New Testament Reading: Hebrews 11:24–27

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:24–27, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 2:11-25

“One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, ‘Why do you strike your companion?’ He answered, ‘Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid, and thought, ‘Surely the thing is known.’ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, ‘How is it that you have come home so soon today?’ They said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.’ He said to his daughters, ‘Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.’ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.’ During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus 2:11–25, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As you can see, this little section of the book of Exodus covers a lot of ground as it pertains to the passing of time. In the previous passage we learned about the birth of Moses, and by the end of this passage we learn of the birth of Moses’ son. About 36 years pass between the end of verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11, where we read, “One day, when Moses had grown up…”. The text does not tell us anything about the life of Moses from the time he was weaned (probably at about the age of 4) and the events that are described to us here starting in verse 11.In Acts 7:23 Steven says that Moses was 40 when these things that are described to us in 2:11ff took place. This should remind us of the way that the life of Christ is narrated in the Gospels. With the exception of Luke, the Gospel writers jump from the birth of Christ to his ministry which began when he was about 30. Luke tells us one story about Jesus as a child. 

So then, it is left to our imagination to think of what life would have been like for Moses from the day he was taken into Pharaoh’s house up to the age of 40. The Hebrews to whom Moses originally wrote would have had a clear understanding of this in their minds. They were once slaves in Egypt, so they must have had some understanding of the lavish and luxurious lives that those in Pharaoh’s house enjoyed. Moses was a prince of Egypt, remember? He lived a life of great luxury, privilege, and comfort, therefore. We should not forget about this fact as we consider this story, for here we learn that Moses forsook this life of power, privilege, and prestige when he decided to identify with his God and with God’s people.  

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Moses Had Decided To Identify With God’s People

And that is the first thing that I would like for you to see. Moses, when he was forty years of age, decided to identify with God’s people, forsaking a life of privilege that he had for so long enjoyed. 

In verse 11 we read, “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people” (Exodus 2:11, ESV). 

Notice the repetition of the phrase, “his people”. He went out to “his people”, the text says. And again, “he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people”. Clearly the text wants for us to see that Moses had decided to identify with God’s people. He considered the oppressed Hebrews to be his people, and not the powerful and prosperous Egyptians, not even the family of Pharaoh.  

This is astonishing if you think about it. Who in their right mind would choose to identify with a group of people who were in a situation like the Hebrews were in, especially when this would require them to forfeit the kind of glory, honor, and power that Moses possessed as a member of Pharaoh’s house? 

We know why Moses did it. Hebrews 11 tells us that it was the faith of Moses that drove him to make this radical decision. Here it again: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Well, what was his faith in? The second portion of the text clarifies, saying,  “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24–26, ESV).

Can we pause for just a moment to think about that statement?

Moses broke with the house of Pharaoh and chose to identify with the people of God, knowing that he would be mistreated along with them because he “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt…” His faith was in Christ. He identified with the Hebrews because he knew that the promises concerning a coming Messiah were entrusted to them. He knew that his people — the Hebrew people — were God’s people. They were set apart from the nations as holy and, according to the promises made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Christ would one day come into the world through them.

So then, we must see that Moses’ break from Pharaoh’s house, and his identification with God’s people, was rational and deliberate. He did not act compulsively, nor was he driven by mere emotion or sentiment. No, he knew what God had promised to Abraham regarding his descendants, and he understood that God would bring the Messiah into the world through them. He understood these promises and he believed them. His hope was set on Christ. He “was looking forward to the reward” that Christ would bring. He counted the cost. As the Hebrews text says, he “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.” Faith was what drove him to make this dramatic and daring move. He had faith in God, in the promises of God, and in the promised Messiah.

The implications of this Hebrews text are pretty huge. Not only does Hebrews 11:24-26 sheds light on the question, what drove Moses to do what he did? It also sheds light on the question, what was known by the Hebrews who lived in Moses’ day concerning the promises of God and the good news that salvation would come through the Messiah? They knew a lot, evidently. The promises given to Abraham, and entrusted to Isaac, and Jacob were preserved amongst the Hebrews during those 400 years in Egypt. Many of the Hebrews were ignorant concerning these promises, I’m sure. Many did not believe. But the promises were preserved. And it appears that Moses, his family, along with others, believed them.   

But the main point is this: Moses chose suffering over glory being driven by faith in God, in the promises of God, and in God’s Messiah. 

Already we can see that Moses was a type of Christ. Not only did he have faith in the promised Messiah, but his life would serve as a picture and foreshadowing of the Christ who was yet to come. Moses would be used by God to rescue his people from bondage, and so would the Christ, but in a much greater way. And Moses would accomplish this redemption by setting aside glory, honor, and power, and so would the Christ, but in a much greater way. Moses set aside the wealth and treasures of Egypt, but Christ, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6–11, ESV).

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Moses Had Developed The Heart Of A Deliverer

As we continue on in our passage, not only do we see that Moses had decided to identify with God’s people, by this time he had also developed the heart of a deliverer. 

Verse 11: “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. [Verse 12] He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” (Exodus 2:11–12, ESV)

Here we see that Moses had developed a great concern for the Hebrews and wished to alleviate their suffering. When did he develop this concern? Was it with him from a young age, or was it a late development? The text does not say. But he surely had it by the age of 40! Also, we see clearly that Moses was concerned with matters of justice. He witnessed the mistreatment of his people, and it troubled him greatly, leading him to take action. 

