1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,120 When we looked at the first half of Exodus 4 last week, we saw 2 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,320 the task that God commissioned Moses to undertake. 3 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,240 It turns out God has heard the cry of his people and seen their 4 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:26,560 misery, as verse seven of chapter three told us. 5 00:00:27,180 --> 00:00:28,860 And now it was time for action. 6 00:00:29,900 --> 00:00:33,860 Moses was to be God's agent of rescue for the people. 7 00:00:33,860 --> 00:00:35,940 But Moses had issues with this. 8 00:00:35,940 --> 00:00:39,100 He didn't exactly agree with what God was saying. 9 00:00:39,500 --> 00:00:43,260 And through the first part of this chapter, he comes up with one 10 00:00:43,260 --> 00:00:47,660 excuse after another of why he wasn't the man for the job, ultimately 11 00:00:47,660 --> 00:00:51,180 coming and telling us then that he simply didn't want to go. 12 00:00:51,740 --> 00:00:55,340 And of course, that led to the moment in the passage where we read 13 00:00:55,340 --> 00:00:57,580 of God's frustration with Moses. 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,920 But there was a solution, because God's grace continued towards 15 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:06,120 Moses and towards his people. 16 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,800 Because Aaron would now step into the picture. 17 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:10,560 Moses brother. 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,360 And he would be the one who would speak to the people. 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:19,320 And so this all seemed to settle the fear of Moses and all 20 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:22,280 the fears that he had in returning to Egypt and being rejected 21 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:23,840 by the children of Israel. 22 00:01:24,670 --> 00:01:28,950 And in verse 15, we heard the words of encouragement the Lord gave 23 00:01:28,950 --> 00:01:29,870 to Moses. 24 00:01:30,350 --> 00:01:33,790 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth. 25 00:01:34,110 --> 00:01:39,070 I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 26 00:01:40,190 --> 00:01:43,990 See, here's a wonderful promise from the Lord to Moses and 27 00:01:43,990 --> 00:01:48,110 to Aaron that he would be with them, that he wouldn't forsake them 28 00:01:48,110 --> 00:01:52,190 as they quite literally went into the lion's den to the very court 29 00:01:52,190 --> 00:01:53,150 of Pharaoh. 30 00:01:53,230 --> 00:01:56,530 And for Moses, that fear that he would have been rejected by the 31 00:01:56,530 --> 00:02:01,130 children of Israel because of what he had done before leaving, 32 00:02:01,130 --> 00:02:02,490 fleeing Egypt. 33 00:02:03,770 --> 00:02:07,290 So Moses appears to be happy with this plan and returns to his 34 00:02:07,290 --> 00:02:10,890 father in law, Jethro, to make arrangements for their departure. 35 00:02:11,610 --> 00:02:16,530 But it's not as simple as Moses announcing Jethro is not simply 36 00:02:16,530 --> 00:02:17,770 his father in law. 37 00:02:18,250 --> 00:02:20,570 Jethro is his employer. 38 00:02:20,890 --> 00:02:25,200 And so Moses must seek permission to to leave and to return 39 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:25,920 to Egypt. 40 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:28,960 And notice what Moses asked in verse 18. 41 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,280 Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father in law, and said 42 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,840 to him, let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any 43 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,560 of them are still alive. 44 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,000 Now, Moses doesn't tell Jethro the full story at this point. 45 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:48,800 Now we're told why this is Moses instead mentions his. 46 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,920 I suppose what would be assumed his natural desire to see 47 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,080 whether his brothers are still living. 48 00:02:55,250 --> 00:02:57,930 Now, brothers here is not simply his own family members, because 49 00:02:57,930 --> 00:03:00,850 we know that he had one brother, but rather he's talking 50 00:03:00,850 --> 00:03:03,650 about his kinfolk, the children of Israel. 