Transcript Exodus 1 thru 4 God Calls His Servantx

Exodus 1-4
“God Calls His Servant”
Exodus 1
1
These are the names of the sons of Israel
(that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with
their father, each with his family: 2 Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun,
Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5
In all, Jacob had seventy descendants in
Egypt, including Joseph, who was already
there.
“Exodus”
Comes from the Greek Septuagint name of
this book and means “The Way Out”.
In Hebrew the first few words of the text
determine the “name” so this Book is called
“Names” or “These are the names”
1:1-7
6
In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died,
ending that entire generation. 7 But their
descendants, the Israelites, had many
children and grandchildren. In fact, they
multiplied so greatly that they became
extremely powerful and filled the land.
NEW KINGDOM (1570-1085 B.C.).
Capital: Tanis (Zoan)
Ah-mose (“Ah-mosis the Great” 1570-1546 B.C.)
1st Pharaoh of 18th dynasty expelled the
Hyksos and re-established native Egyptian
rule.
Thutmose I (“Thut-mosis” I; 1525-ca. 1512
B.C.; 3rd Pharaoh of 18th dynasty) practiced
genocide on Hebrew male babies
Hatshepsut
1503-1482 B.C.;
5th Pharaoh of
the 18th dynasty)
was the daughter
of Pharaoh
Thutmose I who
drew Moses out
of the Nile and
later ruled as
queen.
Thutmose III 1504-1450 B.C.; 6th Pharaoh of
the 18th dynasty) the Pharaoh of the
oppression who tried to kill Moses and from
whom Moses fled into Midian (Exod. 2:15).
Amenhotep II (1450-1425 B.C.; 7th Pharaoh
of the 18th dynasty) was the Pharaoh of the
plagues and the Exodus.
1:9-10
9
He said to his people, “Look, the people of
Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than
we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them
from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war
breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight
against us. Then they will escape from the
country.”
The adult males in the Exodus totaled 600,000,
not counting women and children (12:37), so
the total Israelite population at that time may
have been about 2 million. John D. Hannah, “Exodus,” in
The Bible Knowledge Commentary
1:11
11
So the Egyptians made the Israelites their
slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers
over them, hoping to wear them down with
crushing labor. They forced them to build
the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply
centers for the king.
1:15-17
15
Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this
order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah
and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew
women as they give birth, watch as they
deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a
girl, let her live.” 17 But because the
midwives feared God, they refused to obey
the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to
live, too.
1:19-21
19
“The Hebrew women are not like the
Egyptian women,” the midwives replied.
“They are more vigorous and have their
babies so quickly that we cannot get there in
time.” 20 So God was good to the midwives,
and the Israelites continued to multiply,
growing more and more powerful. 21 And
because the midwives feared God, he gave
them families of their own.
“All life belongs to God, and consequently
He is the only person who has the right to
take it or to command when others should
take it. The midwives’ fear of God resulted
in their having reverence for human life.”
Tom Constable
1:22
22
Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his
people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy
into the Nile River. But you may let the girls
live.”
Matthew 2:16–18 (NLT) 16 Herod was furious
when he realized that the wise men had
outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the
boys in and around Bethlehem who were
two years old and under, based on the wise
men’s report of the star’s first appearance.
2:1-4
1
About this time, a man and woman from the
tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became
pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that
he was a special baby and kept him hidden for
three months. 3 But when she could no longer
hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus
reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch.
She put the baby in the basket and laid it among
the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The
baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching
to see what would happen to him.
Hebrews 11:23 (NASB95)
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.
“Ironically Jochebed, putting her son into the
Nile, was in one sense obeying the Pharaoh’s
edict to ‘throw’ baby boys into the river!”
2-5-10
When the princess saw the basket among
the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her.
6 When the princess opened it, she saw the
baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt
sorry for him. “This must be one of the
Hebrew children,” she said…10 Later, when
the boy was older, his mother brought him
back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted
him as her own son. The princess named
him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him
out of the water.”
Acts 7:21–29 (NASB95)
21
“And after he had been set outside,
Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and
nurtured him as her own son. 22 “Moses was
educated in all the learning of the Egyptians,
and he was a man of power in words and
deeds.
Several women were involved in the events
surrounding Moses’ birth: the midwives,
Pharaoh’s daughter, her maid, Moses’
sister, and Jochebed (his mother). How
ironic it was that women, whom Egyptian
and Israelite men looked down on as less
significant than themselves, should have
been responsible for saving Israel’s savior.
2:11-12
11
Many years later, when Moses had grown
up, he went out to visit his own people, the
Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were
forced to work. During his visit, he saw an
Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews.
12 After looking in all directions to make sure
no one was watching, Moses killed the
Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.
Acts 7:23–25 (NASB95)
23
“But when he was approaching the age of
forty, it entered his mind to visit his
brethren, the sons of Israel. 24 “And when he
saw one of them being treated unjustly, he
defended him and took vengeance for the
oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25
“And he supposed that his brethren
understood that God was granting them
deliverance through him, but they did not
understand.
