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January 24, 2010—Third Sunday After Epiphany

Lectionary Texts: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

Sermon Text: Hebrews 11:23, Exodus 1:7-2:10

Being a Person of Hope: Mentored by the Powerless

A young boy’s continued deteriorating health in the burn unit of a city hospital was cause for concern among the nursing staff. Though he should have been getting better, he wasn’t. One day a teacher from a local school volunteered to visit children in the hospital to help them keep up with their school work.

Encountering the severely burned child, and not having experience with situations like this, her first reaction was to somehow avoid the situation. But feeling that she couldn’t just turn and walk away, she stammered awkwardly: “I’m the hospital teacher and your school sent me to help you with nouns and adverbs.”

The next morning when she returned to the burn unit, the nurse on duty asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The visiting teacher’s heart sank. Had she caused the young child to deteriorate further? Before she could try to apologize, the nurse interrupted her: “You don’t understand. We’ve been worried about him, but ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back; responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.”

Later, after a full recovery, the boy explained: “Until the teacher came I had completely given up hope. But when she came and said that she was here to help me with nouns and adverbs I realized that they wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs if I was going to die” (from Illustrations Unlimited, p. 292ff).

What instills hope?

1. I could use a little bit of hope right now, could you?

2. What we’ll discover today is this: God is the source of our HOPE!

3. Hmmm, that’s kind of what we’d expect to hear from a Sunday morning sermon, right?

Scripture: Hebrews 11:23

“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”

1. For generations the story of Moses had been told to children and adults alike in the Hebrew community of Faith.

2. It was a wonderful story that pitted the whole government of Egypt, with all of its power and might, against

• A nation whose greatest strength, or in the case of this story, its greatest fault was . . . well . . . they knew how to make and have babies! (We are in a series on Love, Life and Relationships, right?)

• The Bible uses the euphemism: “they were fruitful”

3. In case you’re thinking that I’m making this up, turn with me to Exodus chapters one and two.

4. The fact that the Israelites were “fruitful and able to multiply greatly” (1:7) was of concern to the ruling government, so an edict/law was issued.

• Which is how we are introduced to the two Hebrew midwives whose names were: Shiphrah and Puah. (Ex. 1:15)

• The law went something like this: “No more! From now on when you help the Hebrew women in childbirth, if they give birth to a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl let her live.” (Ex 1:16)

5. Now what on earth was the strategy behind this edict?

• If there were zero Hebrew males left in society, the females would be forced to marry Egyptian males

• In this way the distinctive Hebrew nation would disappear, and the “ruling party” would no longer fear the possibility of an overthrow of their power (Ex 1:10)

6. What the “ruling” government forgot to factor was . . . GOD!

7. But this was not the case with the “fruitful” Hebrew people, including the two Hebrew midwives whose names were?

• Shiphrah, and

• Puah

8. The Bible tells us that these two women “feared God” (Ex.1: 17) which translated means:

#1 the God they couldn’t see, was just as real as the Pharaoh they could see

#2 that ultimately they had more to fear from disobeying the God they couldn’t see than from disobeying the Pharaoh they could see

9. And so the midwives did not do what the King of Egypt told them to do: they let the boy babies live! (Ex 1:17)

10. As you read this story for the first time, a knot of fear begins to tighten your stomach muscles. Surely these women know that what they are doing will not go unnoticed! And of course it didn’t!

11. Soon the king of Egypt summoned these two women, whose names were: Shiphrah, and Puah.

12. They were asked: “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” (Ex 1:18)

13. When you were a child (or if you’re a child right now) were you ever summoned to the principal’s office to give an account of disobedient behavior that had come to the principal’s attention?

• these two women had been give specific instructions: KILL BABY BOYS

• Don’t you want to scoot to the edge of your seats to hear the explanation these women are going to give to the powers that be?

14. Very simply they explained: “Sorry sir. You really cannot blame us. Hebrew women are not at all like Egyptian women, whose labor can go on for hours if not days. By the time we arrive on the scene, these Hebrew women have already given birth. We are always too late to do what you command.” (Ex 1:19)

15. It seems that Pharaoh accepted their explanation, which to me means that infanticide was socially acceptable among Egyptians as long as it occurred right at the moment of birth. But not acceptable if some “time” had lapsed.

