When Life With God Gets Dangerous

Introduction

Hello/welcome… No Matter

Started a series last week: “When Life with God...” - Lessons from the book of Exodus

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When Life With God...

Week 1: Gets Tough

Week 2: Gets Dangerous

Week 3: Isn’t Enough

Week 4: Is Out of our Control

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Review

So: just a couple of reminders here as we reset for this week:

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The word “Exodus” literally means “to pull away.”

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God was going to pull his people away or out of Egypt.

And so last week, we ended the story at the place where God has called a man named Moses to go back to Egypt, straight to Egypt’s king, Pharaoh, to relay a message. And the message was this:

“Pharaoh, my God said that you are to let his people, the Israelites, go free so that they can worship me.”

Pharaoh had enslaved the Israelites into forced labor. But even worse that that: he had issued a decree of infanticide—demanding that all Hebrew baby boys be killed immediately after birth.

But now God had promised to pull them out of slavery. That’s basically the story through Exodus 6.

Now, Pharaoh thinks that this demand from this mystery God through Moses is pretty amusing. But he’s about to find out that God’s not playing around.

Overview: Exodus 7-12

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Exodus 7-12: God sends increasingly severe plagues on Egypt, each with a warning.

Pharaoh resists at first, then relents, then recants. Rinse and repeat.

Finally, God brings Pharaoh’s infanticide to justice by his plague on their firstborn male.

The newly freed Israelites then celebrate the first Passover.

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So, by the time we get to Exodus 12, we see God make good on what he promised he’d do, and where the book gets its title: he pulls his people out of Egypt. Here’s how that went:

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Exodus 12:31-32 “During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

Exodus 12:40-41 “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt.”

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430 years to the day. That’s hard one for us Americans to grasp; 430 years ago, we were still 150 years away from even being a thing. But that’s how long the Israelite tribes were in Egypt.

Now, they weren’t slaves for the entire duration of that… but they were for the last part of it. Decades, at least; enough for it to be imprinted on them.

Exegesis: Exodus 13

And then we get to this verse in chapter 13, verse 17:

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Exodus 13:17-18 “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.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.”

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Now, we’ll get into why those yellow words are so important here in a second. But first: some geography.

God led the people “around by the desert road toward the Red Sea” instead of “the road through the Philistine country.” What does that mean? Kind of a “2-lane vs. 4-lane” situation? Back road vs. interstate?

Hardly.

Let me give you a little visual here.

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Show Interactive Map

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As we all know, the shortest distance between 2 points is a what? “Straight line.”

Here’s your straight line. There’s where they started; there’s where God promised to take them. That’s what the “straight line” path would’ve looked like.

And if they had taken that straight line road along the Mediterranean through Philistine country, it would’ve been about 200 miles.

It’d be like walking from our Decorah Campus to our Fort Dodge Campus—plus an extra 35 miles.

So: let’s say you walk at around 3mph and you’re doing that for like 6 hours/day—because it’s a large caravan… stop for meals… set up/tear down camp… sleep…

6 hours a day means around 18 miles a day, which makes it around an 11 or 12-day trip to go that 200 miles in a straight line.

Long trip by today’s standards of transportation, for sure… but, not so much for theirs.

But God doesn’t lead them on that path. Instead, he takes them south—and he takes them along a route that becomes even longer as they begin to wander through the desert—which we’ll talk more about.

So, there’s no way for us to know the exact route that the Israelites took with 100% certainty and specificity. But best we can estimate:

By the time Israel wound up in the “Promised Land,” they had traveled not just 200 miles. It was more like 500 miles. Two and a half times the distance.

(Now… that meant it should’ve taken them more like 40 days. Instead, it took them 40 years—but we’ll get to that part of the story later.)

But just look at the difference there. 200 miles compared to 500. That’s a difference of 300 miles.

You know what that is? That’s RAGBRAI. The difference between those two routes is like tacking on a nice little stroll from the Missouri to the Mississippi.

Application: Our Bondage

But this is what God did.

Why?

Because the Philistines controlled the territory of that “straight line.” And here’s what God knew; here’s what He said:

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“If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

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What? Return to Egypt? Really?

Go back to the place where they were making bricks without straw for no pay?

Go back to the place that killed all of their baby boys?

Go back to the place they had prayed to God for so long to rescue them from?

Go back to that place? Really?

Yes.

God was concerned that, if faced with the decision to either fight the Philistines | or to return to Egypt as slaves | they’d choose slavery.

Now:

To us freedom-loving, undefeated in 2 World Wars, beat the Redcoats with a rag-tag group of musketeers, I’ll see your armies and raise you our Navy Seals | Americans that we are, we might look at that verse and go...

“Well… that’s the price of freedom. You gotta fight for it. Cowards.”

We just celebrated Memorial Day, right? This is something we remind ourselves every year. Freedom isn’t free. It’s something that you gotta lay down your life for.

