Grasping God’s Purpose: “God of the Open Door” – Exodus 6:1-13

 

When God directed Moses to Pharaoh, God also delivered trouble to Israel. The clear fact in the book of Exodus was that God both orchestrated the trouble and planned the result, a fact born out by the statement in Exodus 3 that Pharaoh would not listen, but God would work. What does that mean? It means that God’s intent was for Israel to go through trouble to teach them something they needed to know about Him and their walk with Him. There is nothing about this truth that is easy, but there is a comforting truth within this – that God had a plan through their suffering. When in the midst of the suffering, that is difficult to remember, but essential to rehearse.

Out of Exodus 5 the natural questions arise. The chapter ends with Moses asking two questions:  Exodus 5:22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

What was he really asking God? The questions behind the questions are both profound and relevant to everyone who reads the ancient text today…

First, “Why did you bring harm to your people?” was actually the question: ARE YOU REALLY A GOOD GOD? If God is good, as the Scriptures claim: (Jesus said in Luke 18:19 “No one is good except God alone.”) then why are the people you claim to care for (Ex. 3:7 “The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.”) going through this suffering? Even though God thoroughly explained the purpose of the suffering in the same revelation that He offered the truth that he heard them – followers of God only hear the part about the benefits and ignore or forget the troublesome part of the message.

Let me clear: The issue of the Israelite suffering was no mystery. God promised them trouble and promised Moses rejection by Pharaoh in order to work the plan of creating fear in the heart of the Egyptians, and to fill the coffers of the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. God has been NO LESS CLEAR that the path for a modern believer will run through pain to promise – but half the church DENIES IT and many of the rest of us IGNORE IT, acting like our time on earth is supposed to be some precursor of the experiential blessings of Heaven. God DOES bless us in this life, but His primary work is our TRANSFORMATION, not our COMFORT. These truths are about as welcome as making our brick quotas without precut straw to hold the mud together. Nevertheless, God tells the truth. God is good. God is working a plan, and God’s people keep asking Him if He is truly good…

Second, Moses asked: “Why did you send ME?” was actually the question: “DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MY LIFE?”.

The WHY question is linked with the rebellious root deep in our hearts. God allows us to question, because He understands the fallen nature of man. Jesus knows what is in the hearts of His creation. The real issue of the WHY question is one of RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP. Does God have the right to do as He pleases with us? If you want to make a group of American Christians really uncomfortable, read these words for God’s Holy revelation:

Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

An infantile form of modern western Christianity desperately tries to construct a system of FAIRNESS and force God into that system –  failing to understand four essential truths:

• Biblically, God is good, but I am not. Because of that I am not an effective arbiter of good and evil. My fallen nature is marred and self serving to an extreme. God said: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9).

• Biblically, God is not arbitrary – but planned in His nature. He doesn’t just wind up the watch of history and let it go – He has a message to bring and a damsel to save. He is on a love quest. Within this quest, God’s plan is deliberate: Acts 2:23  “…this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

• Biblically, the path to blessing is THROUGH TROUBLE. That is the story of men like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Hezekiah, Daniel and his friends, Jesus and His Disciples, Paul and virtually every primes mover of the literary story of the Bible.

• Biblically, the measure of my life is in INTIMACY with Him. Whether I pass through times of searing pain or sheer delight – the measure of my real success in life is about my intimate, yielded, unreserved love for Him – there is no other measure.

Follow the story of the questions for the next few verses and you will easily see the principle that oozes from the text like a salve on hurting hearts…

Key Principle: The depth of your relationship with God is directly connected to the depth of your WHAT DOORS IN YOUR HEART YOU OPEN to Him!

