The Start and the Background of Exodus (Exodus 1:1-12)
Rev. Myung-Sin Choi
1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
Introduction
Last week I met with four of the pastors and four church officers from different churches, and for the first time, I shared the gospel with them. After I received the gospel, I am sure this is the first time I shared the gospel to pastors. They wondered why God allowed this door to open and I stayed inside of prayer regarding this. During this time, I shared the gospel with them. But astoundingly, some of the pastors didn’t know who Jesus Christ was. Some church officers had no idea who Jesus Christ was and told me that this was the first time they heard this gospel. While I was sharing the gospel with them, one of the church officers who attended a church that has thousands of members told me that there are many church members but there are not many people within my church who truly know the gospel. She told me that they are all fake believers. When I heard this, I realized that the gospel I shared with them, I hoped and prayed that they would receive it and share it with others. I am sure that these kinds of doors will open for you. This is because God will start it. This is because we must save others. Today, we start with the book of Exodus. The book of Genesis is the beginning of the Bible and Genesis is the book that selects God’s people. God chose Noah and among Noah’s sons, God chose Shem. Among Shem’s generations, God chose Abraham.
1. The Start of Exodus
1) The fulfillment of the covenant
Genesis 12:2 “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.” - The main content of the book of Genesis are three main points. Why did God choose Abraham? Through Abraham, God wanted to raise up the chosen and holy nation and people. When God chose the holy nation and people, God allowed the Messiah to go to that nation. Where is that land and nation? It was through the land of Canaan. When God chose Abraham, God already had this plan and told Abraham of the promised plan of God. Through this covenant, God promised Abraham that He will fulfill a great nation through Abraham. There was another covenant that God gave to him.
That is seen in Genesis 15:13-14 “Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” - This was the torch covenant. God was saying the method on how He will raise a great nation through Abraham. This was the important covenant. When Abraham had nothing and no children at this time, God made this promise to him. At the age of 100, God gave Abraham a son, Isaac. After 20 years of being married, Isaac bore a son named Jacob. And Jacob was granted 12 sons. At first, it may seem like God’s promise was forgotten but God gave Jacob 12 sons. Then, God called Joseph and gave Joseph a dream, and showed Joseph His covenant. The stars and moons were bowing down to Joseph, this was the covenant that Joseph received from God. When Joseph told his brothers this dream, they were jealous of him and did not take it as God’s covenant. They hated Joseph more and ended up selling him to slavery. After that, Joseph was sold into Potiphar’s house. But thankfully, Joseph prayed to God and received God’s answer within that circumstance. This means that Joseph kept holding onto God’s covenant. Joseph ended up becoming thrown into prison due to a false allegation. But Joseph continued to hold onto God’s covenant and prayed. Even when Joseph was in prison, God continued to be with him and granted him blessings of meetings. God made it where one of the cup bearers had a dream and Joseph was able to interpret that dream. What we must hold onto is that within all events and meetings, there are God’s plans within them. The reason why the cup bearer had a dream and Joseph interpreting that dream, it all had a reason later on. After two years of cup bearer having a dream and being interpreted by Joseph, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. At that time, the cup bearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about Joseph who can interpret dreams. Joseph was able to stand before Pharaoh and interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. Astoundingly enough, Pharaoh who was able to listen to Joseph’s interpretation of his dream, Pharaoh made Joseph the governor over Egypt. It may sound like Pharaoh who raised Joseph as governor but it was God who did that. This was because all nations and the nation where Joseph’s brothers lived had no choice but to come to the land of Egypt where Joseph was. Since Joseph was governor, many people had no choice but to face him when they came to Egypt. Jacob’s sons had no food so they had no choice but to come to Egypt for food. When Jacob’s sons came to Egypt, they were able to meet their brother, Joseph. When Joseph met his brothers and father, he invited all of his brothers and their families to come to Egypt and live there. When Jacob heard about Joseph in Egypt, he did not come to Egypt immediately. Jacob asked God whether it was part of God’s plan for them to leave Canaan and go to Egypt.
God gave an answer to Jacob in Genesis 46:3 “So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.’ ” - The reason why they had to go to Egypt was because this was the promised covenant that God gave to his family line through Abraham. All of the hardships that we face, this was all part of the process to fulfill God’s covenant. In order to fulfill the promise that God gave to Abraham, God raised up Joseph the governor over Egypt and had famine to come over the world. You may ask this question and wonder if it wasn’t for Joseph's brothers selling Joseph to slavery, then Joseph wouldn’t have become governor. Which means that what his brothers did and what Potiphar’s wife did was nothing wrong. Because all they did was help Joseph receive the seat of the governor of Egypt. This means that Joseph’s brothers and Potiphar’s wife did nothing wrong. This is the wrong thinking and interpretation. Some people even say that Jesus was able to die on the cross because of Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ. We need to understand this correctly. What was absolute was that it was all part of God’s plan for 400 years, they will go to a foreign land and return back to the land of Canaan. This didn’t all happen because of Joseph’s brothers and Potiphar’s wife. This was all part of God’s promised covenant. In other words, even if his brothers and Potiphar’s wife did what they did, God will accomplish His plan no matter what with and without them. This is God’s providence. Of course, it would be great if the people did good things to help Joseph became governor so they can all receive blessings but the most important thing is fulfilling God’s covenant. What is important is that through all people and events, God will fulfill His covenant no matter what process or methods God will use. This is important. There is a reason why God sent you here and gave you His covenant. It doesn’t matter how much Satan attacks you, God’s plan will be fulfilled no matter what. What is important is that what God is determined by Him, it will be fulfilled no matter what. God moved history so that His plan is fulfilled.
