Landmarks of Exodus #1 The Case of the Missing Mummy. Lakeside Seventh-day Adventist Church Sermon for Sabbath 14 th March, 2009

Transcription

1 Landmarks of Exodus #1 The Case of the Missing Mummy Lakeside Seventh-day Adventist Church Sermon for Sabbath 14 th March, 2009 Introduction In a previous series, we studied some of the landmarks of Genesis the first book of the Christian Bible. Today, we move on to a short series of sermons looking at some of the great events in the book of Exodus. Some facts about the book of Exodus: It is part of the Pentateuch (5 books of Moses): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy Exodus, in the Hebrew Scriptures was called We eleh shemoth ( And these are the names ). Later it was known as The 2nd Book of Moses. Exodus is the English word adapted from the Vulgate, which in turn is from Greek translation of the Old Testament (The Septuagint or LXX - 2 Greek words meaning way out or going out ). Who was the author? This would seem to be an easy question. However, if we are serious about studying the word and being sure that we are not following cunningly devised fables then we need to answer this question. First, there are the claims of the book of Exodus itself. Exodus 17:14 Moses told to record in a book Numbers 33:2 Moses kept a diary Moses wrote down Ex.20:21-23:33 (24:4) He authored 34:11-26 (see verse 27) What about the language and knowledge that is evident from the book? Evidence that the author had an Egyptian education Use of many Egyptian words Describes Egyptian life & customs accurately Perhaps the most telling evidence comes from the NT & in particular, the testimony of Jesus. Evidence from the New Testament Acts 7:22 Moses learned all the wisdom of Egypt Mark 12:26 Jesus quotes Ex.3:6 as being from the book of Moses Historical Setting Genesis surveys the period from creation to end of patriarchal period many centuries Exodus 1,2 cover about 80 year period Exodus 3-40 record the history over 1 or 2 years Joseph & Jacob go to Egypt during rule of the Hyksos The Hyksos ruling class were Semitic (racially related to Israelites) They ruled over the native Egyptians First revolt occurred after the Hyksos had ruled for c150 years Sekenenre revolts against the Hyksos The mummified body of Sekenenre Taa II was discovered in 1881 and is now stored in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He was killed in battle against the Hyksos and his badly wounded body shows that he came to a grizzly end from the combined attack of a dagger, mace and battle axe (see the picture on the right). Kamose, son of Sekenenre Kamose drove the Hyksos out of southern Egypt and into the north eastern delta region c 1750 BC. The Kamose stela was erected to commemorate the victory of the pharaoh Kamose over the Hyksos ruler. 1

2 Ahmose expels the Hyksos Yet, Kamose did not live to see the ultimate expulsion of the Hyksos. This was accomplished by his younger brother Ahmose, who forced the surrender of their capital city, Avaris. With the fall of Avaris the Hyksos lost their last stronghold in Egypt. They then withdrew to Sharuhen in southern Palestine, which in turn was conquered by Ahmose after a three years campaign. The loss of Sharuhen, and the resulting retreat of the Hyksos to the north, marked the end of their power and their disappearance from history. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) This was a great victory. Ahmose was now pharaoh of a united Egypt that stretched from the borders of Nubia in the south, to the Mediterranean in the north. When he got back home to Thebes, Ahmose was a hero and was worshipped as a god. gdom/ahmose.html (Left) Stela of Ahmose The 2 Pharaohs that followed Ahmose were (the following dates are approximate) Amenhotep I ( BC)* then his son, Thutmose I ( BC) Thutmose II ( BC) who was a weak son of Thutmose I After his death, Queen Hatshepsut ruled for 22 years Hapshetsut BC the probable foster mother of Moses She suddenly disappeared possibly because she had promoted Moses with a view to her dominating the political scene. When Moses fled in disgrace, Hapshetsut also went down in the political stakes. Thutmoses tried to remove all traces of Hapshetsut from public places Moses fled Egypt a few years before the sole reign of her nephew, Thutmose III ( BC) Amenhotep II ( BC) His mummy was discovered in the Valley of the Kings in 1898 by Victor Loret His was a cruel reign possibly his son, the Crown Prince, died in the plague of the death of 1st born son as he did not become ruler - another of his sons became Pharaoh Thutmose IV ( BC) The Themes of Exodus God intervenes in the history of His people God delivers from slavery Through grace, God enters into a covenant relationship with His people God s plans cannot be turned aside by our unfaithfulness God is still choosing leaders for His people today and We can confidently and faithfully follow them 2

