WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.259 We have been in a series in the book of Exodus, which is the second book in the Bible. 00:00:04.560 --> 00:00:10.380 So if you turn to the very beginning and turn some pages, you'll get to Exodus chapter 13, 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:11.980 verses 17 to 22. 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:15.439 Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word. 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:24.039 Heavenly Father, you are the king. 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:25.440 We are your subjects. 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:28.880 You are the Lord. 00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:30.540 We are your servants. 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:33.780 You are our father. 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:35.780 We are your children. 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:39.160 You are our shepherd. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:40.439 We are your sheep. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:50.100 We want to serve, follow you, honor you, love you with our whole heart. 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:57.740 We want to be reminded again this morning of your faithfulness, your steadfast love. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:02.719 So speak to us from this passage. 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:11.439 Teach us more about your character and humble us and glorify your name. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:14.040 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:15.000 Amen. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:19.340 Exodus 13, verses 17 to 22. 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:28.000 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:29.760 although that was near. 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:36.320 For God said, lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:43.400 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:49.340 And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 00:01:50.940 --> 00:01:53.360 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. 00:01:53.940 --> 00:01:57.480 For Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:02.800 God will surely visit you and you shall carry out my bones with you from here. 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:08.620 And they moved on from Sukkoth and encamped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:15.199 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:21.500 and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:29.180 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.439 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:02:33.939 --> 00:02:42.039 If you drive here in the city, you have more likely than not had the experience of being in a hurry to get somewhere 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:46.520 and then to only run into that dreaded detour sign. 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:52.480 And if you are overly reliant on the GPS, like I am, 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:58.379 then it probably rerouted you to another point of the construction site, to another detour. 00:03:00.600 --> 00:03:05.920 And for some of us, that experience feels like a metaphor for life in general. 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:09.680 A closed door in your career advancement. 00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:14.480 Getting stuck in the friend zone of your romantic interest. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:18.439 An unexpected setback in your health. 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.179 Maybe you thought you'd be in full-time ministry by now. 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:27.179 Maybe you thought you would have a job by now. 00:03:27.959 --> 00:03:31.099 Maybe you thought you would be a university professor by now. 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:35.699 Maybe you thought you'd be living in a different country by now, or state by now. 00:03:36.519 --> 00:03:38.159 Maybe you thought you'd be married by now. 00:03:39.339 --> 00:03:42.000 Maybe you thought you'd have children by now. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:44.139 Maybe you thought you'd have been married by now. 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:47.020 But your life seems to have hit a detour. 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:49.580 And unexpected delays. 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:52.840 A deferral of your hopes and dreams. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.900 Prophet Jeremiah captures this experience well in Jeremiah 10.23. 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:02.180 I know, Lord, that the way of man is not in himself. 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:06.319 That it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:12.039 On this walk of life, it is not our human prerogative to direct our own steps. 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:14.000 Because, as Proverbs 16.9 says, 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:18.459 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 00:04:20.339 --> 00:04:24.100 Man devises his plans, but God decides what will happen. 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:27.860 Man proposes, but God disposes. 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:34.080 And if we know the God who is directing our steps, then we can trust him through the detours of life. 00:04:36.280 --> 00:04:44.699 Exodus 13.17-22 takes us on one of Israel's detours, and it teaches us that we can entrust ourselves to God through the detours of life 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:48.920 because of his wisdom, faithfulness, and presence. 00:04:49.139 --> 00:04:52.000 And we're going to see those three things in turn. 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:56.300 Let's first look at God's wisdom in verses 17-18. 00:04:56.300 --> 00:04:56.879 It says, 00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:03.480 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. 00:05:04.460 --> 00:05:05.100 For God said, 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:09.379 Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 00:05:09.960 --> 00:05:14.300 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:19.160 And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:25.639 There was a shorter, direct route from Egypt to Canaan known as the Great Trunk Road, 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:28.419 which followed the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:33.979 And therefore, it was called in Isaiah 9-1 as the Way of the Sea, or Via Maris in Latin. 00:05:34.659 --> 00:05:39.919 This famous trade route was also called, in some ancient times, the Way of the Philistines, 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:43.039 because it passed right through the Philistine plain. 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:46.639 That's partly why God is avoiding this direct passageway. 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:50.699 It says God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines. 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:51.959 But why? 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:56.560 Was God afraid of the military might of the Philistines? 00:05:57.259 --> 00:06:00.139 Were the Philistine gods too strong for him? 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:02.439 Of course, that's not the case. 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:07.259 That's an absurd question for those of us who've seen how God struck Egypt down 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:10.699 and its idols down with his strong hand in the preceding chapters. 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:16.699 There is no God but the Lord, Yehovah, and we have seen that clearly. 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:22.959 The reason why God chose this detour is for the sake of the Israelites, for his people. 00:06:23.599 --> 00:06:29.959 Because of their faithlessness, and because of their fearfulness, and because of their fickleness, 00:06:30.539 --> 00:06:31.560 it says in verse 18, 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:37.579 For God said, lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 00:06:38.779 --> 00:06:44.620 This is ironic because it says in verse 18 that Israel went out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:51.840 Now, we have seen the repeated use of military terms in the preceding passage that I noted last week. 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:57.720 1236, that the Israelites plundered the Egyptians by asking them for their silver and gold and jewelry. 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:00.280 And plunder refers to the spoils of war. 00:07:00.840 --> 00:07:07.280 In 1237, they said that there were 600,000 men on foot coming out of Egypt. 