51 00:03:04,130 --> 00:03:07,810 And so Jethro agrees to the request without any recorded question 52 00:03:07,810 --> 00:03:08,370 of it. 53 00:03:08,450 --> 00:03:12,530 And after an unspecified amount of time, the Lord commands 54 00:03:12,530 --> 00:03:16,610 Moses to leave Midian and to return to Egypt. 55 00:03:16,610 --> 00:03:20,610 But he assures him that those seeking his life have died. 56 00:03:20,610 --> 00:03:25,550 And so this was and is a key moment for Moses. 57 00:03:25,550 --> 00:03:27,270 It's a key statement that he must hear. 58 00:03:27,670 --> 00:03:29,910 The Lord knew Moses heart. 59 00:03:30,790 --> 00:03:35,190 He also knew his concern for those who knew his past and the murder 60 00:03:35,190 --> 00:03:36,950 of the Egyptian that he had committed. 61 00:03:37,910 --> 00:03:41,350 They also know the reason why he had fled in the first place. 62 00:03:42,630 --> 00:03:46,590 And so, for one final assurance, the Lord says to him in 63 00:03:46,590 --> 00:03:51,630 verse 19, go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill 64 00:03:51,630 --> 00:03:53,150 you are dead. 65 00:03:53,710 --> 00:03:56,470 And so, with this assurance, Moses packs everything up. 66 00:03:56,470 --> 00:04:00,750 He takes Zipporah, his wife, and his sons Gershom and Eliezer 67 00:04:00,750 --> 00:04:02,070 with him, and they go back to Egypt. 68 00:04:02,070 --> 00:04:05,590 And in doing this, he's demonstrating that he's not simply 69 00:04:05,590 --> 00:04:08,110 going and then returning. 70 00:04:09,710 --> 00:04:14,230 This is now the level of commitment and trust that Moses has 71 00:04:14,230 --> 00:04:18,120 in God, that he is moving his whole family from the place of security, 72 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:22,800 the place of his father in law, and he's bringing them with 73 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:28,160 him to this unknown task of declaring God's message to Pharaoh 74 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:29,640 of let my people go. 75 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:33,960 And so he's taking everyone with him as they head back to Egypt. 76 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,880 Now, one of the other items that he is told to bring with him 77 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:37,480 is his staff. 78 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,520 And we were introduced to that staff last week. 79 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,440 That staff that was just normal for a shepherd or a leader 80 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,680 to have, but was used by God in remarkable ways to demonstrate 81 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:48,360 God's power. 82 00:04:48,980 --> 00:04:53,620 And notice in verse 20 that it is now redesignated as the staff 83 00:04:54,020 --> 00:04:54,820 of God. 84 00:04:55,220 --> 00:04:58,860 So this staff that Moses would be carrying is now the symbol of 85 00:04:58,860 --> 00:05:03,740 divine authority that Moses has, and so he can undertake the 86 00:05:03,740 --> 00:05:06,100 Lord's work and the Lord's calling. 87 00:05:07,460 --> 00:05:11,860 Now, it's perhaps tempting to think of God's staff as a magic wand. 88 00:05:12,660 --> 00:05:15,770 We've become familiar with, possibly through the Harry Potter 89 00:05:15,770 --> 00:05:20,010 series, of a wooden wand being used as a form of some magic. 90 00:05:20,650 --> 00:05:22,090 But that's not what this is. 91 00:05:24,810 --> 00:05:29,690 What this staff represents, though, is available to all of us. 92 00:05:30,890 --> 00:05:34,970 See, this staff, not being a wand, but is the visible sign of 93 00:05:34,970 --> 00:05:36,730 God's saving power. 94 00:05:37,370 --> 00:05:42,150 And now God's saving power comes to us through another form 95 00:05:42,150 --> 00:05:43,910 of wood, the cross. 96 00:05:45,270 --> 00:05:49,190 The place to find God's power is not in some supernatural wonder, 97 00:05:49,670 --> 00:05:53,270 but in the message of that very cross where Christ was crucified 98 00:05:53,270 --> 00:05:54,070 for sinners. 99 00:05:55,190 --> 00:05:59,350 Because no longer is it this staff that Moses would take for divine 100 00:05:59,350 --> 00:05:59,910 authority. 101 00:06:00,230 --> 00:06:03,270 It is the cross that we look to as God's sign to us. 102 00:06:03,750 --> 00:06:07,550 It is a sign of God's love, the sign that he loves us enough 103 00:06:07,550 --> 00:06:08,630 to die for us. 104 00:06:08,970 --> 00:06:12,650 It is the sign of God's mercy, the sign that our sins are forgiven. 