Exodus 13:17-15:21, God Saves

Introduction

Good morning! As we turn our attention to worship through the reading and preaching of God’s Word, I invite you to open your Bible with me to Exodus 13. We’re continuing our overview study of this wonderful book. I have thoroughly enjoyed my own study of Exodus. It has been nourishing for my own soul. I pray that it has served to increase not only your knowledge of God and His Word, but also your love for God and His Word. May He do that for all of us.

We will be looking at Exodus 13:17-15:21. It is an account that most of us are very familiar with. Nevertheless, we don’t want to approach it and allow our familiarity to lead us to complacency in our approach. So, before we dive in let’s pray and ask the LORD to bless our time together in His Word this morning.

PRAY

I wonder how many of us have, in certain situations, pretended to be defeated or close to defeat. Think of parents with small children. Maybe when wrestling with them or arm wrestling or playing a game, you pretended they were close to beating you. You took it easy on them. Draw them in more to think they have the upper hand. Then, just when you have them right where you want them, you demonstrate your overwhelming strength and power and pull out the victory.

We see a more serious instance of this in the conquest of the promised land under Joshua’s leadership in the battle with Ai. Initially they were defeated in Joshua 7 because there was sin in the camp. But after dealing with Achan’s sin, they were able to go up against Ai in Joshua 8. Joshau took 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them to lie in ambush. The next day, the main fighting force feigned a retreat that led Ai to leave their fortified city and pursue them. This enabled the 30,000 men to ambush the city and Ai’s forces and bring devastating defeat.

The passage before us this morning is another example of this to some degree. As we progress through our passage this morning, we’ll see that the LORD is leading Israel on their Exodus and He will be the one to fight for His people. He will save them mercifully and mightily for His own glory. He will do so in such a way that it demonstrates fully and finally His incredible power and might over Pharaoh and all of Egypt. Demonstrating that none can contend with Him; His devotion to His glory and the good of His people; that He is a God mighty to save and worthy of worship.

MAIN POINT––Worship the LORD, who saves His people mercifully and mightily.

The LORD Saves

First, I want us to observe that the LORD saves. Last week we saw that He judges those who stand against Him. This morning we see that, in relation to His covenant people, our God is a God who saves. In our passage this morning we will note that the LORD saves mercifully and mightily.

Mercifully (13:17-14:14)

We see a couple of instances that demonstrate the LORD’s merciful salvation. Let’s first READ EXODUS 13:17-22.

Last week we saw God’s incredible judgment on Egypt through the plagues. He brought Israel out of Egypt by His mighty hand. Now their journey through the wilderness toward the promised land was to begin. Only, according to the text, they would not be taking the most direct route. The LORD led them by a route that at first might not have made sense to their natural instincts. They plugged in the land of Canaan into their maps app and rather than taking them on the most direct route, it took them in a direction that seemed counterintuitive. Just as God intended.

We learn that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. Why? The text tells us why––“For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’” And so, the LORD led them around toward the Red Sea. Now, there’s another reason that will become apparent as we move along into the main event of this passage. We’ll get there shortly. But I want us to stop and linger here for a moment. Just to consider together, God’s merciful hand in salvation.

The LORD knows His people. He knows our frame. He knows our shortcomings. Our temptations. Our weakness and frailty. And in His great mercy He deals with us accordingly. The LORD knew that Israel was not yet ready for the kind of trial that comes with intense war and battle. Not that they didn’t have all they needed. They did. The text plainly tells us they went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Add to that the reality that the LORD was with them, leading and guiding them. They had all they needed to win against the Philistines.

But the LORD knew their fickle hearts. He knew they would cower in the face of such a strong trial so soon in their journey. He knew they weren’t ready to stand amidst such a torrent of difficulty and fear. And so, He mercifully led them by another route away from the danger of the Philistines. The day would come where they would have to fight many battles. In fact we’ll see their first battle just a few chapters later. But before they were ready to know that God was fighting in and through them, they needed to know more that God fought for them.

As I thought about this over the last week, I am certain that the LORD has dealt with us in this way countless times. I am convinced that among the infinite ways we will praise and glorify God in eternity we will praise Him for all the ways He protected us from ourselves and our own propensity to sin and turn away from Him. How he guided and ordered our steps over the course of our lives in such a way that He steered us away from the things that could have taken us down and led us away from Him.

The possibilities are endless if you simply reflect over the course of your life I’m sure. Especially if we were to consider all the ways that are not known to us, but will one day be revealed. Just knowing your own weaknesses and propensity to certain temptations, you can imagine countless ways the LORD preserved you and kept you from making a shipwreck of your faith. Or perhaps even the ways He preserved your life and brought you to saving faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.

