The Bible From Beginning to End: The Deliverance

 
Introduction 
This week we are moving from Genesis (book of beginnings) to Exodus which means departure.  Just like Genesis Exodus is divided into two parts… The first recounts Israel’s enslavement and exodus from Egypt.  The second tells the story of receiving the Law from God.  Many have said Exodus is a book about Moses, and they are not completely wrong, but it is a book about God and what He does through Moses.  According to Philip Ryken, “The exodus shows that there is a God who saves, who delivers his people from bondage”[1] There is much written about Moses, in fact, four out of the first five books of the Bible (A.K.A. the Pentateuch) are devoted to him, his life, challenges, and death.  It would be impossible for me to touch on every detail of his life in the time we have together, so I have chosen to focus on key characteristics of Moses’ ministry as a leader.  Today we will briefly skim over Moses’ life and key points in the Book of Exodus and next week we will spend our time looking at receiving the Law.
           
Background
Exodus 1:6 – 17
Before we begin, it would be good to give a little historical and cultural background to help us better understand what is going on in Exodus.  Aside from God, Moses is the key character in Exodus and in the history of the nation of Israel. It is through Him, God establishes the Laws of the nation, the structure for worship, performs miracles, and deliver’s the people of Israel from slavery.
 
We read at the beginning of Exodus the Hebrew people (Israelites) lived in Egypt.  The Hebrews and Egyptians co-existed peacefully in Egypt for nearly three centuries after the death of Joseph.  Over time the various Pharaoh’s would come and go and eventually a Pharaoh came into power who felt threatened by the Hebrews.  This Pharaoh began to worry that the Israelites were becoming too numerous and if something wasn’t done to control their population then Egypt could potentially be overtaken by the Hebrews.  
 
Thus Pharaoh mandated that all male Hebrew babies be murdered (every female was spared), and he enslaves the Hebrew nation to hard labor. 
 
Exodus 2:1 – 10
We are not told at this time the name of the mother of Moses (later we find out her name is Jochebed), but we do know that “she saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months.” Somehow, she has the foresight to know her son was special before God, and He had a plan for him.   So, she places her infant in a waterproof basket and places him in the Nile so the Pharaoh’s daughter would find the baby down the river.  When Pharaoh’s daughter sees the basket and the child inside, she adopts the baby as her own and names him Masha or Moses (which means “drawn out”) since she drew him out of the water.  Moses is brought up as the son of the daughter of the Pharaoh and he lives a life of a prince for a good portion of his younger years. 
 
One day Moses sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and he ends up murdering the Egyptian.  This is a big deal!  Moses flees for his life to Midian.  Eventually he gets married, lives a shepherd’s life, and has an unlikely encounter with God, through a burning bush, which forever changes his life and calling.
 
Moses’ life could be broken down into three 40-year clusters.  His first forty years could be considered his prince years.  He lived in the house of Pharaoh and enjoyed the privileges of the household.  His middle forty years were spent as a humble shepherd in Midian at his father-in-law’s home.  It was most likely during this time Moses was being trained as a leader for the nation of Israel.  His final forty years were spent as a called agent of God.  It was during this time that Moses led the nation of Israel out of captivity and into the desert to the Promised Land.  Unfortunately, Moses never makes it to the Promised Land, but he used this time to disciple a young man named Joshua to lead the nation as they enter the Promised Land.  More on that in a few weeks.
 
Moses:  The Leader
Today I want to spend some time talking about Moses.  Moses was an influential man and a leader whom God called and used in great ways to establish his chosen people as a nation.  As I spent time reading about Moses in both the Bible and extra-biblical sources, I noticed five specific qualities about Moses’ leadership that I believe can benefit us all today in the Body of Christ.  Now, when I am speaking about leaders or leadership I am not just referring to Pastoral ministry, I am really talking about men and women who are in positions where they have individuals following them or authority over.

1. Moses was called by God:
   Calling is the most important qualities of any spiritual leader. 
   
   Read Exodus 3:4 -10. 
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   Moses was in the desert serving his father-in-law when he came upon a burning bush, and he heard the voice of God calling out to him.  The voice called him by name and gave him specific details as to what He was going to do through Moses.  God tells him He is going to use him to deliver the Israelites out of bondage of the Egyptians. Calling is essential to the work of God.
   
   I encounter people who have no concept of calling or leadership.  Believe it or not leadership (especially in the body of Christ) is a calling and is not necessarily something that is learned.  Sure, you can learn some tactics and rules of leadership, but a true leader is called not created. People go to schools, colleges, seminaries, etc. to learn how to be a leader in the church but if God has not called this individual to this role, they will never be effective for the Kingdom of God.  It is true, there are people who can attract a lot of people, build large church buildings, and convince people to support them in numerous ways, but God will not put his hand of blessing (spiritually speaking) upon an individual who is not called.  We have the tendency to associate success with human accomplishments, charisma, and the likeability (or attractiveness) of an individual.  When we read the passage above nowhere does God refer to Moses’ human qualities, confidence, or character to accomplish his will.  When God does speak to Moses, we read that God uses the word “I” a lot.  God is the one who accomplishes success and as leaders we would do well to understand this.  
   
