Israel's Call Upon God — Chuck Smith

With today's lesson, here's Pastor Chuck Smith.

Israel's Cry and God's Covenant

Their cry came up to God because of the bondage. He remembered his covenant with Abraham and God looked upon the children of Israel and God acknowledged them. So here they are crying to God in Egypt and several miles away out in the wilderness in the area of Midian Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law who was a priest of Midian and he led the flock back to the back of the desert.

Moses at the Burning Bush

And he came to Horeb or Mount Sinai which later became known as the mountain of God because it was upon this mount that the Lord gave to Moses the Ten Commandments and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush so he looked and behold the bush burned with fire but the bush was not consumed.

Now many see the bush as a type of Israel through the fires of persecution but never consumed. When you see that all the things that these people have gone through in their history all of the persecution all of the attempts to eradicate them they have been in the fires for years but never consumed.

They remain. Then Moses said I will now turn aside and see this great sight. Why the bush does not burn. There's a flame there but the bush is not being consumed. So curiosity draws him over to this phenomena.

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look God called him from the midst of the bush and said Moses. Moses and he said here I am. Then he said do not draw near this place take your sandals off your feet for the place where you stand is holy ground.

Now there was always the tradition coming into a a place of worship at all to remove your your shoes in the East. Today when you go into a person's home you remove your shoes. When I spoke in Korea before you come up to speak you always take your shoes off.

You don't wear your shoes up to the pulpit. I guess you know you're standing on holy ground or something. But it is a custom in Korea and so we preached in socks and it probably traces back to this. Moreover he said to him I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. Now when the Sadducees came to Jesus they did not believe in the resurrection and they tried to catch Jesus in a trick question. And Jesus responded to them after answering their question how is it that God said I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

He is not the God of the dead but of the living. So here is where God declared that Jesus is quoting it to the Sadducees. And of course they quit asking him questions after that because he really stumped them.

God Sees, Hears, and Knows Israel's Suffering

So the Lord said I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt now in the Psalms 115 and 135 in both of these Psalms the psalmist speaks of the gods of the heathen the idols that men had made and were worshiping.

But the psalmist said of these idols their gods are of wood or of silver or gold. Eyes they have but they cannot see. Ears they have but they cannot hear. Feet they have but they cannot walk. Mouths they have but they cannot speak.

They have noses but they can't smell. Many people today are worshiping gods that cannot see they cannot hear they cannot touch they cannot feel. Now every man has a God. For a man's God is that master passion that governs any man's life that ideal that driving force that governs your life.

That is your God. And so they said the gods plural of the heathen are many. There are many gods. There is only one true and living God the eternal creator. When a person today talks about God you really don't know what they're talking about many times the force the creative force the energy an essence a dynamic.

But they're not talking about a personal living God who can see who can hear who feels who can touch. But they're talking about some abstract kind of a cosmic force in the universe that is sending out emanations that sometimes get as far down as this planet Earth.

Every man has a God. Now we find that the Egyptians were polytheistic and they had many gods that were most of them represented by various animals crocodiles and birds and so forth were their representations of their gods.

But again gods that can't respond. Now here the Lord said to Moses I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt again we so oftentimes feel that we're all alone in our suffering. Nobody really sees nobody really knows nobody really cares.

There's one thing about affliction. It does create a very tremendous sense of loneliness. No one can really bear my afflictions and I feel very alone. But God said I have seen I have surely seen the oppression of my people.

Not only that I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters they were made and forced to serve as we read with harshness the taskmasters with their sticks constantly hitting them goading them pushing them on.

If they would just fall out of weariness and try and lie for a moment on the ground there would be the rod across their back up and going and they wept. They cried. They cried out in pain. And I have surely heard their cry.

For I know God said their sorrows. So I have seen I have heard and I know a personal God. Now sometimes as we endeavor to minister to others who are going through heavy trials and people come and they begin to pour out their hearts.

They begin to tell of their situations. And as they tell what's going on I say I see your problem. And they continue to talk and I say I hear you I hear you. I know where you're coming from I know what you're going through.

I know what you're feeling. But many times that's all the further I can go assuring them that I can see that I understand what they're saying. I know the problems you're facing. But so often I don't know the answer.

I don't have the solution. I can't do anything. I'm totally helpless to change their situation at all. What can I do. And that's where God takes it one step further with Moses. For God said verse 8 so I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

That's so great. God can always go one step further. He just doesn't see and hear and know. But he has come to deliver. I love that because I need more than just your sympathetic understanding. Many times I need someone to step in and help me.

The Promised Land and Moses' Commission

I have come God said to deliver to bring them up from that land to a good land a large a land flowing with milk and honey. And so God describes the land that he's going to bring them to. It's large in comparison to the land of Goshen where they are there in Egypt that's only 900 square miles.

And they have no doubt really the way they've multiplied and all just really packed that land of Goshen. So I'm going to bring them into a large land a land that's flowing with milk and honey the place of the Canaanites the Hittites the Amorites and all now.

Therefore behold the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. And I've also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now therefore and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

So God is now commissioning Moses. The time has come. Moses is now 80 years old. He was 40 when he killed the Egyptian and fled. He's been 40 years now in the wilderness watching sheep. He's now 80 years old and in the last 40 years a lot of mellowing has been going on.

