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14. God Is Sovereign

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Lição 24: A Solução Para a Ansiedade (Filipenses 4:6-7)

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8 de Outubro de 1995

Uma família levou a Avó até ao seu primeiro voo de avião, mas esta não se sentia muito segura quanto à ideia de abandonar o solo em tal maquineta. À chegada, quando foram ter com ela no aeroporto, perguntaram-lhe em tom de brincadeira: “Então, o avião segurou-te bem?” De má vontade, ela lá respondeu: “Sim”; e, rapidamente, acrescentou: “Mas eu nunca cheguei a pôr todo o meu peso em cima dele!”

Muitos cristãos são como esta Avó. A verdade é que estão a ser totalmente amparados por Deus, mas receiam confiar a totalidade do seu peso sobre Ele. Em consequência, são atormentados por ansiedade e não conseguem apreciar o voo.

Poucos de nós desconhecem o que é a ansiedade. Ela invade coisas grandes e pequenas, corroendo-nos as entranhas. Alguém descreveu graficamente a ansiedade como “um pequeno riacho de medo a correr pela mente. Se encorajada, constrói um canal por onde passam a correr todos os outros pensamentos” (Arthur Roche, Reader’s Digest [6/88], p. 64). Com frequência, ouvimos expressões como “estar esgotado” ou “ter um ataque de pânico”. Embora eu discorde da sua abordagem psicológica a este problema, os psiquiatras cristãos Frank Minirth e Paul Meier afirmam que a ansiedade é a perturbação mental mais comum que encontram na sua rede de clínicas a nível nacional (Worry-Free Living [Thomas Nelson], p. 17).

Muitas vezes, sentimo-nos ansiosos por questões financeiras: como vamos conseguir pagar as contas do mês? Como é que vou poder arranjar o meu carro se este avariar? E se eu perder o meu emprego? Como vamos poder mandar os miúdos para a Universidade? Como vamos conseguir pagar as despesas médicas? Como é que alguma vez vamos conseguir poupar o suficiente para a reforma? E se a economia entrar em recessão?

Sentimos ansiedade relativamente à nossa saúde, especialmente à medida que envelhecemos: e se eu vier a ter cancro ou Alzheimer? E se eu ficar incapacitado ou tiver de ir para um Lar? Quando somos jovens, podemos ter preocupações semelhantes relativamente aos nossos pais.

Ficamos ansiosos por causa dos nossos filhos: será que vão crescer bem? Vão evitar drogas e a imoralidade sexual? Vão estar seguros neste mundo infestado de crime? Vão conseguir entrar na Universidade e ter um emprego bem pago? Vão casar com uma pessoa piedosa e ter uma família feliz? Em que tipo de mundo os seus filhos terão de viver?

Esta lista poderia continuar indefinidamente. Talvez fique ansioso só de me ouvir a enumerar diferentes razões para sentir ansiedade! Por vezes, nem sequer conseguimos identificar a razão específica para sentirmos ansiedade, mas ela lá está, perturbando-nos constantemente. Se não aprendermos a lidar bem com ela, pode causar-nos todo o tipo de problemas de saúde, que por sua vez vão aumentar a nossa ansiedade!

Jesus prometeu àqueles que O seguem: “Deixo-vos a paz, dou-vos a minha paz; não vo-la dou como o mundo a dá. Não se perturbe o vosso coração, nem se atemorize” (João 14:27). Ele proferiu estas palavras reconfortantes na noite mais difícil que enfrentou na terra – a noite antes da Sua crucificação. Sete vezes no Novo Testamento o nosso Deus é chamado Deus ou Senhor da paz. Essa paz pode ser constante na vida de um cristão, mesmo na adversidade. No nosso texto, Paulo, feito prisioneiro, explica-nos como:

Para experienciar a paz de Deus em vez de ansiedade, ore com gratidão a respeito de cada preocupação.

Existem três palavras-chave nestes versículos: ansioso; oração; e paz. Estar ansioso é o problema que nos é dito para abandonar; a oração é a prática que devemos adoptar; a paz é o resultado prometido por Deus.

1. Devemos pôr de lado a ansiedade, que é pecado.

“Não andeis ansiosos por coisa alguma.” No Sermão do Monte, Jesus deixou claro que a ansiedade advém da falta de fé e de um foco errado nas coisas do mundo, em vez de no reino de Deus (Mateus 6:25-34, especialmente os versículos 30 e 33). Se desculpamos a nossa ansiedade dizendo “Bem, faz parte de ser humano”, ou “Qualquer pessoa se sentiria ansiosa nesta situação”, não a vamos ultrapassar, pois não estamos a confrontar a verdadeira causa – nomeadamente, o pecado de não crer em Deus e de não procurar o Seu reino e justiça em primeiro lugar.

Como mencionei a semana passada, o nosso testemunho cristão diante de um mundo perdido é um dos principais temas abordados por Paulo na Epístola aos Filipenses. Ele quer que os cristãos experimentem a alegria de Deus em qualquer situação, não apenas para que sejam pessoas felizes, mas para serem testemunhas eficazes de Jesus Cristo (leia Filipenses 2:14-18). Por outras palavras, devemos procurar primeiro o reino de Deus, não a nossa própria felicidade. Se um não-cristão vir um crente subjugado por ansiedade e preocupações, não lhe vai certamente perguntar como pode ter o que ele tem! A ansiedade e a alegria excluem-se mutuamente. Assim, para bem do nosso testemunho de Jesus Cristo, é fundamental que aprendamos a usufruir da paz de Deus, especialmente diante da adversidade.

Isto significa que, no que toca a lidar com a ansiedade, devemos começar por confrontar as nossas razões para querer ter paz. Se a razão para desejarmos estar livres de ansiedade é gozar uma vida tranquila e agradável, o nosso foco é egocêntrico e, portanto, errado. Muitas pessoas recorrem a Cristo porque se sentem ansiosas e desejam a paz que Ele oferece. Contudo, se não lidarem com o facto de que vivem para agradar a si mesmas e não a Deus, acabarão por cair numa existência egocêntrica, “usando Deus” para sua própria paz e conforto. Jesus disse: “Pois quem quiser salvar a sua vida, perdê-la-á; mas quem perder a vida por minha causa e pelo Evangelho, salvá-la-á” (Marcos 8:35). A paz que Cristo oferece advém de O enaltecer como Senhor e viver para o Seu reino.

Na parábola do semeador (Lucas 8:14), Jesus alerta que a semente caída entre os espinhos representa aqueles que ouvem o Evangelho e, “ao seguirem o seu caminho, são sufocados pelas preocupações, pelas riquezas e pelos prazeres desta vida, e não amadurecem”. Preocupações é o termo relacionado com o verbo grego andar ansioso no nosso texto. O que assusta nas palavras de Jesus é isto: no meu entendimento desta parábola, apenas um dos grupos é verdadeiramente salvo, nomeadamente, aquele que frutifica com perseverança. Aqueles que afirmam crer, mas que depois são sufocados por preocupações, riquezas e prazeres nunca tiraram o seu ego do trono das suas vidas para colocar Jesus e o Seu reino em primeiro lugar. São levados a pensar que são cristãos, mas a verdade é que vivem com o mesmo foco do mundo, isto é, a procura do prazer e paz individuais.

Em relação a Filipenses 4:6, isto significa que o texto não se trata de uma simples fórmula, do género “Se está ansioso, experimente orar; funciona”. Na verdade, significa que “Se está ansioso, examine a sua falta de fé no Deus vivo, que prometeu prover as necessidades básicas dos Seus filhos”. Ou “Examine o seu foco; se vive para Cristo e para o Seu reino, ou se para si mesmo”. Qualquer que seja a raiz do problema, a ansiedade é um pecado que deve ser confessado a Deus e abandonado.

Antes de deixarmos este tópico, permita-me clarificar que Paulo não encoraja uma atitude descuidada, despreocupada ou irresponsável relativamente a pessoas ou problemas. Já vi cristãos transitarem de um estado de ansiedade para apatia ou inacção, afirmando que estão a cumprir o mandamento de não estarem ansiosos. Porém, os cristãos devem preocupar-se profundamente com as pessoas e os seus problemas, trabalhando arduamente para os resolver. Como membros do mesmo corpo, devemos ter cuidado mútuo uns com os outros (1 Coríntios 12:25). Paulo menciona a preocupação que suporta diariamente por todas as igrejas (2 Coríntios 11:28). Ele diz aos Filipenses que Timóteo estava genuinamente interessado no bem-estar deles (Filipenses 2:20). Em cada um destes versículos, o termo correspondente a preocupação equivale à palavra grega para ansioso; porém, não diz respeito a ansiedade pecaminosa, mas a uma preocupação fundamentada. É adequado pensar no nosso bem-estar futuro, na medida em que somos responsáveis por planear e poupar para as nossas necessidades (Provérbios 6:6-11).

Mas a preocupação fundamentada transforma-se em ansiedade pecaminosa quando deixamos de ter fé no papel de Deus enquanto Senhor Soberano e provedor, bem como quando nos colocamos no centro, em vez do reino de Deus e a sua justiça. Assim, o primeiro passo para lidar com a ansiedade é examinar se a mesma se deve a falta de fé ou a um foco errado em nós mesmos. Confesse a Deus o seu pecado e submeta-se a Ele.

2. Devemos orar com gratidão acerca de todas as preocupações.

Paulo menciona quatro palavras gregas para oração cujo significado se sobrepõe, mas que também é útil distinguir: oração, súplicas, acção de graças e pedidos.

*Oração – palavra generalista para oração, usada sempre com referência a Deus, em tom de reverência. Quando Paulo nos diz para apresentarmos os nossos pedidos “a Deus”, o termo grego significa “cara a cara com Deus”, isto é, apresentarmo-nos directamente diante d'Ele. Isto significa que, ao orarmos, devemos recordar que vamos entrar na presença do Deus santo, diante do qual até os anjos cobrem o rosto e clamam “Santo, santo, santo é o Senhor dos Exércitos” (Isaías 6:3). Sim, é verdade que Ele nos acolhe na Sua presença tal como um pai acolhe os filhos. Através do nosso Sumo-sacerdote, o Senhor Jesus, Deus convida-nos a aproximarmo-nos confiadamente do trono da graça, a fim de alcançarmos misericórdia e graça para nos auxiliar em tempos de necessidade (Hebreus 4:16). Porém, devemos recordar que é do trono do universo e do Deus Soberano e Eterno que nos aproximamos.

Isto implica, como é óbvio, que, sempre que nos aproximamos de Deus em oração, devemos examinar os nossos corações e confessar e abandonar todo o pecado. Como declarou o salmista: “Se eu acalentasse o pecado no coração, o Senhor não me ouviria” (Salmos 66:18). Mas também temos a garantia de que, se confessarmos os nossos pecados, o sangue de Jesus é suficiente para nos purificar (1 João 1:7,9).

