Exodus 13 Part 2 - Bible Study - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Exodus 13 verse 17 use the word of the Living God when Pharaoh let the people go God did not lead them by the 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 but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the sea and the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle Moses took the bones of Joseph with him for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear saying God will surely visit you and you shall carry my bones with you from here and they moved on from Succoth and a camp that Ethan on the edge of the wilderness and the Lord went before them by day and 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 the pillar of cloud by day in the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people let's brake quickly father this is your word Lord this is the truth and we acknowledge that that from cover to cover you have something to say to us and you have something to reveal to us concerning you and we pray that we would receive revelation of who you are in a way that would change us so Lord we yield to the Holy Spirit we put away our presuppositions our pre understandings we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and we ask Lord that you in the power and through the power of this word would once again conforms to the image of Jesus Christ we wait on you in Jesus name we pray amen you may be seated we had as you know we have men's prayer meeting right before the service and one thing we were just reflecting on was a the truth of how God just saves and when he saves he saves and the things that we used to do on a Friday night before we came to Christ and how God translated that and how just look around you for a moment and see the faces that have chosen to be here and before Christ depending on your background or your testimony you can probably testify I was nowhere near a church on a Friday night I was on the polar opposite but that's what happens when God saves he gives you a new appetite he gives you a hunger he gives you a desire to be amongst the people of God and I could just testify that I am so grateful to be here with you what an interesting text we pause here for a reason because there's so much wealth of truth and I think just for the sake of reminder it is always important to read the Bible with many lenses and as we read it with the immediate lens concerning who the people of Israel are and who they were in the situation that we're in and why the author is writing this and who the audience is that's important but we cannot divorce that from who we are as Christians concerning this text and so yes we read and we say well this is what it would've been like for the Israelites and that's why the day was connecting to this and that and this is why he wrote this to the immediate audience but if we leave it at that that won't necessarily change us unless we say okay now what does it have to do with me because all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching for rebuke for all these benefits for what purpose that the man of God may be complete may be complete so are those that like to emphasize on certain scriptures and like to not touch on any scriptures and I say well if you're doing that you're probably not going to be complete because all scripture is necessary for you to be complete so that's why we're doing this in Genesis and Exodus we're trying to get as much as we can have the Word of God rarely do we ever title a Bible study but I think with these verses there is an appropriate title because there's this continuous theme if I were to title it I think I would title it this principals for God's guidance in our lives principals for God's guidance in our lives amen I think it's important to understand once again that up to this point we've seen a lot of truths concerning the Christian faith the Passover lamb the feasts of unleavened bread and how that relates to us in our walk with the Lord and there is no different with these verses here so before we move forward I would like to open it up what can we say about what we just read in these scriptures any observations yes Isaac in the Neva didn't take him to the shortcut he took him through the long way yes that's a great and a very important observation so you're looking at the second part of verse 18 where it says they're equipped for battle is that what you're saying yes so they are equipped for battle which is interesting because he doesn't lead them necessarily directly into battle so what does God doing he equips them why isn't he sending them what else can we say yes we get a divine commentary in the heart of God and he goes you know if I leave them this way they might just turn back to Egypt so God knows something that the Israelites don't know what else can we say yes when you think of how the Egyptian is embalming they bury somebody there's this understand you know even when you study this who has anybody in your study I'm sure you've studied some level how they did things with what the Egyptians thought of their afterlife and all these different things has anybody studied that they really believed that there was an afterlife and they would put maps and jewels and different things with that body that was being buried because they thought that they were gonna bring that with them to the afterlife and so as Tim mentioned the fact that Joseph was brought out that's a statement when we get to that verse there's actually a very fascinating archaeological find concerning the tomb of Joseph and it is mind-boggling any other truths or observations at least think of it in light of how God leads and how God guides us through life principles of God's guidance in our lives now these principles they are only given to a certain type of people who would you think they're given to these benefits these truths are not given to all men who are they given to think of the wider context of who the people are being led God's people right yes God's people specifically those who have eaten the Passover lamb and who have applied the blood of the lamb over their lives and who have exited out of Egypt see these principles won't apply to you if you're still in Egypt if you're still in the world and if you still love the world then you still love the things of the world you can't expect God to lead you in what he's called you to do or be it is for Christians it is for those who take their faith seriously if it is for those that want to do what God's called them to do and so these are not automatic truths