See the Salvation of the Lord

Happy Father's Day. Thank you. Happy Father's Day to all you dads. Those donuts, they are actually, there's no sugar in the donuts, no calories, it's just a bunch of protein and mental fortitude. So eat as many as you want.

All right. Well, if you're visiting this morning, my name is Matt. I'm the associate pastor here at Redeemer, and I am really thankful for the opportunity to preach this morning.

I wanted to begin with another word of prayer. Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We pray that your word would go forth now simply and clearly this morning.

We pray that as we hear, you would minister to us, help us to receive your word with glad and sincere hearts. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.

All right. Well, this morning we are going to look at Exodus 13 and 14. Exodus 13 and 14. If you have your Bibles or your app, you can turn there now. Now, Exodus 13 and 14.

The passage that we're going to read takes place just after Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt. And we have a good bit of material this morning.

So I thought to help us, I'd like to read the section in three parts. So I will, I'll read one part and we'll stop and reflect on it and then we'll move on to the next part.

So our first section is Exodus 13, 17 through 14, 4. Exodus 13, 17 through 14, 4. I'll read that aloud.

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 Red 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. You shall carry up my bones with you from here.

And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 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 may 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. Then the Lord said to Moses, tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahirath, between Migdal and the sea, in front of Baal-zaphon.

You shall encamp facing it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of 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. Well, in this section, God delivered his people from Egypt. He was leading them to the land of Canaan, the land he promised to give their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And at this time, there was a road that pretty much went straight to Israel's promised land. It was called the Via Maris. It was a trade route.

It went right along the Mediterranean Sea. It connected Egypt and Canaan and Syria. It was a straight route. But God didn't want his people to go on that direct route.

He wanted to take them on a longer and safer route. And we're told why in verse 17. Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.

The Via Maris would have went straight to Canaan, but it also would have went through the land of the big bad Philistines and right past some Egyptian outposts, some fortresses that Egypt had kind of set up along the way.

And this would have put some real heat on the Israelites. And God knew that if they felt that heat, they would want to get out of the kitchen.

They would abandon God's way. So God was going to lead them on a long road, heading south toward the wilderness and the Red Sea to avoid the military threats.

Verse 18 says that the people of Israel went out on the long road equipped for battle. The phrase literally means they went out in 50s. That could mean that they were traveling in these really kind of small, early, makeshift military formations.

Or it could just simply mean that they were traveling in small groups. However they were traveling, they were traveling with some really important luggage.

The bones of Joseph. Joseph had to travel his own long road in Genesis. He was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. He grew to prominence in Potiphar's house.

And then he was wrongfully imprisoned. He was forgotten in jail. And then he was freed. Finally, he was promoted by Pharaoh and helped God's people outlast a great famine in Egypt.

But God promised to lead his people out of Egypt to a better land. And Joseph believed him. He made the people to promise on his deathbed to carry his bones out of Egypt when God finally led them out.

So that's what's happening in this passage. Moses is ensuring. He ensured that the promise was fulfilled. Joseph's bones would accompany the Israelites.

Verse 21 tells us that the Israelites also had a really important travel companion. And that was the Lord himself. Verse 21 says the Lord, that's Yahweh, went before them, before his people.

God was sending his people down a long road, but God was going with them. And he gave his people a visible, tangible sign to help them know that he was near.

It was a pillar, a pillar of cloud and fire. This looked like a great column of cloud during the day and a great column of fire during the night.

Our passage says that the Lord was in the pillar, in the column. Later on, the pillar is described as the angel of God or the messenger of God.

We also see later on that God looked down on Egypt from the pillar. With all this in mind, we can see that the pillar is a supernatural manifestation of God's presence and glory.

And this wonderful pillar, it was going before the Israelites. And the Israelites were supposed to follow day and night, never diverting from the path that would lead them down.

God was with his people, leading his people. And he would not depart from his people. And that was really important for the Israelites to remember because in verse 1 of chapter 14, God led his people in a really surprising direction.

Verse 2, God says, I'll throw up a map behind me to try to help us make sense of what's going on.

