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Back to the Series  Burning Bush Adventures

This morning we are beginning a new series of messages focused on Godly manhood and the life of Moses.

Manhood is kind of confusing.  Isn’t it?  Especially in the culture we live in.  Godly manhood is even more of a mystery.

We men are suppose to be the strong and masculine - whatever that is.  The superhero with a heart.  Sauvé with great cheek bones.  Good looking.  Nice hair.  A total babe magnet.  But in touch with our feminine side.

A while back Video Jug came out with an instructional series on being a man.  I thought it would be helpful for us - as we’re getting into this whole area of manhood - to show one instructional clip to help us focus on some of the struggles we men go through.  I think this should be pretty enlightening.

(Video:  How To Give A Great Man To Man Hug)  

Over the next few Sundays we’re going to be looking at how God describes manhood - Godly manhood - how God defines it for us - enables it - what God desires of men.  Over the next few Sundays were going to be looking at Moses as our example of Godly manhood.

How many of you have seen The Ten Commandments?   Or, The Prince of Egypt?  Its been said that Hollywood would have had to invent Moses if God had not created Him.  His life is epic.  Rags to riches.  Noble dreams.  Blown possibilities.  Immaturity.  Unexpected turns of events.  Political intrigue.  World changing events.  Great struggles between peoples.  Religion and romance.  His story even has sheep and goats.

We want to look at what God says about Moses - not Cecil B. DeMille’s epic.  What does God say about what it means to be God’s man?   

Please turn with me to Exodus 2 - starting at verse 1. 

A bit of background to catch us all up together.  In Exodus chapter 1 - there’s a new Pharaoh in Egypt who’s concerned about the growing number of Hebrews.  Basically the Hebrews are multiplying like rabbits.  Pharaoh’s concern is that they’re going to be so many Hebrews that the Hebrews are going to overpower the Egyptians and escape.  No more slaves to built our cities and pyramids and stuff - oh my.

So Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill all the Hebrew male babies at birth.  Which we know didn’t work because the Hebrew midwives feared God not Pharaoh.  So Pharaoh orders his own people to kill off the Hebrew baby boys by drowning them in the Nile.

That’s the setting.  Exodus 2 - verse 1.  Isn’t this great?  We’ve graduated from Cecil B. DeMille to Lego.  Verse 1:  Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi - Amran - who was a descendant of Levi marries Jochebed - who was also a descendent of Levi.  Hold onto that - Moses is descendant of Levi - a line of descendants that God later establishes as where His priests are to come from.

Verse 2:  The woman - Jochebed - conceived and bore a son and when she saw that he was beautiful; she hid him for three months - we don’t know Moses’ Hebrew name - probably was something or other ben Amran.  But he did have a Hebrew name.  By three months they would have had to have called him something other than - something or other ben Amran.

Verse 3:  But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch.  Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.  His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

Verse 5:  The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her.  When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying.  And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

Moses being Hebrew is not a great secret.  Not a mystery to Pharaoh’s daughter - and everyone who’s with her.   She knows what he is - he’s a Hebrew baby boy to be put to death and she knows the law.  Grab this:  Moses - rather than being drowned in the Nile - by a set of improbable circumstances - Moses is saved - by the daughter of Pharaoh.  Do you think God is at work here?  Big time.

Verse 7:  Then his sister - Moses’ sister Miriam - imagine a Hebrew slave girl addressing the daughter of Pharaoh - more of the God story - Then Moses’ sister - said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?”  Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.”  So the girl went and called the child’s mother - Jochebed.

Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her - Jochebed - “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.”  So the woman took the child and nursed him.  Isn’t God great?  Moses instead of being dead is raised by his own mother under the protection of a princess of Egypt.

Verse 10:  The child grew, and she - Jochebed - brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son.  And she - Pharaoh’s daughter - named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

The name Moses may have something to do with the name of the Pharaoh at the time that was Moses was born - Thutmose I.  Take away the “thut and we’re left with “mose” - Thut-mose I - Moses.  Makes sense if he was named by Thutmose’s daughter.

There’s also a Hebrew play on words here.  The Hebrew word “masha” -which means “draw out” - as in “draw out of the water” - may have something to with Moses’ name.

What we need to latch on to is what Pharaoh’s daughter means when she says “I drew him out.”  Emphasis “I” - “Because I drew him out of the water I have the right to adopt him - to name him - to raise him.”

Verse 11:  Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up - How grown up was Moses?  We don’t know.  But, grown up enough to have been raised Hebrew - to have his initial training as a Hebrew - his values and culture and language and education and religious training - all that was Hebrew - passed down to him by Amran and Jochebed.

And yet - Moses - in Hebrew “drawn out” - was raised Moses - grandson of Thutmose I - educated in the finest Egyptian schools - trained in Egyptian warfare - raised in Egyptian culture - in the household of Pharaoh.   