I'm sorry if you want to live your way which is obviously the roots heart of a person that says I don't want Jesus Christ to be Lord because I want to be Lord of my life then you can just tune yourself out for the rest of the Bible study you can go home early I don't mean that to be mean but I'm just saying these truths are only available to those who say jesus is my lord and I want to live the way he wants me to live so what principles can we take out of this incident in terms of love going into all this this is no alternative is this you're going somewhere you don't know that's dangerous you know you know you don't have really any alternatives so you're going into the wilderness you're going into unknown territory you're going to something in which guess what you don't have ciri to guide you through he's providing comfort to them through the cloud into the fire just during the day the cloud is there it's almost like shade for them so they think they like protect them because they're going to a wilderness a desert like area that night it's a pillar of fire like maybe they're like it's almost warming them and also a life that's not reading too much into it at all this is God leading us in a certain way and he chooses these elements for a reason and that is a great observation that he chose to come by cloud in the day and fire by night for what reason we'll find out yes now singing that that was a human leader and if he was leading at people and he was that there in there there's a shorter way and then obviously that you just expect them to go that route but then God would sentence people in his neck just absolutely so in the natural they looked ready for battle in the natural this is the shorter way doesn't it make sense us for us to just go this way and God goes no doesn't because this is the first truth in verse 17 that we must yield to the leading of the Lord concerning our lives even when it doesn't make sense that's the first truth God did not lead them into a specific location through a specific way why because he knew the outcome of it he knew that if he were to take him through that shorter way which would have taken much fewer days to do so they would have experienced something in which they were not ready for which we're gonna come into a moment but we've to understand that the shorter way is not necessarily the best way we have to understand that what makes sense in the natural now God loves logic he's given us that he's given us reason he's given us common sense but guess what sometimes in life those things do not line up with what God wants to do and so here we have a people ready for battle and here we have a shorter way don't we want to see what God wants to do in our lives as quick as possible I mean we only have 70 80 years 120 max come on let's get into this and God says no I have something else in mind because I know something that you don't know and as we desire listen for your own life and my own life as we desire to know God's will and as we desire to see him reveal his will for us in our lives we can't implement our own plan when he has one meaning we kind of have our lives figured out don't we we have a b c d e f g it's just automatic and in our society and Western society has kind of given us that plan you know you finish school and you do this and this and then you find a wife your husband and me and we have this all they're just kind of automatically and sometimes even when we know what God's called us to do in life specifically we kind of have it all figured out as well we say oh god you give me this passion and thank you've given me this confirmation and here I'm just gonna help you out here's my plan because I think this is the best way and so the A to Z is there but God has a different b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p than we do in the heart of man does he plan his way but the Lord what determines his steps and so even in our hearts desires and even what we can come up with God says I see that and I will bless that if it's according to my will but how it happens is not up to you it's in fact up to me and so I just need you to think in your life right now because the shorter way makes sense sometimes and sometimes you and I have a passion and a desire to serve God and we want to get there really quickly we really want to see the fulfillment of it we really want to see the fullness of it unveiled and we want to walk in the absolute depth of the glory for the testimonies that he has online for us and then he gives us a detour he gives us a detour and hear me there's a sense of delay there's a sense of a delay in the destination in which God wants to bring us but hear me again that delay is God's desire so there are two reasons why we have this desire to see go fulfill something in our lives or we have this certain destination mind and we're not there right away or we're not there where we want to be one it's because of our own disobedience so we know the same Israelites down the road because they disobeyed God and they would not listen to him they added more years to their journey that did not need to be added and that was due to their disobedience see God might have a call for your life and you might be running away from that call you might be playing around with sin and all you're doing is just delaying what God wants to do through you happen so many times and the extreme case of that is that you literally just booted the call of God out of your life because you just want it to be like salt or isang there's some people here they say not here but there's some people that would say well no if God's calling or something and he has something planned out for you you can't give it up you can't forfeit it absolute you can think of Esau think of think of Saul think of all these different characters think of demons think of all these guys that have forfeited their call and so one reason for a delay or one reason for not seeing the fulfillment of what God's called you do is because of your own disobedience it because of your own sinful ways and your rebellion you're hard heartedness and the second reason is the reason that we find here and it's for those that want to see God's call and those that are praying and seeking for his will in their lives and that delay is due to his sovereignty it is due to his providence and his foreknowledge of who you are and what is before you which leads to the second truth what seems to be a delay is actually God's desire why because truth number two God knows what we can and what we can't handle in this life God