But you should know that scholars, including the scholars that made the map behind me, they are all over the place on exactly where these places are.

The big controversy seems to involve what sea God was telling his people to camp beside. You know, in chapter 13, verse 18, the sea is referred to as the Red Sea.

But that means the Reed Sea or the Sea of Reeds. And that was kind of a really fuzzy term that could refer to the Red Sea that's labeled at the bottom of the map.

Or it could refer to that smaller lake that's in the middle of the map. It could even refer to even smaller lakes that aren't even pictured in the map.

And you can see that this map has a few options based on where they think the Red Sea was, where the encampment was, of where God's people could have been traveling from.

Now, I think I favor the route that goes further south through what is labeled on the map the Red Sea. But it's really not clear. But here's what is clear.

God wanted his people to turn around and to head back in the direction that they had already traveled. That's like the worst possible fear that a dad can experience on a trip, turning around, heading back to where they've already traveled.

God wanted his people to turn back around, head back to where they already traveled, and make camp at the edge of the sea. God's intention behind this direction, that's also crystal clear.

The Egyptians had military outposts and operatives all over this area. They would see that Israel made an about-face that they backtracked, and they would report that to Egypt.

And when word of this backtrack reached Pharaoh, he would assume that the people were vulnerable. That they were lost, or scared, or confused.

And this burning desire would come into him, that he would want to have the Israelites return as his slaves. Then the passage says that God would harden Pharaoh's heart.

Conservative Old Testament scholar Desmond Alexander argues that the Hebrew word behind harden might be better translated as strengthen. God would harden Pharaoh's heart.

He would strengthen Pharaoh's heart, meaning that he would give Pharaoh over to his sinful desire to enslave the Israelites once again. And with this strengthened heart, Pharaoh would send out his forces to recapture the Israelites.

But when Pharaoh sent his army out, God would use that as an opportunity to exert his power and expose Egypt's weakness. God said that he would use this as an opportunity to get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts.

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. Now, before we move on to our next section, I want us to pause. I want us to reflect on this one.

I especially want us to think about Israel's long road. The direct road, the via Maris, that wasn't taken. God wanted to lead his people on an indirect path.

Sometimes, God leads us down long roads today. On paths that seem longer or more difficult than they should be. We can see shorter, easier paths, but they just don't materialize.

There are a number of reasons that God leads us down longer roads. One reason might be that God knows our weaknesses. That's the reason that's given in this passage.

Israel is taken down the longer road because their faith would falter on the short road. God knew their weakness and led them on the long road as a way to protect them from faltering.

That's one reason that God leads down a long road because of our weaknesses. Maybe that's why God is leading you down a long path, a long road today.

God knows your weakness. He knows that the short road would be bad for you. Maybe that's why you're on the long road this morning. But there are other reasons that God leads his people down long roads.

Sometimes it's because God wants to use the long road to help us grow. Sometimes it's because our sin has led us off on a detour. Sometimes it's because our sin-cursed world puts trials and suffering in our way.

Sometimes it's because God's leading us to an altogether different place. For whatever reason, you might find yourself on a long road. This passage shows us that God stays with his people on long roads.

Remember that pillar of cloud and fire. The presence of God staying with his people. And that's true today too. Christians don't travel down long roads alone.

That's something that God tells his people over and over again in scripture. He says that he will never leave us or forsake us. Jesus said that he is with us always, even into the end of the age.

If you are on a long road this morning, remember that God stays with his people wherever he leads them. And furthermore, God promises to use long roads for his glory and our good.

That's what God promised to do with the Israelites as they walked the long road that he set before them. He said, I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.

When God leads us down long roads, he is ultimately leading us toward his glory. He uses long roads to glorify himself, to show the weaknesses of people, to show the fleeting nature of earthly things,

to show that our souls can only find satisfaction in him alone. He uses long roads to help us see his glory. And that leads to our good. As we come to appreciate the glory of God, we love him more.

We love his ways more. We trust that he will do what is best for us. We can find hope even on long roads. This thought is summarized nicely in the song that we sing by City of Light.

