Raising Lazarus – John 11
- June 12, 2023
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Guest minister, Da’rryl Hall, fills in for Pastor Lee this week and brings a message from John 11 on the resurrection of Lazarus.
Guest minister, Da’rryl Hall, fills in for Pastor Lee this week and brings a message from John 11 on the resurrection of Lazarus.
Well, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 17. As I mentioned in this weekend’s email, we’ve finally entered the vacation season and folks will be taking trips to the beach and the mountains and burning up the roadways. And I thought about our study in Exodus and, just like our families hitting the highways, the Israelites are on the desert road in the wilderness.
Two weeks ago, we left Marah (the place of bitter waters) and we traveled on the desert road to (Eleem) Elim – that oasis in the desert where there were 12 pools of water and 70 palm trees (one pool for each of the tribes of Israel, and one palm tree for each of the 70 elders). Then, last week, we checked out of hotel (Eleem) Elim and traveled down the road to the wilderness of (Seen) Sin. It’s not sin. It’s a transliteration of the Hebrew name Siyn. There’s no connection with what we mean by “sin.” And on the way we ran out of bread; and God, in His great mercy and grace, provided manna from heaven and quail at night.
Today, we leave the wilderness of (Seen) Sin and travel passed Dophkah and Alush – neither of which are mentioned here, but they are referenced on the roadmap in Numbers 33:12-13 – and we come to our final resting spot of Rephidim. Feels just like a real modern-day road trip, doesn’t it. And I can hear the entire congregation (like little children in the backseat), “Pastor, are we there yet?” “No, we have 23 more chapters to go.” (You get a break next week. My friend, Da’rryl Hall will be preaching in my absence.) But today, we’re going to read Exodus 17:1-7, so follow along with me:
1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of (Seen) Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
(A brief prayer) “Father, what we know not, teach us. What we have not, give us. And what we are not, make us. For we pray this in the name of You Son, Jesus. Amen.”
As with any road trip, particularly with young children, you’re thinking about those landmarks, those points of interest along the way that kind of break of the trip into smaller, more manageable sections. For example, if you leave from Greer (on I-85) headed towards Charlotte, what’s one of the first landmarks that you’re looking for? (Gaffney Peach, right?) If you’re related to my family, then you stop at the exit just prior to the peach, because that’s where the Gaffney Outlet Marketplace (a.k.a. the Yellow Buildings) is located.
On the same stretch of interstate (I-85), if you’re leaving Greenville headed towards Atlanta what’s one of those landmarks that you’re looking for? (Chateau Elan Winery, right?) Cause, if you’re like me, you’re needing a glass (or two) by that point. Once again, if you’re related to my family then you stop a few exits earlier at the Tanger Outlets in Commerce, GA. Have I ever told you that I don’t like to stop when I’m on a road trip. It’s a race, folks. And all those cars we just passed the last few hours are going to leapfrog over us and we’re going to have to pass them again. Anyway, I digress.
That’s what we’re going to do today. I’m breaking these seven verses down into four (4) landmarks, four points of interest, if you will, and the first is…
“All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of (Seen) Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink” (Exodus 17:1).
We’ve seen this before, and here it is again. God led His people to a campsite with no water. This was His plan. He led them there. You can see that in middle of verse 1. They moved “by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim.” God is commanding the movements of Israel. Do you remember the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night? We were introduced to God’s miraculous presence back in Exodus 13, when the Israelites are leaving Egypt and we’re told that it was God who led them. Moses is the human agent, but God is literally leading them by way of the pillar of cloud and fire. And so it is that God leads them to this place where there’s no water to drink.
If you’re a Christian, this is your life. The Apostle Paul puts it like this, “[God] works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). James, the half-brother of Jesus says, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15). Job had an interesting take on this. He said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). And the psalmist writes, “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases” (Psalm 115:3).
There are several of you who are encamped at Rephidim right now – a place where there’s no water. And as far you can see, it’s wilderness in every direction. At least that’s what it looks like. And yet, this text says you’re not there by accident. Proverbs 20:24 says, “The LORD directs our steps…” (NLT). And one of the purposes of these seven verses, and this sermon, is to help us see and feel why that’s Good News. So, the main point of landmark number one is that God has led His people to a campsite with no water. And that brings us to the second point of interest…
“Therefore, the people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ And Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?’ But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Exodus 17:2–3)
Again, it’s the same song, second verse. Right? Israel didn’t trust that God’s providence was good. Rather, they accused Moses, which is the equivalent of accusing God, and they accused him of harmful and evil purposes. I mentioned this last week, but it bears repeating. We need to be careful when we grumble and complain against God. And let’s be honest, we do grumble against the Lord. (By the way, what’s the Hebrew word for grumble? Luwn/loon.) We need to be oh so careful, because we come close to blasphemy.
Remember what the Israelites said last week? “It would have been better for us to die in Egypt, rather than come out here to the desert and die of hunger” (Exodus 16:3, paraphrased). Basically, God, it would’ve been better had You not saved us, had You not redeemed us, had You not rescued us from our miserable existence. And when we complain, sometimes we come oh so close to suggesting that it would’ve been better had Jesus never died for our sins.
Whatever is happening here (or not happening here) is not happening fast enough, and so they demand water. “Give us water to drink!” And Moses basically says, “Hey, your quarrel is out of place. It’s not a quarrel with me. When you raise your voice at me, you’re actually trying God’s patience.” Look at verse 2, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” (Exodus 17:2).
Then in verse 3, we hear the heart of the indictment. Now, notice what they don’t ask. They don’t ask, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?” That’s not the question. No, they ask, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” They aren’t questioning God’s timing. They’re questioning God’s goodness. They aren’t saying that God is incompetent to give them water. They aren’t saying that He’s unable. No. They’re saying He doesn’t intend to. Their view is that God’s purposes aren’t saving – they’re murderous. Again, close to blasphemy.
When Moses says, in verse 2, “Why do you test the LORD?” there’s a warning in those words. Don’t try God’s patience. It runs out for people who don’t trust Him, people who despise His ways. We know how the story of this generation ends. “None of the men who have seen My glory and My signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put Me to the test [a.k.a. tried my patience] these ten times and have not obeyed My voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised Me shall see it” (Numbers 14:22–23).
We may not understand all the reasons why God chooses a waterless encampment for us. But story after story after story in the Bible, including this one, is God’s roar from heaven: “Just trust me. Please, trust me.” They didn’t. That brings us to point of interest number three…
Look back at verses 4-6, “So Moses cried to the LORD, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.’ And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.”
Like last week, this is where I have difficulty wrapping my head around God’s mercy and grace and love. He doesn’t smite them. He doesn’t blind them. He doesn’t cause anything evil to happen to them. Rather, God’s life-giving presence toward absolutely undeserving people goes on. His patience has not run out. Not yet.
What’s God’s answer to Moses’s question? His answer is, “I’m going to give them water to drink.” But to make it as amazing as possible, He describes four ways that this miracle of life-giving grace comes about.
First, the miracle will be public. “Pass on before the people” (Exodus 17:5). They indicted us in public. We’ll be vindicated in public, “before the people.”
Second, it will be well attested by the elders. “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel” (Exodus 17:5). This will become part of what they know and teach and how they judge the people.
Third, this miracle will be seen as a continuation of the miracles of the ten plagues in Egypt. “. . . and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go” (Exodus 17:5). Moses only struck the Nile once with his staff. Back in chapter 7, “In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood” (Exodus 7:20). In other words, “I’m going to use this staff that turned water into blood, but today I’m going to turn a rock into a water fountain.” Same staff. Same power. Same God. Same grace. True then. And true today in our waterless wilderness.
Lastly, this miracle of life-giving grace will come about by the Lord’s presence. This is best of all. This is the most wonderful. “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink” (Exodus 17:6).
God says “My presence IS your life. You think you need water? What you need is ME.” He could’ve said, “I’m done with this rebellious people” and withdrawn His presence. But He didn’t. He might have said, “I’m done. I’m not putting up with this any longer. I’m going to the top of mount Horeb and I’m going to unleash my lightning bolt, and strike this rock and bring water up from the depths of the earth like I did in Noah’s day.” But He didn’t do that either. Rather, He said, “When you strike the rock, I will be standing on the rock.”
Why would He do that? Because what you and I need more than water is the presence of God. That’s what the psalmist says, “The steadfast love of the LORD is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). At the end of the day, what’s been the point of God choosing the people of Israel, making a covenant with her, leading her down to Egypt, bringing her out by a mighty hand, and taking her out into the wilderness? Here’s the way God says it in Exodus 19:4-5, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples” (Exodus 19:4-5).
You think you need water, but in reality, what you need is Me. So, the main point at this pitstop is that God’s life-giving presence toward undeserving people goes on. His patience has not run out. That leads us to the final point of interest…
Verse 7, “And [Moses] called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7).
The story doesn’t have a happy ending. There’s no repentance. There’s no awakened faith. There’s not even any water, just a promise of water. “The people will drink” (Exodus 17:6). No doubt the water came. After all, God keeps His word. But Moses means for the story to end on a note of Israel’s failure.
Moses doesn’t name the place “Grace abounding,” or “Water from the Rock,” or “God is faithful.” He names it Massah and Meribah. Massah means “testing.” Meribah means “quarreling.” Then he makes the meaning explicit: “. . . because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD” (Exodus 17:7).
Verse 7 is connected to verses 2-3 where Moses said, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” (Exodus 17:2). And that’s where the story ends – almost. Moses has one final indictment at the end of verse 7. He means for us to see the greatest failure in the light of the greatest gift. So, verse 7 ends, “They tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not’” (Exodus 17:7). Just one verse earlier, God had said, “I will stand before you on the rock” (Exodus 17:6). But the people said, “We don’t even know if He’s here or if He intends to kill us.”
So, we step back and ask ourselves, “What’s Moses’s aim? What’s God’s aim in telling us this story?” The way Moses tells the story, failure is at the front and the back. The story begins and ends with Israel quarreling with Moses and testing God. It begins and ends with unbelief. They don’t trust God. They harden their hearts against Him. “God brought us into this waterless encampment and He doesn’t intend to be here for us.” And the trumpet blast of this text, echoing throughout the Bible (and today) is don’t be like that.
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put Me to the test and put Me to the proof, though they had seen My work” (Psalm 95:7–9).
“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put Me to the test and saw My works for forty years’” (Hebrews 3:7–9).