How many of us here may have never come to saving faith if it were not for a significant event that changed the course of our lives? How many of us were spared the pain of devastating consequences that could come from certain sins we’re prone too. Sins that could have had long lasting effects on our testimony of the gospel at work in us. Keeping us from ruining our lives and the ministry God has given us.

Maybe that job opportunity that would have taken you away from your family more was taken away. Maybe that friend group you so desperately wanted to belong to would never accept you. Maybe that talent you coveted and wished you had was not given to you. All those things you might reflectively look back on over the course of your life that tempt you to say, “I wonder what if”––and really the what if you’re tempted to idolize would have been your downfall. But the LORD in His mercy spared you all that could have come with it.

Loved ones, do not despise the path’s your life has taken or will take. You are where you are and will get where you are going because of God’s merciful providential dealings for your good. That you would know Him, love Him, trust Him, and worship Him all the more. Praise God for His all knowing mercy in not dealing with us according to our sins and weaknesses.

Now, there’s another piece to the LORD’s merciful saving work on display in this passage. The LORD knew their frame and knew they weren’t ready to face the Philistines in battle. He also intended to more fully demonstrate His power in delivering them from Egypt.

Follow along as I READ EXODUS 14:1-14.

So we learn further why the LORD was taking Israel by such an indirect route. He intended it for their good, but also for His own glory. God is setting the stage for His great and mighty deliverance in defeating the Egyptians. But we also still see more of God’s mercy toward Israel.

We first see the LORD give further instructions to Moses regarding the route they should take. He takes them along a route that will put them right in front of the Red Sea. Why? Once again, the LORD explicitly tells Moses why–– “For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 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.”

The text doesn’t give us all the details, but it seems reasonable to assume that Egypt must have had some way of keeping tabs on Israel. Some scouts or spies that tracked their movement. Either way, word got back to Pharaoh concerning Israel’s whereabouts. And just as the LORD intended, Pharaoh took the bait. Israel’s whereabouts made no sense to Pharaoh. The wilderness had shut them in. Advantage Pharaoh. Time to snap out of sulking over their devastation and go get all their slaves back to work.

So, Pharaoh made his chariot ready. He took hundreds of his finest soldiers. He went in hot pursuit after Israel, intent on bringing them back to serve him. And he found them, right where the LORD instructed Moses to take them. And what we see is an incredible display of faith on Israel’s part, right? No, of course not. As soon as they saw the Egyptians, they feared greatly.” And rather than letting their fear drive them to the LORD in confident trust, they let their fear drive them to despair and grumbling.

“What have you done to us?” They quickly accused Moses. Oh how quickly they forgot their circumstances in Egypt. To listen to their grumbling here you would think that things weren’t so bad for them in Egypt. According to their faulty memory things weren’t so bad. It won’t be the only time they grumble and think back to the so-called “good ole days.” “We told you, Moses! Leave us alone! We could have still been in Egypt, but no, now we’re just gonna die in the wilderness!”

Israel is demonstrating their lack of trust in the LORD to deliver them as He said He would. Nevermind His great power they already saw displayed in the plagues over Egypt. Nevermind how he protected and distinguished them in preserving them amidst those plagues. Nevermind that everything has happened exactly according to the word of the LORD. In the midst of fear and hardship they failed to remember the LORD, who was with them and had already demonstrated His great power. They can’t see beyond their own circumstances.

How many times have we given in to the same sort of unbelief and failure to trust the LORD in all circumstances? Life gets hard in any number of ways. Temptation to sin seems stronger. We’re more on edge. More irritable. Rather than remembering God’s indwelling presence through His Holy Spirit, we give vent to our unrighteous anger, speaking harsh words to those we love. We isolate ourselves, rather than press into the fellowship of life and ministry with other Christians. We run head first into bitterness and unforgiveness.

I’ve seen this in whole churches as well. Numbers start to dwindle in attendance and finances. The assumption then becomes that we must be doing something wrong and/or we need to adopt a new strategy. All the while forgetting that God has spoken clearly in His Word and His Word is sufficient. God will bless His Word. All we must do is trust and obey. Because God’s word is trustworthy and true. His Word will not return void. He will build His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

Loved ones, no matter what circumstances we face in our lives––individually or corporately as a church––we would do well to remember that God is good, sovereign, and wise. Even when we may not know exactly what He is doing, we can trust Him and know that He is working all things for our good and ultimately for His glory.