It says, There is hope in every trial, for I can trust the Lord. He will turn my heart towards him and help me bear the thorn. So in faith I follow Jesus, on the road not understood, for I know that he is working for his glory and my good.

God wants us to have that kind of confidence in him as he leads us down long roads. You know, that's the kind of confidence that we saw in Joseph.

He knew that his long road would ultimately lead where God promised. He wanted his bones to be taken. If you're a Christian and you find yourself being led down a long road, God wants you to know this morning that he is with you and that he will use that long road for your good and for his glory.

The one who calls is faithful, and he will surely do it. That's a promise. All right, now let's continue on to our second section this morning.

We'll see where God leads his people to next. Our second section is Exodus 4, verse 5, Exodus 14, rather. Exodus 14, verse 5 through 18. I'm going to call this section Pursued and Panicked.

Exodus 4:5 Exodus 14:5–18

Follow along as I read. 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 that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him and took 600 chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over them.

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.

The Egyptians pursued them. All Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army and overtook them, encamped at the sea by Pihahirath in front of Baal-zaphon.

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. 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? 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 die in the wilderness. And Moses said to the people, Fear not. Stand firm. 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. The Lord will fight for you. You have only to remain silent. And the Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to me?

Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff. Stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

And I will harden the heart of the Egyptians, so that they will go in after them. And I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, his chariots, his horsemen.

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. Well, in this section, news of the unorthodox path and the seemingly erratic kind of wanderings of the Israelites coming to and for, back and forth,

this news reaches Pharaoh, reached Pharaoh. And just as God foretold, Pharaoh changed his mind about the Israelites. He and his servants wanted them back, worse than a teenage boy once his crush back that dumped him.

Worse than that. But Pharaoh wasn't going to woo the Israelites back to Egypt with flowers and poorly written poems, like some teenage boy. No, he was going to force the Israelites to come back.

He mustered a military force to go after the Israelites. It included the royal army, 600 chariots, horsemen, Egyptian officers, even Pharaoh himself.

A very intimidating group, to say the least. Pharaoh's army was determined to bring the Israelites back to Egypt because God had hardened Pharaoh's heart, strengthened Pharaoh's resolve to recapture the Israelites.

The Israelites might have left Egypt defiantly, but Pharaoh would make them return compliantly. Pharaoh's war party caught up to the Israelites in verse 9.

The Israelites, they seemed at a complete disadvantage. They were encamped by the sea. As Pharaoh's army was kind of pressing on them from one side, they had no place to go.

The sea was behind them. This dire position, it was not lost in the Israelites. As they saw Pharaoh's armies marching toward them, they feared greatly.

Though God told Moses that all this would happen, that God would prevail against Pharaoh, still the people panicked. As Douglas Stewart wrote, the sight of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of approaching chariots apparently drove all memory of God's assurances through Moses to the Israelites

out of their minds. In their fear, they cried out to the Lord, and they turned against Moses. I think it's funny, even though they were panicked, they still had the clarity of mind to throw a little sarcasm Moses' way.

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 in bringing us out of Egypt?

God used Moses to deliver his people from Egypt, but now they wished they were back. They said, 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 die in the wilderness.

And here we can see that the Israelites, their fears were keeping them from seeing things clearly. They were forgetting what God had said in their fear.

The approaching army of Pharaoh had cornered them into a false dichotomy. They thought it was either serve Egypt or die in the wilderness. Those are the only two options, slavery or death.

But were those really the only two options? In verse 13, Moses broke into this panic and he reminded that no, those aren't the only two options.

There is a third option. And that third option was rescue. Moses said, Fear not. Stand firm. See the salvation of the Lord. Though Egypt's army was great, and it was getting closer and closer to God's people, God would not allow them

to be destroyed. In fact, God was going to destroy Egypt. Israel would never have to face them again. God would fight for his people. All his people had to do was be silent.

Be settled. Trust God. Watch what he would do on their behalf. Moses then spoke with the Lord on behalf of the people. He relayed their fears in verse 15.

But the Lord already heard their cries. He already saw the armies of Egypt approaching, and his plans remained unchanged. The people, God said, were to move forward.

