Sermon Tone Analysis

MONARCHS, MAYHEM AND MURDER

A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagon-load of corn in the road.

The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate.

“Hey, Willis,” he called out, “forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us.

Then I'll help you get the wagon up.”

“That's mighty nice of you,” Willis answered, “but I don't think Pa would like me to.”

“Aw, come on, son!” the farmer insisted.

“Well, okay,” the boy finally agreed.

“But Pa won't like it.”

After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host.

“I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be real upset.”

“Don't be foolish!"

exclaimed the neighbor.

"By the way, where is he?”

“Under the wagon.”

You can do God’s will your way in your time or you can do God’s will God’s way in His time.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the world we live in.

I see people share their perspectives and we want to hear about them.

But not all perspectives are equal.

I find that the Union’s perspective on slavery to be vastly superior and right to the Confederacy.

I believe Democratic Capitalism to be vastly preferred compared to Socialism and Communism.

I find the rights of the individual to be of a higher order than those of the collective or identity politics.

I find the love of life at all stages to be moral in contrast to the punditry of choice or being doomed in the womb.

See where the story of Moses begins begins in the moral morass where there arose a Pharoah “who knew not Joseph.”

The dynastic families of rulers changed in Egypt.

All that Joseph and Pharoah had built together became taken for granted.

Tribalism once again became entrenched in the mindset of the people.

Dr. Suess’ Sneetches and who has the stars on thars began to take over.

In order for our TRIBE of Egyptians to rise, we have to put others down.

We will see a similar substantive claim in the time of the Judges… Then there was a generation that knew not God nor His miracles.

exodus 2:15-

I.

We have the fundamental question here: Does Might Make Right?

a.

The Egyptian had the Power to beat the Hebrew.

a.

The Egyptian had the Power to beat the Hebrew.

b.

But he did not MORAL right.

We live in a time when people take for granted the gifts we have.

We take people and the relative life of ease we have compared to the rest of history.

No one has to face what the Hebrews faced in America.

But if we take for granted what we have

There are many ideas of men and women that sound great on paper, but they neglect God, His laws, and the nature and purpose of people.

One of those natures is that we will choose what feels good over the good at any time.

and that may to be to nurse our hurts, take advantage of others and act against our long-term interest.

Remember Esau sold his birthright for a pot of stew.

Moses’ wrote the books of the law.

Do you ever find that interesting?

Genesis to Deuteronomy all get called the Law.

While we find the Law, we find a lot more, why do you think that might be?

I have my thoughts.

Injustice will always be around until Christ returns.

And just because we know that doesn’t mean that we cannot look at the world and give critique without throwing order and politics out.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the world we live in.

I see people share their perspectives and we want to hear about them.

But not all perspectives are equal.

I find that the Union’s perspective on slavery to be vastly superior over the Confederacy’s perspective.

I believe Democratic Capitalism to be vastly preferred compared to Socialism and Communism.

I find the rights of the individual to be of a higher order than those of the collective or identity politics.

I find the love of life at all stages to be moral in contrast to the punditry of choice or being doomed in the womb.

See where the story of Moses begins begins in the moral morass where there arose a Pharoah “who knew not Joseph.”

The dynastic families of rulers changed in Egypt.

All that Joseph and Pharoah had built together became taken for granted.

Tribalism once again became entrenched in the mindset of the people.

So perhaps you can relate to what Moses felt as he looked at the power and influence he had amassed.

He had been educated at the Temple of the sun in all areas of knowledge: Hieroglyphics, math, social sciences, agriculture, architecture and warfare.

The Hebrews hold to the tradition that he had become a battle scarred hero.

I can’t imagine this was the first time Moses had seen his fellow Hebrews abused.

It seems he had formulated in his mind that at 40 or so, he had amassed enough influence and prospects to lead a political coupe.

But, notice something underlying the Hebrews question to him?

Will you just be a new Pharaoh?

Will you just lead according to your morals and dictates?

Will we just be replacing one dictator with another?

See they had been looking not just for the promised land, but the promise of God’s rule and a nation of Law that all people were under not a nation under a man.

But one nation under God.

Interesting isn’t it?

Moses for all his learning and intelligence had failed to grasp that.

Biblical narratives are honest about the failures and weaknesses of their characters, in contrast to most ANE literature, in which the heroes of stories—especially national heroes—are commonly portrayed in an unrealistically good light.

So blunt is the criticism that Moses brought on himself as he wrote about his murdering the Egyptian that some critical scholars have even identified 2:11–15 as representative of an Israelite tradition hostile to Moses (cf.

T. Butler, “An Anti-Moses Tradition,” JSOT 12 [1979]: 9–15).

Cf. also B. Childs, “Moses’ Slaying in the Theology of the Two Testaments,” in Biblical Theology in Crisis (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), 164–83.

II.

Moses STRUCK out on his own path to bring about God’s plan.

a.

You can get ahead of God’s timing.

You can sow your wild seed, but you will walk upon thorns in the morning.

b.

God’s plans go far beyond any MOMENT.

See, Moses spent the first 40 years thinking he was becoming somebody.

Then God had to teach him 40 years in the desert that he was nobody.

So then God could use him the next 40 years to show the world God can use a nobody.

III.

The LORD desired to MAKE a nation, not a Name for Moses.

a.

The Foundation would be Faith in the LORD, not a man.

Shortly after the revolutionary war George Washington had been asked about becoming Emperor of the States.

Washington made a noble and beautiful response of both shock and horror.

He understood the goal was to become a nation of laws.

And he asked what could have made people think he had such aspirations.