Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Exodus chapter 1 as we continue our study through the Word of God and we begin this fascinating book of redemption. Like the book of Genesis, many so-called scholars like to argue who wrote the book of Exodus. Folks, I’m a simpleton and I just let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
In Exodus 17:14 we are told, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.’” (See also Exodus 24:4, 7; 34:27-28). In Nehemiah 13:1 we are told, “On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God.” (See also Nehemiah 8:1). And in I Kings 2:3 we are told, “And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
Now if that is not enough to convince you that Moses wrote Exodus, listen to what the New Testament tells us. In Mark 7:10 Jesus said, “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’” Jesus was referring to Exodus 20:12 and 21:17 in that verse. Also, in Mark 12:26 Jesus said, “But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” Jesus was referring to Exodus 3:6. Thus, I believe what Jesus has to say over the ideas of man any day – Moses wrote the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible, including Exodus!
We saw in our study last time that the book of Genesis closed like this, “Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’ So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” Genesis 50:25-26. So the book of Genesis closes with a coffin in Egypt and a promise that one day God will bring His people home, back into the land of Canaan, the Promise Land. Maybe what the Lord is trying to show us through all of this is that before we can be redeemed; we must admit we are dead in sin. You see, the book of Exodus speaks of REDEMPTION!
Merrill Unger makes these comments regarding the book of Exodus:
The aim of the Book of Exodus centers in the great experience of redemption and the constitution of Jacob’s posterity as a theocratic nation at Mount Sinai. God, connected heretofore with the Israelites only through His covenant with Abraham, confirmed to Isaac and Jacob, now brings them to Himself nationally through redemption. As the Chosen People through whom the Redeemer was to come Jehovah also places them under the Mosaic Covenant and dwells among them under the cloud of glory.
- Merrill Unger, Introductory Guide to the Old Testament, p. 196
The Hebrew title for this book is not Exodus but it is taken out of the first verse, “These are the names.” And the Septuagint translation or the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures calls it “The departure.” The English title, “Exodus,” which means “a going out” transliterates the title in the Septuagint translation. Thus, we call it Exodus.
Now, as we move into Exodus this evening, some 300 years or so have passed by since the close of Genesis and that is where we will pick up our study this evening, in Exodus chapter 1, starting in verse 1 and let’s see what the Lord has for us as we study His Word.
VERSES 1-6
As you read this you see that Jacob is dead, Joseph is dead, all his brothers are dead, all that generation is dead – not too good of a start in the formation of a nation, they all are dying! Well, if you feel that way you need to read on and see what God is doing and has done in those 430 years.
VERSE 7
You don’t need to understand Hebrew to figure out what God is doing here, He is growing a nation and He is doing a great job! From 70 people they will grow to over 2 to 3½ million people by the time of the Exodus, in just 430 years. I guess you can say they were “fruitful.” I guess you can say that they “increased abundantly.” I guess you can say they “multiplied.” I guess you can say they “grew exceedingly mightily” or they “became very numerous.” And if you still don’t get it, “the land was filled with them.” Yes, there were a lot of them; I think God has made His point.
If the numbers of the children of Israel doubled every 25 years, from 70 people, then in 430 years you would come to around 3 million people! This is what God promised Abraham several hundred years earlier, “Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3.
Do the Scriptures support those high numbers of people? I believe they do. In Exodus 12:37 we are told that in the Exodus there were over 600,000 men above the age of 20, plus women and children. Add in the women to the men and you would come up to around 1.2 million people. Now add in the children and lets say conservatively 3 children to each family and that would be another 1.8 million people. That would bring you to 3 million people traveling in the Exodus!
VERSES 8-11
This Pharaoh that did not know Joseph was probably Pharaoh Sesostris III, who was reigning just before Moses was born. And Amenemhet II followed him and was on the throne during the time of Moses. And the Pharaoh during the time of the exodus was Neferhotep I.
These kings were fearful of the children of Israel because of their numbers. If Egypt was invaded they feared that the children of Israel may side with their enemy and thus, they would be defeated. Thus, they worked them hard, they put them in cruel bondage to discourage them, they oppressed them. Now God does not condone what they did to the children of Israel but God will use this affliction to cause them to turn back to Him so He can lead them into the Promise Land, it was time to go home and He did not want them comfortable in the world, in Egypt!