105 00:06:13,130 --> 00:06:17,330 And the Apostle Paul observed that whereas some people demand signs, 106 00:06:17,330 --> 00:06:20,810 we preach Christ crucified because Christ, the power of God. 107 00:06:20,970 --> 00:06:26,970 In First Corinthians 1, verses 22 to 24, you see, that staff was 108 00:06:26,970 --> 00:06:28,210 God's sign of love. 109 00:06:28,210 --> 00:06:29,850 It was his sign of mercy. 110 00:06:30,970 --> 00:06:36,160 But now we must look to the cross, not a some fable, not as some 111 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:42,400 good luck charm, but as God's wondrous gift to us of salvation 112 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:43,080 in Jesus. 113 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:48,320 Because it is through the cross of Christ that God has accomplished 114 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:52,560 the greatest exodus of all, leading sinners out of bondage to 115 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,640 sin and into relationship with him. 116 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,600 And so the divine power represented by God's staff is available 117 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,470 to everyone who trusts in Jesus. 118 00:07:04,670 --> 00:07:06,870 And, you know, maybe you're thinking, well, look, I'm okay. 119 00:07:06,870 --> 00:07:11,750 And I said this last week, and with Reformation Day on 31st October, 120 00:07:11,750 --> 00:07:14,310 on Friday, I had been reading the Bondage of the Will by Martin 121 00:07:14,310 --> 00:07:17,070 Luther, and I got it finished in the week that it's been. 122 00:07:17,230 --> 00:07:20,550 And what that book is saying is you think you're free, but you're 123 00:07:20,550 --> 00:07:20,830 not. 124 00:07:21,390 --> 00:07:24,350 From the moment that we're born, we're bound to sin. 125 00:07:25,150 --> 00:07:28,960 It holds us and we are under its authority. 126 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,840 So if you think you're free under no one's authority, then you 127 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:37,240 are misled, because by nature we are bound to sin. 128 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,640 And it is only through the cross of Jesus that we can know salvation. 129 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,960 Just as the people will look to this staff as the authority of 130 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,320 God and as the sign of God's rescue for them. 131 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,210 And so we need this assurance today that it is only through the 132 00:07:54,210 --> 00:07:58,410 cross of Christ that we can be free, not bound to sin, but we can 133 00:07:58,410 --> 00:08:00,810 know salvation, truly free. 134 00:08:01,930 --> 00:08:05,890 And Moses also needed to know that too, that God was with him as 135 00:08:05,890 --> 00:08:08,450 he faced the might of Pharaoh. 136 00:08:08,450 --> 00:08:10,330 And that's what this passage is teaching us. 137 00:08:10,570 --> 00:08:15,290 It's for telling us the gospel of what it means to look to Jesus, 138 00:08:15,930 --> 00:08:20,070 to know that cross, to know what was accomplished through it, 139 00:08:20,790 --> 00:08:22,390 so that we can know salvation. 140 00:08:24,310 --> 00:08:25,910 But there is a reality to life. 141 00:08:26,310 --> 00:08:27,510 We know that reality. 142 00:08:28,470 --> 00:08:31,150 That reality is sin, and we need salvation. 143 00:08:31,150 --> 00:08:35,549 And so Moses too knows that reality, and that reality still is 144 00:08:35,549 --> 00:08:36,350 sin for him. 145 00:08:36,350 --> 00:08:39,470 Because God doesn't leave him in the dark about what the situation 146 00:08:39,470 --> 00:08:40,710 is that he's about to face. 147 00:08:41,030 --> 00:08:45,870 He makes it clear that he that is God will harden Pharaoh's heart 148 00:08:45,870 --> 00:08:47,350 towards Moses request. 149 00:08:48,220 --> 00:08:51,820 Because this is the only way that the people will be truly free 150 00:08:51,820 --> 00:08:52,700 from slavery. 151 00:08:52,940 --> 00:08:57,460 And so verses 22 and 23 of chapter 4 tell us, then say to Pharaoh, 152 00:08:57,460 --> 00:08:58,540 this is what the Lord says. 153 00:08:58,540 --> 00:09:00,700 Israel is my firstborn son. 154 00:09:00,940 --> 00:09:04,540 And I told you, let my son go so he may worship me. 155 00:09:04,860 --> 00:09:09,340 But you refuse to let him go, so I will kill your firstborn son. 156 00:09:10,620 --> 00:09:13,420 See, God makes it clear to Moses and to us that Pharaoh's never 157 00:09:13,420 --> 00:09:14,140 going to give in. 158 00:09:14,990 --> 00:09:17,590 It's only going to be through the death of his firstborn son that 159 00:09:17,590 --> 00:09:19,870 he's going to let the children of Israel go. 160 00:09:19,950 --> 00:09:24,750 Here described as the firstborn son of God. 161 00:09:25,710 --> 00:09:29,390 And this is a key theme in the Old Testament sonship. 