knows what you and I can handle in this season and what you and I can handle in the next season that he wants to bring us in does that make sense for God said less that people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt so there's the reason right there for the delay so let's talk about that what does that have to do with you and me as Christians as we desire to serve God in light of this probably probably it probably freaked you out so God takes you step-by-step great observation so those delays have a greater purpose concerning who you are as a person as a Christian and your character and your wisdom yes both are true if you were young in the faith and God showed you everything concerning your calling just this would be honest with ourselves thank you but no thank you maybe because you in that moment do not have the capacity nor the understanding of how you would even walk in those realities yet so God says I'm just gonna veil this and I'm gonna take you step by step which is what we're gonna learn in a moment secondly as our brother said he wants to do something in you so what do we know about the nation of Israel up to this point less the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt so what does that save the people of God yeah they're already in a sense they're fresh out of Egypt they're fresh out of the comfort zone they're fresh out of that place in which they've known as home for so long and if they are faced with these circumstances immediately the reflex might be I think it's better off just being a slave and having to deal with these Philistines sure yeah what else can we say what does it say about them think about just the context think about who they are what they just came out of are they freshly quote-unquote saved yes they just came out of Egypt so what does that say about them in their spiritual state what does it say about them in their experience they're young they're babes they're not fully experienced yet they don't have the abilities necessary yet to be able to walk in such confrontations and so what happens if they were to go into a place of meeting with the Philistines put yourself in their shoes I'll tell you I'll be honest I think I would be overwhelmed and because I would be overwhelmed that I would be discouraged because I've just I'm just not ready for such a thing at this moment in my life and so I have to trust God's leading because if we know the history of Israel do they ever fight the Philistines again do they ever meet with the Philistines again plenty of times but just not right now so God had it in mind that they would fight the Philistines but in this season right now it was not ready it was not time they were not primed yet and so he says we're gonna pull back on this though this is what I have in mind for you in the future but if you were to receive this right now or walk in this right now or step on that platform right now it's gonna do more damage than good and we see for the Christian now this is not very heartfelt if you don't desire to know what God wants to do for you life nor does it really relate to you if you're not eager to know what God wants to do for your life but this is for those that want to see God fulfill their calling and we have to understand that maybe you right now you were very eager you were very eager to see what God has for you in its fullness maybe your prayer life has been God why are you making me wait so long Lord you've been seeing my heart of my prayer life for this certain thing I want to be used for your glory and I just don't understand why you're keeping me in the same place Lord I want to broaden the influence that you've given me not for my glory but for your praise because I want to reach as many people as possible Lord I want to go into that certain workplace so that I can if you're praying that if that's the desire in your heart of it's burning in the depths of your soul and you're not wondering why it's happening it's probably because there's something he has to do in you first and it's most likely because you and I are just not ready yet you and I just not ready yet and if we were to step into that the immediate feeling we would get is that we would be unqualified and because we would feel unqualified we would be overwhelmed and because we'd be overwhelmed we would probably wish we never asked for that thing in the first place and he might be saying no no I'm ready man I've been praying for this thing for two years I know my Bible I know what I thank you very much but notice it wasn't the Israelites I said this it was God we said it about the Israelites why cuz God knows you better than you and God knows me better than me hey God sees the passion but he sees something beyond the passion he sees the need for you to fulfill that passion and he sees what needs to be worked on what needs to be developed for you to have longevity in the calling of God for your life and so he brings a delay he says I'm gonna take you into a different path what else can we say about that lest they return to Egypt I remember my first day of seminary the first class first day and to this day it's been almost three years and I remember one of the statements that the teacher made that was so impactful to me because me naturally I'm just this go-go-go guy Lord my life is only getting older and I don't want to wait any longer I want to see things happen Lord don't you see my strength don't you see my availability don't you see the season I'm in hell Oh Lord I remember when I was first Saved I was so convinced I want to drop out of everything and just go to Africa I didn't know where I was going just want to go just show up and I had that conversation with my parents you can imagine how that went that's great and there was plans to go to Africa I can get into the details but I won't but this is what that teacher said he says God values the preparation of his servants God values the preparation of his servants he values it and we're the ones that have trouble trying to value that process we're the ones that want to skip over the process and scrip over the preparation God says no I treasure these moments I take this season in which I prepare you very seriously so you know what it's not like it's not like you have this desire to serve God and you have this dream and this vision and have this ministry in mind and God puts you in spiritual timeout for a few years until you can do it because you're a big boy now he works on you he chisels the things I need a roof he adds what needs to be add and he makes you ready for what