“Into the Wilderness”
A Sermon Series in the Book of Exodus
“A Rebellion by the Sea;
Principles For Living Out God’s Plan For Your Life”
Exodus 14
Introduction
As the Israelite people are leaving Egypt they plunder the Egyptians by asking for gold and jewelry as they are leaving. Exodus 13:17 “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” Their first response to having to fight for their freedom would be to run back to Egypt.
So God purposefully led them into the wilderness. And God led them 13:21 “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” The pillar of smoke and fire was the presence of God leading His people (and he did so for forty years).
The most direct route from Egypt to Canaan (the Promised Land) was a route that would have taken them about two weeks to make the journey.[1] But God did not take them most direct route – in fact they went in the opposite direction, he took them into the wilderness. It was not the most direct route, it was not the easiest route, and it was not the most logical route – but it was the best route because it was God’s route for His people.
Prayer
Principle #1: God’s Plans May Not Make Sense To Us (vv. 1-4)
Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 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.” And they did so.
God’s people were on their way to freedom, they were headed in a direction that made sense – but then God says, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back” – The direction he led them and told them to turn back was military lunacy – It placed them between the desert and the Red Sea. They were to set up camp in front of the Red Sea. Egypt had been watching, and they noticed how they were wandering in the desert and now had placed themselves in a very vulnerable position – this drew the enemy out to attack. God made His people appear weak to draw the attack of the enemy.
Later in history Jesus would be arrested, beaten, and crucified. It would seem that He was in a very vulnerable position – but this was actually his victory. Colossians 2:13-15 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Jesus triumphed by providing the means of forgiveness by cancelling the debt that we owed against God because of our sin. It appeared to the world and even His disciples that Satan had won – but then Jesus rose from the grave.
Principle #2: God’s Plan Puts Us In A Place To Show His Glory (vv. 5-9)
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
The pharaoh changes his mind – “who is going to make the bricks?” but if he is going to get the slaves back, he would have to hurry. “So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him” There are some key words to point out, “took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt,” and “all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army,” Pharoah took every soldier and horse at his disposal. In one sweep all of Egypt’s strength would be shown, “that I am the LORD.”
The army caught up with God’s people, “and overtook them encamped at the sea.” The people are encamped – not moving. God has set his people up to wait for the chariots to arrive. But this never occurs to Pharoah – that in this battle he is the weak on who will lose the battle. Pharaoh had the three signs God gave Moses (staff to snake, leprous hand restored, and water to blood) He had experienced 10 plagues, even the death of his own first born child – each time he said ok, I’ll follow God’s plan – only to change his mind. Here again, he lets the Egyptians go, and then changed his mind.
“Pharoah’s change of heart shows that he never really truly repented of his sin. He had been given every opportunity to set his captives free. Time after time Moses had told him to let God’s people go. First, he refused. Then the plagues started to come, be began to negotiate. He bargained and bickered, he asked for prayer even begging Moses to give him God’s blessing. But he never let go. When finally, he said that he would do what God wanted, he immediately changed his mind and went back to his sins. Pharoah’s rebellion is a warning to anyone who never quite gets around to doing what God requires.”[2]
1 Corinthians 10:6 says, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” These things were given as examples of an unrepentant heart – a heart that says they want to turn from sin and submit to God, only to change our mind again and again. And when it is all said and done, they never do anything of any consequence for the Lord.
Principle #3: God’s Plan Requires Us to Show Trust Him. How Do We Show Trust?
We Show Trust By Being Quiet (vv. 10-14)
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.”
As we move through Exodus we are asking the question, “Will God’s people place their faith in God and follow Him?” When they were forced to make brinks without straw they said, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (Exodus 5:21) They did not trust God or his prophet. Here they say, “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.” “I told you so – we never should have tried, we never should have taken this risk, now look, I was right and now everything is going fail!
“We are all going to die, you are doing something evil to us, leave us alone, we want to stay the same, we want to be slaves, we know what is better for us than God or His Deliverer.” At this Moses says, be quiet. Stop talking foolishly and saying things that have no element of faith. Stop it. Jesus warns that when God’s Word lands in a person’s heart, Satan will be right there to yank it back out, “the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in their hearts” (Matthew 13:19).
In response he tells the people to do three things, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD,” – 1) Don’t be afraid, trust that God has a plan, 2) stay where you are, don’t move – if we run every time things get hard, we will never see God work, and 3) watch – stand still and watch God do a mighty thing.
We Show Trust By Moving Forward (vv. 15-22)
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.” 19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
As Moses raises his staff the Red Sea slits open and there is a strong wind that dries out the bottom of the sea. The Angel of God and the pillar of cloud was in the front of them, then moves behind them and blocks the Egyptians from being able to attack them.
Hebrews 11:29a “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land,” (v. 22) The act of faith was to go into the ocean that was split open as a wall on each side. “And the people of Israel went into the midst” Every journey with the Lord begins with a step of faith into something you have never known. You can’t stand on the shore, God has split open the sea, now it is time to move forward, take a step and then another.
“Notice the order here: God did not wait for His people to trust him before he would save them. If he had waited for that to happen, they never would have been saved! Instead God took the initiative. First the people saw their salvation (just as Moses had promised, 14:13); then they feared and believed. This is the pattern and the purpose of salvation. First God delivers us from danger, saving us when we cannot save ourselves. Then we respond in faith, trusting God and worshipping him.”[3]
We Show Trust By Changing How We Think (vv. 23-29)
23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
When the waters settled, all that remained was the sea, and as the hours went by bodies began to wash up on the beach. Thousands of dead soldiers. How many of Israel’s sons had they cast into the Nile, now it is they who are washing up. On the western side of the Red Sea they were runaway slaves. When they arrive on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, they were a liberated people. Their enemy was completely destroyed.
They were not slaves any more – they were something new. Isaiah 43:16-19 “Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17 who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18 “Remember not the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” The one who destroys our enemy, tells us to forget the slavery days, “I am doing a new thing,” He is making a way before us. “do you not perceive it?” We must stop thinking like a slave and begin to think like a child of God – who has a purpose and plan set before us!
We Show Trust By Watching What God Does and Believing in Him (vv. 30-31)
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 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.
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,” Paul describes this moment in history where God’s people were baptized into Moses – to baptize means to “dip under” So to be baptized into Moses means to immerse in Moses. When we are baptized we are not just being dipped under the water – there is a deeper meaning.
“Moses is called to lead Israel (3:10). The Israelites, by following Moses’ leadership and by passing behind Moses through the Sea which separates them forever from Egypt, have thus joined to him forever and are compelled to follow him hench forth. . . The whole nation shared in the gifts of God which he in Moses gave to His people.”[4] When we are baptized into Christ we are forsaking sin, and covenanting together with Christ – I am associating myself with Jesus. He has saved me, therefore I will follow Him. Moses, as God’s given deliverer, leads his people to freedom, so they should follow him. Jesus has given us salvation, so we obey Him and connect ourselves to Him and His ways.
Later in Psalm 106:6-7, the psalmist says regarding God’s people “Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.” Our response to this text is to remember the steadfast love of God and to trust Him in all our ways.
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[1] Philip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word, Exodus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 348.
[2] Ryken, 352.
[3] Ryken, 365.
[4] F. W. Grosheide, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953) 220.
