Hope for Life's Dilemmas

Exodus 13:17–22

Intro.

(talk about the series of messages… “HOPE FOR HOPELESS CASES”…

‌is an expository series of desperate cases from the Bible.

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‌The Bible is full of desperate cases. We are talking about human situations and circumstances that appear in the Word of God that seem to have no solution. As was the case of the Great Storm on the Sea of Galilee, As the Woman's disease with the flow of blood, The Terrifying Case of the Woman caught in the Act of Adultery... and many other situations that are recorded in the Bible.

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‌Situations that are impossible for the human mind, but are easily resolved by the power of a sovereign God!

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Please pick up your Bibles, and turn to Exodus, chapter 13 - Exodus, chapter 13. I want to talk to you today about this subject: Hope for Life's Dilemmas

Let’s PRAY!

18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.”

The Bible clearly tells us that God did not lead them by the shortest route - a direct route - but God led them by a detour.

‌God led the people around by the desert road

“God made the people go around the desert,”

And why did God lead them this way?

Why didn't God take the shortest route to the Promised Land?

‌Why the detour?

‌We know that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.

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A straight line may be the shortest distance, but it is not always the best route.

Was it was a mistake? No. This was a divine detour.

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God has a purpose in his detours.

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He tells us, very clearly, why he didn't lead them directly, in verse 17:

Exodus 13:17 “17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.””

Let's stop here. (looks at the screen)...

Notice the fact that God guided them.

The Bible says,

Romans 8:14 “14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

We should thank God for this and rejoice that God guides us.

And yet sometimes, friends, we find ourselves in a big mess.

And we found ourselves on country roads.

We find ourselves at dead ends.

We find ourselves in arid places.

And we say, "Well, if God is leading me, then He does’t know the way.

Or else, I don't know how to follow. Or else, I must be out of His will, because if God is leading me, why is this happening?

Why I'm in a dead end or on a deserted road?"

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Well, today we are going to try to answer that with the Word of God.

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Let's discover that God really guides us. And we are on the King's highway. We are on a journey of joy with Christ as our companion, the Holy Spirit as our guide, and the Bible as our map.

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But still, things often don't go exactly as we expect.

We encounter many unexpected dilemmas along the road of life, and yet it is not because we misread the map.

Exodus 13:17–18 “17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

now, let’s pay close attention to what comes next -

I. The Dilemma Called Detours

First of all, I want you to remember that God saves us, and through faith in Jesus Christ and through Him we become children of God.

John 1:12 “12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”

Romans 8:29 “29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

God saves you and enrolls you in a school... and in His’ school there is a subject/discipline that you have to take that is called: "detours", and it appears right here in this text.

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Let’s take a look at the text…

Exodus 13:17 “17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.””

God knew that if He had taken them the direct way, they would have passed through Philistia. And if they had passed through Philistia, they would have encountered the Philistine warriors.

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And when they saw the Philistines, they would have been frightened. And when they were frightened and with their hearts filled with fear, they would have turned around and returned to Egypt.

They would have been discouraged. And they would have been defeated. Therefore, God did not lead them along the shortest path.

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Note: God knew they were not ready. They should fight. There was a war. And God has called us to war - a holy war.

Ephesians 2:10 “10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

After God saves us, he puts us in school: to make us more like Jesus;

Ephesians 6:12 “12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

I am very happy because God knows what I am ready for. God knows what you are ready for.

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God has a land of blessings for you.

God has a place of fulfillment for you.

God has a work for you to do.

God has blessings and more blessings that He wants to give you.

And yet He may even now be leading you on a desert detour! Walking in circles.

‌And you may think that you are outside of God's will.

But you are not outside of God's will.

God has a purpose in His detours.‌

God knows you are not yet prepared for some of the things He has in store for you.

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Therefore, this winding, rocky, deserted and wild road that we sometimes find ourselves on does not mean that we are outside of God's will.

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God guided them. That's the bottom line: God led the people around by the desert road . God did not lead them by the shortest path.

Sometimes, friends, you can get there too quickly. I've seen these ninety-day wonders. They go up like a rocket and come down like a rock. They get there and they want it, and they want it now. But you see, the reason God led them into the wilderness was because it was God's training ground. It was there that He would harden them. Notice where God led them.

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In verse 18, the Bible says: Exodus 13:18 “18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. ...

God made the people go around the desert, following the path that leads to the Red Sea.

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What was this desert like? It was a hard place; it was a place of drought; and it was a place of discipline/teaching.

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What was God doing with them there? Well, God was simply strengthening them, hardening them. It was God's training ground. And God was preparing them.

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Now, without a doubt, they didn't understand. They didn't know what was happening at that time.

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They did not know all that God had in store for them.

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But they didn't need to know: it was enough for God to know.

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They had never seen the Philistines. Without a doubt, they had never heard of the Philistines. They didn't know what was out there.

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God knew they weren't prepared.

