Well, it has been three years since Pastor Brian led us in a study of the Book of Exodus, or at least since he started the study of the Book of Exodus. It was three years ago. How many of you were not here three years ago? Let me see your hands. Yeah, see, that's what I thought. So here we go. We're going to go into the study of the Book of Exodus. Now, how did we get to Exodus? We skipped Genesis. No, actually, we didn't. Just a couple of years ago, we looked at Genesis. So now we're coming back and we're looking at Exodus, even though it's been a while since we did Genesis. If you're not familiar with the story of Genesis, you need to read it. It is where everything began. And so Genesis gives us the story of how The world came to be how the universe came to be. God created all things. And then through the book of Genesis, we see that having created man, man fell, did the wrong thing, disobeyed God, didn't trust him, but instead disobeyed him and became slaves to sin. God could have just destroyed everybody started over again, but instead God chose to save Some and we see this pattern repeated in Genesis and we're going to see it in the book of Exodus, but now at the end of Genesis The Israelites have gone to Egypt because there was food there, because God had sent a forerunner there who was Joseph and very much a representative of Jesus, who is the forerunner, and who through his suffering at the hand of his brothers, Joseph suffered at the hand of his brothers, he provided for their salvation. They would have all starved to death if it hadn't been for his suffering, which they cruelly inflicted upon him. And so literally they're saved because of Joseph. And Joseph says to his brothers in Genesis, you meant it for evil, God meant it for good. And so his brothers, his father, whole family living down in Egypt and father eventually dies and eventually Joseph dies, which is also a good reminder for us. All of us are going to have to face God when we die. Exodus chapter one is where we begin today. This is God's word. These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob. each with his family, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered 70 in all. Joseph was already in Egypt. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous so that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. Look, he said to his people, the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, or they will become even more numerous, and if war breaks out, we'll join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Betham and Ramses as store cities for Pharaoh. The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields, in all their hard labor, The Egyptians used them ruthlessly. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shipra and Pua, when you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him. But if it is a girl, let her live. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do. They let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live? The midwives answered Pharaoh, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people. Every boy that is born, you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live. May God add his blessing to this reading from his holy and inspired word. You want to know what the overarching theme is today? If you fear the wrong thing, it will lead to sin. If you fear God, it will lead to blessing. If you fear the wrong thing, it will lead to sin. If you fear God, it will lead to blessing. Now let's look at what happened here. What do we mean about fearing the wrong thing? Well, the Jews were becoming more and more numerous living there in Egypt. And Pharaoh, the new Pharaoh, didn't know about Joseph. He didn't know the history. He didn't know how all these people got here. He didn't know who the Jews were. He didn't know about their God. And he became fearful, not just of the Jews, but of what might happen. He started thinking, what if some enemy army comes to fight us The Jews are liable to side with them. Now, why? Well, because they're not like us. I'm living with people who are different than I am, and they're not one of us. They keep to themselves. The Jews did keep to themselves. They were supposed to keep to themselves. But because of that, they were different. And this pharaoh, this king of Egypt, was prejudiced against them. And prejudice and fear often go hand in hand. He was afraid of what would happen. He thought, you know, they could rise up and fight against us and we'd be in trouble because there are so many of them. I've got to put a stop to that. So what did he do to put a stop to it? What do you do if you've got some people you're afraid of? Well, what he did was He says, verse 10, we must deal shrewdly with them. We gotta be smart here. Did you know that trying to be real smart can sometimes lead you to do things that are real stupid? People trying to be clever outsmart themselves, and they end up doing things that are foolish instead of wise. If you wanna be wise, if you wanna be smart, instead of trying to devise some sort of plan, why don't you ask God, what do you want me to do? And do what God says. Understand? Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and if war breaks out, they'll join our enemies and fight against us and leave the country. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. Oh now, that's just brilliant. If we want these people not to fight against us, If we want these people not to be with our enemies, if we want these people who are so numerous that we're afraid, if we want them to be our allies, let's oppress them. Let's treat them really badly. Can you see how smart that is? Shrewd, very shrewd. No, very foolish, very wrong. And yet, ultimately, as we will see, part of God's wonderful plan. God is writing this drama. He's not the author of sin, but he is working all things together in order to display his glory and accomplish good for his people. Just as Joseph had said to his brothers, you meant it for evil, God meant it for good. God is doing good things even when people are doing bad things. The greatest evil that humans have done was to take the sinless Son of God and nail Him to the cross. And yet through that, God accomplished the salvation of sinful human beings. So don't, whatever's going on in your world, and however upsetting it may seem to be, don't lose sight of the fact that God is at work. And God is working for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. And as a consequence, cities were built to provide storage for Pharaoh's riches. Do you know what's happening right now in our economy? The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and I might add, more numerous. There is a greater wealth gap today than there was six years ago. And if you think that's good policy, well, celebrate. But if you don't, you might want to understand that this is an ancient problem. And what was happening here was that the people were working for the government. Basically, they were being forced to do things that made the government bigger and richer. And that is a pattern throughout history that, by the way, was greatly encouraged by Joseph. Joseph. Joseph, what have you done to us? It was Joseph who set up a program of high taxation that eventually caused the people to be impoverished and they were so desperate in the midst of the famine that they became slaves of the government and the government nationalized the land. The land that had been in private ownership up to that point, this is back at the end of Genesis, but the land that had been in private ownership up to that point became the property of Pharaoh under Joseph's leadership. Joseph instituted a government that gathered the people's private property and made it property of Pharaoh. so that ultimately people, all the Egyptians, were slaves in their own land. Some people think that's a good plan. Some people think that's wisdom. What you will see is it leads to poverty and it leads to war. But that's only for those who can see down the line, multiple generations, or who study history. and are able to look back and see that that is the pattern that repeats itself. Governments make lousy masters, but they build nice things. Very impressive. There were cities here. Ramses and Pthom store cities for Pharaoh. Meanwhile, the more that they were oppressed, the more the Jews multiplied and spread. So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites, and they worked them ruthlessly. Does this sound like a vicious cycle? They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields. And in all their hard labor, the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. Twice in that little section, it says ruthlessly. What does ruthlessly mean? It means with no regard for the welfare of the people. Just another expression we would use in our vernacular is work them to death, literally. It wasn't about trying to say, well, I don't want to abuse this person. I don't want to hurt this person. I don't want to injure this person. No, I just want to get the job done. I don't care about this person. If it's ruthless, It means without regard for the welfare of the people. And the Egyptians hated the people that they were working. They despised them. They dreaded them. They feared them. And so if they worked them to death, that was fine with them. Because they didn't see their lives as having value. They saw their lives as being a threat. When a government begins to see its citizens as a threat, You got a problem. When the government begins to fear the citizens and be concerned about we've got to protect our government from the people, that is something that has happened in many places at many times in history. But it's not typical of American history up until recent times. Because historically, in this country, we had a system where the people keep the government in check. The people are supposed to be governing themselves, and the government is supposed to be very limited and not keeping the people under their thumb. But when you begin to get a government, that is seeing itself as the rulers and the people are the ones who have to be kept in line, then you basically devolve into a police state. And that's what they had here. That never ends well. That never ends well. Never, ever, ever. Because ultimately, The government has to be made up of people. You have to get them from somewhere. And the fact is, these folks could teach us a lot about what to do and what not to do. But please see that this ruthless mistreatment of the people was rooted in fear. It wasn't done out of confidence, it was done out of paranoia. And so if the response of people to that is also one of fear of man, they're gonna do bad things. They're gonna do the wrong stuff. We're gonna get a little later in the chapter to where there were some people who feared God. And they based their behavior on fearing him. instead of fearing the government. Let's look at it. They worked them ruthlessly, verse 14. So the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shipra and Pua. Now, I just have to pause and say, if you ever wake up in the morning and you're