Bible Study - August 14th

Sorry - no Bible study for August 14th - Pastor Hucke is on vacation. The next Bible study will be August 21st.

Sermon Notes - August 7th

August 7, 2005
Exodus 3:1-15
“Who Am I That I Should Go?”

1. As you know I attended a family reunion this past month in California. It turns out that my grandfather, Martin J. Hucke had 8 brothers and sisters. Three died and the remaining five all came to California along with my grandfather, who was the youngest.

Well, over the years, the family sort of went off in all directions and only recently, through the extensive work of two second cousins, we have all become acquainted. Now it turns out I have quite a few cousins of one sort or another including one who is, imagine this, a Methodist minister. Rev. David Eichelberger is the pastor of the Fourth Street United Methodist Church in Aurora, Illinois … We hope to get together sometime in the next year.

Life was different for my German immigrant ancestors back around 1900 in California. My great grandmother actually lived with her daughter and my grandfather and their children -- who included my father and my aunt in Woodland, California which is in the central valley near Sacramento. (It gets pretty hot there. The day we were all there for the family reunion it was 107 degrees!) Well, my great grandmother came all the way over from Germany to be with her children. And she was also a midwife.

Many years later my aunt June told me that her grandmother ( who was known in German as “gross mama”) always kept a black bag packed and ready to go at all times. Sometimes, she said, there would be a knock at the door in the night, and she would get up, grab her bag and go out in the country and stay with a family for several days or even more than a week while the mother was preparing to give birth. Sometimes, if the doctor did not make it on time, she would be the one to deliver the child.

This was not unusual for according to a recent historical study midwifery: The early twentieth century was a period of intense immigration. Most immigrant groups brought their own midwives with them who were familiar with the pregnant woman's culture, beliefs, diet and needs.

2. More recently, as you may know, there has been a kind of revival of mid-wifery in more advanced countires. According to recent reports, today there are more than 7,000 Certified Nurse-Midwives in the United States who attend approximately 200,000 births annually, primarily in hospitals. They work in a variety of practices, including solo and group midwifery practices with physicians, HMOs, rural and urban areas among private and public clients. All certified nurse-midwives have a relationship with an obstetrician in case of complication.

However, in less developed countries around the world, midwifery is the still the main option in giving birth. In fact -- even today -- as it was in ancient times midwives are the most common birth attendant in the world. The average child born in this world today is born into the hands of a midwife.

So, in connection with our scripture reading today, we may note that the Biblical writers give considerable recognition to midwives including the several verses which recount the experiences of two Hebrew midwives who refused to kill the male infants in defiance of the King of Egypt in (Exodus 1:15-22). Other verses in the Bible also make passing references to midwifery attendance at birth, implying that it was the way it was done everywhere at that time (Genesis 35:17; 38:28). In fact, Historians have found that the practice of midwifery is also referred to in other papyri as well as in ancient Hindu records. And, in America, prior to the coming of Europeans, Native Americans had midwives within their various tribes. After the Pilgrims arrived, mdwifery continued in Colonial America as an extension of European practices. It has even been noted that Brigit Lee Fuller, a midwife, attended three births on the Mayflower.

So, before we get into the story of Moses and his “call” by God to lead the Isrealites out of slavery, let’s take a look at the situation which led up to that famous confrontation between Moses and the Pharaoh which led to the Exodus. And when we do, we will find that it was really a question of over population. In short, the Jews, who were slaves, were increasing in numbers faster than the captors, the Egyptians.

3. The Bible tells it this way:

8A new king came to power in Egypt who didn't know Joseph. 9He spoke to his people in alarm, "There are way too many of these Israelites for us to handle. 10We've got to do something: Let's devise a plan to contain them, lest if there's a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us."

11So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. 12But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had--children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn't stand the Israelites 13and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor. 14They made them miserable with hard labor--making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields. They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload.

Finally, the king of Egypt had a talk with the two Hebrew midwives; one was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. 16He said, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the sex of the baby. If it's a boy, kill him; if it's a girl, let her live."

17But the midwives had far too much respect for God and didn't do what the king of Egypt ordered; they let the boy babies live. 18The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!"

19The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; they're vigorous. Before the midwife can get there, they've already had the baby."