Acts 7:26–29 (NASB95)
26
“On the following day he appeared to them as
they were fighting together, and he tried to
reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are
brethren, why do you injure one another?’ 27
“But the one who was injuring his neighbor
pushed him away, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER
AND JUDGE OVER US? 28 ‘YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME
AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?’ 29
“At this remark, MOSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN
IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he became the
father of two sons.
Hebrews 11:24–27 (NASB95)
24
By faith Moses, when he had grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure illtreatment with the people of God than to
enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26
considering the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he
was looking to the reward.
2:15
15
And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what
had happened, and he tried to kill Moses.
But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to
live in the land of Midian. When Moses
arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well.
2:19-22
19
“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,”
they answered. “And then he drew water for us
and watered our flocks.” 20 “Then where is he?”
their father asked. “Why did you leave him
there? Invite him to come and eat with us.” 21
Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled
there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his
daughter Zipporah to be his wife. 22 Later she
gave birth to a son, and Moses named him
Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a
foreigner in a foreign land.”
2:23-24
23
years passed, and the king of Egypt died.
But the Israelites continued to groan under
their burden of slavery. They cried out for
help, and their cry rose up to God. 24 God
heard their groaning, and he remembered
his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. 25 He looked down on the people of
Israel and knew it was time to act.
3:1-3
1
One day Moses was tending the flock of his
father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.
He led the flock far into the wilderness and
came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There
the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a
blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
Moses stared in amazement. Though the
bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn
up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to
himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I
must go see it.”
3:4-5
4
When the LORD saw Moses coming to take
a closer look, God called to him from the
middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here
I am!” Moses replied. 5 “Do not come any
closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your
sandals, for you are standing on holy
ground.
3:6-7
6
I am the God of your father—the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered
his face because he was afraid to look at
God. 7 Then the LORD told him, “I have
certainly seen the oppression of my people
in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress
because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I
am aware of their suffering.
The anthropomorphisms (the descriptions of
God’s actions and attributes in words usually
associated with mankind) of God’s ‘seeing,’
‘hearing,’ ‘knowing’ (‘being concerned about’),
and ‘coming down’ became graphic ways to
describe divine realities for which no
description existed except for situations in the
human realm. But these do not imply that God
has corporeal and spatial limitations; rather, he
is a living person who can and does follow the
stream of human events and who can and does
at times directly intervene in human affairs.”
Kaiser
3:10
10
Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You
must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
Throughout the entire scheme of Divine
government, we meet with the principle of
mediation. God ever speaks to men, and works
for them, through the instrumentality of men.
Chosen agents are called into the inner circle,
to catch the Divine thought and mirror the
Divine character, and then sent back to their
fellows, to cause them to partake.” Meyer
3:12
“When you have brought the people out of
Egypt, you will worship God at this very
mountain.”
The Hebrew word for “worship” is the same
word for “to be a slave”. Israel had been
slaves of Egypt and was in slavery lit., “the
house of slaves,”. Having served as slaves to
the Egyptians, Israel was now to serve the
Lord, worshiping Him as His subjects.
Hannah “Exodus”
Romans 6:16–18 (NASB95)
16
Do you not know that when you present
yourselves to someone as slaves for
obedience, you are slaves of the one whom
you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or
of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17
But thanks be to God that though you were
slaves of sin, you became obedient from the
heart to that form of teaching to which you
were committed, 18 and having been freed
from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness.
3:14-15
14
God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.
Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent
me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say
this to the people of Israel: Yahweh (YHWH –
LORD in English Bibles), the God of your
ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to
you. This is my eternal name (lit. “name
forever”), my name to remember for all
generations.
Mark 12:18–27 (NIV84)
18
Then the Sadducees, who say there
is no resurrection, came to him with a
question…26 Now about the dead
rising—have you not read in the book
of Moses, in the account of the bush,
how God said to him, ‘I am the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of
the dead, but of the living.
“To the Hebrew ‘to be’ does not just mean
to exist as all other beings and things do as
well—but to be active, to express oneself in
active being, ‘The God who acts.’
“I AM what in creative activity and
everywhere I turn out to be,” or
“I AM (the God) that really acts.’”
Sigmund Mowinckel
Exodus 34:6–7 (NASB95)
6
Then the LORD passed by in front of him
and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God,
compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;
7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands,
who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin;
yet He will by no means leave the guilty
unpunished…”
John 14:6–11 (ESV)
7
If you had known me, you would have
known my Father also. From now on you do
know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said
to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is
enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I
been with you so long, and you still do not
know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has
seen the Father.
The Descriptive “I AM’s” in John
“I AM the bread of life”
“I AM the living
bread which came down from heaven.”
“I AM the light of the world.”
“I AM the good shepherd.”
“I AM the Son of God”
“I AM the resurrection and the life.”
“I AM the way, the truth, and the life.