Repare que é recomendado ao crente que se aproxime directamente de Deus na oração. Cristo é o nosso mediador e Sumo-sacerdote. O Espírito Santo que habita em cada crente incita-nos a orar, intercedendo por nós (Romanos 8:26-27). Assim, a oração é uma aproximação pessoal ao Deus Trino. Não devemos orar a Maria nem aos chamados “santos”. Não precisamos da mediação de nenhum sacerdote humano. Enquanto crentes, todos somos sacerdotes diante de Deus, capazes de nos aproximarmos directamente d'Ele através da oração eficaz.

*Súplicas – esta palavra enfatiza o sentido de necessidade e contempla pedidos específicos. Por vezes, há quem pergunte: “Porquê orar, se Deus já sabe do que precisamos?” João Calvino escreveu algumas das palavras mais profundas e práticas a respeito da oração que alguma vez li (Institutas da Religião Cristã [Eerdmans], ed. de John McNeill, III:XX). Ele realça que tudo o que precisamos e não temos se encontra “em Deus e no nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, ao qual o Pai confiou a plenitude da Sua recompensa” (III:XX:1). É através da oração “que alcançamos as riquezas que o nosso Pai Celeste nos oferece” (III:XX:2). A oração é mais para nosso bem do que para Deus. Mostra-nos a nossa necessidade total de Deus – não somente para certos benefícios temporais. Leva-nos a depender d'Ele, de modo a que O “procuremos, amemos e sirvamos, à medida que nos acostumamos a correr para Ele diante de cada necessidade, como uma âncora sagrada”. Purifica os nossos desejos, uma vez que os apresentamos diante de Deus. Prepara-nos para receber com gratidão o que Ele nos oferece, lembrando-nos que tudo provém da Sua mão. Ajuda-nos a meditar na Sua bondade, enquanto nos alegramos com as Suas dádivas. Confirma a nossa própria fraqueza e a grandiosa providência e fidelidade de Deus, que responde às nossas necessidades (Calvino desenvolve estes tópicos em III:XX:3).

Isto significa que as nossas súplicas devem ser concordantes com a vontade e propósito de Deus. Na Oração do Senhor, aprendemos que o primeiro foco das nossas orações deve ser o reino de Deus e a sua justiça, e só depois as nossas necessidades pessoais (Mateus 6:9-13).

*Acção de graças – Se está ansioso, é provável que se encontre numa situação que lhe dê razões para ter ansiedade! Nessas alturas, a acção de graças não surge de forma automática ou espontânea. Tem de ser feita de forma deliberada, com fé. Em tempos de adversidade, a acção de graças reflecte em três aspectos: (1) Relembrar a providência de Deus no passado. Pense na fidelidade que Deus já mostrou para consigo até agora e perceba de que forma a Sua misericórdia o sustentou. Ele tem estado consigo em todas as provações. Ele jamais abandona ou desampara os Seus filhos, ainda que enfrentemos perseguição ou mesmo a morte por Sua causa.

(2) Submissão à soberania de Deus no presente. Agradecer a Deus no meio de uma crise ou provação é dizer: “Senhor, eu não compreendo, mas submeto-me ao Teu propósito soberano nesta situação. Confio que sabes o que estás a fazer e que farás com que tudo resulte em bem.” Não devemos agradecer a Deus apenas quando sentimos vontade de o fazer, mas também quando não a sentimos (1 Tessalonicenses 5:18).

(3) Confiança na suficiência futura de Deus. Um coração grato confia no Deus todo-suficiente, sabendo que, ainda que não percebamos exactamente como o vai fazer, Ele proverá a todas as nossas necessidades se nos confiarmos a Ele. Adoro Jeremias 32:17, especialmente quando penso no respectivo contexto. Jeremias encontrava-se na prisão. Nabucodonosor montara um cerco a Jerusalém, que estava prestes a cair (32:2). Nessa situação, o Senhor pediu a Jeremias que fizesse algo que todos achariam louco – comprar um campo ao seu tio. Toda a gente sabe que não se desperdiça dinheiro a comprar terrenos quando um país está preste a cair sob o comando de um tirano estrangeiro. Porém, Deus queria mostrar ao Seu povo que “casas, campos e vinhas tornarão a ser comprados nesta terra” (32:15). Depois, Jeremias orou: “Ah! Soberano Senhor, Tu fizeste os céus e a terra pelo Teu grande poder e pelo Teu braço estendido. Nada é demasiado difícil para ti” (32:17). Jeremias confiou na suficiência futura de Deus.

Quando cheguei a esta igreja, tínhamos problemas difíceis para resolver. Organizámos uma reunião crucial, que tanto podia apoiar a minha liderança como ir contra mim. Passei o dia a orar e a jejuar mas, ao sair do carro, enquanto caminhava pelo passeio, senti-me ansioso. Estava a recitar Filipenses 4:6 quando quatro palavras pequeninas, “com acção de graças”, me despertaram a atenção, e o Senhor me lembrou que eu não havia agradecido pela situação difícil. Parei e disse: “Obrigado, Senhor, mesmo por estas provações”; de imediato, fui inundado pela Sua paz. Ele actuou nessa reunião de forma óbvia.

*Pedidos – esta palavra sobrepõe-se a “súplicas”, enfatizando a natureza definitiva e específica dos nossos pedidos ao Senhor. Frequentemente, as nossas orações são tão vagas e generalistas que não temos forma de saber se Deus lhes deu ou não resposta. Este é o termo utilizado quando Jesus nos diz: “Pedi, e dar-se-vos-á; buscai, e encontrareis; batei, e abrir-se-vos-á” (Mateus 7:7). Ele continua a ilustrar esta perspectiva explicando que, se um menino pedir ao pai uma fatia de pão, este não lhe vai dar uma pedra. Se pedir um peixe para comer, o pai não lhe vai dar uma serpente. Jesus conclui, dizendo: “Se vós, pois, sendo maus, sabeis dar boas coisas aos vossos filhos, quanto mais vosso Pai, que está nos céus, dará bens aos que lhe pedirem?” (Mateus 7:11). Peça ao Pai e, se for bom para si, Ele lho dará!

Por vezes, não fazemos certos pedidos por nos parecerem demasiado triviais ou insignificantes para partilhar com Deus. Contudo, se são grandes o suficiente para me deixarem ansioso, são grandes o suficiente para expor diante de Deus. Uma senhora perguntou ao professor bíblico britânico, Campbell Morgan: “Acha que devíamos orar sobre pequenas coisas das nossas vidas, ou apenas sobre as grandes?” Ele respondeu: “Senhora, consegue pensar em alguma coisa na sua vida que seja grande para Deus?” Assim, sempre que se sentir ansioso, aproxime-se de Deus com uma oração reverente, humilde, específica e grata. O resultado:

3. É-nos prometida a paz incomparável de Deus quando oramos.

“E a paz de Deus, que excede todo o entendimento, guardará o vosso coração e a vossa mente em Cristo Jesus” (Filipenses 4:7). Não se trata de uma paz psicológica, conseguida à custa de técnicas de coping. Os psiquiatras cristãos que mencionei previamente propõem vários tipos de métodos psicológicos (a par com “espirituais”) e de “senso comum” para alívio da ansiedade, incluindo escolher uma frase (qualquer uma serve, segundo eles) e repeti-la vezes sem conta (p. 110-111)! Isto não passa de Meditação Transcendental disfarçada!

Porém, Paulo fala da paz que provém de Deus, que nunca está sujeito a ansiedade, pois é o Criador soberano e omnipotente, Senhor do Universo. Nada O apanha desprevenido ou O faz roer as unhas, pensando como é que as coisas vão correr. Esta é a paz que Jesus prometeu – “não como o mundo a dá”. Não é explicável por meios humanos. Mas, graças a Deus, é real, e todos os filhos de Deus a conhecem e sabem que provém apenas de Deus, não de estratégias psicológicas.

Repare que, tal como uma sentinela, esta paz guarda o nosso eu interior, os nossos corações (termo abrangente que designa todo o nosso ser) e mentes (especificamente, os nossos pensamentos, que ameaçam atrapalhar-nos) em Cristo Jesus. Encontramo-nos em união íntima e permanente com Ele; para chegar até nós, a ansiedade tem de passar primeiro por Cristo Jesus! Portanto, o que Deus promete não é apenas uma solução rápida, na qual a oração se torna uma técnica que lhe trará calma quando se encontrar num momento crítico. Paulo refere-se a uma relação íntima, contínua e em constante aprofundamento com o Deus da paz, na qual se procura agradar-Lhe em pensamento, palavras e obras. Em tempos de adversidade, basta aproximar-se do Deus da paz, focar-se na graça que demonstra para consigo em Cristo Jesus e abrir-Lhe o coração; em resultado, a Sua paz guardará o seu coração e a sua mente.

Conclusão

Há pouco mais de um ano, descobri que uma senhora que liderava o grupo coral quando me tornei pastor, há quase 20 anos atrás, foi diagnosticada com três tumores cerebrais malignos. Ela e o marido eram cerca de dez anos mais velhos do que eu. Escrevi-lhe uma carta e ela respondeu-me, contando-me como o marido, que fora construtor durante toda a sua vida, ficara com uma artrite da anca tão grave que deixou de poder trabalhar. Disse-me ainda que os médicos os avisaram de que fizessem o que realmente desejavam, pois o tempo que lhe restava era curto. O último parágrafo que me dirigiu dizia: “A paz que o Senhor me concedeu enquanto me encontrava no hospital está para lá da compreensão. Tudo está sob o Seu controlo – especialmente a duração da nossa vida. Ele disse que a Sua graça basta e eu compreendi que isso é verdade. A Sua força torna-se perfeita na fraqueza.” Ela está agora na presença do Senhor, livre deste corpo mortal.

Você experimenta a paz de Deus no meio de situações que deixam o resto do mundo ansioso? Se não, examine-se: a sua fé encontra-se n'Ele e o seu foco no Seu reino, em vez de em objectivos egoístas? Já se aproximou de Deus através de uma oração reverente, específica e grata? Pode apoiar todo o seu peso n'Ele; Ele irá ampará-lo e dar-lhe-á a Sua paz indescritível. Certamente, o voo será muito mais aprazível!

Questões de Reflexão

  1. Como podemos discernir o momento em que uma preocupação legítima se transforma em ansiedade pecaminosa?
  2. Será errado para um cristão tomar tranquilizantes ou medicamentos para dormir a fim de lidar com o nervosismo ou ansiedade? Será diferente de tomar uma aspirina para tratar uma dor de cabeça?
  3. Qual é a diferença entre usar a oração como técnica ou como modo de vida?
  4. Pode Deus guiar-nos no Seu propósito retirando ou oferecendo a Sua paz? Cite passagens da Escritura para apoiar a sua resposta.

Copyright 1995, Steven J. Cole, todos os direitos reservados.

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1. The Impact of A Godly Mother (Ex. 2:1-10)

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Mother’s day is not a day of celebration for everyone. Some of you may have lost your mothers through death, divorce, or distance. Some of you may want to be mothers but for various reasons are unable.