2) God presides over history
Verses 5, 8 - We need to look at the background of the history here. Joseph interpreted one person’s dream but he ended up becoming governor because of that. God made Joseph governor by changing history. Jacob moved to Egypt during the time when Egypt was ruled by a ruler who was a Shem’s descendant. This means that Pharaoh was a Shem’s descendant. The Shem family line was a family line of God’s covenant. They knew who God was. Through the confession of Pharaoh, you can see that. When Pharaoh heard the interpretation of Joseph’s dream, Pharaoh confessed that he had not seen any one more filled with the Spirit of God. This means that Pharaoh knew of God and of God’s grace. That is why Pharaoh realized that he needed to use Joseph as the governor of Egypt.
Verse 8 - Since Israelites were growing, God realized that He was getting closer to fulfilling His covenant. That is why God raised up a new king. If you look at this in history, this was the family line of Ham not of Shem. This new king during the 18th dynasty and the Ham’s family line did not have good relations with the family line of Shem. That is why the Ham descendants started persecuting the Israelites. The king that persecuted the Israelites the most was the third king of the 18th dynasty. While he ruled, he persecuted the Israelites the most. But God continued to protect the Israelites and gave them abundance. Since the Israelites were growing in numbers, the new ruler started persecuting them. This was also the time when Moses was born. What does all of this mean? In order to fulfill God’s plan, God will move the history and change kings. In wars, many people will die but this is all part of the process where God’s plan is being fulfilled. During God’s absolute and perfect time schedule, God will act and fulfill His plan. You are living right now, you are not just living but God allowed you to to live so that you can fulfill God’s plan at the perfect time. God didn’t allow you to be born 1,000 years before or after so that God can fulfill a plan through you at the perfect time. You need to realize how important and precious you are. The people around you are such precious beings if you understand this.
2. The Background of Exodus
1) God's absolute plan
Verses 9-11 - The king started to be in fear because of the growing numbers of Israelites. That is why he started persecuting the Israelites. Think about this. What made the king afraid? He might be fearful but it was God who gave this heart of fear to the king. Seeing the growing number of the Israelites, the king decided to start persecuting them. It was God who gave him fear and it was God who allowed the persecution of the Israelites. Why did God give persecution and suffering to the Israelites, the chosen people of God? The reason why God gave them persecution and suffering so that they can depart from Egypt. If they had no persecution, then they would not leave Egypt. They had all that they needed in Egypt and would not feel any need to leave Egypt. But through their persecution, the Israelites started growing in fear and started leaving Egypt. Why was that? This was so that God can fulfill His covenant, the torch covenant. God’s plan was for them to go to the land of Canaan, the promised land. They would raise up the promised land in Canaan and wait for the coming Messiah. If persecution and suffering comes to you, it is because God wants to fulfill a plan for you. It is not because God hates you. This is so that God can fulfill His plan. Why is God giving me problems and making me afraid? God wants to fulfill His plan. There was a great plan why they had to go to Canaan. This was because through Canaan and their journey to Canaan, they received God’s word. They were being freed from the authority of Satan. The 10 miracles showed God’s power. The passover event was to show the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Crossing the Red Sea was being moved from death to life. Manna and quail were to show that they can only live through God alone. The tabernacle and 10 commandments, this was the foreshadow of the kingdom of God. This was all part of God’s covenant. The Israelites who understood this and went to Canaan, were blessed. God will fulfill His plan no matter what. This is God’s providence.
2) God's providence
Hold onto Romans 11:36, 14:7 “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. 14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” - All things are of God’s and all things will perish through God. Many people think that history is made by man. This is incorrect. History is completely moved by God and God’s plan. God moves the entire world to fulfill His covenant. It is the same right now. Think of your life as a movie. Who is the movie director? It is God. What is the script? It is a script that is directed towards salvation and heaven. Who is the main character? It is the people of the covenant. You are the main characters of this movie. There may be other supporting characters and extras in your movie. You may have the pharaohs and kings in your life. But because of those extras, you may become afraid, cry, and have all kinds of emotions. But the conclusion of that movie is that people of God will receive salvation and the nonbelievers will perish. We are moving all parts of this movie.
Hold onto Romans 14:7 - Are you living as the main character or as the extra? In this movie, the fact that you are the main character you must hold onto your identity as you hold onto God’s covenant.
3. Joseph's Confession of Faith
1) Confession of faith in the family
Genesis 37:9 “Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’ ” - Hold onto the confession of faith that Joseph had towards his family. This means that we must hold onto the covenant that God has given to you. This covenant that God has given to you is your lifelong covenant.
2) Confession of family in the field
Genesis 41:38 “And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?’ ” - Through this, we must discover that a person of God will succeed through prayer and the word of God. May you be victorious through the word of God and prayer.
3) Confession of faith when the covenant is fulfilled
Genesis 45:8 “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” - Hold onto God’s fulfilled covenant and may you live your life giving glory to God. This is not Joseph's confession but may it become your confession as well. What is absolute is that you are the main character of the history. You need to be victorious while holding onto and enjoying your identity.
Conclusion
Absolutely hold onto Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” - The message that I relayed to you, may you make a resolution. We should not be arrogant about this. We must live humbly before God. We need to realize the purpose of life. The confession of life needs to be Romans 14:8. May you be victorious with this life confession.
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