(Exodus 1:8-22) Blessings in Disguise!

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Doesn't that sound wonderful!

God as the creator shines sunshine on our faces every day.

That is common grace.

But all of us desire more than just God's common grace.

We want God’s particular grace.

We desire that God not simply shed his everyday grace in our lives

The Sunshine

The rain.

Food.

Waiting to Judge us until the Lord’s Day.

(Matthew 5:44-45)

What we desire is that God would show his kindness in uncommon and overwhelming ways - we want particular grace.

We want our cup to overflow with the blessings of God.

We want to be that person.

It’s an understandable desire

It’s a common desire

This is why we have so many songs about God's blessing.

God bless America

Count Your Many blessings.

The Showers of blessings.

Praise God, From whom all blessings flow.

We want God’s particular grace.

We want God’s special blessings.

But may I remind us you

God's blessings do not always come in the packages we expect.

We often assume that if God is blessing my life,

everything is going great.

everything is fine.

This is the good life.

I have peace and tranquility.

I got Shalom.

But

the peace the Bible speaks of his more often than not describing the comfort that God gives,

while our world is in the midst of chaos.

The nature of this gift of peace brought by Jesus may be easier to explain by stating what it is not. It is not an end to tension, an absence of warfare, domestic tranquility, nor anything like the worldly estimation of peace (Lk 12:51–53; Jn 14:27; 16:32, 33). Its presence may, on the contrary, actually disturb existing relations, being a dividing “sword” in familial relations (Mt 10:34–37). Jesus’ gift of peace is, in reality, the character and mood of the new covenant of his blood which reconciles God to man (Rom 5:1; Col 1:20) and forms the basis of subsequent reconciliation between men under Christ (Eph 2:14–22). (BEB)

You see … some of the greatest blessings we can obtain in this life often come as blessing in disguise.

You know what I am talking about … it looks like a curse,

but is actually a blessings.

What do I mean by that?

The greatest blessings we can receive often come through the greatest trials.

The book of Exodus contains one of the greatest displays of God's power anywhere in the Bible.

These miracles are so profound… That the critics have flocked to deny that it is truly from God.

They have tried to deny Moses.

They have tried to deny the date of its writing.

They have tried to deny the Red Sea Crossing.

They have tried to deny it’s accuracy.

Because what this book describes, the God of Exodus, is nothing short of breath taking.

This is a Life changing book.

As God makes his name known - it ought to give us a little bit of Awe.

This is the one true God.

This morning we continue to study the introduction to Exodus - Exodus 1.

This book starts out describing God’s blessing.

God gave promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And God is very clearly keeping his promises.

But what might surprise us - is that God is blessing Israel through slavery and genocide.

If we were to invent the book of Exodus … how would we start it out?

How would you start a book that describes the greatest display of God’s power?

We would describe God keeping his promises by giving them prosperity and tranquility.

Peace brother. (Give the peace sign)

Yet instead the book which describes some of the most shocking displays of power,

starts out with describing blessings in disguise.

What does Exodus 1 teach us?

We must recognize trials can be just as much a sign of God’s goodness as peace and prosperity.

And this text will help us understand that.

Exodus 1:7 describes the nation of Israel as flourishing.

Exodus 1:5–7 ESV

5 All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

They went from a mere 70 people … to a nation, filling up the land.

But Exodus 1:8-22 describes the -

The rise of persecution (and it’s results):

While on one hand they flourish,

on the other hand they face enormous suffering and setbacks.

It is the kind of setbacks and suffering … that reminds we are blessed to live in a country of freedom and prosperity.

First- Let consider the:

1) The reason for persecution - Fear of the divine rise of Israel. (Ex. 1:8-10)

I remember one of my history professors making an interesting observation about human history.

Rulers really only care about peace and prosperity.

And as long as you don’t challenge that delicate balance - they don’t care what you do.

You want to be an idiot … great, just don’t mess with my peace and prosperity.

But if you threaten that peace and prosperity - then they really care about you.

The combination of

Israel’s incredible prosperity.

And the political prominence of Joseph

>>>> Made Israel a threat to the peace and prosperity of the new King of Egypt.

Exodus 1:8–10 ESV

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”

Now you have to understand what is going on here … to understand the fear of this new King.

Otherwise this passage feels a little disjointed and random.

Israel lived generally in the N. Nile region,

and in some sense the epicenter of their people lived in the Goshen region.

Genesis 47:11–12 ESV

11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Exodus 9:26 ESV

26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

Show Goshen/N. Nile Map (https://ref.ly/logos4/MediaTool?MediaItemId=7817697)

A quick read of this text, might leave us wondering.

What does it mean there arose a new King in Egypt?

And what does it meant the new king doesn’t know Joseph and his people?

You see, at the time of Joseph the N. Nile region was controlled by the Hyksos dynasty.

And Hyksos rulers were not Egyptian,

but ethnically closer to the Hebrews. (Semitic)

Then a new King arises.

And we believe this new King that arises would be

the founder of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, Ahmose I.

And he conquered and took over the N. Nile region.

So picture this,

A new king and a new dynasty comes to Egypt.

He pushes out the dynasty that Joseph was aligned with.

The Hebrews are ethnically similar to this old dynasty.

They dwell smack in the middle of this land they conquered.

And the New King see’s them as a threat.

He sees how they are prospering.

He sees them as part of the old dynasty - who would be his enemy.

And he fears the Hebrews might rise up and overthrow him.

In some ways we can understand his fear.

But his next actions are going to directly put him in opposition to the promises of God.

