Congratulations, if you had set a goal to read a book this year, you just finished the Book of Genesis. Let’s start today by reading the first four chapters of Exodus.
God breathed
This is the story of Moses, the author credited with writing the first five books of the Bible. I say credited because all scripture is God breathed. God is the author. Take a minute to contemplate that reality.
I have written two books, many magazine articles, marketing campaigns, poems, and even songs, and each one required that I pour myself into the project. That is why the Bible is so special. When we read it, we are hearing the very thoughts that came out of the mind of the creator of the universe.
It takes a lot of time to write even one book, but God, after creating the heavens and earth and everything within them, populated His creation with people. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, He wrote them sixty-six books.
We are eternally indebted to God for His divine generosity.
Some things stood out to me as I read this morning:
A warning
First, I see a warning in Ex 1:7.
The Egyptians had allowed the Israelites to enjoy the best of their land, rightfully so. It was God’s plan. But now they have continued to multiply and are overwhelming the land and becoming too powerful.
Throughout history, attackers have overthrown the indigenous people of almost every country, such as the Spaniards overthrowing the Aztecs, and the Aztecs overthrowing the Inca.
Or, through peaceful coexistence, they allowed people to grow within their borders until those people gained control through a coup such as China in 1911, Germany in 1933 or Guatemala in 1954.
A nation must be careful to protect its sovereignty.
Fortunately, for Egypt, God had a plan to move the Israelites to their own land, which He had given their fathers. The Egyptians, previously gracious hosts, now anxiously relied on the Israelites’ continued labor.
America faces a problem today that requires immediate action. As I state in the book, Moving Ahead, How to Make America Godly Again, we have to be cautious in how we deal with this issue.
It is not sustainable
Like Egypt and many other countries, if we don’t correct the overpopulation of foreigners within our borders, we will have a revolt and it will have dire consequences.
We must be compassionate
When we look at Ex 1:11, the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites and then escalated their cruelty to oppress them.
God hears their cries
We desperately need God’s intervention to solve this problem. If not, the people, even if they took part in causing the problem, will become victims and God will hear their cries. We can not expect mercy if we are not merciful.
Moses was guilty
Moving into Ex 2:12, we read Moses kills an Egyptian. Since the Law hadn’t yet been given, perhaps killing wasn’t a violation; but right is right, wrong is wrong, regardless of definition. Killing a human was wrong then, as it is now.
That Moses looked around before killing the Egyptian is proof. His subsequent guilt, upon the discovery of his actions, further supports this.
Pharaoh wanted to punish Moses for those actions, which is why he flees to Midian.
In Midian, we see that nothing we do can stop God’s plans, no matter how much we mess up our lives. God reaches out to Moses in Midian and from the burning bush, He brings him into that plan.
God had told Abraham He would give him and his descendents the land, and God is always faithful. It was never a matter of if, only when.
That time arrived, and God instructed Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Moses was like many of us. When God calls upon us to take part, we look for someone else to do the heavy lifting.
Moses likely thought, great idea, let’s get those people out of Egypt where they are suffering. But he thought it would be better if God chose someone else.
I have seen so many people come up to leaders in the church, leaders in my company, leaders in our government, and share their great idea. When a leader then agrees, and asks what they need to get that done, most people step back and look for someone else to run with their “great idea”.
God shows Moses that He is behind that idea, and even assures Moses that He will provide the resources. This isn’t enough for Moses, so God then provides the assistance through Aaron.
Step up
We won’t be talking to a burning bush, but there are many things going on all around us where we can see God working now.
When you see God at work, you recognize that isn’t just a chance sighting. God is showing you where He wants you to get involved.
Don’t be like Moses and look for someone else when God is bringing it to your attention. If He is pulling it on your heart, you need to step up.
Where do your passions lay? What do you see happening that irritates you daily, making wish someone would do something about it?
Be that someone!
