MOSES – 10
Every time I visit the tomb of Thutmosis III and think of the marvellous ways in which God delivers people. This pharaoh wanted to destroy the people of God but in the process he destroyed himself.
And now we come to the next pharaoh. History calls him Amenhotep II. The record tells us that he became co-ruler of Egypt with his father, Thutmosis III in 1453 BC. He was crowned as the sole ruler of Egypt in June 1450 BC. after his father died in the red sea.
Let me tell you the story as we enter his tomb. During the time of the exodus he was suppressing a revolt in Syro-Palestine and only returned to Egypt in June of 1450 B.C. Can you still remember when the Exodus took place? March 17, 1450, B.C.
Tell me, what did he find on his return to Egypt in June of that year? All the Hebrew slaves who built the beautiful temples and palaces were gone.
And what happened to his mighty co-ruler and father, Thutmosis III? He drowned in the Red sea during the exodus with a large component of the mighty Egyptian army. Let’s look at some of his tomb pictures.
But the greatest shock that awaited Amenhotep II on his return was the discovery that his first born son died during the tenth plague. Keep this fact in mind. In a minute we are going to see what kind of lie the second oldest son told to explain why he became the next Pharaoh.
As I stood next to his sarcophagus I thought of how he must have felt. Distraught, bitter, hurting. I have discovered through the years that if we do not manage hurt, it can easily turn into hatred and bitterness. Most bitter people started out as hurting people.
How did Amenhotep behave? On his arrival at Memphis he was so bitter that he decapitated a few Semitic prisoners of war from Syro-Palestine and displayed their heads on the walls of Karnack.
When I looked at his mummy next to that of his father I thought how easy it is to change from hurt to aggression. The Bible says the only therapy for hurt is to forgive.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The route on which God led Israel to Canaan after leaving Egypt was a long and difficult one. At the Oasis of Mara the water was so bitter they couldn’t drink it. I had some actors performing the act of bitter taste. So what did God do?
He graciously healed the water by placing wood into it. He was trying to teach them to depend on him for changing the bitter experiences into something sweet.
When we bring the cross of Calvary into the water of our bitter experiences they too will become sweet.
Exodus 13:17 gives another reason why He took them on the difficult road.
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, if they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”
Archaeology tells us that at the very time the Israelites would be heading north Amenhotep II and his Egyptian army would be heading south.
God, who was looking from above led His people on a detour through the Sinai Desert to the Promised Land. He saved them from a bloody confrontation.
You may be on one of life’s difficult detours right now. May I assure you that God has your ultimate prosperity in mind and He wants to lead you to fountains of eternal joy? Trust the Shepherd’s leading in your life.
Between the legs of the sphinx is a stele. During our next presentation I am going to read it to you. It is a message from the god Harmakish to Thutmosis IV, the second oldest son of Amenhotep II. You cannot afford to miss out on the greatest lie who conveyed the greatest truth.