Exodus chapter 1, and I'll go
ahead and tell you what the title is. It's called, Encouragement
for Burdens and Afflictions. I could use some of that. Exodus 1. The sons of Jacob, Israel, the
man Jacob, his boys, sold their brother. Sold him into slavery. But God
raised him up. That was Joseph. God raised him
up to be the savior of his people by bringing them into Egypt. They had famine. They needed
corn. There was only one man that could give it to them. Joseph. Now verse 7, Exodus chapter 1
verse 7 says, And the children of Israel were fruitful, and
increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty, and
the land was filled with them. And that made me think about
America. America. This land has called itself a
God-fearing nation, hasn't it? It used to, anyway. And thankfully, our forefathers were
wise enough to print on our money, in God we trust. And the Lord God has blessed
this nation. He really has. He has multiplied
this nation. Now the Lord did not bless and
save every person in the nation of Israel that multiplied and
grew. Nor has He blessed and saved
every person in America. But He has been good to this
land. Very, very good. But look at verse 8. It says,
"...there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph."
Joseph's story back in Genesis makes him a clear picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who Joseph represents.
And it says in verse 8, "...there arose up a new king over Egypt,"
a new ruler over the people. He had new laws. He had new commandments. And it says, which knew not Jesus
Christ. He didn't know who He was. He
didn't listen to what He said. He didn't know what He said.
And that's the problem that we are in today. Some men, some
of our rulers at one point in time, knew the Scripture and
based their decisions on, to some degree, Scripture. Verse 9 says, And he, this new
ruler, said unto his people, he said unto his cabinet, the
people under him, that passed along his orders, his people,
Verse 9, He said, Behold, the people of the children of Israel
are more and mightier than we. We're not with them. They're
more and mightier than we. We're not with them. We're not
for them. Verse 10 says, He said, Come on, let us deal
wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that when
there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and
fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. He said,
Let us deal wisely with them. Let us deal craftily with them. The Scripture says that the devil
as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may desire, may
devour, devour. So, what do we do? How do we react to someone dealing
wisely with us? Turn to Job chapter 5. Job chapter 5 and look at verse
8. He says, I would seek unto God. And unto God would I commit my
cause, which doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvelous things
without number. There's no end to them. Who giveth
rain upon the earth and sendeth waters upon the fields, to set
up on high those that be low, that those which mourn may be
exalted to safety. He disappointeth the devices
of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise."
I love what my margin says right there. Their hands cannot perform
anything. Anything. He taketh the wise
in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the forward is
carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the
daytime. It's daytime, but He puts them
in darkness. And grope in the noonday as in
the night, as though it was night. But He saveth the poor from the
sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Behold, happy
is the man whom God correcteth, Therefore despise not thou the
chastening of the Almighty, for He maketh sore and bindeth up. He woundeth, and His hands make
whole. He shall deliver thee in six
troubles, yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In
famine He shall redeem thee from death, and in war from the power
of the sword. thou shalt be hid from the scourge
of the tongue, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction
when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou
shalt laugh, neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the
earth. For thou shalt be in league with
the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall
be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy
tabernacle shall be in peace, And thou shalt visit thy habitation,
and shalt not sin." The Lord said, any manner of sin committed
against me can be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Spirit.
It will never be forgiven. And that sin is unbelief. Unbelief. And he says in verse 24, Thou
shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace, and thou shalt
visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. You're going to believe
me when I tell you this. Verse 25, Thou shalt know also
that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass
of the earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave
in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season.
lo this, or hear this, we have searched it, so it is. Hear it, and know thou it for
thy good." In verse 22, He said, destruction,
famine, beasts, beasts of the field. He said, you can laugh
at those. Why can we laugh at them? It's
because they are God's puppets. They're God's puppets. Did you
guys read Pilgrim's Progress? How he was coming and there were
two lions up in the way. And he's headed to the celestial
city, but he can't go. There's two lions in the way.
And he's afraid. He's afraid of these lions. And
he keeps walking and all of a sudden he realizes they're both on chains. and they can't touch Him. And
He goes right through them. They're God's puppets. They're on a string. They can
only do what God allows them to do. I don't care who it is
or what it is. They can only do what God allows
them to do. Go to Job chapter 1. Look at verse 8. Job chapter 1 verse 8. The LORD
said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? Have you thought
about him? Have you thought about him? Isn't
that an awful thought? Isn't that an awful thought? that he would sit and think about
this man. "'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth
God and sheweth evil?' Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "'Doth
Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an hedge about
him and about his house?' and about all that he hath on every
side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land." Does
he fear you for no reason? You've put a hedge about him. You've put a hedge about his
house. And you've put a hedge about
everything he has. And I cannot touch him. Of course I've considered
him. But I can't touch Him. Verse
12, The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in
thy power. Only upon himself put not forth
thy hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord. The Lord had to allow it. The Lord had to give permission
or Satan couldn't touch Him. Absolutely couldn't touch Him.
Now back to our text, Exodus chapter 1, verse 11 says, Therefore they did set over them
taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens, and they built
for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pytham and Ramses." Taskmasters
to afflict them with their burdens. This is God's people. This can't
be of God. He actually allowed them to set
taskmasters to afflict them? Turn over to Genesis chapter
15. Genesis chapter 15 and look at
verse 13. This is the Lord speaking. And He said unto Abram, 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 they shall come out
with great substance." He said, I want you to know, way before
it happens, your seed, this people, they're going to be servants
in a strange land for 400 years. He told them exactly how long
this is going to be. Go to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12, look at verse
40. Now the sojourning of the children
of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end
of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day
it came to pass, that all the host of the Lord went out from
the land of Egypt. Four hundred years. Why were they burdened and afflicted? It's because God purposed it
to be that way. He purposed it. He ordered it.
It was laid out long before they even came along. God allowed
it to happen. Why? Why would He allow this
to happen? Two reasons. His glory and their
good. That's salvation. His glory,
and they're good. He allowed this to happen. Now,
our text, Exodus 1, look at verse 12. It says, "...but the more they
afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew." And the
Egyptians were grieved because of the children of Israel. "...the more they afflicted them,
the more they multiplied and grew." James said, in James chapter
1 verses 2 through 4, he said, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect
work, that you may be perfect. That means mature. and entire,
complete. Wanting nothing or lacking nothing. Count it all joy when you fall
into these temptations, when these trials come. Nobody wants
trials. But He said, count it all joy
because the trying of your faith is working patience. Let patience
have her perfect work. Verse 13 says, And the Egyptians made the children
of Israel to serve with rigor." Rigor means to break apart. It means to fracture severely. They broke them. They broke them. They were a broken people. Verse
14 says, And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage,
in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the
field. All their service wherein they made them serve was with
rigor. All their service wherein they
made them serve, they broke them. Everything they had them do,
they broke them. They broke this people. Now listen
to two Scriptures. Just listen to these two scriptures.
Matthew 5, 11 and 12 says this, Blessed are ye when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad,
for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets
which were before you." Everything that you are going through, you're going through it because
the Lord God is blessing you. He said, blessed are ye. There's a man who is going through
a trial, and I know another man who told him, boy, the Lord must
really love you to try you like this. Everything you're going through,
you're going through it because great is your reward in heaven. Everything you're going through,
you're not alone. You're not alone. Every believer
before you has been through the same thing. He said, Rejoice
and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for
so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. There's
nothing that we go through that every single believer before
us has not gone through. Nothing. Now listen to this scripture. It's Hebrews 4 verses 15 and
16. We have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. But was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities." What that means is, our Lord has come to us where
we are. He's come to us to deliver us. And He said, this is My body,
which was broken with rigor for you. He laid hold of my bitter sins
and He took them off of me and He put them on Himself. And because of my sin, He drank
the bitter cup of death so I could live. He was taken. He was captured. He was beaten. and imprisoned
with hard bondage, so I could go free. And in our
text, Exodus 1 verse 14, it says, they made their lives bitter
with hard bondage in mortar and in brick. Do you know what those
two words translate in the Hebrew? Mire and clay. Hallelujah, what a Savior, who
can take a poor lost sinner, lift him from the miry clay,
and set him free. I will ever tell the story, shouting
glory, glory, glory. Hallelujah. The Lord Jesus Christ
ransomed me. How did He get me out of this
miry clay? He had to get in. He had to get in. Verse 14 says,
all their service wherein they made them serve was with rigor. I can envision them, our brothers, our brethren, our
brothers and our sisters, our loved ones, those people, we're
going to meet them in glory. And I'm sure they're blessed,
blessed people. They were hot, they were tired,
they were burdened, they were worried, they were broken, but
they knew, they were told, God's going to send a Deliverer. And you know that they talked
about it. Whatever they were doing, if they were beating stones,
or digging ditches, they were talking about this Deliverer. And when one Israelite would
get to the place where he or she would say, I cannot take
it anymore. I'm not going to make it. I'm
going to die. This burden is too great and
I cannot bear this any longer. One of the other Israelites would
say, hang in there. Hang in there. Keep going. God is going to send us a deliverer. Hang in there and keep going. The deliverer is coming. God
is coming with a strong hand. He'll save us. He's not going
to leave us here. He'll save us. And that Israelite
would gird up his loins and go back to work. And then he'd hear
another brother say, I'm not going to make it. I'm going down,
this is too much, I'm not going to make it. And he'd cry, wait
on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall
strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say on the Lord. Wait. He's promised to give us a new
city. One that has foundations. He said it's a land flowing with
milk and honey. It's not like this. Jesus Christ
lives there. He will be our God. We're going
to get to be His people. Keep going. Keep coming. Little did they know, right around
the corner, in chapter 2, the Deliverer is here. He's here. I can't wait to get to it. We
have one message before that, but I can't wait to get to it.
The Deliverer's here. He's coming. Encouragement for burdens and
afflictions. Keep going. Pray the Lord would
encourage us. Encourage us. We need some encouragement,
don't we? Let's stand together and be dismissed.