That is significant.  Moses is a Hebrew child adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh - now a prince of Egypt - mature and ready to assume rightful place in Egypt. 

Verse 11:  Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren

Grab that:  Forget Cecil B. DeMille - it wasn’t a surprise to Moses that he was a Hebrew - or anyone else for that matter.  Moses goes out to his brethren - and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Verse 12:  So he - Moses - looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.  He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?”

But he - the striker - said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us?  Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”  Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.”

Why wouldn’t the matter have become known?  Moses knew what he’d done.  So did the rescued Hebrew slave.  Imagine one minute you’re being beaten mercilessly by an Egyptian and the next the Prince of Egypt comes - kills the Egyptian - and rescues you.  What a God  moment.  Who wouldn’t tell someone.  The matter was known.

The reaction here - by the Hebrews - is significant.  “Who made you prince?  You’re a Hebrew like us.  Who made you our judge?  You’re a murderer.  What are you going to do?  Kill us too?”  Grab that.  The Hebrews aren’t buying Moses’ authority to tell them what to do.

Verse 15:  When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses.  Don’t miss that.  Thutmose I doesn’t try to protect his namesake.  Could have and probably no one would have dared question it.  Question Pharaoh and die.  But Pharaoh tries to kill Moses.  Moses is rejected even by his Egyptian family.

Verse 15:  When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses.  But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

Contrary to Cecil B. DeMille it isn’t Ramses II - half brother of Moses - who sends him into exile to the great sorrow of Nefertiri.  Its Moses who takes matters into his own hands and flees Pharaoh - the Egyptians - the Hebrews - heading across the Sinai Peninsula to Midian.  Why?  Because he’s blown it big time in Egypt.

There are two truths here about Godly manhood that we want to focus on.  The first is that Every Man Is Unique.  Let’s say that together.  “Every man is unique.” - Every man is one of a kind.

Think with me about how Moses is unique.

He’s born into the tribe of Levi - a uniqueness that God is going to use later - with his brother Aaron and the whole Aaronic priesthood.  Moses interceding for God’s people before God.  Moses the priest.  His tribal affiliation isn’t random.

He’s a Hebrew - born from a nation of slaves and taught all of what that means.  Raised in a Hebrew home he’s learned to identify with his brethren - the slaves of Goshen.  Taught to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And yet, he’s Egyptian - raised in the household of Pharaoh.  Top of the food chain baby!  He’s been educated in the finest schools of the world.  He lacks nothing material - has a lotus chariot parked in the stable.

With all that Moses alone is in a unique position to understand and appreciate both cultures - both situations in life.

At a time when God’s people are being brutalized - desperate for a deliverer - how many of you think that God may have had something to do with all that uniqueness?  Big time.

In Psalm 139 - starting at verse 13 - David considering his own uniqueness before God - David in Psalm 139 - starting at verse 13 - David writes this:  You - God - made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  (NLT) 

In the womb, God formed us - unique - known to God even before birth.  Think about what that means for you.

Your face and features, your voice, your style, your background, your characteristics and peculiarities, your abilities, your smile, your walk, your viewpoint - everything about you is unique.  Everything about you is found in only one individual since the creation - you.

God wanted you to be you.  He designed you to be the unique person you are.

Say this to yourself, “I’m unique.  God made me who I am.”  Tell the person next to you, “You’re unique.”

David goes on - Psalm 139:16:  You - God - saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  (NLT)

God is personally involved in the very days and details of your life.  God has created us and prepared us for His tremendous purpose for our lives.  As Christians we can know the tremendous significance God has given to our lives.

Say this to yourself, “I make a difference.”  Say to the person next to you, “You make a difference.”

Have you noticed that there are differences between men and women?  Men can read smaller print than women.  Women can hear better.  Male hospital patients fall out of bed twice as often as female hospital patients.

Someone compared men to waffles.  Have you heard this?  Men arrange things in little boxes in our minds.  We compartmentalize our thinking.  Which is why its hard for us to multi-task - watch baseball and listen to our wives at the same time.  But if we’re focused on a task.  We’re focused.

We know this.  A woman uses about 30,000 words a day.  A man uses about 15,000 words a day.  We don’t need 30,000 words.  Because we’re waffles - task focused.  All those words are confusing.  A man doesn’t need to know all the nuances and background of something.  Just point and we start salivating.

Men are very linear - point A to point B - task orientated. 

This is why Santa Claus has to be a man.  Think about this.  He’s got a list.  He’s task orientated.  It’s a clearly defined task.  There’s no multi-tasking.  Deliver stuff to the kids.  Coal and toys.  Just follow the list.  Doesn’t even need to stop and ask for directions.  That’s what Rudolph is for.  Follow the glowing nose.  The target area is the whole world.  Hard to get lost.