4. Now, if you remember last week, I talked about how these stories were told over and over again, and how they were not only meant for teaching people about God but they were also for entertainment and sometimes they were even funny. So, do you see what is funny here?
Well, the ancient Isrealites would have laughed in amusement at the thought of the two midwives making up the story about how the Isrealite women didn’t need midwives. Because, everyone knew that wasn’t true! In those days, they all knew that everyone had to have a midwife! Except, of course the Pharaoh who was too stupid to get it! So, part of the story is designed to prove to the Isrealites how smart their women were – especially the midwives. Good story. Funny story!

And it is also a story about how the midwives were faithful to God which is noted in the next verses which say that …
20God was pleased with the midwives and the people continued to increase in number--a very strong people. 21And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own.
Do you hear the message here? What is it? The Isrealites were a very strong people. Why? Because they honored God.
22So, since this wasn’t working, the Pharaoh issued a general order to all his people: "Every boy that is born, drown him in the Nile. But let the girls live."

5. Well, you can see where this is going … because it is a perfect lead up to the story we all know about. Which is how the baby narrowly escaped death when his mother put in a basket of reeds and floated it down the Nile to where the Pharaoh’s daughter would find him. If you haven’t read it in the Bible, you probably saw it in the movie The Ten Commandments. A very powerful modern movie that actually takes the Exodus story so literally that it unfortunately ends up being totally unbelievable. That, and of course, all the actresses had 1950’s hairstyles! So, we don’t want to go there … this morning.

But, what we do want to do, is emphasize the tremendous importance of midwifery in the Bible. For it was the midwives who not only delivered children but who also provided clinical services to women before conception, during pregnancy, during labor, and after delivery.Not only that,but even conception midwives taught mothers-to-be how to care for themselves gynecologically and also taught them about birth control. And, during pregnancy they advised expectant mothers on proper nutrition.

Biblical scholar Don Benjamin points out that because midwives performed such significant clinical and legal responsibilities, they were highly regarded not only by the parents they helped conceive, birth, and rear children, but by the whole village, which learned from observing how these women worked to better understand how Yahweh creates.

Israel’s gratitude to these women remains enshrined in the powerful midwife-metaphors that the Bible uses to describe the creation of the cosmos, the beginning of each new day, and the labor of the coming kingdom of God. Similarly, the creation of the first human beings, the formation of states, the education of the young, and the burial of the dead, are all modeled on the services of midwives. The Two Shrewd Midwives is part of this noble tradition.

6. Now, since the Bible often gets it’s share of criticism for being written by men and for being rather male chauvinistic, let me point out a few places where it is not.

In fact, in quite a few places God is described in metaphors that are female, and often portray God as a mother or a midwife or a wet nurse. As mother, God labors to give birth to rain and sleet, God carries humanity in the womb; God labors to give birth to humanity; God teaches humanity to walk; God wipes humanity’s tears when it cries. As midwife, God delivers the sea; delivers Zion’s child; bathes humanity; clothes the sea; clothes humanity; places humanity in its mother’s arms. As wet nurse, God rocks humanity, nurses humanity, weans humanity from breast milk to solid food. You get the picture!!!

Now listen to some of the actual verses:

15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Isaiah 49

12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers?

Numbers 11:12

9 Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God.

Isaiah 66:9

3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.

Hosea 11:3

So, we should not forget these powerful female images for God are a profound part of our biblical heritage.[2] And, for the moment, I want you to keep the idea of being midwife in your mind as we go on …to talk about Moses and his call from God in the desert.

7. Now, we all remember how Moses, after being rescued from the River Nile and growing up in the Pharaoh’s home, eventually went on to kill an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew slave and then ahd to flee into the desert where he became a shepherd, got married and started a whole new life.

But, while Moses was getting along pretty well in life, God was not happy with the sorry plight of the Isrealites in Egypt. Something must be done. But what? As slaves, the Hebrews had no leaders. They were totally without anyone to organize them. Which is often the case with people who are poor or slaves. They are trapped and they are victims. For they lack the skills, the intelligence, the confidence, and the wherewithal to figure a way out. As if often the case for them to be rescued, somebody must come from the outside to save them. Someone who is a strong leader. Someone who understands the Pharaoh, who speaks his language, and who has standing in the high court and who can confront him. For obviously, the Pharaoh has lost his mind!

