Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Joseph had stopped. So had his brothers and their whole generation. But they had produced descendants and others had also produced – prolifically. They were numerous. More numerous than all the Egyptians. This lends itself to Joseph’s Pharaoh as being from the 16th Dynasty because they ruled Upper Egypt, where Goshen was, and could have been outnumbered a lot easier than Upper and Lower Egypt together. No Pharaoh ruled for as long as Joseph served (93 years). He would have seen MANY Pharaohs and served quite a few. The families changed. Their influence changed. Also, the Pharaoh that came later (when Moses was born which was 40 generations after Joseph – around 154 years or 224 years after Jacob arrived in Egypt) was NOT of the same Dynasty as that which ruled over Joseph. It was an entirely different bloodline, had no relation to those of the 16th Dynasty, AND ended up ruling over a larger Egypt (the empire stretched from modern-day Sudan to Syria). They were warlike. They were powerful. They were the high point of ancient Egypt. When Exodus opens, it is a COMPLETELY different ballgame.

But their numbers in Upper Egypt was a concern. If Egypt entered into a war, they might side with the enemies. Suddenly they would have a two front war, or an overpowering combined front. Now, God said His people would be in Egypt. He said they would be ‘afflicted’. Egyptians despised Hebrews – affliction. Egyptians despised shepherds – affliction. Joseph couldn’t even eat with those who served him. Afflictions. This Pharaoh FEARED the Israelites and moved from AFFLICTION to OPPRESSION – and THIS is what earned the judgment God had spoken of to Abraham (Genesis 15:13-17).

Pharaoh made them slaves. He made them build supply cities for him. Pithom (possibly an alternate name for the Succoth of Exodus 12:37) and Ramses (The city of Zoan which was rebuilt two hundred years later by Ramesses II and renamed.). They did NOT build the pyramids as is assumed by many. They were already built. Pharaoh and those with him (the taskmasters, for example) were rigorous in their oppression and made life VERY hard for the Israelites. But nothing worked. So his fear grew. And he acted on it.

First try was to tell the midwives Shiprah and Puah to kill Israeli boys when they were born. If all the Israelites had were girls, they couldn’t fight against them and would only be good for being Egyptian wives – he could breed them out. It’s unclear if these were the only midwives or the head of the midwives, but whatever it was, they did NOT obey. They were submitted to his authority. They were respectful and polite. But they lied and fudged the truth and said it was out of their hands (civil, non-violent protest). God rewarded them for it. He gave them families of their own.

Step two was an edict. He commanded that Israelites throw their boys into the river where they would drown. This was a devilish command. It was not godly. Killing babies is NEVER godly. Doesn’t matter if it is throwing them into a river, sacrificing them on an altar (Leviticus 18:21), by the sword (Matthew 2:16-18), or abortion – I do NOT dispute women have a right to do what they want with their bodies, but they need to apply that choice BEFORE they are pregnant, just like the men who are with them need to. We don’t know how many obeyed. But we know two who didn’t.

Moses was born to Amram, son of Kohath, son of Levi. His wife was Jochebed, Levi’s daughter, and Amram’s aunt. Amram was the 3rd generation from Israel/Jacob, so this was about 74 years after Joseph’s death. They saw he was special and hid him for three months, but when they couldn’t anymore they ‘technically’ obeyed and put their boy in the river – in a basket or ark. He was found by Pharaoh’s daughter – it is unclear if it was the daughter of the reigning Pharaoh or of the previous one, the title would apply to both. In any case, she found the boy and adopted him. Moses’ sister had been watching it all (by request of her mother) and volunteered to find a wet nurse for the boy. So Moses was raised until he was weaned by his own mother in his own home – and his mother was paid for it. He was raised to know who he was AND that God had plans for him. Even went he went to his Egyptian mother, his past was NOT hidden from him and he was raised with the knowledge that God was going to use him (Hebrews 11:24-26).

