January 26: Exodus 13:17-15:21

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012

Exodus 13:17–15:21

We read today about God’s parting the Red Sea so that the Israelites may continue their exodus from Egypt.  In the process, God demonstrates His power and provision in guiding the Israelites according to His path and vanquishing the oncoming Egyptians.  We catch the first glimpse of the Israelites’ wavering hearts and proclivity towards fear and complaining.  As the Lord’s selected prophet, Moses speaks His truth in order to encourage and direct the people.  (While a prophet’s ministry may involve foretelling, in the strictest sense, a prophet merely passes along that which God has revealed to him for the edification of others.)

 

We receive great encouragement in reading about God’s leading of the Israelites through the cloud and fire.  At first glance, we might feel some envy for such a tangible display of God’s provision or grow judgmental of the Israelites, whose faith wavers so frequently, despite this evidence of God’s presence.  The Israelites express their grievances 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?” (Exodus 14:11)  Yet, Moses reassures the people:  “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  (v. 14)  Immediately thereafter, God calls the people to start moving and bring the plan to fruition:  “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.  I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.  And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.  The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” (vv. 16–18)

 

We may understand the awesome miracles in today’s text as part of God’s ongoing efforts to reveal His glory.  God’s protecting the Israelites from the Egyptians and His parting of the Red Sea and leading the Israelites on dry ground would become an indelible stamp on the nation’s history.  The Israelites could rightly proclaim, along with Moses:  “Who is like you–/ majestic in holiness,/ awesome in glory,/ working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11b)  God has created us for this very purpose:  to see and delight in His glory.  Any glory of earth pales in comparison (or merely reflects) His eternal and magnificent glory.

 

On a personal level, we may read promises in the Scriptures as examples of His revelation – for example, John 17:3:  “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  From eternity, God has taken great steps to reveal Himself to every person of every nation, and Jesus has called His followers to join with Him in this effort (Matthew 28:18–20).  One powerful means through which God has portrayed His glory lies in His creation:

 

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1–4)

 

 

Yet, how do we wrestle with the question of how the destruction of the Egyptians brought forth God’s glory?  We have previously encountered the terrifying display of God’s judgment in the flood, but God promised with the rainbow that He would no longer destroy the whole earth, even though:  “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5)  With the Egyptians, they had clearly witnessed God’s hand in the plagues, leading even Pharaoh’s magicians to acknowledge God’s sovereign power.  We read that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.” (Exodus 10:20)

 

With the Egyptians, we view a clear interplay of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.  God did direct the situation to bring about a greater revelation of His glory.  Indeed, He caused the Egyptians to have a favorable impression of the Israelites, allowing the Israelites to “plunder” the Egyptians upon their exit.  Each actor, and especially Pharaoh, participated willingly in shaping the story.  Pharaoh’s heart had an inclination to fear and later hate the Israelites.  As Pastor Scott noted, Pharaoh’s reliance on magical arts suggests a demonic attachment and therefore spiritual opposition to Moses’s plea to allow the Israelites to worship the true and living God.  Furthermore, we understand from Romans that God provided the Egyptians, and every individual throughout history, sufficient revelation to reach out to Him:  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18–20)

 

This reading elicits another practical consideration about our own wavering hearts.  Like the Israelites, we know of God’s faithfulness in the past, both through Scripture and through personal experience and family history.  We have the additional blessing of the testimony of the New Testament, which gives a blueprint for Christ’s returning to reign over the new heavens and new earth.  Despite knowing what has transpired and what resolution God will ultimately bring, we worry in this moment, for today, or for the immediate or more distant future.  We must approach Him humbly, recognizing that we are without resources to control even a moment and calling out to Him for His strength.  As we seek Him, He will provide grace for this moment; He delights in our continuous pursuit and growing knowledge of Him.  Like the Israelites, we remain “still” in trusting Him, but, spurred on by His moment-by-moment grace, we take action according to His direction.  Proverbs 3:5,6 guides us perfectly:

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.”

 

QUESTIONS

1. In what ways may you serve as a prophet to those in whose path God has placed you?  What can you share about His revelation?
2. How do you struggle to trust Him in this moment?

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