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God’s Hero in Chaotic Times
Exodus 2:1-25
When God first created the world, the waters were chaotic. But God brought order to chaos by drying up land to support life. He was the hero of creation. When man sinned, he promised a hero who’d destroy sin and Satan - a hero over transgression. And when sinners filled the earth, God sent chaotic waters to judge them. But not before raising Noah to rise above chaotic waters. And all in the ark with him were saved. He was a hero over destruction. And God raised a man to save his family from famine. Joseph was a hero from starvation. And here, God raised another hero. Moses. The most famous hero of all - who saved his people from slavery under Pharaoh. He was the hero of redemption. He led his people through chaotic waters to the Promised Land. But the real hero was God. He raised all these to save his people, because he’s faithful. We see this faithfulness in Moses’ early years in 3 truths: Firstly, the hero was raised in oppression. Secondly, the hero’s work was to deliver from oppression. Thirdly, the Divine Hero’s heart is for the oppressed.
Firstly, the hero was raised in opposition. Moses was born into the tribe of Levi at a time of great oppression - of infanticide. Pharaoh decreed all male Hebrew infants be drowned in the Nile. But God was working in Israel’s history, preserving a special child who’d become Israel’s deliverer. The very waters meant for death became the instrument of salvation. He was raised in opposition to watery oppression. How? His parents opposed the opposition. Verse 2 - “a woman conceived, bore a son, and because she saw he was a goodly child, she hid him 3 months.” We learn he was a goodly child. Hebrews 11:23 by interpretation, called him proper, meaning beautiful; Stephen in Acts 7:20 clarified he was beautiful to God. So his parents knew from the start he was special to God - a hero. This word is a theological statement. God repeatedly described his creation as good - same word. So when the Spirit said Moses was good - he was saying Moses was marked by divine approval; set apart for God’s beautiful purposes.
And this stirred courage in his parents. Hebrews 11:23 says they weren’t afraid of the king’s commandment; their faith was in God their deliverer. So they kept him for 3 months because he was special. And when they no longer could conceal him, they still didn’t obey the command. Instead, they chose to put him in a waterproof vessel - a basket - to keep him alive. The Hebrew word used is only found one other time - Noah’s ark. And notice the text - she daubed it with slime and pitch to keep the basket afloat. Noah did the same - he covered the ark inside and outside with tar, to keep it afloat. The hero had to live. He couldn’t die. And he was eventually drawn out. By providence, when he was put in, Pharaoh’s daughter found him, verse 6, and immediately had compassion on him, saying - “this is one of the Hebrews’ children.” And how she knew was possibly or probably by his circumcision. But what’s significant is she drew him from the water. She opposed the opposition of her own father and got a Hebrew nurse to raise him. By providence, this was Moses’ own mother who was paid to raise her own son, verse 9. In the midst of oppression was providence. God raised a hero for his people.
Now, what’s the immediate contextual application? Now, remember that Moses wrote both Genesis and Exodus under inspiration. These words were significant to the Exodus generation. It was to remind them of their oppression and the courage it took to oppose it. They’d venture into a land where they’d be opposed by the paganism. Would they oppose the opposition? And it’s the same for us - how’re we opposing the world? The ways of the world threaten to drown God’s people. Work, school, the way we spend and enjoy leisure are all influenced by the world. The world also floods our minds with her thinking. What active steps do we take to oppose worldliness? Do we take a stand against the nation’s ungodly philosophies and policies. That’s the application. Both sets of his parents stood against the grain. And that’s why he was drawn from water. Are you and your children drawn from water? Or are you inundated?
Furthermore, he was raised despite the grips of worldly influence. In verses 8-10, Moses’ mother nursed him until he grew and returned to Pharaoh’s daughter as her adoptive son. This would’ve been a good 4 years - the age children were weaned in ancient times. He’d have been instructed; learned the history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; the oppression of his people under Pharaoh. And he would’ve learned his special role in delivering them. And don’t learn your Bible history from Dreamworks’ “The Prince of Egypt”. Moses knew full well who he was - because in verse 11, when he grew up, he went to his brethren. Hebrews 11 discloses he refused to be a prince of Egypt, identifying himself with the people of God; and Acts 7 informs us that while he knew his calling to deliver them, his own people didn’t understand this. So where did he gain such knowledge? From his parents who raised him and refused to let him be inundated by the chaotic waters of a corrupt world.