The number one drive of man is to provide and to protect.  Being uniquely created as linear thinking waffles makes us good at that.  Protect and provide.  Stay on task.  There it is.  Do it. 

So many of us - even though we’d struggle to admit this - there are times when we feel about 3 steps behind - outmatched - confused - struggling at the task of Godly manhood.  We’re expected to be like Rambo with a “Smile Jesus Loves You” sticker on our gun stock.  Some kind of super hero type of Christian - at home - at work.  The reality - we know - is that we fall far short of that.

Do you wonder if Moses struggled?  Do you see his struggle here?  Caught between two worlds - Hebrew and Egyptian?  A slave and a prince?  Where does He fit?  He’s got a task - senses God’s call on his life - his unique position and the possibilities.  But how’s he suppose to do that?

No matter how you may feel about yourself - whatever struggle you may be wrestling with deep within - hang on to your God created uniqueness - the value - the purpose - the awesomeness of who He has created you to be.  Whether you see it or not - whether there’s a more exploring to do to understand it - whether there are things that need to be cleaned up - healed - stripped away - it doesn’t change the bottom line reality.  You are God’s unique creation and He has created you for His unique purpose for you.

The second truth here about Godly manhood is this:  Godly Men are Godly.  Let’s repeat that together, “Godly men are Godly.”  The only way to be manly is first to be Godly. 

Moses takes His God given uniqueness and does what?  Kills the Egyptian.  Save the slave.  Give leadership to the Hebrews.  “Stop hitting your brother.”

At a time when God’s people are being brutalized by the Egyptians - desperate for a deliverer - Moses - prince of Egypt - son of Hebrew slaves - uniquely prepared by God - God’s man - steps in to deliver God’s people - and is totally rejected by his own people - he’s rejected by the Egyptians - ends up fleeing across the desert to Midian - a huge disaster.

Ever been there?  Not Midian.  But, rejected for trying to do the right thing?  For trying to be God’s man?

What’s Moses’ problem?  He’s doing it without God.

One of the great desires that we men share is the desire for our lives to have significance - for our lives to count for something.  And perhaps - as we’re chugging along through life - working away at the stuff of life - trying to be the Godly husbands and fathers and leaders at work and in the community - at school - perhaps somewhere in all that to gain some respect for what we’re accomplishing.  To know that what we’ve done has counted for something of significance.  That we’re accomplishing the task that we’ve been created for.

To accomplish all that we’re so tempted to live off of our strengths.  To cover where we feel inadequate.  To prove that we’re competent.  That we have what it takes.  Like Moses - who didn’t belong - stepping in to do the manly thing.  Because we can.  And like Moses we fail every time.

Women will stop and ask for directions.  Men assume maps have never been invented.  Its an insult to our manhood that someone should question our ability to get where we’re going.  Men conquer things.  Life is a challenge.  We must be victorious.  Its hard for us as men to admit that we can’t always make it from point A to point B.

But that’s where Godly manhood begins.

Without God the best we can do is go along confronted with our own inadequacy - asking ourselves, “What is the purpose of this?  What does my life really count for?”  With God we become the men - the husbands - the fathers - that God has called us to be - has created us to be - making a real difference in our families - the congregation - our community - our nation.

To be a Godly man we must first be Godly.  Try that with me.  “To be a Godly man we must first be Godly.”

Today men are seeking manhood more than they’re seeking God.  They’re studying masculinity and trying to live out what they see going on around them without paying attention to their relationship with God.

Being Godly is a pride crushing battle - fought in the depths of our hearts and in the circumstances of our lives.  It is the dogged pursuit - point A to point B - of God.

The essential core of being a Godly man is a heart open - a life surrendered to God - an eagerness - a passion - an unquenchable thirst for the things of God.  Taking all of our strengths - what God has uniquely created us for - taking all of our weaknesses and inadequacies - all of our needs and desires - and daily laying all that before God in sacrificial surrender - so that in God’s timing and in God’s strength - God will lead us forward to the awesomeness of what He has purposed for us to be.

I share this with you as someone who is in the process of discovering God’s unique role for my life.  Find people who you can honestly talk to about yourself - do not neglect Christian fellowship, Bible study, prayer - times of getting close to God.  And, find a place of service where you can see God working out His plan through you. 

God encourages us - He has made us - He wants to use you significantly  in this world - right where you are - at home - at work - at church - wherever He leads you.

Do you see yourself that way - as God’s purposeful creation?  Despite what others tell us about ourselves.  Despite what we tell ourselves about ourselves.  We need to hear God’s truth about ourselves and to trust Him with our lives.

_________________________

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.