If you turn to the passage we
read in Exodus and chapter 2, I'd like to draw your attention
to verses 21 and 22, where we read of Moses after he's fled
from Egypt, having slain a man there who was smiting one of
his brethren. He fled from Egypt into the land
of Midian, sat down by a well in Midian, drew water, for the
daughters of Ru'ul and then was invited by this man to dwell
in the land. And in verse 21 we read, and
Moses was content to dwell with the man and he gave Moses Zipporah
his daughter and she bare him a son and he called his name
Gershom for he said I have been a stranger in a strange land. Moses was content to dwell with
the man and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter and she bear him
a son and he called his name Gershom for he said I have been
a stranger in a strange land. Moses was content to dwell here
content to dwell in the land of Midian in a backwater a distance
from where he had grown up in very, very different circumstances
to that in which he had grown. Aged around 40 at this time,
this was someone who as a child was found by the daughter of
Pharaoh in the river as his mother, a Hebrew lady, and put him of
course in the ark. of bulrushes and put him in the
river in order to protect him from the possibility of being
slain. For Pharaoh, furious with the
Hebrews, had ordered that the children of the Hebrews should
be slain. So she tried to protect her son. And her son, under the providence
of God, was found by Pharaoh's daughter. And it's not only delivered his
life from the certainty of death, but it also brought him into
favoured circumstances. He could hardly have been rescued
by anyone higher in the land. This was someone who was brought
up with great riches in greatly favoured circumstances. He would
have lacked for nothing that this world could have provided.
Lacked for nothing. And yet here, towards the end
of chapter two, we find his circumstances greatly changed. He found an Egyptian smiting
one of his brethren in Hebrew. and in anger and in his loyalty
to his brethren, to his own people, he slew the Egyptian. And unbeknown
to him, he was seen. And when he discovered that he
was seen, he had to flee. He fled from the land into the
land of Midian. And how his circumstances had
changed. No longer did he live in the
palace. No longer was he wealthy. No longer could he have what
he wanted. But here he was with nothing.
Here he was in fear of being found. Here he was nowhere. And yet he comes to this place
and to this well and to this family. And it says that he was content
to dwell with them. He was content. He finds himself
as a stranger in a strange land. With nothing. With nothing. In the prime of life. He'd not
known this riches of Pharaoh's palace just for a moment. He'd
lived there many years. He was a man who would have become
accustomed to a certain way of living. It wouldn't be easy to
come down in the world in this way. Naturally speaking, you would
imagine that Moses would look back longingly at what he'd lost. Or that he'd fret about what
he'd lost. Or that he'd be in fear of his
own life. That someone would find him here
even in Midian. And yet it says he's content.
A stranger in a strange land, but content to dwell there. Once having had riches at his
fingertips, but now cast out, rejected by his own people, rejected
by Pharaoh, with nothing, and yet content. Why? How could Moses be content
to dwell in the land here? How could he have contentment
in such circumstances? How can any? If you were in this
circumstance that Moses was in, if you'd had everything and everything
stripped away in a moment, if you'd come crushing down, Would you be content? Would you
not want what you once had? Would you not want to put things
right? Would you not be fretting about the circumstances? Living
in fear? Of course you would. The natural
man would. The natural man grabs and grabs. He desires as much as he can.
He desires as much of this world's goods and pleasures as he can
get hold of. He desires to make the most of
the time which he has in this world. Moses in Midian dwelt
there a long time. He went there when he was 40.
He was never led back to Egypt until he was an old man around
the age of 80. His life as it were slipped away
from him. It might have been that he found
the place to be a refuge for a time. But as the years rolled
by, you'd think that he would become more and more fretful
that he sees his life, his best years slipping away from him.
Is he going to die in this wilderness? Is he never going to see his
brethren again? He knew the children of Israel
were in Egypt in bondage. He knew the troubles and trials
that his own people were under. He had a love for his people
and a desire to see them released from bondage. And yet the years
slipped by. And here he is in Midian, a stranger
in a strange land. How could he possibly be content
to remain there? How could he possibly be content
in such circumstances? How can he bow to the providence
of God in such a manner? You and I face circumstances
in our lives. Our lives take certain turns.
Sometimes we're lifted up and sometimes we're cast down. If
you're a believer you may live in this day and age and you may
see the state of the church as it appears to the human eye.
