We've been considering the content
of that second chapter in the second epistle of Paul to Timothy
over the past few weeks, but I want to break off from that. I do hope we might go back to
the chapter and complete our consideration of the whole of
it. But last time we were looking
at the 8th verse there in 2 Timothy 2. where Paul speaks of the duty
of the man to pray I will therefore that men pray everywhere lifting
up holy hands without wrath and doubting and I remarked out of
the words Man is genetic. It's not the usual words that's
used in the New Testament, the word for mankind, but it literally
does indicate man as distinct from woman because he goes on
to speak subsequently at the end of that chapter of the duty
of the women. Well, we were looking at that
last time, but I want to break away because several are away
from us tonight. So, to continue really with that
theme of prayer, as we go back into the Old Testament and turn
to those words that we're familiar with I'm sure at the end of Exodus
chapter 2. Exodus chapter 2 at verse 23
following 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. 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. I know we've considered
these verses on a previous occasion, but there is much matter to be
found in these three verses here at the end of Exodus chapter
2. And as we look at them tonight, I want us to consider something
of the relationship between God's words, or more particularly God's
promise, and our prayers. God's promise, as we have it
here, and our prayers. The theme then is prayer and
the promise, and the relationship between these two. First of all,
the prayer. And it's spoken of in terms of
the way in which the children of Israel, the Hebrews, sighed
and cried, it says, by reason of the bondage. And God heard
their groaning. These are the words that are
used concerning the manner in which they addressed themselves
to God and it is to be understood in terms of an address to the
Lord God himself. The Hebrews certainly were a
murmuring people, we know that. They certainly murmured amongst
themselves as they came out of the bondage of Egypt as God was
pleased to deliver them to take them through the Red Sea and
to take them into the wilderness how quickly they begin to murmur
against Moses how they bewail their sad condition we see it
in the later chapters for example if we go over to chapter 16 and
the words that we have there at the beginning of that particular
chapter we see something of their murmurings, their blaming of
Moses. Verse 2, the whole congregation
of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness. And the children of Israel said
unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord
in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when
we did eat bread to the full. for you have brought us forth
into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
And then again in the next chapter where we find they're still in
that rebellious condition, murmuring, complaining. It says, all the
congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
wilderness of sin after their journeys according to the commandment
of the Lord and pitched in Rephidim. And there was no water for the
people to drink. Wherefore the people did chides
with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And
Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt
the Lord? They were a complaining people. They were a murmuring people
so often. But here, at the end of this
second chapter, were to understand their cry in the sense of an
address that was being made to God. This is real prayer that
we're reading of in these verses. It says, "...and their cry came
up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their
groaning, and God remembered his covenant." This is prayer. And yes, they were complaining
people so often, but they were also on other occasions the people
who did look to the Lord. Again, there in Numbers chapter
20 and verse 16, we read these words, When we cried unto the
Lord, He heard our voice. They acknowledge that if they
would but turn from moaning and complaining to Moses and stirring
one another up in their rebellion if they would but turn to the
Lord. The Lord hears their prayers and oftentimes of course in scripture
we see how real prayer is spoken of in terms of groanings. We see it with David in the 38th
Psalm, when he says, Lord all my desire is before thee, and
my groaning is not hid from thee. And the statements are parallels. In other words, his desire is
that that he's expressed by his groanings. And those are spiritual
desires that David is giving vent to in the psalm. And also,
of course, in that sixth psalm, where we read earlier, we read
of them groaning, or David groaning. He says in verse 6, I am weary
with my groaning. All the night make I my bed to
swim, I water my couch with my tears. But then in verse 9 he
says, The Lord hath heard my supplication. the Lord will receive
my prayer." And so this groaning, here is David in the night season,
weeping, opening his heart as it were towards the Lord, and
he then acknowledges that these are prayers and supplications
that God was pleased to hear on his behalf. We know it is
the Spirit As Paul says here in Romans 8, who helps our infirmities,
makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Oh, he helps all our infirmities,
how we feel our sinful infirmities, and we have to come before the
Lord God so many times and sigh and cry and groan. Remember,
how in the hymn, that lovely hymn 884, Dear John Berridge,
speaks of real worship in terms of those groanings. How he contrasts
the worldling, that person who has nothing more than a form,
but knows nothing of the reality of real worship. And then, when
we come to the end of that 884th hymn, he says, For thee my soul
would cry, And send a laboring groan, For thee my heart would
