Exodus: Fear

A lot has happened in these first few verses of Exodus. The first chapter spans approximately 400 years in total; even though we aren’t sure exactly how much time has passed by vs 8 we know it has been a while. You see the pharoah when Joseph and Jacob arrived was not native to Egypt. He was really a foreigner just like Joseph. But that ruling party has been overthrown now and the current pharoah is a native to Egypt and understandably a bit more uncomfortable with the growing power of another foreign people in the land of Egypt.

But the Israelites have changed too. When they came, they were given the best lands, and they have bee fruitful. The famine that drove them from their home has long passed, but they remain in the safety and comfort of Egypt.

This is the way it is in life.

Time changes everything.

We aren’t sure exactly how much time has passed by vs 8 but

Time changes everything.

Exodus 1:8 NIV84

8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

In Time, Everything Changes

You see, it’s nothing new, time changes everything; but I believe that we can discover a powerful truths as we look at how others handled this change in this week. Read with me.

Exodus 1:8 NIV84

Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

Exodus 1:9–14 NIV84

9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.

Exodus 1:

Pharoah is presented to us as a man very much intimidated by the Israelites. What do intimidated leaders do? they press. They raise the tension. That’s what pharoah did, he put the Israelites to forced labor.

Fear of man results in conflict with man.

The problem is, when pharoah operated out of a fear of man, yes he went into conflict with them, but maybe more importantly, he began to work against the will of God. And we know what happens when we work against God, we lose.

Why is the fear of man such a tempting? What is this fear of Man? Fear of what man might do to you, say about you, or think about you. It’s a fear of losing the things of this world, comfort, status, power; that’s the fear of man.

Changes in our financial status

Changes in careers or employment status

marital status

health

turning…18, 25, 40, 50, etc.

HS to college…school to work

falling love…or breaking up

losing someone you love

becoming a christian

All of these are fears of man. Simply stated, the fear of man is insecurity, and we are all tempted to fall into it’s snare.

Think of all the places where we come face to face with our fear of man:

Changes in our financial status

Changes in careers or employment status

marital status

health

turning…18, 25, 40, 50, etc.

HS to college…school to work

falling love…or breaking up

losing someone you love

becoming a christian

The problem is the fear of man often leads us to, just like the Egyptians, to get into conflict with men. That’s not where the conflict belongs.

Ephesians 6:12–18 NIV84

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV84

You see, we are spiritual beings. We can’t get caught up too much in the physical realities of our lives without keeping focus on the spiritual realities. In fact if we are to fear anything, we should fear the one who is the author of life. As the writer of Proverbs put it:

Proverbs 9:10 NIV84

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

What do i mean fear of God? The bible refers to fear of God as a reverent respectful fear that leads to acts of devotion and piety. It’s respect for God’s power, for his people. Because God is God and we are not, simple as that. Keeping God in a proper perspective not only is the beginning of wisdom, God’s wisdom leads to blessings

Fear of God results in blessings.

Proverbs 9:10 NIV84

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

That’s what I pray for us. That we would be people who hold God in a proper perspective and ourselves too. That we not have a fear of man, but a healthy fear of God when we are facing change and uncomfortable situations. That’s what happened in our story today.

Exodus 1:15–22 NIV84

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

Exodus 1:9-14

This working them to death was to be a slow process, so to make sure the numbers went down, he brought in the midwives. Women, who most likely couldn’t have children of their own so had been trained to help other women deliver and get established with their own children.

Trained to foster life, but now conscripted into taking life. I’m sure it was presented as the carrot and stick; you can do this and I will reward you, but if you don’t.....What would they do? How would they handle this change in responsibility?

You

They could fear man, pharoah, and do what he wanted even though it went against everything they believed. But when it comes down to it, just like for us;

What we believe determines how we behave.