This same concern for the oppressed, and Moses’ willingness to stand up to oppressors, shows up again later in this passage when Moses comes to the defense of the daughters of Reuel in the land of Midian. When these seven daughters of Reuel “came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock… shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock” (Exodus 2:16–17, ESV).

Quite clearly, one of the reasons these stories are told is to show us something about the character of the man Moses. He was concerned for the oppressed. He was bothered by injustice. He was strong, bold, and courageous. 

These are very good qualities. They are a reflection of the character of God. In fact, Psalm 103 connects these characteristics of God with the man Moses, saying, “The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel” (Psalm 103:6–7, ESV). And these qualities would also be found in the Christ, but purely so. 

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But God Was Not Done Developing Moses

Moses had, by this time in his life, developed the heart of a deliverer. But evidently, God was not done developing Moses to be the deliver that he would call him to be. This is the third thing that I would like for you to see in our text for today. God was not done developing Moses. 

In Acts 7:25, Steven clearly says that Moses’ intention was to deliver the Hebrews when he struck down the abusive Egyptian. And I quote, “He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand” (Acts 7:25, ESV). Perhaps Moses thought he could lead an uprising. He struck down the abusive Egyptian, but no uprising occurred.  

In verse 13 of Exodus 2 we read, “When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, ‘Why do you strike your companion?” He answered, ‘Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid, and thought, ‘Surely the thing is known’” (Exodus 2:13–14, ESV).

Moses assumed that the Hebrews would rally around him, seeing that he was willing to stand up for them, but they were not interested in following him. 

“Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” That was a good question. In truth, no one had. Not God, nor anyone else. Moses had, at this moment, taken it upon himself to be the prince of the Hebrews. The Hebrews were not willing to follow him.  

And they did not want him as a judge either. Perhaps this had to do with his killing of the Egyptian. Though I do not doubt that Moses acted out of a true desire to protect the oppressed, his response was not proportionate or just. He killed a man for wounding another. This sounds more like the ethic of that wicked ruler, Lamech, who boasted to his wives in Genesis, saying “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me” (Genesis 4:23–24, ESV), than the righteous leader of Israel through whom God would give his law. 

Listen again to the question of the guilty Hebrew: “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” In other words, do you intend to apply the same standard of justice to me as you did to the Egyptian slave master? Will you put me to death for striking another? This standard of justice is very different from the one given to Noah, and thus to all nations, which is blood for blood, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. 

The picture that is painted here in this passage is that Moses did at this time possess the qualities of a great deliverer of God’s people. He had strong faith in God and in the promises of God. He loved God and God’s people. He was deeply troubled by their mistreatment. He was willing to sacrifice comfort, safety, and great wealth for the good of others. He was bold and courageous. These were wonderful qualities, and they would be needed in the future. But the time was not yet. The Hebrews were not ready, and neither was Moses. 

If we were to critique Moses at this stage of his life, we might say that he was a bit arrogant, self-reliant, and reckless. Arrogant to appoint himself as the deliverer of the Hebrew people, self-reliant to do this apart from the call of God, and reckless in his approach. When he killed that Egyptian he did not act justly, and in so doing he probably brought great trouble to the Hebrew slaves. An Egyptian taskmaster was missing, and the authorities were sure to put the blame on the Hebrews. Moses realized this, and this is why he fled, saying, “surely the thing is known”. 

Sure enough, in verse 15 we read, “When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well” (Exodus 2:15, ESV). 

It is not surprising that Pharaoh sought to kill Moses. He was a traitor. 

Moses fled to Midian. Why? Midian not far from the northeast portion of Egypt, it was rural and sparsely populated, and the Midianites were close relatives of the Hebrews — they too descended from Abraham through his wife Katura. After Moses ditched his Egyptian garb, he would have been able to blend in amongst that people. 

And so Moses fled to Median, and the text says, “he sat down by a well.” Why this detail? Perhaps you remember that wells were very important in the Genesis narrative. Both Isaac and Jacob found their wives at wells. They signify blessing and life, and understandably so. When we read that Moses “sat down by a well”, it signals a new beginning for this man. 

Just like Isaac and Jacob before him, Moses found a wife at this well. After he came to the defense of the seven daughters of Reuel, the women returned home. Verse 18: “When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, ‘How is it that you have come home so soon today?’ They said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.’ He said to his daughters, ‘Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”” (Exodus 2:18–20, ESV)

Please allow me to say just a few things about these verses. 

One, Reuel is also called by another name in the book of Exodus. In 3:1, for example, he is called by the name Jethro. Reuel was probably his clan name, and Jethro, his common name. You and I have first and last names too, so this should not surprise us. 

Two, notice that Moses is presented by the daughters as a deliverer. In verse 17 it was said that Moses “drove away” the oppressive shepherds, “stood up and saved” the women, and afterward watered their flocks for them. Here verse 19 the daughters of Reuel say, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock” (Exodus 2:19, ESV). Aagin, we are to see Moses as a developing deliverer. He must have been very strong and courageous to drive those shepherds away on his own, and then afterward to do the work that the seven daughters came to do, and all in less time than was typical for them. 

