The 2nd Sunday in Lent

SERMON

INI

Text: Exodus 13:17-22

Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

In Christ Jesus, who promises to be with us to the end of this age, dear fellow redeemed:

“If I had known then, what I know now, I would never have ________!” You fill in the blank. You could fill it in with something as silly as: “I would never have…dyed my hair blue during spirit week!” With some regret you might say: “I would never have…bought that car, which turned out to be a real lemon,” or “I would never have…taken that job, which had brought on so much stress!” With great sorrow you might say: “I would never have…taken that first drink, because now I am facing heavy fines and possible jail time for DWI,” or with bitterness, “I would never have…gotten married to you in the first place!” If you and I had an accurate fore-knowledge of our futures, many of the words we speak would no doubt remain unspoken, many of the decisions we make would no doubt be different, and our present circumstances would no doubt be very different than they are! Indeed, if you and I had an accurate fore-knowledge of our futures, our lives would be very different, for many days we could not bear to get out of bed!

God, in His wisdom, has not given us the ability to see into the future. Rather, He has given us the present with the promise of a future. God’s will is that we trust in Him and go forward in life depending upon Him. That is what the children of Israel had to do, as they prepared to leave Egypt for the Promised Land. God did not lead them in the direction most of them no doubt assumed that they would be going. He had His reasons, as we will consider in a few moments. But they had to go forward, trusting that God would provide, and He did! Should we assume that our lives will be any different? No, for the God who led the children of Israel out of Egypt is the same God who leads us today. We need to trust that AS WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE GOD WILL PROVIDE! Provide what? As with the children of Israel, even so God will provide for us His unerring guidance, His uplifting promises, and His unending presence!

I.

Yes, AS WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE GOD WILL PROVIDE His unerring guidance! As our text begins we are told: “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” The children of Israel had spent their time in Egypt in a province known as the Land of Goshen. It lay in the northeast portion of Egypt, not too far from the Mediterranean Sea. Since God was now leading them out of Egypt to the Promised Land, it would have seemed most logical—at least geographically—simply to proceed up the Mediterranean coastline to Palestine. It lay, after all, less than 200 miles away to the northeast over a flat and easily traveled route. However, this is not where God guided the children of Israel to go. Instead He led them southeast away from the Promised Land and towards the Sinai deserts. It would be like beginning a trip northeast to Duluth by first heading southeast to Chicago!

The reason for God’s decision and guidance, however, is revealed in our text. While the shortest and most easily traveled route was indeed straight northeast along the Mediterranean coastline, that was also the route leading directly through the land of the Philistines—a militant people who would have gone to war against Israel to prevent their passage. The children of Israel were going to have to conquer the Promised Land through military combat. God did not want His people, who were at this point unprepared for such conflict, to become discouraged and decide to return to Egypt. They needed time to prepare for the future God had planned for them. They needed time to trust that God would provide them His unerring guidance, so that they would follow in faith!

My dear friends, has something similar ever happened to you? You have a goal in mind, but then the Lord seems to lead you in an entirely different direction. Have you ever questioned God: “God, I don’t understand? God, this doesn’t make sense to me? God, I don’t want to do this, rather I want to do that!” Yet, let us remember that just as in the case of the children of Israel, so with each and every one of us, God has a plan. He will provide His unerring guidance for our lives, if only we will listen to and trust in Him!

How do we discover and come to know that guidance? God provides that guidance through His Word. With regard to moral issues, God’s law speaks definitively. God will never guide us to do anything that is contrary to His expressed will as stated in His Word. As we prayerfully consider other options in life, we are to do so with our eyes open to God’s will and our ears listening carefully to His instruction. It is important, therefore, that we become students of God’s Word, and should that Word fail to speak directly to our situation, let us consult with godly brethren, seeking their opinions and striving to do only that which will be in accordance with God’s will and so be pleasing to Him! Yes, AS WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE GOD WILL PROVIDE His unerring guidance!

II.