This study is about a godly woman who is an example for all women, no matter whether you are a mother or not and whether you have a mother or not, for, no matter what your circumstances may be, all of you have an influence on someone else – men, women, and children.

You will remember well the story of Joseph. Joseph was greatly loved by his father, Jacob, but hated by his brothers, who sold him to traders, who, in turn, took him to Egypt where they sold him to Potiphar. Eventually he was raised to the highest position in the land. A famine in Egypt led to Joseph’s food storage plan. People from all over came to buy their food, including his family who were eventually reunited with him and settled in Goshen. While Joseph was Prime Minister, Egypt prospered economically and Jacob’s descendants multiplied greatly, but then a new king came into power who had not known Joseph. He was afraid of the power of the Hebrews, so he set taskmasters over them to afflict them and keep them in servitude. Suddenly, they were stripped of freedom and prosperity and plunged into forced labour and poverty, but the more they were afflicted the more they spread and grew. And as they suffered, they wished for a deliverer to relieve their distress.

In order to stop their population growth the king secretly ordered the midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys, but the midwives feared God and disobeyed the king (Ex. 1:16-17). So, the king openly intensified his plan and commanded all the people to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth (Ex. 1:22). The prophecy of Genesis 15:13-14 had come to pass - the Hebrews were “resident aliens… in a land that does not belong to them.” But hard times don’t erase God’s promises, harsh treatment doesn’t escape God’s notice (Heb. 4:13b), and heavy tests don’t eclipse God’s concern.

In the midst of this terror, we come to the story of Jochebed, Moses’ mother. It’s amazing how much we learn in the O.T. about people who are unnamed and silent. Neither Moses’ parents nor his sister, not even Pharaoh’s daughter, are named here. It seems that the Spirit of God keeps them in the shadow to allow the light to shine on the God of Amram and Jochebed. Jochebed is not well-known like Sarah or Rachel. Yet more than any other, she set the foundation for Moses’ faith and she did it under the most adverse circumstances in Hebrew history.

Our subject in this study is “Courageous faith.” In our passage we will see that Jochebed demonstrates the principle that God honours the courageous faith of a godly woman. In her, we see the concern of a godly woman, the love of a godly woman, the faith of a godly woman, and the reward of a godly woman.

I. The Concern Of A Godly Woman Experienced (2:2a)

“She conceived and bore a son” (2:2a). Perhaps Jochebed worked in the brick kilns as a Hebrew slave (cf. Ex. 1:10-14). It was a very oppressive, hateful environment. No evident miracles took place there during the day. The more bricks they made the more was demanded of them and the less straw they were given with which to make them.

The day came when Jochebed discovered that she was pregnant for the third time. Miriam had been born perhaps 7-12 years before, and Aaron about 3 years before. Then began the long wait to discover if this was a boy or a girl, and during those 9 long months she would have had many concerns.

1. She would have been concerned about the conflict in Egypt. At the time of Moses’ birth, the forces of good and evil were in open conflict in Egypt. The king was opposed to the Israelites, fearing that they might rebel against them (1:10). The midwives were opposed to the king and they defied him successfully (1:17). Now all the Egyptian people were under royal orders to oppose the Israelites by killing all the new born Hebrew baby boys (1:22).

Jochebed would have been concerned about that. And...

2. She would surely have been concerned about her pregnancy. What must she have thought during each day of her pregnancy? The threat of death hung over her like a cloud. Every pregnancy had the sentence of death hanging over the child if it was a boy. Those were not the days for renting a mobile sign and putting it on your front lawn announcing, “It’s a boy!” She would have heard the daily wails of other Hebrew mothers as they delivered their babies, only to hear the dreaded news. And she would have seen the Egyptian attendants throwing Hebrew babies into the river. The suspense of those months was broken only by the anxiety and anticipation.

Then, as the days of her pregnancy advanced...

3. She would have been concerned about the birth. Every birth carries with it certain anxieties mixed with a certain awe and wonder at the miracle of childbirth. Every birth is, after all, a miracle. Some births just defy circumstances as God exercises his providential care and control. One of my cousins was born 17 years after his parents had been married – long after they had concluded that they would not be able to have a child! Another family relative was told that her unborn baby would have Downe’s syndrome and that she should have an abortion. Today that baby is a beautiful, normal young adult!

Jochebed’s anxiety of 9 months finally gave way to the pain of childbirth, and the pain of childbirth gave way to the relief of delivery, and the relief of delivery was shattered by the shock of the news – it’s another boy! Jochebed’s concern of nearly a year had become reality. Now she would oppose the king, determined that Moses should live.

Such were the natural concerns of a caring, godly woman. But her concerns gave way to...

II. The Love Of A Godly Woman Proven (2:2b)

Upon Moses’ birth, Jochebed “saw that he was beautiful” (2:2b). Undoubtedly, every mother thinks her baby is the most beautiful in the world. But this comment about Moses is recorded 3 times in Scripture, so it evidently has more meaning than simply that the child was good looking.

This beauty was more than skin deep. This child was to his mother’s natural eyes a beautiful baby boy, but to her eyes of faith he was also a special baby before God. God had provided him and God would providentially protect him. He was “beautiful in God’s sight” (Acts 7:20). Jochebed knew that he was a special gift from God and that God had a unique role for him.

All Christian parents ought to see their children as special gifts from God, whose lives they are to shape and mould to serve God. The training that children receive in their early years sets the pattern for their lives. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

Nothing is more important than for parents to train their children spiritually so that they are raised for God. Someone once said: “First talk to God about your children. Then talk to your children about God.” John Wesley said: “I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians of England.”

First, then, we see the concerns of a godly woman. Those concerns then give way to love, and that love is strengthened by…

III. The Faith Of A Godly Woman Tested (2:2c-3)

While Jochebed loved with a mother’s heart, she also acted with the faith of a godly woman.

1. A godly woman’s faith trusts implicitly. “She hid him for three months” (2:2c). By faith, Jochebed now defies the king’s commandment. Having recognized that the <“child was beautiful in God’s sight,” Jochebed began to act in faith.

It would have been very difficult to hide a newborn baby for 3 months, but there would be more to the future of this child than just another infanticide. Even though she didn’t know what the outcome of her actions would be, she trusted God implicitly for the future.

St. Augustine’s mother agonized for her son’s salvation. She implicitly trusted God that he would save her son. During Augustine’s years of reckless living, his mother wept and prayed for him. Later Augustine would write in his Confessions: “My mother had now come to me, resolute through piety, following me over sea and land…full of confidence, she replied to me, she believed in Christ that before she departed this life, she should see me a…believer... Fountains of mercies poured she forth more copious prayers and tears, that Thou wouldest hasten Thy help and enlighten my darkness.” Reflecting on his mother’s faithfulness, Augustine wrote: “It is impossible that the son of these tears should perish.”

Even though Jochebed couldn’t have known what a great man Moses would become, it was faith that drove her to hide Moses for three months. What she did know was that a day would come when she wouldn’t be able to hide the baby any longer. And so not only does a godly woman’s faith trust implicitly, but…

2. A godly woman’s faith plans wisely. “When she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch” (2:3a). Her plan of faith defied all her motherly instincts. It defied natural affections when she put Moses in the ark. It defied reason when she placed Moses beside the river - after all, that was the very place where the babies were being drowned! (1:22). I think that Jochebed took that full three months of waiting on God to conceive this plan.

Here we see the providence of God directing her in every detail: (a) The stream that carried the ark to its appointed landing place. (b) The bulrushes that provided protection. (c) The princess taking her bath at the right time, at the right spot. (d) The princess’s curiosity which changed to compassion. She knew her father, Pharaoh’s, edict but her heart was touched not only by the baby’s cry and, perhaps also, by the extent to which a Hebrew mother would go to save the life of her child. (e) The intervention of Moses’ sister and the return of the child to his mother. And, ultimately, (f) even Pharaoh himself took Moses into his own palace.

Jochebed’s faith was accompanied by a well thought-out plan, which she carried out with great skill. Trusting God involves thinking, planning, and applying. Acting in faith includes foresight and wisdom, not simply hindsight and wishful thinking.

Notice that a godly woman’s faith not only trusts God implicitly and plans wisely, but…

3. A godly woman’s faith acts bravely. “She placed the child in it (the papyrus basket) and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile” (2:3b). Now Jochebed did the unthinkable - she gave up her baby. Everything within her would have screamed out against such an action but her faith was rooted in the providence of God, faith that God would work all things out according to his purposes.

She bravely faced danger when she laid the ark in the reeds beside the river. She put him into the river in a basket of bulrushes and then she waited to see what God would do. This was an act of ultimate commitment. Ironically, it complied with Pharaoh’s edict to put the babies in the river, except that this didn’t lead to death.

She bravely faced her fears by faith and she became the preserver of a boy who became one of the world’s greatest figures. She trusted God to protect and preserve her child in this most unlikely of habitats and nothing would stop her from protecting the child’s life - not a murderous king, nor a crocodile-infested river. And because of her bravery and faith, she is listed in the Hebrews Hall of Fame: “By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because…they didn’t fear the king’s edict” (Heb. 11:23).

God is fully trustworthy even in the face of life-threatening danger. It’s fear that holds us back from trusting Him, but faith gives birth to courage. That’s why the people of faith in Hebrews 11 were tortured, mocked and scourged, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, and killed with the sword (11:35-37). It was faith that spurred them on, as Paul says: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (2 Tim. 1:7).

Waiting is tough but waiting in faith is tougher as we wait for God to do His work. Jochebed did everything she could, then she set that little ark by the river and waited. There was nothing more that she could do but wait. Trusting as we wait is the secret.

When a godly woman’s love is proven and her faith is tested, God responds with…

IV. The Reward Of A Godly Woman Granted (2:4-10)

Jochebed is rewarded in that...

1. Her plan worked flawlessly. Pharaoh’s daughter took pity on the baby even though he was a Hebrew. What relief must have swept across Jochebed and Miriam when they saw Pharaoh’s daughter’s reaction. And God rewarded Jochebed by permitting her to raise Moses during his formative years - and she even got paid for it (2:9).

Perhaps Jochebed had about 5 years to pour her life and faith into her son. These were the years when he would have received his basic childhood instruction about God and about faith. No wonder Moses grew up to be the man he was with a mother like that. He practiced her implicit faith in God and he acted with her fearless courage. Jochebed and Amram were not afraid of the king (Heb. 11:23b) and Moses, later in his life, wasn’t afraid of the king either (Heb. 11:27a).

This godly woman was rewarded by God in that her plan worked flawlessly. And also in that...

2. Her children followed her faith. God honoured her love, faith, and courage. Aaron became Israel’s first high priest and founder of the Aaronic priesthood. Miriam became a gifted poetess and musician. Moses became the great leader of God’s people out of slavery and wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. From Adam to Christ none was greater than Moses.