Three, Reuel is called the priest of Midian. I do wonder what kind of priest he was. How much did he know about the God of Abraham and the promises given to him? And if he knew something about those promises, how much did he believe? In other words, how pure or corrupt was the religion of Reuel? 

The text does not explicitly say. But we know this for sure: he was hospitable to Moses, he would give his daughter to him in marriage, he would support and encourage him in his work of deliverance before and after the Exodus, and he would even rejoice in the good that God did for Israel, offering sacrifices up to the Lord. You may see Exodus 18 to learn more about that. The evidence seems to point us in this direction: Reuel was likely a priest who promoted worship that was somewhat true, yet impure. Perhaps we are to think that Reuel was refined through his relationship with Moses over many years.   

Reuel was hospitable to Moses, and not just for a day. Moses would dwell with the man for 40 years. Verse 21 says, “And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land’” (Exodus 2:21–22, ESV). 

What a fitting name for Moses’ oldest son. Gershom sounds like the Hebrew word for sojourner. Moses was a sojourner three times over. He was a Hebrew brought up in Egypt; he was a Hebrew raised in Pharaoh’s house; he was a Hebrew of the house Pharoah exiled now to Midian. And Gershom would be a sojourner too, eventually coming to wander in the wilderness with the people of Israel.   

The phrase, “Moses was content to dwell with the man” is worth noting. It reveals a lot about Moses’ heart.  Not many days before, he was dwelling in a palace, living in luxury. But he was content to dwell with Jethro in Midian, which would have been a very humble existence in comparison to his life in Egypt. Moses was not a worldly man, he was a man of faith. 

So then, Moses was 40 when he left Egypt and came into Reuel’s house. Exodus 7:7 tells us that he was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh saying, “let my people go.” I told you this passage covers some ground. 40 years passed between Moses’ birth and his exile from Egypt, and another 40 years would pass before Moses would return to Egypt as the redeemer of God’s people. 

What were those 40 years in Midian for?  Why didn’t God accomplish his work of redemption when Moses was 40? Why did he wait until Moses was 80? 

The ways of the Lord are often a mystery to us, and so I will not attempt a thorough and definitive answer to the question, why? But two things seem obvious: One, Moses was refined by God during those 40 years. He was further prepared to be the redeemer that God had called him to be. And two, God would be glorified in a greater way as worked his redemption, not by the hand of a strong and courageous warrior, but a man of meekness and weakness.

Concerning the refinement of Moses, we should carefully compare the 40-year-old Moses with the 80-year-old Moses. When he was 40 he was eager to be a deliverer. Yes, he was bold, strong, and courageous, but also a bit arrogant, impulsive, and reckless. Contrast this with who he was when God spoke to him in the burning bush and finaly called him to deliver Israel. He didn’t want to go! He argued with God and tried to convince God to send someone else. He did not see himself as qualified. And in Numbers 12:3 we find this remark concerning the character of Moses in his later years: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, ESV). 

Meekness is not typically the character trait that we would associate with a great leader like Moses. The man was used by God to lead hundreds of thousands of Hebrews out from under the oppression of a great and powerful nation. In fact, most would imagine someone like the 40-year-old Moses, but certainly not the 80 year old  Moses. Moses, by that time, was very, very meek. He was humble.

I would propose to you that Moses was exiled to Midian so that God might humble him there. 

I can see how 40 years in the wilderness could do that to a man. What did Moses, the prince of Egypt, do for 40 years? He tended to the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro. That’s humbling. Marriage can also humble a man. So too can parenthood. Age should also bring humility. I say “can” and “should” because these things do not always produce humility in men (or women). Sometimes men grow even more prideful and hardhearted in marriage, as parents, and with the passing of time. But the faithful will grow more humble, meek, and mild as God refines them through these experiences. This seems to have been the case with Moses. 

God was not done developing Moses at the age of 40. He had more work to do in his soul. During those 40 years of exile, his body grew weaker, but his faith grew stronger. And this was the thing that he needed if he was to do the work that God has set him apart to do: strong faith. Paradoxically, to be strong in faith, one must be weak as it pertains to pride. Those who are prideful trust in themselves, whereas those who are humble are free to trust in the Lord.

This theme can be found through the scriptures, for this is how God works in the world. He chooses “what is foolish in the world to shame the wise… what is weak in the world to shame the strong… what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God…  as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27–31, ESV). 

I think you can see where this is going. When God did finally provide redemption for the Hebrews, he would do it through Moses, but no one would say that it was Moses who redeemed Israel. Clearly, it was the LORD’s work, and it was the LORD who would get the glory. 

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Conclusion

Verses 23 through 25 are transitional. They set the stage for what is to come. There we read, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus 2:23–25, ESV)

Consider a few things:

One, the people of Israel went on suffering under Egyptian bondage for 80 years after the birth of Moses. Ponder that for a moment. Yes, God does permit his people to suffer, and he works in the midst of suffering. 

Two, the king of Egypt who had sought Moses’ life when he was 40, died. It is good to remember that these powerful rulers of the past, present, or future are mere mortals. Their lives will come to an end, but God remains. His plans and purposes will never fail. 

Three, “the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.” Their suffering was great, but here we learn that they cried out to God for help. God works through the prayers of his people, brothers and sisters. Yes, God is sovereign over all. And yes, God has foreordained all that will come to pass. Nevertheless, God has determined to work in and through the prayers of his people. We must pray, brothers and sisters, for God commands it. 