He will also provide His uplifting promises! When the children of Israel left Egypt to go to the Promised Land, they took along with them the coffin of Joseph. When Joseph died, he had told the people of His day: “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” Joseph was fully aware of and believed in God’s promise to give the Land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants. It was through one of Abraham’s descendants, the Promised Christ, that every family on earth would be blessed (cf. Gen. 12:3). Consequently, as the children of Israel prepared to leave Egypt, Moses instructed that the bones of Joseph were to be taken along for burial in the Promised Land. Those bones were a visible testimony to the promises of God. Those promises, in turn, were a source of great encouragement to the children of Israel. They were God’s own, special people, and His promises uplifted their spirits and made them strong!

This past week we laid to rest the mortal remains of one of our sisters in Christ—Stephanie Gilberts. Stephanie died at a young age—she was only fifty-seven. She died after a long illness, for which there is no cure. During the past four years of her convalescence at Hillcrest Nursing Home, I together with others have visited her on a regular basis. The Ladies’ Auxiliary has remembered her with cards and letters. The central focus of those visits and correspondence has been the uplifting promises of our Savior God. Humanly speaking, Stephanie had no hope—she was going to die and do so at a young age. There was nothing that could prevent that! Yet, Jesus, as her Good Shepherd, promised to keep her in His hand. He promised to preserve her in her faith. He promised to listen to and answer all of her prayers. He promised to be with her each moment of every day. He promised to prepare a place for her in the perfection of heaven. He promised to come—at some point—to take her there! It is these and similar promises, which uplifted her spirits and gave her hope in a difficult situation.

It is these and similar promises, which likewise serve to uplift and encourage each of us when we are facing the incredible challenges of this life! Let us only listen to them and bear them in mind. Our God cannot and will not be unfaithful to us. He cannot and will not tell us lies. He loves us, having proven that love by sending His Son, and, yes, Jesus has proven His love for us by taking our place by suffering and dying on the cross! Yes, AS WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE GOD WILL PROVIDE His uplifting promises!

III.

He will also provide His unending presence! When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were led by Moses. They traveled from Succoth, a gathering point on the eastern border of the Land of Goshen, down to a place called Etham, an encampment on the edge of the wilderness regions leading into the Sinai Peninsula. The children of Israel, however, were not led just by the man Moses, but rather were without question led by God Himself. We are told in our text: “The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”

The exodus from Egypt by the children of Israel was one of the greatest events of Old Testament history. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would become more in number than the stars of the heavens. They were now, most Bible scholars suggest, approximately two million strong. God was ready now to fulfill His promise to give them the Land of Canaan. They were to conquer that land and upon occupying it to maintain a society within which the promise of the Savior would be retained for all of mankind. Theirs was a purpose unlike that of any other society, for they were to be God’s people upholding and proclaiming His truths for the salvation of all people. God, therefore, made His presence visible in the form of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. By day and by night God’s presence was visible, and these visual reminders were intended to assure the people that His presence would be unending!

When you study the attributes of our God in the Scriptures, they are truly amazing and most comforting. God is almighty and all-knowing. He is present everywhere and eternal. He is both just and loving. He does not change. Think about those attributes of God for a few moments, and consider how important each of them is for you as you travel through life. If God were all-powerful, but not all-knowing, He might somehow fail you, for while He would be capable to help, He would not always be aware of your distress. On the other hand if God were all-knowing, but not all-powerful, He would also fail you, for while He would know of your distress, He might not be able to assist you with it. In the same way, if God were loving, but changeable, you could never be sure that He would continue to love you. But, because He is unchangeable and loving, you know that His love will always be there for you!

Jesus promises us, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age!” (Mt. 28:20). That promise should remove fear from our hearts! That promise should give us joy, confidence, and hope! That promise assures us that AS WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE GOD WILL PROVIDE His unending presence! We cannot, therefore, but overcome and reach our ultimate destination—heaven above! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
To God alone be the glory!