Why is this a SALVE? Because it places me back in the position of action amidst tough times, and strips away my victimization…Take a closer look:

Exodus 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.” 2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 “I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. 5 “Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 ‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 ‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.’” 9 So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage. 10 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” 13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The text of Exodus 6 offers a rich and helpful backdrop to difficulty in our lives. If we look carefully, we will identify three principles of intimacy with God for our lives:

Principle #1: The NEED Principle:

The deeper your trouble – the more you will come to know the real ME as I truly am (says God – 6:1-6). The progression of these verse mirrors five basic objections that God overcame in Moses through the troubles:

Objection #1: I don’t understand You, so this must not be your will, and isn’t right for me (6:1). Exodus 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.” Three verbs tell the answer:

• (6:1a) Note: “You WILL learn My plan”.

• (6:1b) Note: “Pharaoh WILL turn”.

• (6:1b) Note: Pharaoh won’t LET you go, he will eventually SEND you!

There was a Pastor, who after the usual Sunday Evening Hymns, stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in service that evening. In the introduction, the Pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak. “A father, His son, and a friend of his were sailing off of the Pacific Coast,” He began, “When a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized. The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story, “Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. “As the father yelled out, ‘I love you son!’ He threw out the lifeline to his son’s friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of the night. His body was never recovered.” By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister’s mouth. “The father,” he continued knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save his son’s friend… With that the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The Pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon… Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side. “That was a nice story,” Politely stated the boys, “But I don’t think it was realistic for a father to give up his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.” “Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied glancing down at the worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, he once again looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t realistic, is it? But I’m standing today to tell you that the story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His only son for me. You see… I was the father and your Pastor was my son’s friend.” (A-Z Illustrations).

How does verse one help us? It reminds us to look at the situation from the “after the fact” prospective. Was it better that God forced Israel into a hard situation? Yes, it was a process of bringing PAIN with PURPOSE. God was opening Pharaoh’s hands to offer them future blessing by initially closing them to temporary fists!

Objection #2: I don’t control the process, so it is NOT GOOD and NOT a BLESSING to me. (6:2). Note: “You will learn that I am Master.” 6:2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD;

Objection #3: You ask A LOT up front, and I struggle to TRUST you (6:3-4). Ex. 6:3 “…and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 “I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.

• God replied: I spoke to others, but you will know Me more intimately, by My own Name! (6:3). There was more of God to know that whole ears and unbroken hearts could NOT hear!

• What God had promised, He would not offer to those who did not trust Him through their pain (6:4)! “

How deep a walk do you want? How much of the promise can you handle? These are questions I can only show the answers to in your experience with Me”, says God.

Objection #4: You don’t respond WHEN I want, HOW I want. How can I truly trust You? Exodus 6:5 “Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

1)       “You will see that I have heard you” (6:5a)

2)       “You will understand that I don’t forget (6:5b).

At Ohio State University, Ravi Zaccharias did an open forum on a radio talk show. The host was an atheist. From the start, the callers were antagonistic. “I could feel the tension as soon as the lines lit up. One angry woman caller said, “All you people have is an agenda you’re trying to promote.” Referring to abortion, she said, “You want to take away our rights and invade our private lives. ”Abortion had not even been brought up. “Just a minute,” I replied, “we didn’t even raise the subject.” “Ok,” she said, “what is your position on abortion then?” I said, “Can I ask you a question? On every university campus I visit, somebody stands up and says that God is an evil God to allow all this evil into our world. This person typically says, ‘A plane crashes: 30 people die, and 20 people live. What kind of God would arbitrarily choose some to live and some to die?’” I continued, “But when we play God and determine whether a child within a mother’s womb should live, we argue for that as a moral right. So when human beings are given the privilege of playing God, it’s called a moral right. When God plays God, we call it an immoral act. Can you justify this for me?” That was the end of the conversation.

Objection #5: I am afraid that I may be stuck out here ALONE! Exodus 6:6 “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

• Do what I say before you receive what I promise (6:6a).

• Remember yourself, and remind others that I have the right as your Master (6:6b).

• I will make measurable promises that you will see progressively come to pass (6:6b).

One day Henry Ford was driving in the Michigan countryside when he came upon a man whose Model T had broken down. The guy was bent under the hood trying to figure what was wrong. Mr. Ford stopped and asked if he could take a look. In a few minutes, he had the car running. The grateful owner said, “I’m amazed at your ability; you fixed my car so easily.” Ford replied, “I ought to be able to fix it, because I’m the one who designed it.” The same is true with God—He designed us, and He can fix whatever’s wrong with us.