he has in mind for you I think God that I wasn't in Africa gosh what would happen I have no idea he knows and he shut that door real quick so you and I have to trust in what seems to be a delay it's preparation he's working on you and he's gonna work on the Israelites what do you think he did in that process of delay for the Israelites think about the journey the wilderness journey for them yeah yeah so they're gonna witness something incredible so he leads him towards the Red Sea so what's that purpose then he leads him to a specific way and he tells him he's gonna take him to the Red Sea so what does that mean why did delay is it because once again he just wants to put him on a spiritual timeout why is he taking him this way what is he as our brother said what does he try to produce within the Israelites trust one faith yes God destroy their enemies for them so they should trust in their God wants to produce some journal entries and he wants to create some memorials for the nation of Israel and guess what that doesn't happen when everything goes so smooth and according to your way doesn't you guys good good anything else what else can we say is this how God works in an isolated event or do we see God working like this again do we see God working this specific way again in the Bible not just with the nation of Israel but in the Bible he knew the very thing they need now let's think about the disciples come on all the things that they've experienced whatever the disciples experienced walking with Jesus for three years think about the Gospel accounts what have they witnessed demons being cast out the sick being healed revivals Jesus being transfigured Jesus walking on water food being multiplied what else all these glorious things its teachings on top of it I mean if you go through all of that I think you're worth 10 missionaries and he goes you know there's one more thing though you need the Holy Spirit and so you're gonna wait for a few days for him because all of those things did not not that that didn't matter is that outside of the power of the Holy Spirit we saw how Peter was before the Holy Spirit so the disciples absolutely where else in do we see in the Bible this sense of delay for the sake of preparation David killing lions and bears before he killed Goliath yes sorry Joe can you explain more about Joe so there's a suffering and all these things that he had the experience before he experienced blessing of God Jacob yes absolutely Joseph in the pit Jacob now when we think remember just for the sake of recap remember when Jacob was wrestling with God the Jacob wrestled with God or that God wrestled with Jacob God wrestled with Jacob Jacob didn't go looking for God God was looking for Jacob and God wanted to get something out of Jacob because you know what Jacob was he was stubborn how do you know he was stubborn he wrestled with God all night now you two of you guys wrestled for five minutes to see how exhausted you'll be but Jacob and God wrestle and he's so stubborn so God has to make him broken and make him dependent where he's clinging to God in a new way and he walks differently what else can we say about people or even Israel if you can turn with me to Exodus 23 exodus 23:29 this is how god is unveiling the plan for them when they would get into the Promised Land and what does he say I will not drive them out before you in one year less the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you little by little I will drive them out before you until you have increased and possessed the land so does he work like this throughout yes even with the same people he's saying listen this is you leaving Egypt in Exodus 13 but once you get into the land I'm gonna implement the same principles why if I do it in less than a year what will happen to them the same thing that would happen to them if they face the Philistines they would be overwhelmed the land they did not have enough people to take care of the land so to speak they didn't have enough resources take care of the wild beasts they would be overcome by the things that they were to face and so God says I'm gonna do this little by little very rarely does God bring a man to a certain place or a woman to a certain place at an accelerated rate he does so bit by bit piece by piece because there's something to learn there's strength to gain there's wisdom to acquire in the process and every time there's a new level of glory for example in this case they were leaving Egypt that's one level they're graduating in God they're coming into the Promised Land they're graduating in God and to us when we ask God to bring us to the next place of influence or ministry or service to Him we only think about the amazing things Oh God we're gonna touch more people Oh God we're gonna see the gospel go further Oh God we're gonna be able to shed the light of Christ but what we have to understand is that with the new level of glory pay attention it is coupled with a new level of opposition and challenges and we don't think about that part and so they have to face the Philistines at first he says you're not ready yet now they come into the Promised Land they have to face wild beasts different challenges so god knows what he's doing and he trains your spiritual muscles and he develops your discernment because you and I we think about the exciting things about growing in God and being used by God but we don't think about the things that are coupled with it and that is greater spiritual warfare opposition challenges and circumstances that if we were to just absorb with our own wisdom from the level-one once again we'll be overwhelmed will be discouraged will feel unqualified will feel oh man I signed up for this way too early and God says I know this before you do so let's take this step by step does that make sense tonight it's important for us because we need to be encouraged that God works at a different pace than we do but in his wisdom he knows what he's doing do you think they were eager to go to the promised land filled with milk and honey I bet they were and probably they fell the felt the pull to go through the shorter way because is there something that I have for you though so another sense can we say that God protected them did God protect them see when a glow door closes in your life and you have no idea why no what makes sense god this is just a natural way of things working this is how things happen in a person's life and God shuts that door guess what there's some Philistines on the other side that you don't know about so let me give you the