You may see the wickedness around you. You may see the bondage
that the children of God are put in from an evil world that
opposes them. You may see how the gospel is
despised and cast out, not only by the world around, but by that
which professes to be Christianity. You may see how truth is cast
to one side and error enters in. You may see how ungodly men
are promoted in the churches, how those who stand up in the
name of Jesus how those who proclaim to preach his gospel in fact
preach a lie. You may look on and see how the
truth and the true gospel is despised and rejected and how
so much false fire, so much error, so many lies are proclaimed in
the name of Jesus. And as a believer, as one who
looks to the Lord and trust in the Lord, these things may cause
your heart to groan. You may look upon what is done
in Christendom and see how the Lord's name is taken in vain. How things are done and said
in the name of God and how people say that they worship God when
they bring false fire into his presence. When so many terrible
things are done in the name of the Lord Jesus, how can you stand
by and be content? The natural heart looks on these
things. And if you have a care for the
truth, a care for what is right, naturally speaking, you'd be
stirred up and it's right to be stirred up in the heart. But
how can one remain content to remain and to stand still when
such things go on? The natural inclination is to
get up and to do something about it. Moses here would have seen, would
have known that his people were still in bondage. Yes, he'd fled
for his life. But all the time you would imagine
he would be wanting to go back and find a way. to clear his
name, and a way to help his brethren, and a way to bring about the
freedom of his people. How could he just wait? Year
after year, decade after decade in the wilderness, how could
he be content? Naturally speaking, how could
he be content to have had all the temporal blessings of this
life taken from him? To live with so little as one
who had known so much? How could he be content to just
look after sheep in a wilderness? But spiritually speaking too,
how could he, a Hebrew, be content to be on the wayside when he
knew that his people were suffering, when he knew that his people
were suffering a great injustice? How could he be content to see
the years roll by and not see his people vindicated, not see
truth vindicated, not see the people of God delivered from
captivity? How could he be content? And
how can we be content in similar circumstances today as it were
on the wayside? Waiting, waiting for the Lord,
waiting for something to change. The inclination is to go and
to put our hand to it. To go and to change things, to
go and to alter things. Yet the Lord drew him aside.
and the Lord would have him wait until it was the Lord's time
to deliver his people. And Moses, a stranger in a strange
land, was content to dwell with the man. How? How? Where does such contentment come
from? Where does such resting and waiting
come from? It's not natural. We can't work
it up. There's nothing we can do in
such circumstances. There's nothing Moses could do
of his own strength to cause himself to be content with such
circumstances. His natural heart would have
said one thing, but God had dealings with Moses. God had his hand
upon Moses from the day he was born. God separated Moses for
his purposes. And God gave Moses faith. God by grace chose this servant
of his. He gave him faith. He gave him
faith unlike anything that is natural. The faith which Moses
had was not what man calls faith. This is not something he was
born with. This was not something he could
work up. This was not some stoical waiting
in the midst of affliction. Just a stoical patience. This
was not some decision that he could take. This was not natural. Moses had faith, it's by faith
which he lived, it's by faith which he walked, it's by faith
which he stood and it's through this faith that Moses was content
to dwell in the land of Midian, not just for a year. not just
for two or three years, not just until the trouble in Egypt had
died down, not just till such time as he thought it might be
safe to return, that his deed might be forgotten, but he waited
for decades by faith. What faith is this? This is God's
faith. the faith of God's elect, the
faith which God gives to all his people, to a chosen people,
to a separated people, to a people whom he redeems, whom he takes,
whom he sets his hand upon, whom he purposes to deliver out of
captivity. This is God-given faith. supernatural
faith, faith which can cause a sinner from the earth, a man
created out of the dust of the earth just as Adam, a man born
just like any other man, a man just like any other, as sinful
as any other, this is the faith which can take such a man and
at the hand of God it can quicken that man into life. And God can
breathe life, spiritual life into such a man and give him
faith to look beyond that which is natural, to look beyond that
which is earthly, to look beyond that which the senses look upon,
and to look into that which is eternal. This is that faith which
God gives and breathes into the life of his people. into the
hearts of his people as he breathes life into those who were once
dead in sin. He takes a man dead in sin and
breathes life into him and breathing life into him he breathes faith
into him and this faith causes such a one to look to look, to
have their eyes opened and to look beyond this world, to look
beyond their circumstances, to look beyond the trials, to look
beyond what the outer eye sees and to look up into heaven, to
look up into a throne room, to look up into a throne room greater
than any throne room on this earth has ever known, greater
than the palace in Egypt, greater than the throne of Pharaoh, to
look up to a greater than Pharaoh, to look up to that which is richer
and grander than the palace in Egypt, to look up unto one that
sits upon a throne above all thrones, to look up unto a king
who is above all kings, to look up unto the king of kings, the
lord of lords, to look up unto God Almighty, to look up unto
His Son sat at His right hand, to look up unto the Lord Jesus
sat upon the right hand of the Almighty in glory, to look up
by faith beyond time into eternity, to look up unto the King of Kings
and to see that there is one who rules, one who rules over
all, one who rules over every event, one who rules over every
event in time, one who orders every event, from the greatest
event to the smallest, one who leads, one who guides, one who
works out his purposes, even for all his children. Yet such
faith causes one to look beyond the natural circumstances and
to look unto the one that brings all about, who orders everything
and brings all to pass. And it causes the one who has
such faith to know that the circumstances that they find themselves in,
however trying, However hard, however puzzling, however long
they may go on for, but for a moment. And whatever the circumstances,
they are ordered at God's hand. And however trying they may be,
such faith knows that these events come from God. They're at His
hand in His providence. And they will only be altered
at His hand in His providence. And He is the one which will
order them. He is the one which will deliver
from them. He is the one who will lead through
them. He is the one who is at work. Moses had this faith. in land
of Midian, cast out from his favoured circumstances, cast
out from the palace, cast out from Egypt, cast out from his
brethren. He dwelt a stranger in a strange
land, yes, but Moses was not alone. Moses was not alone. By faith he looked. and he saw,
and he knew that his God was with him. He knew that though
his natural circumstances were changed, he knew that though
his natural riches had been taken away, that he was richer than
any man. He knew that he had riches greater
than any riches to be found in this world. He knew that however
long he might have to dwell where he dwelt at that time, and however
puzzling the circumstances might be, and however hard his life
at that time might appear to be, he knew that there was a
great king who looked after him. and he knew that he had riches
stored up for him in a throne room higher and greater than
any throne room in this earth and he knew that deliverance
would come in the timing of his lord and his saviour and his
king and he knew that whatever he did would not alter that but
that he just needed to wait and to rest in Him who would bring
all to pass. Yes in Hebrews 11 verse 24 verse
23 we read that by faith Moses when he was born was hid three
months of his parent because they saw he was a proper child
and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. They had
faith that Moses was later given too. And they knew that though
the king, though Pharaoh had commanded that the firstborn
should be slain, they knew that God would look after their son.
And their faith was rewarded for God's hand protected Moses
and delivered him at the beginning through death as it were. Moses as it were rose again delivered
from the judgment of the king of this world. And he was spared. And he was spared because God
had his hand upon him. And God would give Moses faith
too, that he might work out his purposes for his people. Verse
24, by faith Moses, when he was come to yours, refused to be
called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season. Esteeming the reproach of Christ,
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect
unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him
who is invisible. and see in him who is invisible. He forsook Egypt. He turned his
back on the riches and the treasures in Egypt. Why? Because he knew that in Christ
he had greater riches. And he'd rather suffer the reproach
of Christ. And he'd rather suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season. He knew the riches of this world
were fleeting and would disappear into the grave when we pass from
life into death, from this world into the next. He knew they were
nothing. And he forsook Egypt and he feared
not the wrath of the king. You may feel that he fled because
of the wrath of the king. Well perhaps, but having fled
he knew that the king would not touch him. For he knew that there
was one who had his hand upon him. One who watched over him,
one who protected him. And he went to the land of Midian
and he was content to dwell with the man and his family in Midian
as a stranger in a strange land. Why? Because by faith he endured
as seeing him who is invisible. Him who is invisible. The Lord Jesus Christ. He esteemed
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt. He beheld Christ him who is invisible. You may ask, what
did Moses know of Christ? Well, God gave him faith. Though
he lived many years before Christ, God gave him faith to look beyond
this world. To look beyond the time in which
he lived. To look thousands of years to
the one who would come from outside this world. Come from eternity,
come from glory into this world. To suffer and to die in his place. When Moses was brought to deliver
the children of Israel, God gave him a picture and a sign of the
coming of Christ. He gave him and the children
of Israel the picture of the Passover, where the lamb was
slain and the Passover lamb, the blood of the Passover lamb
was daubed upon the lintels and the door frames of the doors
of the houses of the Hebrews in Egypt. And the destroyer came
into Egypt to slay the firstborn children, but he passed over
the houses where there was blood on the doors. And in this picture,
Moses and the Hebrews were taught of that sacrifice, that lamb
that would be slain for the people of God. Not many lambs, not many
sacrifices, but one sacrifice slain once for all. the Lamb
of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who would come into this world
as a sacrifice for sinners, who would come as the deliverance
of his people, who would come who would be nailed to a tree,
slain in the place of those who deserved it not, slain in the
place of the Hebrews, slain in the place of those like Moses
who had faith to look for him, to look unto him, slain for Moses. Moses looked and he saw Him who
was invisible, he saw Him who was outside of time, he saw Him
who was in glory, he saw Him who watched over him, he saw
Him who would be his salvation, he saw Him who would be slain
for him, He saw him whose blood would wash him clean. He saw
him who would wash away the guilt of all his sins. He knew that
though he had slain the Egyptian, that there was one who forgave
him. There was one who forgave him
because he had washed that sin away. with his own blood. He looked and he saw Christ his
Saviour and he saw in Christ and in his death upon the cross,