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:10.959 And that's a technical way to describe infantrymen, soldiers. 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:16.759 1241 told us that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:20.459 The word hosts refers to armies or regiments, divisions. 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:27.599 So, we're seeing again and again these repetition of military terms. 00:07:27.679 --> 00:07:33.000 But we noted last week that also, that Israel not once gives battle to the Egyptians. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:38.100 The Lord God has done up to this point all the fighting on their behalf. 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:43.579 Israel is winning their war against Egypt simply by trusting in the Lord and in His word. 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:47.500 So, this phrase, verse 18, is intentionally ironic. 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:49.139 It's making the same point again. 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:54.720 The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle, in battle formation. 00:07:54.720 --> 00:08:02.540 And yet, from God's omniscient perspective, Israel is utterly ill-equipped for battle. 00:08:04.200 --> 00:08:11.280 Israel may be equipped for battle physically, but they are not equipped for battle spiritually, to trust the Lord. 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:19.900 A time is coming when the Lord will demand of them to fight, to conquer the promised land. 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:28.419 But before that, they must learn to trust in the Lord, lest they forget the Lord and think that their failure or success is entirely dependent on them. 00:08:29.659 --> 00:08:37.439 In their current level of faith and maturity, they will change their minds and flee right back to Egypt as soon as they face the Philistine army. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:41.779 The Israelites don't know this, but God knows this. 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:47.740 So, He takes them about a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:52.180 I think I have a map where I can show you what this detour looks like. 00:08:53.980 --> 00:08:54.980 Can you guys see that? 00:08:55.500 --> 00:09:00.000 So, the Mediterranean Sea is at the top, and you start here from Goshen. 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:04.680 And the direct way to Canaan would have been right along the coast. 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:06.519 That would have been two weeks. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.779 But instead, you know how long it takes the Israelites, 40 years. 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:15.560 They go all the way around the desert of Sinai. 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:28.080 Now, that probably didn't make any sense for the Israelites, who had even the remotest sense of geography. 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:38.379 Why, when there's a near way, do we need to go the roundabout far way in the wilderness of all places? 00:09:40.040 --> 00:09:41.560 Where are we going to get food? 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:44.580 Where are we going to get water? 00:09:45.560 --> 00:09:48.379 We didn't bring enough provisions for our roundabout journey. 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:50.680 What if our clothes and sandals wear out? 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.000 Do you have any clothes and sandals that have lasted 40 years? 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:55.059 I don't think so. 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:04.100 The reason why this doesn't make sense to us is because we're finite human beings. 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:10.240 And because of our inherent limitations, we obsess ourselves with efficiency. 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:16.620 Walking to places wasn't fast enough, so we built horse-drawn wagons. 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:19.879 And that wasn't fast enough for us, so we built trains. 00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:26.980 And because that's still not fast enough, Elon Musk is trying to build a hyperloop. 00:10:30.659 --> 00:10:34.019 Listening to an audiobook at a normal talking speed isn't fast enough, 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:38.360 so we dial it up to 1.5 or some of us even two times the speed. 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:46.759 Getting up from the couch to go and flip on the light switch is too inefficient. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:55.440 So we buy a Google Home and a smart light bulb so that we can tell the machine to turn on the light. 00:10:59.659 --> 00:11:02.720 Getting eight hours of sleep isn't efficient enough. 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:06.019 So we sleep less and get ourselves addicted to caffeine. 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:15.059 Sending postage mail isn't fast enough, so we send emails instead. 00:11:16.439 --> 00:11:19.419 Reading a book takes too long, so we read articles instead. 00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:23.539 And that's still too long, so we read tweets instead. 00:11:27.740 --> 00:11:30.899 Wanting to talk to someone and meet them is too inefficient, so we call them. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.299 And even that has too many formalities and takes too long, so we text them instead. 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:42.199 We don't want to save a little bit of money over a long period of time, 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:44.960 so we want to strike get rich. 00:11:45.439 --> 00:11:46.559 We get lottery tickets. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:50.379 You invest in risky ventures. 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:57.699 We as a society are obsessed with efficiency and maximization. 00:11:58.019 --> 00:11:58.299 Why? 00:11:58.299 --> 00:12:02.079 Because we are finite human beings and we understand economics. 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:06.139 We know that time is finite, that it's scarce. 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:14.399 If we spend two hours one morning praying, that's two hours less we have to catch up on our work or to catch up on much-needed sleep. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:19.120 We know that money is finite, that it's scarce. 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:28.720 If we give $600 to church as a tithe each month, that's $600 less we could have spent on ourselves, on our eating out at delicious joints or going shopping. 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:34.160 We know that our bodies are finite. 00:12:34.160 --> 00:12:40.920 If we help someone in the church move one morning, our muscles will probably be too tired and sore to go weightlifting later that afternoon. 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:51.219 If we get married and have children, that's a significant investment of time, money, and physical and emotional energy that we could have spent elsewhere. 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:59.899 As finite human beings, we are always constrained by these limits, and that's why we care about efficiency. 00:13:00.419 --> 00:13:02.240 We prize efficiency. 00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:07.399 But God does not work with our standards of productivity and efficiency. 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:12.340 God does not have the limits that we have because God is infinite. 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:18.799 God cannot waste time ever because he has an infinite quantity of time. 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:24.399 He can waste million years and still have infinity left over. 00:13:26.079 --> 00:13:31.039 God is not subject to scarcity, and therefore, God is not subject to the tyranny of efficiency. 00:13:32.220 --> 00:13:34.199 He's never pressed for time. 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:38.580 God can't waste time with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:40.200 2 Peter 3.8. 00:13:41.060 --> 00:13:44.340 That's why he can afford to take Israel on a 40-year detour. 00:13:46.759 --> 00:13:50.620 God can take his people through a wilderness where there is no food. 00:13:51.660 --> 00:13:52.180 Why? 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:56.420 Because he can rain manna and quail down from heaven for them to eat. 00:13:57.020 --> 00:13:59.720 That makes no sense from a human efficiency standpoint. 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:05.279 God can take them to a desert where there is no water. 