Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
EX.
My childhood and teen years were in the 70’s and 80’s.
What that means, apart from my being old, is that as I am working on sermons and trying to figure out what my sermon title is going to be, old R&B and Hip-hop lyrics start popping up in my head.
That is exactly what happened to me yesterday as I worked on this sermon and didn’t have a title.
Some of you will recognize that this title comes from the 1970’s song by Peaches & Herb, “Reunited And It Feels So Good.”
They, of course were singing about their relationship; about their breakup that made them feel lonesome and sad; about the realization that they needed each other.
So they got back together.
In the chorus of the song they sing,
Reunited, and it feels so good
Reunited 'cause we understood
There's one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited 'cause we're reunited, hey, hey
Why did this song come to mind as I was studying our text for today?
Because reunion is at the heart of .
This chapter is actually a bridge chapter in the book of Exodus.
The people are at the mountain of God, Mount Sinai.
There’s no hint of external threat.
They’ve been delivered from the Egyptians and from the Amelekites.
The Lord has provided food and drink for them in the wilderness.
And so, the first twelve verses serve as an epilogue, a concluding word on the deliverance theme of the first 17 chapters of the book.
Moses is reunited with his wife and children, and the Lord is declared to be great because of his power to deliver.
The second half of the chapter serves as the prologue, the first word on the major theme in the next section of the book, the law.
The Lord promised Moses when he was at the burning bush in ch. 3,
They’ve been delivered and are now at the mountain.
The question for this new nation of people is, “Now that we’ve been reunited to the Lord, how shall we live?”
What does the good life, the life of justice, righteousness and peace look like now that we’re free to worship the Lord?
Reunited and it feels so good!
Surprisingly, the central figure in this important chapter isn’t Moses.
It’s Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, the priest Midian; a non-Israelite.
What we find in vv.
1-12 is that the Lord has made himself known to Jethro through Israel’s deliverance.
Then, incredibly in vv.
13-27, the Lord makes himself further known to Israel through Jethro’s wisdom.
This non-Israelite is able to impart godly wisdom to Moses about what good leadership looks like as the people transition into life as a nation.
So, we’ll take the two sections of this chapter under two parts for our message: Reunited in Praise and Reunited in Peace
Reunited in Praise
Verse 1 tells us that Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel.
We haven’t seen or heard from Jethro since chapter 4:18.
After Moses’ encounter with the Lord at the burning bush it says.
Then we’re told in that Moses took his wife and his sons and went back to the land of Egypt.
Now there’s a reunion that results in praise.
There are two aspects to this reunion in vv.1-12 verses that I want to point out.
The first, and most obvious, is Moses being reunited with his wife and children.
Listen, the Bible is so full of amazing wonders and signs and miracles that we can often overlook the humanness of this book.
Moses has missed his wife and children, and even his father-in-law.
This is a joyful reunion.
In v. 6 Jethro sent word to Moses, “I your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her sons with her.” Moses doesn’t sit back and wait.
He goes out to meet Jethro.
He greets him with honor, bowing down and kissing his father-in-law.
Then they get caught up with each other on how things are going.
when, after Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush
Now when and why did Moses send Zipporah and their sons back home to Midian?
They had clearly left with him.
Did he send them back before the plagues in Egypt to protect them?
Did he send them back after Israel was delivered so they could tell Jethro about what happened?
I don’t know.
The Bible doesn’t tell us.
Any answer would be speculation.
Here’s what I do know.
The writer takes the family reunion as an opportunity to emphasize God’s delivering power.
Did you notice that in vv.
3-4?
We heard Gershom’s name before, in .
It says, Zipporah
Gershom’s name comes from the Hebrew word that means sojourner or foreigner.
His name is repeated here for emphasis.
Gershom was born in Midian and his name will be a reminder for Moses of his immigrant status.
Was he a sojourner in Midian?
Or was he a sojourner in Egypt?
Neither place was his true home.
He was going to be a stranger and an alien until he got to the promised land.
Then, for the first time, we get the name of his other son, Eliezer.
Eliezer literally means, “My God is helper.”
This is his name because Moses wants to testify that “the God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
As one writer rightly put it,
These verses are much more than simply a family reunion in the desert…Rather, they form a concrete reminder to the readers of where Moses and the Israelites have been.
(Peter Enns)
You see, this whole deal is gearing up for praise.
Here’s the deal y’all.
If you’ve experienced God’s deliverance, you’ll remind yourself of it in concrete ways.
If you know that the Lord has brought you out, it won’t be a ho-hum deal to you.
If you know that you’re not perfect.
In other words, if you know that you’re a sinner.
And you know that your imperfection is not OK with God.
But you also know that God has provided a way out through Jesus Christ so that his frown can be turned into a smile, that won’t be a ho-hum deal for you.
Why is the name of this church Grace Mosaic?
Why does the name of each church in our network start with the word “grace”?
Because we need a concrete reminder that we stand daily in need of the grace of God.
And that it’s available to us in and through Jesus Christ.
The first point of the family reunion here is a concrete reminder of where they were when they cried out to God for help.
And where they are now after God stepped in with his strong hand and outstretched arm.
It’s a reminder that God isn’t deaf.
He hears our cries and our pleas for rescue.
The second aspect of the reunion is utterly amazing.
Let me tell you what we’re being given here.
It’s another picture of God’s commitment to knit humanity back together in Jesus Christ.
Here’s what I mean.
Do you remember what God promised to Abraham back in ?
It’s the first mention of the promised land.
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