The Lord is Preparing a Deliverer

About the Author

Joseph Cheng is the pastor of a city church in China.

The Lord is Preparing a Deliverer

In the book of Genesis, Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery, but God used it to save both their family and the nation of Egypt from famine. Before he died, Joseph said, “You meant evil against me but God meant it for good so that many people should be kept alive” (Gen. 50:19–20). It is clear that this story is telling us that behind the scenes, God is always in control to preserve them and that he has a plan in place.

In the opening chapters of Exodus, we learn that God preserved the Israelites and made them prosperous in Egypt. Their life was comfortable for a while, but then they became a people enslaved and oppressed. So how did God show himself to be the King in this situation? How did he lead them to take a step forward? They were in a very difficult situation, just as we are in a very difficult situation today. The COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the world, leading to many hardships in work, the economy, marriage and family, and with limits placed on our faith (1). Where do we go from here in the face of such a situation?

In Exodus 1 and 2 we learn that the all-powerful God has already planned and prepared for the deliverer to come. Accordingly, we should fear and trust him. The Lord sits enthroned as king. In this passage we can see three things. The first is from Exodus 1:1–7: God's wonderful leading and preserving grace in the past. The second is from Exodus 1:8–22: God is still able to preserve us in this new era. The third is from chapter 2: God actively prepares Moses, the deliverer. Together, these show us that salvation is from the Lord (Ex. 2:23–35).

God’s Preserving Grace in the Past

First, let’s look at God’s wonderful preserving grace throughout history and how he led the people of Israel. Joseph said that it was God who protected them. His brothers wanted to harm him, but God meant to protect the nation and bring salvation and hope through Joseph.

Exodus 1:1–5 tells us how God successfully brought the whole family of Israel to Egypt. They escaped the famine in Canaan and traveled to Egypt according to God’s special plan and while there lived a very rich life in the land of Goshen. This land appeared to be a prime location. The story of Joseph reflects the hand of God as he walked alongside his covenant community every step of the way and protected them. This clearly demonstrates that everything happens according to God’s plan and his preparation. Exodus 1:6–7 says, “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.” After Joseph and his generation passed away, God's grace continued to bless them.

It is helpful to remember that although God blessed and protected the people of Israel through Joseph in the past, he did not stop providing grace to them after Joseph had passed away. On the contrary, God continued to bless them, so that they were even stronger than at the time of Joseph. Verse 7 says that after he died they were “fruitful" and "grew exceedingly strong.” This is very important for us to know. We often think that as soon as a person we rely on is gone that all the blessings will end. This is true of the church and sometimes of society in general, but God tells us here that his grace is not dependent on any one individual. This reflects the reality that grace solely relies upon our sovereign God. It is clear that everything is part of his plan.

Furthermore, verse 7 says, “…so that the land was filled with them.” Clearly, “the land” refers to the land of Goshen. In fact, this is a reference to Genesis 1:28 which says that God blessed Adam, the head of mankind, with a great number of children to fill the land. God enabled his people to grow in the land of Egypt. This is a partial fulfillment of God's promise in Genesis. Our God is the God who created the world, and he is absolute sovereign. His promises have not changed despite the passing of thousands of years. From the beginning of creation to the time of the Exodus, we can see that God still sits on his throne. Human leaders like Joseph die, but our God is the ever-living God.

Dear brothers and sisters, do not let our assumptions and our opinions limit God's own work. God made a seed turn into a nation of millions. As history continues from generation to generation, our God, who transcends history, continues His work. How wonderful this is! This would be especially important for the people of Israel later in history, when Moses was preparing to die before entering the land of Canaan. It seems that Moses was reminding the people of Israel that although he would leave this world, this mighty God would still take them into the land he had promised. Just as when Joseph died, the Lord was still sitting on his throne.

Think about how important this message is for those people in the second generation, who had not seen Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. What an encouragement this is to them! Yes, when we think that God only did works in the past, and do not believe that God still does miracles and wonders today, we are actually limited by our own wrong ideas. In the face of what is happening today, we may not take the Bible seriously. We may laugh it off and say that that happened all in the past, not believing that God is still in control. So many times we replace the work of God with some unbiblical ideas in our mind and allow Reason to sit on the throne. Pray that the Lord will transform our mind once again.

