English

When All You Have Is a Promise

Exodus 1-2

Hollywood moviemakers and American audiences seem to like sequels. Especially when the first movie is great, we leave the theater already in anticipation of the sequel. Think of how many sequels there are: Toy Story, Indiana Jones, Godfather, Spiderman, Superman, Aliens, Star Wars, Star Trek… A good first movie sets the stage for the sequel. And, a good sequel makes you want to see the first movie again to get the back-story.

Exodus is a sequel in the five books of Moses. And the first book was a blockbuster! In fact, that first book, the book of Genesis, had ended with the foreshadowing of a sequel (ch. 50). Genesis had told the story about God’s great miracles in the past. The people of Israel had stories of their forefathers -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph -- and their remarkable personal encounters with Jehovah. The Israelites were told that they were a people chosen by God with a land that would be theirs. They were told that they were the special people of the creator God who were to fulfill the Creator’s purpose of blessing the entire world. But, when the sequel (Exodus) opens, that all seemed so “long, long ago in a country far, far away.”

But, the ending of Genesis had contained a promise from that great patriarch Joseph. Abraham’s extended family was no longer in the land we know as Israel but had been moved, by the goodness and provision of God, to Egypt where, for a while, they had prospered. But, they were not to stay there. Listen to Joseph’s last words in Genesis 50:

“I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. Genesis 50:24-25

Book 1 had ended with a promise. But, when book 2 opens, all the promises to be impossible. All the Israelites had in Exodus 1-2 were the ancient promises. And when we realize that, suddenly this ancient story begins to speak to our lives today. How do we live when things seem to be going wrong and we can see no way to escape? What do we do when all we have is an ancient promise from God’s Word? Let’s start our journey in Exodus by seeking to learn about those questions:

The Situation: What They Had and Didn’t Have

#1: They were people who seemed to have no future. (1:1‑22)

The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt (1:7-8).

That is the beginning of two chapters of increasing despair. For you literary people, Exodus has a U‑shaped plot – it starts high and things go down for a long time before they turn around -- and v. 8 is the beginning of the movement downward on the U. From v. 8 on, for two chapters the Israelites are plunged deeper and deeper into the conviction that there is no hope and no future, for them.

In the first 7 verses, everything seemed fine. Joseph had experienced great success as a national leader and his people had experienced favor among the Egyptians for many years after his death. But it didn't last. The first bit of darkness descends in v.8, "A new king who did not know Joseph came to power."

History tells us that new rulers often feel they have to establish their authority quickly and squelch any potential enemy group. So, this new king of Egypt resorts to the oldest political trick in the book, i.e., creating racist paranoia. "Look," he says. "The Israelites have become much too numerous for us to control. Let's take care of them before it's too late." It's all hypothetical. There's no evidence that the Jewish people ever were subversive nor was there any political crisis at the time. But, just as happened in Hitler's era, the Pharaoh decided to unify his people by making the Jews the focus of a nationwide, and totally undeserved, hate campaign.

He made them slaves. He oppressed them. But the paradox was that this oppression didn't break them. It unified them and they continued to multiply.

But that success doesn't change the king’s mind. Things only get worse. The Israelites are forced to work harder. Look at how graphically it's described in v.14.

And then came the most shattering blow of all. Pharaoh introduces systematic genocide. Midwives are ordered to kill all Hebrew boys. But God used a couple of remarkable midwives who feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do. They let the Hebrew boys live using the most feeble excuse imaginable in v. 19.

But this didn’t satisfy the Pharaoh. In v. 22 every Jewish boy was to be seized by anyone and drowned. So, humanly seen, there was no hope whatever that the nation of Israel had for any future.

Think about it. We complain about a lot of things in our own lives. But put yourselves in these people's shoes. They must have been asking, “Where is God in the midst of all this? Does he exist? Does he care?

But the situation gets worse. They were not only without a future.

2. They were a people without a leader.

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. (2:1‑2).

If you've ever read any ancient Near Eastern stories, you know that this is the twist in the story that everyone is expecting. A boy is born. In times of great disaster, whether in myth or history writing, this is always the beginning of the happy ending. We read the story and think: “This is going to be the hero who changes everything. He's going to overcome all the odds and smash the enemy.” Ancient stories always went that way.

And at first, everything in this story seems to be happening that way. The mother senses something special about this child. So, courageously she looks for a way to save the child's life. She prepares a basket that can protect him in the Nile. There's a touch of humor in that, isn't there. After all, Pharaoh just said to throw the boys into the river. He said nothing about whether or not they could be in waterproof baskets.

