Good morning,
The shedding of blood has been essential to the atonement for man’s sin. The shedding of blood is directly tied to our salvation. Jesus shed His perfect, precious blood to pay our sin debt.
The Passover, instituted by God, is a picture of salvation for Israel. When they applied the blood, God passed over their house. Right after that they were freed from their Egyptian enslavement.
This week we look at the progressive mistreatment of the Hebrew slaves, preparation for deliverance of the Hebrew slaves, the Israelite’s delivered from Egyptian bondage, and Israel redeemed by the blood of the Lamb-Passover.
B. Preparation for deliverance of Hebrew slaves (2:1-4:31)
1. Moses born and saved from destruction (2:1-10) (READ)
“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it.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.”
2. Moses kills an Egyptian and forsakes Egypt (2:11-14)
“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 a Hebrew, one of his brethren.12 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.13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.”
3. Moses in the land of Midian (2:15-22)
“Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”
4. God takes knowledge of Israel’s sad plight (2:23-25)
“And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”
5. God calls Moses at a burning bush (3:1-4:17) (READ3:1-10)
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.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.”
6. Moses agrees to go back to Egypt (4:18-26)
“And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.20 And Moses took his wife and his 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.21 And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.”
7. The Hebrews believe Moses and accept his leadership (4:27-31)
“And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:30 And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.”
God’s plan was Moses.
When he was born, he should have been killed. God spared him. His mother puts him in an ark and allows it to float past Pharaoh’s daughter. She retrieves the ark, sees it one of the Hebrew children, has compassion on him, and raises him as her own child.
Then Moses realizes his true heritage and tries to help his brethren. He kills an Egyptian and flees to Midian. He was forty years old. He spends the next forty years as a sheep herder on the back side of the desert. One day he sees a burning bush and goes to investigate. There he meets with God who sends him back to Egypt to be His spokesman. Moses fights with God, but eventually he relents and goes. He goes back and after some convincing, the people believe him.
Who would ever think up a plan like this?
Only God! God was in charge of every aspect of the plan. Moses executed the plan in accordance with God’s desire.
Will Pharaoh let the children of Israel go? No!
God has a plan for each of our lives. Whether we follow God’s plan is up to us. We have been given a free will to obey God’s word or reject it. Obedience leads us to the plan God has for us. Disobedience leads us away from God’s plan.
Choose wisely.
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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