In Moses’ life we see so many striking antitheses:

a) The child of a slave…but the son of a queen.

b) Born in a hut…and lived in a palace.

c) Inherited poverty…but enjoyed unlimited wealth.

d) Leader of armies…and keeper of flocks.

e) Mightiest of warriors… and meekest of men.

f) Educated in the wisdom of Egypt…but lived by faith.

g) Fitted for the city… but wandered in the wilderness.

h) Tempted with the pleasures of sin… but chose to suffer for righteousness.

i) Backward in speech… but talked with God.

k) Carried a shepherd’s rod… but wielded divine power.

l) A fugitive from Pharaoh… but an ambassador from heaven.

m) Giver of the law… but the forerunner of grace.

n) No one was present at his death…but God buried him.

Final Remarks

What an example Jochebed is of a godly woman, a godly woman whose concerns were overshadowed by her love for her child and her faith in God. A godly woman who was rewarded with children who followed her faith and her God. A godly woman who demonstrated courage in the midst of danger, who trusted God without knowing the outcome. A woman who knew the truth that He who is for us is greater than all the forces of evil against us (Rom. 8:31).

And the good news is that the God of Jochebed is our God! He still preserves our children, still provides courage, and still rewards faith. Jochebed’s God is still “able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).

To every woman today, whether you are a Sunday School teacher, aunt, friend, grandmother or mother, you can have the same impact on the children whom you influence in your life. And when the chips are down and you face challenges as to how to give these children good advice, how to protect them in times of danger, how to teach them in a way that will serve them well when they grow up, know this: God is still sovereign and in control of their lives.

Can you trust them to God? Do you believe that He will care for them just as Jochebed believed that God would care for the ark in that river? What relief and peace comes from resting confidently in the providence of God. God works in our children’s lives as providentially as He moved in Moses’ life, and He controls the actions and thoughts even of unbelievers to accomplish his will. When we have done all that we can in any task or situation, then we must wait and trust everything to God.

We must never deny or forget the providence of God by which He sovereignly cares for and controls all things in carrying out of his grand design. Around the cradle of bulrushes was the shield of God, just as an army of horses and chariots of fire were all around Elisha. But, like Elisha’s servant, we often fail to see it (2 Kings 6:15-17).

No matter what the circumstances or the forces that are marshalled against us, God’s sovereign purposes will be done for the God of Jochebed still lives!

Related Topics: Character Study, Christian Life, Mothers

2. Encountering God’s Presence (Ex. 2:11-3:10)

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Have you ever had a “head-turning” experience - one of those “you’ll-never-guess-what-I-saw” experiences? A number of years ago we took our children to Ripley’s “Believe-it-or-Not” in Niagara Falls where, amongst other things, we saw Sandy Allen, the tallest woman in the world at that time. That was certainly a head turning experience. She was 7’ 7” tall, weighed 314lbs, and wore size 22 shoes. At that time, she received her sneakers second-hand from Indiana Pacers basketball star Rick Smits.

In her first letter to Guinness World Records in 1974, she wrote: “I would like to get to know someone who is approximately my height. My social life is practically nil, and perhaps the publicity in your book may brighten my life.”

Her published request did help to bring about a reversal of fortunes for the Indiana secretary. First, came an offer from film director Federico Fellini to take a role in his film, Casanova, in 1975, and then her first date with a 7-ft. Illinois man. On July 14, 1977, she went into hospital for a pituitary gland operation to stop further growth. But finally, poor circulation and weak leg muscles made her dependent on a wheelchair.

In this article we are going to look at a “head-turning” experience in Exodus 3:1-10. Let’s start by asking whether these head-turning experiences with God are limited to Bible characters or whether we can still encounter the presence and power of God in our lives today? Can we still hear God’s voice, see his glory, feel his presence, and respond to his call on our lives?

The subject of this sermon is: “Encountering God in the everyday events of life.” In our passage, God is revealed as the God who appears to ordinary people in ordinary circumstances and reveals to them the extraordinary.

Moses’ life had been a roller-coaster ride. He had risen spectacularly from son of a Hebrew slave to the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; from an ark of bulrushes to a palace of gold; from a life of slavery to the lap of luxury (Ex. 2:1-10). And yet in a moment of time, he had fallen just as spectacularly from the pinnacle of power to the pit of poverty; from 40 years of being somebody in a palace to 40 years of being nobody in a wilderness (Ex. 2:11-25).

Moses was no stranger to the extraordinary ways of God, having been delivered from certain death at his birth, adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter into the royal family, and raised in all the wisdom of the Egyptians such that he became a great communicator and leader, one who was “mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). All this left its stamp on his life and led to a momentous decision. At 40 years old, at the peak of his career just when he seemed to have the world by the tail, he decided to turn his back on all the wealth, power, and prestige of Egypt, refusing to be called “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” and, instead, he chose to be identified with his Hebrew people (Heb. 11:24-25).

One day he decided to go out into the brick kilns and fields to see with his own eyes the oppressive slavery under which his Hebrew people laboured and what he saw made his blood boil - one of the Hebrew slaves was being ill-treated by his Egyptian slave master. When he thought no one was looking, Moses sprang into action and killed the Egyptian slave master. The next day he went out again and saw two Hebrew slaves fighting. He tried to reconcile them and to his surprise one of them said: “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?” (Ex. 2:14; Acts 7:27-28). At that moment his life unravelled. Anger had led to murder which led to rejection by those he tried to save. When Pharoah heard about what had happened he “sought to kill Moses” (Ex. 2:15) but Moses fled for his life to the land of Midian, where he married Jethro’s daughter (Ex. 2:21) and tended his sheep in the wilderness (Ex. 3:1).

Forty years have now passed. Instead of being Israel’s saviour, he was Jethro’s shepherd. Instead of being successor to a Pharaoh, he became son-in-law to a priest. Instead of being the leader of a nation, he was a leader of sheep. Instead of being the ruler of a dominion, he was a roamer in a desert. Instead of being married to a princess, he was married to a shepherdess.

As he lay down to sleep at night, he must have looked up at the stars a million times and wondered where God was in all this. As far as he was concerned the God he had given up everything to serve had effectively ceased to exist. He had only wanted to do what was right, to use his power to liberate God’s people from the cruelty of slavery. And just when he had put his decision into action, God seemed to abandon him.

This particular day was just another routine day - nothing to set it apart from any other day - just doing the same old thing. But it’s on routine days that everything changes when we encounter God.

I. In An Encounter with God, He Meets You Where You Are (3:1)

God meets you in ordinary activities. “Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law” (3:1a). Moses was having just an ordinary day - no forewarning that this would be any different than any other day. There was nobody around as far as the eye could see, no signs that something spectacular was about to happen. In fact, Moses’ last 40 years had all been ordinary, routine, boring - listening to the monotonous bleat of sheep, nursing them, leading them to pasture, protecting them. But that’s exactly where God meets you. He meets you in the ordinary activities of life and…

God meets you in ordinary places. “He led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God” (3:1b). The “back of the desert” was an ordinary place - nothing special about that, nothing to write home about. That’s where we so often encounter God. He breaks into our lives on just ordinary days doing ordinary things in ordinary places, just when we least expect it.

Edmund Burke, an 18th century philosopher said: “History is full of momentous trifles.” By that he meant that experiences, which on the surface seem ordinary, can actually be extraordinary. We need to be aware of God’s presence in the ordinary. The problem is sometimes we just plain don’t have time for Him. We don’t notice when God breaks into the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary to us. Encounters with God aren’t necessarily ecstatic experiences. They can happen right in the shop where you work, at your desk in the office, at home as your looking after your children.

So, in an encounter with God, He meets you where you are. And…

II. In An Encounter With God, He Attracts You To Himself (3:2-4)

God attracts you to himself by appearing in a burning bush (3:2-3). “…the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed” (3:2). In the ordinary course of this day Moses sees a bush on fire. There was nothing unusual about that. In fact, it was quite common for desert shrubs to catch fire. But this was no ordinary fire. This bush was on fire but it did not burn up. This is so totally extraordinary that Moses stops to look. “Moses said: ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn’” (3:3). Moses had probably seen many desert scrub bushes on fire, but he had never seen anything like this before. This warranted further investigation. This was a “great sight” because it was a visible manifestation of the presence of God in a burning bush that was not consumed.

We all have burning bush experiences when God gets our attention in the ordinary events of life to show us the extraordinary; when he creates an uncommon event out of what would otherwise be quite common; when there’s no doubt that God is acting and speaking. How has God attracted your attention recently? Perhaps it’s the birth of a baby that generated a sense of awe and wonder in you. Or, perhaps it was a life-changing tragedy. Or, perhaps someone you shared your faith with got saved and you recognized the awesome work of God. It’s so easy to overlook a burning bush experience because at first glance it looks so ordinary. Just make sure you don’t right it off as mere coincidence. Look for God’s hand, listen for his voice, sit up and take notice, recognize his interruption in your life.

Moses could have easily concluded that this was just another instance of spontaneous combustion. Or that just another bunch of nomads had camped there the night before and failed to extinguish their camp fire properly. Or that lightning had struck again. He could have seen it out of the corner of his eye and just kept on walking. But he didn’t. He was sensitive enough to recognize that this was no ordinary bush fire.

We need to be sensitive to burning bushes that are not consumed. They happen all around us. Yet we so often fail to recognize them. Most people keep on walking. Disasters occur (planes crash, surgical operations are unsuccessful, fatal illnesses strike) and they just keep on walking. Or, unexpected victories occur (in which seemingly impossible odds are overcome) and they just keep on walking.

Do you stop to look for God in all this? Or, do you just shrug it off, pass by on the other side with no time, no feeling, and no interest. Remember that in an encounter with God, He meets you where you are (in ordinary activities and places) and He attracts you to himself. Those are the times when God says: “I have not forgotten you. I’ve been watching you. Now I’m going to use you. I’m present and powerful in your life.”

God attracts you to himself by appearing in a burning bush and God attracts you to himself by calling you by name (3:4). “So God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (3:4). God is a personal God who relates to you individually. “Thus says the Lord who created you: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine” (Isa. 43:1).

I know that today God does not speak audibly to us, but He still speaks directly to our hearts, minds, consciences, and wills through his Word and his Spirit. When God calls you by name, be ready to respond. Moses was just like a school-boy responding to a role call in class: “Here I am - right where I should be.” There’s no rebellion. He didn’t say, “Where were you when I needed you back in Egypt?” He just stopped what he was doing to listen.

When God calls you, stop what you’re doing! God doesn’t want a speech in reply. He doesn’t want to read your resume or hear how good you think you are. He wants you to say, “Here I am.” He wants you to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,” to “be still and know that I am God” (Ex. 14:13; Ps. 46:10-11). He wants you to stop, look, listen. He speaks through his Spirit when we pray and listen. He reveals himself through his Word when you stop and think and look. Sometimes, like Samuel, we hear a voice but don’t recognize it as God’s. But at least be responsive enough to say: “Here I am.”