I don't think he is purposely trying to go against the one true God. (At this point)

Given that it is doubtful the people of Israel know the true God,

it is doubtful that this is a deliberate attack upon God's name.

He is trying to protect his power and prosperity.

And so he did what many rulers over the human history that tried to do.

Remember - the key to human government .... they just want peace and prosperity.

So in his wisdom,

he begins to look at how to oppress and control Israel.

But this attempt to control the Hebrews is going to backfire.

Because his oppression works as a blessing in disguise for Israel.

Consider –

2) The Egyptians futile attempts to stop God’s Blessings. (Ex 1:11-22)

The first attempt we read about in our text is what I am going to call -

(a) Plan A: Hard Slavery. (v. 11-12)

Exodus 1:11–12 ESV

11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.

The new king of Egypt comes up with a master plan.

A plan that will bring grander and prosperity to Egypt.

A plan that will oppress and stunt the prosperity of the Hebrew's.

Had this been any other people ... It would've been a perfect plan.

But in the background of this text the Lord is keeping his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And so what happens.

They flourish even more.

ILLUSTRATION:

I admire people who have those really nice lawns...

Not a single weed or dandelion in their whole lawn.

Because I realize that is an incredible feat.

Israel is like that.

They are like this invasive species ... Every time you put weedkiller down.

Instead of killing them ... they multiply exponentially.

They are like an invasive specie.

What is the result of this hard oppressive slavery?

Instead of being oppressed, they prosper.

The Result: Greater prosperity of Israel and greater fear in the Egyptians.

So Plan A fails

and this Sounds like blessings in disguise to me.

But you can imagine,

this didn't stop this great Egyptian Empire from trying to suppress this perceived threat.

You can almost imagine in the background here,

in the great palaces of this Egyptian king,

His wise counselors coming up with a new plan.

What I'm going to call –

(b) Plan B: Ruthless escalation of slavery. (v. 13-14)

Exodus 1:13–14 ESV

13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

If just hard slavery is not good enough,

maybe we just need to squeeze them a little bit harder.

ILLUSTRATION:

Eli and I have a little game from a patch the pirate story we play (Afraikda Fever, Missionary).

I will get him in arms, just a little bit of squeeze.

Make them so scared you'll never fight against us.

Make them so poor they don't have any means to fight against us.

Make our oppression so tough they couldn't fight against us.

This is calculated move by the New King of Egypt to oppress the people of Israel.

EMPHASIS:

Many times I will caution us to not understand slavery in the New Testament as the same as American slavery.

But I do not say that in the book of Exodus.

This is hard, ruthless, nasty, hateful kind of slavery.

Show the images of slavery for emphasis.

(https://ref.ly/logosres/bblstry02?art=imgplii005)

(https://ref.ly/logosres/zibbcot01?ref=Bible.Ex2.11)

Technically, our text doesn’t say.

But when we take the passage as whole … we are left with an impression about what is happening.

What is the result of this escalation of slavery?

We might expect the people to crack.

But the result is the same.

The escalation

The Result: Greater prosperity of Israel and greater fear in the Egyptians. (Based on context)

So Plan B fails

and this Sounds like blessings in disguise to me.

But again, this isn’t going to stop the mighty Egyptian empire.

You can imagine the counselors and king gathering again in the Palace.

And saying >>>> What do we do now?

The Israelites situation get’s worse.

They come up with -

(c) Plan C: Male genocide. (v. 15-22)

Exodus 1:15–22 ESV

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

Israel is now not only dealing with harsh slavery,

but he infant genocide.

Certainly the Holocaust was awful.

Certainly some of the African genocide is awful.

But this is even more evil ... This is the murder infant babies.

You can imagine the fear is perhaps starting to set in.

>>> In fact Exodus chapter 2 will tell us about one mother who went to desperate measures to save her baby.

But what happened?

Did Israel die in Egypt?

Were the Egyptians able to cut off the race of Israel?

No.

There's something be said about the stand that these midwives made to do what's right.

And how God bless them for that.

But I want to keep the emphasis going ...

What was the result of slavery and genocide of the Hebrew nation?

It’s -

The Result: Greater prosperity of Israel and greater fear in the Egyptians.

Tell me what other nation was put in ruthless slavery

and was attacked with infant genocide … and survived.

ILLUSTRATION:

Cambodia is a nation who has lost nearly an entire generation.

Communism and dictatorship and pure evil was so rapid that Cambodia only has a few older people in it.

It is literally a nation of young people … because the oppression killed off most of their parents.

Slavery and genocide … in all accounts should have ended the nation of Israel.

But look at what we read in Exodus 1:20 -

Exodus 1:20 ESV

20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.

While Israel should have died in Egypt … our text tells us they multiplied into a mighty nation.

So Plan C fails

and this Sounds like blessings in disguise to me.

CONCLUSION:

What can we learn from Exodus 1?

God always blesses his people.

We might question whether we are actually a child of God or not.

Being a child of God is not automatic.

We must place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But we can be confident God always blesses his people.

The Old Testament talks about God’s steadfast love.

Psalm 117:1–2 ESV

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

The New Testament Promises that Christians have access to every blessings available.

Ephesians 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

There is never a day when God is not keeping his promises.

There is never a day when a Christian does not have God blessings in their life.

>>>>> But that is not to say the Christian never suffers, faces setback, or is oppressed.

So how do we understand these two seemingly opposite realities:

that God blesses us

and that we as Christians will suffer.

We must recognize trials can be just as much a sign of God’s goodness as peace and prosperity.

Exodus 1 is great example of how many times God’s showers of blessings … are blessings in disguise.

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