“[They] all ate the same spiritual food [manna], and all drank the same spiritual drink. . . . Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. . . . We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did. . . . Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. . . . Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:3–12).
Time and time and time again, the failure of Israel to trust God in the wilderness reverberates through the whole Bible. And the message is this; when God brings you into a waterless encampment, and you see wilderness stretching in every direction with no way out, don’t be like Israel! Trust God. With tears in your eyes and hands on your head in confusion, trust Him. He brought you into the wilderness. He can bring you out. He led you to Rephidim where there is no water. There’s only a dry rock. But He will take His stand on the rock and be your life.
There once lived a peasant in Crete who deeply loved his life. He enjoyed tilling the soil, feeling the warm sun on his naked back as he worked the fields, and feeling the soil under his feet. He loved the planting, the harvesting, and the very smell of nature. He loved his wife and his family and his friends, and he enjoyed being with them: eating together, drinking wine, talking, and making love. And he loved especially Crete, his, beautiful island! The earth, the sky, the sea, it was his! This was his home.
One day he sensed that death was near. What he feared was not what lay beyond, for he knew God’s goodness and had lived a good life. No, he feared leaving Crete, his wife, his children, his friends, his home, and his land. Thus, as he prepared to die, he grasped in his right hand a few grains of soil from his beloved Crete, and he told his loved ones to bury him with it.
He died, awoke, and found himself at heaven’s gates, the soil still in his hand, and heaven’s gate firmly barred against him. Eventually St. Peter emerged through the gates and spoke to him: ‘You’ve trusted Christ Jesus. You’ve lived faithfully and obediently, and we’ve a place for you inside, but you cannot enter unless you drop that handful of soil. You cannot enter as you are now!’ The man was reluctant to drop the soil and protested: ‘Why? Why must I let go of this soil? Indeed, I cannot! Whatever is inside those gates I have no knowledge of. But this soil, I know . . . it’s my life, it’s my work, it’s my wife and kids, it’s what I know and love, it’s Crete! Why should I let it go for something I know nothing about?’
Peter answered: ‘When you get to heaven you will know why. It’s too difficult to explain. I am asking you to trust, trust that God can give you something better than a few grains of soil.’ But the man refused. In the end, silent and seemingly defeated, Peter left him, closing the large gates behind.
Several minutes later, the gates opened a second time and this time, from them, emerged a young child. She did not try to coax the man into letting go of the soil in his hand. She simply took his hand and, as she did, it opened, and the soil of Crete spilled to the ground. She then led him through the gates. A shock awaited him as he entered heaven; for there, before him, lay all of Crete!
And so, it is for those who are in Christ. When we can’t understand why God had brought us to a waterless camp in the middle of the desert, when we’re encamped at Rephidim and we long to return to former days, when those of us despair of our sinful selves and know that God owes us nothing. So, it is for us. Every undeserved blessing, we will ever receive is owing to the death of Christ. “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Not just He can give us all things, but He will. He will. He will give us everything we need to do His will, and glorify His name, and make it to our heavenly home.
“Our gracious heavenly Father, You have led some of us to this exact spot – a waterless encampment. It may be the death of a loved one, it may be the ending of a marriage, it may be a terminal diagnosis, it may be a financial hardship like none we’ve ever experienced before. Lord, the scenarios are limitless, and yet, here we are: no water. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we ask that You help us to trust You even when it feels as though we’re dying – for what we need isn’t water, it isn’t more money in the bank, it isn’t a spouse, it isn’t perfect health, it’s YOU. You are life. You are truth. You are love. You are the Rock from which comes our salvation – Jesus Christ. It’s in His name that we pray. Amen.”
As always, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 16. This has been one of the most unique books that I’ve ever studied. Now, maybe I say that about every book when I really begin to study. Probably so, but the book of Exodus shows the life of Christ so clearly, and it also highlights the life of a Christian. For example, the Israelites came out of their bondage from Egypt under the blood of a lamb. We saw that back in the tenth and final plague. That’s what happened to me. That’s what happened to you. Under the blood of the perfect Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) we have been spared death in this life and eternal death and separation from God in hell (amen?).
But there’s another picture, there’s another image, there’s another similarity in this Exodus story that parallels our Christian journey and that’s the Red Sea crossing, which is symbolic of our baptism. And if you doubt that connection, if you question that parallel, then take it up with the Apostle Paul, because that’s exactly what he says in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers [and sisters], that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”
So, you have the blood of the Lamb, and baptism, and now they’re out in the wilderness. They’re out there wandering around and that’s a picture of the Church Age. Since the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ all the way up to the rapture of the Church, we’re in what theologians and Bible teachers call the “Church Age.” As such, we’re just like the Israelites. We’re on a journey from Egypt (our life in sin before Jesus) to the Promised Land (our eternal home with Jesus). And that’s what we’re seeing in this journey through the book of Exodus.
But the Israelites continue to face test after test after test, and we do too. G.K. Chesterton said, “Jesus promised His disciples three things – that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.” We like the first two (completely fearless and absurdly happy), but for some reason we scoff at the last one (constant trouble). Yet that’s the reality for every believer – from the first disciples to you and me. Some of those tests and trials are a result of our own sinful choices, but others are a direct result of God’s hand in our lives. And whenever that happens, God has a plan for the tests that He allows us to experience in life. That’s what we’re going to see this morning. So, follow along with me as we read Exodus 16.
1 The whole Israelite community set out from (Eleem) Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning, you will see the glory of the LORD, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the LORD when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.”
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’”
10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.
11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning, you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”
17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So, Moses was angry with them.
21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much – two omers for each person – and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So, bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”
24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commands and My instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”
33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to be kept for the generations to come.”
34 As the LORD commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
36 (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)
“Father, I pray that in the next few moments You would gain honor for Yourself – that You would humble our hearts as we bow before Your Word, that we would free ourselves from the distractions of the world, in order that we might hear Your Holy Spirit and apply Your Scriptures to our lives. Use me, O God, as a coin in the hand of the King – spend me in Your kingdom’s realm for all that I’m worth for I offer this prayer in the name of Christ, Jesus, amen.”
Last week, we concluded with God bringing the Israelites to this place called (Eleem) Elim. It was a place in the wilderness that had 12 pools of water and 70 date palms, and the idea behind that, the principle, the truth that they should have seen and understood is this: God’s got you covered. God’s got this. In the very moment of their despair, in the very midst of their crying, God is providing the answer to their prayer and He’s doing it right underneath their feet.
Brothers and sisters, may we let the weight of that truth sit on us this morning. God hears us. God sees us. God is working, even now, and perhaps right under our very noses, to bring us the relief, the comfort, the blessing that we so desperately need and want. This morning, as usual, I have three things that I want us to see and the first is…
Chapter 16 opens and they’re about 6 weeks out of Egypt. They’ve run out of unleavened bread. You remember, during the Passover, the final plague against Egypt, God tells them not to put any leaven in their bread because they don’t have any time to let it rise. They’re going to have to bake it and move quickly. Well, they had enough bread to last them for about 6 weeks and now they’ve run out and what do they do? You don’t even have to look at the text? What did they do? (They grumbled.)
By the way, fun fact, the Hebrew word for grumble is luwn (loon). Don’t be a loon. Don’t be a grumbler. See, I give you some fun stuff to use at lunch. They grumble. They complain, and now, notice this, they’ve witnessed 10 plagues, they’ve witnessed the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, they’ve seen bitter water turn sweet simply by throwing a stick of wood into the water, they’ve been led down to an oasis called (Eleem) Elim in the middle of the desert and still they grumble. Isn’t that amazing.
But do you know what I find more amazing than that? We do the same thing. We tend to forget the blessings of God from yesterday, from last week, from the previous months and years, and we have the benefit of the Bible. Yet, we fall victim to the same kind of response that Israel did. We grumble. We’re loons.
And notice verse 2. Their grumbling now includes Aaron. Before, it was just Moses, but now they’ve included Aaron. That’s the nature of grumbling; it expands. I’m going to complain about someone today and, if I’m not careful, then tomorrow it’ll be two people and the next day it’ll be three. It’s just an ever-expanding circle. You’ve heard that quote, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” That’s what’s taking place in the lives of these Hebrews, and it’s demonstrating a lack of gratitude, a lack of thanksgiving, and a lack of faith.
And notice how they grumble (verse 3). They couldn’t get Egypt out of their minds; and so, in their hearts they embellished what it was like back in Egypt. What verse 3 is saying is this: they were out by the pool every afternoon drinking Arnold Palmers and BBQing up a storm. In their minds and hearts, it was party central. No, it wasn’t. They were slaves making bricks and barely getting by. But that’s how grumbling works. It clouds our memory. It distorts the facts.
You say, “Pastor, I thought you wanted us to see God’s purpose in testing, but all you’ve talked about is grumbling.” Yes, but in order to appreciate the purpose for God’s test, we have to feel the weight of what brought it about. And here’s God’s purpose in the testing – God had brought them out of Egypt, but now He’s trying to get Egypt out of them. Why do I go through tests? Why do you go through tests? For the same reason. God is working on us to get rid of sin.
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity of going up to Charlotte for the National Conference on Preaching, and I spent two days getting to sit in your seat. I was preached to, rather than being the preacher. And one of the guest preachers was a SC native by the name of Dr. Mac Brunson. I’ve referred to Mac before. He grew up in Greenwood and went to North Greenville and transferred and finished at Furman. Dr. Brunson used this illustration in his sermon and so I’m borrowing it from him. But you remember The Beverly Hillbillies, right? (Of course, you do.)
Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed, a poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. And then one day, he was shootin at some food and up through the ground came a bubblin crude – oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Well, the first thing you know ole Jed’s a millionaire. The kinfolk said, “Jed move away from there. Said, California is the place you ought to be.” So, they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly – Hills that is, swimming pools and movie stars.
Now, if you remember, they pull up to this massive mansion. One of the first mansions that I remember seeing as a kid, assuming I knew what a mansion was. And the Clampett family moved into this mansion, but Granny ain’t happy. She’s depressed. She’s discouraged. She’s despondent. She’s not satisfied. She just doesn’t like that big ole Beverly Hills mansion. So, what did they do for Granny? They go out back and build her a one-room log cabin, with a little front porch and a rocking chair, and you see Granny on that porch rocking in the chair and she’s snapping beans.