162 00:09:29,870 --> 00:09:33,510 And we know that through the law, rights are given to the firstborn 163 00:09:33,510 --> 00:09:34,270 in the household. 164 00:09:34,670 --> 00:09:37,910 We also know, as we see here, that the children of Israel are considered 165 00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:39,630 by God to be his firstborn. 166 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,720 But this firstborn son of God's is enslaved in Egypt. 167 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,920 This was not the position a firstborn son should be in. 168 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,760 Because we're told that in Genesis 49, verse 3, that the firstborn 169 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,560 should be excelling in honor and excelling in power. 170 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:57,240 But this was not the case for the firstborn of God. 171 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,600 But this idea of sonship was also to get us ready for the only 172 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,160 begotten Son who would come to truly save his people. 173 00:10:05,890 --> 00:10:09,530 So that we today might know the position as sons and heirs with 174 00:10:09,530 --> 00:10:10,850 Christ through salvation. 175 00:10:12,130 --> 00:10:16,130 That's why sonship is an important part of the Old Testament. 176 00:10:16,930 --> 00:10:20,130 Because Christ is described as the first fruits. 177 00:10:20,610 --> 00:10:23,690 He is the one, through his resurrection, who has gone ahead 178 00:10:23,690 --> 00:10:28,730 of us to make eternity ready, so that as we trust in him, we will 179 00:10:28,730 --> 00:10:32,060 know the blessing of his Son. 180 00:10:32,540 --> 00:10:34,060 The first fruits over all. 181 00:10:35,580 --> 00:10:40,700 You see what we're getting a picture of here, of a staff and of 182 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:45,900 sonship, is what is God's covenant promises to his people that 183 00:10:45,900 --> 00:10:47,740 he indeed is the one who will lead them. 184 00:10:47,740 --> 00:10:50,780 And he is the one who is the true authority and sovereign over 185 00:10:50,780 --> 00:10:51,100 all. 186 00:10:51,740 --> 00:10:55,380 But he's also pointing us that we need rescuing, we need salvation 187 00:10:55,380 --> 00:10:55,820 in Christ. 188 00:10:55,820 --> 00:10:59,220 And it can only be Christ alone, because none of us can ever 189 00:10:59,220 --> 00:11:00,460 be good enough. 190 00:11:03,030 --> 00:11:06,230 And we see that now demonstrated in these odd verses. 191 00:11:06,630 --> 00:11:13,310 In 24:26, at a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and 192 00:11:13,310 --> 00:11:14,470 was about to kill him. 193 00:11:14,870 --> 00:11:18,510 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin 194 00:11:18,510 --> 00:11:20,150 and touched Moses feet with it. 195 00:11:20,550 --> 00:11:23,510 Surely you are a bridegroom of the blood to me, she said. 196 00:11:24,150 --> 00:11:27,160 So the Lord let him alone at this time. 197 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:28,680 She said, sorry. 198 00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:32,320 At that time, she said bridegroom of blood, referring to 199 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:33,040 circumcision. 200 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,680 Now these aren't easy to understand. 201 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,200 So if you're waiting patiently for an answer, you could be waiting 202 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:41,920 a long time. 203 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,640 And there's just moments that we have to accept that the Bible 204 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,520 doesn't make it fully clear what it's all about. 205 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,680 And because we're not of the Jewish culture, we might blush a 206 00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:53,320 little whenever we hear of circumcision because we know what 207 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:54,000 it involves. 