00:14:05.420 --> 00:14:05.680 Why? 00:14:05.800 --> 00:14:08.340 Because he can make water flow from a rock. 00:14:12.740 --> 00:14:23.879 God can take his people on a long, arduous journey through the wilderness because he can stop their sandals and clothes from wearing out for 40 years, as it says in Deuteronomy 29, verse 5. 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:34.559 This is why God can command us to do or lead us to do things that seem illogical and or inefficient to us. 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:43.799 This is why God can promise a childless Abraham who is way past the age of childbearing age, Genesis 15, 5. 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:46.200 Look toward heaven and number the stars. 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:50.360 If you are able to number them, so shall your offspring be. 00:14:50.360 --> 00:15:01.360 We plan for the next year or the next five years or for the next decade or for our lifetime, but God has a thousand generations and eternity beyond in view. 00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:10.820 This is why God can command us to give cheerfully and generously and even sacrificially to meet the needs of our Christian brothers and sisters. 00:15:10.820 --> 00:15:19.220 From a human standpoint, that's inefficient and illogical because money I use for other people is money I don't have for myself and my family. 00:15:20.280 --> 00:15:25.260 But as 2 Corinthians 9, 6-9 says, whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.440 God is able to make all grace abound to you. 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:33.300 So having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:36.979 Because God's the one who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:41.259 This is why God can command us to pray without ceasing. 00:15:42.099 --> 00:15:47.620 Prayer is so inefficient from a strictly human standpoint. 00:15:49.359 --> 00:15:54.459 Time spent praying is time spent literally getting nothing done. 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:56.019 Is it not? 00:15:56.019 --> 00:16:09.679 Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence. 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:15.899 God is not confined by our limitations. 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:18.340 His thoughts really are not our thoughts. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:21.379 His ways really are not our ways. 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:28.659 This is why God can leave the near way by the wayside and leave the Israelites by the far way. 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:34.279 Do you live your life tyrannized by urgency? 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.799 By your striving for perfect efficiency? 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:42.399 I'm not telling you to be lazy. 00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:45.720 I'm not telling you to not make any plans. 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:46.440 Far from it. 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:54.400 But we should not be enslaved to time and money and health like our entire lives are about managing those finite assets. 00:16:57.460 --> 00:17:00.860 It's okay to be delayed 10 minutes by a long-winded co-worker. 00:17:01.900 --> 00:17:03.880 Maybe you'll get to share the gospel with them. 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:10.240 It's okay that you missed your highway exit because you got boxed out by another driver. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:17.359 It's okay that you didn't get a job before inflation and the tightening of the market. 00:17:19.120 --> 00:17:22.640 It's okay that you didn't get married by the time you are 30. 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:29.420 I can assure you that God is not biting his nails and pacing around in heaven 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:33.599 because he's worried about running out of time to accomplish his purposes in your life. 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:43.119 God's course is charted far ahead of ours and his plans operate on a far higher plane than ours. 00:17:43.419 --> 00:17:47.159 There's something that he is doing that we do not see. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:53.899 And he will surely lead all of his people to the promised land, the kingdom of God. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:18:02.039 And for that reason, because of God's wisdom, we can entrust ourselves to God through the detours of life. 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:06.899 God knows things about us and our circumstances that we do not know 00:18:06.899 --> 00:18:11.279 because God sees the past, the present, and the future that we do not see. 00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:19.019 For God said, lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 00:18:20.159 --> 00:18:21.099 Think about it for a minute. 00:18:21.220 --> 00:18:24.759 Coming out triumphantly after the 10 plagues of Egypt 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:30.420 and coming out in battle formation with 60,000 infantrymen, 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:32.900 do you think the Israelites thought to themselves, 00:18:33.320 --> 00:18:37.279 well, if we run into the Philistines, we're just going to flee right back to our Egyptian overlords. 00:18:37.320 --> 00:18:38.160 Do you think they thought that? 00:18:38.300 --> 00:18:39.000 Probably not. 00:18:41.019 --> 00:18:42.700 But God knew that. 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:45.120 That's exactly what would happen. 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:51.600 We do not know ourselves as well as we think we do. 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:55.319 And this is why I sometimes pray to God, 00:18:55.459 --> 00:19:00.859 Father, please don't let the growth and success of Trinity Cambridge Church 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.500 outstrip the growth of my character. 00:19:06.339 --> 00:19:10.219 Because I don't want to experience success 00:19:10.219 --> 00:19:14.419 and be tempted with things that I cannot handle 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:17.640 and sin against God in pride and cause some scandal. 00:19:24.580 --> 00:19:26.060 How do you know, brothers and sisters, 00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:28.720 that if you founded a successful startup 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.900 and you became a billionaire straight out of college 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:33.300 and made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, 00:19:34.100 --> 00:19:36.320 that you would not think too highly of yourself 00:19:36.320 --> 00:19:39.300 and grow ever more egotistical and self-reliant 00:19:39.300 --> 00:19:40.539 and forget about God? 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:45.000 How do you know, brothers and sisters, 00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:47.240 that if you are genetically predisposed 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:49.740 to be more attractive to your peers 00:19:49.740 --> 00:19:51.500 by our society's standards, 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:55.259 that you would not be seduced by someone into sexual immorality 00:19:55.259 --> 00:20:00.039 or wooed by a highly persuasive and a handsome unbeliever 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:01.619 into an unequally yoked marriage 00:20:01.619 --> 00:20:05.139 where you are led gradually down the path of indifference 00:20:05.139 --> 00:20:06.819 and unbelief toward God? 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:11.339 How do you know? 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:13.059 You don't know. 00:20:14.419 --> 00:20:17.639 We don't know all the countless counterfactuals 00:20:17.639 --> 00:20:18.240 that are out there. 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:21.419 What could have happened but did not happen 00:20:21.419 --> 00:20:23.319 by God's gracious providence. 00:20:24.379 --> 00:20:26.980 But God completely knows all things 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:29.980 and He has sovereignly ordained all things. 00:20:30.399 --> 00:20:32.819 God is wise and He's compassionate. 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:36.319 He knows our weaknesses, our temptations, our shortcomings. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.720 And He will not lead us to destruction. 00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:46.099 If God had led the Israelites by the direct, efficient route, 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:48.220 not only would they have turned back to Egypt 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:49.779 when Philistines opposed them, 00:20:50.159 --> 00:20:51.500 they would have also never witnessed 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:53.960 God's powerful deliverance in the parting of the Red Sea. 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:57.700 Look again at verse 18. 