And you say, “Pastor, what’s the point?” The point is this: in our Christian life, we often leave the mansion of grace for the ramshackled cabin of sin. God has provided so much for us. And yet, in His provision, we can’t simply trust Him day by day. And so, we long to go back to some old rundown shack of a cabin in our former days as sinners, rather than living in the mansion of God’s grace, and love, and mercy, and forgiveness found in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
What’s God doing with you in the tests of life? What’s God doing with me in the tests of life? He’s saved us from the kingdom of darkness and delivered us to the kingdom of light, and He’s working to get the rest of that old sinful world out of us. He’s testing us to see if we’ll be faithful and obedient to His instruction, to His calling, to His purposes for our lives. That’s God’s purpose in testing, and the second thing is this…
I’m going to show you something that’s hard for me to believe. It’s hard for me to fully comprehend, but I want you to see something right here. Look at verse 3. The Israelites say, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt!” Now, I’m going to tell you what I think these Hebrews are saying. I think they’re saying, “It would have been better for us if we hadn’t listened to God and we didn’t put the blood of the lamb over the doorposts.” Think about the implications of that for a minute. That’s very close to blasphemy. The one thing that saved their sorry tails in Egypt was God’s command for them to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on their doors. And yet, that’s exactly what they’re saying they wish they hadn’t done. It’s as if you and I said, “It would’ve been better if Christ hadn’t died for my sin.” That’s scary. That’s blasphemy.
Follow me here. Don’t give up on me. Stick with me. If you were God, how would you respond to people saying that about your hand of deliverance? I know how I would respond. I’d have zapped them all. Just be glad that Lee Norris isn’t God, because I would’ve killed them all right then and there. But, now, watch this. This is the amazing part that I can’t fully wrap my head around. Look at God’s response in verse 4, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
Folks, that’s GRACE! And not just any grace; that’s AMAZING GRACE! That just blows my mind, that in the face of people who have just spurned your very love and grace and mercy and deliverance and rescue, God says, “That’s okay, I’ll provide what only I can provide. I’ll cause bread to rain down from heaven.” To think of the things that I’ve regretted or thought in my mind or my heart against God, the things that I knew were absolutely wrong and sinful and outside of God’s will and yet I still did them, to know that God had every right to take my life, but instead He blessed me… It’s just too much.
And this is not just physical provision. Yes, it’s physical provision. But it’s more than that. It’s spiritual provision too. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 says, “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Does that not remind you of somebody else that faced testing? And He faced testing from none other than Satan himself, and yet Jesus responded, in the midst of His hunger – the very same issue that these Israelites were facing (hunger) – and He responded by quoting this verse.
God’s provision in times of testing is perfect. It’s physical and it’s spiritual. That’s God’s purpose and God’s provision, let’s close by looking at…
Look at verses 34-35. These verses are a great example of Moses slipping into the narrative or interrupting the flow of past remembrance by inserting present reality. What I mean is that verses 34-35 are not a direct part of the narrative. We’ve been following the Jewish people in their journey, but they haven’t gotten to Mt. Sinai yet. They haven’t received the Ten Commandments yet. They haven’t made it all the way to the Promised Land yet, but Moses is writing as if they have.
That’s because when Moses writes Exodus 16, he’s remembering their previous experience and they’re standing on the banks of the Jordan River getting ready to enter the Promised Land. And some of the manna, at the direction of the LORD, was put into a jar and preserved so that the people could remember God’s presence with them in the wilderness.
It’s not too uncommon to read in the earlier pages of the Old Testament, and even here in Exodus, of people living into their hundreds. Moses died at 120. Aaron died at 123. Joshua died at 110. We don’t know how old Caleb was when he died, but we know he was 85 when the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land and he fought against the Amalekites. Not only was the manna God’s daily provision for the people of Israel to help them survive the wilderness wandering, but it also served as proof of His presence. Just as He manifested Himself in the pillar of cloud and fire. Just as He came down and visited with Moses on Mt. Sinai and delivered the Law. He was also present in the jar of manna that did not spoil and was preserved for future generations.
In a similar way, our lives are proof of God’s presence. The Apostle Paul would put it like this in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay…” What’s the treasure that Paul is referring to? It’s the Gospel. It’s the Good News of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. It’s the reality that our relationship with God can be made right through Jesus. It’s the story of how Jesus redeemed us from our Egypt, our slavery, our sin. And what are the jars of clay that this message, this manna, this proof is kept in? It’s us. It’s our lives.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” When, by God’s power and strength and mercy, we weather the storms and the tests of life and testify to His goodness and grace and faithfulness, then our very lives become the proof of God’s presence for future generations.
God’s purpose in our testing is to weed out sin and make us more like Him. God’s provision in our testing is the physical and spiritual strength of His manna, His heavenly bread, His Word. And God’s proof in our testing is the gospel of Jesus manifested in our lives so that future generations might see and give Him glory and honor.
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 15. Back in 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven gave the commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin. Many of you have heard that speech or seen that speech, and the reason I know is because several of you have sent it to me. Apparently, it resonated with you, or you felt (for some reason) that I needed to hear it. Either way, it’s kind of popular and you can find it on YouTube. (In fact, I’ll link it to my sermon – for those of you that go to our website and read my transcript.)
Admiral McRaven spent more than 36 years in the U.S. Navy; beginning as an Ensign serving as a Navy SEAL and retiring as a 4-star Admiral and the Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. He would go on to become the Chancellor of the University of Texas System, which is a government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions.
In May 2014, just before his selection as the next chancellor, he was invited to give his now famous University of Texas commencement speech. Three years later, he would go on to expand upon that speech and write a little book titled Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World. And one of the things that he shared with those graduating seniors was this (and I quote):
Every day, during training, you were challenged with multiple physical events: long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics – something designed to test your mettle. Every event had standards – times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those times and standards, then your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the list were invited to a circus.
A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics, designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit. No one wanted a circus. A circus meant that for that day you didn’t measure up. A circus meant more fatigue, and more fatigue meant the following day would be more difficult and more circuses were likely. But, at some time during SEAL training, everyone made the circus list.
But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Over time, those students who did two hours of extra calisthenics got stronger and stronger. The pain of the circuses built inner strength and physical resiliency. Life is filled with circuses. You will fail, and you will likely fail often. It will be painful and it will be discouraging. At times, it will test you to your very core.
Now, if you didn’t catch what Admiral McRaven was saying, he’s saying this: there is no quick way to becoming a Navy SEAL. It takes hours and hours and hours of dedicated training and mental and physical fortitude. There’s no silver bullet. There’s no way of becoming a Navy SEAL painlessly or instantly.
And the same thing is true with the Christian life. There is no way to painlessly or instantly gain spiritual maturity. There’s no spiritual gift that makes you spiritually mature overnight. If you’ve trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then you’re in a process that the biblical authors, and theologians, and pastors call sanctification. Your justification – that is the moment of you salvation, the moment you were forgiven of your sin and given the gift of grace – that was instantaneous. Sanctification is the process of making the redeemed person, the “saved” person, the “born again” person more like Jesus. That process will continue (yes, with ebbs and flows) from this day until the day that Jesus calls you home.
There’s no quick way to spiritual maturity and that’s exactly what we’re going to see this morning in Exodus 15. Follow along with me beginning with verse 22:
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. That is why the place is called Marah. 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
“O God, once again, we thank You for Your Holy Word – a Word that is truth and leads us to know, love and serve You more faithfully. As we turn to Your Word, O Lord, do not let our desire for information dominate our need for transformation. Rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit, allow us hear the word and be moved to greater faith and obedience. For we offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
Now, two weeks ago, we left the Israelites standing on the banks of the Red Sea in a worship service. They’re there in a celebration service. They’re singing contemporary praise songs. And you say, “Now, pastor, how do you know it was a contemporary worship service?” Because it was a brand-new song. You know, at some point, Bach was contemporary.
So, they’re there and they’re giving God worship and praise and glory for delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians. They had just witnessed and participated in this monumental miracle of the Red Sea crossing. God had parted the waters of the Red Sea so they could walk through on dry ground. They witnessed the cloud of darkness coming between them and the Egyptians. There was confusion and disorientation on the Egyptian side of the cloud, and yet, on the Hebrew side it was all light. And God brought them through the Red Sea and when the Egyptians followed, God brought the waters back in upon the Egyptians so that they all perished. We saw how God even showed them the dead bodies, so as to convince them that their enemy was totally destroyed.
But what they don’t realize is that God is going to lead them into the wilderness before He ever leads them into the Promised Land. God is going to take them through a process in order to show them what’s in their hearts, so that He can prepare them to go into the Promised Land. And He’s doing the same thing with you and me. God is preparing us – those of us that have trusted Him – He’s preparing us for heaven. That’s one of the reasons why we go through the trials and tribulations of life – to prepare us for our eternal dwelling. And what I want us to ask ourselves this morning is this: Do we only sing in the days of triumph, or do we also sing in the days of trouble?
Verse 22 says that “Moses led the Israelites from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur,” and while Moses was the human agent that God used, he was also the representative of God. We saw that a few weeks ago. Moses is the one lifting his arms and speaking and doing the acting, but it’s God through Moses that’s actually doing the work. So, too, here. God, through Moses, moves the people from the Red Sea into the Desert. And just in case you’re doubting whether God would move us from triumph to trouble, just remember who led Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism in the Jordan (the Holy Spirit, Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4). And what happened in the Wilderness (Jesus was tempted).
Notice that it only took the Israelites three (3) days to go from singing songs of praise and worship and celebration, to grumbling and panic and worry. And this same pattern is true in our lives. Oh, sure, we can see it so clearly in the text and the lives of the Israelites, but we’re not as quick to recognize it in our own lives. But it’s true. No, it doesn’t happen every Sunday. I understand that. But frequently we come to church, and we fellowship and sing and worship and have a great time of refreshment in the presence of the Lord, only to go to lunch or go back home and just a few hours later find ourselves grumbling and complaining and worrying about something.
Perhaps, like the Israelites, we’re complaining about having to go to a family member’s house for lunch. Or maybe we don’t like our options for lunch. Or maybe you’re worried (because you’re the host) that people aren’t going to like lunch. Sometimes we have meetings on Sunday afternoons or evenings, for various things, and we complain about having to go back to church. I know. I do it too. Maybe we get through an entire Sunday and have nothing but praise and celebration and a sweet time of fellowship with the Lord, but I could guarantee if you went back and watched the days that followed, then we’d find some point in those days where we were prone to grumble, and complain, and worry about something.