detour so you want to know why that business deal didn't work out perhaps because there's something who's protecting you from maybe that school wasn't for you maybe that relationship wasn't for you God gives you a detour because He loves us and he knows our hearts and we want to please him and he goes thank you for trusting in my wisdom and thank you for trusting in my guidance let's go this way but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea towards the Red Sea and to mention this but let's talk about it more that's a very specific location so we talked about the first two truths one we must yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit God's guidance even though it doesn't make sense to the natural - he does so because he knows what we can and can't handle in this season and the season to come and three I would say this way God will lead you in a way where he gets maximum glory through your journey God will lead you in a way where he receives maximum glory through your journey and so we think about the Philistines God didn't lead them to the way through the Philistines because he protected them but it doesn't mean that he led them into an easier situation he tells them goal before the ocean go before the sea stand before this and so yes he does protect us but it doesn't necessarily mean he makes things easier but God saw had something in mind when he led them to the sea and we know the story what is the red sea represent in a person's life barrier yes great word what else can we say seemingly impossible situation yes absolutely the red sea are the roadblocks in life that forcefully halt us in our advancement or what seems to be halting us in our advancement and God's call for our lives it literally puts the brake and we are faced with as gill said a situation or a lack of opportunity that makes us feel I don't know where I'm gonna go from here that's literally what the Red Sea represents and that's where he wants to bring them it made sense to go through the shorter way he could have dealt with it concern you think God couldn't handle the Philistines he could have but he brings them into a place in which he's gonna receive maximum glory for generations to come and so he parks them there so what can we say the purpose of leading to the Red Sea is if you were to give any purpose this way or display God's glory yes Gill help rid them of something that he knows because he knows that the Egyptians are coming for them he's gonna use that situation to eliminate the Egyptians as well so he's gonna he's gonna use this situation to kill two birds with one stone I'm gonna deal with the Egyptians at the same time yes so we know that he puts him in a place in which there is no way so that he can make away and by making away he would receive all the glory and secondly as Gill mentioned earlier it would be a memorial for generations to come in which they would be able to look back and say if God has done it before he can do it again that's why God brings us to those places in life so that when you go through it you would have a memorial to look back at so when you're faced with another Red Sea come on Josh well when he's faced with the Jordan River when they were faced with different other circumstances they would say well God did it before he can do it again let me read this Psalm real quickly Psalms 106 eight to nine Psalms 106 eight to nine yet he saved them for his namesake so why does God do it for his glory he leads us he presents these situations to us for his namesake that he might make known his mighty power and we've said this before sometimes we ask God for miracles we ask God for intervention but how can he do that unless the circumstance requires it well God I want to see your hand move really okay let's let's put you here in front the Red Sea well I'm very uncomfortable good I don't understand it doesn't make sense everything was fine do you know there was a shorter way Lord yeah but you asked to see my glory oh yeah right okay so we see here he rebuked the Red Sea in verse nine and it became dry and he led them through the deep as through a desert now look at verse 13 but they soon forgot his works so wait what was the purpose of doing all of that so that they would what remember for the future but the Bible tells us they forgot and because they forgot what did it say they did not wait for his counsel and so they lost this sense of God's faithfulness because of their current circumstance they eliminated the fact that he actually brought them up to this point and because of that they did not seek his counsel and wait for his counsel and because of that they did it their own way and when you do it your own way there's an end very well there's it but it all comes back to forgetting when God intended it to be remembered so God had something in mind for the future generations of Israel with what he was about to do at the Red Sea to make a way where there seems to be no way so that when he does it he gets all the glory and to that it would be a memorial for them for generations to come and at this point when I was reading this earlier today I pushed my chair back from my desk I went into a certain drawer I pulled out my journal I went to one of the pages August 6 2014 and it was the day after I graduated college and I looked over I had tears in my eyes I laughed I myself I wrote yesterday was the last day of school forever and I go no that's wrong and I began to read about how in that moment I was so confident that God was gonna do something so obvious that he was gonna reveal his his plan here's my heart burning for full time ministry surely God is gonna send a prophet or a blueprint or something because I'm done I'm ready the season's over said no to jobs here's it's gonna happen then I flip the page August 24th 2014 God is really quiet and I don't like when he's quiet and my heart is troubled right now because I don't seem to know the next step and everything I had in mind is not lining up so what is going to happen next and I remember I wrote Psalms 32 verse 8 that his eyes upon me and he will teach me in the way I should go for the page September 12 2014 I just got back from an amazing conference in Michigan and I began to read a read and I said I talked to the man who was in charge of the conference oh my god that's be sure and I began to read and I was just stunned by God's faithfulness that in one point in my life I was faced with a red sea situation if I could put you in my shoes for those few months I literally did not know what the next it was a haze it was