While the house of Jacob lived in Egypt, their life changed from being easy, abundant, and comfortable to being enslaved and oppressed. However, they still saw God's preservation during the dark days that God allowed them to be in. He protected Moses. He preserved their community. When the people of Israel saw God's work in Moses’ life, and Moses returned to deliver the word of God to them, what a comfort and encouragement that was to them. God was not the God of the past, because Moses was still alive. This inspired them to be creative, so that they could continue to move forward. This is the first point. 

When you look back at the grace you received in the past, what is your attitude? We see how God has preserved us in the past, whether it was in our lives, in our families, or in the operation of our churches. We can still see God's protection and grace in the midst of the hardships during the recent two years (2). The children of Israel in the Old Testament foreshadow God's people in the New Testament today, and it is God who preserves us. Are you thankful for such preserving grace in the past? Let us give thanks from our hearts, for he has led us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.

God’s Preserving Grace in the New Era

Now let’s look at God’s preserving grace under the new regime in Exodus 1:8–22. Verse 8 says, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” The words “did not know” mean that this king had no dealings with Joseph. Dr. Chloe Sun points out in her book Coming from God: A Daily Devotional Based on the Hebrew Text of Exodus that this new Pharaoh did not have a close relationship with Joseph, so he did not acknowledge Joseph's authority and his contributions to Egypt (3). The hidden message is that he denied the whole nation of Israel.

Why did the new king of Egypt do such a thing in this new era and new situation? Verse 10 says, “Lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” What was he worrying about? That the Israelites would collaborate from within with forces from outside. Pharaoh did not have security even while he was sitting on the throne. The security he had was from a political standpoint.

According to John Oswalt's book Exodus: The Way Out, at that time, in Joseph's time, the land of Egypt had been invaded by the Hyksos people, and the Egyptians were even enslaved by them (4). It was not until a new king arose that they began to drive out the Canaanite nations, and eventually the reign of foreign rulers was ended. In his description, the Hyksos were driven out at that time. During that period, a new king arose, and he led them to regain kingship of the native Egyptians.

In light of this, what was his concern? He was worried that Joseph, a man from the land of Canaan, would join the Hyksos to fight against Egypt. Out of this concern he formed a new policy to oppress the people of Israel. His policy included several deliberate moves: first, he set taskmasters over them and gave harsh restrictions on their work. They did not provide the Israelites with raw materials, but still demanded them to finish their tasks. But the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied. The Egyptians were in dread of them. Second, they made their lives bitter with hard service. And third, Pharaoh told the two Hebrew midwives, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live” (v. 16). This way, after many years, the nation would be wiped out while their labor force would still be preserved. In the end, the two midwives didn't obey him, and Pharaoh simply decided to have a one-size-fits-all policy, which was to kill all male children in Israel. You'll see the result of this policy in 1:22: “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.’” In other words, the oppression was escalating to the point of genocide.

In the larger context, we see that the circumstances were cruel. It was so tough that there was no room left for the people of Israel. If the Lord sits enthroned as King, where is God in the midst of difficulties? How was God still able to preserve them in this new era, even though the new king arose and plotted such an evil scheme? 

The Bible tells us how. First of all, take note of this: in the midst of all of their misery, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied. So God was preserving them; he was protecting them. The Egyptians not only placed restrictions on their work, but they wanted to “make their lives bitter” (v. 14). What does it mean to make their lives bitter? It goes further than labor or physical suppression. In fact, making their lives bitter represents a spiritual abuse. From a certain point of view, Pharaoh was not an ordinary man; he had a certain amount of wisdom and strategy. Men like Pharaoh cannot be taken lightly. It is also the case with us today. We should not underestimate any kind of opposition to God's people, because there is a certain kind of logic and thinking behind it. When one underestimates the situation, there can be even greater loss.

Pharaoh’s plan was not just to restrict their freedom of movement, but to enslave the Israelites.. His deeper intention was to destroy them spiritually, to break their will. That's terrifying. In a word, he not only mentally humiliated them, but also physically tortured them. He used both at once to break these people.

What does it mean if someone thinks his life is bitter? It means that they think they deserve to be cursed. They have no hope. It’s why later some Israelites would say they were better off if they remained slaves in the Land of Goshen. This is how the white slavemasters in America indoctrinated their slaves: an obedient black man is a good black man (5).