And it almost always follows victory. It happens in my life. It happens in your life. It happens in the corporate life of the church. Listen to me. You and I will never experience a spiritual victory that goes uncontested by Satan. We will go through times and periods in our lives where God gives us spiritual victory – and it doesn’t need to be anything big either; like I said, it could be something as simple as a great morning of worship – but Satan is always looking for opportunities to contest those moments.
You would think that seeing the waters of the Red Sea separate and pile up on either side and the ground dry up and being able to walk through without nary a drop of water on your feet would be enough to trust God in any and every circumstance, but not so. And, oh, how many times have we said to ourselves in the quiet moments, “God, if You would just do this or that…then I’d always trust You, I’d always follow You, I’d never question You again.” But you know what? Miracles seldom have that impact on us. Shoot! Even the disciples missed it from time to time.
Back over in Mark 6 – you don’t have to turn there, but you can if you wish – Jesus has just finished feeding the 5,000 and He tells His disciples to get in the boat and meet Him on the other side. Jesus dismisses the crowd and then goes up to the mountaintop to pray. When the evening comes, He sees the disciples out on the Sea of Galilee struggling against the wind and He walks out to them on the water. This isn’t the occasion where Jesus is asleep in the boat, and He wakes up to rebuke the wind and the waves. That’s a separate event.
No, this time, Jesus comes to them walking on the water and they believe He’s a ghost and they become frightened. Now listen to Mark 6:50-52, “Immediately He spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” Folks, it hadn’t been more than a few hours (at the most) since they had witnessed this miraculous feeding of 5,000 with so little food, and yet they couldn’t imagine that Jesus could come to them walking on the water.
The same is true for me and you. The same was true for the Hebrews. They had failed to learn that they could utterly trust God. They get here to Marah, and they grumble. Lord, once again, we ask that You help us to trust You. Help us to remember. Help us to recall. Help us to be reminded of the many times and the various ways that You’ve been there in the past, so that we don’t grumble and complain against You. Help us to sing in the day of trouble just as we sing in the day of triumph.
Notice verse 25, “There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.” And you say, “Pastor, why would God want to test us?” Well, I don’t know that I can speak for every situation, but I know that in my life it’s often not for God’s knowledge, but for my own. God already knows what’s in my heart. I’ve discovered that most of the time, when God tests me – and God does test us, that’s exactly what the passage says – it’s to get me to recognize my own heart.
Some of you may be thinking, “Wait a second, Pastor, I thought I remember the Bible saying that God doesn’t tempt anyone.” And you’re right. God doesn’t tempt anyone (James 1:13), but we aren’t talking about temptation. We’re talking about testing. There’s a difference. Temptation is always toward sin and God is incapable of evil and sin, thus He tempts no one. But testing is often associated with the genuineness of our hearts. Hebrews 11:17 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.” And 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Does God tempt us? No. Does God test us? Absolutely. And most of the time that testing is associated with our hearts and our faith. God asks us, “Do you really trust Me?” Are we genuine in our faith toward God, or are we just deceiving ourselves. That’s the purpose of God’s testing.
In Deuteronomy 8, Moses is speaking to the children of this generation of Israelites. You might recall that this generation of Israelites doesn’t get to enter the Promised Land because of their continued lack of faith, and their continued grumbling. And Moses is speaking to their children, and he says this, “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands” (Deuteronomy 8:1-2). There it is – to test us in order to know what was in our hearts, whether or not we would keep His commands.
Mary Graham used to be one of the ladies that was in charge of the Women of Faith Conferences that were held in various places all over the U.S. and everywhere they held the conferences they were sold out. She told the story of being sold out one night. They were having this great speaker and this wonderful dinner, and every chair was taken and there were women that were coming in that had purchased tickets and they were standing around the walls but there were no more seats. And so, these women who had purchased tickets were beginning to get hot and upset, and the entire venue was hot because there were so many people in the place.
Well, Mary got together with the manager of the venue, and they decided to swap some of the chairs out for more compact chairs. So, they did that, but now these women were all kind of bunched up next to one another and it wasn’t comfortable to eat and fellowship.
Now Mary is just beside herself. She can’t believe that they overbooked and there’s all this discontent and she’s in tears that things aren’t working out. She decides that the only thing left is to cancel the event. So, she goes back to talk to the guest speaker and relay the news. She says, “I’m terribly sorry, but the women are so upset about the seating situation and there’s nothing else we can do. And you probably don’t want to go out and speak to them.”
But the speaker says, “No, no, no, let me go out there and talk to the ladies.” So, Joni Eareckson Tada wheels herself out and says, “I understand you don’t like the chairs that you’re in.” And she continues, “I don’t like the chair that I’m in either, and I have 1,000 handicapped friends that would change seats with you in a second.”
Testing comes in the Christian life. How do we respond to the testing? Do we only sing songs of praise to our God in our triumph, or do we also sing songs of praise in our troubles?
Look back at verse 26, “[Moses] said, ‘If you listen carefully…” Do you see those two words there: listen/carefully. In the Hebrew it’s the exact same word – shawmah. One is the indicative tense and the other is the imperative tense. The best way of explaining this is to show you what’s happening. When you have a child or even a teenager and they aren’t paying any attention, sometimes we say, “Listen. Listen!!!!” That’s the idea. God is speaking through Moses in order to teach the Israelites and He wants to get their attention and He says, “[Listen, listen] to the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
You may want to make another note there. That’s a new name for God. It’s the first time that it’s used in the Bible. In the Hebrew it’s the name Jehovah-Rapha – the God who heals you. Do you see what God is saying here? Do you see what He’s doing here? God comes to Moses and He says, “Pick up that log and throw it into the bitter water and watch it become sweet.” And that’s exactly what He says to you and me through Jesus Christ. Jesus came and threw Himself down on the tree, and God took that tree and threw it into the bitterness of our sin and out of the bitterness of our sin comes the sweetness of His salvation.
And what does God do in all of His goodness and mercy and grace? Does He yank them up and spank them? No, but that’s what we do. What does God do? He takes them seven (7) miles. That’s interesting. The number seven is considered to be a “perfect” number in the Bible, and so God takes them the perfect distance into the desert to a place called Elim where there are twelve (12) natural water pools with clear, fresh water, and seventy (70) date palm trees. One pool for each tribe and one tree for every elder, and the Israelites drink and rest in the shadow of God’s goodness and grace and mercy. And that’s what He does for us.
While the Israelites were grumbling and complaining, under their feet, God was sending their answer. You and I don’t know where it’s coming from or how it’s going to get there, but I’m telling you (child of God) He is Jehovah-Rapha – the God that will heal you. If you’ll just stop your grumbling and put your trust in Him, He’s got an unseen resource that’s making its way to you.
“O God, You are so good to us. In the midst of our grumbling and complaining, You have the answer on the way. What a good God You are. What a merciful God You are. What an infinitely patient God You are. And Lord, we are eternally grateful that You are that kind of God. In Christ Jesus, You have taken away the bitterness of our sin and hold out the free gift of Your sweet salvation, if we will just trust You. Father, there may be someone here this morning that needs to respond to Your sweet gift of salvation through Jesus. Would You move in their hearts. Father, for the rest of us, we’re just like these Israelites. We move from moments of sweet worship back into the bitterness of complaining and grumbling. Would you, by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, put a new song in our hearts – that we might sing of the mercies of the Lord even in the days of our trials and testing. We give You all the praise and glory for what You’re doing in these moments. And we offer this prayer in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Since this is Mother’s Day, I want us to consider what Paul has to say to Titus about mothers. So, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Paul’s little letter to Titus. It’s after 2 Timothy, and just before Philemon. As you’re finding it, let me read to you the quintessential job description for motherhood.
POSITION/TITLE: Mother, Mom, Mama
JOB DESCRIPTION: Long-term team players needed, for challenging permanent work, in an often-chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required – including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties are also required; frequently, on very short notice.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Must provide on-the-site training in basic life skills such as nose-blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating conflict resolution and crisis management, the ability to suture minor flesh wounds is a plus. Must be able to think outside the box but not lose track of the box, because you will most likely need it for a school project. Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and financial disputes fairly unless you want to hear, “He got more than I did,” the rest of your life. Also, must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions, while simultaneously practicing the abovementioned skills in conflict resolution. Must be able to choose your battles and stick to your guns. Must be able to stand criticism such as, “You don’t know anything.” Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite your tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat – in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute and an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery-operated devices. Must have diverse knowledge base so as to answer questions such as, “What makes the wind move.” Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18, because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS: No health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered – however, this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life, if you play your cards right.
Hopefully, you’ve located Titus 2:1, 3-5. I’m going to begin with the first verse, “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine… Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
“Father, as we have sought to worship You this morning in spirit and truth, we now turn to Your Word and ask that You speak to us through it. Would the Holy Spirit match our needs to Your truth, and grant that as we leave this morning, we would walk out of here having communed with the living God, and Jesus Christ, Your only Son, whom You sent to be our Savior, Lord and Friend. It’s in His name that we pray, amen.”
The first question we have to address when studying this text is how to define older and younger women? The ladies all smile, waiting anxiously to see how the preacher is going to approach the matter, and the men all cringe thinking, “He’s a fool.” There are two ways that I believe we can determine this:
That’s about as close as I’m going to get to answering this question. Let’s look at the older women first.
Paul says that they should be reverent. I translated it as godly. Take the English understanding of the word “temple” and put it together with the English understanding of the word “behavior” and you get the idea behind the Greek word for “reverent.” In other words, there was supposed to be some correspondence between the outward appearance and the inward attitude. We experience this all the time when we order things online. You go to your favorite online store; you find something that you like, and you order it. A few days later, a package arrives, and you open it up with the confidence that what’s inside is what you ordered. That’s the concept of reverence. Older women are steady, they’re admirable. Their lives demonstrate what’s in their heart.
Second, he calls them not to be slanderers. Now this clearly has to do with our speech. And most of us recognize that when we speak, we can either build up or we can tear down. It looks to me like Paul is encouraging them to build people up. I’m reminded of James 3:9 that says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness.” Paul says, as an older woman you should be careful to have positive speech.
Third, they should not be addicted to much wine. I wrote the word disciplined down. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I’m going to focus on the drinking, but not so. I think the issue Paul was concerned about was addiction. People that have addictive behavioral issues are held captive by something outside of themselves. Addictions rob us of so much. Addictions don’t just negatively affect the people that have them, but everyone that person has a relationship with. I believe Paul is encouraging a life that has order, routine, and discipline.