VERSES 12-14
Isn’t that interesting, the more they were afflicted the more they grew! Folks, that has always been the story of God’s people. It seems that during times of peace and prosperity the church becomes complacent and weak. But, during times of persecution it grows strong because only those whose faith is real will suffer and die for what they believe in! It is as Tertullian, the early church writer, said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Look at how the church grew during the Jewish and Roman persecutions, it spread throughout the world! The only time the church was in trouble is when Constantine united the church with the state and the church became weak and ineffective! Maybe we need some persecution against the church in America if we want to see it grow, if we want it to be strong. The church in America may be 3,000 miles wide but it is only an inch deep!
Now, is it possible for the enemy to destroy the work of God, to stop it, to wipe out God’s people? Absolutely not and we need to remember that, not because I have said it, but because God has said it in His Word. In Isaiah 54:17 we are told, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,’ Says the Lord.” And Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
You see, Satan will not overcome the Church. That doesn’t mean persecution and martyrdom will not come upon the Church, but in that God will use it to bring others to Christ and to strengthen the Church. Yes, the wickedness of the Egyptians could hurt the children of Israel, but they could never defeat God’s plan for them. Yes, the wickedness of the world can hurt God’s people, but they will not be able to defeat God’s plan for our lives!
VERSES 15-16
Pharaoh was trying to destroy the power of the children of Israel by destroying the baby boy’s. In doing this, by one generation they could destroy the children of Israel! Yes, this was Pharaoh’s plan and he was responsible for his actions, but behind the scene was Satan and his demonic forces trying once again to prevent the Messiah, the seed of the woman from coming! But God’s plans will not fail and He will use the wickedness of man to fulfill his will!
Now these two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah could not possibly oversee the birth’s of all these pregnant Jewish women and thus, maybe these two women were in charge of the midwives. We don’t know for sure, but it is possible.
VERSE 17
How did these midwives know about the true and living God? I believe the children of Israel shared their faith and they became believers. Folks, you may never know the impact you will have as you share your faith, how God will use it!
Here we see these two midwives disobey what Pharaoh, the government you might say, told them to do. And yet, Paul tells us in Romans 13:1-7, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”
Yes we are to obey the laws of the land, even pay taxes! But, if the government tells us to do something that is contrary to the Word of God, like have an abortion, then you obey God and not man. In Acts chapter 4, as Peter and John are arrested by the Jewish religious leaders for their faith in Jesus, we are told in Acts 4:18-20, “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’” The government can’t stop us from sharing our faith! Also, in Acts 5:27-29 as Peter and the other apostles were arrested for their faith, we are told, “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, ‘Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!’ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’” Again, the government can’t stop us from sharing Jesus with others!
I know our government is bad, but not that bad, and even if it was, that is no reason to not be subject to those in authority over us. Keep in mind that Caesar Nero was in charge when Paul wrote this letter to the Romans and he was no friend of Christians. He would pour tar over them and light them on fire. He would sew them up in animal skins and release wild dogs to eat them alive! Thus, Paul is saying that like the people of his day were to be subject to those who are in authority over them, no matter how evil or wicked they might be, we must also be subject!
Newell puts this into perspective for us as he says: “Remember your Savior suffered under Pontius Pilate, one of the worst Roman governors Judea ever had; and Paul under Nero, the worst Roman Emperor. And neither our Lord nor His Apostle denied or reviled the ‘authority!’” You see, God has placed them as the legitimate authority and we must respect that position they are holding, we are subject to them!
It is as Paul said in I Timothy 2:1-4, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” In Titus 3:1-2 Paul tells us, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”
And lastly, in I Peter 2:13-17 Peter tells us, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men — as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” I am sorry, but this is not an option for us, we are to respect, honor, we are to be subject to those who are in authority over us.
Look at all the atrocities that Rome had perpetrated upon Christians, as I have said, all the injustice, and Paul’s focus was not to change the government, protest against the government, but to preach Christ crucified, the Gospel message!
