By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
Exodus 13:17-14:30 June 25th, 2023
The year was 1989; I had been the Pastor at Bruce Mines Wesleyan Church for four years and married for two years. I was starting to get the sense that it might be time for us to leave the church at Bruce Mines. Lynda and I were praying about it, and first Lynda, then I had the sense that God had a ministry in Ottawa that he wanted us to do.
So, in January, I let the church in Bruce Mines know that our time of ministry in Bruce Mines was coming to an end. One of the curious things about the Wesleyan Church is that when ministers move, they all move at the same time of year, the third week of July. What that means is that usually, if people are going to resign, they resign in February or March.
I knew the Pastor at Sunnyside in Ottawa to say hi. I had no idea whether or not he planned to resign. He had no idea that we felt led to Ottawa. I resigned because we felt like God was leading us away from Bruce Mines to Ottawa.
But as February passed and March passed, the Pastor at Sunnyside didn’t resign. We wondered if we had heard from God wrong. We questioned if we got it wrong.
Then we heard that the Pastor in Ottawa resigned, but the church never called, and they never called. Again we wondered if we got it wrong.
So, I went and interviewed to Pastor a Church in the London area, and then I interviewed for a different church in the Kitchener area. We thought we heard from God, but maybe we got it wrong.
Have you ever felt like God was leading you, and then you felt like you got it wrong?
As it turned out, the church in Ottawa called us, and we moved to Ottawa, and it was obviously God who called us there.
I sometimes struggle with God’s leading. I want God to lead, but sometimes he seems to be silent. There are other times when I think God might be leading me, but he is directing me in a path where I don’t want to go.
There are other times when I think if I could just hear better, then everything would fall into place.
I suspect that some of you might also struggle with the leading of God. One of the things that I have found that helps is to know God’s ways and how he leads. When you know that, it makes it easier to spot his leading.
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Last week we started a series on part of the book of Exodus. This morning I want to take you to Exodus 13. You may remember from last week that God sent Moses to Pharaoh to say, “Let my people go.” But the Pharaoh would not, so God sent plague upon plague. After the 10th plague, Pharaoh finally said go.
Come with me to Exodus 13 as we think about God’s leading.
Exodus 13:17–18 (NLT)
17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.* Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.*
Exodus is not kidding when it says that God did not take them the shortest route. (Show the picture) They started in Egypt at the red circle on your left. The red circle on your right is Jerusalem. You know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. You see the red line. That is the route they took.
Now the shortest route to the promised land was Philistine territory. Now over the subsequent years, God would help his people defeat the Philistines many times. He could have helped them to defeat them this time too. But The Israelites didn’t know this. They didn’t know that God could help them win battles. They had been slaves for the last four hundred years.
God said if these people have to go to war right away, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. So, God led them, but he led them the long way around.
. God’s ultimate plan for the Hebrew people was to get them to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. God’s plan was to get them to a good place. God’s plan was to lead them to freedom. God was much more interested in accomplishing his plan than he was about efficiency.
Here is what you need to know about God. God is more interested in seeing his plans and purposes fulfilled than he is in efficiency. (repeat) What that means is that God takes into account our frailty, our lack of faith, and our lack of knowledge. He takes all these things into account when he leads us.
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God knew that his people were going to have to fight a war to get into the promised land. He knew that they were not ready to trust him to fight on their behalf. He knew they needed time to develop faith.
They took the long way around, but this was not wasted time. They learned a lot about God along the way. It was on the way that they received the 10 commandments. It was on the way that they saw the power of God at work on their behalf. It was on the way where they needed to make the choice again and again to follow God.
Some of you feel like life is taking you the long way around. Some of you feel like it is taking you a long time to get to where you need to be.
I want you to know that God has a purpose for your life. He is much more interested in fulfilling that purpose than He is in efficiency. Sometimes it takes a while for God to get you to where he wants you to be – and He’s alright with that. He has you on a journey – maybe not the most direct journey – but it is the journey you need to be on.
Exodus 13:20–22 (NLT)
20 The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. 22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.
It was a supernatural GPS system. My, there are times in my life where I wish God’s leading was so obvious. “At the fork in the road, take a left. Turn left now.” Proceed straight for 4.6 km.”
I don’t know about you, but God’s leading is usually not this obvious to me. But God did what he needed to do for his people. Today, if you are a follower of Jesus, you have God’s Spirit inside you. He wants to teach you to keep in step with the Spirit. God’s leading may not be as obvious, but it is there.
Exodus 14:1–4 (NLT)
Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: 2 “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. 3 Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ 4 And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you.* I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.
So, the Lord has been leading his people with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Now what does the Lord say in 14:2 – turn back and camp.
I love this time of year. It is motorcycle season. I often go with a friend or two. Motorcycling is a great sport for introverts. You are driving along in your own little world, even when you are driving with friends.