16. I can well imagine that when this part of the story was told to succeeding generations, giggles would’ve erupted and lots of knee slapping would’ve occurred

• For whenever people heard this story they would have been reminded of the truth: “God is in the business of protecting His own!”

• Not only that, but the hearers were also reminded that the all powerful, mighty, ruler and king of ALL EGYPT had been outwitted by two humble midwives, whose names were:
Shiphrah and Puah, and are written down and recorded for all history to remember

• But what was the great king’s name? We just know him as “the King of Egypt.”

17. But wait! Pharaoh is not to be outwitted: “If I can’t get the midwives to comply with my edict, then I’ll get my own people to comply. After all, they know nothing of this God of the Hebrews. They FEAR me more than they FEAR Him! Especially since they can SEE me, but can’t see Him.” (Ex 1:20-22)

And so it is that the tension begins to build in this story!

18. We are told about a man from the tribe of Levi who marries a woman from the same tribe (see Exodus 2).

19. Note: the story is recorded in a very “matter of fact” sort of way. The wife gets pregnant (remember, this is what this nation is good at) and . . . Oh no! She gives birth to a son.

• not wanting him to be killed she hides him for three months

• not an impossible task as we all know how MUCH little babies sleep and how easy it is to keep them quiet (that is, those of us who have lived in Africa can perhaps visualize this a bit better. I’ve hardly ever heard an African new born cry much . . . tightly snuggled on it’s momma’s back, and at the first whimper it’s given nourishment!)

• but then came that fateful moment when Moses’ mom knew that she could no longer hide him

• at least not at home

20. Nearly every time I read this story I want to rewrite the script!

• No! No! No! Don’t put your baby in a papyrus basket and float it among the reeds along the banks of the Nile (Ex. 2:3)

• Especially not in that location

• Don’t you know that Pharaoh’s daughter always comes to that VERY spot to bathe!

21. As the tension in the story builds, so does the indispensable truth of the reality of the hand of God in all things!

• The story is very clear that on the one hand we have the dominant power of the King and his many edicts and laws

• On the other hand, under the radar of the Dominant Power, is the subversive truth of the sovereign will and hand of God!
22. Throughout this early part of Exodus, we discover that all of Pharaoh’s efforts to suppress the children of Israel were thwarted by:

• Women!

• This makes the story even more impactive!
23. All of Pharaoh’s mighty and powerful efforts were ambushed and defeated by powerless women!

• First the midwives

• Then the Israelite mothers who delivered babies faster than their Egyptian counterparts

• Then we have Moses’ sister--a child, no less--who tells Pharaoh’s daughter that she knows someone who could “nurse” the baby who has been found among the “bulrushes”

• Which means that Moses gets to go home to his mother, and his mother is “paid” to “mother” him

• And to cap if all off, even Pharaoh’s own daughter plays a major role by providing protection and ensuring that the one God has in mind to use in the years to come remains alive!

24. With each succeeding generation of people who heard this story--up to and including ALL the generations of Christians who have heard and loved this story, the following truths continue to be learned:

• We may not be IN power

• We may not HAVE power

• Our VISION may not be mainstream

• But if God be for us--who can be against us?

25. Isn’t that the most amazing message of HOPE that we get to live in our world?

26. We live in a world not unlike the world into which Moses was born, all those centuries ago. The dominant culture and society that we live in does not stand for holy living, supported by biblical values

• When we lived in Malawi from 2002-2005, there was a huge outcry against the way a condom by the brand name of “Chisango” was being marketed. The billboard pictures used for advertisement seemed to imply that Malawian young people were open to “loose” living. For a time is seemed that the “dominant” powers of advertising would prevail, but just as the humble midwives refused to surrender to the powerful law of Pharaoh, the local church culture of Malawi spoke up and said that the billboard pictures were saying something that the Malawian society would not tolerate! Soon thereafter the billboard were changed to reflect the moral values of the Malawian society at large.

27. The story of how baby Moses was protected from the powerful evil laws of the King of Egypt teaches us today that we can have HOPE in the sovereign faithfulness of God!

28. There are at least THREE mentors that we can learn from when we read this story. They are awesome mentors of Faith and Hope.

FIRST THERE ARE THE MIDWIVES

They represent people who choose to refuse!