Brothers and sisters, how terrible this servility is, and how terrible slavery is. People are not only enslaved in their actions, but also in their souls. However, we notice a dramatic result: it says that they multiplied even more. The Egyptians’ efforts to destroy them actually had a counter effect on the people of God in this passage. The Egyptians thought they were extremely clever and strategic, but they brought trouble on themselves.

The trouble was caused by God's intervention. Is it always the case that the more you suffer, the more you will prosper? Not necessarily. There are times when a person misjudges the situation, which will bring destruction instead. That’s why we say that suffering can bring revival to God's people, just as the Chinese church has had great revival in the midst of suffering. However, conversely, suffering also has caused some churches to disappear completely from the earth (6). So we need to look at it from the right perspective.

How terrible it could be if these Israelites were enjoying their enslaved life, and even found pleasure in it! You will learn later, on their way out of Egypt, there were some people who didn't want to go to the Promised Land of God. They said, “Let's go back! At least in Egypt we still had leeks, onions, and lamb to eat. We could still enjoy ourselves there.” This is a typical servile way of thinking. How awful it is that they could continue to enjoy their sinful pleasure while being enslaved.

A few years ago actor Shen Teng played a role named Wang Duoyu in a movie called Hello, Mr. Billionaire. His best friend followed him and also became rich. That’s how he eventually became an agent to rich men. At a party, Wang Duoyu's best friend Zhuang Qiang said this to him, “Wang Duoyu is my buddy. You always say that I am a dog by his side. Today I'll let you people, who look down on me and think I'm a dog around Wang Duoyun, take a good look at this— what's wrong with being a dog? I want to tell you all now, "Woof, woof, wooffff..." (7) This is a picture of a man who finds pleasure in slavery.

Recently, I read a passage in WeChat Moments (8). It was a word from Xu Zidong, a professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. He pointed out that there were three different definitions of the concept of a slave in Mr. Lu Xun's writings (9). First, it referred to a person who was born a slave, like the subjects of the Qing Dynasty (10). Second, it referred to an oppressed person. Third, it referred to a person who was oppressed and rather than fighting against it, tolerates it.

If one could still find pleasure while being oppressed, according to Lu Xun’s words, he was not just a slave, but a lackey (11). Xu Zidong humorously pointed out that a slave was a state of life, and a lackey was a state of mind. What is a lackey? Lackeys are the VIPs among slaves. They don’t just think they are bullied by others. For lackeys, the bullied ones are also bullies. They make themselves lackeys and also imagine they can have their own lackeys. Folks, what a terrible mindset servility is. That’s why while the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, God was going to awaken them with his plan for them, to tell them that they were the people of God. The truth awakens people. On the contrary, when a wrong idea, a fallacious idea enslaves a person, he will not be able to accomplish the will of God.

This story sets the background for the exodus of the people of Israel. They left Egypt not because of Pharaoh's hardening of heart, nor because of politics. They left because it was God's plan of salvation. Back in Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham that his descendants would suffer in the land of Egypt. Then in the fourth generation God would lead them out. But for the people of Israel, who had gone from a life of plenty in the land of Goshen to a time of hardship because of the rise of a new king, their circumstances changed in just a moment.

In fact, we should know that the whole time in the land of Goshen was a blessing from God. Even the rise of the new king was a new situation God had allowed. There is a very important message to us here: we should not equate circumstances with the will of God. We should not take the rich, comfortable, pleasant circumstances of the past as the indication of God's will. So many Christians nowadays, who claim to believe in God, believe selectively. They equate the resources and circumstances of this life with God's plan. When the circumstances change, when things like abundance, connections, comfort and freedom in the past no longer exist, brothers and sisters, we will not be able to adapt, because we are used to that period of time, but not to the new situation.

In fact, they believe only what they want to believe. They only want the blessings of God, but not the God of blessings. They accept only the good circumstances that God allows, but not the suffering that God allows. They are very likely to fall into a whirlpool of emotions, unable to help themselves, or even result in complaints, grumbling, depression, and apathy. In contrast, when we are awakened in our faith, we know that the temporary blessings of this life should not become our place of rest, nor should they become the motivation of our pursuit or mission of our life, for God has not promised an eternal blue sky. Brothers and sisters, what is on your mind at this moment? Are you still focused only on your own situation or are you focused on obeying God and proclaiming the glory of Christ? We should shift from my feelings, my thinking, and my opinion to Christ’s.