208 00:11:55,330 --> 00:12:00,290 But at the essence of what this is about, it's truth. 209 00:12:02,130 --> 00:12:05,810 The covenant promises were given to the patriarchs in Genesis, 210 00:12:06,210 --> 00:12:09,810 to Abraham and his offspring, of which Moses is. 211 00:12:10,450 --> 00:12:14,130 And the question is, will Moses be a true child of the covenant? 212 00:12:14,610 --> 00:12:17,570 And the answer is no, because it turns out he has not fulfilled 213 00:12:17,570 --> 00:12:21,010 what was obligated by covenantal law, the circumcision 214 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:21,240 of. 215 00:12:21,390 --> 00:12:22,110 Of his son. 216 00:12:23,710 --> 00:12:27,670 See, Moses is on the road to Egypt, and we would have assumed 217 00:12:27,670 --> 00:12:30,070 that everything was okay and everything was full steam ahead. 218 00:12:30,070 --> 00:12:33,190 But at this place where they camped for the night, it is the Lord 219 00:12:33,190 --> 00:12:37,629 who comes to kill Moses, because the truth and covenantal 220 00:12:37,870 --> 00:12:40,910 commitment is greater than anything else. 221 00:12:41,550 --> 00:12:45,150 See, all of a sudden, God has become Moses adversary. 222 00:12:45,630 --> 00:12:48,070 Now, the Bible doesn't say how God intended to kill him. 223 00:12:48,070 --> 00:12:51,190 Perhaps Moses had to wrestle with the angel of death, or perhaps 224 00:12:51,190 --> 00:12:53,070 he was afflicted with some deadly dise. 225 00:12:53,770 --> 00:12:56,730 Well, whatever way it was, the real question is not how God assaulted 226 00:12:56,730 --> 00:12:57,850 Moses, but why. 227 00:12:58,570 --> 00:13:02,090 What possible reason could God have for attacking him? 228 00:13:02,810 --> 00:13:06,530 After all, is this not the man upon whom the whole plan of Israel's 229 00:13:06,530 --> 00:13:07,690 salvation depended? 230 00:13:08,810 --> 00:13:11,970 Moses was the one who was called to lead God's people out of 231 00:13:11,970 --> 00:13:12,490 Egypt. 232 00:13:12,570 --> 00:13:16,410 Moses was the one who would gather the elders, perform the miracles, 233 00:13:16,410 --> 00:13:19,610 and demand the release of God's firstborn son. 234 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,400 Therefore, to put his life now to mortal danger was to jeopardize 235 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:25,560 the entire Exodus. 236 00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:28,080 And so we do have to ask, what is going on? 237 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,000 Well, it all revolves around not circumcising his son. 238 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:38,200 Now, the Bible doesn't say this in so many words, but it's a 239 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:43,040 reasonable conclusion based on what follows in verses 25 and 26. 240 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,320 And once again in this story, we see a woman coming to the rescue, 241 00:13:46,870 --> 00:13:50,030 acting courageously and decisively, possibly because Moses 242 00:13:50,030 --> 00:13:52,630 himself was too close to death to be able to respond. 243 00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:57,790 Zipporah severed her son's foreskin, touched it to Moses and 244 00:13:57,790 --> 00:13:59,750 said, you are a bridegroom of blood. 245 00:14:00,150 --> 00:14:02,749 Now, we have to be honest, and we do have to say that we don't know 246 00:14:02,749 --> 00:14:06,590 the precise meaning of this technical term, but it doesn't seem 247 00:14:06,590 --> 00:14:08,470 to mean that Zipporah was angry. 248 00:14:08,950 --> 00:14:12,510 Rather, as the comment in verse 26 then tells us, it had something 249 00:14:12,510 --> 00:14:15,910 to do with the rite of circumcision and possibly also with 250 00:14:15,910 --> 00:14:18,150 Zipporah's inclusion in the covenant community. 251 00:14:19,650 --> 00:14:23,970 What saved Moses life was covenantal faithfulness. 252 00:14:24,930 --> 00:14:27,890 It was the circumcision of his son. 253 00:14:28,930 --> 00:14:32,210 But why was his son the one who was circumcised? 254 00:14:33,010 --> 00:14:36,330 If Moses was the guilty party, wouldn't it make more sense for the 255 00:14:36,330 --> 00:14:38,210 prophet himself to be circumcised? 256 00:14:39,410 --> 00:14:43,130 Well, the simplest explanation is that God attacked Moses precisely 257 00:14:43,130 --> 00:14:46,450 because he had failed to circumcise his son, and therefore 258 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,390 God Gershom's circumcision was the only thing that could save his 259 00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:50,670 life. 260 00:14:51,870 --> 00:14:54,350 And this raises a more basic question. 