3 The family of Jacob move to Egypt In Genesis we read of 66 members of the household moving to Egypt. In Exodus 1:1-3, Moses adds four more names (viz. Jacob, Joseph, & his two sons) Jacob s sons & 1 unmarried daughter 12 Reuben s sons 4 Simeon s sons 6 Levi s sons 3 Judah s 3 sons and 2 grandsons 5 Issachar s sons 4 Zebulun s sons 3 Gad s sons 7 Asher s 4 sons, 1 daughter & 2 grandsons 7 Dan s son 1 Naphtali s sons 4 Benjamin s sons Moses adds Jacob, Joseph & his 2 sons 4 TOTAL 70 A new Pharaoh after death of Joseph Verses not just a new king but a new Egyptian dynasty after the overthrow of the Hyksos Verse 11 - they set the Israelites to work in the eastern delta region (Goshen) to build store cities (Left) The area where the store or treasure cities were built Israelites continue to multiply Verses Stone was used on great monuments but brick was used for palaces, city walls, fortifications, temples, etc Field work canals, embankments, flood control, agriculture on the Nile flood plain A 2nd strategy Verses Pharaoh turns from oppression to murder Verse 15 Hebrew names Shiprah means beauty & Puah means brightness Verse 16 Stools literally two stones The real meaning of this word was discovered by the Egyptologist Spiegelberg, thus confirming the knowledge that Moses had of Egyptian words and customs A 3rd strategy Verse 22 - Cast sons into the Nile River Hymns were written to Hapi, the deity personifying the Nile The goddess Tawaret was derived from the hippopotamus The crocodile god Sobek Frog deities Heqet deemed powerful in fertility and childbirth A child is born a redeemer Chapter 2:1,2 Aaron was 3 years old (7:7) Miriam older again Exodus 6:20 (ESV) 3

4 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. How Moses was saved Verses 3-10 The words ark or basket and bulrushes (papyrus) are Egyptian words (v.3) Bitumen or pitch was imported from the Dead Sea and used in embalming (v.3) The saving of Moses was an act of faith Hebrews 11:23 (ESV) By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. Hatshepsut the unmarried daughter of Pharaoh (v.5) Angels guide the princess his sister, Miriam, lingered near, apparently indifferent, but anxiously watching to see what would become of her little brother. And there were other watchers. The mother's earnest prayers had committed her child to the care of God; and angels, unseen, hovered above his lowly resting place. Angels directed Pharaoh's daughter thither. She determined that he should be saved; she would adopt him as her own. 1 Moses was in the home with Jochabed for about 12 years 2 she gave him up that she might receive him back again (some commentators have Moses in the home of his mother for only 2 or 3 yrs) At 12 years, Moses was no longer considered to be a child Moses is comparable to the Egyptian word for child or son For example, Ra-mose = son of, or born of Ra (sun god) [later Ramses]; Ahmoses = son of Ah (moon god); Thutmoses = son of the god Thoth, etc Moses no doubt dropped the name of the god (possibly Hap-mose born of the river god ) when he no longer considered himself a son of Pharaoh s daughter (Heb. 11:24) Moses flees to Midian Chapter 2: years of education in Egypt, royal tutors, priests, army commanders etc is passed over in silence. At about 40 years of age, he rejects his Egyptian upbringing and flees to Midian. Moses flight was certainly not an easy one. The eastern border of Egypt was guarded from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Suez by a system of manned towers, each in sight of the next. An Egyptian story parallel to the flight of Moses, that of Sinuhe, shows how difficult an escape into Asia really was. Sinuhe, a courtier of King Amenemhet I, for some reason unknown to us, felt at the king s death that his own life was in danger, and accordingly fled to Syria, where he spent many years as an exile. He gives a vivid description of the dangers connected with crossing the frontier. Crouching for some time in a bush, lest the watchmen see him, he crossed at night. Pressing on into the desert, he would have perished of thirst except for certain Asiatics who found him and gave him water and boiled milk to drink. We have no record of the hardships Moses suffered during his flight, but it is not amiss to assume that it was a trying experience for one who had thus far known only the luxuries of court life and was unacquainted with hardship. 3 (v.21) Moses is being prepared for the Exodus And he marries The Plans of God Moses could have stayed in Egypt and died there and been mummified God had a better plan for him not to be mummified but to be glorified! His was The Case of the Missing Mummy. Sometimes God s plans take time to work out. I know that this has been the case in my own experience as I have come late in life to full time gospel ministry. What about your life? Does God have plans for you that He is now preparing you for? What is Christ preparing you to do? Perhaps it is: Small group ministry, Youth Ministry, Children s Ministry, Prison Ministry, Teaching, Preaching, Seminar Ministry, Health Ministry. 1 Ellen White, Patriarchs & Prophets (Pacific Press Publishing Association) Ibid, 244 3Nichol, Francis D., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association)