1. In the course of doing their job these women faced a terrifying choice:

• would they obey the evil edict and go against everything that their “profession” was about? (LIFE)

• or would they disobey the evil edict and face the wrath and power of the dominant culture?

2. The “dominant” culture and power defined “evil” as allowing Hebrew boy babies to live

3. The midwives defined “evil” as anything that went against the Word of their God

• guided by “the fear of the Lord” they chose to refuse to comply with the “dominant” culture of the day

• Perhaps this is what Solomon meant when he wrote the following proverb: “through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil” (Proverbs 6:6b).

“The OT has no word for religion. This is probably so because for the OT people all of life was religion. But the phrases the fear of God or the fear of the Lord come close to expressing what we mean by the term religion. It reflects a life-style which always takes in account that there is an all-wise, all-powerful, all-righteous God who holds people accountable for their behavior. To act sinfully is to act as though God is either too weak, or too ignorant, or too inconsistent to enforce His will. To live in loving fellowship with God is possible only for those who “fear” Him.” (NKJV Wesley Study Bible, p. 33 based on Genesis 20:11)

4. The midwives did more than to “dare to say no:”

• they modeled for succeeding generations, who would hear the story, that one’s behavior and choices will one day be accountable to an unseen “Higher Power”

• One that was greater than the higher power who was seen and who had laid down the law!

5. As midwives--they teach me--that everyday I need to ask myself: “One day when I stand before God, will I be able to defend this decision as a good and righteous one?”

SECONDLY WE HAVE THE MOTHER OF MOSES

Our first mentors teach us how to choose to refuse.

This second mentor teaches us to choose to hide.

1. Moses’ mom hid her baby because she recognized the danger he was in.

2. Having HOPE in the sovereign God who is ultimately in control does not lesson the need to HIDE our children from the power of the world and sin.

3. Just as Moses’ mother had TIME before she surrendered him to be raised by Pharaoh’s daughter so we as Christian parents have time before our children go out and live in the midst of the dominant culture

• during this time of “hiding” Moses’ mother must have given him a Vision of Truth

• How do I know this? Read Hebrews 11:25-27: “The time came when Moses chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible”

• His ability to make these kinds of choices under immense pressure did not happen by osmosis!

• He had to have had a mentor

4. By choosing to hide Moses, his mother took an ACTIVE stand against the cultural demands of her day!

• Her eyes of faith and hope saw FAR into the future

• Believing parents today cannot be passive when it comes to raising their children for Christ (see How To Raise your Children for Christ, by Andrew Murray)

5. What did Moses’ mother teach him; what did he experience in that home that mentored him to be the person of faith he became?

THIRDLY THERE IS PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER

The midwives chose to refuse; Moses’ Mother chose to hide;
Pharaoh’s daughter chose to assist!

1. I find this choice the most remarkable choice in the whole story

2. Isn’t it just like God to pick an “outsider” to be His assistant!

• Aren’t you a little picky about who you receive help from?

• If I’d been Moses’ mom I think I would’ve been asking: “God are you SURE you know what you’re doing?”

• I mean, after all, Moses is going to be formally educated in a pretty secular setting, don’t you agree?

• He is going to be tempted with all that power and wealth

• You don’t really think that when the time comes for him to give that all up--he will, do you?

Conclusion:

1. Whenever I read the first two chapters in the Book of Exodus, I am left a bit breathless.

2. In these few verses I am exposed to real life, flesh and blood people who have broken out of the constraints of their time and place and moved into the unknown with great courage and confidence in God their source of HOPE.

3. This story invites me to encounter and dialogue and share with real people who though seemingly powerless placed their HOPE in what was indeed the true though invisible power!

• Put yourself in the sandals of Shiphrah and Puah--midwives who were asked to go against everything they stood for, yet resisted

• Put yourself in the place of a brand new mother who tenderly holds the helpless life of her baby boy in her arms, and knowing the tremendous danger she and her family are in chooses to hide him.

• Put yourself in the place of the princess--who knew full well what her father’s law was, but chose to assist anyway.

4. What is the Lord asking of you today? Resist? Hide Assist?
Sources:

Illustrations Unlimited, James S. Hewett, Editor. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois, 1988.

How to Raise Your Children for Christ, by Andrew Murray. Bethany Fellowship, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1975.

The Wesley Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1990