Back to our passage, Moses used a very interesting word in Exodus 1, 12 and 17: but. He passionately delivered the message that no matter what the circumstances are, God is still sitting enthroned. He is always at work through history. He keeps and governs the whole creation with his supremacy, holiness, wisdom and power. This is what we call the will of God, whose ways are higher than our ways. Our God is in control of all things.

How did God protect his people and cut Pharaoh’s pride in the new era? It was through the two midwives. They were not asleep at the wheel, nor were they pretending to be asleep at the wheel. In fact, these two midwives were the ones who stayed awake this whole time. They spoke for the truth. They labored for life; they worked for God, because they refused to cooperate with Pharaoh. They said to him, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” In fact, they were preserving the male children of the whole nation of Israel.

Some point out that there is an ethical issue here: were they lying? Isn’t this a sin? I believe they were telling the truth, but not the whole truth. It is implied here that saving a life is greater than telling the precise truth. When life was in danger, she chose to preserve life, resulting in violation of another code. If you look at it from this perspective, it is called the hierarchy of ethics.

If so, we can say that their wrongness in lying was excused by God because it was done to protect life which is of higher value. Whether or not you agree with this interpretation, the Bible says that they feared God. They applied the fear of God into their action of preserving life. Thank God. They were not afraid of Pharaoh's threats. What an important reminder for us! 

Let's talk about it from another angle. These two weak women were able to defeat the powerful man, Pharaoh, because they had God’s power behind them. These two midwives’ names were recorded in the Bible, and they will be remembered forever. On the contrary, Pharaoh's name was not mentioned at all. These two women would rather offend Pharaoh than offend God. They had the right vision and right way of life, and it was all based on their fear of God.

So let’s ask the Lord to help us, too. In the midst of such an unsettling situation, let’s ask the Lord to give us a heart that fears him, so that we can obey his word. The Lord sits enthroned as King. We think God does not care, yet God preserved these two women. As bad as the circumstances seemed to be, God always had his preserving grace in their midst, and it is the same with our situation today too.

God Prepares a Deliverer by Protecting His Life

Finally, God was actively preparing Moses, the deliverer. This preparation was twofold: first God protected him in 2:1–10, and second he shaped his character in 2:11–23.

First, let’s look at his protection. Here we read “an ordinary man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.” Consider that harsh environment, that Pharaoh was planning to kill all male children of Israel (Ex. 1:22). Imagine how hard it was for Moses’ parents when they got pregnant in a time when their lives were in danger. Yet we learn that this ordinary Levite family became a base for God's deliverance in the whole narrative. In the story, we notice that Moses’ parents did not say, "Oh, what a bad time for this child to come!” because of the harshness of the situation. They did not say, “Giving birth to this child is adding to our suffering. It will lower the quality of our life, and then we will be in danger too.” Perhaps his parents had this thought, but did not allow it to linger. Never did they actively take action to put an early end to this child, instead they chose to give birth.

What motivated the family to hide the baby for three months? The second verse tells us that "She saw that he was a fine child.” On one hand, there was Pharaoh's disregard for life, and on the other hand this family was joyfully welcoming the child God had given them. The word "fine" means "good." The word "good" reminds me of God’s creation in Genesis 1. When God created light, when God created all things, he said each time that it was good, good, good. In particular, when he made man, he said it was very good. This left some space for our imagination. When Moses' parents saw that he was a fine child, it does not mean what we mean today in China, when we say, “Oh, he is a healthy baby. He does not have any defect. How beautiful this child is and how good his skin is.” They didn't see it from that perspective. They saw how good the newborn child was with the vision of God’s creation. In other words, when they saw this child with the eyes of the creator, they would do everything they could to protect the child.