I used to think that living in "the fear of the Lord" is like driving down the street while watching the policeman in your rear view mirror. But actually there's a better picture for the fear of the Lord. It's like a teenage driver who suddenly spots her father's car in her rear view mirror. Seeing him back there puts her on notice to be on her best behavior—to use her blinkers and stop at the yellow light, and to keep both hands on the wheel. But it also tells her that her father cares enough to follow her. It tells her that she's safe. Her father isn't trying to trap or trick her. He's trying to help her develop good habits; not just to be careful on this trip, but to obey the laws and stay safe until she gets home. She's driving on her own, but not completely on her own.

You

So it is for the people of God. The fear of the Lord means we live life with our heavenly Father always in our rear view mirror. We glance up and see his brilliant holiness but also his care and love. Our response, the fear of the Lord, is a mix of reverence, trust, and love.

And they feared God.

And the midwives feared God.

They believed God had a different way in mind for them. They trusted God to work things out, even when they weren’t sure how it would. They couldn’t do what they pharoah wanted.

It’s the same for us who believe. Listen to how Peter describes it:

1 Peter 1:14–17 NIV84

14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

What you believe determines how you behave.

, Mark tells a story of the disciples out in a boat. IT’s blowing and they are a bit concerned, and where is Jesus? Asleep. they wake him, and

Mark 4:40 NIV84

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:35–41 NIV84

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

One thing is for sure in life. Time changes everything. Our lives change, our homes, our relationships. Everything. trying to prevent change is one of the surest ways that the fear of man is revealed in out lives. We see it in the 60 year old actress on TV who looks just like she did when she was 35. There is a fear of losing control or influence, or income. Maybe something else, but the fact is, we were created to get older. We were created not to just experience change. But to face it unafraid. To allow our faith to see us through.

LORD JESUS, I NO LONGER WANT TO LIVE IN FEAR OF WHAT OTHERS MAY DO, SAY, OR THINK. I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE FOR ONLY YOU, NO ONE ELSE. I KNOW THAT I HAVE LIVED FOR MYSELF FOR QUITE A WHILE, BUT TODAY I REPENT. TODAY I SURRENDER MY LIFE TO BE LIVED FOR YOU. I NO LONGER WANT TO WORRY ABOUT ANY OTHER BUT YOU. YOU PROMISE THAT WHEN WE GIVE OUR LIVES TO YOU, YOU GIVE US A NEW LIFE. THANK YOU FOR THIS NEW LIFE. I GIVE IT BACK TO YOU. FILL ME WITH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SO I MIGHT LIVE OUT MY FAITH IN YOU EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. USE ME FOR YOUR GLORY LORD. AMEN.

Our church is going to face some changes in the coming days and months, just as we have for the last days and months.

You are going to face changes this week.

History is filled with men and women who said no to fear of man, yes to the fear of God, and changed the world. But imagine if they had given in to the paralyzing effects of the fear of man on their lives. Imagine the apostle Paul, fearing resistance or rejection, choosing to stay home rather than embarking on the missionary journeys that took the message of Christ throughout the known world.

Imagine Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. giving speeches filled with gentle hints about the evils of segregation, because he feared pushing too hard. Instead, King championed the civil rights movement against racial segregation in the United States because he feared God.

Imagine Rosa Parks, during that same era in American history submitting to the bus driver's command to give up her seat to a white person. Imagine Nelson Mandela looking the other way when he witnessed and experienced apartheid in South Africa, because he didn't want to make a fuss. Instead, he spent twenty-seven years imprisoned and brought apartheid onto the world's radar, helping end the centuries-old regime of oppression because he feared God.

Imagine Malala Yousafzai passively quitting school, because she was too frightened by the death threats she received from Taliban extremists, who abhor education for girls. Instead, she became even more vocal about the educational rights of children and women, survived a 2012 assassination attempt, and was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2013 and 2014.

Imagine yourself, fully aware of the mission and vision God has placed in your heart to advance his kingdom in this world, yet held hostage to phobias, irrational worries, and destructive fears of failure, harm, or rejection. If you don't fulfill the mission God assigned to you, who will?