I think far too often the church has become a social institution trying to right the wrongs of society when it is to be spreading the Gospel message. I do vote, I think it is important but I am not a political activist because neither the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Independent Party, will save us, only Jesus can! It is as Robert D. Culver writes:
Churchmen whose Christian activism has taken mainly to placarding, marching, protesting, and shouting might well observe the author of these verses [Rom 13:1-7] and then they might observe him first at prayer, then in counsel with friends, and, after that, preaching in the homes and marketplaces. When Paul came to be heard by the mighty, it was to defend his action as a preacher (albeit in the streets) of [the] way to heaven.
- Robert D. Culver, Toward a Biblical View of Civil Government, p. 262
This is hard because our flesh gets in the way but remember, our lives are being transformed into the image of God. Thus, be a model citizen, obey the law, don’t be rebellious or disobedient to the government. Live peaceably with all men so that as people see us they see the transforming power of God in our lives! As Paul said, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities . . .”
VERSES 18-22
Was this a lie? It could be but I don’t think it was. I think it was true, maybe the midwives took their time and by the time they got there, the baby was born and if it was a boy, they might have hid them from the midwives and they were not going to look for them, they feared God.
God did bless these midwives because they did fear God, they obeyed Him and they were interested in preserving life, not destroying life!
Because plan A did not work, the children of Israel continued to be fruitful, and thus, Pharaoh put plan B into place. When anyone sees a male child born of the children of Israel, they are to be drowned in the Nile River! How wicked is that and yet, Pharaoh saw nothing wrong with this. Also, we don’t know how many boys were murdered like this, we are not told, but even one is a heinous crime!
VERSES 1-2
According to Exodus 6:20 the parents of Moses were Amram and Jochebed, from the tribe of Levi. Now, can you imagine bringing a child into a world like this and yet they did because they trusted in the Lord. Folks, apart from the Lord I can’t imagine why anyone would want to bring a child into this evil and corrupt world, can you? And yet, I trust the Lord that He will watch over and protect these little ones just as Amram and Jochebed believed!
Now it says that Moses was a beautiful child. Folks, I can’t imagine Moses writing that he was an ugly child. In fact, babies are cute; they are beautiful, some more than others. But I think something else is going on here. In Hebrews 11:23 we are told, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.” The Living Bible puts this verse like this, “Moses' parents had faith too. When they saw that God had given them an unusual child, they trusted that God would save him from the death the king commanded, and they hid him for three months and were not afraid.” Also, in Acts 7:20 we are told, “At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months.”
I believe God spoke to them showing that this child was going to be used mightily by God, that there was something special about him. Thus, they hid this little boy for 3 months. Remember in Hebrews 11:23 we were told that it was “By faith” that they did this. Paul, in Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you want your faith to grow, dig into the Word of God and apply it to your life. This family, by faith, hid their little son for 3 months, based only on what God told them to do!
Also, keep in mind that they have two other children born before this edict by Pharaoh. They have a daughter named Miriam, (Exodus 15:20) and a son named Aaron, (Exodus 6:20). And this edict, to murder the Hebrew baby boys was given by Pharaoh Amenemhet III.
VERSES 3-10
Did Jochebed do what Pharaoh said? Well, kind of. She put her son in the river, and yes he was placed in a waterproof ark, but he was in the water. Now, it is hard to let your children go out on their own as adults, can you imagine how hard this was for Jochebed? And yet, by faith she sent him down the river you might say. Folks, we must do the same with our children, not send them down the river, but let them grow, trusting that God will watch over them!
Now Miriam, his sister is sent to watch out for her brother, to see what will happen to him. Can you imagine the years of psychotherapy she would need today! But again, she would see the faithfulness of God in a powerful way and her faith will also grow. She will not need therapy because she has God!
Look at how God orchestrates all of this. The daughter of Pharaoh, Sobekneferu feels she needs to take a bath and heads down to the Nile River. Interestingly enough, in this area of the Nile River there are no crocodiles, so it was safe to bath there and safe for Moses to float in that little ark. And maybe the child cried at the right moment for this princess to hear and she told her maid to go and get this basket. And as the princess saw this child she had compassion on him even though he was a Hebrew child!
And I love this. Miriam sees what is happening and offers to get a nurse to take care of the child and she goes and gets her mom, the mother of this child and Sobekneferu pays Jochebed to raise him! God has a great sense of humor, doesn’t He!