“I AM the true vine”
John 8:23–58 (NKJV)
23
And He said to them, “You are from
beneath; I AM from above. You are of this
world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I
said to you that you will die in your sins; for
if you do not believe that I AM He, you will
die in your sins.”…When you lift up the Son
of Man, then you will know that I AM He….
“Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I AM.”
John 18:4-6 (NKJV)
4
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that
would come upon Him, went forward and
said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5
They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus said to them, “I AM He.” And Judas,
who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6
Now when He said to them, “I AM He,” they
drew back and fell to the ground.
3:16-17
16
“Now go and call together all the elders of
Israel. Tell them, ‘The LORD, the God
(Elohym) of your ancestors—the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to
me. He told me, “I have been watching
closely, and I see how the Egyptians are
treating you. 17 I have promised to rescue
you from your oppression in Egypt. I will
lead you to a land flowing with milk and
honey.”
3:18-20
Then you and the elders must go to the king
of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of
the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let
us take a three-day journey into the
wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our
God.’ 19 “But I know that the king of Egypt
will not let you go unless a mighty hand
forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and
strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of
miracles among them. Then at last he will let
you go.
3:21-22
21
And I will cause the Egyptians to look
favorably on you. They will give you gifts
when you go so you will not leave emptyhanded. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for
articles of silver and gold and fine clothing
from her Egyptian neighbors and from the
foreign women in their houses. You will
dress your sons and daughters with these,
stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”
4:1-4
1
Then Moses said, “What if they won’t believe
me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD
never appeared to you’?” 2 Then the LORD asked
him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s
staff,” Moses replied. 3 “Throw it down on the
ground,” the LORD told him. So Moses threw
down the staff, and it turned into a snake!
Moses jumped back. 4 Then the LORD told him,
“Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached
out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a
shepherd’s staff in his hand.
God intended the first miracle of the staff
and serpent to assure Moses and the
Israelites that He was placing the satanic
power of Egypt under his authoritative
control. The Pharaohs wore a metal cobra
around their heads. It was a common
symbol of the nation of Egypt. However the
serpent also stood for the great enemy of
man behind that power, Satan, who had
been the foe of the seed of the woman since
Gen. 3. Tom Constable
4:9
9
And if they don’t believe you or listen to
you even after these two signs, then take
some water from the Nile River and pour it
out on the dry ground. When you do, the
water from the Nile will turn to blood on the
ground.”
4:11-12
11
Then the LORD asked Moses, “Who has
made man’s mouth? Who decides whether
people speak or do not speak, hear or do
not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the
LORD? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you
speak, and I will
instruct you in
what to say.”
4:13-14
13
But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please!
Send anyone else.” 14 Then the LORD became
angry (His nostrils flared, His face displayed
anger) with Moses.
“A more complete list of disabilities would
be difficult to conjure up. But instead of
pleasing God, his seeming humility and
reluctance stirred His anger.” J Oswald Sanders
4:14-16
“All right,” he said. “What about your
brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks
well. And look! He is on his way to meet you
now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk
to him, and put the words in his mouth. I
will be with both of you as you speak, and I
will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron
will be your spokesman to the people. He
will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand
in the place of God for him, telling him what
to say.
“Cherish the lowliest thought you choose of
yourself, but unite it with the loftiest
conception of God’s All-Sufficiency.
Self-depreciation may lead to the marring
of a useful life. We must think soberly of
ourselves, not too lowly, as not too
extravagantly. The one talent must not be
buried in the earth.” Meyer
Romans 12:3 (ESV)
3
For by the grace given to me I say to
everyone among you not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think, but to
think with sober judgment, each according
to the measure of faith that God has
assigned.
4:24-26
24
On the way to Egypt, at a place where
Moses and his family had stopped for the
night, the LORD confronted him and was
about to kill him. 25 But Moses’ wife,
Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised
her son. She (threw the foreskin at his feet)
touched his feet with the foreskin and said,
“Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
26 (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,”
she was referring to the circumcision.) After
that, the LORD left him alone.
But before Moses could deliver the
message, he had to learn obedience himself.
He had failed to circumcise his own son
(Gershom or Eliezer), possibly because of
Zipporah’s opposition. William McDonald
She accepted Yahweh’s authority and
demands and was now viewing Moses in
the light of God’s commission. She
abandoned her claim to Moses and made
him available to Yahweh’s service. Oosthuizen
“These few verses underscore a very
important principle. Normally before God
will use a person publicly he or she must
first be obedient to God at home.” Tom Constable
1 Timothy 3:4–5 (NASB95) 4 He must be one who
manages his own household well, keeping
his children under control with all dignity 5
(but if a man does not know how to manage
his own household, how will he take care of
the church of God?),
4:30-31
30
Aaron told them everything the LORD had
told Moses, and Moses performed the
miraculous signs as they watched. 31 Then
the people of Israel were convinced that the
LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. When they
heard that the LORD was concerned about
them and had seen their misery, they bowed
down and worshiped.