Obedience that leads to Fear then Salvation
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1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So the Israelites did this.
What has taken place before this passage In Exodus 12 Pharaoh tells the people to leave Egypt. In the middle of the night, scripture says, a loud wailing from all the first born males being dead that Pharoah called Moses and Aaron and told the Israelites to leave so that they could go and worship the Lord as they have asked.
God is Faithful
Several weeks ago we looked at the calling of Moses in Exodus 3.
God said
5 “Do not come closer,” He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then He continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of My people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. 8 I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey —the territory of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 The Israelites’ cry for help has come to Me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Notice God sees their situations and desires to rescue them from their oppression.
Exodus 12 they are released like the Lord said that he would do.
Imagine losing over 600,000 of your labor force in one night. That is what Pharoah is facing. Who is going to be the labor force that keeps things going but God delivers them from this oppression.
When you really think about Pharoah releasing over 600,000 laborers at once you imagine how the deck was stacked against them.
God is Faithful
He delivers them like he says that he will do.
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” 18 So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.
God knows His people
Scripture says God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines because The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.
The land of the Philistines is nearby and God led them around this land so that they would not face war.
God is faithful and worthy to be trusted.
You ever feel like God is taking you on the long road to the final destination? You may not realize what God is having you avoid because he knows if you were to take the shortcut you would quit.
God is so good and we are so weak and yet he loves us.
God knows your story. He knows you are weak. He knows if you face war now you may not make it.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear a solemn oath, saying, “God will certainly come to your aid; then you must take my bones with you from this place.”
God’s promise predates Moses look at verse 19 he takes Joseph’s bones God will come to your aid then you must take my bones with you from this place.
God is faithful
20 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.
God leads them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. How cool is this? God is leading them and giving them directions.
God is faithful. He gives them what they need to be guided in the right direction.
Summarize to this point God has been faithful and they were released, God leads them around the Philistines so that they don’t face war. Joseph’s bones are with them symbolizing God making good on His promise and now God has led them by a cloud by day and a fire by night.
Watch what happens next
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So the Israelites did this.
The LORD told Moses to turn back!
Why?
So that the enemy will say they look confused and that the wilderness has boxed them in.
I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them.
Then I WILL RECEIVE GLORY BY THE MEANS OF PHARAOH AND ALL HIS ARMY, AND THE EGYPTIANS WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.
So get this the Lord tells them to turn back so that Pharaoh will think they are confused. He says he will then use their Enemy to get Glory and to show the Enemy that He is God.
Perhaps God is asking you or has asked you to “turn back” in life. You question God saying what are you doing and He says I am doing this so that through your enemies I might be glorified and they might be saved.
We are so weak and God is so strong.
He is faithful and He is worthy or our trust of His ways and His plans.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people and said: “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.” 6 So he got his chariot ready and took his troops with him; 7 he took 600 of the best chariots and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers in each one. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out triumphantly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army—chased after them and caught up with them as they camped by the sea beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians coming after them. Then the Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help.
Notice the contrast of verse 8 and verse 10.
Triumphantly:
be high, raise up, lift up, i.e., have an object be in a higher elevation, either as an extension from a source, or independent of a source (Ge 7:17; Job 22:12; Isa 49:11), note: a hand lifted high can refer to being ready to take a forceful action, signal triumph,
Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Terrified:
be afraid, be frightened, i.e., be in a state of feeling great distress, and deep concern of pain or unfavorable circumstance
I don’t know about you but this so describes me! This is so me. We are doing so well and things are happening and everything is great we are winning and then here comes the enemy and I am afraid!!!!
11 They said to Moses: “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
13 But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.”
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army, and his chariots and horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I receive glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 Then the Angel of God, who was going in front of the Israelite forces, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them. 20 It came between the Egyptian and Israelite forces. The cloud was there in the darkness, yet it lit up the night. So neither group came near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.
23 The Egyptians set out in pursuit—all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen—and went into the sea after them. 24 Then during the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud, and threw them into confusion. 25 He caused their chariot wheels to swerve and made them drive with difficulty. “Let’s get away from Israel,” the Egyptians said, “because Yahweh 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 come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots and horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were trying to escape from it, the Lord threw them into the sea. 28 The waters came back and covered the chariots and horsemen, the entire army of Pharaoh, that had gone after them into the sea. None of them survived.
29 But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.