A page from my journal on Nov 21, 2000
I was ministered greatly by a Colin Hurt sermon I heard on the way to work this morning. It talks about Exo 13-15 and is entitled “Celebrating Victory At the Other Side of the Red Sea”.
I want to share the points which ministered to me and also took the liberty to add some of my own personal insights to it. Hope that you’ll be blessed by it as much as I am :
God’s guidance in the desert
[Exo 13:20-22] After leaving Succoth 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.
God promises His guidance to His children, that’s true. But only if he/she is moving towards His purpose. Sometimes we have to go through times of uncertainty and confusion before God’s purpose in us is fulfilled. Confusion is not a sin. Even the apostle Paul went
through times of confusion.
[2 Corinthians 4:8] We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.
We can be in confusion (being perplexed) but we need not be in despair for God is always in control.
Future not known for our own good
[Exo 14:8] The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.
[Exo 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!”
The Israelites were marching boldly after they left Egypt. Little did they know that the Egyptians were hot on their heels. But when they realised that their enemies were gaining in on them, they became frightened, cried out to God (or rather, whined at God) and complained
to Moses to say that they wanted to go back to where they were – Egypt.
Sometimes we wish we could see our whole lives ahead of us. It sure would help us make good decisions! But God in His grace, chose not to do so. Else we would have trembled at the hardships that we needed to go through and turn back to who we were before we were knew Him. We would want to go back to our Egypt – the old comfortable life that we used to live, etc, etc. But we need to realise that our worst day as a Christian is better than our best day living without God.
I remembered envying those who were suffering for the cause of Christ when I felt so far away from Him. At least they had the assurance that they were following God’s will and that He was pleased with them. Let’s not be despaired and want to go back to the good ol’ days. Don’t be deceived by the devil, for one day in the house of God is better than a thousand days in the world.
Take the whining out off your voice
God doesn’t like people who complain at every hardship that they face. The Israelites were experts in the School of Complaints. When we are tempted to complain, we need to remind ourselves to count our blessings first.
Our prayers need to be those that glorify God. If we feel weak, we should ask for strength – strength to overcome trials, strength to love an unlovable person. If we feel that life is unfair to us, we should pray for God to change our heart attitude and to remind us of the good things that we have in our lives. If we feel lacking in courage, we should ask for it – courage to preach the gospel to the lost, courage to ask for forgiveness, courage to tell the truth, courage to carry the cross. The psalms are good examples of prayers. Don’t let our prayers sound like a self-pity party but learn to pray from a proper perspective.
[Exo 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.
We should welcome trials into our lives as something good for us. We need to know that nothing will happen to [your name] unless it first goes through God, the Father. God was the one who led the Israelites into a ‘trap’ – the mountains on their sides, the Red Sea in front of
them and the Egyptians at their backs. Trials will happen to us, whether we like it or not, and at the end of it all, God will be glorified.
[1 Peter 4:12-13] Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
[1 Peter 4:14] If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
The proper attitude would be to press on without complaining.
[1 Peter 4:19] So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Don’t stand still, move on!
[Exo 14:13-15] 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.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
There are times when God wants us to be still. But apparently, this was not one of those times. Moses saw the Red Sea ahead of them and wrongly concluded that they should just stay put until God delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians.
Besides taking note (and some comfort!) that a great leader and friend of God like Moses could wrongly assume what God wants them to do, we also should take note that we need to walk by faith and not by what we see.
There will be times when the circumstances are so daunting that you just don’t feel like moving on, but God wants you to move on. There may be times when you are so gung-ho to embark on something worthwhile but God tells you to hold on, to wait a little longer.
[Jer 29:13-14] You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.
The praise that came too late
Only after the Red Sea had been parted and the enemies were wiped out did the Israelites praised God [Exo 15]. The praise came too late. It even had bad theology!
[Exo 15:2 ] The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Note the words, ‘he has become my salvation’. How could this be? God only emerged as their Saviour after they tasted victory? What bad theology! God has ALWAYS been our salvation.
David was called to be a king when he was 16 but he only saw it come to pass when he was 30. He spent most of those 14 years running away from Saul’s murderous intent. I think he would have been confused and wondered when will he see the promises of God fulfilled in him. But in his psalms he praised God and entrusted his life into His hands. He praised God even before he saw the victory coming through. Praise results in victory, it does not and should not follow victory. David had good theology. No wonder God called him a man after His own heart.
If only the Israelites had marched towards the Red Sea and praised God for the victory that is to come, they would have participated fully in the victory over the Egyptians. The Egyptians would have perished amidst the joyful praises of a people who had every faith in their
awesome God. Oh, what a pity that their praises came too late!
God doesn’t promise His children a life of comfort. He is more interested to shape our character than He is for our comfort. We rest in the hope that all good things comes to those who love God – good things that will bring us closer to Him. Good things that will make us more Christlike. Good things that will glorify Him.
[Rom 8:28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
And you can be sure that He has good plans in store for us. He didn’t give us plans to make us miserable and feel down.
[Jer 29:11] “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
[Exo 14:25] He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving.
They discovered chariot wheels at the base of the Red Sea. A reminder of God’s awesome deliverance of the children of Israel.
May this sermon be a reminder that praise always results in victory. Let’s praise God today for the victory that will come tomorrow!
One of my directors just came back from Australia and brought back some yummy wasabi macadamia nuts. Bet ya haven’t heard of such a combi… hehe. Well, it tastes like wasabi and macadamia nuts (whaddaya expect?) – a bit weird but definitely tasty (if you like wasabi and macadamia nuts, that is)!