Four, God heard the prayers of his people. He always does. “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning…” 

Five, God remembered his covenant. This is so important to see.  What God will do in the Exodus event is in fulfillment of the promises previously made. He remembered the promises of the covenant that he had transacted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding their offspring and the land. When the text says “God remembered” it does not mean he forgot. God does not forget, friends, for he is not a man. No, “God remembered” means that he was ready to act and to keep the promises that he had previously made. 

Six, the words “and God knew” tell us that God was not unaware of the suffering of his people. “He knew.” Indeed, he knows all things, past, present, and future with perfect clarity. When the text says, “he knew” it means that he was aware, cared, was near, and engaged. This should be a great comfort to the people of God as they suffer in this world. God knows. In other words, our suffering is not the result of God being absent, indifferent, aloof, or impotent. He knows. He is aware, near, and engaged. And though the purpose for our suffering is often a mystery to us, it is a comfort to know that we are in the hands of our God who loves, is infinitely powerful, and wise. 

Verses 23-25 clearly signal that something is about to happen. God is about to act to bring about the deliverance of his people in fulfillment to the promises made to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, for he is faithful. 

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Suggestions For Application

Will you please allow me to conclude now with a few brief suggestions for application?

One, I ask, will you identify yourself with God and his people if it means the loss of comfort, fame, and prosperity? 

I think Moses was a wonderful example of one who was willing to do that. It was his faith that drove him in this direction, mind you. To quote Hebrews 11 again, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24–26, ESV). 

I’ve put emphasis upon the words “refused”, “choosing”, “considered”, and “looking”, in order to show that Moses was deliberate about this. He knew what he was doing. He truly believed that he was choosing the better thing when he walked away from the Egyptians and stood with the Hebrews. He was rejecting the world and the things of this world and choosing Christ instead. Have you? Will you? 

You cannot have this fallen and sinful word and Christ. You must choose. And I pray that you would choose God in Christ. 

Paul the apostle did. As he reminisced about the high status he enjoyed in the world before following Christ, he said, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7–11, ESV).

Paul and Moses shared the same faith. They had the faith of Abraham, which is faith in the Messiah. Do you? Have you decided to follow Christ and forsake this sinful world? Have you chosen to identify yourself with God and his people, lowly as they may be? I pray you will. Young and old alike, I pray you will. 

Two, do you, like Moses, have a zeal to see God’s plans and purposes advance in this world? Moses’ zeal to see God’s redemptive purposes furthered, and also his willingness to stand up for the oppressed, is commendable and worthy of imitation. 

There was only one Moses, just as there was only one Christ. His particular calling was very different from ours. But we do share the same faith in the same Messiah. We have the same hope: life everlasting in the new heavens and earth through faith in the Messiah. And we are aiming at the same thing, namely, the glory of our Covenant keeping God. We simply have different roles to play.  

If we are to advance God’s redemptive purposes, we must devote ourselves to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the building up of the church of Christ, and to the maintenance of the worship of his most holy name. In other words, we are to devote ourselves to the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom. And as it pertains to Moses’ concern for the oppressed, we too should share his concern and seek to promote true justice within the communities where we live. 

Thirdly, and lastly, I will ask you, do you have the humility that Moses had in his later years? Are you meek? The scriptures say that we must pursue meekness. Listen to the words of Paul: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12–13, ESV).

I’ve heard people say things like, well, it’s not who I am. In other words, I’m not a meek person — I am bold and aggressive. And granted, there are different personality types within Christ’s church. But it is possible for someone who is bold, and maybe a little loud, to also be truly meek and humble. It may not be who you are now, but it is what God calls us to be. We are to “put on… compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…”

As I said earlier, I think Moses spent 40 years in Midian so that the Lord might develop this humility within him. I’m sure there were other reasons too! Lots of good things happened during that time, I’m sure! But the narrative of Exodus seems to highlight the development of this trait within Moses. 

Have you ever considered, dear brothers and sisters, that the Lord may be doing something similar with you? Why is it that you are sojourning in this desert place, or enduring this prolonged trial? I can’t tell you for sure, but I do know this: the Lord is seeking to refine you through it.  Be patient, brothers and sisters. And be believing. Walk by faith knowing that the Lord is in control, he is at work within you, and he will surely bring that work to its completion. 

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 11:1, 23, 32–40

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…. [verse 23] By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict…. [verse 32] And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:1, 23, 32–40, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 1:1-2:10

“These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves. Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and let the male children live?’ The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.’ So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.’ Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, ‘Because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’” (Exodus 1:1–2:10, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Another benefit of taking three sermons to introduce the book of Exodus and to situate it in the overarching story of redemption which is told in the Bible is that it frees us now to dive down into the details of this marvelous story without getting lost in the weeds. We’ve gotten our bearings (I hope). Now we are in a good position to engage with the text of Exodus itself while keeping the big picture story ever in mind. 

Before we come to our text for today I wish to remind you that it was Moses who wrote the book of Exodus. He wrote it along with Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy in that time between the Exodus event and the conquest of Canaan while Israel wandered in the wilderness those 40 years. And who did he write this book for? Well yes, he wrote it for us. But first of all, he wrote it for the people of Israel freshly redeemed from Egyptian bondage. These books were for them before they were for us. 