Principle #2: The Practice Principle:

As you step out and obey, you begin to see God do what He has already promised He will do! (6:7-8). Exodus 6:7 ‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 ‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.’” God offered Moses three things for the people:

• Relationship: I will take you for My people (7a);

• Release: I will deliver you! (6:6b);

• Renewal: I will give you back the things I had planned for you! (6:8).

Believers have these three things, but the world hasn’t experienced them. We need to take God’s love to them! It reminds me of the story:

One Pastor wrote: “Esther, my wife, and I have a granddaughter named Zoe, the Greek word for life. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, seven ounces, so small that my wedding ring could slide up her arm to her shoulder. The neonatologist who first examined her told us that she had a 5 to 10 percent chance of living three days. When Esther and I scrubbed up for our first visit and saw Zoe in her isolation chamber in the neonatal intensive care unit, she had two IVs in her navel, one in her foot, a monitor on each side of her chest, and a respirator tube and a feeding tube in her mouth. To complicate matters, Zoe’s biological father had jumped ship the month before Zoe was born. Realizing this, a wise and caring nurse named Ruth gave me my instructions. “For the next several months, at least, you’re the surrogate father. I want you to come to the hospital every day to visit Zoe, and when you come, I want you to rub her body and her legs and arms with the tip of your finger. While you’re caressing her, you should tell her over and over how much you love her, because she has to be able to connect your voice to your touch.” God knew that we also needed both his voice and his touch. So he gave us not only the Word but also his Son. And he gave us not only Jesus Christ but also his body, the church. God’s voice and touch say, “I love you.” (sermon central illustrations).

Principle #3: The Faith Principle:

You can’t always see here and now what the plan is that God is working. Believe His promises and act according to His plans, and you will see more and more of His ways! Ex. 6:9-13.

Your first step may not be very strong, KEEP GOING! (6:9). So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage. 10 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”

One author wrote: When I was a child, my minister father brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger, whose parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so my folks decided they’d just raise him as if he were one of their own sons. At first it was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home—an environment free of heroine-addicted adults! Every day, several times a day, I heard my parents saying to Roger: “No, no. That’s not how we behave in this family.” “No, no. You don’t have to scream or fight or hurt other people to get what you want.” “No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family.” And in time Roger began to change. Now, did Roger have to make all those changes in order to become a part of the family? No. He was made a part of the family simply by the grace of my father. But did he then have to do a lot of hard work because he was in the family? You bet he did. It was tough for him to change, and he had to work at it. But he was motivated by gratitude for the incredible love he had received. Do you have a lot of hard work to do now that the Spirit has adopted you into God’s family? Certainly. But not in order to become a son or a daughter of the heavenly Father. No, you make those changes because you are a son or daughter. And every time you start to revert back to the old addictions to sin, the Holy Spirit will say to you, “No, no. That’s not how we act in this family.” (author unknown).

Don’t assume failure is measurable now! (6:12). 12 But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” 13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Failure is an opportunity for God to show us the NET of Himself! A south American preacher spoke of a conversation with a circus trapeze artist. The performer admitted the net underneath was there to keep them from breaking their necks, but added, “The net also keeps us from falling. Imagine there is no net. We would be so nervous that we would be more likely to miss and fall. If there wasn’t a net, we would not dare to do some of the things we do. But because there’s a net, we dare to make turns, and once I made three turns — thanks to the net!”

Don’t assume your victory is dependent on YOUR ABILITY (6:12)

What was God truly asking Moses to do? Was He asking him to CONVINCE PHARAOH? Was He calling Moses to release the people? NO… He was calling Moses to open his closed mind and heart and trust God. Why? The depth of your relationship with God is directly connected to the depth of your WHAT DOORS IN YOUR HEART YOU OPEN to Him!

(photo by Dr. Wendy Longo under creative commons license)