Exodus 1-2:
“Background of Exodus / Moses Is Born, Rescued, And Estranged”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
THEME:
Whereas the book of Genesis was the book of
beginnings and thus the book began with the creation of the world, but also
introduced us to every major doctrine found in the rest of the scripture. The book of Exodus is the book of
redemption. The doctrine of redemption
of God’s people is not preached or formulated in words, rather it is
illustrated in the events that occurred.
The book details for us how that the Lord delivered
His people from slavery and bondage in Egypt, bringing them out through a
series of very powerful miracles and signs, so that they might be able to enter
the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.
1.2.
SYMBOLISM:
1.2.1. With the book being about
redemption and deliverance, it is symbolic of coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ:
1.2.1.1.“
1.2.1.2.The “taskmasters” of
the Egyptians who abused the Hebrews symbolizes “sin” and how it as a
taskmaster damages and destroys lives.
1.2.1.3.“Pharaoh” is symbolic
of “Satan” who always does all that he can personally to see that people
are enslaved and their lives are made to be miserable.
1.2.1.4.The “Passover lamb”
is symbolic of “Jesus Christ” whose sacrifice of Himself provides for
the salvation of God’s people.
1.2.1.5.The “blood placed on the
doorposts” symbolizes the blood of Christ which is a covering or atonement
for our sins.
1.2.1.6.The “crossing of the Red
Sea” is symbolic of coming to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and
His sacrifice on
1.2.1.7.The “deliverance from
1.2.1.8.The “drowning death of
Pharaoh and his army” in the Red Sea is symbolic of Christ’s vanquishing
and rendering powerless Satan and his hoards on
1.2.1.9.The “wandering through
the wilderness” is symbolic of the trials and difficulties in life and the
lessons of faith that are learned by the Christian after he has come to Christ.
1.2.1.10.The “tabernacle and its
glorious furnishings” is symbolic of Jesus Christ and the glories of His
person.
1.2.1.11.The deliverer of God’s
people, “Moses,” whom God raised up, is symbolic of “Jesus Christ”
who delivers of men and women from their sins.
1.2.2. Eschatological symbolism:
1.2.2.1.The “plagues” that
the Lord brings upon the Egyptians in order to force them to release the
Hebrews is symbolic of “the judgments of the 7 year Tribulation” of the
book of Revelation which are used to bring about Christ being able to establish
His Millennial Reign by judging and overthrowing all of the nations of the
world.
1.2.2.2.A “remnant of
1.2.2.3.After the 7 year Tribulation
has completed, “Satan and his hordes shall be destroyed” for eternity in
the lake of fire just as Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the
1.2.2.4.“The deliverer, Jesus
Christ, shall come” to His people and lead them just as Moses led
1.3.
CONTRASTS:
1.3.1. There are a huge number of contrasts between the book
of Exodus and the book of Genesis, including:
1.3.1.1.The book of Genesis was the story about a man and his
family, but the book of Exodus is a story about a nation,
1.3.1.2.The book of Genesis ends with 70 people going down
into the nation of Egypt, the book of Exodus begins with the number of
Israelites being most likely well over two million.
1.3.1.3.The book of Genesis had the family of Jacob in good
standing with and honored by the Pharaoh and the Egyptians, the book of Exodus
has the Israelites being feared and despised by the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
1.3.1.4.The book of Genesis had the family of Jacob living in
and even purchasing the best
1.3.1.5.The book of Genesis has the Pharaoh realizing that it
was because of the Lord that Joseph and the Israelites had prospered, but the
book of Exodus has the Pharaoh not knowing the Lord.
1.3.1.6.The book of Genesis has the Israelites going into the
1.3.1.7.Genesis ends with the death of Joseph, the book of
Exodus ends with life as the glory of God fills the tabernacle.
1.3.2. In the book of Exodus we see divisions, such as that
between God’s people and the Egyptians (symbolic of the people of this
world):
1.3.2.1.The baby boys of the Israelites were to be put to
death, unlike the Egyptians.
1.3.2.2.The Lord caused the plagues to fall upon the
Egyptians, but not upon the Hebrews.
1.3.2.3.The Lord caused a division between the cattle of the
Egyptians and the Israelites in the plagues that occurred.
1.3.2.4.There was a veil made to divide the people from the
Lord and the Holy of Holies.
1.3.2.5.Throughout the book of Exodus we see opposition of the
Hebrews by an enemy, and we know that the one behind all of their opposition
was the enemy of man’s souls, Satan, who is trying His best to thwart God’s
plans to bring a redeemer for mankind though the seed of the woman (see Genesis
3 and the curse upon the serpent).
1.3.2.6.When the Israelites have crossed the
1.4.