So, who better than Moses. For he has, we remember, grown up in the Imperial Palace, he speaks Egyptian, and he understands the Pharaoh and his ways. Except … there is a problem. Moses is nowhere to be found! He is way off in the desert country of Midian. Therefore, God must track him down and find him. And so we come to one of the great human encounters with God in the Bible. The famous story of the “burning bush” --- which we read this morning.

8. Now we can get all wrapped up trying to explain what happened but as I often say --- the object is not to take the story literally … but to understand that somehow, some way, this man Moses came to understand that God wanted him to do something to save his people.

Was Moses feeling guilty about having gotten away … were the thoughts of his people suffering terribly back in Egypt on his mind?

Or was he completely oblivious. The Bible does not really say.

Now we may ask the question: “What kind of person was Moses?”

Or we could ask ourselves, “What would we do … if you were living comfortably in a far off place and at the same knew our people were living in slavery? What would we do?”

Would we say, like a lot of people do today, “Too bad, they deserve what they get.” Or, we might say, “It’s not my problem, man!”

Boy, we sure do hear that attitude around these days!

Or to put it in contemporary terms …What are we to do today … who are living comfortably … when we know that others are suffering in the world? In other words, “What kind of people are we?”

Well, I hope that’s not what the Moses story means for us today. Because if it is, then it is just a very quaint little story which may or may not have happened a long time ago … which has no meaning for us today at all. Right? But, maybe that is not true. Maybe the story of Moses has some real relevance for each of our lives today. Let’s take a look:

9. To begin with, several things are important in this encounter between God and Moses:

a. First of all – it happens in the midst of the ordinary. Moses
is not out looking for something – he is tending his flocks. It actually arises out of everyday reality. In short, God really can find us wherever we are in life … we even can hear God right here …right here and now. Like Moses, we cannot really hide from God, can we?

b. Secondly, God can call anyone. Even someone who is not
all that religious. For, up to that point Moses did not seem to very interested in God. After all, he was not a priest. In fact, he may not really even have known who God is … because in the story, God actually has to introduce himself … “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham …”

c. Thirdly, God does not call upon Abraham just to have some kind of spiritual experience. No, this is not about an abstract God we contemplate to our personal inner satisfaction. No, in the Bible, God is very concrete and specific. Religion, for the Hebrews, especially the prophets and Jesus, is about what we do. “I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt.”
“I will send you…” Do you grasp the significance of that statement? God doesn’t say, “Get out of the way, I will take care of things.” No, God sends Moses. God works through people in this world. That means us. God works through us. That’s how it happens. Why? We don’t know. But, God depends on us to get things done. As someone said, “We are God’s hands.”


d. Fourthly, Moses objects. Moses strenuously objects. After all, like Moses, how do we know that what we are called to do … is really from God? For, as we know, there are many people running around who talk very convincingly about doing God’s will or claiming God is on “their side” when we really suspect it is just a case of self interest. Well, maybe one way to tell is to ask is it something God wants or is it something that we want. That is
sometimes the real test. “Who am I that I should go?” says Moses very honestly. In other words, “Find somebody else!” Who has not said or thought that? “Not me God. I’m too busy. I’ve got other things to do.”

e. But, then, in the midst of doubt, comese the reassurance of God. “I will be with you.” This is crucial. For even with God, there are no guarantees. Think about it. What are the odds against Moses? And this is where we have to get away from the Biblical literalism … which … in retrospect… make it seem like a walk in the park. For the truth is God does not always make everything work out in advance … like some kind of Wizard of Oz. No, when God calls people…to act…it is often in spite of the odds against them. After all, did Martin Luther King … or Nelson Mandela … have a rock solid guaranteed outcome promised to them? Probably not. And Martin Luther King was assassinated … but not before he had made a tremendous difference in the lives of black (and white) people in this country.

No guarantees, though. That is what faith is all about. And, when it comes right down to it, do we remember King only because he was successful (to the extent he was) … or do we remember him because of what he stood for? And this is what is really most important to all of us in our lives … that while sometimes we may not always be successful we are not alone for who can forget how s the prophets many times did not always succeed in getting God’s message across to the Hebrew people either. In fact, we realize God is not successful quite a bit of the time. For it is not an easy task to get people to do what is right in this world. We see it every day, don’t we?