When you’re driving with friends, one person leads and the rest follow. I have been known to take the lead and then miss a turn. We don’t have high-tech helmets with Bluetooth or anything, so you don’t get to discuss if the upcoming turn is the correct turn to make. I know that when I miss a turn, and then we have to turn around and come back is that it feels like I have failed in my leadership; I have done something wrong.
So, when God says turn back and camp back at a place where we came by, it feels like either he got it wrong or they followed wrong because we tend to see life through the lens of efficiency. But God is quite Ok with saying you have followed me well; now turn around.
That just doesn’t make sense to us, but God has his purposes. He says, “I am going to show my glory.” I am going to let the Egyptians know I am the Lord. So, what I want you to do is set up camp at the edge of sea in the middle of the wilderness.
In other words, I want you to go in the opposite direction that I have been leading you and you are going to camp at a place that is indefensible and in a place that is unescapable. I have a plan. I am going to show my glory.
I just want to say, that unless you are sure that you are following God, this does not make sense. But if you are following God, this does not seem to be all that abnormal.
Sometimes following God is hard. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense. But God’s purposes are good.
Exodus 14:5–9 (NLT)
5 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. 6 So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. 7 He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. 9 The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore.
So, imagine you are the Israelites. You have just escaped from Slavery in Egypt. God has led you to an indefensible and unescapable place, and you see this dust storm on the horizon of the wilderness. A massive army with 600 chariots is bearing down on you. What are you going to feel?
Exodus 14:10–12 (NLT)
10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’ ”
God has delivered them, and God has led them, and this is their response? I would condemn them, except they sound an awful lot like me sometimes.
I know God’s purposes are good, and yet I find myself between a rock and a hard place sometimes. Panic, questions, condemnations of myself, of others. It is not the response of faith; it is the response of those of us who need to grow in faith.
Remember, these people have been enslaved for their who life. Their responses are the responses of a slave. God is in the process of delivering them from slavery but also their addiction to slavery. He wants to show his people that he is stronger than what has conquered them.
When you are in the middle of panic and it looks like you are about to be overwhelmed, it is helpful to have a person of faith around to reassure you. Listen to what Moses says.
Exodus 14:13–14 (NLT)
13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
I think Exodus 14:14 is a verse that we should all memorize.
14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm
Say it with me.
Again
Again
One more time.
Those are good words to remember when you find yourself in the wilderness, with your apparent doom approaching and your escapes blocked.
Of course, all the while the people are complaining to Moses, Moses is crying out to God. Even people of faith cry out to God. I love God’s response.
Exodus 14:15 (NLT)
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!
I love that. There is a time to stop praying and get moving. There is a time to pray, and there is a time to move. I takes wisdom to know which is which.
Exodus 14:16–20 (NLT)
16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. 18 When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”
19 Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. 20 The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.
What is up with the dramatic pause? God tells Moses how he is going to deliver his people. But it is getting a little too close to evening, and who wants to walk through the middle of the Red Sea at night, so let’s place the pillar of fire between the Egyptians and the Israelites.
If I were the Israelites, I would want to get out of there as quickly as possible. But there is often a pause between when God shows you what he is going to do and when he does it. I suspect that God wanted his people to see his deliverance. That required daylight.
Exodus 14:21–31 (NLT)
21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!
23 Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. 24 But just before dawn, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. 25 He twisted* their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
26 When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.
29 But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. 30 That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Following the leading of God is an exercise in faith. I know that for me, sometimes assumptions get in the way of faith. If we are following God, it should be the most efficient way to do something. But sometimes, God takes us the long way.
If we are following God, then we should never have to backtrack. But sometimes, it is in the backtracking that the greatest lessons are learned.
If we are following God, then we should be safe. That is true in the big picture sense, but during some snapshots in time, it may look like you are in a place that is both indefensible and inescapable. But just because you are there doesn’t mean that God hasn’t lead you there.
When you are tempted to panic, remember Exodus 14:14
14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm
Again
14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm
There is a time to pray, and there is time to move. Listen for God and use wisdom.
But sometimes, there is a pause between when God shows you what he is going to do and when he does what he is going to do.
It takes faith to stand there. You may see inklings of God working but he still needs to come through.
But God does come through. But the only way to develop faith is to walk through situations that need faith.
What about you? Where do you find yourself in the story? Maybe you’re still in Egypt or walking through the wilderness, caught between a rock and a hard place, or maybe you have seen his delivery.
God, in this story, was intent on delivering his people from slavery. He was also intent on delivering them from the addiction to slavery. He was intent on accomplishing his purposes- And sometimes, that made his people really uncomfortable. His intents and purposes have not changed.
I know that God wants to lead you into freedom. It is sometimes not an easy process. It is sometimes uncomfortable. But there is no better way to get to know how God leads other than trying to follow his leading. You may get it wrong- but God will be with you still.
There is no better way to grow faith than to exercise faith.