00:20:57.799 --> 00:20:59.759 But God led the people around 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.500 by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:05.180 There are two additional details here 00:21:05.180 --> 00:21:07.319 that reveal more of God's wisdom. 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:11.279 First, it's precisely because God takes them wandering around the wilderness 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:14.460 that Pharaoh is emboldened and prompted 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:15.960 to come out and pursue them. 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:18.920 He says in chapter 14, 3-4, 00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:20.660 Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:22.079 they are wandering in the land. 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:24.279 The wilderness has shut them in. 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:26.299 And God says, 00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:28.539 I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them. 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:31.379 And I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts. 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:34.440 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:38.440 Look at how majestic and mighty our God is. 00:21:38.660 --> 00:21:42.259 Pharaoh thinks that he has Israel cornered in the wilderness. 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:46.639 And so he'll come out in hot pursuit of the Israelites. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:50.380 But it's exactly the Israelites wandering in the wilderness 00:21:50.380 --> 00:21:52.340 that lures the cobra out of its den 00:21:52.340 --> 00:21:54.080 so that its head can be crushed. 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:58.960 What is God's intention in strengthening Pharaoh's sinful, 00:21:59.140 --> 00:22:00.880 prideful resolve to recapture Israel? 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:02.000 He says, 00:22:02.280 --> 00:22:05.800 I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts. 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:09.759 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:12.660 Do you know, Christian brothers and sisters, 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:14.520 that God will get glory 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.859 through all the detours of your life. 00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:19.859 He will get glory in your life. 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:25.460 If wandering in the wilderness is the price we pay, 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:27.220 that's a small price to pay 00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:29.160 to glorify the name of the Lord. 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:34.460 The second way that this verse reveals God's wisdom is this. 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:36.500 God leads them toward the Red Sea. 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:44.680 60,000 men on foot. 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:47.299 That's not counting the children and the women. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:50.200 They're carrying their luggages with them. 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:51.519 Remember, they plundered the Egyptians. 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:55.559 And here's the Red Sea. 00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:00.480 That's the last place you want to take that kind of group to. 00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:02.240 How are you going to cross that? 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:07.460 So God's not only taking them on a detour, 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:10.059 he's also taking them to a dead end. 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:14.759 Again, we ask why. 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:18.259 The Lord also wants to teach his people 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:20.099 that it is he who fights for them 00:23:20.099 --> 00:23:21.339 in the parting of the Red Sea 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:22.380 and the routing of the Egyptians. 00:23:22.380 --> 00:23:27.720 The Lord tells Moses in chapter 14, verses 16 to 18, 00:23:27.860 --> 00:23:29.980 lift up your staff and stretch out your hand 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:31.180 over the sea and divide it 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:33.700 that the people of Israel may go through the sea 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:34.580 on dry ground. 00:23:35.040 --> 00:23:36.820 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians 00:23:36.820 --> 00:23:38.500 so that they will go in after them. 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:41.740 And I will get glory over Pharaoh 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:42.780 and all his hosts, 00:23:43.080 --> 00:23:44.640 his chariots and his horsemen. 00:23:45.280 --> 00:23:48.260 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord 00:23:48.260 --> 00:23:51.100 when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, 00:23:51.099 --> 00:23:52.459 his chariots and his horsemen. 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:54.839 Again, do you hear the same themes? 00:23:55.919 --> 00:23:58.839 God will get glory for his name. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.079 Brothers and sisters, isn't that what we live for? 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:08.879 For God's glory. 00:24:09.399 --> 00:24:10.799 To see him exalted. 00:24:10.959 --> 00:24:13.039 To see him famous. 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:15.259 Made known among all the nations. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.139 To see every tongue confess his name. 00:24:18.139 --> 00:24:20.699 To see every knee bow down before him. 00:24:21.100 --> 00:24:22.259 Isn't that why we live? 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:23.460 If that's the case, 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:25.319 then you can be assured, 00:24:26.360 --> 00:24:29.039 no matter what kind of detour you are in, 00:24:29.100 --> 00:24:30.779 no matter what kind of suffering you are enduring, 00:24:30.900 --> 00:24:32.700 no matter where you are in your place in life, 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:35.140 how far you've come or how far you have not come, 00:24:35.880 --> 00:24:38.580 God will be glorified in your life. 00:24:39.580 --> 00:24:40.680 He will get glory. 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:48.160 And because God's wisdom far exceeds ours, 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.200 we can entrust ourselves to him through the detours of life. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.259 And we can also entrust ourselves to him 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:57.920 because of his faithfulness. 00:24:58.680 --> 00:24:59.900 He says in verse 19, 00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:02.800 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:06.140 for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, 00:25:06.320 --> 00:25:06.620 saying, 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:08.720 God will surely visit you 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.400 and you shall carry up my bones with you from here. 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:15.160 This is a reference to Genesis 50, 24 to 25, 00:25:15.800 --> 00:25:17.259 where shortly before his death, 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:21.140 Joseph instructs his brothers to take his bones with them 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:23.580 when they finally leave Egypt 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:24.599 because he knew, 00:25:24.899 --> 00:25:26.259 he believed in God's promises 00:25:26.259 --> 00:25:28.699 that their destiny is in the promised land in Canaan, 00:25:29.199 --> 00:25:30.899 so he knew God would visit them 00:25:30.899 --> 00:25:31.839 and take them out of Egypt. 00:25:38.159 --> 00:25:39.559 So although he knew that, 00:25:40.159 --> 00:25:41.859 he assures him God will visit you 00:25:41.859 --> 00:25:44.980 and even though he won't be alive to see it, 00:25:45.379 --> 00:25:47.099 he wants at least his bones 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:49.579 to partake of the promised land 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:51.199 and to be buried with his forefathers. 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:57.619 So it seems for however many hundreds of years, 00:25:57.740 --> 00:25:59.740 the 430 years that they spent in Egypt, 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:03.899 they kept remembrance of where Joseph's, 00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:05.539 also where he was, 00:26:06.339 --> 00:26:08.319 or where he was mummified, 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:10.759 whatever the process the Egyptians took to bury him, 00:26:11.439 --> 00:26:13.859 and they carry his bones out on their journey to Canaan. 