   People have asked me, “How do you know you are called to the ministry?”  It is a question I cannot honestly answer other than saying, “I just know I am.”  I did not have a physical burning bush experience in my life, but I do know that God has been with me every step of the way.  This leads me to the second quality.
   
   
2. Moses was dependent on God.
   When one is called by God one also acknowledges that she cannot lead on her own.  When one is called, he responds much like Moses does in Exodus 4:10 – 12 (Read). 
   
   When I received my calling my initial response was, “Um, God… Are you sure you have the right man here?  I mean look at me, I am overweight, I am not a dynamic speaker, I do not fit any mold for a Pastor, and I was never a leader, I was always a follower in my younger days.  Maybe you were talking to someone next to me and I overheard the conversation.”  It took time for me to understand that God wasn’t calling me because of my qualities and who I was or was not, He was calling me in spite of me.  A called leader knows that success comes when he is completely dependent on God.  Ultimately, I have no control over the success of my ministry.  My job is to be available and willing to move when God calls and be completely dependent on him when he does.
   
   Read Exodus 33:12 -16
   
     In this passage Moses is basically saying, “I will go wherever you call me to go, however I will not go unless you go before me.”  A true leader knows he cannot accomplish anything for God unless God goes before him.   There is only one reason why I am here today and why I have continued to stay here, it’s because before I became campus Pastor at Southside I prayed, “God I will go as long as you go before me.  No matter what awaits me here on 1604 17th Ave W I will only go if you go first, and I will stay for as long as you tell me to stay.  I am completely dependent on you to accomplish anything.”
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3. Moses prayed for the people.
   A leader always pray for his people.  There were times when Moses would pray that God would shut the mouths of those who were complaining.  There were also times when he interceded for his people.  For example, in  Exodus 32:11 -14 this was the case.  Little did the people of Israel know that Moses was praying and interceding for them.  There are times when God says to Moses, “I’ve had it with this rebellious nation!  I’m going to kill them all and start all over.”  Yet Moses replies by interceding for the people and because of his relentless and passionate prayers, the Bible tells us, God relented.  
   
   I want to assure you as a congregation you are prayed for.  I know there may be some who complain, belly ache, and criticize and I pray for them as well.  I know as a pastor prayer matters and I have committed to praying for this congregation.
   
   
4. Moses was in fellowship with God.
   Since Moses was a man of prayer, this tells us he spent quality fellowship time with God.  Moses was on a mountain with God, and he was shown the tail end of God’s glory (the most any man or woman in the Bible ever saw of God).  Resulting in Moses’ face shining the Shekinah glory of God for days after being in the presence of God.  In Exodus 33:7 – 11 We are told that Moses would leave the camp of Israel and take the tent of meeting away from the camp and fellowship with God.  The Israelites respected this, and they knew the presence of God was with him.  I love that verse 11 says, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”
   
   Fellowship with God is important for a spiritual leader’s position.  Therefore, it is important for leaders and Christians to take time away and just fellowship with God.  We sometimes need to leave the camp (or our offices, or workspaces) and spend time with the Lord.  It is during this time with God that He speaks to us as a man speaks to a friend.  
   
   
5. Moses was not perfect.
   Moses was a flawed individual.  He was not perfect, he misrepresented God at times, made bad decisions, and generally ticked off the masses, but this did not disqualify him as a leader.  In fact, this made him a better leader to the people because in his flaws and quirks the people could see that it wasn’t Moses who was to be glorified, it was God who needs to be glorified.  
   
   Read Numbers 20:10 – 13. 
   
   This is a sad day in the life of Moses.  He misrepresents God to the people.  It was a mistake that Moses would live to regret.  However, God continued to use Moses even after this fatal flaw.  
   
   As a leader I am aware that I am far from perfect.  there are times I have missed out on a blessing because of my stubbornness or my stupidity.  I do know that God has not abandoned me in my sin.  I know God still chooses to work through me (even when I can’t understand why).  God displays his mercy to us so that we may display mercy to others.  I for one am glad that God uses imperfect people to accomplish his perfect plan.

 
Conclusion
The Exodus account and the story of Moses’ life is one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible.  It gives me encouragement to know that God is not out actively seeking for men and women who “have it together” to accomplish his will.  I look at the successes and failures of Moses during his lifespan and I see the hand of God in all aspects of this man’s life.  As individuals and as a congregation we can also be encouraged that God’s hand is upon us to accomplish his will.  God has done some amazing things in the history of the nation of Israel, and I believe He can and does still have amazing things in store for his Church as well; what they may be, I don’t know, we can only pray, wait, and see.
 


[1] Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory (pp. 16–17). Crossway Books.