Our Worthy God - Part 6 (God of Direction)
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. 2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God. 4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said,
Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
Our God is Worthy (1-6)
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
2. Our God is Faithful (7-8)
9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
3. Our God is Compassionate (9)
10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
4. Our God is the God of Deliverance (10)
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
5. Our God is Powerful (11)
And now to our text for today:
12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
Part 6 - Our Worthy God - He is the God of Direction
Part 6 - Our Worthy God - He is the God of Direction
Initial observations from our text:
God led them (that’s compassion)
By day AND by night (that’s faithfulness)
With the purpose of giving them light (that’s deliverance)
**God’s attributes always compliment each other and never contradict each other...
“Because He is worthy, we can trust Him to lead. Because He is faithful, we can follow His direction. Because He is compassionate, His direction is for our good. Because He is powerful, He can make a way when there seems to be no way.”
Question: How or why do they need light during the day?
What does “light” really mean?
Strongs Concordance defines it this way: Illumination
First mention of this word in the Bible:
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In other words - light is the opposite of darkness...
MW 1828 The basic meaning: daylight is an expression of a joyful, blessed life in which the quality of life is enhanced
We are looking for more than just “a way” to go...
We are looking for “THE way” to go...
I find through the text that:
God led during the day
God led during the night
For the purpose of giving light
To show them the way
Cross reference to Nehemiah: Exodus 13:21-22
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
1. It is A Constant Light
1. It is A Constant Light
We need God’s light during the day and the night...
Since God offers it, its clear God’s desire was that Israel follow Him during the day and the night...
We cannot just be “God’s will following Christians” during the day...
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Important note: In order to get God’s directing (which is available 24/7), you have to acknowledge God:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
God’s direction is always there when we are ready to go get it...
Unknown - “God’s light never dims, it only waits for our attention.”
There is a Constant Light
2. There is a Conditional Light
2. There is a Conditional Light
We must acknowledge God to get His directing...
Illustration:
Axel was required to look at my eyes before I gave him his next instruction...
The reason being is I needed his full attention to ensure what I told him he didn’t misunderstand...
Once he acknowledged and waited for me to give the order, than he received my direction...
How are you at acknowledging Him?
MW definition of “acknowledge”: to own or notice with particular regard
God’s desire is that we would be acknowledging Him 24/7...
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
Direction comes after devotion...
God’s directing is something that:
Ought to be desired
Ought to be loved
Ought to be known
3. There is a Correct Light
3. There is a Correct Light
God’s directing is always right...
17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
The direction that made sense was “the way of the Philistines”
It was shorter with less topographical challenges...
Yet God’s way is always better...
Sometimes God’s way is the seemingly longer route that seems more arduous
The way that God lead in comparison to the “way of the Philistines” was about:
350-400 miles longer (3 times longer)
It meant needing to across a deep sea, instead of staying on land
However, there was “Miraculous Makings in the Miles”
God needed Water over War
They needed dependence on Him
He needed to form them into a nation of faith, not fear
Don’t complain or view the miraculous miles of making as an arduous journey...
Or think that God has forgotten you if you are in the miraculous miles of making...
Instead:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
But Israel would’ve missed out on the miracle of the great crossing...
There wouldn’t have been a song praising God for His power in Exodus 15...
Had Israel gone the way that made more sense...
They would’ve gone “the way of the Philistines”...
But God KNEW Israel wasn’t ready to face the Philistines...
God knew, Israel wasn’t ready for:
The Canaanites
Hittites
Amonites
Perezzites
Hivites
Jebusites
God was STILL delivering His people...
Yet His directing was crucial...
His goal was not just to bring them out, but bring them through...
Can I encourage you to not just endure, but prefer the path of proving and making...
Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, often said, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”
Early in his calling, Taylor faced years of detours — delays in funding, illness, closed doors — yet he later testified that those very delays shaped his dependence on God. Looking back, he wrote, “Had I gone my own route, I would have missed the miracles God prepared along His.”