like an ocean even if I try to make away if I tried to push the water to the side it was just not going to happen but God was setting up something he was setting up a testimony in which he would receive all the glory and a memorial from my own life so that I can look back three years later and open my journal say if he's done it before he'll do it again and so if there's a situation that you're gonna face later on and like let me tell you that I'm not sure that was one of the hardest seasons of my life but I thank God for every minute of it because with all the stress and anxiety in the and that the extended time in prayer a memorial was being built up so in your life and in my life we can look back at those seasons saying it was really like God was not there but in fact he was preparing something and you can face those situations if now like the Israelites we have to be careful because we can go through those things and forget so it is our responsibility to steward God's interventions in our lives and to steward those testimonies for our own sake for his glory so what did they do what they they do in this season of delay or this detour did they pout did they whine did they say I don't understand God why are you laying is due why are you taking this the long way it's harder and we're gonna get hungrier that they complain no as Evan mentioned look what they did in the second part of verse 18 and the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle so they weren't inactive they weren't getting involved with silly things no they were ready they were ready for whenever God would use them and they were ready to be used in the moment for whatever God would bring before them so in the season in which you were waiting for the next step guess what you and I have to do in the moment train be equipped and do what we're called to do in the now and then now they weren't sitting and playing with the sand figuring out okay if God's gonna do he'll just lift us up by our hair no let's get ready for battle God will lead us God will show us and if there's anything any battles that we have to fight now he's given it to us because we're ready for it and whenever he wants us to graduate he'll promote us that's what they did verse 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear saying God will surely visit you he shall carry up my bones with you from here so we touched on this boat what else can we say about it if you have any time this is outside of the Bible study the Bible but if you have any time to do any research if you look up this archaeological dig concerning Joseph's tomb in Egypt it's amazing because what they have found in a very short amount of time I'm going to share this in a very short period they have found a tomb of an elected official in the land of goshen and when they went into the tomb it seemed that though somebody had gone in and broke in and removed the bones and when they describe the statue that was in there and all the different details a lot of people are convinced that it was Joseph which is just confirmation to what the Bible says here that Moses carried up his bones and verse 20 says and they move from Succoth and I can't that Ethan on the edge of the wilderness and this is such a beautiful sight in verse 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 the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people there's a phrase that's being repeated here what is it day and night day and night day and night that's important repetition is a teaching mechanism in Hebrew literature so what can we say about these verses here I'll never leave you no forsake you I'm with you day and night to guide you one of the questions I have with this is why the element of fire and why the element of the cloud yes so we have the cloud that sheltered over them right to shade the Sun and the fire by night obviously to bring light but I would argue also to bring warmth so it was this continuous understanding of comfort as there being a LED yes beautiful and at night they have this desert cold which is like that's beautiful yes so he does lead us but throughout the process he comforts us Eddy gnihton there's more of a question than of anything else but can this represent the Trinity mountain of Transfiguration God came in a closet oh well we'll get to a point you're onto something not specifically with the fire and the cloud being the Trinity but the cloud representing something or someone so there is some element of truth yeah you know from going from one extreme temperature to the other like at night especially in the desert it gets extremely cold so I think it's like you know from one one heat to the other I think I think that's a source of tension and you kind of see that in songs when you know when psalmist talks about God and finding breasts is finding rest in the shadows where defy shadow is when you find clouds yeah it's a continuous understanding of comfort of not just taking us from one point to another but hovering over us and leading us now you might disagree with this point but something came to mind when I thought about the element of the cloud and the fire in Genesis 15 verse 17 when God met with Abraham and put him to sleep and made a covenant with him I says in verse 17 when the Sun had gone down and it was dark behold two things showed up a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces so two elements we see this pot that had smoke and we have this torch of fire on that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham saying to your offspring I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river the river Euphrates here we see in Exodus 13 that God shows up on a greater scale this cloud the smoke so to speak and this pillar of fire and if the people of Israel were familiar with Abraham and how God instituted a covenant with them I think it's a beautiful illustration of how they would have been continually reminded of God's covenant before them and how God was leading them to the very thing that God promised Abraham in Genesis 15 hey it's gonna happen I'm leading you I'm showing you where to go this is something that I've instituted and I did not forget my promises and they were faced with that because it was before them so what does that have to do with you and me cuz we're not that's not for us necessarily what does it have to do with this understanding being under the guidance of the Lord in our lives the principle I think one principle is this is that when we walk through this life we must have God's promises before us his promises must