OceanSide church of Christ
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MOSES
Take His Word to
Heart
Victor M.
Eskew
INTRODUCTION
A.
God had promised to make the
seed of Abraham into a mighty nation.
B.
It was in
And the children
of
1.
At this time, Joseph faded
from memory (Exo. 1:8).
2.
The Pharaoh was fearful of
this nation and sought to reduce their number.
a.
And the Egyptians made the children of
b.
The midwives were commanded by Pharaoh to kill all the male children at
birth (Exo. 1:15-16).
C.
“Moses was born into this
volatile environment. He was born
to a Hebrew couple name Amram and Jochebed (Exo. 6:20). The couple already had two children, a
daughter named Miriam, and a son named Aaron (Exo. 15:20)” (Walking in Son
Light, Sellers S. Crain, Jr., p. 13).
I. A
PROVIDENTIAL BEGINNING
A.
One of the mighty powers of
God is His ability to work through providence.
1.
a.
The root of “providence” is “provide.”
b.
God has the ability to provide for His people.
2.
a.
He does not suspend or supersede natural law.
b.
He does not violate the free moral agency of man.
c.
Yet, He meets man’s needs and accomplishes His will at the same
time.
B.
Early in the life of Moses
the providence of God was at work to preserve a child who would grow to lead the
people of God out of Egyptian bondage.
1.
The midwives did not do as
Pharaoh commanded them (Exo. 1:17-20).
2.
For three months, Moses was
safely hid by his parents (Exo. 2:2; Heb. 11:23).
By faith Moses,
when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a
proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s
commandment.
3.
When Moses was placed into
the ark of bulrushes, he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter who had compassion on
him even though he was a Hebrew baby (Exo. 2:5-6).
4.
Moses’ mother, Jochebed, was
allowed to nurse the child for the first two or three years of life (Exo.
2:7-9).
5.
The daughter of Pharaoh
raised Moses as her own son.
a.
Exodus 1:10.
And the child
grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of
the water.
b.
Stephen gives us additional
information about Moses’ upbringing (Acts 7:21-22).
And when he was
cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own
son. And Moses was learned in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and
deeds.
C.
Just think of all the
blessings Moses received early in life.
1.
His life was
spared.
2.
He knew his biological
mother.
3.
He knew Jehovah
God.
4.
He was educated in the
Egyptian schools.
5.
He learned about the ways of
Pharaoh’s court.
D.
God’s providence is still at
work today. He still cares for His
people and works in their lives.
1.
II Corinthians
9:8.
And God is able
to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work.
2.
NOTE: Faith in the lives of individuals
assists the providence of God (i.e., the midwives and Moses’
parents).
II. MORE TIME WAS
NEEDED
A.
Moses appears to have been
well aware of his Hebrew heritage.
1.
His mother and father taught
him well as a small child.
2.
His knowledge caused him to
have compassion upon his people. On
one occasion, he went out to view the situation of his brethren (Exo.
2:11-12).
And it came to
pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren,
and looked on their burdens: and he
spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and
when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the
sand.
3.
The writer of Exodus does
not provide us with all the details about this incident. Stephen, however, does (Acts
7:23-25).
And when he was
full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children
of
a.
Moses knew his life had been spared by God in
infancy.
b.
He was in an extremely high position in
c.
The story of Joseph was well-known among the
Hebrews.
4.
God, however, was not ready.
B.
Moses flees from
1.
The following day, Moses went out among the Hebrews again. This time he broke up a fight between
two Hebrews. One of them responded
with these words:
And he said, Who
made thee a prince and a judge over us?
Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? (Exo.
2:14a).
3.
And Moses
feared, and said, Surely this thing is known (Exo. 2:14b). Eventually, Pharaoh learned of Moses’
crime, and sought to slay him (Exo. 2:15).
And Moses fled
from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the
4.
Here we have an apparent
contradiction in the Biblical text.
a.
In Exodus 2:14, we learn that “Moses feared” because he learned that
others knew of his slaying the Egyptian.
b.
How does this harmonize with Hebrews 11:27?
By faith he
forsook
c.
Answer:
Forsook “means that Moses
left
d.
It appears that Moses’
decision to flee came at the time that he made a decision for God (Heb.
11:24-26).
By faith Moses,
when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasure of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt: for he
had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
C.
Moses trained in the
1.
Moses would spend the next
forty years of his life in the wilderness.
He would experience things far different from the delicacies of Pharaoh’s
court.
2.
During this time, he would
be given four things that would make him a stronger leader of God’s
people.
a.
An advisor.
1)
Moses came into contact with the priest of Midian, Reuel (Jethro, Hobab)
by assisting his seven daughters at the well (Exo.
2:16-20).
2)
This man would provide fatherly advise to Moses, especially when he was
in the wilderness (Exo. 18:1-27).
b.
A family.
1)
Moses married Zipporah, one of the daughters of Jethro (Exo.
2:21).
2)
He had two sons by Zipporah.
a)
Gershom (Exo. 2:22).
b)
Eliezer (Exo. 18:4).
3)
The home is an excellent place for a man to learn some the necessary
skills of leadership (I Tim. 3:4-5).
One that ruleth
well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; for if a
man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of
God
c.
Shepherding skills (Exo.
3:1).
Now Moses kept
the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back side of
the desert, and came to the
1)
Numerous positions have been
referred to with the term “shepherd” in the Bible.
a)
Jesus is the “good shepherd” (John 10:11).
b)
The kings of
c)
The elders (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11; I Pet. 5:2).
2)
Many skills of the shepherd can be used by a spiritual
shepherd.
a)
Feeding the flock.
b)
Assisting the sick and lame.
c)
Restoring the wanderer.
d)
Protection from the enemies.
d.
A character.
III. THE CALL TO A
WORK
A.
For more than 80 years, the
children of
B.
When the time was right, God
responded to their cries and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob (Exo. 2:23-24).
C.
God would now call Moses to
the work he had supposed he would do 40 years prior.
1.
The burning bush (Exo.
3:2-3).
2.
The identity of the speaker
revealed (Exo. 3:4-6).
3.
The assignment to lead
Come now
therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my
people the children of
4.
The excuses of Moses offered
to God (Exo. 3:11-4:17).
a.
Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh (Exo.
3:11).
b.
They will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice (Exo.
4:1).
c.
I am of slow speech, and of a slow tongue (Exo.
4:10).
d.
The plea for someone else to be sent (Exo. 4:13).
e.
The result.
1)
The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses (Exo.
4:14).
2)
Moses’ excuses were not accepted, and he was sent unto Pharaoh (Exo.
4:20).
And Moses took
his wife and sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the
D.
Many lessons that we can
learn.
1.
God’s timing is always the
right timing.
2.
Men can do great things for
God late in life.
3.
God will not accept our
flimsy excuses as to why we will not do His will.
4.
God is concerned about His
people and will be faithful to His covenant.
CONCLUSION
A.
God can raise up ordinary
men and women to do great things in his service.
B.
Faith in God and obedience
to His will are the crucial factors on man’s part.
1.
We must choose as did Moses
(Heb. 11:25).
2.
The eternal rewards are far
greater than the treasures of the world (Heb. 11:26).
3. We must endure, as seeing him who is invisible (Heb. 11:27).