they weren t forced to do that, it was some other awful job in the field. This Pharoah truly forgot the blessing that Joseph had brought into this country. Oppression by Ben Harper - Oppression, you pray on us when we sleep Oppression, you chase after the tired the poor the weak Oppression, you know you mean only harm Oppression, you reach out with your long arm Oppression, you seek population control Oppression, to divide and to conquer is your goal Oppression, I swear that hatred is your home Oppression, you just won t leave bad enough alone These Hebrews had it bad enough already. They were no longer respected in the land. They had some of the lower jobs. They were considered 2nd rate citizens. But verse 12 says, But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread 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 in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves. This wasn t just work anymore it was slavery. Another indication that Genesis 15.13-16 was coming to pass. So, this Pharoah was doing everything that he could to ensure his safety and his people s safety and the Hebrew s dread. He thought surely slavery will do the trick, but it didn t. He had to come up with some new way to break the pride of the people of Canaan. [C] Midwives, 1.15-22 [15] Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, [16] When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live. [17] But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. [18] So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children live? [19] The midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them. [20] So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. [21] And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. [22] Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.
Pharoah had to think, Surely infanticide will work in breaking these people down. I will go to the source of their numbers, their women, and will make sure that they do not continue to produce families at this exponential rate. He calls in, what is more than likely, the head midwives. These 2 ladies seem to be in places of prominence among the many other Hebrew Midwives. And notice that these ladies were Hebrews themselves. He tells them, when you deliver, if it is a boy, kill him. If it is a girl, let her live. These girls can easily be assimilated into the culture. They can marry Egyptian boys and never look back. But the boys will always want to remember. Kill them. Well, the midwives feared God. They revered the God of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob. They were not worshippers of these Egyptian Sun gods, or Earth gods. They did not do as the Egyptian King commanded them, but let the male children live. Apparently word got around to the king that there had been some boys born recently. This leads me to believe that there had been a few, not just one or 2 but several. They are called in to give an account. And they reply, These Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are vigorous. They give birth before we even get there. Is this the truth? I think it is. I think that these Hebrew women were under an extreme blessing from God and that they were given quicker pregnancies. There is no reason to doubt the validity of these women s words. Yes, the text says that they did not do as the King commanded them. But this could mean that once they arrived, and the baby had already been born, they would not take it out of the mother s arms and kill it. I don t think that we need to make liars out of these women. This is still a disobedience to authority, but when any authority is in contradiction to the general law of God, we are held to disobey it. If we were commanded to kill all newborn babies in our land, we would be forced to disobey our government in order to obey God s commandments. Now, the Pharoah sees that his 2nd attempt to break the Hebrews is failing. So, he takes it a step further. In essence, he says Not only are you to kill these babies if you are there at their birth, on the birthing stool, but any baby boy that you see, take him and throw him into the Nile. But let every daughter live. Simply put, If you see a Hebrew boy, kill them. Now, how in the world do we apply a passage such as this? How does this assist us today in glorifying God and living our lives to keep him at the center?
[III] Application/Conclusion 1 Corinthians 10.11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction... What about this passage is for our instruction? Why look to this as an example? The same God that was ruling and orchestrating events then, it ruling and orchestrating events today. He is in absolute control of all events. He knew of this captivity, of this slavery, of this exodus 400 years before it began. He knew that Joseph would be sold into slavery, raised up to prominence in the Egyptian culture, and then be forgotten by the Pharoah at the time of Moses. He is not surprised or caught off guard. He does not have plan B s. He is absolutely sovereign. God is not surprised when you have a bad day. He is not surprised when you get fired, or have a flat tire, or a family member, or you, is diagnosed with cancer. He is working all of these things together. How exactly he does this is not always clear, but he is still in control. Do you think that it was easy being a Hebrew individual amidst the Egyptian culture that was thriving? They were worshipping idols and sun-gods and their own kings, and you were supposed to be serving the living and true God? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob? But they were enslaving you! It would not have been easy. But God was preparing them to make his grace and mercy all the more helpful. He wanted them to see the desperation of their situation, the immediacy of their need, and then He wanted to be the one to receive all of the glory! And rightfully so! If these Hebrews would have rebelled on their own, sure, they would have killed some Egyptians. They might have escaped the city for a time, but they would have been hunted down. They would have been slaughtered, or re-enslaved, but not when God decided to act. Not when God took control. Its the same today. We need to see our need. We need to see our desperation and allow God to work. Its not always easy, but God is still on the throne! Now, one point to think about in the coming week: This time of emptiness, time of despair, the ruler of Egypt pronouncing death of all baby boys Sound familiar? Herod the tetrarch declaring that all the baby boys in Jerusalem be killed Moses comes in Exodus 2, as a precursor, as a foreshadowing of Jesus you ve heard of foreshadowing in literature. This is a prophetic foreshadowing. Its quite a bit more potent. Its not simply clever writing, or interesting twists in the plot, but it is reality. This is God using all of history to point to Jesus. He is still pointing to him today. He is still preparing your heart for him today. Do you know this Jesus? Have you been desperate enough to see your need? Repent and Believe today. Do not attempt to rebel on your own. You will not make it. God alone can save.