Exodus 14:19-31
14:19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind
them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them.
14:20 It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was
there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all
night.
14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a
strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.
14:22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for
them on their right and on their left.
14:23 The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh's horses,
chariots, and chariot drivers.
14:24 At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon
the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic.
14:25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The
Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them
against Egypt."
14:26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that
the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers."
14:27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its
normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea.
14:28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire
army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained.
14:29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a
wall for them on their right and on their left.
14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the
Egyptians dead on the seashore.
14:31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people
feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.
with regards to the fire and cloud, it seems to me that God leads us forward as well as providing a hedge of protection behind us. God also leads us past barriers we think are insurmountable. The issue in each of these times is trusting in God. Trust in God to deliver you to freedom. Trust in God to enable you to do what God calls you to do. Trust in God to lead you where you need to go. Trust in God to provide the way even when the way seems blocked. I tell my congregations on a regular basis that when we put our trust in God and go where God leads us, God shows us the way, God is with us on the journey, and God is waiting for us at the end. This text fits well with the following week from Exodus in which the people begin complaining about a lack of food, (demonstrating a lack of trust), a short time after God has delivered them to freedom.
A good opportunity to compare the Christian life to being between a rock and a hard place. The only way out is not out but through, the water that is. Baptism is a sign. And, since it is a means of identifying with the sacrificial death of Jesus, it may not look like a way out of the threats to our lives, and it's not, it is a way through the threats. It is a choice to turn from the dangers of Egypt, the devil, and to go in a direction which seems on the surface to be no choice at all, but which ultimately leads to deliverance. And, the way of salvation may itself be terrifying (imagine walls of water on each side, threatening to engulf you. Obviously, our salvation is by faith and we are at God's mercy.
At this time I plan to preach on the OT Lection—Ex. 14: 19-31; except I will extend the bounds of the lectionary Scripture to vs. 10-31. My objective is to encourage the people to go ahead and do the right thing they know to do. The title is “Do the Next Thing;” based on the idea that when you’re at the end of your rope, just do the next thing that has to be done. Put one foot at a time into the sea and God will part it for you. Don’t try to fight the Egyptians behind you. Don’t be distracted by your fears. Just do the next thing. Don’t let the slavery of your past keep you stuck in the mud of your life, just do the next thing. Step out in faith. Quit smoking, quit arguing with your family, quit feeling sorry for your self, quit sinning, one step at a time—God will help you. There are powers we can’t see at work in the world around us. The angel of the Lord will get between our enemies and us. I want the message to be a message of encouragement in difficult times, as well as a motivation to move on past the sins of the past.
I am open to suggestions about the direction I am taking from these scriptures. Does anyone have examples, or good stories I could use? Thanks in advance for your help and comments.
Leon in NC <><
A few years ago my daughter and I went to the movie, Prince of Egypt. I was surprised at my sense of ownership of this story. I wanted to stand up and say, "Heh! This is MY story!"
I want to do something with this text that will enable the people in the pews to feel a sense of ownership for and identification with our sacred history(In spite of some of the difficulties this text contains.)
Any ideas??? Thanks. LGB
I appreciate OK IRISHMAN's linking of the gospel and OT texts--I'm thinking about these in light of our position on the brink of war with Iraq. I'd like to focus on Moses and Miriam's songs of joy and praise on the far shore of the sea--the role of singing and dancing in our praise of God. But it's important to me to keep from associating Pharaoh with Saddam Hussein, an easy leap for our culture in these times.
I think the link is God's sovereignty and our humility in the face of that power. God acts to liberate and reconcile in ways that are frightening and difficult for us.
Thanks for this forum!
LM in S. Texas
It might be too late in the week but for what it is worth, I am tying this to moving on beyond 9/11, and using the theme of trusting in the God. Taking those steps. I am ending the service with Exodus15:1-18, 21 as the going forth. Reminding us to celebrate the power of God and our faith and trust in God's power. Last week I preached on how the only thing that can defeat us is our loss of faith. The song the "Faithful One" from the Ignighting Ministries tool kit will be just before the reading. Nancy-WI
Nancy in WI, how are you tying this in with 9/11? I'm trying to address the issue, and see the connection with the gospel passage. But do you have any other connection, besides what RevKinOK just posted? (By the way, thank you RevK). I'm still not sure where I'm going... ahhh!
DGinNYC
We're into mission this week, so I am using the sign of the pillar of smoke and the pillar of fire in talking about how God goes before us on the mission field.
Incidentally, before returning to the mission theme I had considered posing the question of "Is God Still A Respecter of Nations" when one of my fellow pastors kicked this back at me during a discussion group: "You're assuming he ever was." It started a barnstorm of a discussion among five pastors and I decided there was no way I was going to tackle that in a sermon this week. I'm not even prepared enough for that, particularly with what's going on in the world right now.
Blessings,
PastorBuzz in TN
God’s presence was evident in the crossing of the Old Testament children of God. God’s presence was with each and every one of us during the attack of Sept 11th.
The reality of being helpless, not in control allows us to do what we would not have otherwise done. Sought a word form the very heart of God’s Holy Spirit. After all, crossing to the other side without God is impossible. And that is why he sent his only son.
Moses lifted up hands to glorify God. Jesus Christ lifts us up to the throne of God, as we trust and in obedience step into the waters of faith.
5loaves2fishes in TN
