"Moses I: Escape from Egypt" sermon preview

After spending a couple of weeks with Job, we now return to Exodus and the story of Moses.  Much of this story is pretty familiar to us, but perhaps we may see it with fresh eyes when we read it straight through over the course of several weeks.

We know that Moses was spared as an infant.  We know that Moses escaped Egypt after murdering an Egyptian.  And we know that Moses brought his people out of Egypt under the power of God.   But have we considered this cycle of escape in Moses' life?  It seems that Moses was quite the escape artist.

In his escape as an infant and with the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, we see very clearly that God had a larger plan.  Who better to negotiate the release of the Israelites than a royal family insider?  How better to demonstrate God's power and commitment to God's people than through plagues that affected the Egyptians but did not touch the Israelites or through the parting of the Red Sea to escape from being cornered?

God had a plan in these events but God also moved in unexpected ways to provide a path of escape.  As an infant, the escape from being murdered was to be adopted into the royal family.  As an adult with the Israelites in tow, the escape from the pursuing Egyptian army led Moses unexpectedly across dry ground in the middle of the Red Sea.  These turn of events would not have been predicted to take place.  This is not how we would imagine escape to take place.

But perhaps the greatest turn of events, the most unexpected part of the story is God's choice to use a murderer, Moses, to be God's servant in leading the escape from Egypt.  I've heard some portray this murder as an act of passion or rage, and perhaps it was.  Yet it seems significant that we read in Exodus 2:12 "Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand."  So while the murder may not have been premeditated, it wasn't without thought and choice either.

Yet in this, we see that God chose to use a man who had sinned.  And God chose to use a man who lacked self confidence.  And God chose to use a man who did not appear to be gifted.  Yet God chose to use this man to be the leader of the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness.  And if God chose to use this man, perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised when God chooses to use us as well.  Perhaps instead of focusing on ourselves, we should focus on the God who has called us and simply strive to be faithful to our call.