Exodus- " The Story Of God's Presence"Part 2" Trusting God In The Hardtimes Series

Exodus-“The story of God’s presence “

Part 2

“Trusting God in the hard times”

Exodus 2:1-10

As we continue with our study of Exodus this morning

I think before we can go forward

We must

Go back, for just a minuet

Last week in our sermon

We studied about how God’s chosen people had gone from freedom to slavery

We looked at who was to blame for this mess’ and prayerfully we now have a better understanding of God’s part and his plan

In our round pen bible study last week we studied about Pharaohs plans and ideas of how things should go

And how we must follow God’s law even when it goes against man’s law

And that when we do this even though we are not free from worldly punishment

We will receive eternal rewards for our obedience

Exodus 1 shows us that God does indeed have a plan

And that when we obey him and follow him

We receive blessings

Exodus 2 begins the process of showing us the plan

Let me read for you Exodus chapter 2

Verses 1:10

About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.

5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.

7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.

8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.

9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.

10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses,[a] for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”

Just for a moment

This morning

I want you to step outside of yourself

Put yourself in the shoes of the woman from this story

Allow yourself to feel the pain, the fear, the despair and the joy of a great woman in the bible

Her name is Jochebed- probably not going to make the 2016 list of favorite baby names

But it is her name

She was married to a man named Amram- once again not likely to be included that list

They were Levites

This means they were descendents of Jacob’s son Levi

And they were set aside to be the priests

Jochebed is pregnant with her third child

She already has an older daughter Miriam who we will learn much more about later and who also plays a part in today’s story

And an older son named Aaron who will also come to know better in the weeks to come

He also is a son who ironically would have been killed at birth had it not been for the midwives faith in following God and refusing to follow Pharaohs orders

The times that she lived in were tough

I would say way past tough

Her people had been forced into slavery

Their freedom had been removed

Their way of life destroyed

The conditions had increased severely over the years

But

Still

In spite of the oppression

The Hebrew people multiplied and grew in numbers and in strength

So the Pharaoh

And evil man

Made a plan to stop this growth

He issued orders to the midwives to have boy babies killed at birth

When this plan failed- as we know man’s plans cannot stop God’s plan

He issued an order for as new plan

He made a law

For all newborn Hebrew boy babies to be thrown into the Nile river

Imagine with me the emotions that must be filling the head of this woman

Excitement about the possibility of bringing another life into the world

But fear and anxiety also

Disappointment about how these were going