Psalm 124:1–8 • Exodus 1:8–2:10 • Romans 12:1–8 • Matthew 16:13–20

This week’s theme is even when we cannot see him, God is at work to rescue us. In our call to worship psalm, the psalmist praises God for rescuing Israel from overwhelming danger and confesses that their help comes from the Lord alone. In Exodus, God preserves Moses’ life from the hand of Pharoah so that he can later lead God’s people out of slavery. In Romans, Paul urges believers whom God has shown mercy, to offer themselves as living sacrifices. And in Matthew’s Gospel, as Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah, Jesus entrusts to Peter, and the church, with kingdom authority to carry out God’s work on earth.

Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the sermon.

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Even When We Cannot See Him,
God Is at Work to Rescue Us

Exodus 1:8–2:10 NIV

[Read or ask someone to read Exodus 1:8–2:10.]

⁸ Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. ⁹ “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. ¹⁰ Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

¹¹ So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. ¹² But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites ¹³ and worked them ruthlessly. ¹⁴ They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ¹⁶ “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” ¹⁷ The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. ¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

²⁰ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

²² Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

^2:1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, ² and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. ³ But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵ Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. ⁶ She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

⁷ Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

⁸ “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. ¹⁰ When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses,saying, “I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 1:8–2:10 NIV

Today and the next eight Sundays we will be discussing what the book of Exodus shows us about God. The book is called Exodus because it tells the story of God bringing his people out — out of slavery in Egypt and into freedom. The word “Exodus” literally means “exit” or “way out.”

So, the title, Exodus, isn’t just about a journey or leaving Egypt — it’s about deliverance. And the people in the Bible story we will hear today are longing for deliverance — hoping for a “way out.” But they have not yet seen that deliverance.

In this way, Exodus is not merely ancient history. It matters to us because it reflects the realities and conditions of all humans — even today. Sometimes God seems absent. But even when it looks like nothing is getting better, God has not abandoned us.

Even when we cannot see him, God is at work to rescue us.

We begin in verse 8:

Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.

So how did we get here? You might want to read the full backstory. Genesis 37 is a good place to begin.

But for now, here’s a little background. This story is about Abraham’s family, and last Sunday, we learned about God’s promise to Abraham. We call Abraham and his family — his children and their children and their children, and so on — God’s chosen people. It’s important to remember as we hear this story that these were the people who God promised to bless, be their God, and make them a great nation.

A severe famine hit the land where the Hebrew family of Jacob was living. Jacob is Abraham’s grandson. Years earlier, Jacob’s son Joseph had been sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. Over time, Joseph rose to a powerful position in Egypt and gained the king’s trust and favor. Joseph’s advice helped Egypt survive the famine.

When the famine came, Israel and his whole family went to Egypt to buy food. Joseph recognized them and invited them to settle there. So, the Hebrew people moved to Egypt to survive the famine — and this family of 70 people grew into a large nation.

In the Bible, “Hebrew” is often the name other peoples (like the Egyptians) used for them, especially in earlier stories. Later on, they’re more often called Israelites (after Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel). “Hebrew” may have originally meant “descendant of Eber,” an ancestor of Abraham. So, in our story today, you will hear this nation referred to by both names: Hebrews and Israelites.

The book of Exodus is fundamentally about God acting to rescue, dwell with, and form a people. And the trajectory of the story — where everything is leading — is deliverance. But today we are at the beginning, before rescue is visible. And we can learn something valuable and hopeful about God from this position.

Because even when we cannot see him, God is at work to rescue us.

Favored Guests to Feared Slaves

Let’s hear verse 8 again where Israel’s story turns.

 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.

Joseph was the one who had the favor of the king of Egypt, who we also call Pharaoh. But Joseph is now a forgotten man. The new pharaoh looks at Israel and sees a threat. And the Pharaoh holds the power of life and death.

Look… the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them… (verse 9–10).

Fear begins to drive Pharoah’s decisions. “What if they turn on us?” So, Pharaoh sets slave masters over them “to oppress them with forced labor” (verse 11).

Egypt’s leader enslaves the Israelites. Their lives are made “bitter with harsh labor… in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly” (verses 13–14).

Slavery is an unspeakable evil. It is dehumanizing and inflicts grave harm. No doubt Pharaoh intended it to break their will and stop the Israelites from growing. But verse 12 tells us:

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.

Pharaoh intended to shrink them. But God had already made them his own, generations earlier. God keeps his promises. God does not abandon his children.

Even when we cannot see him, God is at work to rescue us.

Midwives Who Fear God, Not Pharaoh

Pharaoh’s first plan has failed, so he moves from enslavement to genocide.

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him …” (verse 15–16).

Pharaoh believes he can force the Hebrew midwives to carry out murder. In the ancient world, midwives were women who assisted mothers during childbirth. Often, they were the only help available. They weren’t just medical helpers; they were trusted figures responsible for receiving and caring for newborns in their first moments. Pharoah tried to exploit a time when the Israelites were at their most vulnerable — a woman enduring the pains of labor and a fragile, dependent newborn.

But he underestimated the midwives. Shiphrah and Puah rebelled against Pharaoh and did not obey his orders. Their civil disobedience must have taken great courage. What could inspire the kind of courage it takes to defy the empire and your enslavers?

Verse 17, tells us:

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

Shiphrah and Puah’s reverence for God empowered their courage. They are obedient to God and to preserving life. They are defiant in the face of evil even though they were risking their own lives.

