God the Protector
Exodus 2:1-10
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Exodus, and as we study, we’re asking the question, “What can I learn about honoring God from this passage?”
- Last week, we looked at the fact that God is in control.
- The Egyptian midwives defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill all the newborn male babies, and since they feared God, they honored Him by risking their lives to save those babies.
- In doing so, they were defying Pharaoh’s orders, and were putting themselves in danger, but they knew that God was in control, and He would take care of them.
- And He did…We’re told that God blessed them by providing households for them.
- Today, we’re looking at God the Protector.
- Remember, in vs 22 of chapter 1, Pharaoh decided that since his plan failed with the midwives, he would do something else…
- He commands all his people to cast all newborn male babies into the river.
- I guess he figured that out of all his subjects, there would be some who were willing to carry out the dirty deed.
- But, like we said last week, God is in control, and as we’ll see today, He is also our Protector.
- I’m reminded of an event that happened when I was about nine years old.
- Me and my brother and sisters really wanted to get a puppy.
- I’ll never forget how much we begged my father, and for a while, he said no…
- Then one day, he decided that he’d grant our request.
- I remember him doing lots of research on different breeds of dogs…
- Then one day, he took us to the mall to a pet store.
- They had a bunch of cute little puppies, but there was one that stood out to all of us…
- He was the cutest little chow-chow.
- My father was talking with the cashier about the dog, and she told him how friendly chow-chow’s are.
- So my dad filled out some paperwork, and I can’t remember why, but we had to wait before we could take it home with us.
- We were so excited and couldn’t wait to go back and pick him up.
- But then, my father found out that chow-chow’s are actually an aggressive breed, and they weren’t good with children.
- So a few days later, we went back…
- Of course, me and my brother and sisters still wanted the dog, but my father knew better.
- He told the cashier she was wrong about the dog, and we wouldn’t be buying it after all.
- Of course, we were so sad, but we realized that our father knew more about it than we did, and he was protecting us.
- One of my sisters was 5, my brother was 7, and I was 9…
- Dad knew that it was dangerous for a family with young children to own a chow-chow, because kids run around with lots of energy and like to play, and if we were too rough with a chow-chow, it could become aggressive…
- So my father ended up getting us a chocolate lab…but I’ll never forget that story because even though it was hard for my father to say no, he knew what was best, and he was protecting us.
- Let’s look now at the three people God protected from Pharaoh, here in Exodus Ch 2.
I.) God Protected Jochebed- Vs 1-3
- God has given mothers an instinct to protect their children, even if it means risking their life to save their child.
- Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard.
- She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow.
- But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby.
- When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well.
- She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother love.
- Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without doubt, was one of England’s greatest statesman.
- I believe Jochebed was very much like that woman, because she was willing to risk her life and the wrath of Pharaoh to keep her son safe.
- The children of Israel were going through some really rough times here.
- Not only had Egypt robbed them of their freedom and given them back-breaking, difficult work, but now, they’re trying to rob them of their own children!
- This was no small thing either.
- Think about it…Pharaoh tells his people, “Kill the male children, and save the female children.”
- Maybe he was trying to say something like, “See, I’m not such a bad guy. I’m still letting them have children.”
- But, here’s the problem…
- The male children were the future of Israel.
- If you kill enough of them, their numbers will greatly decrease.
- Some might say, “Yeah, but the women could still raise families…doesn’t that show that Pharaoh had at least some mercy in his heart?
- The answer is no, Pharaoh was not being compassionate by sparing them…
- No, I believe he spared the female children because he and the other Egyptian men could take them as wives and concubines.
- After all, God gave Jewish women a special beauty that was obviously noticed by men…
- For example, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, and Queen Esther are each described in Scripture as physically beautiful…
- And since they were slaves, there was nothing the women could do to stop the Egyptians from taking them.
- Well thankfully, God was watching over them.
- And He didn’t take too kindly to Pharaoh killing His children.
- And that’s where Moses comes into the picture for the first time.