Remember that the Israelites spent many, many years in Egyptian bondage. Certainly, some of the stories that are contained within Genesis were known and preserved amongst the faithful Hebrews. But I think it is safe to say that some had forgotten what God had done with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’m sure that the promises God had made to them were forgotten or corrupted in the minds of many Hebrews as they dwelt in that idolatrous land. So, when Moses wrote Genesis and Exodus, he was, among other things, reminding the Hebrews of their heritage. He was, in essence, introducing many of them to their God, their Creator, Redeemer, and Covenant Lord. 

As we consider the books of Genesis and Exodus we must see that they function in the same way for us, for our God is the God of the Hebrews. He is also our Creator, Redeemer, and Covenant Lord, for we have been engrafted into the Israel of God by faith. Abraham is our father by faith. His God is our God. And it is here in Genesis and Exodus that God, our Creator, and Redeemer, is introduced to us.

Do you wish to know who God is? Then you must start, not with the gospel of Matthew, but with Genesis and with Exodus. These books are foundational. Yes, the New Testament revelation is even more clear concerning who God is. But it is more clear, not because it presents something different about God than what is said in the first books of the Bible. No, the New Testament Scriptures simply build upon the revelation previously given.

The point is this: Genesis and Exodus are foundational books. They reveal, among other things, God, our Creator, and Redeemer. In these books Moses says to Israel and to us, “Behold, your God!”, and so we had better pay careful attention to what is said here.

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The Book Of Exodus Continues The Story That Is Told In Genesis (1:1-7)

The first thing I would like for you to consider about our text for today is that the book of Exodus is clearly a continuation of the story that is told in Genesis. The end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus fit almost seamlessly together. 

In verses 1 through 4 we find a listing of Jacob’s 11 sons. In verse 5 we are reminded that Joseph was already in Egypt. So then, there were 12 sons of Jacob who went down into Egypt, but not all at the same time. And in verse 5 we are also informed that the total number of people who went down to Egypt in the clan of Jacob was 70. Such a small number especially when compared to the great multitude of Egyptians that dwelt in the land. Jacob and his clan were a small drop in the bucket. They would have hardly been noticed as they went down into Egypt, and yet God had big plans for them.

In verses 6 and 7 were are reminded of God’s plans for this little family. There we read, “Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:6–7, ESV). Here we are to remember the promises that God made to Abraham, saying:

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV)

And later, after years of barrenness, God clarified to Abraham that his very own son would be his heir, “And he brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” (Genesis 15:5, ESV).

This same promise regarding many offspring emerging from Abraham was repeated many times in the Genesis narrative, and here we begin to see the fulfillment of it. The little clan of Abraham grew into a great multitude while in Egypt. 

I have urged you to not forget Genesis as we move through Exodus. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this. Genesis and Exodus are to be read as one, for the Exodus story does fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Genesis story.

Do not forget Genesis. This will probably not be the last time I say that. I will say it again and again in our study of Exodus, and when we come to study Leviticus someday, Lord willing, I will say it again. Do not forget Genesis. Do not forget the promises that were made to Abraham beginning in Genesis 12. Also, do not forget the story that is told in Genesis chapters 1 through 11 either! That story regarding creation, God’s covenant with man in the garden temple, the promise of glorified eternal life in the blessed presence of God and of eternal Sabbath rest conditioned upon perfect obedience, and the forfeiture of that blessed hope through Adam’s sin, is most foundational. And so too is the promise of redemption. 

There is so much to say, and so little time to say it. For now, it will suffice to establish or maintain the connection in your minds between what was lost at the time of the fall and what is being regained through God’s program of redemption. I will summarize it with these words: eternal life in the blessed presence of God, that is, eternal Sabbath rest, through the Savior that God has provided. Adam forfeited it. Christ has earned it. What happened at the time of the Exodus was a significant advancement in God’s program of redemption.

The first seven verses of Exodus link this book to Genesis and to the story that is told there. We must not fail to make the connection. 

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The Seed Of The Serpent Continued To Bite At the Heel Of The Seed Of The Woman (1:8-22)

Secondly, consider that in this story, the story of Exodus, the seed of the serpent continues to bite at the heel of the seed of the woman. 

There are other ways to say this. I could have simply said that in the Exodus story there is hostility between the powers of this world and the people of God. You can see it clearly here in verse 8 through to the end of chapter 1. Here we learn about the harsh and oppressive treatment of the Hebrews by Pharaoh. But I have said it this way: in the story of Exodus, the seed of the serpent continues to bite at the heel of the seed of the woman, in order to remind you of the promise of the gospel delivered in the presence of Adam and Eve after their fall into sin. To the serpent God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV). 

What did these words mean?

One, a Savior would one day arise from the women who would crush the head of the serpent. In other words, this Savior would defeat Satan and overturn his kingdom and his works. 

Two, until then there would be enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. As the Genesis narrative unfolds it becomes very, very clear that this is not about the hostility that exists between humans and snakes, but rather, the hostility that exists between those who are of God and those who are of the evil one. The offspring of the woman and the offspring of the serpent are all humans. The thing that differentiates them is faith and allegiance. The meaning is this: God will always have his people in the world, and Satan will have his. There will be perpetual hostility between these two groups until the consummation. The story of Cain and Able is the first instance of this hostility, but the theme repeats time and time again throughout the pages of Holy Scripture coming to its climax in the crucifixion of the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God. 