But it’s worth it, right? Come on, Israel. Pick up a sword, take the straight line road, get to your promised land, and kill whatever Philistine stands in your way. What’s the big deal?

Well: here’s the deal—and here’s what God knew:

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When your security depends on people who are also a real danger to you, then facing more danger doesn’t seem like a good option.

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Sure, the Egyptians were slave masters—and they were brutal ones. They weren’t just a threat; they made good on that threat. They were a real danger.

But they were a known danger. The Israelites knew them. They knew how to survive under their brutality. They knew how to appease them. It wasn’t good, but it was familiar.

And some of us have lived this dynamic out. We know what that’s like.

Because some of us grew up in homes where mom or dad wasn’t safe.

Some of us have left or might still be in marriages where your spouse isn’t always safe.

We get that statement.

We know it’s not right. We know it’s not good. But we at least know what we’re in for.

And in that situation, where you’ve been beat down, sometimes literally, time and time and time again...

The idea of “fighting your way to freedom” doesn’t even feel like an option.

Let’s say that a little differently:

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When you’ve been forced to accept and survive in bondage...

Fighting for your freedom can be terrifying… because:

The key to surviving in bondage is to always be on the lookout for danger—and avoid it.

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And, hey: I know that right now—right now—I’m treading on some pretty sensitive ground for some of us. Maybe even triggering some anxiety. And so please know that I’m aware of that, and that I’m going to be treading really carefully here.

But just look at those statements one more time together:

(Repeat.)

We see these play out in abusive marriages. We see these play out in some of the “Me Too” stories. They are why it’s so hard for those who have been victimized to bring themselves to share their stories.

And those are the more traumatic cases. Those are the ones that when they break, they make headlines.

But here’s what I think:

I think this same dynamic plays itself out on a much more common and universal level.

I think this same thing plays out in most if not all of our lives.

Because I think on some level all of us know what bondage to someone or something feels like.

It’s that place in your life | where you wish things were different | but have learned to accept | that they probably never will be. That’s bondage.

It’s that thing that you’ve worked so hard to try and change | or improve | or get free from | but that still have a hold on you. That’s bondage.

It’s the places in your life that you’re tempted to | and often settle for | keeping hidden. That’s bondage.

Because you know that in that area of your life...

You’re bound up. You’re a prisoner. It doesn’t feel like you’re really even calling the shots.

Sure: you’re technically still the one making those decisions... but you know on some level the are not what you want to do.

Nevertheless: you almost feel compelled to make them anyways.

It might be a habit. Or a sin. Or a pattern.

Whatever it is, it’s bondage.

And you feel like you’re a slave to it.

God’s Response to Our Bondage

Going back to the story in Exodus 13:

God knew this. He knew this about his people and what their bondage had done to them. He knew.

He knew where they were at. He knew how they felt. He knew how they thought.

He knew how their bondage in Egypt had affected them. Imprinted on them. How it rewired their view of themselves and their world.

This isn’t a God who is going to take them from the horrors of the whip and rush them immediately into the horrors of a ground war where they have to cut and stab their way to freedom. They weren’t going to be ready for that.

And you probably don’t know much about who the “Philistines” were—but they were formidable. They actually attacked and took ground from Pharaoh at skirmishes along their border.

So, make no mistake about it: the call out of bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land wasn’t like a bus tour across the plains. It would’ve been scary for even the most battle-hardened Navy Seal-type.

And that’s the thing: we’re not talking about a group of highly disciplined Special Forces personnel. We’re talking about a caravan of moms & dads, grandpas and grandmas, kids of all ages, pregnant women, sheep, goats, and donkeys—all of whom had only known a world where they relied upon their slave masters for their next meal.

Where bondage, not freedom, was the norm.

So God knows. And in his grace, he leads them along a different route.

Here’s the lesson for us:

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We can be sure that as God calls us to take scary steps toward freedom...

That He will lead us on paths that are right for us, right where we’re at.

Our freedom rests on him leading us well.

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For the Israelites, it was: “You’re not ready to go to war. You’ve been in bondage for the last 30 years.” He knew that about them, so he took them on a different route.

The first thing he does isn’t give them a sword and tell them to fight their way to freedom. It’s to take them on a different path.

Still scary. But way better for who they were, where they were.

Let me tell you: I’m 41. I had back surgery at 38 because I had an arthritic joint in the middle of my back that pinched my spinal cord. And it had pinched it for so long that I started to lose feeling and strength in my legs.

Now: they took care of that problem—but I’m a different man now than I was before that surgery.

Before my surgery when I tried to lose weight or get in shape or whatever, it was intensive exercise. It was signing up for a kickboxing class or softball or showing up for a pick-up basketball game. It was all of those things. Because that’s kinda who I was and what I always did. It’s what I preferred.

