A high-powered Chicago attorney went to Texas to dove
hunt. He shot a dove and it fell over behind a fence. The attorney climbed the
fence and saw his dove. He also saw a rough Texas farmer on his tractor. The
farmer asked, “What are you doing here?” The attorney said, “I’m dove hunting
and I shot this dove. I’ve come to get it.” The farmer said, “You can’t do
that. This is private property.” The attorney puffed out his chest and said,
“If you don’t give me my dove, I’ll sue you.” The wise old Texan said, “Well,
that’s not how we do it down here.” “How do you do it down here,” the attorney
asked. “We have the Texas three-kick rule.” Puzzled, the attorney asked,
“What’s the three kick rule.” The farmer explained, “I kick you three times.
Then you kick me three times. We keep doing it until one of us gives up.” The
smart attorney thought about it and said, “OK, let’s do the three-kick
rule.” The rough Texan got off his tractor wearing big, heavy cowboy
boots. “I’ll start,” he said. He kicked the attorney in the leg and the
attorney felt sharp, searing pain, but he stayed up. The farmer kicked him
again and the attorney doubled over and fell to the dirt in agony. Then, the
farmer kicked him a third time in the head and the attorney saws stars. The
attorney staggered to his feet and squeaked out, “Now, it’s my turn.” The Texas
farmer said, “Nah, I give up. You can have your dove.” Sometimes a good swift
kick with a cowboy boot moves things along. In our episode of The Story today,
God is going to use a very big cowboy boot to move the king of Egypt along and
in the process, deliver this new nation He had created.
If you remember back two weeks ago we talked about how
God’s Upper Story is His plan to save all human kind and the Lower Story is the
day to day stuff we deal with. We talked about how God used the Lower Story
stuff of Joseph’s life, all the bad things, betrayal, slavery, prison, etc...
to accomplish God’s Upper Story of moving the people of Israel into Egypt.
Now we turn our attention to life after Joseph and how
God delivered His people out of Egypt.
Exodus 1:5-7
“5 The
total number of Jacob’s descendants was 70; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then
Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died. 7 But
the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became
extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them.”
This new Nation was small when Jacob passed, but
scripture tells us it grew and grew. God was blessing the families of the
Israelites, so much that it was starting to cause problems with the Egyptians.
When a Pharaoh came to power that no longer remembered
or honoured what Joseph had done for the Egyptians and noticed that the
Israelite’s were more numerous than the Egyptians he became nervous and felt
action had to be taken. They enslaved the Israelites.
God continued to bless the Israelites and they
continued to multiply and continued to spread out. The more they were
oppressed, it seemed the more they multiplied. The Egyptians feared that the
Israelites would turn against them, so Pharaoh decided that all the male
Israelite children were to be killed upon birth.
Over 400 years the Israelites started as welcome
guests in Joseph’s day, to foreigners, to slaves, and then they were seen as
threats that must be destroyed. Was this change a surprise to God? Not in the
least, He predicted this would come to pass.
Genesis 15:12-14
“12 As the sun was
setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness
descended on him. 13 Then the Lord said to
Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that
does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. 14 However,
I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many
possessions.”
Since God new that the Israelites were going to be
slaved and tormented by the Egyptians, did He cause it to happen? No.
The foul treatment of the Israelites was the result of
fear and the sin nature of the Egyptian people. God did not cause it but, He
used this bad thing and turned it good.
Romans 8:28
“We know that all things work together for the good of
those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”
Again we find some pretty nasty things going on in the
Lower Story, but we are about to see how the daily struggles are about to be
turned into the Upper Story. God is going to use this opportunity to reveal
Himself to His people and the world.
God reveals himself in three ways as He deliveries His
people.
God reveals His name, His power, and His plan.
During this time of genocide where the Egyptians are
tormenting the Israelites and slaughtering their young boys, a son is born. The
mother did everything she could to protect her child and eventually she placed
him in a basket out on the river. It was here that he was found by Pharaoh’s
daughter. The mother’s faithfulness was blessed, by God orchestrating events so
that she was able to raise her son for the first handful of years of his life.
This young boy was Moses, who was raised as an Egyptian and then escaped into
the dessert at the age of 40.
During his time in the dessert he met his wife, started
a family, all the while he was being shaped by God for what was to come. 40
years later, God revealed Himself to Moses.
Exodus 3:2-6
“2 Then
the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked,
he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. 3 So
Moses thought: I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the
bush burning up? 4 When the Lord saw that he
had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
“Here I am,” he answered. 5 “Do not come closer,” He said.
“Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is
holy ground.” 6 Then He continued, “I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid
his face because he was afraid to look at God.”
God was revealing His name.
Moses was not too sure about what God was asking.
Moses felt he was not qualified to do what God was asking. Moses had a speech
issue and he was a criminal with a death sentence. Moses seemed pretty
convinced that he was the wrong man for the job. After all who was he to tell
Pharaoh what to do? How was he going to convince Pharaoh to let go of his
roughly 3 million slaves?
Moses thought he was not qualified, but God saw things
differently.
Exodus 3:11
“But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to
Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Moses said his piece, but God clearly responds in
verse 12.
“He answered, “I will certainly be with you and this
will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of
Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”
Moses said but I am not qualified, God said I am with
you, I will see you through this. You would think this would be enough for
Moses, but he had to ask more questions, he had to have more answers. He asked
God, ‘who should I say sent me, what is your name?”
Exodus 3:14
“God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what
you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”
God revealed Himself through His Name, then God
reveals Himself through His Power.
Moses went and talked to Pharaoh and said “Let my
people go.” As expected Pharaoh did not listen, he did not want to let his
slaves go free. Pharaoh hardened his heart and resisted. When he would not
listen to reason, God showed how powerful He is.
10 horrible plagues, the first 9 being all water
turning to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locust,
and darkness. God revealed Himself in power.
During some of the plagues Pharaoh would tell Moses
his people could leave, but as soon as things cleared up he would quickly
change his mind. These plagues showed the Egyptians that regardless of the gods
they worshiped, that Moses’ God was the only real God. He was also revealing
himself to the Israelites with power. God told Moses to say to the Israelites.
Exodus 6:6
6 “Therefore tell
the Israelites I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of
the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an
outstretched arm and great acts of judgment.”
God revealed Himself in His name and He revealed
Himself in His Power, and He revealed Himself in His Plan.
God had sent 9 plagues on the Egyptians but Pharaoh’s
heart was hardened, so God sent the 10th and final plague. This
plague required something that the others did not and in it God revealed His
short term plan and tipped His hand and showed us how salvation would come for
all human kind.
If you have your copies of The Story with me, please
turn to page 50 and follow along as I read.
Read pages 50-52
The new nation left Egypt by an undeniable
demonstration of the power of God as seen in the plagues and the crossing
through the Red Sea.
This could be a cowboy boot moment for you. I am
serious. We all are in slavery to sin. The destroyer—death—is coming. We need
the blood of a lamb just as the Israelites did. Where will we get it?
John 1:29
“Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of
the world!”
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7,
“For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.”
One of the biggest clues in the Story is in the
deliverance: the blood of a lamb. Ask in faith for the blood of Jesus to be put on the door frame of your soul. The
deliverance from sin is free, but you must ask for it. Humble yourself. If you
have never asked God to apply the blood of Jesus
to your life, do so now.
If you have not started pick up your copy of The Story and read along with us. One small chapter a week.
God Bless,
Robert
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