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 inEgypt that Israel grew and prospered (Exo. 1:7).

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

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 Israel to serve with rigor:  and made their lives bitter with hard bondage… (Exo. 1:13-14).

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.                Providence.

a.         The root of “providence” is “provide.”

b.         God has the ability to provide for His people.

                        2.         Providence deals with God’s care through natural means.

                                    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 Israel.  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:  for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them:  but they understood not.

                                    a.         Moses knew his life had been spared by God in infancy.

                                    b.         He was in an extremely high position in Egypt.

                                    c.         The story of Joseph was well-known among the Hebrews.

4.         God, however, was not ready.  Israel was not ready.  Moses was not ready.

B.              Moses flees from Egypt.

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 land of Midian:  and he sat down by a well.

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 Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king:  for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

c.               Answer:

Forsook “means that Moses left Egypt behind never to return.  This did not occur when he fled to Midian but when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt.  ‘Not fearing the anger of the king’ means that this time he did not fear as he did when he fled to Midian full of fear.  Moses fearlessly confronted the Pharaoh again and again and demanded Israel’s release.  Read about this fearlessness in Exod. 10:28, 29.  When Pharaoh was at last compelled to assent, Moses knew that this assent would not endure too long, but he left without fear of any thing that the anger of the king might attempt to do before the Israelites escaped, and we know what Pharaoh did attempt” (The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Epistle of James, R.C.H. Lenski, p. 411).

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 land of Midian.

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 mountain of God, even to Horeb.

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 Israel (Ezek. 34:1-10).

                                                            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 Israel were afflicted by the Egyptians.

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 Israel out of bondage (Exo. 3:7-10, esp. v. 10).

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

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 land of Egypt:  and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

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).