Finally, they should teach (the younger) what is good. Now there are several ways to teach, but the word that’s used here is not the classroom word for teaching. What’s used here is a word that conveys counseling, modeling, mentoring. These women know that they have learned much in their journey and it’s up to them to pass along these lessons to the next generation. She is wise, winsome and relationally approachable. According to Paul, the profile for older women is that they should encourage and mentor the next generation of women in successful family life, which sounds a lot like what E.F. Brown, a psychologist, wrote. He said, “Older women play a very important part in society. How large a part one doesn’t realize until one witnesses a social life from which they have been absent. Kindly grandmothers are the natural advisors of the young of both sexes.”
I found a description of a grandmother by a 5-year-old boy and thought it fitting. He says:
A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own. She loves other people’s little boys and girls. Grandmothers don’t have anything to do but be there. They’re old, so they shouldn’t play hard or run. It’s enough if they drive us to the market where there are pretend horses as long as they have lots of quarters. Or if they take us for walks, they should slow down for caterpillars and pretty leaves. They should never say hurry up. Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth off. Grandmothers don’t have to be smart; they only have to answer questions like, “Why isn’t God married and how come dogs chase cats?” Grandmothers don’t talk baby talk to you like strangers do, because it’s too hard to understand. And when they read to us, they don’t skip or mind if they read the same story over and over again. Everybody should have a grandmother, especially if they don’t have television, because they’re the only grownups who seem to have time.
Paul says there’s a place – a needed place – for older women in the Christian community. And I have been blessed, and continue to be blessed, by many a “grand mother” in our church. Women of Mountain Hill, thank you for being a mother to your pastor.
The second half of the equation is for the younger women. They’re being trained to love their husbands and children. There are several words for love that Paul could have chosen but the one he chose was the demonstrative one. They’re to demonstrate love.
Harvard’s Preschool Dept. completed a study on children and moms. They published those results in a book called The Origins of Human Competence by Burton L. White. I’m not going to go into detail about their results except to say that they discovered what the church has been saying for centuries and that’s simply that there’s no substitute for moms and the special kind of love they demonstrate. These results can be found time and time again. And I know that this subject can be very difficult and sensitive, especially for those of you that may have never had children. Paul urges the younger women to love their children and their husbands. Moms, you mean more to your children, your husband, and your families than you’ll ever know.
Next, Paul tells them to be self-controlled and pure. The word used here means sensible.
Third, he wants them to be busy at home. According to some studies, this number is on the rise. There are more and more women who are choosing to leave their professional careers to make the home their number one priority. This doesn’t mean that they’re leaving secular jobs just to hang out at home. I like 1 Timothy 5 where Paul talks about women managing the home. Of course, in those days, a woman had to be able to go to the market and bid on a goat and bring it home, kill it, skin it, and cook it. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to do that anymore? But in some ways, it’s just as difficult and the term managing fits our world. Moms have to juggle the schedules of their kids, schoolwork, practices, games, Dr. appointments, washing clothes, cooking, and in some cases even their husband’s schedules. And I think that’s what Paul is saying to these young women – your number one priority and challenge is your home, you kids, your husband.
Fourth, he asks them to be kind. This is a fascinating idea. It means to excel, to shine, to surpass expectation. They’re to be warm, inviting, and outgoing. Their house is the house in the neighborhood where all the kids gather.
I’m reminded of my years at The Citadel. One of my dad’s classmates, Glenn Lister and his wife Jane were like that. They had 2 sons – the oldest was a year ahead of me at The Citadel and the youngest was a year behind. They lived in Mount Pleasant and were very active with FCA on campus, which was one of the few student organizations that were allowed to combine its meeting with the College of Charleston. Through FCA and due to the fact Glenn was my dad’s classmate, I got to know the Listers really well and went to their house several times. It was always occupied by college kids and other youth, none of whom were their children. People freely came and went, at all hours of the day and night, and we made ourselves at home – eating from the pantry and grabbing drinks from the fridge. I believe that’s the picture that Paul desires to see.
Lastly, she is subject to her own husband. There’s no passivity, there’s no dominance here. They’re a team – she’s her husband’s joy, his friend, his partner. She’s making a deep and lasting impact by creating the wholesome and sheltering environment of a Christian home for her family. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this job is the most selfless position that a woman could aspire to have. Philippians 2 reminds us to have the mind of Christ and put other people before ourselves and this is most certainly true of our moms. They’re always putting our interests ahead of their own.
There’s a wonderful Spanish proverb that says, “An ounce of mom is better than a pound of priest.” If the culture around you, the society you see, the world that you live in seems to taste bad, then it’s probably because we’ve changed the recipe and substituted something for the place and honor of mom.
As I conclude this morning, I don’t want us to miss something very important. If you still have your Bibles open, then I want you to notice that Paul writes to Titus about 3 groups of people in this chapter. We’ve obviously been focusing on the women today, but Paul also addresses older men, younger men and slaves. After addressing each group, Paul gives them (and us) the reason for his teaching, and the reasons given aren’t solely for the group he just finished speaking to, but for all of us.
Look at the endings of verses 5, 8 and 10. Each of those verses end with the phrase “so that” or “in order that” or “for the purpose that” . . . “so that no one will malign the word of God.” (v. 5), “so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” (v. 8), and “so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” (v. 10).
The point is this; as God’s representatives, we make the gospel message of His salvation and love attractive or disreputable by the way we live. Like it or not, God has, in His mysterious sovereignty, placed upon you and me the responsibility of living in a manner worthy of the name of Jesus Christ. We are co-laborers, in a sense, with the Holy Spirit in drawing people to faith in Christ. I didn’t say that we save people from their sins. Only the Savior can do that. However, we are witnesses and examples of what can happen to a sinner when the Savior comes into the heart and changes a life.
People are in desperate need of seeing a true demonstration of God’s nature. People long to see those who live according to their creeds, people who rise above common failures and demonstrate that life need not be abandoned to futility and self-gratification. Deep in their souls, the unbelieving world watches Christians, hoping to find someone whose life and message match.
The answer lies in our being a people unashamed of truth, pure in behavior, and thoroughly consumed with love for others. Society needs to witness a community made up of rich and poor, old and young, minorities and whites, liberals and conservatives – people who form a community as diverse as society, yet who aren’t threatened by their differences because they’re united by someone larger than themselves – Jesus Christ. It’s for Him that we seek to be good mothers and fathers and children.
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 15. Last week, I mentioned that Exodus 14 & 15 basically tell the same story – the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, and God’s redemption and rescue of the Israelites. Exodus 14 is the narrative or “fact-based” telling of the story, and Exodus 15 is the poetic or “musically-based” version. The details of the story don’t change, but the way that those details are conveyed is dramatically different. Well, today we’re looking at the musical/poetic version.
Before we read the text, however, let me just give you a little word about Hebrew poetry? Hebrew poetry wasn’t built around rhyming words but rather around rhyming thoughts. It’s called parallelism. Most of the poetry that we grew up with sounded like this: “Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.” There’s this cadence and this rhyming of words that we’re familiar with. But, in Hebrew, they would rhyme thoughts or contrast thoughts.
Follow me here, there’s something called synthetic of synonymous parallelism. It’s where you state a thought, and then you state another thought that sounds like the first one but just a little different. It’s rhyming the thought. For example, I might say, “Mountain Hill is the most amazing church”, and then follow that up by saying, “Of all the churches I know, Mountain Hill is the most amazing.” Those statements are essentially the same, but they’re stated differently and the second one had a little qualifier added to it. By adding that little phrase, I’ve actually intensified the statement. That’s how Hebrew poetry works. Hopefully, that will help you to appreciate these verses and the song that Moses wrote. Let’s read it (shall we?).
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,
“I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His Name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host He cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. 6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. 7 In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow Your adversaries; You send out Your fury; it consumes them like stubble. 8 At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ 10 You blew with Your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
13 “You have led in Your steadfast love the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy abode. 14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of Your arm, they are still as a stone, till Your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom You have purchased. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on Your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. 18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.”
“Father, we bow now humbly and ask that the Spirit of God will open up to us the truth of the Bible and that the Spirit of God will open up our hearts to receive that truth. To the glory of your Son’s name we pray. Amen.”
As we were finishing up, last Sunday, I mentioned that this is the very first song recorded for us in the Bible. And because of that I want us to see what this song has to teach us about worship. Unlike my usual outline of three points, today’s sermon has eight, which means the points are shorter and I have to move quicker.
Notice the first word of verse 1. What is it? (Then.) When is “then,” – after God delivered them. Right? After God opened up the Red Sea and after the Red Sea swallowed up the enemies of Israel, then they sang this song.
Now remember, when they were in Egypt they had no song. They only had sighing. They had groaning. They had crying. They weren’t singing any songs of worship. Back in chapter 2 we read, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:23-24). Sighing, crying, and groaning: those were the marks of Israel in Egypt. But God delivered them and then they sang. God turned their sighing into singing. So, the first thing we notice is that singing was their response to God’s deliverance.
The Prophet Isaiah said, “O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You; I will praise Your name, (why?) for You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure” (Isaiah 25:1). Worship is the proper response of our hearts toward God. Even Jesus said, “The first and greatest commandment is this, that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all of your mind, all of your soul, all of your strength” (Mark 12:30). That’s true worship.
That means God comes before hobbies, before recreation, before television, before sports, before your children, God is number one. But let’s be honest; why shouldn’t we, after all, God already knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Psalm 94:11; Matthew 9:4). Look, if this wasn’t Sunday morning at 11AM, and I was talking to you on any other day of the week and said, “Would you rather go with me to a worship service or play golf, what would you choose?” Most would choose golf. (Well, maybe not, I’m not a very good golfer. You might choose worship.) If you were given the option between attending a worship service or watching your favorite movie, most would choose the movie. Worship or fishing? I know what I’m choosing. (Fishing)
Worship is the natural response of people who know what God has done for them – redeemed them, rescued them, loved them, forgave them, provided for them. God has done so much for us, and is PRESENTLY doing so much for us, that our immediate and natural response should always be to worship Him.
The second characteristic of worship is that it’s focused. Look back at verse 2, “The LORD is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. He is my God and I will praise Him. My father’s God and I will exalt Him.” Worship is all about God; and more specifically, it’s all about Jesus. This is the third week in a row that we’ve seen that. It’s all about Him. It’s all for His glory. It’s all about the Lord. If you just run your finger back over this song of Moses, and count the number of times that you see the name LORD, you’ll discover that it’s mentioned 14 times in 21 verses.