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:17.460 Joseph's bones seemingly, 00:26:17.919 --> 00:26:19.759 it's of little consequence to us, 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:22.519 is mentioned here as a testament 00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:24.200 to the faithfulness of God. 00:26:26.779 --> 00:26:29.000 Note that this didn't take place quickly 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:29.940 over one generation. 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:33.000 We know that they spent 430 years in Egypt. 00:26:33.799 --> 00:26:36.180 Our country is not even 300 years old. 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:40.839 Yet much has happened over the last 245 years, 00:26:40.879 --> 00:26:41.279 hasn't it? 00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:44.539 Likewise, much had happened to Israel 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:46.299 over 430 years in Egypt. 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:49.059 Much had changed over 430 years. 00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:52.220 But one thing decidedly had not changed, 00:26:52.639 --> 00:26:54.599 and that's the faithfulness of God. 00:26:55.299 --> 00:26:57.059 That's the character of God who said, 00:26:57.220 --> 00:26:58.919 I will bring you to the promised land. 00:27:01.379 --> 00:27:03.559 And God had not forgotten his people, 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:05.240 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:07.079 He promised them, 00:27:07.399 --> 00:27:08.279 in Genesis 15, 00:27:08.399 --> 00:27:09.819 know for certain 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:12.059 that your offspring will be sojourners 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:13.599 in a land that is not theirs, 00:27:13.879 --> 00:27:15.619 and will be servants there, 00:27:15.619 --> 00:27:18.299 and they will be afflicted for 400 years. 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:20.399 But I will bring judgment 00:27:20.399 --> 00:27:21.659 on the nation that they serve, 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:23.339 and afterward they shall come out 00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:24.979 with great possessions. 00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:28.279 God's word was fulfilled 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:30.039 exactly as he has said. 00:27:30.699 --> 00:27:32.419 If he has called you to something, 00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:34.139 if he has promised you something, 00:27:34.219 --> 00:27:35.859 he will fulfill it. 00:27:39.959 --> 00:27:42.019 If I told you that I would do something, 00:27:42.519 --> 00:27:43.500 and I haven't done it yet, 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:46.319 I'm sorry to admit, 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:47.700 but it's quite possible 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:48.599 that I just forgot. 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:54.400 But that is never the case with God. 00:27:57.740 --> 00:27:59.980 The memory of the Lord is long, 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:03.619 and his promises fail not. 00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:07.740 If you feel forgotten by God, 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:11.079 behold God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. 00:28:11.079 --> 00:28:12.879 See how God remembers 00:28:12.879 --> 00:28:15.039 even the bones of Joseph. 00:28:16.740 --> 00:28:18.480 You think he'll forget about you. 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:24.980 All the promises of God 00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:26.859 find their yes in Christ. 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:29.159 That's why it is through him 00:28:29.159 --> 00:28:30.839 that we utter our amen to God 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:32.019 for his glory. 00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:32.439 Amen. 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:40.539 We can entrust ourselves to God 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:41.600 through the detours of life 00:28:41.600 --> 00:28:42.480 because of his wisdom, 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:43.779 his faithfulness, 00:28:43.840 --> 00:28:45.640 and finally his presence. 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:47.440 Please follow along with me 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:49.120 as I read verses 20 to 22. 00:28:49.660 --> 00:28:51.039 And they moved on from Sukkoth 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:52.160 and encamped at Etham 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:54.299 on the edge of the wilderness. 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:58.539 And the Lord went before them by day 00:28:58.539 --> 00:28:59.440 in a pillar of cloud 00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:00.519 to lead them along the way, 00:29:00.879 --> 00:29:02.680 and by night in a pillar of fire 00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:03.519 to give them light, 00:29:03.919 --> 00:29:05.899 that they might travel by day and by night. 00:29:06.379 --> 00:29:08.000 The pillar of cloud by day 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.279 and the pillar of fire by night 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:11.399 did not depart from before the people. 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:13.940 There are a couple misconceptions 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:15.519 about the pillar of cloud 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:16.299 and pillar of fire 00:29:16.299 --> 00:29:17.139 that we need to clear up 00:29:17.139 --> 00:29:18.180 in order to understand 00:29:18.180 --> 00:29:19.139 what's actually happening 00:29:19.139 --> 00:29:19.659 in this passage. 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:23.240 First, even though verse 21 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:24.140 makes it sound like 00:29:24.140 --> 00:29:25.660 there are two different pillars, 00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:28.340 we know from other verses in Exodus 00:29:28.340 --> 00:29:30.640 that they both refer to the same pillar, 00:29:30.980 --> 00:29:31.800 a single pillar. 00:29:33.040 --> 00:29:35.460 Later in Exodus 14, verses 19 to 20, 00:29:35.560 --> 00:29:35.900 it says, 00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:37.500 Then the angel of God, 00:29:37.560 --> 00:29:39.080 who was going before the host of Israel, 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:40.580 moved and went behind them, 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:42.440 and the pillar of cloud 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:43.540 moved from before them 00:29:43.540 --> 00:29:44.660 and stood behind them, 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:46.420 coming between the host of Egypt 00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:47.380 and the host of Israel. 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:49.180 And there was the cloud 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:50.000 and the darkness 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.820 and it, the same cloud, 00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:53.460 the pillar of cloud, 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:55.480 and it lit up the night 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:57.840 without one coming near the other 00:29:57.840 --> 00:29:58.560 all night. 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:00.279 So this pillar of cloud 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:01.460 that separated the Egyptians 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:03.820 and the Israelites by day 00:30:03.820 --> 00:30:05.220 is the same pillar 00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:05.860 that at night 00:30:05.860 --> 00:30:07.140 is lighting up the skies. 00:30:07.320 --> 00:30:08.799 It's the same pillar of fire. 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:13.240 During the day, 00:30:13.340 --> 00:30:14.980 the pillar consists of cloud, 00:30:15.120 --> 00:30:15.700 but during the night, 00:30:15.820 --> 00:30:16.840 it consists of fire. 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:18.519 It's possible that the pillar 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:19.480 actually changes 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:20.940 in that transition, 00:30:21.940 --> 00:30:23.339 but it's also possible 00:30:23.339 --> 00:30:23.839 that the pillar 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:25.200 is simply a pillar 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:26.339 of smoking fire. 