sigh, And make a pensive moan, And each for thee would daily
pine, And would be always only thine. How often it is the case
then that words fail us when we come before the Lord God in
prayers and in worship. and we feel that all we can do
is sigh and cry and groan. And we have that assurance, the
words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, shall not God avenge
his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them. Yes, we are those who, I'm sure
in some measure can enter into what we have here concerning
the experience. of the Hebrews, the children
of Israel. Again in the book of Job. What
a contrast! Hypocrites it says, hypocrites
in heart, cry not when He binds us here. Or the hypocrite never
cries. But the child of God knows what
it is to come with those cries and those sighs unto the Lord
His God. And here, what is it that causes
these people to be in such a case as we have described in these
verses. Well, it was their past experience. There's a sense in which they're
looking back. They had been so many years there
in Egypt. And remember what the Lord God
had said to his servant Abram in Genesis 15 when God entered
into covenant with Abram. That 15th chapter of course speaks
of that covenant that God made with Abram. And what does the
Lord say? There at verse 13, to Abraham,
know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land
that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict
them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they
shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out
with great substance. That was the promise that God
gave, and God was about to fulfill that very promise. because they
did come out of that place with great substance. They spoiled
the Egyptians, we're told in chapter 12. But for many years,
you see, they were made to languish there amongst the Egyptians. We know that Abraham himself
for a period was sojourning amongst the Egyptians. in a time of famine,
we're told there in Genesis 12, 12 that Adam went down into Egypt
to sojourn there. He was living then amongst the
Egyptians. He never came into the possession
of that land that God had promised to him. It was ever a stranger
and a pilgrim on the earth. And then later on, of course,
Joseph is sold into servitude there in Egypt and eventually
all of the household all the family of Jacob find themselves
there amongst the Egyptians in chapter 47 of the book of Genesis
and there in verse 27 Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt in
the country of Goshen and they had possessions therein and grew
and multiplied exceedingly. And they were there, it seems,
for a great period of time. And how matters increasingly
grew worse and worse. We're told how there eventually
arose a king amongst the Egyptians who knew not who knew not Joseph. And that only brought trouble
then. There in verse 18 of the first
chapter how that this king comes and he knows nothing of Joseph. And so there's cruelty, there's
bondage. There's all that wicked servitude
that they're subjected to in chapter 1 and verse 8. And so
what do we read here? It's in process of time. Over
a period things grow worse and worse. 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 in process of time
by degrees and this is how God deals with his people at times
he brings them into such circumstances and situations as to cause them
to cry to him they know not what to do they
know not where to turn they are brought to their wit's end and
they cry unto the Lord in all their troubles as we read there
in the 107th Psalm But what is it here? It's by reason of bondage,
it says. Here's the cause, the children
of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and cried. Calvin remarks here how much
is required to stimulate our sluggish hearts. how we fall into prayerless ways
so easily. And so God has to deal with us
in contrary ways. He has to stir up our sluggish
hearts, says the Reformer, in order that we might pray. But
you see, at this time God was about to do a great work. And
when God is about to do a great work, how does He come to his
people. Well, he comes to them in such
a manner as to cause them and move them to pray to him. And this was a time when God
was about to work remarkably. Moses, who was to be the deliverer
of the children of Israel out of Egypt had been born. We are told of his birth here
at the beginning of the second chapter. Now this man of the
house of Levi took a wife, a daughter of Levi, the woman conceived
and bear a son and when she saw him that he was a goodly child
she hid him three months and when she could no longer hide
him she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with
slime and with pitch and put the child therein and she laid
it in the flags by the river's brink and it's all Of course,
in the purpose of God, because his child is going to be the
deliverer, but his child is going to be schooled in all the wisdom
of the Egyptians in preparation to make him one fit to deal with
the Pharaoh himself. God is about to act and God will
prepare his servant. And how does God preserve his
servant? Well, Moses is not ready for
this great work, until he is 80 years of age. He is 80 years old when he is
called by God to deliver the children of Israel. And we see
that quite clearly later in chapter 7 and verse 7. It says Moses
was four score years old and Aaron fourscore and three years
old when they spake unto Pharaoh." 80 years old and 83 years old. Now, it's interesting because
when we go into the New Testament and we have that account in Acts
chapter 8 of the martyrdom of Stephen and how he makes a most
noble defense and apology for his faith and he recounts much
of the children of Israel and if you read there in Acts chapter
8 at verse 22 following. You'll see that it was when Moses
was 40 years old that he came into his heart to visit his brethren,
