A Savior is Born

A SAVIOR IS BORN

Exodus 1:8-2:10

Why Study Exodus?

1 – To see the history of God’s Redemptive Story –

-God’s plan of redemption for Israel and for the church has everything to do with

God’s work of salvation in Exodus –

-God’s plan of redemption begins with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants.

-God called Abraham; God blessed Abraham; and God made several

promises to Abraham –

-Genesis 12:1-3 – “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘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.’”

-This world-wide blessing of the nations fit tongue and grove with the first gospel

that God declared to Adam and Eve after they had sinned –

-In Genesis 3 verse 15 God speaks of One who would be the offspring of the

woman and who would crush the head of the serpent.

-Both the Genesis 3 “Promised Deliverer” and the promise to Abraham of a

worldwide blessing are fulfilled in Jesus Christ –

-Jesus is Israel’s Messiah and is the Savior for all the families of the world!

-The preservation of Abraham’s descendants is of critical importance to all God’s

people of all times!

2 – To grow in godliness –

-In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, while the Apostle Paul is talking about Moses and Israel

in the wilderness, says – “Now these things took place as examples for us.” (v. 6a)

-The point is there are many lesson for our faith to be learned from the events

and characters of the Old Testament.

-The faith and obedience that we learn from the OT will cause us to grow into the

image of Christ.

-I am careful to not imply that the church replaces Israel but there are clear

parallels between God’s people, Israel, in Exodus and God’s people, the

church, today.

3 – To glorify God –

-The God of the Exodus is our God!

-We study to see, know and marvel at the work of our God.

-The text of Exodus should make us greater lovers of God and more passionate

worshippers!

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Read Exodus 1:8-2:10

Pray

A Story of Irony

As we begin to get into the story of the Exodus, we can’t help but notice how the author (Moses)

couches the narrative in irony – I see 12 ironies –

1 – A small, weak, hungry, and hapless clan (Jacob’s family leaving Canaan and going to

Egypt) become a great and strong multitude of people.

-No one is afraid of a rag-tag family of sojourners coming down from a land ravaged

with famine.

-Yet they become so great and numerous that the king of Egypt is shaking in his

boots!

2 – The more the Hebrews are oppressed, the stronger they become –

-His policy of oppression seemed to make so much sense –

-Oppress them, beat them down, make them suffer – that will take the wind

out of their sails!

-But the more he oppresses them the more kids they have!

3 – Little, powerless midwives thwart the decree of the great and powerful king –

-It is worth noting that the names of the two midwives are given in the text –

“Shiphrah” and “Puah” – yet the Pharaoh remains anonymous.

-It is even humorous to read all the speculation as to the identity of this king of

Egypt-

-It’s King Tut…it’s King Tut’s father…etc.

-But he will forever be anonymous – we don’t know who he was!

(Jesus knows His sheep and He calls them by name!)

4 – A small and ordinary Hebrew couple also thwart the will of the great and powerful

king –

-The parents of Moses –

-Heb. 11:23 – “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.”

5 – The king’s decree is to kill, but everyone in the story gives life and the people keep

multiplying –

6 – The king decrees death, but his own daughter preserves life –

7 – A Hebrew boy becomes the king’s son –

-Not only is this Hebrew boy not killed, but the king himself is going to foot the bill to

raise him!

-This boy will be fed, clothed, and educated – on the king’s dime!

8 – A mother gets back what she gives up –

-At least she is given the opportunity to know her son is safe and will be cared for in

addition to getting the opportunity to nurse him and care for him while he is small.

9 – The one who should have been dead becomes the savior –

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10 – The Nile River – a place of death – preserves the life of the one who will save –

-The name “Moses” means “out of the river” and can be seen as a picture of

resurrection.

11 – Women are the stars of the story –

-The midwives, Moses’ mother, Moses’ sister, and Pharaoh’s daught.

12 – One Pharaoh says (1:10) – “They might escape” while another Pharaoh says “leave!”

What is God’s intended message behind all these ironies?

-Something or someone who is small, weak and powerless, OVERCOMES something or

someone who is great, strong and mighty.

How can this happen?

-What is to be assumed throughout the story is said out loud in 1:20 – “So God dealt well

with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.”

-God’s providential hand was at work to see that His plan and promises be fulfilled –

-And here in the opening verses of Exodus, He was giving a record for His people to

see that over and over and over again that in their weakness, He would prove strong!

Remember, this Word wasn’t written for the benefit of those who experienced the events –

-It was written for generations to come –

-It was written for a people who later would be ruled by Canaanites, Philistines,

Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and eventually Romans.

-It was written for Christians who would experience various degrees of persecution and

afflicting for their faith –

-It was written for you – in 2023 – in what may seem an overwhelming situation –

-It was written that all God’s people would know that in our weakness, God’s proves Himself

strong!

That is the message we need as we begin our “Journey to Freedom” in the book of Exodus!

Satanic Opposition to the Plan and People of God

There’s a parallel between the beginning of Genesis and Exodus –

-In Genesis –

-God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth.”

-Then Satan attacks by means of the serpent.

-In Exodus –

-The “people of Israel were fruitful…they multiplied…and filled the land.”

-Then Satan attacks by means of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Satan always attempts to destroy the plan of God by destroying the people of God –

-Because people in general are made in God’s image and

-Because the means of God’s plan is His people!

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Three Waves of Oppression

1 – Suppression through oppression

-As verse 11 says they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens.

-So, they become the slave labor to build the Egyptian empire.

-But what happens?

-The more they are oppressed, the more difficult life becomes, the hope,

meaning, and comfort they find in making and having babies!

-The text is clear that it is Egyptian policy that leads to Hebrew productivity!

-Hebrew husbands and wives doing what husbands and wives do!

-The Hebrews were not multiplying through rampant immorality –

-What is the example of reproduction in the text?

-2:1,2

2 – Suppression through private genocide –

-Pharaoh’s second wave of oppression comes as a private campaign of genocide.

-1:15-16

-It is amazing to realize that even a total pagan who is completely godless still has a

sense of shame!

-He knows, as everyone does, that it is inherently evil to kill babies.

-So he attempts genocide as a private matter between himself and the

midwives.

-His evil plans are again thwarted because the midwives feared God!

3 – Suppression through public genocide –

-Since his attempt at private genocide doesn’t work, Pharaoh goes full out evil and

decrees a public policy that all the baby boys should be killed.

A Savior is Born

God uses ordinary means to preserve and provide a savior –

1 – Midwives who feared God –

2 – Parents who loved their child –

3 – A woman with motherly instincts –