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:28.019 During the day, 00:30:28.900 --> 00:30:29.700 what's most visible 00:30:29.700 --> 00:30:30.859 is smoke, cloud, 00:30:31.180 --> 00:30:32.000 and at night, 00:30:32.099 --> 00:30:32.619 what's most visible 00:30:32.619 --> 00:30:33.240 is the fire. 00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:37.619 And it's not wrong 00:30:37.619 --> 00:30:38.759 to describe the pillar 00:30:38.759 --> 00:30:40.339 of smoke 00:30:40.339 --> 00:30:41.740 as a pillar of cloud, 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:43.039 because after all, 00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:43.859 clouds are nothing 00:30:43.859 --> 00:30:45.699 but evaporated water vapors, 00:30:45.859 --> 00:30:47.019 condensing onto tiny bits 00:30:47.019 --> 00:30:48.219 of matter like dust 00:30:48.219 --> 00:30:49.219 and ash. 00:30:50.939 --> 00:30:52.339 The exact same phenomenon 00:30:52.339 --> 00:30:52.959 is happening 00:30:52.959 --> 00:30:54.539 in a smoking fire. 00:30:54.819 --> 00:30:55.559 What evaporates 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:57.599 is the water particles, 00:30:57.819 --> 00:30:59.179 but it attaches 00:30:59.179 --> 00:30:59.779 to the ash, 00:30:59.859 --> 00:31:00.559 which is why you see 00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:01.159 so much smoke. 00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:02.459 That's exactly how clouds form. 00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:06.899 The interpretation 00:31:06.899 --> 00:31:08.039 is also confirmed 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:09.479 by Exodus 14.24, 00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:09.979 which says, 00:31:09.980 --> 00:31:11.059 in the morning watch, 00:31:11.620 --> 00:31:12.019 the Lord, 00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:13.640 in the pillar of fire 00:31:13.640 --> 00:31:14.960 and of cloud, 00:31:15.720 --> 00:31:16.259 looked down 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:17.120 on the Egyptian forces 00:31:17.120 --> 00:31:18.299 and threw the Egyptian forces 00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:18.940 into a panic. 00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:20.480 Single pillar 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:22.380 of cloud and fire. 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:24.500 The Lord looks down 00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:25.480 on the Egyptians from it. 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:27.900 The second misconception 00:31:27.900 --> 00:31:28.920 about the pillar of fire 00:31:28.920 --> 00:31:29.620 and cloud is this. 00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:30.700 These are not simply 00:31:30.700 --> 00:31:31.259 manifestations 00:31:31.259 --> 00:31:32.360 of God's power. 00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:33.960 They are manifestations 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:35.980 of God's very presence. 00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:38.460 Look again with me 00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:39.660 at Exodus 13.21. 00:31:39.660 --> 00:31:40.080 It says, 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:42.040 the Lord went before them 00:31:42.040 --> 00:31:42.560 by day 00:31:42.560 --> 00:31:44.900 in a pillar of cloud 00:31:44.900 --> 00:31:45.940 to lead them along the way 00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:46.620 and by night 00:31:46.620 --> 00:31:48.240 in a pillar of fire 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:49.279 to give them light. 00:31:50.080 --> 00:31:51.160 The Lord himself 00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:53.259 is in the pillar 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:54.759 of cloud and fire. 00:31:56.600 --> 00:31:57.800 Exodus 14.24 00:31:57.800 --> 00:31:59.000 that I just cited earlier 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:00.000 is even more explicit. 00:32:00.140 --> 00:32:00.300 It says, 00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:01.120 in the morning watch, 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:01.820 the Lord 00:32:01.820 --> 00:32:03.480 in the pillar of fire 00:32:03.480 --> 00:32:04.080 and of cloud 00:32:04.080 --> 00:32:05.259 looked down 00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:06.600 on the Egyptian forces 00:32:06.600 --> 00:32:07.300 and threw them 00:32:07.300 --> 00:32:08.019 into a panic. 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:11.559 The Lord is literally 00:32:11.559 --> 00:32:13.400 in the pillar 00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:15.000 of fire and cloud. 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:16.879 So then, 00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:18.220 the pillar of smoking fire 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:19.200 is a theophany, 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:20.359 the appearance 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:21.639 of God himself 00:32:21.639 --> 00:32:22.599 in a way 00:32:22.599 --> 00:32:23.940 that humans can perceive. 00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:26.259 It does not exhaust 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:26.960 who God is 00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:27.900 or reveal the fullness 00:32:27.900 --> 00:32:28.680 of who God is, 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:29.639 but it is, 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:30.359 nevertheless, 00:32:30.700 --> 00:32:31.980 a real manifestation 00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:33.620 of Yahweh. 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:35.860 So then, 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:36.920 the presence of the pillar 00:32:36.920 --> 00:32:38.059 tells us of the Lord's 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:39.220 constant presence 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:39.940 with his people. 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:42.019 He does not send Israel 00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:43.000 into the unknown 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:43.640 on their own. 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:44.500 He says he goes 00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:45.480 before them. 00:32:46.519 --> 00:32:47.180 And not only 00:32:47.180 --> 00:32:48.220 at specific times 00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:48.839 during the day, 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:49.519 hey Israel, 00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:50.160 make an appointment 00:32:50.160 --> 00:32:50.920 with me here 00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:51.720 at 3 p.m. 00:32:51.720 --> 00:32:52.200 you can come 00:32:52.200 --> 00:32:52.660 and then I'll go 00:32:52.660 --> 00:32:53.220 with you then. 00:32:53.299 --> 00:32:53.519 No. 00:32:55.259 --> 00:32:56.019 By day 00:32:56.019 --> 00:32:57.539 and by night. 00:32:57.779 --> 00:32:58.700 Meaning all day. 00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:00.599 No bathroom breaks. 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:02.000 No nap times. 00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:03.519 Constantly. 00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:05.420 There isn't a second 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:06.619 in the day 00:33:06.619 --> 00:33:07.700 when the Lord God 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:09.019 is not with his people 00:33:09.019 --> 00:33:10.079 Israel in the wilderness. 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:12.299 He says, 00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:13.119 the pillar of cloud 00:33:13.119 --> 00:33:13.639 and fire 00:33:13.639 --> 00:33:14.940 did not depart 00:33:14.940 --> 00:33:16.420 from the people. 00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:18.599 The Lord never left 00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:19.420 his people alone 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:19.920 in the wilderness. 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:21.059 He never departed. 00:33:21.180 --> 00:33:21.759 Remember this, 00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:22.379 brothers and sisters, 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:24.279 when the Lord sends you, 00:33:24.279 --> 00:33:27.460 whatever wilderness 00:33:27.460 --> 00:33:28.440 you might be in, 00:33:28.619 --> 00:33:29.399 he has gone there 00:33:29.399 --> 00:33:30.079 before you 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:33.139 and he never departs 00:33:33.139 --> 00:33:33.859 from his people. 