What The Devil Hopes You Never Find Out

What the Devil hopes you never find out

Theme: To show that the devil is a liar and father there of

Text: Exodus 1:8 – 22, Ephesians 6:10 - 18

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land." Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage--in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor. Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?" And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them." Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them. So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born [3] you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."

(Exo 1:8-22)

Introduction

Israel had enjoyed peace for about 200 years. They had come into the land under the providence of God and the favor of Joseph. God raised Joseph up from the Pit to the Palace to become second in command.

Truthfully not only did God save Israel from the land of famine but He also saved Egypt and the surrounding nations. It was God’s vision given to Pharaoh and interpreted by Joseph. Then God’s preparation in Joseph’s life to be a leader. This all saved the largest nation in the world at the time.

But it also gave a place for the nation of Israel to flourish. They grew from 75 to around 2.4 million. This was all at the hand of God.

Then there came another king (Pharaoh) who did not remember Joseph. This was not the next Pharaoh after the one we are introduced to in Genesis 39. The one who promoted Joseph. There could have been 4 or 5 by the time we meet Moses. So there was a long time and a short memory.

This Pharaoh who did not know nor remember what Joseph had done was afraid. Fear will make you do and think crazy things. He was afraid of this nation that had grown so large. He was afraid that they were going to take over Egypt.

Not only did he not know Joseph or Israel he did not know the promises of God. Egypt was not the land God had promised to Israel, it was Cannan. God had no intention of them staying in Egypt.

Yet with this fear he began to persecute them. He began to oppress them. Placing them in bondage. Putting more work on them. Finally attempting to destroy the next generation.

Moses’ the deliverer

All the while God was preparing a man. Where it seems that things are not happening always remember God has a plan. From the strangest of places and circumstances God raises up a man “out of the water” to be raised in the very house that was persecuting Israel.

Under the nose of the enemy God was raising up a deliverer.

Abraham and Isaac

I often times think of the story that Minister Washington spoke about Wednesday night. The story of Abraham and Isaac. How God called Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Up mountain they climbed. Abraham was willing to follow through on God’s commands. Yet God stopped him. Right in the middle of the act of faith by Abraham.