- Vs 2 tells us that his mother saw that he was a beautiful child…
- Now, I’m sure every mother thinks that when they first see their newborn child…
- But this is included here because God wants to emphasize that there was something special about this baby…
- He was no ordinary child, but he was born with a God-ordained purpose, and he had God’s full blessing, even on the day of his birth.
- As a matter of fact, in their culture, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, beauty was regarded as a mark of the Divine favor.
- Later, in the book of Acts 7:20, Stephen tells us that Moses was “no ordinary child…” and the writer of Hebrews tells us as well that he was a beautiful child.
- Over the years, the Jews have acknowledged that there was something special about Moses, and they’ve even taken it to the extent of some far-fetched stories.
- Jewish legends say that Moses’ birth was painless to his mother…
- They say that at his birth his face was so beautiful that the room was filled with light equal to the sun and moon combined…
- They say that he walked and spoke when he was a day old, and that he refused to nurse, eating solid food from birth.
- Of course, those legends probably aren’t true, but you get my point…
- Moses was born with God’s hand of favor upon him.
- His mother could see that Moses was destined to do something great, but I don’t believe she knew.
- One thing she did know, though, was that she was going to risk her life to save his life.
- So she hid him for three months.
- Think about how dangerous that would be and how difficult it would be…
- The Egyptians were probably going around, listening for baby cries, and looking for any sign of newborns.
- Sadly, those they found were thrown into the Nile…
- We’re not given a number of how many babies were murdered, and we’re not told how long Pharaoh’s order was in effect…
- However, we can see from the text that it was at least 3 months…
- And from chapter 1, we remember that the Israelites were rapidly growing, giving birth to children constantly.
- So that tells you right there, the number of babies murdered was probably quite a large number.
- Yet even as she watched the Egyptians carry out their evil deed, she knew that she could not allow her son to be murdered.
- So for 3 months, God blessed her with His protection as she hid him at home.
- Now, some babies cry a lot in those first 3 months, and others don’t cry as much, but can you imagine trying to keep a newborn from crying?
- It’s not easy at all, but that’s what she would have had to do so that the Egyptians couldn’t hear.
- But you know what?...
- Scripture refers to their bravery in the book of Hebrews 11:23…
- It says, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.”
- They weren’t afraid because they knew that God was watching over and protecting their little baby Moses.
- Vs 3 tells us that after 3 months, she couldn’t hide him anymore…
- It was no longer safe…
- So she makes a strong basket to hold him…
- And the funny thing about this next part is that, in a way, she actually obeys Pharaoh’s order…
- She put her son in the river, just as Pharaoh commanded…but of course, it was to save his life, not take it.
- What an amazing act of faith!
- God had protected her and protected Moses during that 3 months…
- And now, she was entrusting Moses to God’s hands, because she knew that He would protect him.
- Now let’s stop here for a moment and think about what we can learn from Jochebed’s faith…
- Obviously, she was facing a very hard and very dangerous situation…
- Others around her were being overtaken by Pharaoh’s wicked decree, and the cries of their babies could be heard all through Egypt.
- But Jochebed knew that God was in control, and God would protect her baby.
- That’s why she was able to take action and hide him for three months…she knew God was watching over them…
- Then, when she had to send him away in a basket in the river, she had faith that God would protect him.
- Maybe you’re facing a very difficult or overwhelming situation today.
- It might seem like there’s no end to it, and you might feel like giving up, throwing in the towel, and letting the situation get the best of you…
- That might seem like the easier solution, but it’s not…
- God is in control, and He is our protector…
- So when the enemy whispers in your ear, “It’s not worth fighting. God’s not helping you. Just give up and let the chips fall where they may…”, you can look up to Christ, and say, “Lord, I give this to you”, and He will protect you from whatever the problem is…
- Psalm 121:7 says, “The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life;”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “The Lord is faithful and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
- Take comfort in that today…God’s got this!
II.) God Protected Miriam- Vs 4-7
- My mother’s name is Miriam, so whenever I read about Miriam in the Bible, it brings a smile to my face because I think of my mom.
