“Thank God
Ahead of Time!” (Exodus 14:10-14)
Peace in the Storm
Have you ever felt like you were pressed on
every side by troubles? Sometimes we are surrounded by health problems,
difficult decisions, family troubles, or the death of a loved one. Then, we become
fearful and perplexed. And we don’t know what to do. We may even find it
difficult to pray. In today’s Scripture the
Israelites were in the same situation. Many biblical archaeologists assume that
they were surrounded on every side. On the one hand was a range of craggy rocks impassable, on the other hand were forts and garrisons
upon the frontiers of Egypt, before them was the Red Sea, and behind them were
the Egyptians, marching after them. In fact, there was no way out of it. The
Israelites totally panicked and cried out to the LORD. God faithfully answered
their cry. My prayer is that the God who
delivered Israel will also restore us and deliver us from our distress
today!
Stop Fearing!
This morning I want you to
pay special attention to three important
imperative verbs that Moses uses in today’s scripture. First of all, in
verse 13 Moses says to the Israelites, “Don’t be afraid.” A literal translation of this phrase would be “Stop fearing!” (èWar"yTi-la) When the
Israelites have no way out, they become panic, and because of that fear, they
begin to complain to God and Moses. They say, "It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to
die in the desert!" (v.12) Although God brought out the Israelites
out of Egypt, they still have
their old selves and old habits. One of their old habits is “complaint.” It is their
spiritual chronic disease. They complain whenever they face with hardships. Today
God says to the Israelites, “Stop fearing!” “Stop complaining!” “Stop following your
old ways!”
There is one story that I always remember. There was a boy
who suffered from mental instability. He always tore paper to pieces. His
parents brought him to several different mental hospitals. The first doctor
asked the boy about his past experiences. The doctor asked, “By any chance
have you bitten by a wad of paper?” The boy said, “No.” The second doctor
asked him about his external environment. The doctor asked, “Have you lived
near a paper factory?” The man said, “No.” The third doctor
asked, “How may I help you?” The boy said, “I always tear
paper to pieces. I don’t know what to
do.” The doctor said to him, “Stop tearing the
paper!” From that moment
the boy never tore paper to pieces. The Israelites experienced the Passover. They
experienced how God liberated them from Egyptian bondage. They are free. They are a new creation now!
But they still stick to their old selves and their former way of life. In the
same way, now we are a new creation in Christ. The old has passed away, and the
new already has come! (2Co 5:17) Now we have power
to overcome our old selves by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:2). But we tend to stick
to our old way of life. When we are surrounded by troubles, we complain, we are
afraid, or we just follow our old habits to relieve stress. But the Bible says,
“Put off your old
self and your former way of
life, but put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24)
Today God says us, “Stop fearing!” “Stop following your
old way of life. Put them off now.”
Stand Firm!
Secondly, Moses says to the
Israelites, “Stand firm! When we are surrounded by troubles, we are easily tempted
to shrink back. Today the Israelites are tempted to go back to Egypt. They say to Moses, “Leave us alone. Let us go back and serve the
Egyptians again!” Then the Lord says to them
through Moses, “Stand firm! Hold your
position!” In times of troubles it is
our wisdom to stand still and wait for the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 20, the
Israelites were surrounded by the enemy. King Jehoshaphat was very afraid, but he
resolved to stand still and fix his eyes on God and prayed, “Lord, we do not
know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (v. 12b). Then, the Lord
said to him, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast
army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not have to fight
this battle. Take up your positions;
stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you!” (vv. 15b, 17a) All he had to do was to stand firm and hold
his position.
To stand firm is much harder
than to turn back. In
fall 2009 I was serving the young adult group in Boston area. I spent much time preparing the Bible study
for the group, and I took care of them with all my heart. But, there seemed no
fruit for a long time. The number of the members had decreased, and their lives
seemed never changed. One Sunday afternoon, after everyone had left, I got very
discouraged, and I became doubtful about my calling to ministry. I was really
tempted to quit my ministry. I went down to the basement of the church. I
entered the young adult group room. I knelt down on the ground and prayed with
tears, “Lord, I am so sorry. You are
almighty God, and your word is living and active. But, I am so powerless. I
can’t deliver the power and life of your word. Father, I am so confused. I am
not sure whether I am on the right track.” Then, the Holy Spirit said to
me, "Do not be afraid; keep on
speaking, do not be silent. I am with you, and I have many young adults in this
city.” (cf. Act 18:9-10). Then, I was able to stand firm. There is a time when we are
surrounded on every side by troubles, and we don’t know what to do. At the very moment, do not turn back!
Instead, hold your position! Keep going! Stand firm and stay in the very place
where you are called until God reveals his glory!
See the Deliverance of God!
Thirdly, Moses says to the
Israelites, “See the deliverance of the
Lord!” He doesn’t
know what to do. He doesn’t
know where to go. But, he does know one thing that God is faithful and he is mighty
to save. God said to Moses earlier in
v.4, “I will gain glory for myself
through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the
Lord.” So, Moses puts his trust in the Lord although he doesn’t know in detail how God will
save the people. This is faith!
Sometimes people ask difficult questions, “How do you know that heaven
and hell is real? Have you been there? Have you seen it?” But we do know they are real because God said so. They ask, “How do you know that you are
forgiven and saved when you believe in Jesus?” “Do you feel it?” But we do know it is true because God said so. They also ask, “How do you know that you will
be delivered from the troubles?” But we do know because God said so. Faith is taking God at his word.
So, by faith, Moses proclaims, “The
Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.” We can see that Moses is
confident and excited rather than anxious and worried. Douglas Stuart, Old
Testament scholar, interprets this verse (v.13) as follows: “You should be glad you are seeing the Egyptian army
coming to you. Because you have seen the Egyptians, it means that God’s prediction that he will
trick them and trap them is about to be fulfilled. If you didn’t see them, now that would be
cause for worry because then God’s prediction to us would not
be coming true.” The time is coming when God
will save his people and reveal his glory.
Thank God Ahead of Time!
While I was meditating on
today’s scripture during the week, there was one poem that
stayed in my mind. The title of the poem is, “Thank God ahead of time.” It is originally written in
Korean, and I translated it into English. I will recite it for you:
When you are surrounded on
every side by troubles,
Before you is the Red sea,
Behind you are the Egyptians,
On the one side is a range of
craggy rocks,
On the other side are forts of Egypt,
Then, begin to praise God and
thank him ahead of time,
Because it is time that God
will work for you!
There is a time that we want
to ask God, “Why
me?” “Why do I have to go through all
these things?” Then, remember Exodus 14 and this poem. Where
there is much trouble, there is great salvation of God! It is God who delivered us
out of Egypt. It is God who led us around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. And it is God who will divide the water and
make us go through it on dry ground. No matter what season you are in, remember
you are always under the protection and guidance of God. God is always with us and goes
before us! Nothing can shake our faith. The Bible says, “Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness
or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Rom 8:35, 37-39) Are you surrounded by troubles? Stop fearing!
Stand firm! And you will see the deliverance of God today! Amen.
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