261 00:14:55,390 --> 00:14:58,270 What was so important about circumcision? 262 00:14:58,990 --> 00:15:00,510 Consider the contrast here. 263 00:15:00,750 --> 00:15:04,790 When Moses refused to go to Egypt, God patiently helped him on 264 00:15:04,790 --> 00:15:05,310 his way. 265 00:15:05,630 --> 00:15:09,550 But when he failed to circumcise his son, God threatened 266 00:15:09,550 --> 00:15:11,070 to take his very life. 267 00:15:11,310 --> 00:15:14,310 And there's a commentator, Peter Enns, and he writes, moses 268 00:15:14,310 --> 00:15:18,270 can argue, pout, whine, and hold his breath about going to Egypt. 269 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:20,520 God will deal patiently with him. 270 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,120 But circumcision is another matter. 271 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,080 Quite literally, it's a matter of life and death. 272 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,320 But why circumcision? 273 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:33,360 We must know and must remember that it was the distinguishing mark 274 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:34,280 of God's people. 275 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,440 It was a sign indicating membership in the covenant community. 276 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:42,800 And thus it served as the proof of sonship in Israel, as the 277 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,920 poor seems to have understood in her action. 278 00:15:45,930 --> 00:15:49,290 But circumcision was also a covenant sign that went all the way 279 00:15:49,290 --> 00:15:50,410 back to Abraham. 280 00:15:50,730 --> 00:15:54,770 And so, if Moses intended to serve the God of Abraham, he had 281 00:15:54,770 --> 00:15:57,690 a covenant obligation to circumcise his sons. 282 00:15:58,570 --> 00:16:02,250 This was also an important part of his preparation for the Exodus, 283 00:16:02,490 --> 00:16:05,370 because later, when the Israelites celebrated the first passover, 284 00:16:05,610 --> 00:16:09,210 every male would be required to be circumcised. 285 00:16:09,850 --> 00:16:12,410 And so Moses had to set the example. 286 00:16:12,410 --> 00:16:16,330 He had to demonstrate his covenantal faithfulness. 287 00:16:16,810 --> 00:16:20,450 If he was going to lead the people out of Egypt, he himself had 288 00:16:20,450 --> 00:16:21,690 to keep the covenant. 289 00:16:22,330 --> 00:16:26,250 And how could he be Israel's prophet if he neglected his spiritual 290 00:16:26,250 --> 00:16:30,290 responsibility to his own family by failing to include them 291 00:16:30,290 --> 00:16:31,770 in God's salvation? 292 00:16:33,530 --> 00:16:37,410 And so, as strange as this experience may sound, it reveals 293 00:16:37,410 --> 00:16:39,050 the one true way of salvation. 294 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:45,780 Every human being is a sinner who stands under the wrath of God. 295 00:16:46,420 --> 00:16:51,540 Like Moses, we have failed to keep God's law, and so we are subject 296 00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:53,700 to God's curse against our sin. 297 00:16:54,020 --> 00:16:59,620 And the only way to be saved from eternal death is for God's wrath 298 00:16:59,780 --> 00:17:04,420 to be turned aside, which can only be done through an act of blood. 299 00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:07,780 And this is exactly what Jesus provided on the cross. 300 00:17:08,260 --> 00:17:11,900 A perfect sacrifice for sin offered through the shedding of his 301 00:17:11,900 --> 00:17:12,420 own blood. 302 00:17:13,060 --> 00:17:15,700 It's what we celebrate at the Lord's Supper. 303 00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:21,220 That Christ would do this for us by dying in our place. 304 00:17:21,780 --> 00:17:26,340 Jesus turned aside the wrath of God against our sin. 305 00:17:27,460 --> 00:17:32,340 It's he who is our substitute, the one whom God put forward as a 306 00:17:32,340 --> 00:17:35,380 propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. 307 00:17:35,380 --> 00:17:40,690 As Paul writes in Romans 3 and verse 25, everyone who believes in 308 00:17:40,690 --> 00:17:44,850 Jesus Christ will be saved from God's wrath through the sacrifice 309 00:17:44,850 --> 00:17:46,370 he offered on the cross. 310 00:17:46,850 --> 00:17:48,690 And there's no other way to be saved. 