“And he turned here and there, and he saw no one, and he struck the Egyptian, and he hid him in the sand.” (Exodus 2:12)

Moses was a learned man. He was educated by the Egyptians. He fought for them. Had incredible victories. Brought in a lot of treasure and expanded the nation for the Pharaoh. But he NEVER forgot he was Hebrew AND he believed he was the hand which would deliver the Israelites (Acts 7:22-25). He KNEW what his calling was. What he did NOT care to find out was God’s PLAN. So, being strong and mighty, he went to be strong and mighty. One day when he was forty years old, he went out to see his people, saw one mistreated and murdered the Egyptian. He figured no one saw it. But the next day he tried to break up a fight between two Israelites and they said ‘What? You gonna kill us too?’ And Moses, who had expected the Israelites to hail him as deliverer, realised that he had missed it and missed it ROYALLY. He feared that ALL the Israelites knew it. So he fled. Hebrews 11:27 tells us he did NOT fear Pharaoh (although when Pharaoh found out he wanted to kill Moses). He fled because he had stepped out of the will of God. He fled to Midian in Syria (where Sinai is, but we’ll get to that much later) and sought the will of God (it took 40 years and cost the Israelites extra time. Instead of the 400 years of affliction God spoke in Genesis 15:13-17, they were afflicted 430 years – Exodus 12:40 and Galatians 3:17). Moses hindered the will of God by thirty years (Psalm 78:41).

Moses arrives in Midian and stops at a well. The daughters of a priest of God (showing that just like with Melchizedek, God reveals Himself to ALL men and not just the Hebrew nation) were caretakers of sheep and came there to water their flock. Other shepherds chased them off and prevented them (bullies). Moses stepped in, and the strong warrior drove them off. Then he watered the sheep himself. The daughters reported this to Reuel (‘el being part of his name because he was a priest of ‘elohim) who invited Moses to stay with them. Moses did and this began his life of being a shepherd and seeking God’s plan. He married and had a son he named Gershom. Time has been ticking, and when Moses stopped seeking the way HE would deliver and started seeking how GOD would deliver (which took him 40 years), then God was ready to see from actions, where Moses’ heart was.

An angel made fire in a bush, but did not burn the bush. Some people think these ‘bushes’ were of a type that could grow to seven feet tall – a very noticeable fire. Moses had been looking for God (Hebrews 11:27). Having spent forty years asking for another chance to do it – but God’s way – Moses was IMMEDIATELY captivated by the bush that wouldn’t burn and he turned away to see it. He left what he was doing and went to where God was doing something. When God saw Moses RESPOND to what God was doing, then God took it to the next level. The angel (some say Metatron) spoke to Moses and told him to remove his sandals – first, because the presence of God made the ground holy (common in the ancient world in regard to temples) and second, removing a sandal was a sign of ready to receive an inheritance. They were a symbol of authority and removing them could be seen as a submission to another’s authority.

God spoke to Moses next (many, myself included, believe this voice and new presence was the pre-incarnate Jesus). He said he WAS (current) God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was a present tense thing. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived on (Matthew 22:31-32, Mark 12:26-27). He told Moses He had seen the oppression of the Israelites and was going to save them and bring them to a very prosperous land (the land of Promise whose current inhabitants had repeatedly and hard heartedly rejected God again and again and again – Amos 9:7). God was sending Moses to Pharaoh to accomplish this.

Moses tried to beg off. He asked ‘who am I?’ Forty years of living out here had drained him of that arrogant confidence he had. He was now usable, not seeking use. But he had zero confidence in the natural abilities he had been given and trained in. Not anymore. Instead of being humble, he was being inferior. God refused to accept that. He KNEW who Moses really was. He gave Moses the promise that He would be with Moses and Moses would serve Him (not fully fulfilled until the Sinai encounter). Now Moses asked ‘who are you?’ We need this perspective. Who WE are and who GOD is and how the greater sees the lesser. God responded with “I AM WHO I AM” (John 6:33), which in Hebrew (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh) is both present and future tense ‘I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE’ – a God who could take care of the details of the future and one who can inspire trust.

God told Moses to seek the elders of Israel, tell them God has heard them and will deliver them and they will go to the Promised Land. God said they would listen to Moses and that Pharaoh would not – even in the face of miracles. Now, it says later God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but also that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. When we make a decision, freely, using the will He gave us, God will often honour that and hold us to the choice we freely made. That is the kind of interchange that happened between Pharaoh and God. Also, God said that when the Israelites DID go out of Egypt they would go out with riches given freely. This would be the fulfillment of the command another Pharaoh gave way back when. The Pharaoh of Joseph’s time told Israel and his family that they had as their right all the BEST of Egypt (Genesis 45:19-20). God would honour that declaration.

Summary

Key Players: Pharaoh, Jochebed, Moses, God

Key Themes: Fear, Oppression, God’s Call vs God’s Plan, Usability

Key Verse(s): Exodus 1:8-10, 22; 2:2-3, 10, 11-14, 21-23; 3:2-3, 6-7, 12, 14, 16-17, 20-22