In an encounter with God, first God meets you where you are. Second, God attracts you to himself, and third…

III. In An Encounter With God, He Reveals Who He Is (3:5-10)

He reveals that He is a holy God (3:5). Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground’” (3:5). God’s presence cannot be defiled. That’s what shoes do. They bring in dirt from the outside. That’s why we take them off indoors.

God demands that we be holy for He is holy (Lev. 11:44). He wants us to be separated from the world to Him. Moses was on “holy ground” – already separated by and for God. All he had to do is respond by taking off his shoes so that there was nothing to defile him in God’s presence. The transcendent, holy, sovereign God of the universe can only dwell among and be approached by holy people (Lev. 11:44-45), whose bodies are washed with pure water and whose hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience (Heb. 10:22; Tit. 3:5). This holy God is present with us, identifies with us, delights in us. The God who is “there” is the God who is “here” dwelling among us. But the condition of his dwelling among us is that we be holy just as he is holy.

In God’s presence, the ground you stand on is holy. Everything connected with God is holy because God himself is holy. He is here today. This is holy ground! Make sure you take your spiritual shoes off by removing everything from your life that defiles, everything that is contrary to God’s nature and character. Don’t think you can be “buddy-buddy” with God. God is not some sort of indulgent father who caters to your every whim. Nor is He “the guy upstairs” or the “big guy” as some say - such expressions are blasphemous. God is transcendent, wholly other than we are, beyond us. But He is also immanent, “Emmanuel, God with us.” That’s the mystery of faith, that this transcendent God whose thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways (Isa. 55:8-9) is the One who enters our lives in the person of Jesus Christ.

In an encounter with God, God reveals that He is a holy God and He reveals that He is a faithful God (3:6). Moreover He said, ‘I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’” (3:6b). The God who revealed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He is faithful is the God who now reveals to Moses that He is faithful - steadfast in love, perfectly trustworthy. The God who revealed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He keeps his promises is the God who now reveals to Moses that He keeps his promises. The God who revealed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would redeem Israel someday is the God who now reveals to Moses that He will redeem his people. The God who revealed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for Him now reveals to Moses that He will use him.

In the presence of such a great God, “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God” (3:6c). After 40 years of silence Moses’ past all flooded before him. Perhaps, he had bad thoughts about God - questioning where God had been all these years; questioned God’s faithfulness and his promises; wondering why God had bothered to save him from the bulrushes. Undoubtedly, he felt so unworthy and useless that the very thought of being in the presence of God struck terror into his heart so that “he hid his face.” That’s what happens when you encounter God. He reveals to you that he is a holy and faithful God and you become so aware of your own sinfulness that you hide your face – you’re afraid to look on God.

But take courage, for in an encounter with God, God not only reveals that He is a holy and a faithful God, but also He reveals that He is a redeeming God (3:7-10).

First, He is a redeeming God who takes notice of his people (3:7). “And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows’” (3:7). God is always totally aware and in control of our situation. He “sees” our oppression. He “hears” our cries for help. He “knows” our sorrows. Contrary to what Satan wants you to believe about God, God is a redeeming God who takes notice of his people. And contrary to what you may think based on your present circumstances, God sees, hears, and knows all about you - whether you are a single mother, an unemployed father, or a depressed young person.

First, then, God is a redeeming God who takes notice of his people, and second, He is a redeeming God who delivers his people (3:7). “I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good land and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:8). God is a redeeming God who delivered his people from Egypt and who has provided complete deliverance for us too! The redemption of God’s people is now complete in Christ. If you are a Christian, you have been delivered from sin to righteousness, from bondage to liberty, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven, from time to eternity, from death to life.

In an encounter with God, He reveals that He is a redeeming God who takes notice of his people, He is a redeeming God who delivers his people, and, thirdly, He is a redeeming God who sends a Saviour for his people (3:9-10). “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt (3:9-10). The one whom the people rejected, God sends as their saviour. “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush” (Acts 7:35).

That’s how God delivers his people - by sending a Saviour. Our Saviour and Deliverer is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son. The One who was despised and rejected by men is the One whom God sent to be our Saviour so that we could be saved for eternity. That’s the most head-turning event in all of human history. That’s the story that Christians never come to the end of saying: “You’ll-never-guess-what-happened-to-me. God saved me.”

If you’re not a Christian, you can be delivered by this redeeming God too! Redeemed from Satan to God; from sin to holiness; from your addictions to freedom; from your anger to peace; from your hate to love.

Final Remarks

I think when Moses got home that day the first thing he said was, “You’ll never guess what happened to me! I met God at a burning bush! I saw him with my own eyes. I heard him. I’m so fired up about God I feel like I’m going to explode.”

Are you on fire for God? Remember our thesis: God is the God who appears to ordinary people in ordinary circumstances and reveals to them the extraordinary. Have you encountered God in the ordinary events of your life? When did God last get your attention? How did it happen? What did he reveal to you? How did you respond?

One day Moses chose to follow God not materialism and self-interests, and his life fell apart. Forty years later, God called him and his decision was still the same – to follow God. What about you? Perhaps you’re discouraged. You wanted to serve the Lord and then He seemed to abandon you. Perhaps you’re wondering where God is and what He is doing. Let me encourage you to be ready to say: “Lord, here I am! I’m ready to serve you, just where you placed me, listening for your call, waiting for you to use me.”

My personal mission statement is this: “To utilize my gift of preaching and teaching to deepen people’s desire for God and love for his Word.” I trust that you have a deep desire for God, a desire that comes from meeting Him at burning bushes, from seeing Him in the pages of his Word, from hearing God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, from fellowship with God in prayer and your everyday walk with Him.

I trust that you have a passion for God to encounter him wherever you are – in your kitchen, office, or the classroom. To encounter him whatever you are doing – working, playing, or going to sleep. To encounter him in worship, in your devotional times each day. Would you commit today to look for him and to burn with zeal for the God who appears to ordinary people in ordinary circumstances in order to reveal to them the extraordinary?

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4. The Truth and Consequences Of A Hardened Heart, Pt. 1 (Ex. 7:14-10:29)

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Since our last sermon in this series, Moses has now returned to Egypt (4:18-28), having been fully informed by God that persuading Pharaoh to let the Israelites go would not be easy (4:21). Additionally, on the way back to Egypt, Aaron came out to meet him (4:27-28), just as God had previously told Moses (4:14), and Aaron began to act as Moses’ mouthpiece in communicating with the Israelites (4:29-30). Despite Moses’ fears as to how the Israelites would react to him and the questions they might ask, the “people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped” (4:31). What a wonderful response! How that must have encouraged Moses to take the leadership as God had commissioned him to do.

At their first meeting with Pharoah Moses and Aaron said, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness” (5:1). To this Pharoah replied, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (5:2). Pharoah’s arrogant response echoes Moses’ question to God in 3:13, except that Moses’ question to God has to do with who God is, whereas Pharaoh’s question is not generated by any desire to know God or even to know his name. Indeed, Pharoah’s question seems to be rendered with cynicism, ridicule, and scorn. He did not know God and did not want to know God. Furthermore, as God had warned, Pharoah would not let Israel go because God had hardened his heart (4:21).

This issue of God hardening Pharoah’s heart needs to be addressed since it raises the question of why God would do that and then turn around and punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We need to understand at the outset that Pharaoh was a wicked and ungodly ruler. He and his predecessors had kept the Israelites in brutal slavery for 400 years. You remember that when Moses was born, the Pharoah had ordered that all Israelite babies were to be killed at birth (Ex. 1:16). Indeed, it would have been perfectly just for God to have destroyed the entire nation of Egypt for being a wicked regime in opposition to God and His chosen people.

And so this hardening of Pharoah’s heart was a bilateral act – Pharoah hardened his own heart (Ex. 8:15, 32) and God hardened his heart (Ex. 9:12). Remember that God, in his grace, gave Pharaoh repeated warnings of judgement, despite which Pharoah chose to pursue his hard-hearted, cruel course of action. So, we must conclude that Pharoah brought judgement on himself.

Let this be a warning to us. If you choose to harden your heart, God may harden it even further, even as He waits in grace for you to comply with His demands. Pharoah received what he deserved and, in the process, God did what He said He would do, so that “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them” (Ex. 7:5; cf. 14:18). By so doing, God brought glory to himself, as the apostle Paul reminds us, 17 For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. 18 So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom. 9:17-18). Remember, this is God’s sovereign right. He has no obligation to us to act or not act in any particular way.

Pharoah’s response to Moses was to accuse the Israelite slaves of laziness – that’s why they wanted to go out into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God (5:5, 8b). As a result, Pharoah placed an even heavier burden on the Israelites than before, demanding that they make more bricks without providing them with any raw materials - they would have to gather their own straw now (5:6-9). This, of course, brought a swift reaction by the Israelites against Moses and Aaron (5:20-21) and a negative reaction by Moses to God, accusing Him of not delivering his people as He had promised (5:22-23).

How often do we, like the Israelites, react to circumstances even though we don’t know what God is doing or going to do? How often do we, like Moses, blame God for not keeping his word, even though present circumstances are all part of God’s plan?

In his grace, God reminds Moses, “I am the LORD” (6:2), and, interestingly, He tells Moses that He had revealed to him something that He had not told even Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. To them He had revealed himself as God Almighty, “but I did not make my name the LORD known to them” (6:3). In other words, Moses knew God as the covenant-keeping God of Israel, a revelation that his forefathers did not know and which ought to give Moses far more faith than could be expected of them. Further, God reminded Moses, I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners” (Ex. 6:4), a covenant which, despite appearances, God was about to fulfill. This message Moses was commissioned by God to tell to the people (6:6-8). “But they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor” (6:9).

Nevertheless, despite their harsh response to Moses, God was about to work on their behalf in a way that had not been experienced ever before, a work that would radically and permanently change their onerous circumstances.

Thus begins the extraordinary saga of God’s deliverance of his people by the ten plagues. The theological principle that we learn from this episode is that sometimes God exercises his power in creation to display and demonstrate that He is the LORD. We find this principle summarized in Ex. 7:3-5: 3 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put my hand on Egypt and bring the ranks of my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them” (cf. also Ex. 9:16; 8:19).

Therefore, through the ten plagues in Egypt, God did indeed accomplish his purposes: (1) to execute judgement on Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Ex. 3:19-20); (2) to redeem his people, Israel, from slavery (Ex. 3:7-10; 6:6-8); and (3) to demonstrate unequivocally that He is the supreme One (Ex. 6:7; 7:5, 17; 8:22; 10:2; 12:12; 14:4 etc.).

As we examine these judgements on Egypt, consider how they may be a forerunner of the even more devastating judgements that God will execute on the earth at the end of this age. I will cover the tenth plague on its own in the next sermon in this series. For this sermon, let’s briefly review the first nine plagues…

I. Water Turned To Blood (7:14-25)

Taking his staff in hand, Moses was instructed by God to meet Pharaoh at the mighty river Nile, where evidently Pharaoh bathed or carried out some sort of ritual each morning. There, Moses was instructed by God to confront Pharaoh with his disobedience and to advise him that, through his staff (that Moses had previously turned into a serpent), God would judge the land by turning the waters to blood, such that the fish would die and the water would be unusable: There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in wooded and stone containers” (7:19b).