And that meant forward into the sea. In verse 16, he said to Moses, Lift up your staff. Stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

God's long path for Israel was going to lead them right through the sea. As Moses raised his staff over the sea, Moses wasn't going to have to split the sea.

God was going to do it for him. He would supernaturally part the sea, providing a safe way of escape right through the middle. And as they fled, God would further, God is telling this plan to Moses, he's saying, as they flee, God would further strengthen the resolve of Pharaoh's army.

And the Egyptians would follow into the sea, but that wasn't cause for the Israelites to panic, because as they followed into the sea, God would destroy them, getting his glory over Pharaoh, proving that he alone is God.

As we reflect on this section this morning, we are pursued by Pharaoh and his armies, but we do have enemies. The devil, his minions, the world, and the flesh.

Our enemy today seeks to overwhelm us, to stir us up into a panicked fear, to lead us away from God's path. It seems to me that that false choice tactic is especially common today.

The enemy tries to present us with false choices, false dichotomies, tempting us to choose between two bad options. This seems to happen to Christians every Pride month.

We're told that we can either love someone by affirming their same-sex relationship, celebrating their decisions, or we can hate them. We can either acknowledge that same-sex attraction is a fundamental part of someone's identity, or we can say that they're less than human.

We can either concede that someone needs to take hormones or mutilate their bodies in order to find happiness, or we can push them toward suicide.

But these are not our only choices. These are false choices, false dichotomies, introduced by the world, the flesh, and the devil, designed to destroy people's lives and deter Christians from walking down God's path.

We can opt out of false dichotomies. We can choose the verse 13 option instead, the fear not, stand firm option. We can reject the enemy's bad choices.

We can choose instead to believe what God has said and remain faithful to Him. The fear not, stand firm option is to love someone by disagreeing with them when they are in sin.

The fear not, stand firm option is to remind people that it's possible and good to deny ourselves to follow after Christ instead. The fear not, stand firm option is to be settled that transitioning will not bring the peace that is only found in Jesus.

Maybe this morning the enemy is presenting you with some false dichotomies. Maybe you want to be in a relationship. Maybe the enemy is telling you that you can either compromise biblical qualifications for a spouse or you can remain alone.

Maybe those are your only two options. Maybe you're an employee and maybe the enemy is telling you that you can either get ahead in an underhanded way or you can lose your job.

Those are your only two options. Maybe you're longing for something different and the enemy wants you to choose between now or never. Those are your only two options.

These are false dichotomies. When they come, I want to encourage you to opt out, to choose the fear not, stand firm option. Believe what God has said instead and stay on his path.

Let's move to our final section this morning. Exodus 14, 19-31. We'll call this section Into the Sea. Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them.

The pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was cloud and the darkness and it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

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 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. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea.

All Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 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 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. 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.

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.

The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained.

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. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians.

And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and they believed the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Well at the beginning of this section the Israelites they were encamped by the sea. Night was coming on. The armies of Egypt were drawing near.

God's people were in a very vulnerable spot. But God was mighty to save. And at the command of the Lord the pillar of cloud and fire that was leading God's people the angel of God the manifestation of the presence of God it went before between rather it went between Egypt and Israel.

And in verse 20 we have this very difficult to translate phrase describing the movement of the pillar. It says and there was the cloud and the darkness and it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

That seems to be conveying the idea that as the pillar went between Israel and Egypt it appeared as fire as light for the Israelites in the night and it appeared as an even deeper darkness for the Egyptians preventing them from moving on from pursuing Israel.

Pastor Alan Harmon helpfully summarizes these things for us as he says the main idea is that the glory of God seen in the cloud brought light and salvation to Israel while bringing darkness and judgment to the Egyptians.

As the pillar moved behind Israel God provided a way of escape in front of them. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord sent a strong east wind to blow upon the sea.

With that wind God pushed aside the waters of the sea forming a dry path in the middle with walls of water on each side of the path. What an amazing sight that must have been.

The Israelites then walked forward they walked in between those walls of water and all through the night they walked across the Red Sea to safety.