not feeling grateful and happy, you could pause for a moment and thank God that you are not named Shipra or Pua. Right? Imagine having to introduce yourself here when people say, I don't think I know you. What's your name? And you have to say, Pua. See? So now you all have something to be thankful for today. Their names were Shipra and Pua. When you help Pharaoh said, when you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him. But if it is a girl, let her live. A midwife is supposed to assist in the safe delivery of a child. It is possible to have children, to have babies, just so you know this, without going to the hospital. It is possible. I'm not recommending it. But I want you to understand that the process of having babies is not some weird thing. There wouldn't be people on the planet if it weren't for the fact that God made that a natural thing. So please understand, because probably, I don't know, somewhere in the neighborhood 50 to 60% of you in this room are female. Please understand that childbirth, while not a pleasant experience, is a natural experience. Not something to be terrified of. We just welcomed our eighth grandchild. It was a delight to see him, and his mama didn't look like she'd just had a baby. I don't know how she does that, but she just looked like she'd just had a nap or something. I mean, it was nice. Now, the midwives were there because even in ancient times, when they didn't have hospitals like we have today, it was understood that sometimes in the birth of a child there's a complication. Sometimes an umbilical cord gets wrapped around the neck or some other complication occurs, and it's good to have someone who's got experience with the birth process there to assist the mom. That is a good thing, that is an ancient thing, that is something even the Jewish people did back in this time. So don't think, well, I'm just going to have this baby on my own, not invite anybody over. I'm just going to deal with this myself. Someone said, why do they have the father go and boil water? The answer is to get him out of the room. Give him something to do. Send him away. But the fact of the matter is these women were simply experienced. They weren't doctors, but they were experienced in helping women give birth. And they made that their focus. That was their job. And now they're being asked to kill all the male children. Well, if the government says you got to do that, then I guess you got to do that, right? No. No government, no individual, no mob, no friend, no parent, nobody has the authority to command you to do something God forbids. Please understand that, and if you don't already have that memorized, write it down. No one has the authority to command you to do something that God forbids. Say that with me. No one has the authority to command you to do something God forbids. And furthermore, here's the corollary, no one has the authority to forbid your doing what God commands. No one has the authority to forbid your doing what God commands. So if God commands it, you do it no matter what God, no matter what anybody else says. If God commands it, you obey. And if God forbids it, it doesn't matter who's commanding it. They don't have the authority. Well, they're the government. Well, so what? They are going against God. They will lose. Yeah, but meanwhile, they might kill me. So what? Die, but do not sin. Don't give in to fear. What does it say about these women when they were told that? The midwives, however, verse 17, feared God. and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do. They let the boys live. Why'd they let the boys live? Because they feared God. Does that mean that they despised God? No, it means that they knew that God is God and that we need to obey God. So there was a reverence toward him and a desire to do his will. So when there's a conflict between another authority figure and God who rules over all, maybe a conflict but there's no contest because God is God and God alone is God. God does not have to get consensus. God does not have to get a majority on his side. God doesn't even need a minority on his side. God doesn't need. God is God. He rules over all. And when God says, do this, you better do it. And when God says, do not do that, you better not do that. Now, if we understand that, it changes the way that we face life. because there are all kinds of voices trying to get us to do various things, but there's only one that ultimately matters, and that is God's voice. What does he say? What does his word tell us? What do we read in the Bible? If we study God's word and we know what he says, then we're gonna recognize what lines up with what God says, and we're gonna recognize the things that don't. In this passage, these women knew that what they were being told by the government was contrary to God's law. And so even though they did not yet have the Ten Commandments, they knew that God says you're not to murder. So they didn't. They refused to do what they were told. Is there ever a time to refuse to do what you're told? Yes, when you're being told something that is contrary to God's Word. If your house parent tells you that you need to go to bed a half an hour early, what do you need to do? No, I will listen to God alone. Right? No, you listen to God alone and get upstairs to bed. You do what you're told. But if your house parent, God forbid, should tell you, you create a distraction while we're in Walmart, because I have some stuff. I don't know if you saw this. I'm not recommending you need to look it up. It's not an inspirational video. But there's a woman in Costa Rica who took a plasma TV and stuck it under her skirt and walked out of the store with it. And the amazing reason why it's gone viral is, how did she walk so gracefully? holding a plasma TV between her legs under her skirt as she walked out the door. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. But I mean, there it is on the security camera. So if your house mom says, you know, I want to get a TV to put in the houseparent apartment, and there's nothing in the budget for that. So I just need you to create a distraction while I slip this TV under my skirt. Do you do what your house mom says? No, you burst into hysterics and say, surely you jest, and I can't wait to tell Pastor Wood that funny story. You don't do things that are contrary to God's word. You just don't do it. It's not so, well, she is my house mother. I don't want to upset her. I love her spaghetti. No, if somebody's trying to get you to do something wrong, you don't do it. Is that clear? It was to Pua. Right? All right. So because the midwives feared God and they did not do what the King of Egypt had told them to do, they let the boys live. Then the King of Egypt, seeing that there are all these little, I mean, it took a little time for him to realize, but he began to realize some of the little kids who were running around are little boys. And so the King of Egypt summoned the midwives and he asked them, why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live? And the midwives answered Pharaoh with an answer that was not really honest. Now, what are we gonna do about that? Well, we're not gonna do anything about it. That's between them and God. Well, so does this mean it's okay to lie? No, it doesn't mean it's okay to lie. It means that the Bible is totally honest in telling us the truth about people who sometimes are not honest themselves. Is that clear? Well, but God still blessed them. Yes, he did. Well, why would God bless them if they did something that was wrong? Well, he blessed them for doing something that was right. It doesn't say he blessed them because they lied to Pharaoh. It says he blessed them because they had feared him and not obeyed Pharaoh and had let the children live. So they were blessed for what they did right. If God refused to bless people if they do anything wrong, none of us would ever get blessed. Right? Isn't it a good thing that God is merciful and gracious, but isn't it also a good thing that the Bible's totally honest even when people aren't? Is that clear? The midwives answered Pharaoh, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They're vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. In other words, because their decisions were based on reverence for him, God gave them families of their own. That's a beautiful story. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people. Every boy that is born, you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live. Some of the ancient texts, not the Masoretic text, but I'm not as fond of the Masoretic text as many people are, say every boy that is born to the Hebrews, you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live. That would certainly be obviously Pharaoh's meaning. It was the Hebrew boys that were to be killed. And that is going to lead into what happens in the next chapter, when God chose to rescue a particular boy for whom he had great plans. That boy's name is Moses, and we'll look at that next time, God willing. But folks, I want you to go back and review now. What was the basis of Pharaoh's decision to enslave and mistreat the Hebrews? It was fear. He was worried about what might happen. He was imagining trouble down the line, and his response to that simply set them up for many more people having trouble starting right away. I'm afraid something bad might happen down the road, so I'm going to institute a plan that means something bad is happening right now. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Done in the name of being shrewd. Who models for us, fearing God and therefore not fearing the government? The midwives. Because they feared God, they disobeyed the government. Christians ought to be the most solid citizens in whatever country they live. They ought to be good, honorable people who are a benefit to society, whatever country they're living in, whether it's ancient Rome, or whether it is the modern US, or Great Britain, or France, or Argentina, or Brazil, wherever it might be. But if the government is hostile, Christians still ought to be the best citizens you can have. Being honest, being hardworking, being good servants of the people. But if the government tries to tell you to do something that God says you're not to do, you need to obey God. Because disobeying God will always bring bad results. Governments come and go. There will always be a Pharaoh who doesn't remember Joseph. Sooner or later it's going to happen. We may have a government that is really friendly toward us. Someday we're gonna have a government that isn't. It just works that way. Governments come and go. But God will always be God. He'll always be in charge. It is a wonderful thing when you have a relationship with Him because He is trustworthy and He is gracious and merciful. And what He plans for His people is good. Let's pray. Father, thank You so much for loving us. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to save us. I pray that You'd help us this day. to so completely trust in you that we will not be afraid. Let us be eager to obey you. And we'll give you all the praise in Jesus' name. Amen.