AUTHORSHIP:
The writing of the book of Exodus along with the
rest of the Pentateuch was accomplished by Moses, and no one really questions
that fact.
1.5.
THE TIMING OF EXODUS:
1.5.1. Why did the Israelites have
to suffer in
1.5.1.1.
1.5.1.2.Genesis 15:16 says that the
Israelites would not be delivered until “the iniquity of the Amorites”
is made full.
1.5.1.3.The Israelites had to reap
what they had sown and the scriptures tell us that the father’s sins are
visited upon the children until the third or fourth generations.
1.5.2. A comparison of Acts 7:6 and
Exodus 12:40 seems to indicate that thirty years after being given the land of
Goshen that the Israelites were booted, lost their land, and their hardships
began, for it says in the Exodus passage that they were treated evilly for 400
years, and in the Acts passage that they were in Egypt for a total of 430
years.
1.6.
In our study today, we are going to look at the background for this
book as well as chapters 1 and 2.
1.6.1. In chapter one we will learn
the plight of what has happened to the children of
1.6.2. When the Pharaoh realizes
the problem of the size of the Hebrew people he decides to try to have all of
the male Hebrew babies put to death when they are born, but God foils his
plans.
1.6.3. We will see the incredible
story of how Amram and Jochebed in faith hatch and carry out a plan for saving
their baby boy from death, and this boy is Moses who will become the deliverer
of
1.6.4. We will see that Moses is
raised in the home of Pharaoh and an “heir apparent” to the throne in
2.
VS 1:1-6 - “1 Now these are the names of the
sons of
2.1.
Here again we see that the Holy Spirit has recorded that it was 70
persons who went down to Egypt, and that it was from these that the entire
nation has now evolved.
2.2.
Here we see that the nation came from the eleven sons of Jacob who
moved down to
3.
VS 1:7-14 - “7 But the sons of
3.1.
Here we see that a lot of time has elapsed since the sons of Jacob went
down to
3.2.
It says in verse 8 that “a new” king arose over
3.3.
Arthur Pink makes the point that when the king of
3.4.
In verse 10, Pharaoh encourages his advisors and cabinet to ‘be wise,’
concerning the Hebrews. However, what he
decides to do in order to ‘be wise’ is actually foolish. He decides to place ‘taskmasters over them
to afflict them with hard labor.’
All that this was sure to do is to spawn rebellion eventually, and
certainly cause the Hebrews to despise the Egyptians.
3.5.
The Hebrews who had once been given the
3.6.
The Lord saw to it though that the more the Egyptians afflicted and
abused the Hebrews the more the Hebrews multiplied and spread out across the
3.7.
The Hebrews made excellent bricks from the tarry mortar that was
present there by those storage cities.
4.
VS 1:15-21 - “15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the
Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; 16 and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew
women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son,
then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
17 But the midwives feared
God, and did not do as the king of
4.1.
It is interesting here that two of the Hebrew midwives names are
listed, ‘Shiphrah’ and ‘Puah.’
Names of women are often not included in Bible stories, however we see
in these verses the reason that these women’s names are written down. They obeyed the Lord and feared the Lord,
rather than man, and as a result they risked their very lives. They knew that God forbids murder and that it
is much better to please God than to please men. These two midwives are told by Pharaoh that
when the Hebrew women were giving birth that if the baby was a son that they
were supposed to ‘put him to death.’
4.2.
Here in these verses we see the Biblical pattern for “civil
disobedience.” If obeying the
requirement or commandment from anyone in authority over your life would cause
you to disobey a direct commandment from the Lord, then you must refuse to obey
that authority over you, choosing rather to obey the Lord.
4.3.
These Hebrew midwives choose to disobey the rulers and authorities who
are commanding them to break God’s laws and murder innocent babies. Then, when asked by Pharaoh why they had let
the boys live they lied and told him: ‘Because
the Hebrew women…are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.’
4.4.
God blessed the Hebrew midwives for their faith and following His commandments,
as it says that God, ‘was good to the midwives,’ and then it goes on to
say that ‘He established households for them.’ God in His providence met the needs of these
midwives, providing roofs over their heads.
5.
VS 1:22-2:9 - “22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his
people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the
5.1.
Pharaoh’s commandments to the Hebrew midwives did not achieve his
purpose of stopping the multiplication of the Hebrew boys, so now in a desperate
and despicable act, he ‘commanded all his people,’ that of the Hebrews,
‘every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you
are to keep alive.’
5.2.
In Hebrews 11:23, that chapter about the hall of faith of God’s people in
the Old Testament, we read about how this act of Moses’ parents of hiding their
baby for three months and then floating it down the river to where the daughter
of Pharaoh was bathing, was accomplished by faith: “23
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his
parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of
the king’s edict.”