Just before daybreak as the Israelites made it to the other side of the sea the pillar of cloud behind them seems to have been lifted and Pharaoh's army was no longer restrained and so Pharaoh takes that seizes the opportunity and immediately the Egyptian forces pursued all of Pharaoh's horses

his chariots and his horsemen went in after the Israelites into the midst of the sea. Verse 24 rather tells us that in the morning watch that means the last watch of the night just before dawn the Lord looked down on Pharaoh's armies.

Egypt might have thought that they had supreme power but God was really reigning over them with power over them and in his power God caused the mud of the sea to begin to cling to the wheels of the chariots binding these wheels making them drive heavily making them stick in the mud

and it was at this point that the Egyptians finally realized that God was fighting for the Israelites when I read that I was like really you know it wasn't the pillar of supernatural darkness or the divided walls of the sea water and it was mud on your chariot wheels

well those chariots were probably the most powerful things the Egyptians knew of they used their chariots to destroy enemies to win wars but God had rendered those chariots ineffective and this sent pharaoh's army into a panic

they tried to retreat but in verse 26 the lord directed Moses to once again stretch out his hand over the waters and as he did God returned the waters of the red sea to their rightful course those walls of water came crashing down on the fleeing Egyptians

verse 28 says that all the hosts of pharaoh that went into the sea not one of them came out again not one of them remained Egypt came face to face with the judgment of God but from a place of safety on the other side of the sea

the Israelites they saw all of this they had a front row seat to this incredible act of judgment they saw all the walls of water collapse they saw the bodies of the Egyptians wash up on the seashore they witnessed God's judgment but they also experienced God's salvation

the waters parted the miraculous path through the sea their enemies were vanquished all simply with the raising of Moses his hand that's all anyone ever did God fought for them the events of that day left them in awe that's what we see at the end of verse 31 says they

feared the Lord and they believed ! his servant Moses this scene on the shore you know the Israelites standing in awe of the acts of judgment and salvation that God has accomplished had accomplished that reminds me of another scene in the Bible a

scene that took place many years after the crossing of the Red Sea that's the crucifixion of Jesus as the son of God was nailed to his cross becoming a curse for us God's judgment and mercy were made unmistakably manifest it was evident that Jesus deserved

to be saved a truly righteous man yet there he remained bearing our sin and guilt upon himself and then a supernatural darkness fell not just a pillar but over the entire land and then forsaken with the full sea of God's wrath coming down

upon him Jesus gave up his spirit the earth shook the temple veil was torn dead saints came bursting forth from their tombs then three days later Jesus himself rose from the dead and presented himself to many glorified

never to die again what a cataclysmic event and listen to how Matthew describes those who saw it Matthew 27 54 when the centurion and those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake and what

took place they were filled with awe and said truly this was the son of God that sounds a lot like Israel at the edge of the red sea 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 the crossing of the Red Sea the destruction of Israel's army God's great act of salvation and judgment those were only precursors to the work of Christ the miracles in our passage are only a shadow and a type meant to prepare God's

people for the truly remarkable for the truly miraculous for the great salvation that God made available through the atoning death of his son for the great judgment that Jesus willingly took upon himself on the cross like the Israelites at the Red Sea

like the centurion at the foot of the cross we today are invited to look upon the salvation of the Lord to marvel at the deliverance that God has made available through the gospel of Jesus to turn from our sin and turn to faith in Jesus

to walk after Jesus in the fear of the Lord as the worship team comes they're going to lead us in one final song I want to ask you to pray with me once again Heavenly Father we thank you for the great salvation

that you accomplished in Christ we thank you that he bore the judgment we deserved and rose from the dead and that through faith in him we can receive forgiveness and new life we pray this morning Father that you would give us eyes to see what you have done for us help us as we do look

upon Christ sacrifice that you would help us to fear you to believe in the work you have accomplished in Jesus help us to follow after Jesus no matter where you are leading us help us to know that you are with your !

people that you are working

when his lies come remind us of the truth Father and help us to walk in it be glorified in us now as we sing it's in Jesus that we pray amen