- Miriam was Moses’s sister, and would have been between 10 and 12 years of age at this point.
- So she’s only a child, and yet she takes an amazing step of faith by following the basket with her brother to find out what would happen to him.
- The text doesn’t tell us if her mother asked her to do this or not, but I think Miriam probably did this on her own.
- After all, she was his big sister, and she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
- But it’s more than that…
- I believe she was led by God to follow because He was in control…
- He had plans to reward Jochebed for her faithfulness, and He was going to use Miriam to make that happen.
- So, Miriam is following the basket from a distance, and all of a sudden, her brother is taken by the maidens who served Pharaoh’s daughter.
- If I were Miriam, my heart probably would have been beating hard, and I’d be extremely nervous, because, upon first glance, this is not a good thing!
- After all, Pharaoh is the one who gave the order for these babies to be killed, and his daughter had no reason to save this baby.
- I’ve got to give Miriam credit though…
- Instead of running away in fear at this point or running toward her brother to try to save him, she keeps her cool and remains at a distance, watching.
- How could she keep her cool and remain where she was?
- I believe it’s because Miriam had strong faith.
- Even though she was a child, she knew that God was in control, and she knew that if He was allowing this to happen, it was part of His plan.
- Think about how much courage it took for her to stand there, either near or in the river…
- The Nile River had a lot of crocodiles, and there might have been some nearby as Miriam is watching…
- There would have been Egyptian guards nearby, looking for any sign of suspicious activity…
- And of course, if they found out she was watching the baby Moses float down the river, they might have killed him in front of her, as a punishment for going against the Pharaoh’s orders.
- So how could she have any courage in a situation like this?
- The answer, of course, is that God was protecting her, and as one of His followers, she understood that, even as a child.
- Now, let’s talk about Pharaoh’s daughter for a moment…
- The Egyptians had extraordinary reverence for the Nile River…
- At certain times of the year, it was an act of devotion to bathe in the waters of the Nile.
- Some think that Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe as part of the festival of the new moon.
- In any case, God knew she would be there, and He knew her heart, so He knew that she would not turn the baby Moses away
- When she sees the baby in the basket, she immediately recognizes him as a Hebrew baby boy.
- As she looks at him, he weeps, and instead of turning him away, her heart has compassion for him.
- This is amazing because her father has spread his hate of the Jews throughout his kingdom.
- He has convinced his people to kill their newborn baby boys.
- Yet here is his own daughter, knowingly and willingly defying his order…
- Instead of killing Moses, she saves his life and takes him in to her family.
- Isn’t it awesome the way God does things?
- At this point, Miriam could have left and been confident of Moses’ survival.
- Instead, she leaves her hiding place and goes to speak to Pharaoh’s daughter.
- This took a lot of courage because she’s now approaching the royal princess, and she doesn’t know how she’ll be received.
- Remember, the Egyptians didn’t like the Jews, but that didn’t stop her.
- She boldly went forward, in faith, to speak with the princess.
- There’s only one place that she could have gotten that courage, and that’s from God.
- So, as she’s stepping forward, she knows that God is protecting her.
- This was part of God’s plan as well because now, God is going to use Miriam and Pharaoh’s daughter to reward Jochebed for her faithfulness to God.
- Miriam bravely asks the question, “Shall I call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women?”
- What a great question to ask, and we’re talking about a little 10-year-old girl asking this…God’s hand was definitely a part of this.
- Now let’s stop here and think about what we can learn from Miriam’s faith?
- She followed the baby to see what God was going to do with him.
- So, she was observing the work of God, even though it was dangerous for her to follow.
- And as she watched God work an amazing miracle before her eyes, she became a part of it by stepping forward in faith and trust.
- It’s important to realize that God might not have a specific job for you to do at this time.
- Some people might get discouraged by that… “I really want to do something for you, Lord!”
- Oftentimes, that’s when He’ll give us something to do or to be a part of…
- Just like Esther didn’t know in what way God was going to use her, but was available, you and I also need to be available.