It’s interesting to me that in the actual event of the Red Sea crossing the instrument that God uses is Moses. Moses was the representative of God. God said “Moses stretch out your hands, stretch out your rod over the sea” and Moses did (Exodus 14:16, 26, paraphrased). From a human perspective, Moses was the one doing the activity, yet Moses is never mentioned in this song. You might say, “Well, that’s because Moses wrote the song and he’s being humble.” No, Moses knows that true worship is all about God. It’s theocentric. It’s God-centered, not man-centered.
Moses is the instrument, but you don’t worship the instrument, you worship God. God is the One who used the instrument to bring about the blessing. So, you worship God for the medicine, but you don’t worship the medicine. You worship God for the doctor, but you don’t worship the doctor. You worship God for the job or the paycheck, but you don’t worship the boss or the company. You worship God for the pastor, but please, please, please (I beg of you) never worship the pastor (especially this one).
Do me a favor. Look at the titles of the hymns and worship songs that we’re singing today. “Praise Him! Praise Him!” “We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer.” “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty.” “God of the Promise.” “Turn Your Eyes.” Contrary to what some might think, Ray doesn’t just close his eyes and flip through the hymnal and pick the first song he stops on (do you?). No. I know he doesn’t do that. We’ve discussed his worship philosophy. Ray approaches each service with prayer and submission to the movement of the Holy Spirit. And thus, our worship is God-centered. We’re telling Him that He’s awesome. We’re telling Him that we love Him and why?
The late Dr. D. James Kennedy said, “Most people think of the church as a drama with the minister as the chief actor and God as the prompter and the laity [congregation] as the critic. What is actually the case is the congregation is the chief actor. The minister is the prompter and God is the critic.“ So, it’s all for the Lord. Moses focused everything on God. Related to this, but distinct from it is our third characteristic of worship.
True worship is the worship of the one true God. Notice verse 11, “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Do you remember some of the gods of Egypt? We talked about them during the plagues. There was Amun-Ra, the sun god. There was Heca or Hecit, the frog goddess. There was Wadjet a god that was depicted as a serpent (remember Moses throwing down his staff?). There was Hapi the god of the Nile. There was Apis the god of strength, depicted as a bull. We’re going to run into his influence when the Israelites fashion a golden calf.
Those were the gods of Egypt. What Moses is saying in verse 11 is that all of those gods and goddesses combined can’t even hold a candle to the true and living God. That’s true worship. It’s very exclusive. “Who is like You O God?” (Answer: nobody) That’s probably the biggest reason people don’t like Christianity, because it’s exclusive. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
Here’s the principle. God doesn’t want any competition. And, do you know why? Because there is no competition. All the other gods and goddess are false. They’re fake. They’re not real. They’re concocted by men and women. Just read the first chapter of Romans. God is very exclusive, and He makes no apologies when He says, “The LORD your God is a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 4:24). Some people hear that and say, “I can’t believe God says He’s jealous.”
Let me ask you; have you ever loved somebody? If you genuinely love somebody there’s going to be a godly, holy, righteous jealousy – that protective kind of love that says, “I will not share my wife/husband with anyone else.” The Bible refers to Christians and the Church as the Bride of Christ and Jesus as the bridegroom. Our singular devotion, our singular worship should be to the Lord. He wants no substitutes. He doesn’t want you to worship anything or anyone else but Him – not angels, not the virgin Mary, not the Apostle Paul, not Peter, and again, certainly not your pastor. Worship is exclusive, which leads to characteristic number four.
If God is the Redeemer, then the people that He buys back are the redeemed. If He is the Lord (and He should be), then we are His servants. True worship is a relationship. Lord, servant, redeemer, redeemed. Verses 13-18 speak of God’s people in contrast to the
other peoples around them, and it’s clear there’s a relationship there.
Here’s the deal. I don’t exactly know how to say it, but you can tell someone that genuinely knows the Lord Jesus Christ. They don’t get clammy when you ask about Him. They don’t stutter and stammer. They’re happy to discuss the Bible and the stories that have impacted them (and why). Many times, though not always, they’re eager to pray in front of other people. Why? Because they know their heavenly Father. They talk to Him regularly. They aren’t searching for churchy words. They aren’t afraid of saying the wrong thing. They may not know all of the theological words and language, but you can just tell that they have a real relationship with Jesus.
God says to Israel “You’re mine. Yes, I made you but I have also redeemed you with all of those plagues, all of those judgments and this Red Sea episode. You’re mine because I bought you.” And that’s the relationship that we have in worship with God. The Apostle Paul would put it like this, “you are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
So that’s the song. There are more principles of worship, but the song is technically done. Verse 20 formally introduces us to Moses’ sister Miriam. We were first introduced to her in chapter 2, when Moses was floated down the Nile. Remember that? But we aren’t given her name until right now. And we’re also told that she’s a prophetess. It’s also the first time the word “prophetess” is given to somebody, and it’s given to Miriam.
We’re told that Miriam took the tambourine in her hand and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. Now, there is a dear sister in the Lord that lives here on the mountain – a friend to many of us – and I cannot read this without thinking of my sister in the faith, Fifi Smith. For those of you that don’t know Fifi, you’ll know her when you meet her because she’ll be dancing a playing a tambourine. Lord bless her. But notice what Miriam said, “Sing to the LORD for He is triumphed gloriously, the horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.” And that introduces us to the fifth characteristic of worship.
Verse 1 says the same thing – sing to the Lord. The bible never tells God’s people to sing perfectly, nor does it say to sing harmoniously. In fact, the Bible doesn’t even say to sing joyfully – not explicitly anyway. What the Bible does say is for us to make a joyful noise. The question isn’t do you have a voice, and can you sing well? The real question is do you have a song in your heart? If you’re a Christian, you should have a song in your heart and worship should be a happy experience. Even if you don’t “feel like it,” God is still worthy whether we feel like it or not. He’s still good whether we feel like it or not. So, tell Him. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name” (1 Chronicles 16:29). Closely related but, again, distinct from it is number six…
Music has always been a part of worship – from the Old Testament through the New Testament. I know there’s controversy in some churches about musical instruments vs. a cappella. I’m not going to get into that. Honestly, I think it’s a lame argument and easily overthrown. I’m just going to say that worship music has always been a part of God’s people giving Him praise and glory. And if you read the Old Testament and the moving of the Ark of the Covenant, or certain battles, or feast days, or in the temple of Jerusalem where the choirs of David and the Levites and the musicians lead the people in worship, you’ll discovery that Psalm 150 says, “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes, praise Him with loud cymbals, praise Him with clashing cymbals.” All of those are musical instruments.
One of my favorite quotes on music, though I don’t agree with everything Martin Luther said was this, “Next to theology I give to music the highest place in honor. Music is the art of the prophets and the only art that can claim the agitations of the soul. It is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents that God has given us. If any man despises music, for him I have no liking. For music is a gift and grace from God not the invention of man.” So, worship
is musical. Naturally, that leads to the seventh characteristic.
It includes the body. 1 Timothy 2:8 says, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.” I know that some of you lift your hands in worship, but many of us don’t. I don’t see this verse, by Paul, as a mandate, nor do I see it as a restriction. It’s just one of the physical responses to God, because when you lift up hands it’s a welcome sign (of sorts). It’s a sign of surrender. Like in the movies, they hold the gun up to you and say “Put your hands up,” because when your hands are up you can’t be preoccupied with anything else. You can’t be texting a friend or calling the police. You can’t be searching for a gun. You’re in a position of surrender.
But also notice that they’re dancing. Now that brings up a question, particularly for an earlier generation, “Can Christians dance?” I’ve had people asked me that. Here’s my typical response, “Well, some can and some can’t.” For example, I can’t dance. I was given many gifts and talents but dancing wasn’t one of them. By the way, most of what passes as dancing today is not biblical and it’s certainly not God-honoring. But technically speaking, yes, Christians can dance, and it can be a way of worship.
Enough said on that. Here’s the point, the reason worship is physical is because it can’t be passive. Again, think about genuine love. Love between a husband/wife. True love has to be demonstrated. It has to be active. Listen, I guarantee you if a husband asked his wife or a guy asked his girlfriend to marry him to become his wife, and they just said “Honey, I love you. I’m never going to say it to you again. You just need to believe me this one time.” If that’s what he said and did, and he never demonstrated it in any acts of kindness or servitude, it would be a very miserable marriage. True love is never passive. It’s active and it involves the body.
Whether it’s dancing before the Lord, or raising holy hands, or kneeling, or bowing down, or standing – all of which are recorded in the Psalms – they’re all physical responses in worship. And that brings us to the eight and final characteristic of worship (at least for today)…
You remember when Jesus meets the woman at the well (in John 4)? Jesus came and engaged in a conversation with her, and in order to get Jesus to stop inquiring about her romantic relationships she started talking about worship. Remember that? She said “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but You say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him’” (John 4:20-21, 23).
Worship doesn’t have to include all of these characteristics, but it certainly isn’t less than this. The way I figure it is like this: How you worship publicly is determined in large part by how you worship privately. If you’re not a private worshiper, if you never worship on your own before God, then chances are you’re going to come to church and say “Okay, whatever I don’t get it I’ll let them sing and I’ll just sort of watch.” If worship isn’t a part of the fabric of your daily life, then that’s how you’ll view it. “Ho hum. Whatever.” But, if the pump is already primed and you’re engaging in honest conversation with the Lord through prayer, if you’re responding to God in the ways that He moves in your life, if you’re singing and making music in your heart, if you’re giving everything to Him and Him alone, then when you get together it’s like unloosing the dam. The faucet is just turned on and it’s just a continuation of what is always been going on in your heart.
We’re getting ready to come to the Lord’s Table – another physical, vocal, response to what God has done for us – but it’s also a demonstration of a relationship. So, as our deacons make their way forward and as Ray begins to play, I just want to ask you: Have you personally come to a place in your life where you’ve surrendered your heart, soul, mind and body to the lordship of Jesus Christ? If not, I want to give you that opportunity as we close. Let’s pray:
“Father as we move our attention to Your Table, we open our hearts to you. We thank you for the things we’ve learned. Many of these things we’re already familiar with, they’ve just been reinforced by reading this chapter, especially the nature of coming in contact with the true and living God. It just makes sense that if we know You – the one, true and living God – that our worship will be true and living as well. It will reflect the God that we know, the Redeemer that we serve, and the Savior that we worship. Lord, there may be some here today, who are still very thirsty. They find themselves in a wilderness where there’s no water. They’ve tried the wells of this world but they’ve come up empty. As surely as I’m speaking to them now, may they hear Jesus say, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).”