But that’s not where I’m at anymore. And so those things don’t make sense for me anymore. They just don’t.

In fact, they kinda hurt, and they also make me super frustrated.

Where I’m at is just different—which calls for a different path forward.

Hey:

God knows where you’re at. He knows. He knows exactly where you’re at.

And although the path that he’s put ahead of you might still feel a little scary, here’s what you can know and rely on:

It’s the right path for you, because he takes where you’re at into account.

It’s the kernel of truth in this familiar saying:

“God’s never going to give you more than you can handle.”

You’ve heard that before, right?

Now: that’s mostly a terribly naive and misguided saying:

Becaues: yes he does. And yes he will.

But the kernel of truth in it is this:

He won’t give you more than what he knows is right for you, right where you’re at. Your freedom depends on him knowing that and leading you well, right where you’re at.

You can rely on that.

Keep going with me in the story. Because God gives them some other things that he knows they need because of where they’re at:

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Exodus 13:19 “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

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So that’s kind of a “call back” that isn’t going to make sense unless you saw the previous episode. But in Genesis, the book before Exodus, Joseph (who was an ancestor of the Israelites, the guy who God eventually made #2 in command in Egypt and who provided a place for his descendants in Egypt to prosper for 400 years)—Joseph made a prediction that one day God would settle his descendants in their own land—and that when he did, Joseph would be buried in it.

So remember what they did in Egypt after royalty dies. What did they do to your body if you were royalty and you died?

They mummified you. You were preserved.

Joseph’s mummy, 400 years later—400 years!—is now being carried along with his descendants to be buried in their new home.

So here the people of Israel are, 400 years later, as they are taking their first few scary, wobbly steps toward freedom, with this visual reminder:

That the God of Joseph was real, is alive, iss present, iss still in charge…

And is a God who keeps his promises.

Pretty cool. Pretty comforting.

But hey, just in case that’s not enough of a visual reminder… verse 20:

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Exodus 13:20-22 “After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 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. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”

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God knows, right? He knows where his people are at and what they need. And so he gives it to them. You’re on the right path. Follow the cloud. Follow the fire. Keep going.

I’m with you.

Exegesis: Exodus 14

Now… as cool as all of that is, we haven’t even got to the coolest part of the story.

So, read with me in chapter 14, verse 1:

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Exodus 14:1-4 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “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. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 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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Ok. Let’s make sure we’re tracking here. Because God is kind of a military genius, turns out.

What he says to Moses is this:

Have the people backtrack a little bit. Make it look like they’re second guessing their decision. Or maybe even that they’re lost.

And then God says this crazy thing—that he will “harden Pharaoh’s heart,” and that Pharaoh will once again change his mind and come after the Israelites to force them back into slavery.

That might raise a few eyebrows. Is that saying that God overrides Pharaoh’s will? That he not only baits Pharaoh with some fake wandering, but actually forces Pharaoh into making this decision?

If you would, just put a pin in that for a second and keep reading with me. Verse 5:

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Exodus 14:5-6 “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him.”

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So in the very next verse it seems to indicate that it was Pharaoh’s free decision, made of his own accord, to change his mind about letting the Israelites go and instead pursue them.

So which is it? Is it God in charge as he pulls the puppet strings, or is it Pharaoh making his own decisions? The ol’ “free will debate,” right?

Well, this is probably one of my favorite things about the Bible:

It’s both.

It’s God knowing exactly what Pharaoh will do if… and then using Pharaoh’s free will and evil decision making for his own purposes. God is able to know and plan for our free will.

Which means that this paradox can also be true:

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Even when our worst fears are realized, God is still in control.

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Put yourselves into the shoes of that Israelite caravan when all of this was playing out:

Every day I’m sure, there were people in that caravan looking over their shoulder to the horizon behind them.

And every day, it was just that, and only that: a horizon.

Until one day, their worst fears were realized as a cloud of dust appeared… then the first few horses and chariots… and then, confirmed: Pharaoh and his army.

They were doomed. Their worst fears, realized.

Verse 10:

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Exodus 14:10-12 “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 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? 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!”

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Would you look at that: the very thing that God was concerned about happening was happening. Those newly freed slaves, when faced with a real danger, did exactly the thing that God said that they would do.

When your security depends on people who are also a real danger to you, then putting yourself at risk of more danger doesn’t seem like a good option. Fighting for your freedom is terrifying.

But Moses is ready with his answer. Because even when our worst fears are realized, Moses knew that God was still in control.

Verse 13:

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Exodus 14:13-14 “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. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

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Do not be afraid.

Stand firm.

The Lord will fight for you.

Be still.

Do not be afraid.

Stand firm.

The Lord will fight for you.

Be still.

Do not be afraid.

Stand firm.

The Lord will fight for you.

Be still.

Let me just put that on the screen for us here:

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Do not be afraid.

Stand firm.

The Lord will fight for you.

Be still.

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