Three, though there will be hostility, it was promised that the seed of the serpent would strike at the heel of the seed of the woman, but the seed of the woman would strike the serpent’s head. In other words, in due time, God and his people will have the victory. 

So, when I say that in the story of Exodus the seed of the serpent continues to bite at the heel of the seed of the woman, I wish for you to see this ruthless oppression of the children of Abraham by idolatrous Pharaoh, King of Egypt, as yet another manifestation of this theme of hostility. Here Satan is striking at the heel of God’s Messiah, but we know that God and his Messiah will have the victory. 

Let us consider now the ruthless oppression. 

First, we learn that “there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8, ESV). Joseph, you remember, had favor with the Pharaoh in his day. He was elevated by God to a position of great power within Egypt. Only the Pharaoh himself was more powerful than him. 

Undoubtedly, the brothers of Joseph who came down into Egypt along with their descendants enjoyed a privileged place within Egypt for some time after Joseph’s death, given his fame. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the Hebrews flourished in Egypt as they did. But eventually, the situation changed. A new Pharaoh came to power, and it is likely that the political climate had changed within Egypt so that foreigners were viewed with suspicion. When the text says that this Pharaoh “did not know Joseph”, it means that he did not have any regard for Joseph. 

This Pharaoh was a skilled politician. He advanced his plans to oppress the Hebrews by playing off of the fear of the people (beware of propaganda, brothers and sisters, from the left and the right). Verses 9: “ he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land” (Exodus 1:9–10, ESV). I’ve been convinced that verse 10 should probably be translated not as “escape from the land”, but rather “arise from the land”. In other words, the fear was not that the Hebrews would leave if foreign powers invaded, but that they would arise from the land and fight with the enemies of Egypt to gain independence. 

Either way, Pharaoh’s proposal was that the Egyptians deal shrewdly with the Hebrews so as to diminish and control their population. 

At first, the Egyptians sought to diminish the Hebrew population through forced labor. Heavy burdens were laid upon the Hebrews as they were tasked with building the store cities of Pithom and Raamses. 

The suffering of the Hebrews is not detailed for us, but it is not difficult to imagine. Families would have been torn apart. Husbands and wives would have been separated for long periods of time, making procreation and child-rearing nearly impossible.  Starvation would have been common given the difficulty of tending to crops and herds while being sent away from home and into forced labor. Men and women would have literally been worked to death. Remember, the goal was not to build these military store cities but to decrease the population of the Hebrews. Notice the emphasis upon the severity of the word. The Hebrews were afflicted with “heavy burdens”. They were oppressed. They were treated “ruthlessly”. The Egyptians made the Hebrews’ lives “bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves” (Exodus 1:14, ESV).

Please allow me to make three very brief observations before continuing on with the narrative:

One, we must not forget that these were God’s chosen people who suffered. They were set apart from the nations so that God might work in and through them. God entered into a covenant with them, and yet this is what they experienced. They suffered. Life in this fallen world is filled with suffering, brothers and sisters, and God’s people are not exempt. God’s people may suffer, but they do have hope. 

Two, given the storyline of scripture, this campaign to control the population of the Hebrews must not only be viewed as attempted genocide but as a war against God and his plan of redemption. When the Egyptians sought to exterminate the Hebrews, they were assaulting the very people through whom God had determined to bring the Messiah into the world. To engage in genocide is always to war against God, his law, and his image, but here the Egyptians did serve Satan in a special way as they warred against God and his promise concerning a Savior that would come from the offspring of Abraham. 

Three, God’s plans and purpose cannot be thwarted. Men may try, but God’s purposes will always prevail. He even accomplishes his purposes through suffering and times of oppression. In verse 12 we read, “But the more [the Hebrews] were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel” (Exodus 1:12, ESV).

Forced labor was not the height of Pharaoh’s wickedness and cruelty. No, after that had failed he took a more direct approach by requesting that the Hebrew midwives put the male Hebrews to death shortly after they were born. 

Midwives are women who help other women give birth. In those days, midwives were typically without children of their own. They were free, therefore, to leave the home and to serve in this way. “Shiphrah and Puah” are mentioned by name, not because they were the only two midwives serving the Hebrews — no, the Hebrews were far too numerous to have only two — but because they were the senior or lead midwives. 

Pharaoh spoke to them (probably not directly, but through his officials), saying, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live” (Exodus 1:16, ESV).

This was a terrible decree. Pharaoh commanded that the male children be murdered.

Why the males? 

Well, an imbalance in the number of males and females would certainly disrupt procreation for generations to come. 

Also, if the Egyptians were concerned about an uprising, having fewer males amongst the population would be to their benefit. 

But do not forget the promise made to Abraham. His Son would bless the nations. Certainly, this assault against the male child pertains to that. 

Now, put yourself in the place of the midwives, Shiphrah, Puah, and all they represented.  They were in a very, very difficult position. It was no small thing to disobey the order of Pharaoh. Certainly, their lives were on the line. And I would not doubt if great rewards were offered to them should they follow through on the King’s decree. But Pharoah underestimated the faith, love, and courage of these women.  