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 14. The last time that we were together we left the Hebrews in the wilderness like sitting ducks. They were bait, in a trap for Pharaoh, and we got to get them out of there. Whenever I use the word “bait” I can’t help but think about fishing. After all, I’m a fisherman. And when you cast your line out into the water and you feel the fish take the bait you have to set the hook. Well, that’s where we are. And it’s time to see God set the hook and spring the trap and deliver Israel from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. So, follow along with me. I’ll begin at verse 15 and read to the end of the chapter.
15 The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.
“Gracious God, we turn now to Your Word, and to Your voice we want to listen. Guard my thoughts and my words and our minds and hearts. May the Holy Spirit open Your Word to us, and open our lives to Your truth. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.”
The Israelites are literally caught between the devil and the deep Red Sea, and yet where does God tell them to go (v. 15)? Go forward. “God, that doesn’t make sense. There’s water in front of us. We don’t see it. We don’t understand what you mean – ‘go forward.’” Now, this is one of those places where we have to put ourselves in the Israelites shoes. See, we’re so familiar with this story, we know how it all ends, and so the temptation is for us to criticize the Israelites. “Guys, the LORD is going to split the Red Sea and you’re going to walk across on dry ground.” But let’s be honest; the Israelites had no way of knowing what was going to happen. And so many times in our own lives we look at our own situation and we feel like the Israelites.
“God, I lost my job and bills are piling up and I don’t know how we’re going to make ends meet. What do I do? Where do I go?” (Go forward.) “But God, that’s ridiculous. What do You mean, ‘Go forward?’” (Go forward – take the next step.)
“Lord, You know that our marriage is a mess. She won’t talk to me. He’s never home. The intimacy and closeness that we once shared is absent. What do I do? Where do I go?” (Go forward.) “But God, it’s been gone for so long. Emotions are so cold and actions are so empty.” (Go forward – follow Me and take the next step.)
“Father, the doctors say there’s nothing else that can be done. The cancer isn’t responding. The pain isn’t going away. What do I do? Where do I go?” (God forward.) “Lord, did You hear what I just said? The doctors are all out of options.” (Go forward in faith.)
Do you see how the stories of our lives so frequently seem to match what Israel is facing? An army intent on killing and enslaving Israel is bearing down from one direction and what lies ahead is the depths and danger of the Red Sea. What bears down on us from one direction seeks to enslave us in fear, enslave us in sin, kill our joy, kill our spirit, kill our soul, and what lies ahead is just as impossible.
And yet, the direction that was seemingly impossible was exactly what God had in mind. God blocked every other escape. He blocked every other exit. Why? Look at verse 18, “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” It was all for God’s glory.
There’s a reason that we use the term “miracle.” It’s because there’s no other explanation except for God. If the Israelites had evaded capture by any other route, then the Egyptians wouldn’t have come to the realization that our God is the Lord Almighty. And the Egyptians do eventually realize this just before they’re killed – see verse 25, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Often, God will call us to keep moving forward in faith because He wants to gain glory for Himself. And I just want to ask you to think about how many times you and I might have stolen God’s glory because we insisted on going our way, rather than going God’s way – moving forward.
But also notice that God shows us His protection. Look back at verses 19-20, “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.”
Just a side note, here. Do you see that phrase “angel of God.” Many scholars, including your pastor, believe this is a reference to the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Whether or not that’s true is still up for debate, but what’s not up for debate – based on the phrase itself and the number of times and where it’s used in the Old Testament – is that this is no ordinary angel from heaven.
Even those scholars that don’t see this as a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Jesus, definitely agree that it’s a visual manifestation of the Almighty God and not merely an angel. Because the angel of God and the pillar of cloud are equated with one another. They were one and the same thing. In these verses God shows Himself to be a protector of His people through the pillar, not merely a guide to them. It’s one thing to go on safari with a guide; it’s another thing when that guide stands between you and a charging lion. That’s what God does for us. He shows us the way, but He also protects us from the evil one.
The pillar of cloud came between Egypt and Israel in such a way as to be darkness for the one and light for the other. That word “darkness” in verse 20 is the Hebrew word choshek. It means “dark” or “obscure.” The vision of the Egyptians was obscured. They couldn’t see what was in front of them or behind them or beside them. We have some pretty thick fog on the mountain from time-to-time, and sometimes it’s so thick that you literally can’t see out the window. Some of you have been in wintery conditions and blizzards and you know first-hand what it means to be in a white out. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but sometimes when you’re flying and you’re in the clouds you can’t see the horizon and you might as well be staring at a blank sheet of copy paper – everything within your field of vision is the same color. That’s what happened to the Egyptians.
And yet, the other side of that cloud is the first nightlight in history. God gives the Israelites light in the night. They’re able to see. They’re able to pack up their camp and prepare to cross the Red Sea. But it wasn’t just God providing light for them, He also “drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
Listen, like you, I’ve seen all of these shows on the History Channel and National Geographic and such that question the events of the Red Sea crossing. “Was it the Reed Sea or the Red Sea? Was there a wind or can it be explained in other ways?” All that kind of stuff. Do me a favor. Flip over to Exodus 15:8. Exodus 15 is a retelling of Exodus 14, only it’s done in poetic form – specifically a song. We’ll look at that in more detail next week. But I want you to see what Exodus 15:8 says, “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up.”
You say, “Pastor, are you saying that’s what happened? God blasted through His nostrils and that was the east wind.” I’m not saying that’s what happened. I’m simply suggesting that’s what the song of Moses says happened, and I believe the point that Moses is trying to make in his musical version of the Red Sea crossing is that this miraculous event was no harder for God than it is for us to snort. Separating the waters of the Red Sea was not a difficult thing for God. Yes, from our perspective it was a great miracle. It’s unbelievable. But, for God, it was nothing more than blowing His nose. Do you remember what the angel Gabriel told Mary when she wondered whether or not she would actually become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Before we move to the last point, let me show you one more thing. Look back at Exodus 14:22, “And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” Do you still have Exodus 15:8? Look at the next part, “the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.” There’s not a woman in this room that doesn’t understand that. Ladies, you mix up all this stuff and what do you do with it? You put it where? (Fridge.) But this is an east wind in the Middle East – nothing cold about that – and yet in the midst of this hot air God caused the waters to be congealed. The Hebrew word literally means “to be thick.”
God protected His people by causing the pillar of cloud to obscure the Egyptians view and yet, at the same time, provide light to the Israelites. He protected His people by causing the waters to pile up and congeal and be like a wall on their left and right so that they might walk through on dry ground. Not only does God guide us in His direction, but God guides us with His protection. Now, let me show you the last thing.
God guides us to His completion. Listen to this from Hebrews 1:3, speaking of Jesus, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.” That word “uphold” is the Greek word pheró. Not Pharaoh, like the Old Testament, that’s the Egyptian king. This is pheró. Not only does it mean to “hold up,” but it means “to carry or bring to it’s ultimate conclusion.” Let me tell you something, God will hold your life up and He will get you where He wants you to be. He will take us, come what may, in this crazy, whacky, weird world… He will take us, one day, to the very foot of the throne of Almighty God. That’s where we’re headed. That’s where He’ll take us. He brings all of this to completion.
We know that the Egyptians followed the Israelites into the Red Sea and when they did it became difficult for them because their chariot wheels got bogged down in the mud. It was dry land just a moment ago, but now it’s getting muddy and when the Egyptians were in the middle of the Red Sea, the Lord (through Moses) released the waters and the Egyptians drowned. Now, look at Exodus 14:30, “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”
Why do you suppose God had the Israelites view these dead Egyptians washing up on the seashore? The Hebrews needed to see that their enemy was no more. They needed to see that the people who held them all their lives, and their parents all their lives, and their grandparents all their lives – the people that were pursuing them to take them back into slavery or kill them – they needed to see that their enemy was defeated. And we need that too! With the sin in my own life, I long to see God defeat it and show me the dead demons. I need Him to show me that this sin has been dealt with and it has no power over me any longer.
The Apostle Paul would put it this way, in Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [W]ho shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [N]o, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:1, 33-35, 37-39).
We conquer!!! We need to hear that. We need to know that. That our enemy is defeated. That Christ has dealt with him. And that we are no longer in bondage or enslaved, and we no longer have to do the things that the flesh tell us to do. Listen to me folks, it’s not the quantity of your faith and it’s not even the quality of your faith. It is the object of your faith. It’s WHO our faith is in that will see us through to completion. And when these Israelites see that their enemy has been defeated, they break out in praise and worship.
As we close, I want you to see one final thing that confirms this point that God guides us to His completion. Look at Exodus 15. Most of your Bibles have a heading above that chapter. What does it say? (The Song of Moses.) This is the first song that’s recorded in the Bible. Do me a favor and turn to Revelation 15:1-4 and I’m going to show you the last song recorded in the Bible.
“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire – and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.”
“Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your Name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
God guides us in His direction. God guides us with His protection. And God guides us to His completion.
As always, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 13. It’s rather humorous, some of the things that I think about in preparing sermons. For example, like all of you, I’m out driving to the hospital this week and, inevitably, I come upon the dreaded orange road sign and brake lights. The ubiquitous orange safety cones and flashing arrows indicating that the road narrows and traffic has come to a stop.
Now, there’s a part of me that says, “Well, good, they’re finally putting our tax dollars to use and fixing this road.” But then, you get to the spot and realize they’re just patching a 20’ section, and you think, “At least, traveling 60 mph, when I hit that spot, in the future, the drive will be smooth for 3/10’s of a second.” Well, maybe you don’t think that, but I do. I know… It’s probably more likely that some of you are thinking, “I wish the *&#$ in Columbia would fix the &@%* road the right way.” Then you smile and wave as you drive by. But that’s a sermon for another day.
Seriously, though, I came upon several of those road construction places this week, and it got me thinking about the importance of roads – good roads. If asked to list the greatest inventions of ALL time, most of us would probably include on that list the wheel. I mean, don’t you know that guy/gal is wondering where their royalties are? But the paved road rarely gets its fair share of love. The wheel (yay). The pneumatic tire (even better). But the road (nah).