No, what God wants is faithful people … who are willing to live out their lives faithfully … even in spite of failure … and even in spite of success … merely because God is with them.

10. Lastly, Moses asks for a sign … “If I go to the Israelites and say the God of you ancestors has sent me … and they ask “What is his name? What will I say?”

Good question.

And of course … God says the famous words … “I am who I am.”

Which mean, in other words … “I’m not going to tell you.”

Again … here is a trace of humor. Do you see it? Here is a touch of irony. After all, Moses really has quite a bit of chutzpah to be asking this question of God in the first place don’t you think?

Have you ever had someone ask something that was a little too personal? We all have, haven’t we? Not too long ago, a friend of mine changed jobs and presumably was making more money at his new position. So another friend who is a little too nosey at times … came right out and asked him how much money he was making. And he answered by saying, “I’m not going to tell you.”

In other words … “None of your business.”

Well, what does this mean to us? Well, it means that we only get to know so much about God. In reality, tt is just enough to know what God is like … and that means, for Moses, that “God is the God of the Hebrew People.” Or, for us, we would say, “God is the God of Jesus Christ.” Do we need to know any more? Isn’t that enough?

11. Now this business of being “called” has important implications for our lives … now … today. This is because I believe that we are all called in smaller or larger ways to do God’s will.

Of course, it’s not always easy … because …

a. sometimes we don’t want to do what we are needed to do
b. or we don’t think we are capable … it’s too hard …
c. or it’s seems unimportant – it doesn’t matter
d. or it seems impossible – it’ll never work
e. it also may not make us rich .. or happier

Like Moses in the desert, think of all the excuses we can think of to avoid doing what we know should be done?

And, yet, we know, it is something that must be done. By whom? By us, of course. For it seems that sometimes in life … we are the only ones … because of our position in the family, or at work, or in the community …we are the only ones who can do it. And we know it. So, it falls to us.

Have you ever felt called on like that to do something. To actually help someone. Or, to speak out about something unpopular? Or, to take responsibility for something that needed doing.

How did it feel to be called?

We’ve all done it some time in our life – haven’t we?

And, believe it or not, we don’t have to be perfect to do it, either, do we. And we don’t have to be famous, either. Isn’t that right?

Now, think for a moment about those midwives … Shiprah and Puah. Who has every heard of them? And yet, what did they do? They refused to do the will of Pharaoh and instead do the will of God. What if they had acted differently? Well … no more Moses, that’s what!!! He would have been killed.

Was that easy to do? No, chances are they, too, could have been killed. And yet, they put themselves on the line, because what the Pharaoh was asking them to do was wrong. For, no matter what, it is simply wrong to murder innocent children – for any reason.

12. So, in closing, we must realize that our lesson for today … is not that we should be like Moses exactly … for very few are called to fill that kind of dramatic a role in life …

But, we can be like the midwives …

And if we carry the metaphor a little further … let us ask ourselves how in various ways we, too, can give birth to things in our own lives and the lives of others.

And, let us ask ourselves, how is doing God’s will a bit like giving birth … in so far as it often requires a great deal of time, and much patience … for we know that God’s will doesn’t always produce immediate results … isn’t that true?

And also, in doing God’s will, there is often difficulty and sometimes suffering … and much uncertainty … and sometimes we don’t always get to see the outcome we expect … Just like Moses who never did live to enjoy the promise land.

And, yet, there is also joy … and satisfaction … in the short and in the long run when we know that God is working through us … and beside us … and that we are not alone.

That is a terrific thing.

And sometimes, it is not always something we must do … sometimes it is something we must not do … something we must stop doing … something we must give up … in order to accomplish what needs to be done.

So, our lesson for today … is to ask ourselves … what is God calling me to do in my life … today … not just what I want to do … but what really needs to be done …





And although God may not be calling us … right at the moment … because maybe we are too busy going along tending our sheep … but someday the time will come when suddenly … it is there … right in front of us … the thing that needs to be done … and we know it … just like seeing God in a burning bush … and it is a moment of truth … so to speak … and we do it because it must be done as if our life depends on it.

When that happens, what will we say? … How will we act? What will we do?

Let us pray ….