Now we don’t know his Hebrew name but the princess calls him Moses or “drawn out” since he was drawn out of the Nile River! And here’s the thing. Maybe Moses is now 3 or even 5 years old at this point and Jochebed has to give her back to Sobekneferu so he can be raised in the Egyptian culture. I have to believe that during those few years she had with Moses, she instilled in him the things of God. Parent’s, grandparents, it is never too early to share the things of God with your child or grandchild! Make an impression early on and it won’t leave them, as we will see with Moses!
VERSES 11-14
Forty-years have passed by and Moses feels the calling of God upon his life to be the deliverer of his people! In Hebrews 11:24-27 we are told, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
In Acts 7:21-28 we are told, “But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’” Moses was next in line to be Pharaoh and yet he had a higher calling and was wiling to sacrifice all the earthly riches for the eternal reward! How did Moses know this? I believe it was because of what his parents instilled in his life some 40 years earlier and it stuck with him! What an example for us, are we willing to do the same?
Was Moses wrong in what he did? Yes he was wrong. You see, God did call him to be a deliverer, just not in that manner and not yet! As you read the story it sounds right, logical but the reality is, that is not what God wanted him to do, kill one Egyptian at a time! You see, at this point Moses was too big for God to use; he is going to be broken before he will be used by God as a deliverer of his people! Folks, we can never be too small for God to use, but we can be too big. Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up!
One last point before we move on. Just as his brethren rejected Moses as the deliverer of his people the first time, so too was Jesus rejected by His own people, the Jews the first time He came. But, like Moses, when He comes again He will be recognized as the deliverer, their Messiah!
VERSES 15-20
Moses sees the handwriting on the wall, Pharaoh no longer wants him alive and Moses flees for his life to the area of Midian. If you remember from Genesis, Midian was the son of Keturah, the wife of Abraham, (Genesis 25:1-6). As he gets by this well in Midian, probably exhausted, he sits down to rest.
As he is resting by this well, her come seven women. It seems like these wells were a place not only to get water, but also to meet women! And as they arrive the shepherd boys cause trouble, driving these women away. But do not fear, Moses is here to save the day. You remember how Charlton Heston handled this in The 10 Commandants; he fights off these shepherd boys and makes a good impression with the ladies! And being a gentleman, he helps these women water their flocks.
As the daughters return home, their father, Reuel who is also called Jethro in Exodus 3:1, asks his daughters how they got home so fast. And they explain to Jethro their father that there was this Egyptian man who helped them. And I love Jethro’s response; keep in mind that he has 7 daughters! “You let him get away! Go back and get him!” I love that, a father trying to marry off at least one of his daughters with 6 to go!
One more point here. Jethro is a priest and I believe, since he is a descendent of Abraham, that he is a priest to the true and living God!
VERSES 21-22
Moses’ ambitions to be the deliverer for his people seems to be gone, faded away in the desert of Midian. He is now content living in a desert, being a shepherd. Did God put him on the shelf? No, not at all. God is still working in Moses. You see, in Exodus 2:11 it says that, “he [Moses] went out to his brethren.” God did not call him yet, even though God gave him the passion to be a deliverer. Folks, timing is everything and as we will see, God will send Moses out to be the deliverer and that will make all the difference in the world! Don’t rush ahead of God. If He has spoken to your heart about something, keep it in prayer until He leads, until He opens the door for you to walk through!
So Moses gets married to Zipporah and has a son by the name of Gershom, which speaks of being a “resident alien there.”
VERSES 23-25
Yes, maybe Moses forgot about the plight of his people down in Egypt, turned his face from them, but God didn’t! God was waiting for His perfect timing to work again with His people.
And keep in mind that God did not turn his attention to His people because they were good or deserved it but it was based upon the covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How does that relate to us? God does not turn His attention to us, His love towards us because we deserve it but it is because of the covenant relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ. It is as Paul said in Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
The Amplified Bible puts these verses like this, “Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament), [Isa 55:3; 63:11; Ezek 37:26; Zech 9:11.] Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).” Praise the Lord for His everlasting Gospel that He has extended to us through Jesus Christ!