Hope at the Bottom pt2

Sometimes we wind up at the bottom through no fault of our own. We have done the right things. We have been faithful. We have heard the Word of the Lord and done all we have been asked.

And then these folks pop up.

Y’all know them folks? Enemies. Evil people. People whose desire is take everything we have and to destroy us as much as they possibly can in the process.

It’s being surrounded. It’s being afraid. It’s staring at an ocean with an army behind you, and saying, why did I even bother.

The bottom.

One of the greatest epics in the Bible is the story of Moses. But he has a supporting case along for the ride. And they are the folks, like us, who are also part of the story, who don’t see as clearly as Moses does.

See they are also at the bottom, and they are also watching all these things happen, and they need to be delivered as well.

They’ve been oppressed. Enslaved. Forced to kill their own children. And Moses, who they know, has come out of desert with a word from the Lord, and said “Follow me.” And they have followed him.

Endured plagues. And extra work. And threats. And beatings. And even killed animals and painted their doorposts- which, be honest, if you had never seen that would look CRAZY.

And God has set them free. They are on their way out of Egypt.

Now go with me to Exodus 14:1-9.

So God has Moses hold up, because He has the coup de grace ready for Pharaoh and his folks.

Exodus (4) Reversing Direction: God’s Further Humiliation of Pharaoh (14:1–4)

What matters is the effect on Pharaoh that God was creating by leading the people on a seemingly erratic course: once again Pharaoh was being duped into a situation of humiliation, enticed to act in a manner that he thought would advantage himself and Egypt but would in fact further demonstrate his own and Egypt’s impotency in the face of the awesome power of the only true God

And Pharaoh realizes all his free labor is taking off and he can’t have that so he sets out to teach them a lesson.

Exodus (1) Egyptian Regret and Change of Mind (14:5)

The best translation of the original’s final clause is, “We have let Israel go from serving us!” The idea of serving included being under the subjection of the Egyptians and therefore not able to join with Asiatics in a war against Egypt, the scenario that had first engendered pharaonic policies of oppression

The word used in verse 8 to describe Pharaoh is that his heart has been “hardened.” It’s dead. Spiritually he’s has no compass or guide. Just his own emotions and inclinations. All of which are angry and murderous.

Folks, I want to stop and here and say 2 things to you.

When an enemy is seeking to destroy you, realize what is behind it. A dead heart. Only God can repair that.

When an enemy is seeking to destroy you, don’t let them fool you into thinking this is just a person thing. I’m not talking about a disagreement. Or a parting of the ways. I mean when someone sets out to destroy you, there is a spiritual element to the issue.

And that means something very important. You are not going to solve this problem on your own. And you are not going to escape de to your own devices.

I say that because look at verse 10- the FIRST inclination of the people of Israel was to cry out to God.

Exodus (3) Israelite Panic and Complaint (14:10–12)

when they actually saw the Egyptian chariotry coming at them and realized their helpless position (from a human point of view) as a poorly armed, untrained, unprepared army encamped with its back to the sea, they panicked. To their credit they at least “cried out to the LORD,” showing that they regarded him as the one to save them

Church, that should be ours too. And let me tell you this, just stay there. You will never go wrong by crying out to Jesus. Ever.

And let me also say, one way that becomes your default, is the regular practice of prayer. Prayer is a conversation. We don’t have convos just before a meal or before we turn out the lights for bed. We have conversations when the need arises.

That should be what we are striving for in our relationship with God.

Try this- there are places in your day where you KNOW you are going to face stress or challenges (I am talking about more than enemies, just the day to day of life) Put a note in each of those places where you know you will see it that says “Have you talked to Jesus about it?”

First place for many of us to put that- cell phone or tablet- so we stop going to social media to pour out our problems and get bad advice and can instead consult Someone who has some actual wisdom to offer.

Now look with me at verses 11-12.

How quickly they turn.

They cry out to God and then they turn to Moses and say We never should have left. We should just go back.

Exodus (3) Israelite Panic and Complaint (14:10–12)

Faced with what they believed to be their imminent death, they redefined their recent history. Their pessimism was ill-founded entirely. The Egyptians were interested in capturing them and returning them to slavery rather than killing them (14:5), so their claim that “it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians” was actually only a statement of the very thing the Egyptians had in mind for them

This is the temptation. To go back to the way you were before you met Jesus. To become that person.

I mean that’s how you got here right? You did what God said, and now here come the people who want to destroy you. Maybe if you go back, they will leave you alone.

Exodus (3) Israelite Panic and Complaint (14:10–12)

when hardship is encountered, the miserable past suddenly looks like the good old days. The Israelites were simply thinking the way most people think of the past when the present seems unbearable

Church, I know that temptation.

(September 2021- how to respond to being attacked)

It was in the middle of all this that Moses gives God, the words that Zac gave to me.

Read Exodus 14:13-14.

How do we deal with being overwhelmed?

Don’t be afraid

Stand firm

God is going to deliver you

Just be silent

Tough advice- especially for a motor mouth who really likes to argue.

Best advice ever. Hardest to follow.

Exodus (4) Moses’ Confident Reassurance of God’s Plan to Trap the Egyptians (14:13–14)

God fights for his people and—no matter how undertrained, ill-equipped, poorly organized, or outclassed they might be—eliminated their foes.

From the point of view of God’s attributes, Moses’ speech alludes to five: (1) God is a dispeller of fear, a comforter of those who are afraid. (2) God is a deliverer from distress. (3) God invites and expects his people to trust in him (“Stand firm … you need only to be still”). (4) God removes danger. (5) God is a warrior against the forces of evil

And what does God do?

The impossible.

Read Exodus 14:15-22.

I just want to know what it was like to walk between those walls and see all the fish.

Exodus (3) Israel Crosses the Red Sea on Dry Land (14:21–22)

It is clear from the descriptions given that the sea through which the Israelites walked was deep water, not something shallow. A city-wall sized wall of water on either side of them implies the division of a deep body of water, not merely the drying out of a shallow one or the drying out of wet terrain. Even the use of the term yam (“sea”) here implies the depth of the water. Yam is never used for swamps or mud flats but is used consistently to describe large bodies of water (what we would call either lakes or oceans)

We think somewhere between 65-100 feet deep where the Israelites crossed. There are deeper parts as well. Walls of water. Dry land. Everyone delivered.

But God does not just deliver. He handles the enemies.

Read Exodus 14:23-30.

They are all gone. Destroyed.

God’s judgment may be delayed, but when it arrives, it is total.

And look church, God wants to see people repent. You may go through so someone can come to know Jesus. That would be worth it. But God is not allowing enemies to come for you for His own enjoyment. He loves you. He cares for you. He has a plan for you.

Deliverance is coming. So is judgment.

Verse 31.

The people feared and believed.

Where is your belief in the face of destruction?

Your own abilities?

Your old way of life?

Some way to numb yourself and avoid the truth?

Or in the God who splits the seas?

Who do you think you can count on?