All of this was to be done upon Moses’ order, by Aaron extending the staff over the waters of Egypt, which he did and 20b all the water in the Nile turned to blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt”(7:20b-21).

Three things to notice. First, despite his previous claims to not be able to speak well, Moses is clearly God’s spokesperson and Aaron is his helper. Second, the very river in which the Egyptians drowned the Hebrew babies is the river which God curses by turning to blood such that, instead of being the source of life-giving water for the Egyptians, it became the source of death. Clearly, this was God’s retributive justice on the Egyptians.

You would think that such miraculous action would have produced an immediate response of submission by Pharaoh, but such was not the case. In fact, strangely, Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated this act 22b by their occult practices. So Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn’t take even this to heart” (7:22-23), despite the effect on all the Egyptians, who had to dig alongside the Nile to get drinking water for seven long days (7:24-25).

So, what’s going on here with the magicians of Egypt? How is it that they could duplicate God’s miraculous action? In fact, they had already done so before when, Moses and Aaron first requested permission from Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, failing which God would bring out the ranks of my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment” (7:4). In response to Pharaoh’s demand to prove such a claim, as God had instructed them they cast down their staff and it became a serpent. And, lo and behold, the magicians of Egypt did the same (7:11)! Now, they do it again, turning water into blood. This happens three times in total (the staff turned into a serpent, the water to blood, and the plague of frogs) before they lost their power.

How do we explain this? Some try to explain it by saying that it was a sleight of hand, or somehow the magicians coloured the Nile with red dye. This is far-fetched and lacks biblical support. Others argue that they only did this to a small amount of water, as the Nile itself was already turned to blood. But this does not adequately explain what happened. The way the text reads does not necessarily imply that the magicians entirely duplicated Moses’ miracle either in its extent or its means. But whatever they did certainly convinced Pharaoh that their powers were equal to Moses’ (and, by implication, to God’s), but at that point Pharoah probably didn’t need much persuasion.

Whatever the magicians’ power enabled them to do, the plain, natural reading of the text is that they turned water to blood. The most plausible explanation, therefore, is that they derived their power from Satan (cf. 2 Thess. 2:9; Mk. 13:21-22; Matt. 7:22; Matt. 24:24; Rev. 13:13; Rev. 16:14; Eph. 6:12). For this reason, because Satan’s power is limited and can only be used to the extent that God permits, (1) the magicians could not reverse their actions; (2) they did not perform their feat in the same way as Moses (i.e. by stretching out a staff over the waters); and (3) they were only able to duplicate the first two plagues after which their powers ceased (8:18). Let us not underestimate the power of Satan. Remember that, with God’s permission, Satan caused Job’s suffering, but let us also remember that God places limits on Satan’s power - He only lets Satan go so far.

II. The Frogs (8:1-15)

Following Pharaoh’s refusal to let the Israelites go after the first plague, God gives him a second chance to comply (8:1). Pharoah’s second refusal is met by the plague of frogs, which would swarm into and throughout every household. Again, as we noted above, the Egyptian magicians duplicated this plague by their occult powers (8:7). In response to the first plague, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Apparently the effect of the waters being turned to blood was not sufficient for him to comply with Moses’ request. But this time, Pharaoh requested that the Lord remove the plague and he would let the Israelites go to worship the Lord (8:8). Apparently Pharoah didn’t care about the first plague’s impact on the lives of the people, but this time the plague directly affected him.

In order to demonstrate to Pharaoh that the Lord was completely in control of this situation and that the removal of the frogs was not a coincidence, Moses gave Pharaoh the option of specifying when the removal of the frogs should occur. “Tomorrow, he answered” (8:10). And so it was that the next day, the Lord removed the frogs from everywhere except the Nile where they belonged. “But when Pharoah saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (8:15).

III. The Lice (8:16-19)

This time, Pharaoh is not consulted or given any opportunity to let the Israelites go. Once more God tells Moses to have Aaron stretch out his rod, this time over the dust of the earth, the result of which is the plague of insects – sometimes called lice, gnats, mosquitoes, or fleas – that filled the land. If the invasion of frogs into every household was not enough to convince Pharoah to let the Israelites go, then perhaps an invasion of fleas into every aspect of Egyptian life would – into their clothing, homes, and bodies, both human and animal. They would itch and scratch day and night.

Unlike the previous two plagues, the Egyptian magicians were not able to duplicate this plague. At least the magicians have the honesty and insight to admit to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God… But Pharoah’s heart hardened and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (8:19).

IV. Flies (8:20-32)

Pharaoh’s hardness of heart continues despite three plagues. This fourth plague introduces the provision that the plague would affect all of Egypt but not the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived – 22 But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where my people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow” (8:22-23). This would demonstrate to Pharaoh that God was in control of this phenomenon; it was not a coincidence.

And just as the Lord had said, so the swarm of flies came. Thick swarms of flies went into Pharaoh’s palace and his officials’ houses. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies” (8:24). In response Pharaoh, for the first time, grants permission for the Israelites to worship God as long as they stay within the boundaries of Egypt, a condition which is not acceptable to Moses, saying, We must go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he instructs us” (8:27). Pharaoh concedes to their request, adding “but don’t go very far” and “make an appeal for me” (8:28) - presumably an appeal for God to remove the swarms of flies. Moses agrees to this arrangement but warns Pharaoh not to change his mind (8:29). Moses keeps his part of the bargain but Pharaoh did not keep his. Instead he “hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go” (8:32).

These interactions with Pharoah are clearly showing that for Pharaoh this is a power struggle motivated by pride – who is the supreme ruler, Pharaoh or God? Pharaoh cannot appear weak to his people or he would lose their respect and subservience. Isn’t this altogether so common with us as well? Oh, we don’t manifest it in quite this way, but we are so reluctant to cede control of our lives to God. We have our own plans for our lives, which often do not comport with God’s plans for us. But ultimately, God always wins. Let us never forget that, because we could save ourselves a lot of heart ache if we willingly and quickly submit to God’s purposes for our lives.

V. Death of Livestock (9:1-7)

This is described as “a severe plague” (9:3). Again, Moses predicts two aspects of this plague which should surely convince Pharaoh that this is from God. First, as with the previous plague, this plague would only affect the animals owned by the Egyptians, not those of the Israelites (9:4). And, second, this plague would occur specifically on the following day (9:5). Both of these conditions were designed to show that God was the author of this plague, not nature or any other force.

The plague took place exactly as Moses had said. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go” (9:7).

VI. Boils (9:8-12)

In the presence of Pharaoh, Moses, in obedience to God’s instructions, threw ashes into the air and it became fine dust that settled over the land of Egypt, causing boils to break out on humans and animals throughout all the land of Egypt. This time, not only are the Egyptian magicians unable to duplicate it, they themselves are afflicted by it to the extent that they could not stand before Moses because of the boils. Perhaps also the magicians could not stand before Moses because they were ashamed of their impotence and because they knew that Moses’ power came from God alone. Once before they had confessed to Pharaoh that the plagues were “the finger of God” (8:19). Armed with this renewed conviction, they now evidently appeal to Pharaoh for him to withdraw from this battle, which he could not win. “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had told Moses” (9:12).

Hardness of heart surely causes people to press ahead in defiance of logic and evidence, in open rebellion against God’s authority.

VII. Hail (9:13-35)

Now we see that not only is God bringing these plagues upon Egypt (1) to secure the release of his people from slavery in Egypt, (2) so that they can worship him in the wilderness, (3) to reveal to them that “I am the Lord” (cf. 7:17; 8:22), the sovereign Lord, the supreme, all-powerful Creator and Ruler of the universe, but also (4) that they “will know there is no one like me on the whole earth” (9:14). Pharaoh and his magicians cannot withstand the power of God. And no matter how many times Pharaoh continues to rebel against God with a hardened heart, ultimately God will achieve his purposes and Pharaoh will have to acknowledge and bow to the sovereign power of God and to acknowledge the utter uniqueness of God, that there is no one like him “on the whole earth.”

Such is the severity and destruction of this plague of hail that Pharaoh, in his desperation, seems to be softening in his attitude, confessing to Moses: “I have sinned this time. The Lord is the righteous one and I and my people are the guilty ones” (9:27). Further, he agrees to release the Israelites: “I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer” (9:28). But we have seen this before - an appeal to God in order to stop the plagues, but then another hardening of his heart against God. Will this be any different? No! Despite the fact that Moses always does what he says he will do and appeals to God to withdraw the plague, nonetheless, as Moses warns Pharaoh, “as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD God” (9:30).

And, sure enough once again, 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his officials. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he did not let the Israelites go, as the Lord had said through Moses” (9:34-35).

One wonders at this point how hard the human heart can be. Without submission to God’s rule, the human heart can act in ways that defy logic and evidence. But more than that, I think what is going on here is not only the demonstration of the wickedness of the human heart, but the sovereign purposes of God, which are being revealed and carried out in spite of the opposition and rebellion against God of, probably, the most powerful ruler on earth at that time. These prolonged and repeated plagues and Pharaoh’s utter rebellion against God are all designed by God to manifest His supreme power, repeatedly and clearly. That surely is the overriding purpose here.

VIII. Locusts (10:1-20)

Now God’s overriding purpose in the plagues is stated overtly: 1I have hardened his (Pharoah’s) heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of mine among them, 2and so that you may tell your son and grandson how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them, and you will know that I am the LORD” (10:1-2). If the plague of hail was devastating, then the plague of locusts would be even more so. Indeed, Moses told Pharaoh: 5They will eat the remainder left to you that escaped the hail; they will eat every tree you have growing in your fields. 6They will fill your houses, all your officials’ houses, and the houses of all the Egyptians – something your fathers and ancestors never saw since the time they occupied the land until today” (10:5-6). To this dire warning, Pharaoh’s officials react in abject fear, saying to Pharaoh: “How long must this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Don’t you realize yet that Egypt is devastated?” (10:7).

So, Pharaoh tries to make a compromise with Moses. He will grant limited permission – the Israelite men only may go and worship the Lord but not the women and children (10:10-11). I suppose that Pharoah’s scheme was that if he could keep the women and children there, then the men would be sure to come back. But Moses was having nothing of it. No compromise! No negotiations! It was God’s way only. Not only did Moses demand that men, women, and children go, but also their flocks and herds (10:9). Remarkably, once again, Pharaoh drives Moses and Aaron from his presence – the conversation is at an end. And the plague of locusts begins. “Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again” (10:14). They covered the entire land of Egypt such that the land was black and by the time they were finished, “they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt” (10:15).