If a person sees a newborn child with worldly eyes, judging a newborn by its appearance, he is likely to take action to abandon the baby, because the situation is harsh anyway (12). In today’s environment in China, or no matter if it is in China, in the United States, in Germany, or in some European countries, the abortion rate is getting higher and higher. The reason is that many times parents’ minds start from their own hardship and economic pressure. Their starting point is that they feel it is too difficult. Then they choose to end lives. However, Moses’ parents were people with a true faith in God. When they saw from the perspective of creation, they had reverence for life. When they saw the fineness of the child, they saw the beauty of God's creation. With such a glorious inspiration, they were able to protect the child. This is precisely an extension of the glory of God in us when he created man, the glory that is to be lived out in us.

If this glory motivates a person's life, then no matter how difficult the situation is, his worries and fears will no longer continue to develop, but are replaced by God’s glory. There is no more valuable motivation than the glory of God. This is just like what is written in a Christian song, that “all things lose glory in the face of God’s glory.” God actively prepared Moses’ parents. He protected them, and he protected Moses through them.

In light of this, I especially want to remind our dear brothers and sisters that we need to see things from the creation perspective in order to protect every baby that God has given us.

When Moses was born, what reality did he face? He was sentenced to death at birth. He was sure to die. This reminds me of someone in the New Testament. Likewise, there was a child who was born to be slaughtered, to be killed (13). You see that the same thing happened to Jesus of the New Testament and Moses of the Old Testament, but Jesus of the New Testament is greater than Moses. Why? Because Moses was born with sin, but Jesus of the New Testament was without sin.

Let’s think about the birth of Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus knew from the moment he was born that he was headed for death. He set his face to go to Jerusalem, to be humiliated by the priests, scribes, and Pharisees, and finally to be crucified. He knew very well that he was born to be crucified, because it was the will of God to crush him. However, this was not the case with Moses. That’s why Jesus of the New Testament is greater than Moses of the Old Testament. This is an extraordinary connection. It tells us that we really don't know how to value life if we don't see it through the redemptive eyes of the Creator. Hence, I would like to remind each and every one of us that when you get pregnant, you must do everything possible to protect the child and to ensure its safe birth, no matter what the child is like.

Second, for those who have had abortions and induced miscarriages, I want to remind you that abortion is a sin. It is a thing that offends God. From now on you must not do it again. 

Finally, for those with children, for God’s sake, we are to protect our children’s body and mind from harm. We are to raise up godly offspring so that they may become the people of God's kingdom. For this reason, you need to pray for your children's bodies, their minds, their knowledge, their virtues, and their life habits, so that from an early age they will have the vision of God and the foundation of faith. All these can be built up by studying catechisms and reading books together with our children. 

Now when we come back to this passage, we see that God miraculously preserved Moses through the loving and compassionate daughter of Pharaoh. Pharaoh's daughter was bathing at the river that day. After three months, Moses’ mother Jochebed could hide him no longer, so she took some protective measures. First she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with tar and pitch, so that water could not come through to drown Moses. Then she did not just put it in the Nile River and let it float around, declaring in faith, "God, I'm giving it all to you.” No, that is called blind faith, and this is not the faith the Bible talks about. On the contrary, Jochebed placed it among the reeds to avoid wind blowing it away. Why did she put it there? Because she knew that many people connected the rise of the Nile with a religious cause, and everyone would go out and bathe in a public place, expecting blessings from the gods (14). This reminds us of the Indians bathing in the Ganges. It was also the case with the princess who went bathing in the Nile. It is said in some books that the princess herself was childless, so she hoped to have a child. In this situation, she saw the baby and she had compassion on him. 

In this case, you find two women acting. One is Jochebed who did not just leave things to fate, but took all protective measures and carefully planned everything. She put the child there, waiting for God's wonder to take place. This is just like what it is written, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:33). Then, on the other side, we find a compassionate princess who surprisingly became an instrument for God. She was the one who secured the protection over Moses. And she knew that Moses was a Hebrew, most likely because she saw that Moses was circumcised.

We also know that Moses’ sister Miriam was involved. It seemed that Miriam could not wait to speak up and ask, “Shall I go and find a wet nurse for you?” Was the princess so naïve that she was deceived by a child? It’s unlikely. The princess might have willingly been involved in this complicity of love to save this child.

What inspiration can we draw from this story? First, Jochebed's faith was not blind. She carefully planned everything, and then left the results to God. This reminds us that we have to do our part and then leave the results to God; this is the true demonstration of faith. Second, we see God’s protection in secret. He not only preserved the life of the child, but also allowed Moses’ mother to raise her own child and get paid for it. “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages” (Ex. 2:9). It seems that this was a reward from God. The grace of God came upon them.