5.2.1. The phrase here that Moses
was “a beautiful child” is interesting.
Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century, states that God
told Amram before Moses' birth specifically of the calling of Moses to deliver
his people. Though this is not recorded
in scripture, it may be that they exercised faith in this revelation made to
them by God of their son, even to the risking of their own lives as they
depended upon God for the strength and protection of their lives as they
followed Him whole heartedly.
5.2.2. Every child is ‘a
beautiful child’ however and this may be the reason that is given for why
Amram and Jochebed could not bring themselves to throw this baby in the
5.3.
Moses’ parents evidently prayerfully sought the Lord as to how to save
their sons life. The result was a fairly
elaborate plan. They crafted from a
wicker basket a sealed little boat that they could float their baby in. They evidently knew that Pharaoh’s daughter
had a soft heart and perhaps even that she really wanted to have a son of her
own. Then, they probably researched her
bathing times in the
5.4.
As a back-up plan they sent their daughter to hang around and make sure
that Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, and then if Pharaoh’s daughter threw
the baby in the water she would jump in and save it. Then, if Pharaoh’s daughter seemed like she
wanted to keep the baby, she was told to ask Pharaoh’s daughter if she wanted
her to find a Hebrew nurse to nurse the baby.
5.5.
Moses’ parents must have been blessed in a great way as they watched
Moses be adopted, taken care of, receive the best in education and benefits,
and obtain the favor of Pharaoh himself.
Their persevering faith in the midst of extreme dangers and trials
obtained in the end tremendous blessings for them, as it does for all who
persevere in faith, and, they eventually obtained the "promise"
of God.
5.5.1. Oh Christian, don’t you think that you could build
something as simple as a little ark to float your baby on? Don’t you think that God can use your life in
a great way if you simply are willing to submit to Him and then come to Him in
prayer seeking how He might use your life?
5.5.2. I don’t see anywhere that Amram and Jochebed had any
education, trades or skills. They simply
came to the Lord in prayer asking him to use them and show them in some sort of
way how He could use them to spare their child.
We have no idea how this plot of theirs was hatched, but it does make we
wonder what process this man and his wife went through in determining to place
their baby in this wicker basket and float it down the river to Pharaoh’s
daughter.
The
first thing that it seems to me that they probably learned was that Pharaoh’s
daughter had a tender heart and desired to have children. In fact, if Joseph was correct she was never
able to conceive a son. I think Amram
and Jochebed probably had learned of this fact also. Then, somehow the found out that the woman
bathed in the river at certain times.
Then, they began to consider how they could get their baby to her
without being detected themselves.
If
Amram was a typical man he probably initially came up initially with some sort
of a plan like designing a protective baby capsule that would float and then
constructing a baby catapult. But
Jochebed immediately squashed that plan because it placed their son in too much
harm.
Jochebed
at this time might have chided Amram for not knowing how to build boats so that
they could construct one and float their baby down to Pharaoh’s daughter in
it.
Jochebed
might then have suggested that a wicker basket will float. But, then Amram quickly told her that if you
put a baby in one it would go right down.
Then, I imagine that Amram might have thought about the tar and pitch
that held the bricks together that he made and conceived that if he stole a
bunch of that stuff that they could actually cover up all of the holes in the
weave of a wicker basket making it buoyant enough to float with their baby in
it.
Then,
they were probably wondering how they would be able to conceal all of the tar
and pitch on their hands after they had waterproofed the wicker basket.
But,
then there was still the possibility that the basket could hit currents and tip
or be swept right by Pharaoh’s daughter without her noticing it. They thought that they could then send their
daughter to rescue the baby if these things happened.
Then,
they schemed that if their plan went as they conceived it and Pharaoh’s
daughter had compassion on the child that their daughter could immediately ask her
if she should go and find a Hebrew nurse for the baby.
These
are just my ruminations, but however it came about it must have been
interesting how God came to show both of them what to do. The scheme they came up with was very risky
and really only guaranteed to work because they believed God and had let God
show them what He wanted them to do in the first place, and then trusted Him to
make their plan work.
We
Christians though need to learn from this very intriguing story to simply give
ourselves and our abilities to God, and that if we will do this and then ask
Him to show us how He wants to use us, that He will honor our commitment and
the gift of ourselves and use us greatly.
The result will be that just as happened with Amram and Jochebed, we too
will be blessed and used greatly by God because of our faith.
6.
VS 2:10 - “10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s
daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I
drew him out of the water.”” - Pharaoh’s daughter named the
baby ‘Moses’ because she had drew him out of the water
6.1.
Moses was named by Pharaoh’s daughter with a name that means “out of
the water.” This name was chosen
because she knew she had rescued him right out of the water.
6.2.
Pharaoh’s daughter would raise baby Moses as one of her family, and he
would become ‘her son.’