Once more, Pharaoh confesses his sin against the Lord and against Moses. He pleads for forgiveness and for Moses to intercede for him before the Lord to “take this death away from me” (10:17). Notice that he does not request that it be taken away from “us,” but “from me.” The only person Pharoah cares about is himself. Let the people suffer, but let him be protected. Graciously, the Lord causes the removal of the locusts by a strong west wind, blowing them into the Red Sea. “Not a single locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not let the Israelites go” (10:19-20).

IX. Darkness (10:21-29)

This time, there was no warning issued to Pharaoh. Surely, the plague of darkness was not only physical but also reflected the spiritual darkness that was over all the land of Egypt, “a darkness that can be felt” (10:21-22). For three days, no one could see their hand in front of their face. So thick was the darkness that they could not move from where they were. “Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived” (10:23).

Wouldn’t you think that, by now, the intensity and scope of the plagues, together with the clear demarcation between their effects on the Egyptians and the Israelites, should have awakened Pharaoh to the reality of what God was doing? But no, he again tries to negotiate with Moses. “Go, worship the Lord. Even your families may go with you; only your flocks and your herds must stay behind” (10:24). But again, Moses would hear nothing of it. It was all or nothing. They needed their herds and flocks to offer burnt offerings to the Lord and they would “not know what we will use to worship the LORD until we get there” (10:26).

But one more time, “the Lord hardened Pharoah’s heart and he was unwilling to let them go” (10:27). In fact, Pharoah become even more resolute, threatening Moses with death if he ever saw his face again (10:28). I love Moses’ reply: “As you have said…I will never see your face again” (10:29). Little did Pharaoh know how true and how utterly devastating that statement would turn out to be.

Final Remarks

So, nine plagues of increasing intensity fail to subdue Pharaoh’s hard heart. He will not relinquish control. This seems to be the root issue – control, power and pride. This is a standoff between Pharaoh, a finite human being, and God himself, the infinite, sovereign ruler of the universe. Remember our thesis that sometimes God exercises his power in creation to display and demonstrate that He is the LORD. He certainly demonstrated His supremacy through these plagues in response to, and in spite of, Pharaoh’s rebellion and hardness of heart, and He will do so again at the end of this age.

From our vantage point, we wonder what Pharaoh was thinking. But when you stop and think about it, Pharaoh is just manifesting the wickedness that lies in every human heart – independence from God and rebellion against God. This has been the story of the human race from the beginning. It was human rebellion against God’s authority and the insistence on human independence that caused sin to enter the world in the first place. In direct defiance of God’s command that “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17), Adam and Eve ate of it anyway. This was the very first demonstration of the self-will and rebellion of the human heart.

We may well ask, “Why?” Why would Adam and Eve do that, when God had given them a perfect paradise to live in and enjoy? When there was only one restriction placed on them? And here we must consider two reasons. First, God created human beings with the freedom to choose whether to obey him or disobey him. This was necessary in order for God to have a people to voluntarily and freely love him. Second, Satan entered the scene with his wicked deception, promising Adam and Eve greater enjoyment and greater powers if they disobeyed God – “When you eat it (the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden) your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Ever since that fateful day when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, the human race has suffered the consequences of separation from God and a rebellious spirit against God.

So, let this be a lesson to us, to be on our guard against hardness of heart. Remember the admonition of the apostle Paul to “no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts” (Eph. 4:17-18). Remember what Jeremiah said: The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). And let us adhere to the warning of the writer to the Hebrews who quotes David in Psalm 95:7-8, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 4:7).

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5. The Truth And Consequences Of A Hardened Heart, Pt. 2 (Ex. 11:1-12:42)

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In the last article in this series, I covered the first nine plagues (Ex. 7:14-20:29). In each case, Moses has acted as the spokesperson for God to Pharaoh, despite his earlier protestations of not being able to speak in public.

Three observations stand out that we need to notice:

1. After each plague, God graciously gave Pharoah the opportunity to relent from the hardness of his heart and escape His continuing acts of judgement by granting Moses’ request to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness to worship the Lord. This is ample evidence that “the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and full of faithful love” (Ps. 103:8; cf. Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18).

2. You would think, after experiencing nine plagues of increasing intensity and scope, that by now Pharaoh would have willingly confessed and submitted to God’s supremacy and power. But Pharaoh was governed by a hardened heart, such that despite the evidence and despite the widespread suffering he stubbornly continued to rebel against God. Evidence, you see, is not enough to convince unbelievers of the reality of who God is. There has to also be submission of the will and repentance of the heart.

3. God keeps his word and sovereignly achieves his purposes. The deliverance that God promised to Moses (Ex. 3:7-10) he will carry out. No earthly power can withstand or withhold him. He will demonstrate to the Egyptians as well as the Israelites that He is the LORD (Ex. 6:6; 7:5), even though, in His grace, the timing may be prolonged for ten long and destructive plagues.

So now we come to the tenth and last plague that caused the midnight cry “throughout Egypt because there wasn’t a house without someone dead” (Ex. 12:30; cf. 11:6).

The overall truth that we are going to discover in this study is that Despite the opposition of the strongest earthly powers, God is supreme above all. He always keeps his word and accomplishes his purposes.

I. The Final Warning: The Death Of The Firstborn (11:1-10)

The Prediction of the Midnight Cry. Moses said to Pharaoh: 4 This is what the Lord says: About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, 5 and every firstborn male in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the servant girl who is at the grindstones, as well as every firstborn of the livestock” (11:4-5). The death of the firstborn was the ultimate judgement because it would effectively end the entire social structure of succession, as it was practiced in the ancient world. So devastating would it be that Then there will be a great cry of anguish through all the land of Egypt such as never was before or ever will be again” (11:6).

The Israelites’ anguished cry for mercy and deliverance, as they suffered for the past 400 years under the relentless and unmerciful hand of their Egyptian slave masters, would now be replaced by the anguished cry of the Egyptians themselves. God did not forget the cry of His people, nor did He turn a blind eye to the wickedness of the Egyptians. Punishment for sin is inevitable, even though God graciously gives ample opportunity to repent, “not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

The Preservation of the Israelites. To further underscore that God is the author of such an horrific judgement, there would yet again be a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites for “against all the Israelites, whether people or animals, not even a dog will snarl, so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (11:7). This is a discriminating judgement in which God will show that the Israelites are his chosen people by protecting them from the devastation that will befall the Egyptians. How dare Pharaoh not recognize this and submit!

And God will once more at the end of this age inflict discriminate judgement. God clearly and decisively separates all human beings into the saved and the lost. At the final resurrection, “those who have done good things” (i.e. those who have repented of their sins and placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior) will be raised to eternal life, while “those who have done wicked things (i.e. rejected Jesus Christ) to the resurrection of condemnation” (Jn. 5:29).

Remember that God “has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). The same Man whom wicked people crucified is the One who will judge the world. So, don’t ever confuse or conflate God’s grace and God’s judgement. It is only God’s grace that holds back his judgement. But one day, the day which God has already set, the Man whom he has appointed as judge of all the world, Jesus Christ, will sit on his judgement throne and every person who has rejected him will be cast eternally into the lake of fire. Then they will hear those awful words, “depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23). This is the sovereign right of our Creator who said, “I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Rom. 9:15). God has the sovereign right but not the obligation to do or not do anything for or to anyone.

The Persistence of Pharaoh’s Resistance. Despite Moses’ tenth warning, Pharaoh “would not let the Israelites go out of his land” (11:10). Little did Pharoah know that, this time, he would have no further opportunity to comply with God’s demands. Perhaps he had convinced himself that God would never do what He said, that God’s word was just one big threat. Perhaps Pharoah thought that if he could only hang on long enough God would give up and go away. Or, perhaps Pharaoh thought that, in the end, he would be victorious - his tenacity and stubbornness would outlast God’s persistence and ability. Little did Pharoah know that preparations were being put in place for the last plague – the plague of death.

II. The Final Preparation: The Passover (12:1-28)

The Purpose of the Passover. The Passover was God’s provision for the identity of the Israelites and their security from His judgement. Just as God provided safety for Noah and his family from the flood judgement, so now God provides the blood of a lamb for the safety of the Israelites. All they had to do was “select an animal from the flock according to their fathers’ households, one animal per household…You must have an unblemished animal, a year old male; you may take it from the sheep or the goats” (12:3-5). Then, at twilight, they were to kill the animal and apply some of its blood to the two doorposts and the lintel of their houses (12:7; 22). That night they were to roast its meat over a fire and eat it in its entirety, all the while being dressed and ready to depart in a hurry (12:8-11).

Notice that this ritual included and protected all members of a household. One lamb was sufficient to cover the entire home (12:3, 21) but there was a provision that if the household was too small for a whole animal, they could share it with a neighbour (12:4). Notice that there is no thought of the lamb being to small for the household, but of a household possibly being too small for a lamb. Furthermore, the stipulation was that the animal must be “unblemished” (12:5). The sacrificial lamb must be perfect in every respect

Those were their instructions, a very simple and yet profound ritual. And this is what God said would happen. “12 I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Ex. 12:12-13). The sprinkled blood on the two doorposts and lintel of their houses was the sign that protected them from the death of their firstborn that night.

This was the night of nights, the moment of deliverance for which the Israelites had hoped and cried out in prayer for so long. The Lord had heard their cries and he had come to deliver them (Ex. 2:23-24; 3:7-10). The devastating judgement which God is about to inflict on Egypt would not touch the Israelites – they were safe and secure under the blood of the lamb. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

The Passover is a remarkable preview and type of the gospel and the scene that would transpire some 1500 years later at the cross of Calvary, when the Lamb of God shed his precious blood to wash away our sins. Do the qualifications for the perfect sacrificial animal and the instructions regarding the application of its blood to their houses remind you of the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God and the efficacy of his blood which was shed on the cross? Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.” In the N.T., Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The apostle Peter puts it this way: “For you know that you were not redeemed, from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish” (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

The Lord Jesus Christ was the only perfect sacrifice who was acceptable to God and who could, once and for all, make the one and final sacrifice, which would forever fulfill God’s holy requirements for sin and eternally redeem those who put their faith in Him. For the Israelites, their sacrifices could never permanently wash away their sins. Their sacrifices had to be repeated year after year, “for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:1-4). But through the “offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all” we have been”sanctified” (Heb. 10:10). Unlike the priests who stood day after day offering repeated sacrifices “which can never take away sins… this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:11-12).

Isn’t that the most wonderful good news? His sacrifice never had to be repeated because it was perfect and it was final. And as a result, when we find shelter under His shed blood through repentance and faith, we are forever cleansed from our sins, made right with God, and eternally secure in Christ.

The Significance of the Passover for the Israelites. The very simple yet profound Passover ritual provided for the Israelites unfathomable benefits:

1. It marked the beginning of a whole new life, a new era (12:1). The Passover celebration in the years ahead would mark “the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year” (12:2).

2. It distinguished them from the Egyptians (11:7; 12:13a). They were God’s chosen, special, separated people. Their houses were marked by the blood of the lamb.

3. It protected them from God’s judgement on Egypt. God said to Moses, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (12:13b). And Moses told the Israelites, “When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, He will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike you” (12:23).