311 00:17:49,650 --> 00:17:51,090 And I wonder, do you know this? 312 00:17:51,730 --> 00:17:55,130 Do you know that salvation in Christ is the only way to know that 313 00:17:55,130 --> 00:17:59,690 we are God's forever and that we will receive the inheritance of 314 00:17:59,690 --> 00:18:00,450 eternal life. 315 00:18:01,170 --> 00:18:04,770 Now, this is not something to be ignored or thought of as something 316 00:18:05,270 --> 00:18:06,550 that we can wait for in the future. 317 00:18:07,190 --> 00:18:11,030 The time is now to come unto Jesus for the forgiveness of sins 318 00:18:11,270 --> 00:18:13,830 and for the salvation of your souls. 319 00:18:15,190 --> 00:18:19,430 Covenant faithfulness through the blood of Jesus Christ. 320 00:18:19,990 --> 00:18:21,550 God's way of rescue. 321 00:18:21,550 --> 00:18:25,390 God's way of salvation is open to each and every one of us. 322 00:18:25,390 --> 00:18:29,510 And as we come to Christ, so we live for him to remain in that 323 00:18:29,510 --> 00:18:33,560 faithfulness as we serve him and seek him, knowing what he has 324 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,080 done for us that we may delight in him. 325 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:37,560 And what happens? 326 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:41,120 Well, we see it here as this chapter closes, because the chapter 327 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:43,640 concludes with a reunion between the two brothers, Moses and 328 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:44,080 Aaron. 329 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,680 Verse 27 tells us that Moses isn't the only one that God has been 330 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,320 speaking to, because he's instructed Aaron to go out to meet 331 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:51,920 Moses. 332 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,520 And there's a happy embrace with the two and a kiss of brotherly 333 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:56,960 affection. 334 00:18:57,910 --> 00:19:00,830 Moses goes on to tell Aaron everything that the Lord had told 335 00:19:00,830 --> 00:19:00,990 him. 336 00:19:00,990 --> 00:19:04,670 And Aaron receives it and submits to the plan demonstrated 337 00:19:04,670 --> 00:19:07,670 in verse 29 with his return to Egypt with Moses. 338 00:19:08,390 --> 00:19:12,430 But Aaron isn't the only one to believe what Moses says, because 339 00:19:12,430 --> 00:19:14,830 the elders of Israel believed in it too. 340 00:19:14,830 --> 00:19:17,510 And we're told this in verse 31. 341 00:19:17,510 --> 00:19:20,190 And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and 342 00:19:20,190 --> 00:19:24,360 had seen their misery, they bowed down, worship him. 343 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:30,560 And so, as Exodus 4 ends, it ends with a doxology, a great glory 344 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,840 of God, because they bowed down and worshiped him. 345 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:34,680 And this is the right response. 346 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,440 Even while they were still waiting for their liberation, the 347 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,880 Israelites began to give God the glory because they trusted in 348 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:41,160 Him. 349 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:47,040 And so, moved by divine compassion, they knelt in the sands 350 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:50,960 of Egypt that had been their home of enslavery but would soon 351 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:51,840 be left behind. 352 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:54,990 As they walked in freedom and and they give praise to God. 353 00:19:55,310 --> 00:19:58,910 They understood that the God of Moses is a God to be worshiped 354 00:19:58,910 --> 00:20:00,110 and a God to be adored. 355 00:20:00,270 --> 00:20:03,630 He is a God who rules every heart by a sovereign will. 356 00:20:03,710 --> 00:20:08,830 He is a God who loves us the way a good father loves an only son. 357 00:20:09,309 --> 00:20:13,910 He is a God who gives what his justice demands, a perfect sacrifice 358 00:20:13,910 --> 00:20:14,510 of sin. 359 00:20:14,830 --> 00:20:18,150 He's a wonder working God, a God who keeps every last promise 360 00:20:18,150 --> 00:20:18,910 of salvation. 361 00:20:19,070 --> 00:20:24,400 He is also our God who has seen our misery and is concerned 362 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:25,440 about our suffering. 