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:38.339 There is no such thing 00:33:38.339 --> 00:33:39.599 as a God forsaken 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:40.039 wilderness 00:33:40.039 --> 00:33:41.480 for us 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:42.759 because we are his people. 00:33:45.180 --> 00:33:46.440 No matter how desolate 00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:47.420 or lonely it might seem. 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:49.859 The presence of the Lord 00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:50.680 is frequently marked 00:33:50.680 --> 00:33:51.700 by fire and smoke. 00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:53.139 Recall from Exodus 3, 00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:53.660 2-3 00:33:53.660 --> 00:33:54.380 when God appeared 00:33:54.380 --> 00:33:55.440 in a flame of fire 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:56.320 out of the midst 00:33:56.320 --> 00:33:56.840 of a bush. 00:33:57.820 --> 00:33:59.040 In Exodus 19, 18, 00:33:59.140 --> 00:34:00.180 it says that Mount Sinai 00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:01.320 was wrapped in smoke 00:34:01.320 --> 00:34:02.640 because the Lord 00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:03.519 had descended on it 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:04.300 in fire. 00:34:05.120 --> 00:34:05.840 The smoke of it 00:34:05.840 --> 00:34:06.700 went up like the smoke 00:34:06.700 --> 00:34:07.259 of a kiln 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:08.440 and the whole mountain 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:09.260 trembled greatly. 00:34:10.539 --> 00:34:11.360 Fire and smoke 00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:12.559 are very appropriate 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.659 representations of God 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:14.980 because they are immaterial 00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:16.159 or incorporeal, 00:34:17.539 --> 00:34:18.300 at least to us, 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:19.039 to our naked eye, 00:34:19.559 --> 00:34:20.180 like the Lord 00:34:20.180 --> 00:34:21.039 who is spirit 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:22.039 and not flesh. 00:34:22.039 --> 00:34:23.619 And because of God's 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:24.619 consuming power, 00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:26.099 right, 00:34:26.139 --> 00:34:27.099 in describing God's 00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:27.940 fiery jealousy 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:28.679 over his people 00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:29.639 and his righteous judgment 00:34:29.639 --> 00:34:30.219 of the wicked, 00:34:30.820 --> 00:34:31.460 scripture repeatedly 00:34:31.460 --> 00:34:32.139 calls the Lord 00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:33.480 a consuming fire. 00:34:34.900 --> 00:34:36.219 Fire cooks food, 00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:38.579 but it kills bacteria. 00:34:40.960 --> 00:34:42.719 Fire refines gold, 00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:44.279 but it burns up the dross. 00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:46.940 It's a fitting representation 00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:48.140 of the way the Lord 00:34:48.140 --> 00:34:49.940 sanctifies his people 00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:51.740 but consumes 00:34:51.740 --> 00:34:53.100 and judges his enemies. 00:34:56.300 --> 00:34:57.240 Fire and smoke 00:34:57.240 --> 00:34:58.120 are also significant 00:34:58.120 --> 00:34:58.780 for guidance. 00:34:59.080 --> 00:34:59.920 Light illuminates 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:00.700 and smoke too 00:35:00.700 --> 00:35:01.320 is often used 00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:01.840 for signaling, 00:35:02.060 --> 00:35:02.620 even in scripture. 00:35:03.200 --> 00:35:03.880 The pillar of cloud 00:35:03.880 --> 00:35:04.620 and fire serve 00:35:04.620 --> 00:35:05.780 to guide the Israelites 00:35:05.780 --> 00:35:06.160 here. 00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:09.420 But the most significant 00:35:09.420 --> 00:35:10.240 background is not 00:35:10.240 --> 00:35:10.840 these passages 00:35:10.840 --> 00:35:11.420 that I mentioned. 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:13.740 The pillar of smoking fire 00:35:13.740 --> 00:35:15.340 is connected to 00:35:15.340 --> 00:35:16.400 Genesis 15, 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:17.519 17 to 21, 00:35:18.240 --> 00:35:19.059 where the Lord 00:35:19.059 --> 00:35:20.180 appears to Abraham 00:35:20.180 --> 00:35:21.000 in the form of 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:22.659 a smoking fire pot 00:35:22.659 --> 00:35:24.539 and a flaming torch. 00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:27.260 That's the same passage 00:35:27.260 --> 00:35:28.400 that I cited from earlier 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:29.159 where the Lord 00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:30.340 foretells Israel's 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:31.460 400 years slavery 00:35:31.460 --> 00:35:31.900 in Egypt 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:33.019 and their eventual 00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:34.180 deliverance in Exodus. 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:35.900 In that passage, 00:35:36.039 --> 00:35:37.139 God makes a covenant 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:37.780 with Abraham. 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:39.659 A covenant is a legally 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:41.099 binding relationship 00:35:41.099 --> 00:35:42.579 confirmed with an oath. 00:35:43.219 --> 00:35:43.819 And in ancient 00:35:43.819 --> 00:35:44.679 Near Eastern culture, 00:35:44.779 --> 00:35:46.079 a more powerful king, 00:35:46.179 --> 00:35:46.799 the suzerain, 00:35:47.259 --> 00:35:48.259 and a weaker king, 00:35:48.359 --> 00:35:48.980 the vessel, 00:35:49.420 --> 00:35:50.639 would form a covenant 00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:51.379 with one another. 00:35:52.119 --> 00:35:53.460 And the more powerful king 00:35:53.460 --> 00:35:54.599 would make certain promises 00:35:54.599 --> 00:35:55.480 to protect 00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:56.519 and to provide 00:35:56.519 --> 00:35:57.579 for this weaker king. 00:35:57.639 --> 00:35:58.319 And the weaker king 00:35:58.319 --> 00:35:59.239 would pledge allegiance 00:35:59.239 --> 00:36:00.759 to the suzerain king. 00:36:00.819 --> 00:36:01.579 And those were called 00:36:01.579 --> 00:36:03.079 suzerain-vassal treaties 00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:03.899 or covenants. 00:36:05.279 --> 00:36:06.319 And one of the covenant 00:36:06.319 --> 00:36:07.440 ratifying rituals 00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:08.139 that were used 00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:08.960 in the ancient Near East 00:36:08.960 --> 00:36:10.139 were to cut up 00:36:10.139 --> 00:36:10.940 some animals, 00:36:11.079 --> 00:36:12.579 often sacrificial animals, 00:36:13.260 --> 00:36:14.800 and then to spread out 00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:15.880 the part of the animals 00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:17.159 and make parallel lines 00:36:17.159 --> 00:36:18.179 with these cut up pieces 00:36:18.179 --> 00:36:19.260 of animal carcass. 00:36:19.960 --> 00:36:20.780 And then to have 00:36:20.780 --> 00:36:22.320 the vassal king, 00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:23.119 the weaker king 00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:24.119 who is pledging allegiance 00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:25.500 to the suzerain, 00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:26.340 the powerful king, 00:36:26.619 --> 00:36:27.760 walk through 00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:29.059 the two pieces 00:36:29.059 --> 00:36:29.820 of the animals. 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:32.500 And he was to invoke 00:36:32.500 --> 00:36:33.539 a curse upon himself. 00:36:34.079 --> 00:36:35.500 If I break my covenant 00:36:35.500 --> 00:36:35.880 with you, 00:36:35.960 --> 00:36:37.619 if I'm disloyal to you, 00:36:37.619 --> 00:36:39.099 I shall be like 00:36:39.099 --> 00:36:40.000 these cut up animals. 00:36:42.500 --> 00:36:43.859 We see an example 00:36:43.859 --> 00:36:45.539 of that in Jeremiah 34, 18, 00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:47.920 and we see it literally 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:49.339 happening in Genesis 15, 00:36:49.579 --> 00:36:50.900 17 to 21. 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:52.460 And so you can imagine 00:36:52.460 --> 00:36:53.400 the scene for a minute. 00:36:53.519 --> 00:36:54.219 If you're Abram, 00:36:54.819 --> 00:36:55.619 it's at night, 00:36:56.420 --> 00:36:57.460 and you see these 00:36:57.460 --> 00:36:58.639 cut up pieces of animals. 