And then, I ran across this from Jim Forest and his book The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life:
Roads are the circulatory system of the human race and the original information highway. From times long before the written word, roads linked house to house, town to town, and city to city. Without roads there are no communities. Roads not only connect towns but give birth to them. They pass through all borders, checkpoints, and barriers, connecting not only friend to friend but foe to foe. Far older than passports, the road is an invitation to cross frontiers, to start a dialogue, to end enmity. Each road gives witness to the need we have to be in touch with one another.
Roman roads tend to run straight, but in many cultures, roads take many turns as they search out fords, avoid marshes, find higher ground, touch wells and pubs, and seek holy places.
Roads are life giving. They provide the primary infrastructure of social life. Without them, there is no commerce. Without roads and the delivery systems they support, we would starve.
Roads mark the way to safety. Paths tell the traveler how to get around a chasm or find a ford to cross the river. They point the way through marshes and around quicksand. Roads not only take us toward each other but, when we need to be rescued from society, they lead us to solitude.
And what we’re going to discover this morning – at the end of Exodus 13 and the beginning of Exodus 14 – is a road that is long and winding and never seems to end. (In fact, fun bit of trivia this morning. What was The Beatles last number one hit before they disbanded? The Long and Winding Road.) An entire generation of Israelites (except for Joshua and Caleb) will die and never get to the end of the road that begins here in Exodus 13-14.
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
“Father, thank You that because of Your faithfulness to Your Word and to Your people, we have this record of triumph that we now turn to. We pray that You will help us to both understand what the Bible says and what it means and why it matters. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.”
God didn’t take the Israelites down the most convenient road. God didn’t take them down the fastest road, the nearest road, or the easy access road. It was a road that was long, it was winding, it was a struggle, it was difficult, there were hardships, there was suffering along the way, and yet it was the road that God had determined that the Israelites needed to go down. And the way He did that for them is the way He does that for us.
The road you’re on, this morning, may be long. It may be winding, there’s difficulty, there’s struggle, there’s some suffering along the way, but God intends to pour out His blessing upon you on this road – in this journey. Now, most of the time, when we’re on that kind of road we tend to think, “This can’t be God’s will because it’s too hard, it’s too painful, and God must be withholding His blessings from me.” No, that’s not true. Most of the time our vision is blinded by the difficulty that we can’t see the blessings. The same was true for Israel. They couldn’t see how God was blessing them, and using them, and doing something in them.
All they could do was murmur and complain and grumble, and that’s exactly what we do. And we don’t know where God is leading – that’s the thing, “How do I follow God when I have no clue where God is leading me?” Now the Israelites knew they were eventually going to end up at the Promised Land, but they had no clue as to how God was going to lead them there, and it seemed as though God had made a mistake. And this morning, I want to give us three principles about following God down the road He’s leading us on.
Look back at verse 17, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’”
God knows what lies ahead on the road that you’re presently on. In the words of the great theologian, Tim Allen, God “sees to infinity and beyond.” (Toy Story). God can see all the way to the end of the road that you’re on. You and I can’t do that. We have no clue what tomorrow holds. We have plans for tomorrow. We have plans for the coming week. Some of you are so organized in your routines that you have plans for tonight. Listen, we may never make passed this afternoon.
Not only does God know what lies ahead on the road we’re presently on, but God can see the end of every other possible road that we haven’t even taken yet. God knows every twist and turn, bump and hole on every road and every possible alternative that we haven’t even taken. There’s absolutely nothing that we can do, there’s no choice that we can make that will stump God. For all of eternity, God has never once said, “Oh, wow, I didn’t see that coming.”
But here’s the really good news, God knows what road is best for you at any given moment. Notice that God did NOT lead them by the way of the Philistines, although that was closer. Why? Because God knew there was war that way and it would be too much for them. “The way of the land of the Philistines” would later be called the “Via Maris,” or the “way of the sea.” It was a very popular trade and transportation route because it essentially followed the natural boarder of the Mediterranean Sea and the land. And because it was popular and easy, it was also guarded.
The Philistines and the Israelites would bump heads many times over the next several hundred years, but at the moment Israel is just coming out of slavery and they’re carrying Egyptian spoils. Remember the gold and silver and all the herds and the unleavened bread and all the other stuff they ran out of Egypt with last week? Yeah, they’re not presently in any kind of condition to wage war. God knows this, and so to offset their present weakness of not being militarily prepared He doesn’t send them that way.
God also wants to demonstrate their need to depend on Him. If they take the northern route, the easy route, the closer route, the faster route, and they do get through, then God knows they really haven’t learned to depend on Him. And we’ve seen that happen in our own lives. All of us, at one time or another, took the easy route, the fast route, the closer route, and perhaps someone else took the harder route and they learned so much more. They grew more. They appreciated life more. They learned to live on less. They learned to differentiate between an inconvenience and a real crisis. They learned how to pray. They learned how to depend on God.
If you doubt this, then just think about how many times you contrast the present generation with the wartime generation of the 1930’s-1940’s. “Oh, our kids today get so much more than we ever dreamed. Oh, this present generation doesn’t know what real sacrifice looks like. Oh, our young people don’t know what real work looks like.” We say those things, why? Because, in many cases (not all) the present generation has had it easier. God wanted Israel to depend on Him, rather than themselves and God wants the same for us. God wants us to depend on Him, and if we’re always taking the easy road, the fast road, the closer road, how much will we really learn to depend on Him.
If you’ll go back and re-read this section, you’ll never read where God turned to Moses and said, “Hey Moe, what do you think we ought to do here? Should we go left or should we go right?” God never consulted Moses about the course that God wanted the Israelites to take, and to my knowledge God never did that in the rest of Scripture either. God never said to me, “Hey Lee, can you come up with a good idea about how I can save your soul from the pit of hell?”
No man ever sat up in bed at 4AM in the morning and said, “Hey, you know what, I’ve come to the understanding that I’m a sinner. I need to be saved and I need a Savior in order to be saved, and it needs to be a man so that he can understand my condition and my temptations, but he has to be God at the same time because I need a perfect sacrifice. And then, if he’s God, then he’ll be able to take my sin and put it on himself and take his righteousness and put it on me. Yeah, that’s it! That’s the salvation I need!” No man ever dreamed that up. That’s the gift of God.
God never consulted you or me or Adam or Abraham or Moses or David or the Disciples or Paul or anybody about the course of salvation. And you say, “Pastor, why are you turning everything to Jesus? Aren’t we supposed to be looking at the Old Testament and the Exodus?” Yes, but don’t you see that Exodus is a salvation story. And God doesn’t consult with Moses or Aaron or Miriam or anyone else about how He’s going to save them. It’s the same with our salvation in Jesus Christ.
Look back at Exodus 13:20, “And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.” The way of the Philistines was to the north, this was exactly the opposite direction. Now, look at Exodus 14:1-2, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.’”
Have you ever been on an airplane when it turned around and headed back to the airport? Everybody gets the willies. Everybody gets nervous. “What’s going on? Why are we turning around?” The Israelites knew something wasn’t right. And in the midst of that, God gives Moses some instruction, “Hey Moe, you’re going to camp facing a place called God of destruction (Baal-Zephon).” Can’t you hear Moses, “Um, God, I think we passed a Motel 6 back there on the desert highway. You know, they’ll keep the light on for us, and hey, You won’t even need to do the pillar of fire thing.” Can’t you hear Moses? And you begin to wonder if God knows His own directions.
But notice Exodus 14:3, “For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’” Ahh, now we’re beginning to see what’s going on. God’s creating a trap. God’s using this odd back and forth to draw Pharaoh and Egypt into a pursuit. You say, “Well, that’s not really nice of God.” Listen to this, from Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
God is creating a trap for the Egyptians, but it gets better than that. For what purpose is God doing this? Look at verse 4, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” In fact, two more times (vss. 17-18, which we didn’t read), God draws attention to His glory. That’s what the entire book of Exodus is all about – God’s glory. The direction that God has you going, and the road that God has put you on is ultimately about His glory. It’s about God getting glory out of whatever happens to me in this life.
Do you understand that God has something better for you at work than a paycheck every two weeks? It’s His glory. Do you understand that God has something better for you in your marriage than just the two of you fighting it out until the end? It’s His glory. Do you understand that God has something far better for you with your abilities and gifts and talents than just drawing attention to yourself? It’s His glory. There are times that the direction of our life doesn’t make sense. It certainly didn’t make sense to the Israelites (although we’re able to see it). And yet it brings Him glory.
Listen to Romans 11:33-36 (and we’ll move to our final point), Paul writes, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?’ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.”
A faithful and obedient follower of God will follow the course and direction that He establishes. Yes, but how do I do that? Look at Exodus 14:10, “When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD.” The Israelites saw Pharaoh and the Egyptians and they were afraid and they started complaining, “We were having such a wonderful time back in Egypt. Moses, didn’t you see how good we had it back there? Why did you bring us out here to die?”
Now, notice what Moses says (vss. 13-14), “And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.’” The Apostle Paul would say, “We walk by faith and not by (what) sight” (1 Corinthians 5:7). That’s what Moses is saying here. Stop looking at the Egyptians with your eyes and start looking to the LORD by faith.
There’s something right in the middle of these verses (I skipped over it), and it’s just screaming, “Have faith! Have faith! Have faith!” Do you know what it is? Look at Exodus 13:19 (it’s the bones of Joseph), “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.’” Joseph had faith that God would be with the people of Israel and when that time came Joseph wanted his dead bones carried out of Egypt. And I’m not just saying that because it proves the point that God always calls us to walk by faith. I’m quoting Hebrews 11:22 that says, “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.” How in the world could Joseph know that, when the actual event was over 400 years later? He had faith. And we need to have faith, too.
If you’re here this morning and you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, now is the time to do that. In just a second Ray is going to lead us in a closing hymn, and if you’ve never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then you just step out (as everybody begins to sing) and you come see me.
There are others of us here this morning and we’ve been on a long and winding road. The directions just don’t seem to add up. The road has been difficult and painful and we’re not exactly sure why God has brought us out to this desert to die. Today, we’ve been reminded that God’s course and His direction are always leading to His glory. Maybe you just need to pray for God’s forgiveness as you’ve doubted His goodness and mercy and grace and love along the journey.
Maybe you’re here this morning and God has placed you on the road of becoming a member of this Church. You’ve been sitting on the sidelines enjoying the worship and the fellowship, but you know that God wants you to be an official part of the congregation.
However, God is moving you, would you come. Let’s pray: