Unfamiliar Territory

Unfamiliar Places  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  40:06
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Unfamiliar Territory

How do you view situations that are unfamiliar to you? For example, would you be excited about the new possibilities and people when it comes to a new job or school? Or would you be anxious about the unknown? Some of us view changes in life with great excitement and others with great fear. But as a church, we are facing the challenge of a change in pastoral leadership. As I prepare my last sermons to this body of believers, I want to help you look to God’s Word for guidance through the transition. I pray that you will continue to trust God and allow Him to lead you through this unfamiliar territory. If we are patient and obedient, we will experience a greater understanding of what it means to have faith in a faithful God. Today we are going to look at the example of Israel’s response to unfamiliar territory at the time of the Exodus.

Between the Red Sea and Pharaoh

After God sent the final plague upon Egypt, He told Moses to direct the people to turn back and encamp in an area between the Red Sea and Migdol. God told Moses that the reason for this location was to draw Pharaoh to take his army to follow them. Pharaoh was the target, and Israel was the bait. The people recognized that this unfamiliar place was very dangerous. It seemed God was leading them into a trapped corner with no way to escape the army that was in pursuit. Look at what scripture tells us about this situation.
Exodus 14:10–18 ESV
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
God had a plan, and He informed Moses and the people about the end goal. But why should God allow the people to be in a vulnerable place so He could judge the sins of Egypt? Camping between the Red Sea and Pharaoh was unfamiliar territory. The people complained that it would have been better to remain enslaved in Egypt than to die in the wilderness. Life was predictable in Egypt until Moses came. Sure it was slavery, but it was predictable. They knew they could do the hard labor of slavery during the day and knew where they could lay their head down at night. They knew the food they would eat, even if it wasn’t the best. It was at least consistent and familiar.
God set up this unfamiliar territory to do more than judge Egypt. He wanted to teach the leaders and the people about the God who just saved them from slavery. The Exodus story is as much about Moses' journey to trust God as it is about the people of Israel. Moses was familiar with leading sheep in the wilderness for forty years. Leading Israel out of Egypt was unfamiliar territory. Do you recall how Moses tried to make excuses about his disabilities? When Moses told God he was slow of speech and tongue, God reminded Moses that He was the God who sovereignly gives humans various abilities. He is also the God who gives the message to those He chooses. We are to obey whatever He commands. Moses learned to trust God and lead the people according to God's Word. If God said to camp near the Red Sea, then Moses simply had to direct the people to the location and do so with confidence.
God wanted to teach Israel about His faithful word. Whatever God has promised will surely come to pass. Although God promised salvation, He did not reveal all the details. How would he bring salvation? They had to wait and see. And God caused a great wind to blow all night to push back the water and dry the ground so they could walk on it. The people saw Pharaoh and his army follow them and drown in the Red Sea when God opened the water. The people saw that God was faithful to His word. God sometimes withholds the details of His plans so that we may learn to trust Him in the Big Picture and leave the details to Him. God wants us to have faith and trust in Him when we don’t know all the details. So if you are a details type of person, you may have to learn to wait for God to give them to you on His terms. He will provide the details you need to know when you need to know them.
Not knowing the details of God’s plan may be an unfamiliar territory, but it is a situation that you will get to see God fulfill His promises and supply your needs. How will you trust God in the coming months of unfamiliar territory?