Have you ever wondered what Pharaoh was thinking? Did he really think that he could persuade these women — Shiphrah, Puah, and all of the other Hebrew midwives — to commit this heinous thing? In fact, history would tell us that his plan was not at all farfetched. History shows that men and women will in fact do very terrible things if it means that they will escape some suffering or inconvenience and come to have some benefit or pleasure. Do not be naive, brothers and sisters. When Pharaoh gave this order, he expected that it would be followed, for in his experience men, and even women would be very cruel, if the right amount of pressure were put on them, or if the incentive were high enough. 

In our land, hundreds of thousands of abortions are conducted every year. Mothers choose to murder their own children. What drives them to do it? Perhaps there is outside pressure. Perhaps there is some other perceived incentive. I doubt that either the pressure or the incentive compare to what these Hebrew midwives encountered. They rushed their own lives when they disobeyed the Pharaoh’s decree.

What compelled them to disobey? Verse 17: “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live” (Exodus 1:17, ESV).

These women, Shiphrah, Puah, and the midwives they led, are to be considered heroes of the faith. I keep saying their names because I think their names should be known to us. Shiphrah, Puah are heroes of the faith. They feared God. They risked their lives when they disobeyed the King. They are to be commended. God used them to bring Moses into the world, and also the Christ. 

By the way, here we have evidence that although many within Israel may have lost sight of their God and the promises of God during those many years in Egypt, not all did. That many did will become clear to us when we come to the story of Israel worshiping the golden calf in the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt. Many were faithless. But some were faithful. These women,  Shiphrah, Puah, and the other God-fearing midwives are an example of these. Add them to the long list of heroines of the faith.

They let the male children live. Verse 18: “So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” (Exodus 1:18, ESV). Can you imagine how fearful they must have been to go stand before Pharaoh after disobeying them as they did?  Verse 19: ​​“The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them” (Exodus 1:19, ESV).

Some have wondered about this response. Did the midwives lie to Pharaoh, and if so, was this right? I have two brief remarks about this.

One, I wonder if it is in fact sinful to tell a lie in some extreme situations. I think it is right for us to recognize a kind of hierarchy in God’s law and to see that some laws have priority over others. Things aren’t always neat and clean in this fallen world, brothers and sisters. For example, the Sabbath day is to be honored, but if your neighbor’s Ox falls into a ditch you are to work to get it out. Why? Because the preservation of life trumps the strict observance of the Sabbath day.  And so too, when it an unjust ruler commands the slaughter of children, for example, is it sinful to use deceit to preserve the life of the innocent? I don’t think so. Be very careful with this principle, brothers and sisters. It can be easily misused and abused. But if ever you find yourself in such a terrible situation as the one these midwives were, I don’t believe it is wrong to act as they did for the preservation of life. Think of the way that some hid the Jews when Hitler and his armies were seeking their extermination. Did they sin when they deceived the soldiers and lied to them. I think not.

Two, the midwives may not have lied. I can easily imagine the midwives spreading the world amongst the Hebrew women saying, don’t call for us, at least not right away. Do it yourselves. Be attentive. The word translated as “vigorous” in verse 19 means lively and active. And so it was probably true. The Hebrew women (maybe because they were warned), were more lively and active in the birthing process than the Egyptian women (who depended much more on their midwives) so that the Hebrew midwives did not find an opportunity to secretly put the male children to death as the Pharaoh wished.

Either way, there is deceit and trickery involved, these women are commended for what they did in this extreme situation. Verse 20: “So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families” (Exodus 1:20–21, ESV).

Pharaoh was determined to diminish the Hebrew people, and so “Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live” (Exodus 1:22, ESV). This is full-blown, government-sanctioned, out-in-the-open, genocide.

Why the Nile?  

One, it was clean. This would have been an easy way for the Egyptians to follow through on the King’s decree. 

Two, the Nile was considered by the Egyptians to be divine. So then, these were offerings to the god of the Nile. The conscience would in this way be comforted, therefore. If it is the will of Pharaoh that these children be killed, and if it is the will of the god of the Nile to receive them, then who am I to disagree. Or so the reasoning would go.     

There is a Biblical theme that I want for you to recognize before we move on to the last section of our text for today, and that is the theme of the waters of death and destruction. 

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1–2, ESV). Remember the primordial waters, brothers and sisters. They covered the earth rendering it unsuitable for human habitation. And at Creation God separated the land from the seas as he formed and fashioned the earth making it suitable for human life. 

At the time of the flood, God judged the world with water. The earth was, in a way, returned to that primordial state. But God caused the waters to recede by the power of his Spirit. Noah and his family emerged from the temple of Ark to worship on the mountain, and to repopulate the earth as a new humanity.

And now the waters threaten again. They threaten to swallow up the people of God, the promises of God, and the Messiah of God — first the Nile, and later the Red Sea — but God would have the victory. 

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God Was Faithful To Fulfill His Promises And To Preserve His Redeemer (2:1-10) 

The last portion of the story that we will consider today is truly marvelous. Here we see that God was indeed faithful to fulfill his promises and to raise up a redeemer. 

Verse 1 of chapter 2 says, “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months” (Exodus 2:1–2, ESV).

You know this is about the birth of Moses, though he is not named until verse 10. I think we should make note of the fact that Moses was a Levite. His father’s name is not given, but he was “from the house of Levi”. The Levites would be priests, and Moses was of this tribe. 