He's not so impetuous anymore. He's not ready to jump in anymore. And it is interesting how that when God now commissions him he begins to backpedal don't know if I want to get involved. And he begins to offer excuses.

So Moses said to God who am I that I should go to Pharaoh. Now you see obviously he suffers a poor self-image. And so God says you find the nearest psychiatrist and learn how to love yourself Moses. And you need to develop a stronger self-image so that you'll be able to handle the tasks that you're going to be asked to fulfill.

You know the Bible tells us that in the last days perilous times will come. Why. What will be the signs. What are the characteristics. Because men will be lovers of themselves. Oh wait a minute. That's what they're teaching me.

I ought to do. I ought to fall in love with myself. Well I've been in love with myself ever since. I've been able to think. The Bible says no man really hated himself. This business of you you don't love yourself is a bunch of baloney.

You say oh I hate myself. I'm so ugly. I just hate myself. I look so ugly. I'm ugly. I hate myself. I'm ugly. Were you ever angry because someone you hated was ugly. No if someone that you really hated was ugly you'd be glad.

So if you really hate yourself you ought to be glad that you're so ugly man. Have they got us all screwed up. Moses suffering from poor self-image. What's God's answer. God said I'll go with you. You don't have confidence.

Moses all right. I'll go with you. I'm gonna send you to the Pharaoh that you may bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. But Moses said to God who am I. That I should go to Pharaoh that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

So he said I will certainly be with you. And this shall be assigned to you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt you will serve God on this mountain. This will be the sign when you come back to this place.

Here's Mount Horeb Mount Sinai. When you get back here that'll be the sign to you that I really did send you. You know you're gonna come back here and you're gonna worship and serve me here on this mountain.

God's Name: “I AM”

Then Moses said to God indeed when I come to the children of Israel and I say to them the God of your fathers has sent me to you. And they say to me what is his name. What shall I say to them. Now you see God is not his name.

It's the title the God of your fathers. But what's his name. And God said to Moses I am who I am. And he said thus you shall say to the children of Israel I am has sent me to you I am what I am all that you'll ever need.

I am to you whatever your need may be. Now it is interesting as God declares I am he is actually speaking of that eternal aspect of his character. He is the eternal one. The cherubim declare of him who is who was and who is to come all at once.

He's past present future. Now with God there is no past there is no future. It's all now he dwells in the eternal. I can't really conceive that my mind blows a fuse. The circuits all pop. When I try to conceive of the eternal now the I am because the moment I say I am then that's past tense.

I was I said that ten seconds ago. But with God he dwells in the eternal now I am that I am have sent you describing the eternal characteristic of God and also describing as God will be to you I am to you whatever your need the Jehovah or Yahweh whatever the pronunciation may be the name for the God of Israel literally means the becoming one the I am again.

Jesus' “Before Abraham Was, I AM” Claim

Now it is interesting when Jesus was talking with the and they were going through this little bantering back and forth. And they said to him we have Abraham for our father. And Jesus said if Abraham was your father then you would have believed in me because Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it.

They said what are you talking about saw you. You're not even 50 years old. And Jesus said before Abraham was I am. And they took up stones we're gonna kill him stone him I am. Jesus declared I am the bread of life I am the light of the world.

I am the way the truth and the life. And before Abraham was I am heavy-duty. Moreover God said to Moses thus you shall say to the children of Israel the Lord God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.

This is my name forever. And this is my memorial to all generations. This is my name the I am the Yahweh that Hova go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them the Lord God of your fathers the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob appeared to me saying I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt.

God's Promise to Deliver Israel from Egypt

And I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites the Hittites the Amorites the Perizzites the Hibbites the Jebusites to a lamb flowing with milk and honey.

Then they will heed your voice and you shall come and the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt. And you shall say to him the Lord God or Jehovah God of the Hebrews has met with us. And now please let us go three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.

But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Not no not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst. And after that he will let you go.

And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall be when you go that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor who dwells near her house articles of silver articles of gold and clothing.

And you will put them on your sons and on your daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians. They've been serving without wages for a long time. They've been slaves. But they're gonna get their pay before you leave.

They're gonna be ready to let you go. So have them just go ask for some jewelry gold and silver. And you're gonna plunder the Egyptians when you leave. And so we get into that very interesting encounter in the next chapters where Moses goes before the Pharaoh and where God deals with the Egyptians and delivers the children of Israel.

So for a while we're going to be plaguing the.

Egyptians with all kinds of interesting and horrible things we'll return with more of our verse-by-verse study of Exodus in our next lesson as we continue to follow the life of Moses. 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.

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May the Lord be with.

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With Jesus Christ the 1960s became one of the most colorful periods in American history. The counterculture was dropping out and turning on. The summer of love was the stage for many dramas of change and the most popular musical group in the world was singing all you need is love.

But one man in Southern California was reaching out with the answer and the truth began to set people free. Author and pastor Chuck Smith began to share the love of Jesus Christ with a generation that was looking for love in all the wrong places.

Now some 40 years later the gospel of love is still changing lives. In his soon-to-be-released new book simply titled love the more excellent way pastor Chuck Smith expounds upon the love that can change your life now and forever.

Find out for yourself why love is indeed the more excellent way. This program has been sponsored by the word for today in Costa Mesa California.