But what an irony! Pharaoh's own daughter discovers him. "What a coincidence!" some would say. But, deep down we know this is no coincidence. God's hand is at work. And then, Pharaoh's daughter arranges for the baby's own mother to become its nurse ‑‑ and to pay her to do it. I wonder how many mothers now would complain about being paid to nurse their own children? And, in such a concise way without any wasting words, in v.10, Moses is returned to Pharaoh’s daughter as a member of his household.

Again, what an irony! Here is one of those "dangerous male Jewish boys" of whom Pharaoh is most terrified (in fact, the boy he had the most cause to fear) being brought up in Pharaoh's house at Pharaoh's personal expense becoming a part of Pharaoh's own family. But, of course, if one of these great hero deliverers was to be able to do his job, he would have to be a man of two worlds ‑‑ fully understanding the history and situation of the Israelites yet with the education, language, and culture of the Egyptian leadership. So it sure looks like we have the typical great human leader who will become the rescuer of his people.

But just as we have all that optimism, Moses kills an Egyptian. His own people have no interest in following him. Some Jewish men scorn him and ask if he'll kill them too. And, added to that, Pharaoh finds out what he has done and tries to kill Moses. So, in fear, Moses runs away and goes to live in Midian. In but 5 verses (2:11-15), this one we thought would be the hero becomes an outcast, a coward, and a wandering alien. We ask, “What kind of hero is this?” And Moses doesn't go to the desert to plot military tactics but to flirt with young women by a well. Then, he marries one of them. And he settles down in the country. So, Israel has no leader because Moses has no plan at all ever to go back to Egypt.

The result by 2:22 is that, in human perspective, this is a nation both without a future and without a human leader. It climaxes with V.23: The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

But with all that, in that kind of situation, in as powerful a way as I've ever read, the narrator introduces us to the real source of Israel's hope, and the only source of hope for any of us in this difficult world. What did they have?

3. They were a people with a promise.

It was a promise from God. That's the only thing they had left. Vv.23b‑24. I estimate that 600 years had passed since that promise had been made. And 600 years had not diminished God's commitment to it. Of course, God's promises differ from many of ours. First, we often forget. And second, when we do remember, it's often only to apologize for our failure to keep our promises. We are limited in knowledge or in power to keep the promise. But God is not limited in either of those ways. He has no lack of knowledge and no lack of power. He knew Israel would be enslaved in Egypt. He had told Abraham so 600 years before. And, God knew what he would do.

Therefore, when God remembers a promise -- in the Bible, that phrase always means He is about to act on it. V .25: God looked on the Israelites and he knew. Literally, that phrase says, "and God knew." It's a strange way to end a paragraph. What's the object? He knew what?

Our translation is an obvious possibility. But the phrase is really broader than that. Yes, he knew the situation. But, really, I think the Bible saying He knew what He intended to do. He knew where things would lead. He knew how all this was a part of a bigger plan. He knew that his plan would include a wilderness and a series of kings. He knew his plan included the fact that his own Son would have to come and die. He knew that Jew and Egyptian would have to be brought into one family. He knew what was happening – and he knew what he was doing.

This tyrant Pharaoh thought he knew something, i.e., that no one could ever crush him. But he was wrong. God hears, God sees, God remembers, and God knows. He knew that the promises to His people would be kept. It made no difference that, humanly speaking, the Israelites didn't have a future or a leader.

God needed no armies. He needed no charismatic leader. It was Pharaoh who had no chance really because he was up against omnipotence. God still existed in this worst of times. And he was not distant even then ‑‑ but present and concerned and ready to act on His promise. This is the theme of Exodus‑‑"God is, he is who he is, and he is here with us."

God stepped in here because He had plans, plans for another child to be born through these people. They could not be extinguished. Ironically, this child yet to come would be born amidst insane attempts to destroy children as well. God had plans for another exodus and a better covenant. All this was in God's mind: He remembered His covenant and He knew. They had a promise from a trustworthy God and it was enough.

Lessons or I like to tell the story but what do I want you to take home?

1. About doing right things: Even when we cannot see what God is doing, we often know some right things to do. When we're in the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation, there is usually something, or some things, that we know are right to do. Exodus 1-2 teaches us that we should continue to do those things even while we wait and pray for God's intervention.

This is a lesson learned from the Hebrew midwives whose names are recorded as a tribute here in 1:17. "They feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them." They let the boys live.

