Good evening. Please turn with me to the book of Exodus. We are beginning a new sermon series on the book of Exodus. We finished Genesis last week. Tonight I want to just consider the first seven verses. I'm going to give a general outline, some general comments on Exodus in general. But we are going to look at the first seven verses. Exodus chapter 1, verses 1 through 7. Hear the word of the Lord. These are the names of the sons of Israel who came out of Egypt, or came, excuse me, to Egypt with Jacob. each with his household, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All the descendants of Jacob were 70 persons. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly. they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them." This is the word of the Lord. Praise be to God. As I just said, we are going through now the book of Exodus. We're starting a new series. The book of Genesis from chapter 12 onwards was about how one man, Abraham, was blessed by God, how that one man grew into a family. The book of Exodus is different. It's about a nation rather than just one man growing into a family. There's a general outline. It's really in three different sections, the book of Exodus. The first section, chapters 1 through 15, is where all the drama, or most of the drama, happens. They're set free from bondage to Pharaoh. That's the first 15 chapters. But the second section, it's about learning who God is in the covenant at Sinai. I thought, and many people think, that the real action is the first section. But S.G. de Graaf says this, that the establishment of the covenant at Sinai is the real content of the book. We should guard against overemphasizing the deliverance of the people from Egypt. The deliverance was only a means of reaching the goal of establishing the covenant. So that second section, the covenants at Sinai, is really the heart, in many ways, of the book. The third section, chapters 25 through 40, is about experiencing fellowship with God in the tabernacle. It's about experiencing his presence. God is dwelling in the tabernacle with his people. The term exodus means a way out or deliverance, a way of escape. You could think of it that way. But the people always needed not only an escape from Egypt, They need an escape from sin. They need a deliverance from the spiritual corruption and guilt that they have because they are sons of Adam. Tonight, I want us to consider the character of three groups of people, because that's another thing that Exodus is about. It's about the character of three groups, the character of Moses, the character of the people, and especially and perhaps mostly about the character of God. Moses, the people, and God, each of their characters Before I dive into that, I want to say that this series, along with all of our sermons, really, they're for you. The book of Exodus is written for you so that you would be comforted and nourished and changed, deepened, matured. Alec Motyer is one of the commentators that I'm going to be using. He says this, that In their history, as recorded here, our early brothers and sisters and parents in the Israel of God found God to be their covenant-keeping Redeemer in slavery, the angel of the Lord, their divine companion in pilgrimage, and the Holy One indwelling their camp and sharing their lot. He is still unchangeably the same. the God who journeyed with the Israelites, or rather led them out by the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud, that same God is still unchangeably the same. And He's here, in His Word, He's here by His Spirit to guide us and to be with us. It's the same God. So first, let's consider the character of Moses. This is the first time that we meet Moses in Exodus. Moses, of course, is a pivotal figure in all of redemptive history. We learn about his birth because Pharaoh wanted to kill the sons of the Hebrews. And there is a moment, though, when he grows up. He grows up among the Egyptians, as we'll read about. But he kills an Egyptian and he has to flee. Some of the Hebrews see it and say, are you going to kill us like you killed them? There's a defining moment when Moses is called to go back. He's called not to identify himself with the Egyptians, but to identify himself with God's people in their suffering and in their humiliation. Hebrews 11 could have highlighted anything about Moses, but this is what it says. It says that when Moses was grown up, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh, or rather the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Moses' character was forged at this moment of being called. It was a defining moment. One of my favorite songs that I like to sing every now and then is a song from Les Miserables, the musical. And there's a moment where Jean Valjean sees that someone else is about to be convicted for a crime he committed. And he has to decide, what am I going to do? Am I going to let him go to jail for the crime I committed? And he says, how can I ever face my fellow man? How could I ever face myself again? My soul belongs to God, I know. I made that bargain long ago. He gave me hope when hope was gone. He gave me strength to journey on. Who am I? I'm John Valjean. That's who I am. So he reveals himself. He identifies himself as the one who committed the