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Maybe you've asked God to give you a certain job, but you don't have it yet.

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Maybe you are praying and asking God to give you a big contract...

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Maybe you're praying about your love life or the person you're going to marry...

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Maybe some of you want to go to school...

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Maybe some of you are wanting to go into ministry.

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Perhaps some of you are wondering why you seem to be going in circles.

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You are simply not ready.

Psalm 84:11 “11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

God is never in a hurry.

God called Moses and to prepare him, he spent forty years tending sheep in the desert.

God called Paul, and Paul wasn't ready. Paul went to Arabia.

And God was simply preparing them.

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You know, that's a blessing because we all think we have to be successful in our time! and that we must follow a straight line, or we are outside of God's will.

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It's not necessarily like that.

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The important thing is not that you know; the important thing is that God knows and that you follow Him.

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Note that, in verse 21 of that same chapter, the Bible says:

Exodus 13:21–22 “21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”

This pillar of cloud and this pillar of fire represent the Holy Spirit.

When they left Egypt, they ate the Passover lamb that represents the Lord Jesus Christ. And the pillar of fire and the cloud represent the Holy Spirit to guide them.

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You see, after God redeems us, He sends His Holy Spirit to guide us. And Jesus said:

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John 16:13 “13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” ‌

And just as that pillar of cloud was their guidance in that wilderness, God's Holy Spirit is your guidance and my guidance on life's journey.

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‌And the important thing, ladies and gentlemen, is not that I know the way where I'm going; the important thing is that, day after day, I have my eyes on the pillar of cloud and, night after night, on the pillar of fire. Moment by moment, I need to walk in the Spirit.

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Now, It may be that you are outside of God's will. And you may be walking in circles because you didn't read the map properly and because you didn't listen to your guide. It may be that you are completely out of God's will and are stumbling; and wandering in some desert, and has no business being there. This may happen.

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But I'll tell you something else. It could also be that you are perfectly in God's will, and God knows exactly what he is doing to you, and you are still going around in circles.

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So you see, your job is just to make sure that your eyes are on the Lord Jesus Christ - that, moment by moment, there is the inner witness of that pillar of cloud and that pillar of fire leading you.

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And that's all you need to know. You don't need to know the rest and you don't need to understand why things don't seem to be working out for you right now. God knows some things you don't know.

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God is seeing some Philistines that you don't see. God sees some weaknesses that you don't.

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And God knows some things that maybe you don't know.

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So just keep your eyes on Him and remember the discipline of divine detours.

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God placed them in the desert for a purpose, there was the training ground to strengthen them.

II. The Dilemma Called Dead End

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Now, the second thing I want you to notice is the dilemma of dead ends - the dilemma of dead ends. See, this in chapter 14, beginning in verse 8:

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Exodus 14:8–14 (NIV84)

8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Now, remember that they are still being led by the Lord, and this time they come to something more aggravating than a detour. Detours are annoying. No one likes to enter a detour, on a secondary road. But, friend, there's something worse than a detour: it's when you've been on a detour for a long time and you hit a dead end - amen?

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I mean, when the road just ends there, and there's nowhere to go, it's just a dead end. It was at this point that the Israelites arrived.

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And God is still guiding them.

There - on one side the mountains and on the other side the mountains, and in front the Red Sea, and behind them Pharaoh with his sword shining in the sun and blood in his eyes, and all his armies and all his chariots - they were between the sword and the sea. They were trapped; they were surrounded. There was no way out that they could see.

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And now they start to blame Moses. And their irritation with the detour turns to despair.

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"Moses, don't you know how to read a map?" He read it, yes. He was following the Lord. They weren't there by chance. It is very clear that God led them there.

See chapter 14

‌Exodus 14:1–2 “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.”

They are exactly where God wanted them. God put them there. God led them there. And God did this for a purpose.

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God had a wonderful purpose. And what was the purpose? Look at verse 3:

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Exodus 14:3 “3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’”

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God put them in that dead end because he was preparing the bait for the hook. He was going to judge Pharaoh and was using the Israelites as bait.

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“Pharaoh will think that the Israelites are wandering around in confusion, surrounded by the desert.”

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The Exodus 14:4 “4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.”

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Now let me tell you something else. In life, you will come across some situations that are aggravating and others that are desperate. You will come across both.

There is no home/business/ministry/church that does not go through a place of despair, where you see no way out.

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I mean, you won't have a friend who can give you a suggestion that shows you a way out.

You won't have any book to help you.

You will simply be there, in a desert living the dilemma of dead ends. This is where the people of Israel arrived, led by God.

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I want to tell you something, friend. When a child of God arrives at this place, there is no panic in heaven: only plans. There was never a panic in heaven - ever!

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God knew exactly what he was doing. Now the Jews did not know what God was doing.

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And what I mean is that they were not outside of God's will when they reached this dead end.

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They were right in the center of God's will. It was God who led them there.

And why did God lead them there?