When we’re tempted to doubt His presence in moments of temptation and our faith is weak, we need to remember that He is working in us to sanctify us and make us more like His Son. When we’re tempted to turn away from His ways to pursue our own ways, we simply need to trust and obey Him. But even still, when times come that we fail to do those things, like Israel here, God is gracious and merciful.

The LORD didn’t have to save Israel. He doesn’t have to save any of us. We’ve considered that before. It was according to His mercy. Not giving them what they deserved––His justice. His mercy is all the more displayed in that He didn’t punish them for their grumbling in this moment. In spite of their grumbling and failure to trust Him, He mercifully delivered them for the sake of His own glory. That’s where the text takes us next.

Mightily (14:15-31)

Not only does God save His people mercifully, but also mightily. Follow along as I READ EXODUS 14:15-31.

Moses was able to tell Israel to fear not and stand firm. He knew the LORD was with them. He knew what the LORD was doing. He knew that the LORD was going to fight for them. Three times throughout this passage, we see the LORD tell Moses, “I will get glory over Pharaoh.” We saw it way back in verse 4. Here again in verses 17 and 18. And that’s exactly what happened. God brought them to this point of no return and desperation in order to demonstrate His great power and might to deliver them.

All that Moses had to do was lift up his staff and arm over the sea and God took care of the rest. Now some have tried to debunk this by saying it must have been a shallow marshy area that had dried out so Israel could pass through. But that just denies the clear details given to us in the text. The Pillar of Cloud moved between Israel and Egypt to keep them separated. God separated the waters and Israel was able to walk through on dry ground as the water was a wall to them on their right and left sides.

Then, as Egypt pursued after them into the sea, the LORD threw them into a panic and clogged the wheels of their chariots. And Egypt recognized what Israel had failed to recognize when the Egyptians were bearing down on them––that the LORD was fighting for Israel. But it was too late. God had Moses stretch out his staff and arms again and the LORD brought the sea down over the Egyptians. Not one of them remained who followed after Israel into the sea. The victory belonged to the LORD who indeed got glory over Pharaoh and all of Egypt.

I love how the passage ends there in verse 31. Having seen the LORD’s mighty salvation on display the text says, “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.” A people who were in such dread and fear of the Egyptians, now knew all the more that they were to fear the LORD. That He is to be believed and wholly trusted.

What we see throughout the Scriptures is that this great deliverance is the archetype of God’s great work of salvation for His people. All throughout the Old Testament, the biblical writers recount this exact moment in Israel’s history. How God delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. It was to be a story they recounted regularly in order to remember the LORD––both His character and His ways. To remember His great work of salvation that they would worship and glorify Him.

But it wasn’t only to serve in remembering what God had already done. It was also to point forward to what God would ultimately do in an even greater deliverance––saving His people from bondage to sin and death through the shed blood of Jesus. Loved ones, the Exodus account finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ.

Like Israel, we all were in slavery. Only our slavery was not to a super power. Our slavery was to sin, death, and the grave. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Sin once had total dominion over us and we were powerless to free ourselves from sin. But God orchestrated a divine rescue. He sent His only Son into the world to save sinners like me and you. He lived the perfectly righteous life that none of us could live and then died the death we all deserved. But God raised Him up so that all who believe in Him might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

But here’s the thing, don’t miss this. We’re not just talking about freedom from the penalty of sin. That’s what we most often think about in God’s work of salvation on our behalf. God has freed us from sin’s penalty––death––but He also frees you from sin’s dominion. He frees you from sin’s power over you. He has made you alive together with Christ. You are a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come. He had delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son.

You no longer live under the rule and reign of sin. By faith, you now live under the rule and reign of King Jesus with His Spirit at work in you. You have been given a new heart. You have been brought from death to life such that you have new desires. A desire to no longer live for yourself and your own glory, but for Him and His glory. The One who redeemed you and bought you with His precious blood. Where formerly you were lost and unable to please Him, now you have been given new life and can live as He intended––for His glory. All because of Jesus.

Loved ones, if you are in Christ you really can put to death indwelling sin over the course of your life. God has made it possible through the life, death, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ. He has enabled you to walk in His ways by the power of His Spirit at work in you. And when we stumble, he doesn’t leave us or forsake us. He graciously brings us to repentance and leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. He sees to the completion of His work He began in us as He makes us more like Jesus over the course of our lives.

Therefore, Worship Him (15:1-21)

God’s merciful and mighty work of salvation calls for a particular response. That’s what we see here beginning in Exodus 15. Follow along as I READ EXODUS 15:1-21.