His mother saw that he was a “fine” child. What mother doesn’t think that their child is a “fine” child? Really, this must mean that she knew there was something special about him. In fact, that is what Hebrews says. “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict…” So then, this was an act of faith. Faith in whom? Faith in God. And faith in what? Faith in the promises of God concerning a savior, redemption, and the new heavens and earth. 

Moses’ mother hid him for three months. The details of her anguish are not recorded for us, but it is not hard to imagine. She must have been terribly afraid and internally conflicted. 

When she could no longer hide the child — she must have known that she was found out and that the child’s life was in imminent danger —  “she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank” (Exodus 2:3, ESV). 

If we are reading Genesis and Exodus carefully we will probably see a connection between Moses’ basket and the ark that Noah constructed according to the command of God. God preserved his people and sustained his promises through these vessels as the waters threatened. 

Verse 4: “And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him” (Exodus 2:4, ESV). The names of Moses’ family members are not given here, but Numbers 26:59 reveals that Moses’ father’s name was Amram. His mother’s name was Jochebed. Had two sons: Aaron and Moses. Their sister’s name was Miriam. So add Jochebed and Miriam to the list of courageous women used by the Lord to accomplish his purposes. 

In verse 5: we read, “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children’” (Exodus 2:5–6, ESV). So then, we see that the daughter of Pharaoh did not inherit her father’s ruthless heart. No, she was filled with tenderness and compassion. 

And now you are beginning to see that God works in mysterious ways. Not only does he accomplish his purposes even through suffering, he also works great acts of deliverance through people and in places we would not expect. Moses, though his life was threatened by Pharaoh, would in fact be sheltered by Pharaoh and raised in his house, and this because of the compassion of Pharaoh’s daughter. 

The story gets even better. Moses’ sister was very bold. She courageously spoke to Pharaoh’s daughter, saying, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” (Exodus 2:7, ESV). Was this the plan, or was Miriam simply quick on her feet? We do not know. But this was brilliant. 

In verse 8 we read, “And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed him” (Exodus 2:8–9, ESV). What a happy turn of events in such a dark story. One moment, Jochebed was setting her beloved child adrift down the Nile in a basket not knowing what would become of him. She probably returned to her home weeping. But moments later she is summoned by Pharaoh’s daughter to nurse her precious baby boy, and for pay! It’s almost as if she received him back from the dead… 

 In fact, that is how we are to see it. Verse 10: “When the child grew older, she [Jochebed] brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. [Pharaoh’s daughter] named him Moses, ‘Because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water’” (Exodus 2:10, ESV). 

*****

Suggestions For Application

Now the stage is set for the Exodus story. Israel would be delivered from Egyptian bondage, and this great act of deliverance would be worked through this man Moses. You can see that God’s hand was upon him, and upon his family, from the time of his birth. He would one day deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, but first he would be sheltered in Egypt, in Pharaoh’s own house. 

Do not forget, brothers and sisters, that the early life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ followed the same path. He, being the second Moses, and one greater than Moses, was also threatened as a child, and his life was preserved in Egypt, before returning to Israel to accomplish his work there. 

Please allow me to conclude now by making three very brief suggestions for application. More could be said, but I wish to leave you with this:

One, this story must encourage the people of God to not be given over to utter despair in times of oppression. There will be times of oppression for the people of God as the sojourn in this world. We have lived in a time of great and unusual freedom and comfort. It may not always be this way. Certainly, our brothers and sisters around the world today live in very different circumstances. And the same has been true for our brothers and sisters throughout history. The powers of this world do often move against the people of God to oppress them. It is a story as old as sin. And as we consider the Exodus story we must be encouraged to not despair in difficult times. 

What shall we do?

Two, we must honor God in times of oppression. As you can see, there were some from amongst the Hebrews who did this very thing as the heavy hand of the Egyptians descended upon them. They quietly and peacefully honored God. They are all women who are emphasized in this passage: Shiphrah, Puah, and the midwives, Jochebed, and Miriam. I’m sure there were men who honored God too. Perhaps they are not mentioned because most of them were sent away to labor as slaves. But the point is this, men and women must honor God always, and even in times of oppression when the powerful within the culture seek to push God’s people down. 

Three, this will require us to trust in God. Clearly, these women who are mentioned in this passage were women of faith. The midwives “feared God”, we were told. And Moses’ family hid him “by faith”, the book of Hebrews says. When I say trust in God I don’t mean trust him to keep you from all harm, from suffering, and from death, for God has not promised to keep his people from these things. No. trust him to keep his promises and to accomplish all of his purposes as revealed in the Scriptures. Trust him to keep you alive, for all eternity. Trust him to bring you safely into the new heavens and earth along with all of his elect. Trust him to make all things right in the end. That is what these women hoped for. This is what the book of Hebrews says: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13–16, ESV)

 One of the major lessons that is learned in this introductory portion of the book of Exodus is that God is sovereign over all things — yes, even oppressive regimes, and the suffering of his chosen people — and he will surely keep his covenant promises. This was a lesson that Old Covenant Israel needed to learn as they sojourned in the wilderness and towards the promised land, and it is a lesson that the New Covenant people of God must learn too, for we also are sojourners.