CALL ON GOD FOR HELP
Exodus 1-3
Introduction
We are beginning a series of messages for this month under the theme of CALL ON GOD. As we make our way through the story of the OT we find that people discover the power of calling on a powerful God! We especially need to know that God is there for us when we need help - when we can’t go any farther on our own.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Someone said, “If what's ahead scares you and what's behind hurts you, just look above, He never fails to help you.” This is the message we want to see as we spend some time in Exodus 1-3 in this message. From a very familiar story we see four principles of calling on God when we ned help!
1. God’s Help Comes in Providence, So Trust Him! (Exodus 1-3)
Genesis ends with the deaths of two iconic Hebrew figures: Jacob and Joseph. The children of Jacob (Israel) are in Egypt, avoiding the effects of a famine, and working alongside Egyptians. The story takes a dramatic turn in
Exodus 1:8 “Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power…”
This new king was worried about the size of the Children of Israel’s population. Pharaoh made three attempts to correct this problem:
-He oppressed them and forced them into slavery. (Exodus 1:11-14) He “made their lives bitter with harsh labor… the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.”
-He commanded two Hebrew midwives to kill any male born to the Hebrews.
-He gave an order to all the people, “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (Exodus 1:22)
Throughout the story of God’s people, He is working behind the scenes, providentially providing and carrying out His will. Providence is God’s eternal, infinite, and (mostly) invisible hand at work in nations, tribes, families, and individuals. In Exodus 2, Through God’s Providence:
-Amram and Jochebed floated their infant son down the Nile where Pharoah’s daughter found him. She named him “I drew him out of the water” - Moses.
-Moses’ own mother was brought in to nurse and care for him.
-Moses grew up in Pharoah’s household, giving him access and insight for a mission he did not know was coming.
When he ran away from Egypt he spent 40 years as a shepherd, preparing him to shepherd God’s people out of Egypt.
Providence…
-May not always be evident to us
-May not always be pleasant to us for a season
-May not always be about us getting what we want
-Is always about God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. We trust God through the seasons of life because we know He is at work.
God’s help comes in providence, so trust Him!
2. God’s Help Comes in Prayer, So Talk To Him About it.
During that time: Exodus 2:23-25 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Twice in this text we have an important principle.
-Exodus 3:24 “God heard…”
-Exodus 3:7 “I have heard…I am concerned…”
Old Song: Jesus on the main line, tell him what you want.
In our darkest moments, God hears our cries. No matter how dire our circumstances, God listens to our
prayers.
Madeline Pena offered this prayer for H.E.L.P.
-H. “Hear me lord and answer me for I am poor and needy.” (Psalm 86:1)
-E. “Establish my steps in your word.” (Psalm 119:133)
-L. “Let your compassion quickly meet our needs because we are on the brink of despair.” (Psalm 79:8)
-P. “Protect me, God, because I take refuge in You. I say to the Lord, You are my Lord, apart from You I have nothing good.” (Psalm 16:1)
2 Chron 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
He is attuned to our suffering and moved by our tears. God’s help comes in Providence, so trust Him!
God’s help comes in Prayer, so talk to Him about it!
3. God’s Help Comes in Presence, So Invite Him In. (3:1-4)
Moses saw God in a burning bush, but God was there all along. How often do we go through our days not thinking about the presence of God walking with us?
Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens,
you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far
side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
We should get in the habit of inviting God into our day.
“Invite Him” really remind us that God is Present.
We do not take one step without him but do we take some steps without thinking about him?
When our struggles start to overtake us … when we need God’s help, invite him into the picture.
-Nothing is too hard for God!
-Nothing is impossible for God!
-No scenario leaves God confused or afraid!
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. - Corrie Ten Boom
God’s help comes in Providence, so trust Him!
God’s help comes in Prayer, so talk to Him about it!
God’s help comes in Presence, so Invite Him in!
4. God’s Help Comes in Promisess, So Watch for Him.
Stay on the Faith path as long as it takes.
“God is not aloof. He is not disconnected. He says continually through the centuries, I’ll help you, I really will. When you don’t know where to turn, then turn to me. When you’re ready to throw up your hands - throw them up to me. Put your voice behind them too, and I’ll come and help you.” Jim Cymbala
Way back in Genesis 14 God told Abraham what was going to happen with his people. He promised eventual deliverance!
Even when we can’t see how, stay with God!
2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Conclusion
God’s help comes in Providence, so trust Him!
God’s help comes in Presence, so Invite Him in!
God’s help comes in Prayer, so talk to Him about it!
God’s help comes in Promises, so Watch for Him!
As God commissions Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses asks God for His name. God responds with
the powerful declaration, "I AM WHO I AM.”
-In the past - I AM has always been.
-The present - I AM is the here and now.
-The future - I AM is not going anywhere.
Motyer: “He was still the God who calls into the unknown, overcomes impossible odds to keep his promises, bothers with those who have tried and failed and, certainly in the case of Jacob, is the God who can take the unpromising material of our lives and transform it.”
Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
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Discussion Questions
1. Genesis 15:13-14 gives us some insight into God’s plans. What insights does this give us in terms of God’s planning, our perception that He is sometimes absent, and the ultimate promises of God?
2. What do the actions of the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, teach us about courage and obedience in the face of adversity? (Exodus 1:15-21)
3. Why did it take Moses forty years to return to Egypt? What do you think God was teaching him during that time?
4. Why did God use a lot of shepherds? What are the skills and virtues of a competent shepherd that are also leader of persons?
5. The Hebrew people were enslaved for 400 years. In our text God notices and hears their cries. What does this say to you about suffering, God's intervention, and how God acts in today's world?
6. The burning bush is a symbol of God's presence. How can we cultivate an awareness of God's presence in our daily lives, and why is it essential for our faith journey?
7. How can the lessons from Exodus 1-3, such as God's attentiveness to His people and His faithfulness to His
promises, impact the way we live out our faith and trust in God today?
8. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about today?
Next Week: Call on God for Guidance, Deuteronomy 5.
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References
Beeke, Joel. God’s Providence Applied in Our Lives. https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2021/02/gods-providence-applied-in-our-lives/
Merida, Tony. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Exodus. B&H Publishing, 2014.
Motyer, J. A. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Exodus. InterVarsity Press, 2005.
Pena, Madeline. Prayers for Help. https://justdisciple.com/christian-prayer-help/
Note of Interest:
Motyer: “The framework of Moses’ life is drawn from a variety of Scripture passages. Acts 7:23 says he was forty years old when he left Egypt for Midian (Exod. 2:11), and Acts 7:30 records he spent forty years in MIdian, making him eighty when he returned to Egypt (Esoc. 7:7), and he then led Israel in the wilderness for another forty years (Num. 14:34; Deut. 8:2).”
Video: Lynda Randle, Walk With Me Lord
https://youtu.be/7r9w_X8HZyA