Following God’s merciful and mighty work of salvation, God’s people responded in worship. Loved ones, this is why we worship. We worship because of who God is and what He has done for us. God’s character and ways lead His people to worship Him. Rightly so. In particular, what we see here in what was just read, the worship through singing. That’s not to say that worship is only singing. Contrary to what we tend to think, every component of our worship gathering is worship. Not just the singing.

But there is something instructive here for us in the particular response of singing. Having been delivered in such a merciful and mighty way, Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD. In fact, God’s deliverance of His people led them to sing in other places throughout Scripture. In Judges 5, Deborah and Barak lead Israel to sing in light of their deliverance from Sisera. In 1 Samuel, Hannah sings in response to the LORD hearing her prayer and granting her a son. In Luke 1 Mary sings in response to learning that she is carrying Jesus.

Now, this should not seem strange to us. We ought to have a category in our minds for the reality that people sing in response to good news. Just this week, I saw a clip of a quarterback singing in his press conference when he was named the starter for this week. When teams perform well and win games they all have a fight song that they sing. Even those in the military have songs they sing for their branch of service down to their particular unit. God created us and wired us to sing.

More than that, in numerous places in His Word, He commands us to sing:

Psalm 96:1 - "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth."

Psalm 47:1, 6 - "Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!"

1 Chronicles 16:9 - "Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!"

Colossians 3:16 - “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

This is just a small sampling. God commands His people to sing. Remember that next time you try to tell me or someone else you’re just not the singing type or you don’t have a good voice. There’s no excuse. I’m just going to say, “sing anyway! Make a joyful noise to the LORD!” He commands you to do it. But even more, if you really have experienced God’s grace and mercy in Christ, how could you not sing about that? When we rightly grasp God’s saving work, a heart that has truly been transformed by the grace of God will burst with joyful singing.

Now notice the components of this particular song. There’s a lot we could say, but I’ll simply break it down into two main parts. First, from verses 1-12, the song recounts God’s character and particularly what He did for them as He saved them from Egypt. In poetic form it recounts God’s incredible defeat of the Egyptian army. Then, in verses 13-18 they anticipate their final deliverance into the promised land. Their song looks back at what God has done and looks forward in hope to what God will do. Look again at verse 17 and 18:

“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. The LORD will reign forever and ever.”

Love ones, this is instructive for us not just in the reality that we ought to be a singing people. It also instructs us in what we should sing. What we sing matters, loved ones. I was just explaining this to one of our kids just last night. What we sing shapes the way we think. The way we view life and the world around us. Music instructs the mind to know certain things. It stirs our hearts to feel certain ways. If we’re not careful to take in that which is good and true and profitable for building us up in Christ, we won’t be nearly as strong in the LORD as we should be.

This song that they sang, instructed them (reminded them) of what they had just witnessed––God’s merciful and mighty work of salvation. They recounted the facts of who God is and what He had done for them. It instructed their minds. But it also stirred their hearts to worship Him more and more. So much so that they could sing with confidence about what God was going to do. He wasn’t just bringing them out of slavery in Egypt. He was also bringing them into His kingdom where He would dwell with them and reign forever.

This is exactly why we sing as those who have been redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus. This is why we sing about that wonderful work of deliverance and why many of our songs ought to point us forward to the final deliverance that will come when He returns. Our songs should remind us of what God has done for us in Christ and stir us to be encouraged as we contemplate our ultimate hope that is coming on that day.

Loved ones, do you ever find yourself down and discouraged? Do you ever find your faith is weak and waning? Might I just recommend a dose of singing? I’m serious. Sing God’s truth down deep into your soul until you remember all that you are singing about. Dad’s, what might happen in our homes if we just simply sang praises to God for our wives and children to hear. Or, even better, led them in family worship to sing praises to God together.

As great as this deliverance was from Egypt, it pales in comparison to God's ultimate deliverance of His people from slavery to sin and death. How much more ought we to be a people who sing His praises.

Conclusion

As we’ll see next week, Israel’s joy in the LORD would face more hurdles. They would be quick to forget again. The song would disappear from their hearts and minds as they faced more trying circumstances. And once again, God’ will show them mercy in providing for them and meeting their needs. He never leaves them.

How much more joy can we have together in the LORD as those who have been given His Spirit. We don’t have to go the way of Israel. By God’s grace, we can continually keep God’s praises on our lips because of what He has done for us in Christ.

If you’re here this morning and have yet to experience God’s saving mercy in Christ, I’d love to tell you more about how you can experience that. And if you’re here struggling to remember and find joy in what God has done for you in Christ, might I just invite you to sing with us this morning and be reminded of our great God?

Worship the LORD, who saves His people mercifully and mightily.