be there to lead us to encourage us to remind us to fuel us that's what he was doing with the Israelites remember what I've spoken in the past I did not forget my word don't you forget my word and here they are walking with that in front of them and being reminded of it but this speaks of something else - and Eddie touch on it briefly it's a picture of something or someone else and who's that person he's divine you want to read it you have it yeah sure in that day the branch will work something beautiful and glorious and the through the legs won't be product the price and honor the survivals of Israel laughs in zion remains in jerusalem will be called holy everyone who hasn't reported for life in jerusalem when the lord shall have wash away the filth of the daughters of zion and cleanse the bloodstains in jerusalem from its mix by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning then the Lord will create over the whole sight of Mount Zion over assemblies a cloud by day and a smoke in the shining of a flaming fire by night over all the boy there will be a canopy there will be a booth crochet by day from the heat for a refuge a shelter from the storm yes that cloud is symbolic of something and Paul gives us the parallel truth to the Christian walk in first Corinthians 10 when he's speaking to the Corinthians about their walk with God he says for I do not want you to be unaware brothers that our fathers were all under the cloud 1st Corinthians 10 1 and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and all ate the same spiritual food and all the drink the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and the rock was Christ so the cloud is something that we are not divorced from concerning the Christian walk and I believe it represents the presence of God it represents the Holy Spirit if you think about the wider context even with the nation of Israel the cloud was provided after they ate the Passover lamb it was something that was given after the experience of applying the blood the Holy Spirit was given after Jesus Christ died and was resurrected and ascended and so we see here that there's this element of the presence of God that's leading them is that not true of the Holy Spirit in our lives is he not the one that guides us into all truth is he not the one that convicts the world is he not the one that whispers in our ears is he not the one that reminds us and comforts us and empowers us and all these different glorious things what else can we say about this cloud here the cloud was as you mentioned Christine the cloud was where God spoke through if you look at numbers 30 39 excuse me Exodus 33 9 it says when Moses and the tenth the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent and the Lord would speak with Moses so the voice came through the cloud it's the Holy Spirit in our lives that speaks to us that warns us that reminds us of the word that illumines the scriptures it's him he's been given to us when partially know day and night we have this constant communion with the Holy Spirit that's available to us we have this constant leading of the third person of the Trinity he has been provided you go to Exodus 14 verse 19 look what else the presence of God does and the angel of God who was going before the hosts of Israel moved and went behind them for what purpose and the pillar of cloud moves from before them and stood behind them coming between the hosts of Egypt in the horse of Israel oh he protects us he shelters us his hand is upon us when Satan tries to come up behind us the Holy Spirit doesn't take naps he's fully aware and he's fully available and he's fully guiding so he went from before to behind I love that truth because he surrounds me and so he knows my blind spots and he speaks he speaks yes to me directly yes through his robe but he also speaks to other people who have the Holy Spirit that can speak to me about the things that I don't see in my life that are behind me but I think there's one very important element of the Holy Spirit represented in the cloud does anybody remember one very important truth about the cloud when it came to leading the people of Israel yeah Gil it was before them so yes he is leading them you don't get ahead of him stay behind him yes that's partly true that's that is true but this is it's one of the truths of a little it sounded little detail it's later on that's why we might not know it but I'll try to illustrate with my hand or with myself I guess here's numbers 922 whether it was two days or a month or a longer time that the cloud continued over the tabernacle abiding there the people of Israel remained in a camp and did not set out but when it lifted they set out so it's not even a matter of the cloud being provided it's being sensitive to the cloud being guided by him when he says we go we go when he says we stayed we stayed when he doesn't give us instruction guess what we stay put and so there was a requirement of a sensitivity to the leading and what did that require on their part being observant when the cloud stated stayed when it moved they moved that's no different for you and me we have to tune into the Spirit of God in us we have to wait on the Lord we have to be sensitive to him and develop that sensitivity so this cloud in the principles of God leading us in this life is very crucial it was crucial for them and it's crucial for you and me I wonder how much of the Holy Spirit leads us in our decision-making I wonder how much of the inquiry concerning our day and our decisions do we bring before him he's been given to us for that well how do I know as the holy spirit we have to go too deep into this but there's one major rule if he says something that's not in the Bible it's a different spirit or it's maybe just your thoughts or the burrito from the night before but there is a truth that he is in US and I think a lot of people are afraid of that truth once again because they pin the Holy Spirit on so many things and it's not the Holy Spirit and people want nothing to do with the third person of the Trinity unfortunately but as paul Washer said once before I will not let individuals rob me from my inheritance I'm not it's in the Bible and it's for you and me so let's just learn how to do with the fear of God so many principles in these few verses about how God leads us in this life when there's a delay and we're walking in obedience it's because he's preparing you he knows how to lead you little by little because if he doesn't you'll be overwhelmed there's a pillar of cloud and fire by night I have a 24 access to the leading of God and to his goodness in my life concerning protection and warmth and comfort doesn't it make life exciting it should it should why because God is doing all this for his name's sake and he'll do the same for you and me God wants to do this for his glory and we should be excited to know that as he leads us he's doing it for him and as he's doing it for him we have to trust it and there's another way to glorify God and when we go too deep into this but in Exodus 14 verse 3 for Pharaoh will save the people of Israel they are wandering in the land the wilderness has shut them in and I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord and they did so so God's gonna get glory in two ways and he does the same today he gets glory when we walk in obedience and a sensitivity to his leading and his plan being unveiled in our lives and him producing testimonies and memorials and he gets glory even to the one that wants nothing to do with it now is that God's intention or is it God's desire for all to be vessels of mercy goto quickly romans nine very quickly we're gonna end with these thoughts I just want to leave you a verse for you to chew on concerning this understanding of God choosing people for his glory whether it's for mercy or for Earth in Romans nine twenty one as the Potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use so when we read that immediately say so God has the choice to choose who's gonna use for mercy and who he's gonna use to display his wrath not gonna get too deep into this but I want to give you one little phrase verse twenty-two what if God desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power made vessels of Wrath no has endured with much patience vessels of Wrath prepared for destruction that phrase changes a lot it would mean something very different it says what if God wants to just do it through vessels of Wrath but there's an insertion there who was endured with much patience what does that say about these vessels of Wrath that God was patient with them now if they were destined to be vessels of Wrath why wasted time to be patient with them of course there's hope and with Faro there was much patience as we read up to this point but he has reached the point in which he said I want nothing to do with you I want nothing to do with your will I want nothing to do with your salvation and God says I had as I do my desire to bring my glory through your life for my exaltation but you don't want to that does not rob me from my glory because I will display in a different way and it's unfortunate that he has to experience it this way but this is what happens when a man refuses to serve God and so he's about to do that and we'll leave it for next week but we can end with this know that as we desire for God to be glorified and as we desire to be faithful to his calling there are principles of his guidance in our lives and if there's one main point that we can focus on especially especially in the season of so many people's lives right now is that what you might think is a delay is in fact a season of preparation and usually these moments these senses of delay come in transitional moments in life transitional moments in life when they were leaving Egypt that's a transitional moment when they're going into the Promised Land that's a transitional moment when we are stepping into a new arena don't be surprised if God is going to work on you in order to prepare you for that step and so I get excited when I find out that somebody's graduating from school specifically got a college through a university student because there's these nerves there's this sense of I don't know what's gonna happen and if they're faithfully walking with God and desire to serve God you and I should rejoice and saying you know the Lord might be setting up something for you in a very special way so you would never forget you will never forget how faithful he's been you might not know how you're gonna get that internship you might not know how you're gonna move on in life you might not you might feel as though life is on pause right now I can tell you for and when I'm talking about me is just because I can experience it and I want to put the spotlight on Jesus but when I graduate from school I can tell you this it felt like I'd not only paused I felt like I put the car in reverse and went backwards I went back to my parents home I went back to working with my dad I went back to my room I moved out of my room now I'm back into it and when we read there in Exodus 14 if you see that little word there he says in Exodus 14 1 look what he says here he says then the Lord said to Moses tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp so even when you feel like you're going in Reverse God still has a plan trust in every step trust every day be faithful and equipped for battle train yourself soak yourself enjoy him for who he is and watch how what he has in store for you watch how he is preparing you and if you ever forget it remember he did it with the Israelites now that's on an individual level but we have to not forget that he was speaking to the nation of Israel on a corporate level and so I want to speak to this house corporately some of us know and have labored in prayer as some of us have maybe even discussed very shortly you know maybe you've thought it why aren't we seeing what God wants us to see or what we've been asking God to see rest assure that he knows what we can handle what you can handle and he knows not just the level of glory that we might experience but he knows the challenges that might come with that the responsibility does coupled with it and all those different inks so you know what we do we just stay equipped for battle keep showing up the prayer keep getting desperate keep reading your Bible keep desiring for souls to get saved and in a moment everything can change in a moment don't give up and so tonight as we're in the wilderness journey let's stand up together and worship Him

Channel: UE Church - Chicago

Views: 1,012

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: exodus, exodus 13, bible, study, bible study, exodus 13 bible study, exodus 13 part 2 bible study, friday bible study, daniel batarseh, bible study daniel batarseh, Uec, ue church, united evangelical church, agape young adults services, ue church agape, christians, sermon, preaching, teaching, jesus, god, holy spirit, christ, christianity, torah, old tastement, moses

Id: fzEepHD4z6k

Length: 66min 36sec (3996 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 06 2018