the children of Israel. He'd spent 40 years in the courts
of Pharaoh. And he comes into his heart,
and you know the consequence? Eventually, because he kills
the Egyptian, he has to flee for his life. And then there,
Stephen goes on to speak about how he was 40 years in exile
in the wilderness, caring for the sheep of his father-in-law
Jethro. And then the Lord appears unto
him in the burning bush. And of course, we have the account
of that in the following third chapter here. We're told in verse 1 of chapter
3, how Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the
priest of Midian, and he leads the flock to the backside of
the desert, and he comes to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. It's the mountain of God, it's
where he is going to bring the children of Israel to Horeb,
to Mount Sinai, where God will enter into covenant with the
children of Israel. And what does the Lord God say
to him as he appears to him here? Verse 7 of chapter 3, I have
surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt,
and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters. For I know
their sorrows, and I have come down to deliver them out of the
hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the land
unto a good land, and a large unto a land flowing with milk
and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites,
and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is,
Come unto me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith
the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now therefore, and I will
send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people,
the children of Israel, out of Egypt. So, God has been at work
in this man, preparing this man for this great task. And so the
time of the deliverance has come. But what does God do? He causes
His people to pray. He moves them to prayer. I will yet for this be inquired
of, He says. by the house of Israel to do
it for them. And we see it remarkably of course
in Daniel there in his great prayer in chapter 9. It's as
he is reading in the book of the prophet Jeremiah that he
understands that God is going to accomplish 70 years in the
exile of the children of Judah There, in Babylon, another captivity,
70 years, and understanding that the 70 years were now accomplished,
he sets his heart to pray unto the Lord God. God, when he is
about to work, will move his people to pray. Now we knew that
the Lord God would so lay upon us a burden of prayer. What a
wonderful indication that would be that God was about to move
in a mighty spiritual fashion. And what is it? What is it that
really lies at the root of this prayer? What is it that is an
encouragement to the children of Israel? Well, I've said in
some ways we have to take account of their circumstances, where
they are. Now God is stirring them up by
laying burdens upon them. But really, It is God's promise
that is the basis of all real prayer. And we see that from
what's said here in verse 24. God heard the groaning, it says,
and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and
with Jacob. We'll see how God's for this particular reason takes
account of their prayers he remembered he remembered his covenant and
as I said that's the covenant with Abram that's spoken of there
in the 15th chapter of Genesis and it's a remarkable covenant because
it is truly a one-sided covenant He says later, addressing his
servant Moses in chapter 6, I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah
was I not known to them. And I have also established my
covenant with them, to give them the land of Egypt, the land of
their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also
heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians
keep in bondage. And I have remembered my covenant.
And as I say, it's that particular covenant spoken of in the 15th
chapter of Genesis and we see clearly there how it's a unilateral
covenant, it's a one-sided covenant. Normally, when there was a covenant,
it would be two parties coming together and entering into the
covenant. And the practice was that they
would cut the covenant. The word that's constantly used
in the Old Testament to make a covenant is literally the Hebrew
word to cut. And how did they cut the covenant?
Well, there would be sacrifice, made, and then the sacrifice
laid out, and the parties would pass through the midst of the
sacrifice. But look at what we're told in chapter 15, this remarkable
chapter. When God makes his covenant with
his servant Abraham, it is clearly one-sided. Abraham has laid out the sacrifice,
verse 17 it came to pass that when the sun went down and it
was dark behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed
between those pieces in the same day the Lord made a covenant
or cut a covenant with Abram saying unto thy seed have I given
this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river the river
Euphrates it is only It is only the Lord God Himself who passes
through the midst of the sacrifice. And that's what's represented,
of course, by the smoking furnace and the burning lamp. And what
does Abraham do? Well, he lays out the sacrifice,
but all he can do is drive away the fowls that would descend
on those carcasses, as we see there in verse 11. In other words,
he stands by. It's the same as we have in Judges
chapter 13 with the parents of Samson. When we read there out to Manoah
the Lord God does wondrously and they stand by. They stand
by and they behold the Lord God doing wondrously. It is God's
covenant. It's a one-sided covenant. What did God do when He gave
that promise to Abraham? We're told that we swear by Himself. He swears by Himself. He takes
an oath upon Himself. He stakes, if we might use that
term, Himself upon His word, upon His promise. If His promise
fails, He is no more. In that sense, He magnifies His
Word above all His name. And this is what God is remembering.
God remembered His covenant, that covenant with Abraham, with
Isaac, with Jacob. And what does God do as He remembers
the covenant? Well, He attends to the prayers
of the children of Israel. He hears their prayer. Their cry came up unto God by
reason of the bondage, and God heard. God heard their groaning. Or the psalmist says, the Lord
will hear when I call unto him. The psalmist knows that he doesn't
seek God's face in vain. Why, hasn't God promised, I said,
not under the seed of Jacob, seeking me in vain? Praying breath is not wasted
breath. Again, look at the language of the psalmist, Psalm 17 6,
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God, incline
thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. Now the psalmist can
come with such confidence, having that persuasion that God will
hear his prayer. Before they call I will answer,
he says. While they are yet speaking I
will hear. God doesn't only grant us prayers
and petitions, but God hears our prayers and petitions. And
God doesn't only hear our prayers and petitions, God also answers
our prayers and petitions. This is the God that we see here.
This is the God who was given his promise. He remembers, he
hears, and then we see how God takes account of these people.
God looks upon them. God looked upon the children
of Israel. And he's touched, you see, as
he beholds the situation that they're brought into. Wasn't
it the same? with Moses when after those 40
years in the household of Pharaoh he comes abroad and he sees something
of the sufferings of his own kith and kin. In verse 11 of
this chapter it came to pass in those days when Moses was
grown that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their
burdens and despite an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew one of his brethren
When he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there
was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Why? He saw. He saw what was happening
to his people and it moved him. Now if the sight has had effect
upon Moses, the Lord's servant, how much more will the Lord Himself
take account of the situation, the circumstances that his children
find themselves here or when we pray are we not to come and
ask that God would look upon us there be many who say you will
show us any good the psalmist says Lord lift up the light of
thy countenance upon us in other words look upon us be merciful
unto us, bless us, cause thy face to shine upon us. The Lord does that. And we see
the effect, the wondrous effect, even upon His children when they're
walking in a state of rebellion, when they're even denying Him.
Think of the experience of Peter when he denied the Lord, as we're
told there in Luke 22 at verse 61, how the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. That was
after Peter had denied the Lord three times, and denied the Lord
with curses. What a sad state that man was
in, but the Lord takes account of him. The Lord turned, it says,
and looked, and then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had said
unto him, that before the cockcrow twice he would deny the Lord
thrice. Peter went out, we're told, and wear bitter tears it's
the way the Lord looks or we want the Lord then to lift up
the light of his countenance upon us to look upon us but as
the Lord looks so the Lord also knows and we see it here at the
end of the chapter God looked upon the children of Israel and
God had respect unto them. But the margin tells us the Hebrew
is literally God knew them. He looked upon the children of
Israel and God knew them. He knew them. What a blessed thing that is
that the Lord knows them that are His. Why whom He did for
know He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, we're told, whom He
did predestinate, them He also called. And whom He called, them
He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. We're familiar with that golden
chain there in Romans. But where does it begin? Whom
He did for now. All the Lords knew them. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. But the translators haven't put
that word noo in the text, that's actually in the margin, but the
text says that he had respect, God had respect unto them. And it reminds us then of the
language again of the psalmist in prayer in Psalm 74 20, of
respect unto the covenant. For the dark places of the earth
are full of the habitations of cruelty. That's the prayer of
the psalmist. He wants God to have respect
unto the covenant. And surely as we come before
God in prayer, isn't that what we're to do? We're to pray that
God would have respect unto the covenant. And how does God have
respect unto the covenant? Well, does he not look upon the
face of his anointed? and who is the anointed? That's
Christ, He's the mediator of the covenant and so when we come
to pray or we might find it hard sometimes to express ourselves
adequately in prayers but we can always invoke that name and
ask that God would hear and answer us only for the sake of the Lord
Jesus Christ well might God's promise stimulate us in and encourage
us to be diligent and persevering in all our prayers. May the Lord
bless this word to us. Now let us sing our second praise, the hymn
number 765, the tune is St Agnes, 218. And does the heart will Jesus pine and make its
secret moan. He understands the sigh divine
and marks a secret groan." The Hymn 765.