363 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:28,080 Like the children of Israel. 364 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,240 Will you bow down and worship Him? 365 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,880 Will you know his salvation? 366 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:36,160 For the children of Israel, their salvation comes through the 367 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,440 mighty waters of the Red Sea as they flee Egypt. 368 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:44,720 For us, our salvation can only be in Christ and through his blood. 369 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:50,400 An obscure passage in Exodus 4 that maybe too many of us haven't 370 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:54,520 read or come across before, with even more obscure little verses 371 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:55,120 in the middle. 372 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:58,240 Teach us something of what we celebrate at this table. 373 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,000 That there is assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ and Him 374 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:02,480 alone. 375 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,440 Only in him can we know that. 376 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,120 And so I want to finish by asking you this question. 377 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,360 Will you be assured of salvation today in Jesus Christ? 378 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:18,360 Will you trust him and know him alone as the One who saves, the 379 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:21,900 One who keeps, and the One who will lead you home to heaven? 380 00:21:22,460 --> 00:21:26,860 Will you declare, as Isaiah does in Isaiah 12 and verse 2, surely 381 00:21:26,860 --> 00:21:28,140 God is my salvation. 382 00:21:28,220 --> 00:21:30,300 I will trust and not be afraid. 383 00:21:30,460 --> 00:21:35,180 The Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song. 384 00:21:35,820 --> 00:21:39,660 He has become my salvation. 385 00:21:41,580 --> 00:21:44,940 The arms of the Lord Jesus are open wide to each and every one of 386 00:21:44,940 --> 00:21:50,460 us to come onto him, to have this wonderful assurance of salvation 387 00:21:50,700 --> 00:21:55,700 today that we may know his love and his goodness and live in 388 00:21:55,700 --> 00:21:57,420 it now and forevermore. 389 00:21:58,620 --> 00:22:01,660 Will you know this assurance today? 390 00:22:02,220 --> 00:22:05,620 Don't walk out that door and just leave it and thinking you have 391 00:22:05,620 --> 00:22:05,980 time. 392 00:22:08,540 --> 00:22:14,440 Today is the day by which we come to Jesus to know him more, to 393 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,160 live for him, so that we too can stand and come into full communicant 394 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,640 membership of the Church and partake of this feast around this 395 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:28,040 table as a public declaration of whose we are, of Christ's and 396 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:28,840 His alone. 397 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:30,440 Let me pray. 398 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:34,960 Our Father God, we thank you for your Word that challenges us, 399 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:35,800 that leads us. 400 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,520 But Father, that draws us onto Jesus for salvation. 401 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,440 So help us to know that we are saved for the glory of God. 402 00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:46,980 May we understand this salvation and be assured of it as 403 00:22:46,980 --> 00:22:48,980 we place our trust in Christ and him alone. 404 00:22:49,700 --> 00:22:51,580 So, Father, help us to respond well. 405 00:22:51,580 --> 00:22:54,020 Some will respond by thinking more deeply of Jesus. 406 00:22:54,260 --> 00:22:59,140 Others will respond by coming around this table and enjoying its 407 00:22:59,140 --> 00:23:02,740 bread and its wine as that reminder of the sacrifice of Christ. 408 00:23:03,700 --> 00:23:07,460 Father, help us all to respond this day to what your word teaches 409 00:23:07,860 --> 00:23:09,020 as we look ever to you. 410 00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:11,240 In Jesus name, amen.