The River Of Life

Here in eastern Kentucky, we know about floods.

• We just ‘celebrated’ for lack of a better term, the floods that were so devastating to Breathitt, Letcher and Perry counties last year.

I remember when I was young, looking at some pictures of from what is known as the flood of ’37.

• The flood of 1937 left an estimated 350 people dead and nearly 1 million homeless.

• It is still remains the flood of record for many locations along the Ohio River.

• My grandparents lived in Point Pleasant, WV (where I was born) during the time of the ’37 flood.

• Again, think about it ` around 350 dead and nearly 1 million homeless – yet Point Pleasant (and other towns along the Ohio River) are still there – they rebuilt and many of these cities are thriving.

It certainly wasn’t the first time the Ohio River had overflowed its banks – nor would it be the last time – it has flooded again, most recently in 2018.

• Think about it - these people return and build, again and again, despite the destruction the river brought. WHY?

• Then I remember reading a statement: “some of these folks were able to make a living on the river, fishing, scavenging, transportation. It wasn’t just destruction that the river brought, it was life too.”

I). Egypt was a river-based nation.

A). The people were used to the rhythms of the Nile and were able to make good use of it.

• It was a source of life—a dangerous source of life to be sure, but a blessing, nonetheless.

• Until, as we saw in our Scripture this morning - Pharoah decided to change the Nile River from a source of life and place of blessing to an instrument of death and a symbol of terror.

B). That is exactly what the unnamed Pharaoh tried to do in our scripture text for this morning; “Throw them in the river.”

• That seems unbelievable — that a leader would be so afraid of these immigrants that he would command throwing newborn babies in the river.

• Did you notice that? He told all his people, “Whenever you see a Hebrew baby boy, throw it in the river.”

C). If the newborn baby is a boy – thrown him in the river – but let the girls live.

• Why? Because girls aren’t a threat?

• Because no one worries about girls, because, you know, they’re girls. No one can be so mean as to kill baby girls, right?

D). I doubt that was the reason – my feeling is that Pharaoh spared the girls because he didn’t think they were capable of causing him trouble.

• Pharoah apparently didn’t know very much about women!

• Either that or he just wasn’t paying attention, because two women got in the way of this part of his plan, and it was a woman from his own household who caused his ultimate downfall.

E). Pharaoh had it all wrong from the beginning.

• He wanted to turn the river, which was a source of life, into a place of death. That didn’t work.

• He also wanted the women, the midwives who are bringers of life, to be instruments of death; and that didn’t work.

• The little girls he didn’t think worth his consideration stood guard over a baby in a basket, floating on the river of life, a river of hope.

II). Here’s what’s important: We need to know that sometimes what God intends for good, human beings can’t turn to evil.

A). But it does mean that if those who fear God, as these two women in our Scripture this morning did can work to stop those who would misuse the blessings of God—if they are willing to take the risk and if they are willing to work for life and not for death.

B). What does it mean to fear God?

• What it doesn’t mean is that they were more afraid of what God would do to them than what Pharaoh would do to them.

• Fearing God means that they trusted in God’s power and presence more than in Pharaoh’s power and presence.

• Fearing God means that we will be obedient to His Word and His work and it’s about choosing to do the work of life and not of death.

C). It’s dangerous down by the river…be it the Nile or any other river – rivers can flood – there may be dangerous creatures living in and along the river - but the river is where life is.

• That’s why the majority of our cities and towns are built along rivers – rivers are a source of life.

III). But if we are going to a place of significance in our lives, we need a direction.