In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith begins a verse-by-verse study through the book of Exodus. He highlights the significance of the word "now" at the beginning of the book, explaining that it can also be translated as "and." This emphasizes the continuity of the first five books of the Bible, which were originally written as one continuous book by Moses. Pastor Chuck then focuses on the rapid multiplication of the Israelites in Egypt, despite their oppression and persecution. He mentions a particular family, the house of Levi, and how they hid their son, Moses, for three months because he was a beautiful child. The sermon ends with a brief mention of the breakdown of the family unit in society and the importance of applying biblical principles to maintain love, peace, and joy within families.

Oh, let the Son of God enfold you With His Spirit and His love Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul Oh, let Him have the things that hold you And His Spirit like a dove Will descend upon your life And make you whole As Pastor Chuck gives us a brief account of Israel's rapid multiplication. So let's follow along as we turn in our Bibles to Exodus. Chapter 1, verse 1. The first word of the book of Exodus is now. That word can also be translated and. When Moses originally wrote the first five books, There weren't five books, it was just one book. One continuous book. It's been divided into five. But it's just a continuous story. Up until this point, Moses had gathered together the collection of the stories in writing Genesis. But now he begins to give the history As he personally experienced it and related to it. And so the book of Exodus written by Moses. There are some men who would like to challenge the authorship of Moses. But no greater scholar than Jesus affirmed that Moses was the one that wrote the book of Exodus. And I'll take the word of Jesus over any of these kooks that might come along. And think differently. But Jesus made reference to Moses in the book of Moses. And then he quoted from Exodus calling it the book of Moses. That's good enough for me. It has been some 300 years. Since Joseph has died. And so from the end of the book of Genesis to the beginning of the book of Exodus. You have a period of about 300 years. And during that period of time. The household of Jacob, which is named here. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Ishgar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And those who were already there, Joseph. And his family. Were fruitful. Increased abundantly. Multiplied. And grew exceedingly mighty. So as he describes the growth of the nation. In Egypt. He uses the terms. Fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied. Grew exceedingly mighty. The 70 who went to Egypt. Had indeed multiplied. To 600,000 men above the age of 20. Which means a possible population of as many as 3 million people. So indeed they were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied. As they were in Egypt. Now the Lord had prophesied. To Abraham. That his descendants would go down to Egypt. And God would make of them a great nation there. But he would bring them up out of Egypt in 400 years. So the 400 years of that sojourn in Egypt are about over. When Jacob prayed at Beersheba. God said do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. I will make of thee there a great nation. And so God has kept his word. The prophecies that he made to Abraham and to Jacob. Have now been fulfilled. A great nation has formed during this period in Egypt. Now there arose a new king we are told. Over Egypt who did not know Joseph. It is thought that Joseph reigned during what was called the Hyksos. Dynasties. But now they have been overthrown. It was that northern and southern Egypt were divided into two kingdoms. But they have been reunified. And they no longer are indebted to Joseph. Nor are they really caring about Joseph. It has been almost 300 years since he died. The new pharaoh, the new king. Said to his people, look. The people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come let us deal wisely with them. Lest they multiply and it happen in the event of war. That they also join our enemies and fight against us. And so go up out of the land. Now the fear of the pharaoh was that they would go out of the land. They have provided a tremendous slave labor force for Egypt. And so many of the great monuments in Egypt. Were built by the slave labor of the children of Israel. They were fearful of losing this labor core. They were fearful that when an enemy would invade them. That the Israelis would turn against them themselves. And Egypt could be overthrown. Their presence now in Egypt posed a threat. However, he was fearful of their leaving. Because of the loss of the tremendous labor force. So therefore they set taskmasters over them. To afflict them with their burdens. And they built for pharaoh supply cities. Pithom and Ramesses. But the more they afflicted them. The more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. They began to really fear the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. Harshness literally. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage. In mortar. In brick. And in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve. Was with harshness rigor. Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives. Of whom the name of one was Shifra. And the other was Pua. And he said when you do the duties of a midwife. For the Hebrew women. And you see them on the birth stools. If it is a son. Then you shall kill him. If it is a daughter. Then save her alive. But the midwives feared God. And did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them. But saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them. Why have you done this thing and saved the male children alive? And the midwives said to the pharaoh. Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are very active and lively. And they give birth before we can get there. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was because of the midwives feared God. That he provided households for them. So Pharaoh commanded all of his people saying. Every son who is born. You shall cast into the river. And every daughter you shall save alive. So the first chapter of Exodus is. Setting now the scene. As the children of Israel are multiplying. The Egyptians see them as a threat. They begin to afflict them. They make their labor more rigorous. There are pictures. From ancient Egypt. Of the Egyptians standing over these men who are laying bricks. Holding a rod in their hand. The taskmasters. Who if a fellow started to slow down. Would get a stripe across his back. If he wasn't moving fast enough. A lash across his back with these rods. And so the children of Israel were now being oppressed. They were being pushed beyond measure. And yet in all of the obstacles. They continued to multiply exceedingly. They continued to grow stronger. They continued to be a real threat to Egypt. Thus the first chapter lays the picture. Now we come to a particular family. A man of the house of Levi. Went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. Amram and Jacob his wife. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child. She hid him for three months. Now the final order of the Pharaoh was to the people themselves. If you have a male son. You've got to throw him in the Nile River. You got to get rid of him. If it's a girl then she can live. But the boys were to be put to death. However here is a mother who. Sees that her little boy is such a beautiful little boy. She can't bring herself to throw him in the river and so she hides him. And for three months she keeps him here. But when she can no longer hide him. She took a little arc. Of bull rushes for him. And dobbed it with asphalt and pitch. And put the child in it. And laid it in the reeds by the river's bank. And his sister whose name was Miriam. Stood afar off to know what would be done to him. Now in a sense she was fulfilling the commandment of the Pharaoh. He said to put the boy babies in the river so she did. However she had made a little basket and. Waterproofed it with the pitch. And so he was there floating in the reeds. By the river's bank and his sister. Was standing back to watch the basket to find out what would become. Of her little brother. Must have been quite a traumatic experience for both mother and. The sister of Moses. It must have been extremely difficult to live in those conditions where. If you have a baby boy it's just automatic death it's. He's consigned to death. And I can picture a little Miriam. Hiding back. Watching. To see what would happen to that little basket. Where her beautiful little brother. Is there floating on the river. Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside. And she saw the ark among the reeds and she sent her maid to get it. And when she opened it. She saw the child and behold the baby wept. So she had compassion on him and said. This must be one of the Hebrews children. Then his sister came running up and she said to Pharaoh's daughter. Would you like me to get a nurse. From one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you. And the Pharaoh's daughter said to her go. And so. Miriam the little sister of bigger sister of Moses went and called. Moses mother. Said hey I've got a job for you. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her. Take this child. And nurse him for me. And I will pay you wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him. Isn't it interesting how God is able to work even in adverse circumstances. How God is able to work his will to work his purposes. All things work together for good to those who love God. And I can imagine that as Jacob put that little ark. In the river there was a prayer went up from her heart. That somehow this little child might be found and. Maybe adopted by someone of the. Egyptians and perhaps his life be spared. She could not bring herself to drown her baby. But God had other plans. So Jacob was actually paid. For raising her own child. By the Pharaoh's daughter. And the child grew. And she brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter. And he became her son she adopted him. So she called his name Moses saying because I drew him. Out of the water the name Moses means drawn out. I drew him out of the water so he picked up the name Moses. Moshe actually. Now it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown. That he went out to his brethren and he looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating. A Hebrew one of his brethren. And he looked this way. And that way. And when he saw no one he killed the Egyptian. And buried him in the sand. And when he went out the second day behold there were two Hebrew men fighting. And he said to the one who did the wrong why are you striking your companion. And he said to him who made you a prince and a judge over us. Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian. So Moses feared and said surely this thing is known. Now. Moses at this point was 40 years old. He had been schooled and trained. There in the court of Egypt. Possibly being groomed for the throne. And yet. Jochebed must have imbued in his heart during that time of early childhood. Such a spirit of nationalism. That when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. He couldn't stand it. He killed the Egyptian buried him in the sand. Now as we turn to. The New Testament for a commentary on this particular passage. As Stephen is making his defense in the book of Acts. Stephen declares that Moses thought that the children of Israel would realize. That God had chosen him to deliver them. He had in his heart. The concept the idea that God. Had divinely ordained him to be the deliverer. Of his people. How this came to him we do not know. But it was a conviction that he had and he thought that they would just understand it. Whereas they were probably saying all that lucky guy living in the Pharaoh's house. He doesn't know what it is you know to live like we do. And they were probably envious and jealous and and figuring that he didn't care about them at all. But in reality he had it in his heart that God had chosen him to be their deliverer. Now Moses is a type of Christ. And here in he becomes a very interesting type of Christ. In that he was rejected by them the first time he came. He came to act in their defense. He came thinking that they would know that God had ordained that he should deliver them. But they rejected him. And during the time of his rejection he married a Gentile bride. But when he came back again with his Gentile bride. They received him and he became the deliverer of God's people. So beautiful type of Christ here in Moses. And as we go through we will find other places where he becomes a very fitting type of Christ. That's what makes the Bible so interesting. There are all these beautiful little types and shadows and foreshadowing of future things prophecies and all. And it all makes for just fascinating fascinating reading. Showing that man could not have been the author. Man could not have devised or schemed something this clever. Beyond the capacity of man. Now it is interesting that Moses at this point was probably sort of impetuous and hot-tempered. The fact that he killed the Egyptian who was beating up the Hebrew slave. It is true that God had ordained that Moses should be the deliverer. That is true. Moses seemed to have this consciousness. But he is premature. He's acting in his own. He's doing it in the power of his flesh. And it is interesting to me that Moses in the power of his flesh. Is not capable of successfully burying one Egyptian. You see God wanted him to bury the whole army. And later he did in the Red Sea. But that was under the guidance of the Spirit. Oh how important that any service we offer to God be offered in the Spirit. And in the power of the Spirit and through the anointing of the Spirit. And being guided by the Spirit. So much of our effort for God is futile. Because we are doing it out of a heart that has a desire for God. True. But we are doing it in the energy of our flesh. In our own ability, in our own way. Rather than waiting upon the Lord and being led of the Spirit. And we see how unsuccessful our efforts are. The energy of our flesh. And yet we see how dynamic it is when God begins to work. And so Moses was premature. And the next day when he saw the two Hebrews fighting. He said you guys are brothers you ought not to be fighting. And one of them said are you going to kill me like you did the fellow yesterday. Like you did the Egyptian. And Moses realized that he had been seen. We'll once again be returning to our study here in the book of Exodus. In our next lesson. As Pastor Chuck Smith continues to follow the life of Moses. As he flees from the wrath of Pharaoh. And we do hope you'll make plans to join us. But right now I'd like to remind you that if you missed any part of today's message. Or perhaps you'd like to order a copy for that special friend or loved one. You can do so by simply contacting one of our customer service representatives. And they'd be more than happy to assist you with the ordering details. Simply call 1-800-272-WORD. And phone orders can be taken Monday through Friday. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Once again our toll free number is 1-800-272-9673. And for your added convenience you can order online. Anytime when you go to the wordfortoday.org. And while you're there be sure to browse through the additional resources. That include Bible studies, commentaries, CDs, DVDs and so much more. Once again that's the word for today online at the wordfortoday.org. And for those of you who still prefer to write. You can use our mailing address which is the word for today. P.O. Box 8000 Costa Mesa California 92628. And be sure to include the call letters of this station with your correspondence. And now on behalf of the word for today. We'd like to thank all of you who share in supporting this ministry. With your prayers and financial support. And be sure to join us again next time. As Pastor Chuck Smith continues his verse by verse study through the book of Exodus. That's right here on the next edition of the word for today. Now once again. Here's Pastor Chuck Smith. May God now take the word and hide it in our hearts. As we again studied and meditated upon his truth. And may it come back in our time of need. To guide and to direct us in our walk. And in our relationship with God. In Jesus name. Undoubtedly one of the most glaring signs that our society is in trouble. Is the breakdown of the family unit. Marriages just aren't making it today. And kids are suffering as they watch the breakup of their homes. Those marriages still holding together are often plagued by conflict and turmoil. Making the home a battleground instead of a refuge. That's why the word for today would like to present Pastor Chuck Smith's Marriage and Family MP3. Where Pastor Chuck discusses basic biblical principles to keep a family's love alive. Each member of the family has a different set of needs and responsibilities. And when you know and apply God's principles. Everyone in the family can experience real peace, real joy and an agape love. To order your copy of the Marriage and Family MP3 by Chuck Smith. Call The Word for Today at 800-272-WORD. Or visit us online at thewordfortoday.org This program has been sponsored by The Word for Today. In Costa Mesa, California.