5 Whatever it is, God is calling you today to respond and make a full surrender to God s leading in your life to no longer hold back. Please give your all to Him. You will never be really satisfied until you do this. He will be content with nothing less. I am reminded of the powerful poem, God Needs All of Me by Adrian Plass. When I became a Christian, I said Lord, now fill me in. Tell me what I ll suffer In this world of shame and sin. He said, You will be killed And left to rot and stink. Do you still want to follow me? I said, Amen I think?!! I think, Amen, amen I think, I think I say Amen- Look, I m not completely sure Could we just run through that again You say my body may be killed And left to rot and stink? It sounds terrific, Lord I say, Amen I think. Lord, there must be other ways To follow You, I said. I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed. Well, yes, He said. You could put up With sneers and scorn and spit. Do you still want to follow Me? I said, Amen a bit. A bit I say Amen, Amen a bit. A bit I say Amen Look, I m still not completely sure. Let s just run through that again. You say I could put up with sneers and scorn and spit? Well, yes, I ve made my mind up And say Amen a bit. Well I sat back and thought a while And tried a different play. Now, Lord, I said, The Good Book says Christians live in joy. Yes that s true, He said. You re going to need the joy To bear the pain and sorrow So do you want to follow Me? I said, Amen tomorrow! Tomorrow, Lord, I ll say it then That s when I ll say Amen You see, I need to get it clear Could we just run through that again? You say that I will need the joy 5

6 To bear the pain and sorrow, Well, yes, I think I ve got it straight I ll say Amen tomorrow. He said, Look, I m not asking you To spend and hour with Me. A quick salvation sandwich And a cup of sanctity. The cost is you not half of you But every single bit. Now, tell Me, will you follow Me? I said, Amen No I quit. I m very sorry Lord, I said. I d love to follow You, but I don t think religion is a manly thing to do. He said, Forget about religion then And you think about My Son And tell Me if you re man enough to do what He has done? Are you man enough to see the need? Are you man enough to go? Are you man enough to care For those who no one wants to know? Are you man enough to say The things that people hate to hear And battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear? And listen are you man enough To stand it at the end The moment of betrayal By kisses of your friend? Are you man enough to hold your tongue, Are you man enough to cry? And when the nails break your body Are you man enough to die? Man enough to take the pain And wear it like a crown? Man enough to love the world Turn it upside down? Are you man enough to follow Me? I ask you once again. I said, O Lord, I m frightened But I also said, Amen Amen, amen, amen, amen. I said, O Lord, I m so frightened. But I also said, Amen. Pastor Clive Nash, Lakeside Seventh-day Adventist Church 6