4. It was to be a permanent memorial throughout their generations of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt (12:14-20; 24-27). This miraculous event would be enshrined not only in their history but also in their entire future, as they remember and recount to subsequent generations that momentous night in Egypt, the night of their redemption from slavery.

5. It was to be imbibed into their innermost being by eating the sacrificial lamb, thus signifying that they made it their own, they identified personally with the sacrifice.

While the Israelite Passover experience and ritual provided for them unquestionably tremendous benefits and blessings, one overwhelming aspect that they did not know or enter into was the permanent removal of their sins. That is a truth that Christians can claim exclusively, as I have demonstrated from Scripture above.

The Significance of the Passover for Christians. When we look at this from our N.T., Christian perspective, the lamb speaks of Christ - Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). The Passover pointed forward to the perfect Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29), whose substitutionary sacrifice on the cross fulfilled and brought to an end all the Passover sacrifices of the Israelites. Notice the following Christian truths in comparison and contrast to those I have listed above for the Israelites:

1. Upon expressing our faith in Him, Christ’s death is the beginning of a whole new life (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 2:20), the demarcation between the old life and the new (Eph. 4:24; Rom. 6:4).

2. Our identity with Christ separates and distinguishes us from the world – we are God’s special people, set apart for him exclusively (1 Pet. 2:9-10; Eph. 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:14).

3. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is our protection. His shed blood is the means of our cleansing from sin (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22; 1 Jn. 1:7-9), by which we are protected from the coming judgement of God.

4. The memorial feast speaks of the Lord’s table of remembrance (Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24).

5. Christians are those who have imbibed Jesus into their innermost being by, spiritually, eating his flesh and drinking his blood (Jn. 6:53-56), thus signifying that his life is our life, we have made him our own, we are identified personally with him and his sacrifice.

What a wonderful preview in the Passover of what was to come! What types and illustrations God has given throughout his word of that one final sacrifice of our Lord, a sacrifice that would never be repeated and that would appease (propitiate) God’s wrath on account of our sins (1 Jn. 2:2; Heb. 9:26).

Let me ask you, is your house, like the Israelites’ houses, marked by the blood of the Lamb who was slain for you? Do you speak and act as one who has been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18-19)? Do others recognize that you are different, in your attitudes, relationships, morality, values, priorities? How has your faith in Christ set you apart for His exclusive use and service? Is your life committed to serving him with the gifts he has given you? May the blood of Christ be a distinguishing mark for every believer. Oh, I know that the blood of Christ is not a popular topic, especially not in the world. In fact, they probably think we are a bit weird to speak of blood in this way. But the imagery is simply that the blood speaks of Christ’s life poured out for us. Just as blood is the fluid that cleanses our body of toxins and delivers life-giving nutrients to our vital organs, so the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn. 1:7). His blood is our distinguishing mark.

When you look back on your Christian life, surely you must be so thankful that there came that moment when you were delivered from your old life and brought into the new life in Christ. I sometimes wonder, where would I be if Christ was not the Lord of my life. If there had not come that time when I knelt by my bed as a boy and expressed my repentance for sin and my faith in Christ, where would I be today? What hope would I have? What kind of life would I be living? But the reality is that those questions are rendered irrelevant because God had chosen me before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). He loved me, not because of any merit in me, but purely because he loved me (Deut. 7:7-8). That’s God’s sovereign grace.

III. The Final Deliverance: The Exodus (12:29-42)

The Midnight Judgement Executed. Just as Moses had warned Pharaoh earlier (11:4-8), so now his warning comes true (12:29). Now at midnight the Lord struck every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock” (12:29). God had given Pharaoh and the Egyptians nine opportunities to obey him, but they had refused God’s grace. Now, His judgement in Egypt is swift and certain.

Today, there are many who doubt and mock the notion that Jesus is coming again and that He will execute a universal and final judgement. As Peter tell us, 3 Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, 4 saying, ‘Where is his coming that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation’” (2 Pet. 3:3-4). We are living in the last days (i.e. the time between Christ’s first and second coming) and we are witnessing a significant increase in the intensity and extent of those who scoff at the second coming of Christ. They just don’t think it is true or even that it might happen, despite previous historical experiences. “ 5 They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. 6 Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet. 3:5-6). That’s the truth. Just as the ancient world was warned by God through Noah for many years that judgement was coming, and just as the people back then refused Noah’s warning and mocked his message, so now God has been warning people through the gospel for 2,000 years since the death of Christ and people generally still refuse to heed the warning and mock those who preach it.

“Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). If you “sow” mockery against God’s word and His servants, be prepared to “reap” the consequences, which are clearly spelled out in Scripture. The apostle John puts it this way: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-15). The consequence of mocking God and refusing to heed His warning of coming judgement is consignment to the lake of fire, forever. What an horrific prospect! And all because they refused to believe and obey God’s word.

Listen to Jesus’ words of warning: 24 Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. 25 Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation” (Jn. 5:24-29).

It’s all a question of hearing Jesus’ voice and believing. It seems so simple and yet, like Pharaoh, man’s heart is so hard and man’s will is so stubborn. As with the Israelites who applied the blood to their houses, so all that is required now is to apply the blood of Christ to your life and be protected from coming judgement. Remember, God has “set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Imagine that - the Lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world will one day be its Judge.

The Wail of Death. In his righteous judgement, God struck every firstborn male in the land who was not covered by the blood - both human and animal, both rich and poor, powerful and weak, rulers and subjects, those in palaces and those in prisons. “During the night Pharaoh got up, he along with all his officials and all the Egyptians, and there was a loud wailing throughout Egypt because there wasn’t a house without someone dead” (12:30). That cry was so loud and so pervasive that it woke everyone from sleep, for every household had been struck with the death of their firstborn – everyone, that is, except the Israelites, for they were covered by the blood of the lamb and God was faithful to his promise to “not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike you” (12:23).

Pharaoh Relents. This time, Pharoah paid attention. Summoning Moses and Aaron during the night he told them to take the Israelites and their flocks and herds and “leave my people… and go, worship the Lord as you have asked, and leave, and this will also be a blessing to me” (12:31-32). Such is the fear that they were all going to die that the Egyptians couldn’t get rid of the Israelites fast enough (12:33-34). In fact, in response to their request, the Egyptians gave the Israelites their silver and gold jewelry and clothing. “In this way they plundered the Egyptians” (12:35-36). Those who had been plundered by the Egyptians for the entire time of their slavery were now the plunderers, as God had promised Moses (cf. 3:21-22). As the secular saying goes, “What goes around comes around.” God is a God of retributive justice and restitution.

A Mixed Crowd Leaves Egypt. The details concerning the exodus route, the people, and animals included in this vast crowd of migrants are interesting and informative (12:37-42). Of note is the expression “an ethnically diverse (i.e. “a mixed”) crowd also went up with them” (12:28). It seems that a crowd of non-Israelite people took advantage of the opportunity to leave Egypt. The reason is not given but we hear about them again described (lit.) as a “rabble, riffraff” (Numbers 11:4,) and again as “foreigners” (Deut. 29:11 ). Perhaps they had suffered so badly under the adverse conditions of the plagues that they saw this as their opportunity to escape. Or, perhaps they, like the Israelites, were foreigners who had been held in slavery in Egypt and were only too glad to get out of the country. But since they are described as a “rabble,” it is most likely that they were simply a conglomeration of discontented people, similar to those who joined David in his exile (1 Sam. 22:2). What is pertinent about this description is that they were non-Israelites, who evidently thought they could benefit from the Israelites and their God but who soon proved to be a thorn in Moses’ side, a greedy, discontented group of hangers-on. For, hardly had they been in the desert for long and they “craved” (hankered after, lusted intensely for) the food they had been used to in Egypt (Num. 11:4).

As is often the case, people with this kind of attitude always seem to infect the rest – people who don’t belong there but are going along for ride; people who don’t have the same faith, the same goals, or the same values as the rest; people who are not believers in the one true God but who are “mixed” in with those who are; people who only want personal benefit without personal cost; people who seem to always drag others down to their level. Once this factious group started complaining, it soon spread to the Israelites as well. 4 The riffraff among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites wept again and said, “Who will feed us meat? 5 We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!” (Num. 11:4-6).

Rankling among a fringe crowd burdens the others down, especially the leader, dragging everyone else down to their spiritual level. Their spiritual condition comes out under pressure and quickly taints the believers around them. When their hopes are not immediately satisfied, they turn on you. They are always comparing their present circumstances with the “good old days.” The present, for them, is never as good as the past. Funny, isn’t it, that such good old days should produce a people with such bad attitudes toward present circumstances.

In this case, the complaint was about the food. Egyptian food now never looked or tasted so good to them. They wanted the variety and taste of the old food, not this bland, repetitive food in the desert (Num. 11:7-8). Then Moses heard the people actually crying at the entrance to their tents, standing around complaining to one another, and he was provoked and “the Lord was very angry” (Num. 11:10).

Do we not see the same in evangelical churches? – a mixed crowd of believers and unbelievers; those who are sincere about their faith and others who are merely religious; some who genuinely desire to worship God and grow in their faith and others who want the benefits of a church community without embracing its spirituality. Of course, we want unbelievers to come to our churches, in the hope that they will be saved. But we need to be careful that we don’t let unbelievers mix in so secretly and pervasively that we lose sight of who is real and who is not. That’s when churches suddenly find themselves, unwittingly perhaps, admitting non-believers into membership and the whole tenor and structure and doctrinal beliefs of the church begin to be compromised.

A Night of Praise to God. Well, it’s only appropriate that this section concludes with a note of praise to God, reflecting on the Israelites’ history of slavery and their miraculous escape. 40 The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the Lord’s military divisions went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because he would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor of the Lord, a night vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations” (12:40-42).

Final Remarks

The journey that we have taken in this study, and the previous study, has truly been extraordinary. I think we become so familiar with the Exodus story that we often lose sight of the magnitude of God’s sovereign power that is at work here. God’s statement to Moses when he commissioned him to lead his people out of slavery has come true (Ex. 3:7-10), despite all the opposition of the greatest power on earth. No one can withstand Him. By this demonstration of His great power, the Israelites now knew that “I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Ex. 29:46) and that “there is no God but me” (Isa. 45:5-6; cf. 43:11).

Remember my thesis at the beginning of this study: Despite the opposition of the strongest earthly powers, God is supreme above all. He always keeps his word and accomplishes his purposes.

Though God is a God of grace and mercy, “not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9), there is a limit to His patience. We see that here in this final judgement in Egypt. And we will see it again at the end of this church age, when the Lord Jesus Christ will complete the redemption of his people by translating them from earth to heaven (Jn. 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:14-18) and unbelievers will remain to face his wrath and final judgement (Jn. 3:16-18, 36; Rev. 20:11-15).

Then, God’s awesome power and supreme authority will be confessed by all, for in that day “every knee will bow - of those who are in heaven and on the earth and under the earth - and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).

Related Topics: Christian Life

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