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:00.900 That's rated R. 00:37:01.019 --> 00:37:01.900 That's a gory sight. 00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:05.820 He has to walk through this, 00:37:06.300 --> 00:37:07.400 and he's about to invoke 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:08.440 a very serious curse 00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:09.079 upon himself. 00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:12.840 But what happens 00:37:12.840 --> 00:37:14.559 is surprising 00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:16.260 because God does not 00:37:16.260 --> 00:37:17.220 tell Abram to walk through 00:37:17.220 --> 00:37:19.139 the pieces of the animals. 00:37:21.039 --> 00:37:23.280 God appears in the smoking fire 00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:24.340 and the flaming torch, 00:37:24.900 --> 00:37:26.240 and he himself 00:37:26.240 --> 00:37:27.519 goes through 00:37:27.519 --> 00:37:29.320 the path 00:37:29.320 --> 00:37:30.900 of the animal carcass. 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:34.599 That's a powerful 00:37:34.599 --> 00:37:35.920 illustration 00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:37.460 of how God 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:38.820 graciously 00:37:38.820 --> 00:37:40.139 guarantees 00:37:40.139 --> 00:37:40.880 the fulfillment 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:42.480 of his covenant promises. 00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:45.180 God's committing himself 00:37:45.180 --> 00:37:46.139 to his people 00:37:46.139 --> 00:37:47.660 unreservedly saying, 00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:50.059 should you fail 00:37:50.059 --> 00:37:51.139 to keep the requirements 00:37:51.139 --> 00:37:51.780 of the covenant, 00:37:52.860 --> 00:37:53.900 should you break 00:37:53.900 --> 00:37:54.920 your covenant with me 00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:56.280 and be disloyal to me, 00:37:56.639 --> 00:37:58.000 I will bear 00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:59.700 that curse myself 00:37:59.699 --> 00:38:02.399 so that I can keep you 00:38:02.399 --> 00:38:03.319 and save you 00:38:03.319 --> 00:38:03.919 as my people. 00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:08.480 That's the length 00:38:08.480 --> 00:38:09.159 through which God 00:38:09.159 --> 00:38:09.719 was committed 00:38:09.719 --> 00:38:10.379 to the covenant 00:38:10.379 --> 00:38:11.099 that he made 00:38:11.099 --> 00:38:12.500 with his people, 00:38:12.719 --> 00:38:13.980 and the pillar 00:38:13.980 --> 00:38:16.039 of smoking fire 00:38:16.039 --> 00:38:17.719 is a daily, 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:19.079 constant reminder 00:38:19.079 --> 00:38:19.659 to Israelites, 00:38:19.839 --> 00:38:21.079 remember that promise. 00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:23.519 Remember what God did. 00:38:23.919 --> 00:38:24.419 He said, 00:38:24.500 --> 00:38:25.379 he will keep you. 00:38:25.659 --> 00:38:25.980 He said, 00:38:26.039 --> 00:38:27.179 I will keep my promise. 00:38:27.179 --> 00:38:27.639 He said, 00:38:27.699 --> 00:38:28.599 I will deliver you 00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:29.359 and bring you 00:38:29.359 --> 00:38:30.799 into the promised land 00:38:30.799 --> 00:38:31.899 as I said. 00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:35.059 And in Jesus, 00:38:35.199 --> 00:38:36.480 we see the embodiment 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:37.119 of the pillar 00:38:37.119 --> 00:38:38.359 of cloud and fire. 00:38:39.139 --> 00:38:40.099 Jesus is the one 00:38:40.099 --> 00:38:41.299 who baptizes us 00:38:41.299 --> 00:38:42.179 with the Holy Spirit 00:38:42.719 --> 00:38:44.299 and fire. 00:38:47.500 --> 00:38:48.460 When Jesus, 00:38:48.699 --> 00:38:49.339 his glory 00:38:49.339 --> 00:38:50.079 was unveiled 00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:50.879 for a time 00:38:50.879 --> 00:38:53.419 at the transfiguration, 00:38:54.039 --> 00:38:54.839 just like how 00:38:54.839 --> 00:38:55.379 in the Old Testament 00:38:55.380 --> 00:38:56.260 when the tabernacle 00:38:56.260 --> 00:38:56.880 was completed 00:38:56.880 --> 00:38:57.519 or when the temple 00:38:57.519 --> 00:38:58.079 was completed, 00:38:58.340 --> 00:38:59.640 the cloud of God 00:38:59.640 --> 00:39:00.740 descended upon it 00:39:00.740 --> 00:39:02.099 and filled the temple 00:39:02.099 --> 00:39:02.920 with his presence. 00:39:03.500 --> 00:39:04.640 When Jesus' glory 00:39:04.640 --> 00:39:05.140 is unveiled 00:39:05.140 --> 00:39:06.280 at the transfiguration, 00:39:07.019 --> 00:39:07.320 he says, 00:39:08.579 --> 00:39:09.900 a cloud came 00:39:09.900 --> 00:39:11.160 and overshadowed him. 00:39:12.840 --> 00:39:13.700 And when Jesus 00:39:13.700 --> 00:39:14.680 was resurrected 00:39:14.680 --> 00:39:15.340 and ascended 00:39:15.340 --> 00:39:15.760 to the heavens, 00:39:15.840 --> 00:39:17.059 he sends his Holy Spirit 00:39:17.059 --> 00:39:18.140 to empower his people. 00:39:18.660 --> 00:39:19.559 What people see 00:39:19.559 --> 00:39:20.300 at Pentecost, 00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:21.660 divided tongues 00:39:21.660 --> 00:39:22.780 as of fire, 00:39:23.460 --> 00:39:24.200 appeared to them 00:39:24.199 --> 00:39:25.079 and rested on each 00:39:25.079 --> 00:39:25.599 one of them. 00:39:26.719 --> 00:39:27.379 The God 00:39:27.379 --> 00:39:28.579 who accompanied Israel 00:39:28.579 --> 00:39:29.339 in the wilderness, 00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:29.980 in the pillar 00:39:29.980 --> 00:39:30.960 of cloud and fire, 00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:33.119 now indwells us 00:39:33.119 --> 00:39:34.159 personally 00:39:34.159 --> 00:39:36.460 to remind us 00:39:36.460 --> 00:39:37.259 every day, 00:39:37.439 --> 00:39:37.919 constantly, 00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:39.119 I am with you 00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:39.899 and I will never 00:39:39.899 --> 00:39:40.639 forsake you. 00:39:43.139 --> 00:39:44.460 And it was in Jesus 00:39:44.460 --> 00:39:45.639 that God ultimately 00:39:45.639 --> 00:39:47.299 kept that promise, 00:39:47.419 --> 00:39:48.339 made good on that promise 00:39:48.339 --> 00:39:49.379 to bear the curse 00:39:49.379 --> 00:39:50.439 of the covenant himself. 00:39:50.939 --> 00:39:51.879 When he walked 00:39:51.879 --> 00:39:52.819 between the torn pieces 00:39:52.820 --> 00:39:54.860 of animals ages ago, 00:39:55.539 --> 00:39:57.220 the cross and the grave 00:39:57.220 --> 00:39:58.519 should have been our fate. 00:39:59.620 --> 00:40:01.320 But Jesus bore the burden 00:40:01.320 --> 00:40:02.180 that was too heavy 00:40:02.180 --> 00:40:03.200 for us to carry 00:40:03.200 --> 00:40:04.720 and he was slain 00:40:04.720 --> 00:40:06.000 and his blood 00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:06.820 was poured out 00:40:06.820 --> 00:40:09.539 to bear our terrible curse 00:40:09.539 --> 00:40:11.160 and satisfy 00:40:11.160 --> 00:40:12.800 the just wrath of God. 00:40:16.640 --> 00:40:17.960 And can it be 00:40:17.960 --> 00:40:19.200 that I should gain 00:40:19.200 --> 00:40:20.820 an interest 00:40:20.820 --> 00:40:22.780 in the Savior's blood? 00:40:24.280 --> 00:40:25.600 Die he for me 00:40:25.600 --> 00:40:27.640 who caused his pain 00:40:27.640 --> 00:40:28.660 for me 00:40:28.660 --> 00:40:29.460 who him 00:40:29.460 --> 00:40:30.160 to death 00:40:30.160 --> 00:40:31.080 pursued. 00:40:32.220 --> 00:40:33.519 Amazing love, 00:40:33.680 --> 00:40:34.800 how can it be 00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:36.320 that thou, 00:40:36.480 --> 00:40:37.200 my God, 00:40:37.280 --> 00:40:38.059 should die 00:40:38.059 --> 00:40:39.059 for me? 00:40:40.260 --> 00:40:41.140 Let's pray. 00:40:46.140 --> 00:40:47.940 God, we have no words 00:40:47.940 --> 00:40:49.200 for such amazing love. 00:40:54.840 --> 00:40:55.940 How could it be 00:40:55.940 --> 00:40:57.519 that you would grace us 00:40:57.519 --> 00:41:02.039 with your very spirit? 00:41:09.380 --> 00:41:10.559 God, we thank you. 00:41:11.800 --> 00:41:12.940 We worship you. 00:41:12.940 --> 00:41:13.940 God, we worship you. 00:41:17.619 --> 00:41:18.940 Help us to trust you 00:41:18.940 --> 00:41:20.059 and follow you 00:41:20.059 --> 00:41:20.840 through all the ups 00:41:20.840 --> 00:41:21.720 and downs of life, 00:41:22.740 --> 00:41:23.659 all the detours, 00:41:24.659 --> 00:41:27.940 knowing that you are 00:41:27.940 --> 00:41:28.780 completely trustworthy 00:41:28.780 --> 00:41:30.079 and that you have 00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:30.720 demonstrated it 00:41:30.720 --> 00:41:31.559 to us in Jesus. 00:41:33.139 --> 00:41:34.380 It's in his precious name 00:41:34.380 --> 00:41:35.000 we pray. 00:41:35.420 --> 00:41:35.679 Amen. 00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:35.800 Amen. 00:41:35.800 --> 00:41:35.820 Amen. 00:41:35.820 --> 00:41:35.840 Amen. 00:41:35.840 --> 00:41:35.860 Amen.