crime. Here's the point before we move on. You are meant not to identify with the world, Egypt. You are meant to identify with the people of God. That's who you are. That's who you belong to. You belong with the people of God. Whether they are mistreated, whether they are oppressed, you belong with them. The second group of people, the character that we see here, the character of the second group is really the character of the Israelites. Who are they? Well, they are a stubborn, stiff-necked, people. They're a rebellious people. They are an idolatrous people. And we will learn how they have rebelled. They fashion a golden calf. But nonetheless, in spite of their sins, they are a covenant people who belong to a covenant God. the personal God. There's a lot of drama, of course, that happens in bringing the people out of Egypt. Think about the burning bush, the river of blood, the plagues, the angel of death, the crossing of the Red Sea. There's action also in other parts of the book, the manna in the wilderness, water from the rock, thunder and lightning from Mount Sinai, the Ten Commandments, the pillar of cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night, the golden calf, the glory of the tabernacle, There's a moment, though, in Exodus chapter 2, excuse me, chapter 4, where God says to Moses, when he's calling Moses, when you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I put in your power. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son. And I say to you, let my son go, that he may serve me." Who are the people? They're a stiff-necked and rebellious people, but they are the firstborn son. They belong to God. It's who they are. It's part of their identity as a people. And you also are meant to be identified as a covenant child, purchased by Christ, that you belong to God. You are called out of the world into fellowship with God. This is who you are meant to be. Now in the first, let's look at the first verse or two. It opens up with the 12 sons of Israel, of Jacob. Only 11 are mentioned, but then of course it mentions in verse 5 Joseph. So remember that Joseph, his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh become the half-tribes of Israel. We are reintroduced to them. It's interesting that the book begins with a vav, which is a Hebrew consonant. It begins with an and. It doesn't come out in English. But literally, the translation should be and. These are the names of the sons of Israel. Remember how Genesis ended? Joseph says to his brothers, I'm about to die, but God will visit you, bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And this is how God is going to do that. And here's the sequel to Genesis. The rest of the books of the Bible look back to this moment as formative to their identity as a people. Very quickly in verse 7, so it says in verse 6, Joseph died, all his brothers died. Verse 7, they're fruitful and they increased greatly. That's important because in Genesis 12, remember God promised Abraham, I'm going to make you into a great nation. Here you see part of that promise has been fulfilled. They have increased in number. But at the same time, there is much left to be fulfilled. And the rest of the books of the Bible will look back on this moment as forming their identity. So Psalm 105 looks back on the exodus, Psalm 106 does, but let me read for you Deuteronomy chapter 26 verse five and following. Moses is giving instructions for the offerings of a first fruit that the Israelites are to bring and God says this, You can hear the exodus in this. Say to the priest, you shall make response before the Lord your God. A wandering Arab man was my father, and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there. Though few in number, there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. But then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey." Who are the people? Well, they are the people of a covenant-keeping God. They are a people brought out of the world. They belong to Him. Finally, let's consider the character of God. There's much to say on this topic, and I will try to do it as best I can, as briefly as I can. Who is God? He's the God of the covenant promise. Remember, He gave the promise to Abraham to make them into a prosperous nation. But here, there's been 400 years of silence. They're probably wondering, does God remember the covenant? The only thing that they had of the promised land was that burial plot in Genesis 23 that David McPeela. Many of them might wonder, what has God done for me lately? Where is he? But he is the God of the covenant promise, and he's going to keep the covenant promise, as we'll see. He's a God of covenant grace as well. Alec Montgier, when he's speaking about Abraham, excuse me, when he's speaking about Abraham, he says, Abraham's life of fellowship with the Lord was not the precondition of the covenant, but rather the response by which he entered into the promised blessing. From beginning to end, God's covenant relationship with his people is based on grace and not their merits. Abraham was chosen not because he was so great and wonderful. He was chosen out of the people of the world, the pagans, because of God's grace. In Exodus, God doesn't give the people the Ten Commandments and then take them out of Egypt because they've followed his law. But rather, he takes them out of Egypt by His mighty hand and outstretched arm according to His grace, and then He gives them the law. They're saved by grace, and they're saved in order to have fellowship with God. They're not saved because they've kept the Ten Commandments, and you have to get that order right. It's by grace you've been saved through faith, so that it's not of works. But nonetheless, they are called to follow Him and to be in covenant fellowship with Him. Who is God? He's also the God who sees and knows his people. In Exodus chapter 2, when God is about to call Moses, it says, during those many days, the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery. They cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. God heard their groaning. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel and God knew. God is a God who sees and knows. It's the same God who saw Hagar back in Genesis 20, excuse me, Genesis 16. Remember when Hagar is pregnant and Sarai mistreats her and Hagar runs away. God comes, the angel of the Lord comes to Hagar and says to her, You're going to bear a son, and his name will be Ishmael, which means God hears. Hagar says, surely you are a God who sees. God is a God who sees your suffering and groaning, and he comes down to help you. Many years ago, I was climbing a mountain. It was about a week-long journey with my father and my brother. I groaned, I was about 11 or 12 years old, and I began to cry and weep because the pack was so heavy and my father, being the good father that he was, had mercy and stooped down. took that pack and put most of the weight in his own pack. And I think about that. God saw the affliction. It's a different, it's not the exact same thing. I wasn't being oppressed, but God saw the affliction and he came down to help. He's a God who sees your concerns. He's also a God of glory and power. Who's God? He's the God who will get glory over Pharaoh. Three times, God says, I will get glory over Pharaoh. In Exodus 14, twice, and once in Exodus 9, He's the God who is the true God above all gods, far superior to every earthly pharaoh or king or tyrant or dictator or, dare I say, president. He's over all. He is the God who commands the weather, the seas, the natural order, who can turn the Nile into blood. He rescues his people to call them into fellowship with himself. Think about a man who's desperately in love with a woman who woos her at great cost to himself, who at great lengths goes to win her affection and brings her into a covenant of marriage, the marriage ceremony, a great wedding. He doesn't do that just to say, okay, now you can go live with whoever you want, and I'll go live with whoever I want. No, he calls her into a marriage relationship with himself, exclusive. He is to love her, she is to love him. And in the same way, God calls his people out of Egypt and he calls them to a covenant ceremony in which he wishes to shower his love on his people and he wishes the love of his people will come to him. Of course, he's a holy God. I mean, there's some differences, but the point is he wants our affection because he's the God of glory and power. He's also the God of history. A quick comment here on when Exodus was written, or rather when the events of the Exodus took place. There's a couple of different dates. 1446 BC is one date. A later date is 1270 BC. I don't have a strong opinion about which one is correct, but I do think you should know this, that before this period of time, back in 1650 to 1550 BC, a group of people known as the Hyksos, which were an Asiatic people, they invaded northern Egypt. And for a time, they expelled the Egyptians. And the Egyptians hated them for this. The Egyptians came back and invaded them and expelled the Hyksos. They were known as the shepherd people or the shepherd kings. Some commentators think that the Israelites during this period allied themselves with the Hyksos to fight. We're not for sure. We don't know. But it may explain, if that is the case, it may explain some of the reason why Pharaoh hated the Israelites. Because at the end of Genesis, Pharaoh is pretty happy with Joseph and his family. But in the beginning of Genesis, a new Pharaoh has been raised up, and they seem to hate, this Pharaoh seems to hate the Israelites. The point, though, that I'm trying to get at is that Egypt begins to be, when it expels the Hyksos, and whether it's an earlier date or a later date for the events, Egypt begins to be at the height of its power. It's known, if you want to read about it, the 18th dynasty. They began a massive building program. They began expanding their territory. They began doing all these kinds of building initiatives. So when God calls his people out of Egypt, he's calling them out at a moment of strength. Egypt was a superpower. God, therefore, really does have a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. He really does bring his people out, not from a weak captor, but a very strong people in the Egyptians. And he shows then that he's God over all other gods, the God of Pharaoh, the Amun-Re, all the polytheistic gods of the people that they have. So who is God? He's a God of glory, a God of covenant, a God of grace. He's also a God with a personal name. In Exodus 3, God