What we read about is a clear act of civil disobedience. That has bothered some people in reading this – but it’s an important point. It shows that there is a higher authority than that of the state. In terms of their behavior, Pharaoh couldn't just decree whatever he liked and expect them to do it. They believed that they and the Pharaoh were subject to a higher moral ruler. So, they would be good subjects as long as Pharaoh did not blatantly disregard God's law. And God had said that innocent human life should not be taken. So they obeyed God rather than the Pharaoh.

Of course, authorities must be respected and the Christian norm is that we obey authorities. Christians have always been the most loyal of citizens in every nation. But there are times when it is right to say to those in authority over us, "We must obey God rather than what you are ordering."

You may reply that you are powerless to change the situation. Some people say: "If I don't do what the boss says, somebody else will." "My scruples will only make the matter worse." That, of course, was exactly the situation these midwives were in. They didn't expect their defiance to change the system. But they only knew what was right and they did it leaving the rest to God. Thus, Moses was born!

So, some of us work in companies where our superiors put pressure on us to be dishonest. Some of us might work in hospitals where we might be asked to cooperate in ways we feel is similar to the Hebrew midwives. I could go on and on. But I simply ask, "Do you know anything you are being asked to do that is wrong according to the commands of God?" Do what is right and then wait to see what God will do. It is always right to do right.

2. About God’s mercy: God can still uses mightily those who have failed.

In times of extreme difficulty, we do make mistakes ‑‑ and sometimes we sin. When our error becomes public, people may not let us forget it. We may not let ourselves forget it. That was the case with Moses. But we can learn something here from how God dealt with Moses.

Note this: The biblical record is clear that Moses did wrong when he killed a man – and remember that Moses probably wrote it. Moses shouldn't have done it. Some have said Moses should be praised for this action -- but Moses didn't write the story that way. He describes himself as feeling guilty ‑‑ looking this way and that (2:12). And Moses tries to conceal the evidence of his crime.

And that's why it misfires. It only leads to scorn from friend and foe. It leads him to run away. A life with so much promise looked like a life in shambles. What use could he be to God now?

And I'm sure you know that there are many people in our world haunted by similar feelings of failure and self‑reproach. They've blown it. It may have been in the rashness of youth. But it's cast a shadow over their whole lives. They think they are doomed for the rest of their lives to God's second best.

Well, take encouragement from Moses. He went to Midian in obscurity. He spent 40 years there. It seemed like such a waste of time. But it wasn't. God was in Midian too. God used the time in Midian too. How? 1) Moses needed to learn to survive in the wilderness. 2) He needed to learn that people would not always support him. 3) Mostly, he needed to learn patience, patience to let God do things his way and in his time rather than to try to force God's hand.

So, if you've made a major blunder, or committed a major sin, turn from it. Don't do it again. But don't think that God's whole plan for your life is over. It isn't. Our errors don't catch God unaware. Remember: God knows. Exodus isn't about God way up in heaven nervously wringing his hands that Moses won't get it right. It's about God in control working in and through fallible people. Amazingly, just like with Moses, God will use those bad times to continue to do His work in and through us. So get up and start obeying Him, and serving Him and living for Him. He'll still do great things in your life to His glory.

3. About God’s Reliability: God doesn’t often fit our timetable but he always keeps his Word.

"God heard their groaning and remembered his promise."

I can imagine that many here have problems, problems that make you groan inwardly as the Israelites did. Maybe you see your situation as one of utter hopelessness. It may be a mess in your marriage, or children who've gone off the rails, or your career has folded up, or your health has broken down. Or maybe, like Moses, you've made a mistake and you see no possible escape from the painful consequences of it.

Well, I want to tell you something. I want you to realize before your go home that God has made promises to people just like us. He looks at you and he knows. He knows what's happened and he knows what he's going to do about it. What he asks of you today is what he asked of Moses and the Israelites: faith, patient faith, faith to believe his promise. It's faith to cling to him when all human props have collapsed and all human plans have faltered and all human hopes are dashed.

It was God who saved the Israelites. So the people had to pray to him and place their faith in him. He's a God who remembers his promises and steps into history to keep them.

Now my question: Do you have faith in God? Let me tell you, even if your problem is as overwhelming as a Pharaoh, faith in God is the victory. Here is a God who knows what He's doing. What does God promise? He promises he will not leave you. He won't give you more than you can bear. He promises to work all things – yes, all things – together for the good of those who love him. But you must trust him. Just as his promises included Israel in their slavery and Moses in his guilt, so it includes you too today.

Sometimes all you have is a promise. But when it's God who makes the promise, it is enough.

We ought to give ourselves fully to God, with regard to things both temporal and spiritual, and seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of His will, whether He lead us by suffering or comfort, for all would be equal to one fully devoted to Him.

Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, First Conversation

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor