Deliverance (Ex 1:1-2:10)

Can we really trust God to deliver us from the challenges we face?

A time of blessing
There was growth from 70 to almost 2 million men, from almost a state of extinction to blessing in numbers. (Ex 1:1-7, Gen 12:2-3). God can use the negatives to bring about the positives - His plans and purposes, (Rom 8:28) Just as Christ had to first die so that man may be reconciled to God.

Crises
A new king came about that did not know Joseph and saw them as a threat to national security. And so, the king inflicted them with hard labour and drastic population control measures. (Ex 1:8-22) The Hebrew boys were safe because the midwives feared God rather than man. Just like the midwives, there will come a time when we have to choose between what God wants and what man wants.

Deliverance
Moses' parents kept Moses by faith (Heb 11:23) and made special plans to protect his life by setting him on the river Nile. But no plans made by man can ever be complete, many things can go wrong. God was present in each step of the 'plan', providing the means for the basket to reach the special person God arranged (Pharoah's daughter) to her desire and ability to adopt him and specially arranged so that Moses' mother was able to nurse him. How has God's hand of providence been in our lives?

The connection between faith (Heb 11:1-2), courage and action. God is growing and strengthening, renewing and reviving, proving and purifying our faith in Him. It is trusting in God's character before we see what He can/will do. Faith must lead to action - not merely "wait and see" but ultimately to "go and do".