And we’re also told how he else was prepared. Verse 10 - he was raised in Pharaoh’s household. Acts 7:22, Stephen under divine inspiration said “…Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” Meaning, Moses wore Egyptian clothing, spoke Egyptian language, knew Egyptian ways, and had royal Egyptian education - one of the most advanced of the time. And importantly the phrase in verse 10 - “And the child grew.” He advanced in years and wisdom. But despite this corrupt worldliness, he wasn’t corrupted. And this is another immediate application for us - how do we seek to be in the world, but not of the world? How do we gain from the world like Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, and still refuse the king’s meat? We must be insulated with the word of God - covered inside and outside with the gospel, taking the whole armor, so that we can withstand the flood of the world’s corruption. We belong to God’s kingdom, not Caesar’s, not Pharaoh’s. And our call to is to serve God’s kingdom. And that’s what we see here in Moses’ life. Egypt’s influence couldn’t extinguish God’s call in his life.
Secondly, we see his call - the hero’s work was to deliver from oppression. Just as he had been delivered, he was to deliver. When he was age, he went to his people. But sadly, he was rejected by them. Verse 11 says - “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens.” What did he find? He saw an Egyptian master abusing a Hebrew slave. And Moses attempted to save his people by the arm of flesh. He murdered the Egyptian master. We see that he looked to see the course was clear before doing that deed. Verse 12 reads - “he looked this way and that way.” This tells us he knew it was wrong. He tried to do right but in a wrong way. Regardless, Egypt had affected his heart. He was an imperfect hero. And the very fact he feared this news going out in verse 14, and Pharaoh wanting to execute him in verse 15, shows that he wasn’t much of a hero yet. But at least one thing was clear - he knew his duty - to be a judge over the people. That’s what he was called to do later in the wilderness crossing. Exodus 18:13-16 says he sat morning to evening to judge the conflicts between people and to explain God’s law. But he himself failed to keep holy here. And the next day when trying to reconcile a conflict between his people, they rejected him. Essentially saying to him - who made you our judge when you did wrongly? Is this how you intend to mete out justice? By killing? The hero was a zero. He had zeal to do his calling, but he was yet to be prepared. He needed to spend sometime in the wilderness first; just like Joseph, who was rejected as God’s appointed hero, spent time in prison, and then delivered his people. We learn that Moses fled from Pharaoh’s face and escaped to Midian - today’s Saudi Arabia - where he came to a well - another source of water. And while he had been rejected in Egypt as a deliverer of his people - the Hebrews, he was received here - by these faithful people.
We’ve already seen 3 faithful women - Moses’ two mothers and his sister. Verse 16 reveals 7 other faithful women. By providence, Moses was there. When they tried to fill the troughs with water from the well, shepherds chased them away. We learn that he helped them by standing up and helping them. The one who was drawn from water, was now the means of drawing water for these women. The one who was rejected by his people, now was received by these women needing help. The word for helped in verse 17, as in “Moses stood up and helped them” is the word for salvation. This was the word used to describe the Lord after Israel crossed the Red Sea - “the Lord is my strength and song, he is become my salvation.” Now, they didn’t only receive his salvation. They were a means of his! These women were daughters of Reuel, or Reuel the Jethro, Reuel his excellency. And he was a priest of God. He eventually became Moses’ father-in-law, as he married Zipporah. Not only was Moses instrumental in saving them, but he was now under the tutelage and training by a priest of God. This hero had zeal and gumption - but he was unprepared. He was imperfect. He needed 40 years of training in the wilderness, as Acts 7:30 tells us. And these were years of humbling, instruction, preparation. He became a shepherd, the next chapter tells us. And remember in (our study of) Genesis, Joseph described how the Egyptians despised shepherds. Moses was humbled. But he was still knowledgeable of his calling. When he had a son, he called his name Gershom - meaning foreigner - because he was a foreigner residing in a foreign land. One might draw from these details he still knew he was meant to return back to the land of oppression. But not before he was prepared in a dry and barren land. Beloved, what lesson can we draw from this?
Yes, I believe there’s a point of application even for us from this. An internal desire doesn’t necessarily mean that one is prepared yet. Many of us have desires for God’s kingdom. But many of us act out in the flesh. And the crazy thing is, we think we’re being faithful because we mistake our passions for godly affections. So did Moses! He was so zealous for God he killed! Surely we can see the irony here! That’s why some people need a time of quiet, of preparation, training, hardship, and humility to be qualified by God for service - so that their character is purified. Sadly, not all learn. But this was crucial for the Exodus generation to understand. That Moses, though imperfect, was prepared for them. And his whole history, warts and all, was laid before them.