one who would wash away that sin and that guilt, one who would
make Moses clean, one who would bring forgiveness of sin. And
having that guilt of what he'd done, he knew that in him who
was invisible, that guilt was taken away. So he dwelt in Midian,
and was content to dwell, because fear did not grip him, and guilt
did not grip him, and a lusting after the riches of Egypt did
not grip him, and a fretting after circumstances and the passage
of time did not grip him, because by faith he looked unto him who
is invisible. How do you live? How do you walk? What governs your thoughts and
your actions? What circumstances do you find
yourself in? Are you cast down? Are you troubled? Do you have trials? Do you fret
in them? Do you grumble in them? Or are
you like Moses content? Would you seek to alter your
circumstances? Do you seek to grab for more
that this world promises you? Do you think contentment will
be found in the here and the now? Do you think that your circumstance
will be bettered by what you can gain or what you can do?
That if only you had this or if only you had that, if only
things were like this or like that, then I would be happy.
You would not. You would not. Man, the natural
man, lives in this world for all he sees and all he touches.
He grabs and he grabs and he grabs. He mounts up riches in
his storehouses. He feels that the more he has,
the more he gets, the better he will be. And yet the more
he has, the more he gets, the worse off he is, the more miserable
he is, the more in captivity he is, the more he strives to
gain more, and the more he gets, the worse he is. The worse he
is. Moses turned his back on it because
Moses had faith to know that all this is nothing. and the
true riches which a man can have are all found in Him who is invisible
to the natural eye. In Him who sits upon a throne
way above Pharaoh's throne. In Him who dwells in a palace
greater than Pharaoh's or any other palace in this world. All
is to be found in Christ. All is to be found in Christ. Whatever circumstances we find
ourselves in, there's only contentment to be found in one place. You'll
only be content to dwell where you have been brought to dwell.
You'll only be content to suffer under the affliction which God
has brought upon you. You'll only be content to suffer
the trials and the circumstances, the illness, the poverty, the
opposition of men. the injustices that seem to come
upon you. You'll only be content in whatever
circumstances you find yourself in, in one way. And that's if
God gives you faith to look under him who is invisible. Faith to
esteem the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures
of this world. What do you have? What do you
have? What do you lack? You may say
all I was, I thought I could do with a bigger house, a nicer
car, more clothes, more of this, more of that. Oh yeah, I'm happy
with the things I got, but I just want one or two more things.
Perhaps you're after this, you're after that. Perhaps you seek
power, status, authority. If only I had this, if only my
circumstances were like that, then I'd be happy. You would
not. The more you get, the worse you
are. Moses, having lost all, with
nothing, was content. Do you have this faith? Do you
have the faith of Moses? Can you look beyond the temporal
to the spiritual, the passing to the eternal? Do you have faith? You may say,
believer you may say, well, yes, I've come to Christ. I believe
in him who died for me. I believe he's washed my sins
away. I believe I'm cleansed from the
guilt and corruption of my sin by the blood of Christ. I fled
to him who alone can deliver me from captivity. Oh, oh yes,
I believe in him. God gave me faith, God opened
my eyes when I heard the gospel. Once I was bound, once I was
lost, once I was blind, once I cared not for Christ, once
I just sought all that this world had to offer. But there came
a day in the gospel when God showed me my sin, when he brought
me low, when he brought me to flee under Christ, and he gave
me faith, he opened my eyes, he opened my ears, and I cried
and I was heard, and I believe, yes I believe, I believe, but
Lord help thou mine unbelief. How easily I turn aside. How easily I look to these things. How easily I become concerned
and worried. Oh I know I should be content,
I'd like to be content. But how easily I fall. Well you
won't know the contentment of Moses whilst you look to the
left and to the right. Moses was content because God
kindled that faith. to look beyond what he could
see outwardly, to look to that which is invisible. God held
before Moses Christ. God caused Moses to look continuously,
as it were, upon that burning bush. He held, as it were, when
Moses later would go through the wilderness, the pillar of
fire and the pillar of cloud was constantly before him. Moses'
strength, Moses' encouragement was not in the circumstances,
but in Christ and in his gospel. Believer, what do you lack? Where
are you looking? If you look away from Christ,
if you look to the circumstances, you will be cast down, you will
fret, you will worry. There's no contentment by looking
with the natural eye. There's no contentment with putting
your hand to sort out your problems. Look to the one in the burning
bush. Look to the one in the pillar
of fire, look to him who is invisible, look to Christ. What do you lack? In temporal things what do you
lack? Believer what do you lack? God
provides all. As Christ says in Matthew 6,
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life what
you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body
what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat
and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air,
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better
than they? Well are you not believer if
you've been given faith to look under Christ? Why do you worry
about the morrow? Why do you worry about this thing
and that thing? God looks after the fowls of
the air, will he not look after you? Who to him is much better
than the fowls of the air? He feeds them, will he not feed
you? He delivers them from trouble,
will he not deliver you? Has he not watched over you all
the days of your life to this point? As with Moses, did he
not watch over him to that day? Yes he did. Will he not continue
to? Take no thought for the morrow. Christ is not commanding here.
He's not simply telling you what you should do. Because we're
weak and we're feeble. and we do by nature worry about
the morrow and we easily threaten our circumstances and we can't
make ourselves content we can't strive at being content at resting
in our circumstances but Christ here is reminding his people
of His good hand upon them. He's reminding them that if they
are the Lord's, that the Lord watches over them, that He provides
for them. He's reminding them, He's reminding
us that we need not worry. Don't worry. You don't need to
worry. The Lord feedeth His children. The Lord watcheth over you. Him
who is invisible has ordered all things, all things work together
for good, for those that love the Lord the called, those who
are called according to his purpose. He watches over you, he's bringing
his purpose about. You have everything in Christ. Temporary things are nothing
to God. He can provide all your need
with a click of his fingers. Paul, when he writes to Timothy,
reminds Timothy that there's nothing in this world worth worrying
about. There are those that suppose
that gain is godliness. He says, from such withdraw yourself. But godliness with contentment
is great gain. For we brought nothing into this
world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. This
world's gain, what this world thinks is riches and pleasure
and gain is of nothing worth. For all is to be found in Christ. All that Moses had was in Christ. An all believer that you have
and that you need. in Christ. You lack for nothing. What do you lack if you are in
Christ? What do you lack? In Christ you
have salvation. In Christ your sins are washed
away. In Christ you are cleansed, you
are delivered, you are forgiven. In Christ you are justified,
sanctified. In Christ you have provision
for the way, leading guidance. What do you lack? What can you
add to Christ and what He has done on your behalf? What will
your will, your works, your deeds, anything that you might do, anything
that you might strive at, add to this? What will your striving
at the law of God do? What will your striving at the
commandments do or add to what Christ has done for you in the
Gospel? He's done it all. He's washed
away our every sin. If we're in Him, if we believe
on Him, He's delivered us from all captivity. All captivity,
all bondage, all opposition. We lack nothing. We lack nothing. All is in Christ. All is by grace. All is free and all is eternal. All that you might grab in this
world rots and fades away, it rusts, it decays and you cannot
take it beyond the grave. But all that you have in Christ
are treasures beyond telling, treasures that the worm, that
the moth cannot attack. Treasures that cannot be earned
but are freely given. Treasures which are everlasting. Treasures which will never be
plucked from your hand. Treasures which will last forever. Oh, look to Him which is invisible. Look by faith to Him who leads
through this world to a kingdom a land which is flowing with
milk and honey to that Canaan which is above. Moses was content
to dwell a stranger in a strange land. As you believer pass through
this strange land, Look by faith to him whom Moses followed. Look by faith to the one who
can grant contentment. Look aside from your circumstances. Look up and know that your circumstances
next week, next year, tomorrow, today, are in God's hands. He will take care of them. He
will watch over you. He will watch over you. He will
guide you. He will take care. What lackest
thou? There's contentment in one place
and one place only. There's contentment which brings
a person. to that state of having no restlessness,
no fretting, no desire, absolute contentment. There's contentment
that need not be worked at, that we can't produce. There's contentment
which is free, which is given, and it's given only in one place
and by one means. It's given in Christ. It's given
in Christ. It's in Christ, it's by faith,
and it's free. Are you content? Where are you
looking? Where are you looking? Moses
was content. Look by faith to Moses, Lord,
to him who is invisible, that you, by the grace of God, the
power of God, the faith of God, might too, like Moses, esteem
the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt. Amen.