says, I am who I am to Moses. He has, God has many titles, Elohim, El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh, many titles, but there's one divine name, the name Yahweh, I am who I am. He's the God also of covenant keeping, and he pays the cost of covenant breaking. Very quickly, let me say one quick thing about this. All the way back in Genesis 22, do you remember Abraham when God called Abraham to take his son and to go up Mount Moriah and to make a sacrifice there? Ever since the fall of Adam, there's been blood sacrifice. But at the last moment, he substitutes a ram for Isaac. He provides a way of atonement for sin, or at least the foreshadow of that with the offering of a ram. Here in the book of Exodus, God calls his people out, and he sends the angel of death through Egypt. And he calls them out and allows them a substitute. He commands them to slaughter a lamb and put the blood on the doorpost, and it becomes known as the Passover, which becomes a sacrament in their people's national life. When we get to the New Testament, of course, all of these threads of the promises, the types, and the sacrifices, they all come to fruition. They all find their yes and amen in the Lord Jesus. Jesus is born to be a Savior of His people. He's born as a greater Moses. He, in the book of Matthew, is mom and dad have to take him to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. And as they come back, Matthew chapter 2 says, out of Egypt I have called my son. He's quoting Hosea. Jesus is the true firstborn son, the true son of Yahweh. Jesus also, on the Mount of Transfiguration, is talking with Moses about an exodus, about a way out. about not a way out of Egypt. Moses could be used for that, but Moses could never be the true mediator between God and man. We needed a way out of sin and death, that kind of exodus, and that's exactly what Jesus brings. Jesus calls himself, or identifies himself, not merely as the Son, but as I am who I am. In John 8, before Abraham was, I am. Jesus is so identified with the Exodus that in Jude, Jude 5, Jude says it was Jesus who delivered his people out of Egypt. Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. Israel went through the wilderness. They went to a mountain where Moses was on the mountain and received God's law. Jesus goes to a mountain in the Sermon on the Mount and teaches the law to God's people. Here's one final similarity or yes and amen that comes in Jesus. When Jesus is crucified, when he's betrayed and then crucified, it's during the Sabbath. I mean, excuse me, it's during the Passover. Why? Because Jesus is the Passover lamb who would be slain. He inaugurates the new covenant during the Passover. And it's for that reason that we're to identify all of these shadows, types, sacrifices in the book of Exodus, all of these things, and in the Old Testament, finding their fruition in Jesus. He has greater glory than Moses. Finally, let me leave you with this. This book is for you. The promises given back to Abraham, to Moses, they're meant for you. God is here to be with you in your journey, to deliver you from the wrath of God, from the sting of death. He's here to bring you into a glorious rest, a glorious place, a place that he's promised. He's promised to be with you. He's a personal God who knows his sheep. who sees your suffering and pain. Christ Jesus is a man of sorrows. He's familiar with grief, familiar with suffering. He's a God of glory and power who can do far more abundantly than all you ask or think or imagine. That's the God that we have. Just as God purified the character of His people in the wilderness, and just as He purified the character of Moses, He wants to purify your character too. The only question really is, are you going to journey with Him? Are you going to follow Him as He leads you, as He leads your family? through whatever wilderness, whatever heartache and suffering that he has called you to. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you and praise you that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ a greater Moses. Lord, we do ask for forgiveness when, like the Israelites, we are a stiff-necked and stubborn people. We confess that we don't wish to follow you where you wish to lead us. And yet, oh Father, I pray that you would help us to learn from your word, the book of Exodus. We thank you that you are a gracious God. We thank you that you do not save us because we've kept the Ten Commandments. Oh Lord, we know we can't keep the Ten Commandments. We break them every day in our heart and in our thoughts and attitude and conduct. But nonetheless, we thank you that you are a gracious God. You're a God who sees and knows the affliction of His people. You're a God of covenant keeping. We thank you that you sent your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the perfect Passover lamb so that no more Passover lambs would have to be sacrificed because our one true atoning sacrifice has been shed. We thank you and praise you for the sufficiency of what Christ has done for us on the cross. Help us to be a people not of Egypt and of the world, but help us to be a people who identify with you and identify with your people in suffering. Call us out of the world into fellowship with you. In Jesus' name, amen.