But why did God raise Moses up? Because he wanted to deliver his people. Thirdly, we see the Divine Hero’s heart for the oppressed. We learn in verse 23 - “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.” Now, Pharaoh died. The oppressor. Surely, things will get better! But no. Israel was more burdened by their slavery. So whoever took over was far worse. And God heard the cry of the oppressed. Now specifically, we see 2 words that describe their cry. They sighed or groaned and they cried. Both these words describe anguish. It affected them so badly that they responded verbally. And the reason for both these expressions of burden was their slavery. “By reason of the bondage” was repeated twice. So their cry was a plea for deliverance and salvation. Now, this was a reminder for Israel in the wilderness. It was to remind them that when Moses came to them, they didn’t want him. They didn’t want a prince and judge over them. And because they didn’t respond to his help, their plight became worse. It was reminder that they were in this plight because they had rejected Moses. When they were later bitten by serpents because of their ungratefulness, all they needed to do was to look at the bronze serpent. If they didn’t, they’d perish. Why wouldn’t anyone look? But not all who have a savior available will go to the savior. And because they couldn’t call on him as he was now in Midian - a fugitive in a foreign land - partly due to them; they could do nothing but cry desperately to God. They didn’t call on Moses, but God. And this is a reminder to us - do we cry out to God? Do we wait until we’re at the end of our resources? Do we not know that we have no greater resource but our great God himself? He’s faithful to hear each time we call.
And here, God heard the oppressed, not because their cry was eloquent, but because he was faithful. We see 4 words in verses 24-25 - “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.” God heard, he remembered, he looked upon, and showed concern. It’s not that God doesn’t act before he hears - after all, he preserved Moses and was preparing Moses 40 years, this process of time, for this moment. And it took these 40 years for them to cry to God. So Moses wasn’t the only one rejected - the people hadn’t called on God. But when they cried, he heard. And he remembered. The word “remember” doesn’t mean God forgot his people. Rather, it meant that the time of fulfillment had arrived. He acted in faithfulness to his words of promise. And the outcome was that God showed compassion on his afflicted people. Isaiah 63:9 speaks of this sympathetic response of God toward his people - “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity, he redeemed them; and he bare them and carried them all.” Now, at this stage, the people are still in Egypt. The Nile still flowed with the blood of their children. A nastier Pharaoh ruled. But God’s hearing changed everything. He was about to act. He was about to split the Red Sea, to drown the Egyptians - water meant for Hebrew babies would be for Egyptian baby killers as judgment. And whom did he use? He used Moses - a hero he saved from water, and prepared him in not only amidst worldly oppression and the wilderness to be a shepherd, so that he could deliver his people from oppression - to deliver them through water into the Promised Land. And this was also a lesson to the people in the wilderness - as long as they followed Moses, they’d be safe.
But beloved, in Moses we see the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, in all heroes God gave to his people, we see Christ. But they were all shadows of who he was. God gave us a perfect savior in the fullness of time - at the right time. Prepared for us. His life was threatened, and he was given refuge in Egypt until King Herod died. Why? Because Christ was the better hero. God was with him, even in this ancient land of oppression. He grew in wisdom and stature. And at the right time, he was baptized with the waters of repentance. But why? He was sinless! It was to identify him with the sinful people he came to save - to take their judgment. Which is why thereafter, he entered that desert wilderness where he faced temptation after 40 days. He opposed Satan. He opposed the false leaders. He came to his own, and they rejected him, but those who identify with him, those who have faith in him, are saved. Even as the disciples were on the boat during the storm, Jesus cried - “Peace! Be still!” and the chaotic waters obeyed him. They were safe because they were with him. Because of his shed blood, we’re covered. And because he walks on the chaotic water, when our eyes are on him, we can be bold. But when our eyes are on the chaos around us, we sink. That’s why, because of him who has gone before us, we have access to God, before the very throne of grace, past that sea of glass, to that we might receive grace and mercy in time of need, where we can cry out to him and he hears us. Why? Because is our king and judge. And because he is there, we shall also be with him.
Beloved in Christ, he is our hero - he’s the Great Shepherd of the Sheep. And that’s why we can be bold. We can oppose the opposition here, withstand the oppression. Why? Because Christ said - I’ll never leave you nor forsake you - even here in our Egypt. Because he lived for us, and because he lives in us, we can live for him. Therefore, let us be bold to love Christ, and let parents be bold to raise their children to love Christ, and not the world; to stand against the grain. That we’d be heroes for Christ, godly, mature, and bold in our calling.
1. A Hero Was Raised in Oppression (1-10)
A. In opposition to watery oppression
B. Despite the grips of worldly influence
2. The Hero’s Work Was to Deliver from Oppression (11-22)
A. Rejection by his people
B. Reception by faithful people
3. The Divine Hero’s Heart Is for the Oppressed (23-25)
A. The cry of the oppressed
B. God hears the oppressed
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2026, Rev. Mark Chen
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