Sermon Tone Analysis

*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*

*/Part 11: Getting out of Egypt/*

*Exodus 5-6*

*/February 28, 2010/*

 

* *

*Prep: *

·         Skim Exodus~/plagues, Romans 12:1ff

·         Leftovers

 

Scripture reading: Exodus 1:8-14 (Sarah Dunn)

 

 

Charlton Heston is moses

 

This week we *started* to read *Exodus*.

I think for many of us, Exodus and Charlton Heston are pretty much synonymous (he was famous for something other than the NRA).

Between that and *Sunday* *school*, many of us are familiar with the *basic* story of the Exodus: Israel is in slavery in Egypt and God calls Moses to free them, and through a series of *10* *plagues*, Pharaoh is “persuaded” to let them go.

·         Studying it, I’m struck by how much *our* *story* is like *theirs*.

No water being turned into blood, but the story of their exodus *mirrors* *our* *exodus*.

But (and here is the cool thing) we *keep* *going* where they stopped.

We have a chance to *succeed* where they *failed* and *fulfill* God’s *purpose* for Israel.

Prayer

 

As always, help us *learn* from those who have gone before.

*Erase* the *distance* of culture and years and teach us.

400 years in an incubator

 

We read through *Genesis* about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we saw that God was *leading* and *watching* over them, but then it seems that he just *forget* about them.

·         There is a *400* *year* gap between Genesis and Exodus, and not until in chapter 2 does it say God “*remembered* them.”

·         Four hundred years is a long time – that’s how far *Galileo* and *Shakespeare* are from us.

Was God busy on a *side* *project*?

“I’ve got a star going *super* *nova* on me; can you just hang out for a little while?” “Sorry, that took a little longer than I thought, whoa – 400 years?!?”

 

Hardly, when you look at the *bigger* *picture* you see God’s plan.

God knows exactly what he is doing:

 

God has got this *fledging* *nation*, Israel, his chosen people.

They are part of a bigger picture (“*salvation* *history*”) – through them he will *save* all *humanity* from the *Fall*.

·         God promised Abraham that he would be *blessed* and that all *nations* would be *blessed* through him.

Q   What is the *greatest* *danger* that Israel faced?

*Assimilation* – there were only 75 of them, surrounded by pagan nations.

Abraham found a non-Canaanite wife for Isaac, and Isaac for Jacob.

But now, *Jacob’s* sons are starting to *intermarry*.

·         Do you know many *nomadic* tribes were in Palestine?

A lot.

·         Do you know how many *survived* as an ethnic group?

*One*.

Q   How could God *protect* them from the surrounding nations and have them grow into a nation that would *fulfill* their purpose?

God took them out of Canaan where they could blend in and put them in a nation where they *stuck* *out* like a sore thumb, a nation that was (frankly) a little *racist*: *Egypt*.

It would be like putting a handful of *Chinese* in a town in the *deep* *South*, circa *1950*.

They would have to band together as a tight-knit group.

·         In Egypt, they were able to *grow* and *flourish* while *maintaining* their ethnic *identity*.

After the 400 years, they were now a crowd of perhaps *2 million*, and this is where *Exodus* *picks* *up*.

They have been in an *incubator* for all this time and now it is time to *get* *going*.

Getting comfortable 

 

In the beginning of Exodus, Israel is *enslaved* by a “Pharaoh who did not know Joseph.”

Interestingly, we know that for awhile Egypt was ruled by *foreigners*, but then Egyptians retook control, explaining why the new rulers wouldn’t know him.

·         *Long* story very *short*, God raises up Moses to deliver them.

*Exodus 4:29-31 *Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses.

He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed.

And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

They’re *happy*, God is *good*, life is *great*, but we hit a *snag*:

 

*Exodus 5:1-2 * Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.’”

Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go?

I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”

And it gets *worse*: You know how your dad responded when you said you were *bored*?

“Go do some *chores*!”

Same idea, Pharaoh figures they have too much *time* on their hands and greatly increases their *quotas* and *beats* them when they fail.

Israel’s *not* so *happy*, life is *not* *great*.

Now they blame *Moses* (amazing how quickly it goes from “*our* idea” to “*your* idea”).

NIV *Exodus 5:21-23 *...they said, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you!

You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people?

Is this why you sent me?

Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

That is a very *good* *question*: Why?

I mean with friends *like* *these*...

I don’t know how much more of *God’s* help I can *handle*!

I think there is a *really* *good* reason:

 

Q   You know how you *hard* it is to *move* after living somewhere even for a *couple* of years?

How about for 400?

 

Egypt had become *home*; they were settled in.

Yeah, they were *slaves*, but they could own *property* and work *side* *jobs*.

They had their little *herb* *gardens* in the back yard, had some *investments* in the Egyptian *stock* *market*, and just signed a *lease* on a *new* *chariot*.

·         The problem was that *Egypt* was *never* meant to be *home*.

God had promised them *Canaan*.

It was the *crossroad* of three continents, where they could have the most impact upon the world, and *fulfill* their *purpose* as the chosen people.

·         God has to *remind* them that Egypt is not their home.

Starting in chapter 1 with the *enslavement* and now Pharaoh’s *harsh* *treatment*, God is driving in the point – this isn’t home.

·         God *allowed* the suffering so they would really *want* to *leave*.

*Exodus 6:6-8 * “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.

Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.

I will give it to you as a possession.

I am the LORD.”

Happy in Egypt

 

Is this starting to sound *familiar* yet?

Are you starting to see how their story is *our* *story*?

Q   *Where* do we live?

This world.

Q   Is this meant to be our *final* *home*?

No.

 

We were made to *outlive* the *stars* and *outrank* the *angels*, yet we seem perfectly happy to call it home.

This is not what we were meant for; this is a *staging* *ground*, not our home.

·         The story of the Exodus is God getting his people *out* of *Egypt* and Egypt *out* of his *people*.

*Our* *story* is God getting us *out* of this *world* and getting the *world* *out* of us.

But unlike the Israelites, our story *doesn’t* *stop* there – back to that in a minute.