We can be inspired by this story — not because the midwives are the main characters or the heroes — because the very same God who was faithful in them, is faithful in us. The same God who would raise Jesus from the dead and opposes death, moves in these midwives.

Pharaoh orders Shiphrah and Puah to appear before him. And he asks them,

“Why have you let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. (verse 18b — 20)

Certainly, from Pharoah’s perspective, Shiphrah and Puah were troublemakers. We would probably agree that their resistance — their refusal to participate in evil was good trouble!

God’s grace comes first, before the midwives’ trust and obedience. God acts first. God has already bound himself to this people. His intention and mission to bless and multiply is already in motion.

Shiphrah and Puah’s “no” to Pharaoh is really a “yes” to the God who is the life-giver and is opposed to death. Their “yes” and courage to preserve life is itself a work of his Spirit, joining God’s good mission.

And just as God called these women, God is also calling us today to join him, to participate in his mission. God is a calling and sending God. He calls us to him where we find and experience restored life. And he sends us out into the world, into everyday places — work, neighborhoods, family systems — as signs of his freedom. God doesn’t want to be God without us.

A Death Order and a Desperate Plan

Trying to force the Hebrews to participate in their own genocide fails. Now Pharoah gives an order to all Egyptians:

“Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live” (verse 22).

The brutality of this order from the king is unimaginable. Yet in the middle of this horror, something unexpected happens. Chapter 2, verses 1–4:

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, ² and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. ³ But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Here we see another ordinary woman willing to defy the power of the empire to save a life. If the baby is to have any chance of surviving, his mother must give him away. What a heartbreaking choice! But the God who opposes death moves in her, and she chooses life for her son even at great risk to herself.

An Unexpected Adoption

Pharaoh’s daughter goes down to the river to bathe, and she sees the basket. Verse 6:

She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

She knows her father’s laws, but compassion moves her. She pities the small infant and spares him. She chooses life, not death.

Next, we see the baby’s sister defy the empire and Pharoah’s plan for death. Verse 7:

Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

It must have taken courage to approach the princess. What if it is discovered that it’s her mother she’s bringing — the baby’s very own mother? Verses 7–8:

“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.”

Seemingly without knowing, Pharaoh’s daughter hires Moses’ own mother to be his nurse. You see in the ancient world, wealthy families often hired a wet nurse who would breastfeed and care for a child during the first years of life. The woman who had feared losing her son is now paid by Pharaoh’s household to raise him.

The princess is not part of the chosen people of Isreal, but the God who opposes death moves in her, too, and she chooses life. Last Sunday, we spoke about how people can be labeled in or out (Matthew 15:21–28). She was definitely “out.” Her father was the very one who ordered the Israelites be forced into slavery and murdered! She was a part of the enemy’s household. Yet she also defies the empire to save this baby from death.

This should remind us to reconsider before we count anyone out. Even the most unlikely people are invited to participate in God’s saving mission — in Egypt and in our world, too.

Verse 10:

When the child grew older, [his mother] took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water’

Moses’ was rescued from death. He was born into very dark circumstances. And this passage does not minimize suffering. God does not ask us to either. The Christian life is not pretending things are all good when they are not. This mindset can lead us to downplay, ignore, or outright deny the suffering of ourselves and our neighbors.

In fact, some of us learned that to admit we struggle or experience suffering means our faith is weak. But the Christian life is not pretending we do not suffer. It’s trusting we have a God in Jesus who understands our suffering, has joined himself to us, and shares in our suffering. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).

Exodus is about people trapped inside powers larger than themselves. We too live under forms of bondage: poverty and famine, inequity, exploitation, greed, violence, war, and injustice.

The bondage of sin is larger than any one person. It takes shape in systems, cultures, and institutions. Our individual problems and the world’s problems feel bigger than us … because they are!

And that’s why this story resonates today. Isreal struggled against what looked like impossible odds.

Yet everything that happened points to divine faithfulness: Israel multiplies; people resist death orders; Moses survives.

The future deliverance begins long before the Israelites can see it. Even when we cannot see him, God is at work to rescue us.

This story also shows us that Isreal cannot save itself. The Israelites are powerless. They cannot overthrow Pharaoh. They cannot liberate themselves.

Just like us.

We need God to rescue us, and in Jesus, he has. God the Father sent his Son to enter the human condition. Jesus was born a human and joined himself to our humanity. That’s the Incarnation.

Jesus accomplished our exodus, our “way out.” The exodus we could never accomplish on our own.

This is the good news: Jesus does not only show us deliverance — he becomes it. He carries our slavery into his death on the cross and breaks its power. The rescue is done, and the Holy Spirit makes the rescue and freedom real in our lives.

The Father sees the suffering of humanity. The Son comes down into that suffering. The Spirit unites us to Christ and assures us that we are never abandoned.

Even when we cannot see him, God is at work to rescue us.

Go Deeper:
The word for “basket” is tebah — the same word used for Noah’s ark. The waters that once threatened humanity carried an ark of salvation; now the river that threatens Hebrew boys bears up the tiny ark of the one who God will use to lead his people out of Egypt. It looks like a desperate mother and a fragile basket; faith sees God preserving life through a little ark on the waters. And from the riverbank, it looks like loss and risk. But the God who delivered Noah, is still the God of Moses. The same Lord who brought one family through the flood will bring Israel through the waters of Egypt’s violence.

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