Waiting at Sinai

A lot of things happened between Exodus 14 and Exodus 32. Moses and Israel learned that God was with them. They learned that God could feed them in the wilderness with manna and quail. God gave them water to drink from a rock. God had demonstrated salvation and miraculous provision. But in Exodus 32, they were called to the mountain of God. They had instructions to not get too close to the mountain and prepare themselves to meet with God. And they waited for Moses to come down from the mountain from his meeting with God. But they grew impatient with waiting. The people entered the unfamiliar territory of waiting.
Exodus 32:1–6 ESV
1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
Managing people and unfamiliar territory can inspire us to act of our own will rather than to wait upon God. Moses had to lead an impatient and stubborn people. And while Moses was on the mountain with God, the people grew impatient. What was the next move? What was on the agenda, and where was their leader, Moses? The only instructions they had were to wait. But how long should they wait before doing something? Waiting is the most unnatural desire we have as humans. From infancy, we only know how to cry when we want something. And we scream louder when we wait longer. The people, like impatient children, pressured Aaron to lead them in the familiar direction and experience back in Egypt. The religion of Egypt included the worship of various gods and included worship by making idols to honor the gods and having feasts. But the One who saved Israel would never let himself be represented by an image nor endorse the kind of celebration they had. They became self-indulgent and rejected the plan and direction God had given to them. They wandered away from God desires toward desires of the flesh. The Hebrew term translated "play" has the connotation of sexual orgies and self-indulgence. Such actions were typical for the other religions but not for the worship of the One True God.
Not knowing the timeline is uncomfortable, unfamiliar territory. How long is too long for something to occur? So often, we want change to happen faster than we see it happening. By design, something will occur according to a timeline that you should not accelerate. Waiting upon God is a spiritual discipline. When we wait on God, we show that He is in control and that we want Him to bring about His sovereign will instead of ours. How are you responding to the current unfamiliar territory of waiting? Be careful not to make things happen that need to be delayed according to God’s timing.

Complaining at Kibroth-hattaavah

The book of Numbers shows us the ups and downs of progress and failure for the people of Israel to learn to trust God in all things. They were out of Egypt and on their way to the Promised Land. But the journey meant living in the wilderness and depending upon God for direction and provision. The Promised Land would be a place “flowing with milk and honey”, but the journey there meant traveling an indirect path. Look at what happened as they traveled in the wilderness.
Numbers 11:4–6 ESV
4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
Numbers 11:16–20 ESV
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?” ’ ”
The location of this incident is Kibroth-hattavah which means “a place of strong craving”. Instead of craving the desires and will of God, they desires something else. It is not a sinful thing to desire the wonderful seasonings of good food. The sinful thing was to let that desire for something good become the basis for a false view of their past and God’s goodness. Their cravings were so strong that they had forgotten that they ate it in the land of slavery. They even reasoned that it “cost nothing”. And they believed they recieved no strength from the food God provided. What a set of lies to believe! Their complaint was that they were getting tired of eating the seemingly plain and predictable cuisine of God’s provision. In the place of strong cravings skewed their view of God’s present plan. In the wilderness, God provided food that sustained their life not the cravings of their tongues. God would satisfy all good desires, but in His time and in His location. To teach them the unsatisfying nature of their strong cravings, God gave them so much that would grow sick of it. Strong cravings need to be evaluated in light of God’s provision and promises.

Our Church in Unfamiliar Territory

As we attempt to navigate the changes in our church, we will have many opportunities to repeat the actions of ancient Israel or learn from their choices. Although Moses and Aaron were the leaders, there were not in charge. God was the true leader. What is your view of church leadership? Do you tend to trust leaders? Do you pray for them? Do you recognize that they are just people like you? Do you think they have it all under control, or do you worry about them? The Bible directs us to honor those who lead, pray for them, and keep our eyes on the True Head of the Church more than human leadership. I pray that you will continue to support good leadership in this church. They are doing their best, be careful not to be critical and complain. Offer your help, especially in prayer, and let God help you to see Him as the Owner of this Church.
Patience will be unfamiliar territory. Even if you want things to be settled quickly, they may take longer than you wish. And that is okay. The typical time for an interim pastor to serve lasts from 6 months to two years. Being patient in the process is not a sign of giving up but rather a sign of enduring faith. God loves this church family more than you do. You may discover new things about yourself and God through this time of enduring patience. Remember not to grumble, but be thankful that God is faithful in the process as well as the end result.
Ultimately, patience is connected to our obedience. Those who act impulsively often have to retract their words and actions. Impatience can lead us to make incorrect assumptions about God and others. And when God shows us the clear direction, will we follow it or insist on another option? While you may not have asked God to bring this to your life at this moment in time, God has allowed it to occur. And because He has allowed it, He will be with you in the unfamiliar territory. We may not have the cloud by day and the fire by night as Israel did. However, we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ. We have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit and the tried and true Word of God.
Finally, remember that unfamiliar territory is temporary. It may be temporary, but it is necessary, so embrace the God who knows the way.
My Lord knows the way Through the wilderness; All I have to do is follow. My Lord knows the way Through the wilderness; All I have to do is follow. Strength for today is mine always, And all that I need for tomorrow; My Lord knows the way Through the wilderness; All I have to do is follow.
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