- You never know when your friend might call in the middle of the night, going through a really difficult time, and God brought you to their mind as a person to call…
- Or you never know when God will be working in someone else’s life, and then calls upon you to encourage them or to disciple them, or help them with a need…
- There are many more examples…
- One thing is for certain…
- Just like Esther was protected by God, even when she didn’t know what He was going to do, He also protects us, in any and every situation.
III.) God Protected Moses- Vs 8-10
- A pastor told a story about when he was a boy.
- His family’s home was broken into three times. Valuables were stolen, memories gone.
- His father realized how unsafe and unprotected his family truly was, especially his children.
- After the third time, he decided that this would never happen again.
- He began to turn their little house into a fortress.
- For starters, he built a huge gate surrounding the yard with small sharp spikes on top.
- It stayed constantly locked, so the only entrance was by climbing over this fence.
- If a would-be intruder made it over the fence, they would meet Scrappy, a very mean, very protective chow-chow.
- If somehow a would-be intruder made it past the fence and Scrappy, he would see big strong iron bars over all the windows and several deadlocks upon the doors.
- This would take hours for even the best burglar, but if somehow one made it over the fence, past Scrappy, through the bars, and past the deadlocks, the father had a vast assortment of weaponry and was well equipped to fill any would be intruder with his ample supply of ammunition.
- That father was very serious about protecting his children…
- They didn’t have to do anything to receive his protection…it was automatically given.
- Thankfully, Lord our God is also very protective of His children.
- In this case, Moses was a little 3-month-old baby.
- He didn’t control when he was born.
- He didn’t control who his parents were.
- He didn’t control the making of the basket, the placing of him in the basket, or the floating down the Nile River.
- No, Moses was a baby, and didn’t understand what was going on around him.
- Yet God still protected him…
- He protected him from Pharaoh’s henchmen who were going around killing babies.
- He protected him for 3 months in his parent’s home.
- He protected him in the basket, where instead of sinking, it floated perfectly…
- He protected him from the crocodiles and other wild animals that might bring harm to him.
- And He protected him when Pharaoh’s daughter picked him up and brought her into her home as her son!
- But there’s one more way that God protected Moses…
- Pharaoh’s daughter agrees to let Jochebed nurse the baby Moses, even though she didn’t know that she was the actual birth mother.
- On top of that, Jochebed got paid to take care of and nurse her own baby!
- His mother sent him off, and God sent him right back into her arms.
- If that’s not from God, then I don’t know what is!
- What about you and I?
- What kind of things is God protecting us from right now?
- There are many examples, but I’ll only name a few…
- For one thing, each of us here today is breathing.
- If God took away the oxygen in the air right now, all of us would be dead because we couldn’t breathe…that’s part of God’s protection…
- What about how fast the earth is rotating? If there was no gravity, you and I would be hurled into space along with the rest of the world…that’s part of God’s protection.
- What about the blessing to sit here this morning in a warm church with friends and family…not every country in the world can say that, but we can, and that’s part of God’s protection.
- And most of all, He’s blessed us with salvation, the ultimate gift!
- That gift has saved us from sin, and now we’re protected by Him, and will be with Him for all of eternity.
- Those are just a few examples…
- God’s protection is a beautiful thing.
- If you and I didn’t have His protection, the world would be a horrible place.
- In closing, I want to say that God as our Protector deserves all the honor we can give Him.
- When we see our troops in uniform returning from war, we clap our hands, we shake their hands, and we say thank you to them for what they’ve done.
- How much more does God deserve our thanks, continuously honoring Him with our lives?
- I’ll close with this question…is God your protection this morning?
- If you’ve never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and given your life to Him, do so today.
- He’s the greatest protector you and I could ever ask for.
- If you’re a Christian, take comfort in the fact that God is protecting you, even now as you’re in His hands.
- And no matter what happens to us on this earth, we know without a shadow of a doubt that we will be with Him for all of eternity…
- Let’s take a moment and reflect on God’s Word this morning.
