The Gospel According to Moses in Seven Verbs

A lot of the visitors to our church know very little about God. One of the ways we begin to teach about God is to use the verbs in Exodus 2:23-25. The preacher at our Abilene congregation is Nathan Burrow. He began using the last four verbs in this passage to talk about God, but we realized it would be helpful to use all seven of them. We have found this a very quick way to introduce who God is and how He matters in someone’s life. 

We often call it the gospel according to Moses.

The people of God have been enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years. Generations have come and gone without knowing a different life. Their workload is getting worse. It is in the very next chapter that we find the story of Moses the deliverer who will lead God’s people out of Egypt.

This is also where we find the seven verbs. 

The people of Israel groaned. Good news always stands in contrast to bad news. We live in a hard world. A fallen world. There is pain. There is heartache. People feel hopeless and helpless. 

Cried out for help. Desperate people do desperate things. Things like crying out to a God they are not even sure is real. It sounds like this… “God if you are real”… “God if you are there”… “God please help me.”

Their cry… came up to God. Many desperate people do not really expect to be heard. They pray “just in case.” They pray with all their doubts. They pray even while wondering if those prayers go nowhere at all. But they are not in vain. Those desperate prayers of doubt go straight to God.

God heard their groaning. Not only do prayers go up to God, but He also hears them. Each and every one. It is important for people to learn that God actually hears them.

God remembered His covenant. God remembers. Not in the sense that He has to be reminded. But God’s promises are always in His mind. His love for every person. His desire for everyone to be saved. His promises to those that believe in His Son.

God saw the people. For people who think no one sees them (and thus that no one cares), this is the assurance that God not only hears them but that He sees them. He sees what is done to them. He sees their lives. 

God knew. This is one of the greatest statements in the Bible. God knows. God knows what you need. God knows what is best for you. God knows a future for you. God knows your heart. God knows you. And He knows He loves you.