7.
VS 2:11-15 - “11 Now it came about in those days,
when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their
hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that, and when he saw
there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the
sand. 13 He went out the next day,
and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender,
“Why are you striking your companion?” 14 But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge
over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses
was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to
kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the
7.1.
It is interesting to see here that even as a young man that Moses had a
sense of being called of God to be a deliverer of God’s people.
7.2.
According to Arthur Pink, Moses would have been the heir apparent to
the throne in
7.2.1. Are you forsaking the
pleasures of sin for a season instead to bear the reproach of Christ and endure
ill treatment with the people of God?
7.3.
Moses’ attempt to deliver his people here had a pure motive, however
his efforts originated in the flesh not from God, and therefore before he knew
it he had murdered an Egyptian, and when he was found out, he had to flee the land
of Egypt to save his life.
7.3.1. We Christians have to learn
to do God’s will in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. We must resist doing things in the power of
our own flesh and will power because just as happened with Moses these sorts of
efforts only result in futility and strife.
7.4.
Moses seems to have thought that the Hebrews would understand why he
was placed in the position he was in, living in Pharaoh’s household, and that
he must be a deliverer for them.
However, the Hebrews didn’t understand what Moses was doing, nor did
they trust him. After a Hebrew sees
Moses one day slay an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, the next day when
Moses breaks up a fight between two Hebrews, one of the Hebrews calls out to
him publicly asking if Moses is going to kill him the way he killed the
Egyptian. Knowing that what he had done
was now not going to be kept secret, Moses is afraid.
7.5.
Somehow word of the murder that Moses had committed found its way back
to Pharaoh, and he decides to kill Moses.
When Moses hears of this he has to escape
8.
VS 2:16-22 - “16 Now the priest of Midian had
seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water
their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came
and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their
flock. 18 When they came to Reuel
their father, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” 19 So they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the
hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and
watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters,
“Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to
have something to eat.” 21 Moses was willing to
dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. 22 Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him
Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”” - Moses drove away some
shepherds one day who were harassing the daughters of the priest of Midian who
were watering their flock of sheep, then when their father found out that an
Egyptian had helped them he told them to invited Moses to dinner, Moses ate
with them and then the man gave to Moses his daughter, Zipporah, as a wife, and
then the woman later gave birth to a son from Moses named Gershom
8.1.
Moses had now escaped to the
8.2.
As Moses was sitting at a well, some daughters of the priest of Midian
came to draw water and fill ‘the troughs to water their father’s flock.’ However some shepherds who were there at them
time drove this daughters away. Moses
stood up for these young women and then even ‘helped them and watered their
flock.’
8.3.
Evidently, these shepherds were often a problem for these women when
they wanted to water their father’s flock and thus their father was surprised
when they came home so early on this day after Moses stood up to those
shepherds and then helped them to water their flock.
8.4.
When these young
women came home and told their father about what Moses had done, their father
told them to go and find Moses and invite him to dinner. Their father was grateful and wanted to show
that to his daughters. It may be also
that he was thinking that this man might make a good husband for one of his
daughters.
8.5.
At dinner, surely
Moses told the girl’s father all about his life in
8.5.1. This reminds me of how we in the church need to look
at people who are downtrodden and their lives twisted. We need to realize that they are just the
kind of people that we need in the church.
God can work in these kinds of people’s lives.
8.6.
Immediately, we
see here that a son was born to Moses named ‘Gershom.’ The son’s name simply means ‘foreigner,’
and this name was given because Moses was a man who was without his country, a
‘sojourner in a foreign land.’
9.
VS 2:23-25 - “23 Now it came about in the
course of those many days that the king of
9.1.
Well, we see that
this king of
9.2.
We do read here
that the sons of
9.2.1. These verses reveal to us that the Lord knows all
about us and that He is aware of all of our trials and circumstances. In fact, the Lord knows His plans to answer
before we ever call out to Him. From
eternity the Lord knew all of these things about each of His people.
9.3.
The text here
tells us that the Lord ‘remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.’ This doesn’t mean that the
Lord had ever forgotten about this covenant, or the children of
10.
CONCLUSIONS:
10.1.
God can use your
life greatly, just as He used Amram and Jochebed when they dedicated their life
to Him and then sought Him in prayer about what He wanted them to do in their
situation.
10.2.
Lets follow
Moses’ example and be willing to forsake the pleasures of sin for a season in
order to fulfill God’s calling for our own lives and dwell among the people of
God. Lets endure hardship with the people
of God and bear the reproach of Christ.
10.3.
We Christians
must learn to wait upon the Lord and let Him guide us in our lives and not do
like Moses and try to force God’s will by the wisdom and energy of our flesh.