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So that the place of despair became the place of dependence. (Cast completely, totally, upon the Lord.)

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Look at chapter 14, verse 13, and notice what God told the children of Israel to do:

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Exodus 14:13–16 “13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”

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God brought them to the point of desperation so He could bring them to the point of dependence.

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What is the purpose of the dead end in your life? When you get to that place - I mean, by the hand of God, God takes you there - what is the purpose of it? Well, there are four things that God told the Israelites that are true for you today. What does God want you to do?

A. Fear Not

Number one: Fear not. Look at verse 13 – look at it: Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. (Exodus 14:13).

You see, God will allow you to get to a point where it seems like there are all kinds of things to fear, and then He says, “Do not be afraid."

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I don't know where you are today, but one day, even guided by the hand of God, you will reach a dead end.

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And God will take you to that place of despair so that you will learn that there is nothing to fear.

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Three hundred and sixty-five times in the Bible - once for every day of the year - the Bible said, "Fear not," or the equivalent.

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Hebrews 13:6 “6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?””

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So God brings you to that place of despair, (Calvary) so that He can bring you to that place of dependence, (Resurrection) so that He can tell you, "Fear not."

B. Stand Firm

And then He says to you, "Stand firm."

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Please look at verse 13: "Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm…” (Exodus 14:13).

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In other words, it is not in your hands. Ultimately, there is nothing YOU can do.

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The Bible says, in Psalm 46, verse 10: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

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And oh, we hurried. We are so busy manipulating, tempting, conniving, scheming; but finally we come to a place where God corners us: the sea here, the mountain here, the mountain there, and the devil behind. And there is no other way out but up.

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Just stay still. Stay strong. "Be still and know that I am God." We always think we have to do something, even if it's wrong, don't we?

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“We have to do something – just do something.”

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Sometimes God puts us in a place where there is nothing we can do.

There is no lawyer we can turn to.

There is no banker to help us.

There is no doctor to help. There is no one to help us.

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God only says, "Fear not; stand firm"; "Be still, and know that I am God."

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And the place, the dead end that He leads us to - is the place where you learn not to fear and to stand firm - to be still.

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C. See the salvation of the Lord

And then, notice next: "... (Exodus 14:13 “13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. ‌

This does not mean seeing salvation after it happens. It hadn't yet occurred when he told them to see it.

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In other words, you, through the eyes of faith, see what God is going to do.

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This means standing still/steady/quiet and watching God do the miracle, because God didn't do the miracle until they started moving again.

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It means you must stand still/steady/quiet long enough to see what God is going to do.

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You see, we need to learn to see things that are not, as if they already were, for it to be so.

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Hebrews 11:1 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things we do not see.”

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There is a moment of faith when we simply need to say:

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"Dear God, I place myself, in your hands. I refuse to fear. I will stand firm, still, quiet. God, if you don't do it, then it won't be done. But, by faith, I already see “the deliverance that the Lord will bring me”, even when I can’t see it yet.”

D. God shows us the way

If you stand still/steady/quiet long enough

Then, God shows us the way - a way we have never seen before. Look at verse 15:

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Exodus 14:15 “15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” ‌

There is no contradiction here, where it says, on the one hand, "Stay firm/quiet/still" and, on the other hand, where it says move on - "Advance".

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We have to come to that place of rest and trust, where, by faith, we see God in action, and then, again, we move in ways we have never seen before.

And notice the instructions that God gives to Moses: in verse 16:

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Exodus 14:16 “16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”

Do you know what God did with that dead end

Exodus 14:17–31 (NIV84)

17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

Look what God did with that dead end!

He turned it into an eight-lane superhighway and, on dry foot, they crossed the Red Sea.

Conclusion

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Even in the desert, in the dead ends and in the most bitter places in life, God knows where you are and He knows the way through the desert. Hallelujah!!!

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Oh, He wants us to learn this. We are often faced with detours, delays and ultimately dead ends in the desert of life.

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We have arrived at the testing place where God wants to test us.

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I pray to God that you do not fail the test.

I feel like there is someone here who is camped in a desert, in a dead end.

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You are saying, "God has abandoned me." God did not abandon you. God is testing you. You are not outside of God's will. God took you there. It's right on the map. This is the route. This is exactly where God wanted to take you.

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Do not complain. Don't mumble. Calvary is enough for you. Stand firm because God has an oasis for you. You can't see it, but God can see it.

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After crossing the Red Sea they arrived at a place of many waters!

Exodus 15:27 “27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.”

Now, look. The important thing in life is not that you know what God knows - you will never know that. His ways are not your ways, and His thoughts are not your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).

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The important thing for you in life is this:

keep your eyes on the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, which, translated in New Testament times, means that you walk in the Spirit and keep your heart right with God.

And if you find yourself in a detour, praise God.

If you reach a dead end, praise God!

The Lord knows the way through the desert.

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All you have to do is follow it. Will You will follow Him?

Will you let Him lead His path, without complaining or murmuring?