Third, when man chooses to oppose God, God still achieves his own purposes. How ironic that Pharaoh was trying to slaughter all the male children of Israel, but his own daughter saved the boy, which was against the will of her father. We know that God has done similar things in history. For example, a similar event was recorded in the book of Esther. In this book, even though Haman prepared all the decrees to try to kill Mordecai, he fell into the pit which he himself dug. This teaches us that we do not know how God limits the work of the enemy, just as when Jochebed did not know where to put Moses, God knew. As shown in the conversations between God and the devil in the book of Job, he restrained the devil's actions and preserved Job's life.

Today we don't know what in our life God has done in secret to restrain the work of the enemy, and these restrictions themselves are a kind of preservation for us. Although we might be suffering or in tears, God has a message for us through this story. When we don't know what restrictions God has placed in our lives, that's exactly when God wants us to believe, to trust, to look up, and to fear him, for God has given us immeasurable grace in secret while we didn't know. In grace, we are to give thanks and trust. We don't know what tomorrow brings, but we know God holds tomorrow. Even if something happened to you and it seemed to bring you pain, sorrow and harm, we don't know if God has placed limits on it in order to preserve us. What God is asking of us is faith and trust. We need to live up to God’s expectation. Pray that the Lord will open our eyes and let us truly know Him.

Let’s summarize how God protected Moses. Pharaoh’s powerful decree to kill all male Hebrew babies was defeated by God through powerless women. First, God used the most despised midwives whose job was seen as the lowest in the land of Egypt. Second, God used Jochebed, as well as Moses’ sister and the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt. God used three women who had no power and also used a princess to defeat Pharaoh. This is further proof that God does not use the flesh of man, nor political power to deliver us from suffering. On the contrary, God uses weakness to save us. This is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was weak and crucified on the cross, but he accomplished the whole salvation work of God. Today God has also chosen us, the weak and ignorant, to put to shame the strong and the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). Why? Because we know that true wisdom is God’s salvation plan which has existed before all things. That is what true knowledge is. Therefore, we are to boast, but not about our strength. We are to say before God that we are weak, and God uses us who are weak, so we fully rely on him.

God Prepares a Deliverer by Shaping His Character

Finally, God's active preparation also represents his shaping. In 2:11–20, we learn that after Moses grew up learning the Egyptian culture in Pharaoh’s palace, one day, he came out of the palace and saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. At this time Moses, who was young and vigorous, struck down the Egyptian and killed him and then hid him. When he came out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting with each other, and he said to them, “Why do you do this?” In response, the Hebrews said, "Who made you a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” At that moment, Moses knew that his crime was seen and he had to flee. 

What do we learn here about Moses? First, Moses was doing this out of the courage of his flesh and his own so-called sense of justice, but it was not what God wanted him to do. If you read the later verses, in Exodus 3:19, God said, “Now I will strike the Egyptians.” This means that Moses had struck too soon. This was not God's timing, and therefore this was not from God.

Second, he did not yet understand that saving his people was not an easy thing. He just acted out of passion and out of his own sense of justice. But in the future, when he became the leader of the people of Israel, he would face the same challenge: “who made you a leader over us?” Moses was not accepted by some of the Israelites. Some say there is a theme in the book of Exodus of this struggle: despite many proofs that God has made Moses a leader, the people of Israel did not recognize his authority. What a struggle that was. Moses was immature at this stage of his life, and certainly God would shape him. This happened through the necessary detour of his life.

He fled to Midian. But why Midian? What is the root issue in his life behind this breaking point? Many commentators have given their analysis, and they think it is first pride, and second a lack of empathy. Moses had grown up privileged through God’s caring and protection for the past 40 years. He was raised as a prince, and he enjoyed an elite education. Acts 7:22 says, "Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds." Having such talents, Moses was eventually called to be God's deliverer. But at this point, he made a mistake when he attempted to achieve God's salvation in his own time, his own way. We will see that God had his own timing for his plan of salvation, not Moses', and that was the reason why he was taken into the wilderness of Midian to receive his training.

In fact, every time we try to do things our own way instead of God's way, it's actually pride that's behind it. When we display prideful behavior, we are basically declaring that we have autonomy over our own life. Pride reflects a dimension of our self-idolatry. Hence, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).   

Moses' actions had a terrible consequence. He was completely rejected by both his own people and the Egyptians. As a result, he fled to the wilderness of Midian. However, it was God who was preparing him and brought him to this end. That’s how Moses ended up living there as a sojourner. Brothers and sisters, this is the charm of God. God was actively preparing his deliverer. 40 years were not enough for this deliverer to grow, so he underwent another 40 years’ shaping and training in the wilderness of Midian, so that he could be built up in the presence of God and become a more suitable vessel for God to use.

Moses' pride led him to take a detour. He found himself living in the wilderness of Midian, where he was a foreigner, a failure, and a fugitive. This was in stark contrast to his whole life in Egypt. One thing that is worth noting is that when he lived there, God wanted Moses to learn not only to humble himself, shepherding his father-in-law's flock, but also to build his empathy. His empathy would develop into a resolution in his heart that he would give up the privileges of Egypt and suffer with God's people. Why? Because he saw the humiliation of Christ as more precious than the treasures of Egypt. He became more compassionate by working as a shepherd. He also learned humility, not only during the 40 years in Midian, but also in his later days. That's why Moses is called the meekest person on the face of the earth (15). 

This is exactly the opposite of our culture today. Our culture is full of arrogance and self-righteousness. As a servant of God, as a leader, we must remove our pride and our privileged mentality, recognizing ourselves as sinners under the law of God’s salvation. We must seek the mission of Jesus Christ, because he called us to serve others. In this sense, Moses did not waste his life during his detour in the wilderness of Midian. It was God redeeming that period of time to prepare him as a servant of God. 

Moses’ life took a detour. He had to learn compassion, empathy, and humility, for they are required for servant leadership in the kingdom of God. We know Moses’ mission, but first he had to undergo a process of reformation in order to be used by God.

Moses' detour is a reminder of how God uses our mistakes to shape us for the purpose of serving others. More importantly, his detour points to the mercy and the humility of Christ, just as it is written in Philippians 2:1–5. Christ is greater than Moses, because Jesus Christ never had to take a detour, descending directly from heaven to earth. He was totally focused on accomplishing the will of the Father. Compassion, mercy, and humility were always present in the life of Jesus Christ, for he is mercy and humility itself. This Lord, however, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. He gave up his privileges and came into the world. Christ came to the world for us, to fulfill what God had entrusted to him.

How are you doing today as a Christian? Are you like the old Moses in the past, full of selfishness, ambition and pride? Or have you learned that being a Christian is about serving others, instead of having others serve you? Have you learned to feed other people's sheep like Moses did?

Moses and Jesus were sent to save God's people from bondage. Jesus willingly submitted himself and took our form so that he could save us. He knew that he must identify with the people he came to save, and have compassion and empathy for them. “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17). He was willing to be born of a woman under the law which he had established, in order to save those who were kept under the law (Gal. 4:4–5). It is this glorious fact that gives us hope and assurance of salvation.

Our Redeemer is not like Moses, for Jesus did not deviate from the way he was called to, because he has obeyed God so firmly and perfectly that we can be saved from the slavery of sin. God is actively preparing a savior.

God Heard, Remembered, Saw, and Knew

Last, let us look at 2:23–25. It says, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” 

With the death of the king of Egypt, an era had ended, which also could mean that this persecution might end. How uplifting it is for us to hear such news. The king of Egypt is dead, and his era has passed. However, do not be happy too soon. This is how we human beings often think. We think now that he is dead, the situation will be relaxed and there will be no more painful work and oppression. But no. Later another Pharaoh would rise and he would be even worse. We always think this situation will pass, and after we finish climbing this mountain, there will be no more hardship but a flat road to travel.

Will our hopes be realized? Not necessarily. We should not draw conclusions prematurely. In fact, the persecution continued. The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. At this time we learn that God had finished preparing his deliverer. The time has finally come. That Pharaoh who wanted to destroy God's people has died and his era has passed. What does it tell us? It tells us that the hearts of kings are in the hands of the Lord, and he turns it wherever he will. It is the Lord God who is the immortal King, the king who will never die.

In this passage, the Bible gives us some very important words about how God responded to their situation: heard, remembered, saw, and knew. “Heard” and "saw“ mean that our God was very sensitive to the sufferings and needs of his people. This kind of sensitivity is not distant, in other words, neither knowing nor caring about our sufferings. No, God knows. He is the heavenly Father, and he can hear the smallest voice of his children.

Then there are the words: “remembered” and "knew.” God is keenly aware of what is happening to his children. What is the driving force behind this? The remembrance of his covenant. The implied message here is that God’s covenant with the people of Israel drives him to limit himself and to fulfill his duties in the covenant. God limits himself, and heartily blesses us and fulfills his covenant.

In summary, God did not forget the hardship the Israelites had from their labor, and the threat to their lives. God did not forget them when they were attacked. We think God did not act or care, yet we see God actively preparing and shaping his deliverer. Let us fear the Lord by faith, for regardless of the circumstances, the loving God who reigns has already prepared for us a salvation that surpasses all understanding.

By studying the first and second chapter of Exodus, we learn that the Lord sits enthroned as King. This all-powerful God is able to respond to our present situation. No matter what our present and future circumstances may look like, we believe that God's people are being shaped in God's hand. God wants to bless us. May God strengthen our faith through this scripture and help us go from strength to strength in the new year. May the Lord empower us to grow in love, faith, and hope, and nurture these qualities through him. Pray that the Lord will tear down our cool shade, scorch us and try us as fine gold. Pray that God will prepare us to be vessels that he uses to bring salvation and renewal to this age. 

May the Lord be with us. Amen.

Notes

1. While all countries experienced the effects of the global pandemic in 2020, the Chinese government took especially strong measures with its “zero-Covid policy," including disbanding churches, separating families for quarantine purposes, and shutting down all activity in some of the largest cities in the world.

2. A reference to the Covid-19 pandemic. See Footnote 1.

3. Chloe Sun, Coming from God: A Daily Devotional Based on the Hebrew Text of Exodus (Hong Kong: Tien Dao Publishing House Ltd., 2014). Available in Chinese only.

4. John N. Oswalt, Exodus: The Way Out (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, 2013), 19. Oswalt refers to “Semitic rulers” who were later pushed out by the native Egyptions, possibly referring to the Hyksos people, but there is no record that they enslaved the Egyptians.

5. The Chinese government has publicly criticized the US for hypocrisy over upholding democratic values while practicing racism and slavery. Many Chinese citizens admire America while also being sensitive to American racism.

6. Persecution of Chinese house churches was particularly brutal in the mid 20th century, including torture, labor camps and death. Since no official records are kept of unregistered churches, it’s hard to say how many churches were completely eradicated through these campaigns.

7. Hello Mr. Billionaire, dir. Fei Yan and Damo Peng, 2018. This hit movie was loosely based on the novel and US film Brewster's Millions.

8. WeChat Moments is a social media platform, similar to Facebook’s newsfeed.

9. Zhou Shuren (1881-1936), better known by his pen-name Lu Xun, was a celebrated writer and thinker at the turn of the 20th century. His writings were especially celebrated by the Communist Party—although he never joined the party himself—for portraying the corruption and weakness of imperial China, and thereby inspiring the Chinese people to fight for a new system of government. He was an influential voice behind the May Fourth New Culture Movement.

10. Under imperial China, particularly in the Qing Dynastic, all people were believed to be subjects of the emperor.

11. In the Qing Dynasty, high officials often referred to themselves as nucai (奴才）- translated as “lackey” here - when addressing the emperor. The expression not only communicates that they are subjects of the emperor, it also conveys the officials’ willingness to serve the emperor in the form of humble slaves. Therefore, these courtly lackeys took on a lowly mindset before the emperor, but were still powerful individuals in society who exercised their power to oppress other people.

12. Abortion was widely used in China for many years to reinforce its “One Child Policy” and control population growth.

13. Like Moses, Jesus was in danger of being killed by a law targeting all male Hebrew babies (Matthew 2:13–18).

14. For various mythological interpretations of the flooding of the Nile, see Geraldine Pinch, Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 136.

15. See Numbers 12:3.

This is an edited version of a sermon originally given in Chinese. This English edition and notes are copyright © 2022 by the Center for House Church Theology. Illustration by PC Ng.

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