God’s Way Through the Wilderness of the Impossible

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

When you go in God’s way, you should have complete faith, no matter the situation, that God will make a way and deliver you.

Introduction

As the old saying goes, “God will make a way out of no way.”  Yet, I must ask, do you believe that to be true?  I hope you take a moment to join me for this week’s lesson, as we take a look at God’s way through what we may deem to be an impossible situation.  This week’s Sunday School commentary covers Exodus 14:10-22.

God Is the Almighty

Our lesson picks up with the children of Israel just after they had been freed from the bondage of Egypt.

For those who may not be familiar with the story, after the days of Joseph, the children of Israel were enslaved by a Pharaoh who feared what they could become (Ex. 1:8-11).  The children of Israel dwelt in bondage for generations–430 years (Ex. 12:40).  

It was while they were in the bondage of Egypt that the Lord further revealed His power, not just to Israel, but to the Egyptians as well.  The Pharaoh disregarded God’s authority, responding to God’s command, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go (Ex. 5:2).”

The Pharaoh isn’t the only person to ever feel that way about God’s command.  Nebuchadnezzar was another man in scripture who had great disregard for God’s command.  There are many dwelling in the world today who also disregard God’s command.  Yet, God’s command is a command that ought not be disregarded, as He is the Almighty.

God Does the Impossible

The Lord showed His power to the Pharaoh by doing what many in that day thought to be impossible–He forced Pharaoh to surrender.  However, after letting the children of Israel go, the heart of Pharaoh turned against them, and he and his army chased after them (Ex. 14:5-9).  

Exodus 14:8 tells us that the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh.  God hardened Pharaoh’s heart a few times, as shown in Exodus 10:1,20,27; 11:10).  Exodus 10:1 tells us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He may show His signs before him.  

There were a few things at stake with the children of Israel being in bondage in Egypt.  The children of Israel were crying out to God throughout the 430 years, showing their dependence on Him.  In return, God was showing His faithfulness to them, hearing their cries and making a way for them.  

Also at play was the Pharaoh’s thought of equating himself with being a god.  God hardened Pharaoh’s heart to plague him and Egypt and make it clear that no man is His equal.  Now, with Pharaoh and his army pursuing the children of Israel, God was going to demonstrate His power in a more demonstrable way to make it even clearer that He has no equal.

Israel’s Fear of Pharaoh

Our lesson opens with Pharaoh and his army of 600 chariots (Ex. 14:7) bearing down on the children of Israel as they sat parked at the Red Sea (Ex. 14:10).  Understandably, the children of Israel feared for their lives and cried out to the Lord.  We are even told that they asked Moses why he had brought them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness (Ex. 14:11-12).

The response of the children of Israel, at that moment, is quite understandable to me.  Imagine an army bearing down on you from behind, with a sea sitting in front of you with no way across.  Those people thought their end was near!  Moreover, we have to also consider that these were people who had no weapons to even defend themselves.

In that moment, we could truly liken the children of Israel to a herd of sheep, as sheep are defenseless creatures.  Yet, it is better to be the sheep of God than a sheep left alone in the wilderness.  In Psalm 23, David said that the Lord was his shepherd and he didn’t have to want for anything as the Lord provided for him and protected him.  In John 10:11, Jesus, God the Son, said that He is the good shepherd who provides and protects.

Moses’ Faith in God’s Way

To their fear, we will see that Moses responded with confidence in God’s way.  In Exodus 14:13, Moses told the people not to be afraid.  Moses said to them, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.”

Something we must understand is that fear and anxiety will cause us to act irrationally.  The reason why fear and anxiety cause us to act irrationally is because they blind us from the way out.  As Paul told the Corinthians, God is faithful and will make a way of escape so that we aren’t overtaken by temptation.

As Moses said, God’s way is not to abandon us and leave us in trouble.  No, God’s way is to fight for us and to deliver us from our trouble (Ex. 14:14).

As God’s children, when a way may fill you with anxiety and stress, we must stand still–that is to say that we must be faithful.  Even when a way may seem to be blocked or impossible to take, we must be faithful to the one who said He can make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Is. 43:19).  

Rather than getting ahead of God, we must trust that God is with us and then we must trust that God is going to move for us.  For the children of Israel, I must point out that at this point on their journey, the Lord was with them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21-22).  Yes, they could literally see God being with them!

For all of us who are of faith, God is with us, though we cannot see Him.  Let us always remember that the Holy Spirit, the third person of God, is with us.  Let us also keep in mind that the Holy Spirit’s role is to lead and guide us into all truth (John 16:13).  I want you to always keep in mind, no matter the situation, God is with you.

God Will Make a Way For You

Now, when you put your faith in the fact that God is going to move and deliver you, you must be prepared to move when He directs you.

In Exodus 14:15, we will see where the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?  Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”  Now we don’t see where Moses cried out to the Lord, but the implication is that after Moses had told the others to stand still, he may have asked God what he was supposed to do.

Thinking about what to do next in such an impossible situation, I believe, is common.  Praying about what to do next in an impossible situation, I believe, is also very common.  Is there anything wrong with repeatedly praying in such a time?  What do you think?

God’s response is so interesting because one may think that God responded in a manner of weariness, as He asked, “Why do you cry to me?”  God tells us that He does not grow weary (Is. 40:28).  I believe the Lord’s response was a response of Him saying, ‘I am with you already, what are you waiting on?’ 

Again, God was there with them, and they could see Him as the pillar of cloud.  God had told Moses from the beginning that He would lead the children of Israel from Egypt to a large land flowing with milk and honey (Ex. 3:7-10).  So, rather than praying, it was time for God to heed God’s instructions.

I preached a series of sermons a few months ago – Living by Prayer – where I spoke about how we must move by faith after we pray.  We can pray repeatedly, but if we never move after God has answered our prayers, what do we expect to happen for us?  Faith does not sit still; it moves–it is living, breathing, moving, and active.

God has promised us that He will give us what we need and desire (John 15:7-8).  Like Moses and the children of Israel, we cannot let a ‘Red Sea’ block us from His blessing.  We may pray and pray repeatedly for the Lord to help and show us the way around or across our Red Sea, but when the time comes for us to move, we will need to stop crying out to Him and heed His instructions.

God’s Way Made Clear to All Hearts

God’s plan is shared with Moses in Exodus 14:16-18.  God would part the Red Sea so that the children of Israel would cross on dry ground through the midst of the sea.  Again, the Lord would harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they would try to follow, but God would prevail over them.  This, the Lord said, He would do so that the Egyptians would know that He is the Lord.

There are two sets of Egyptians that the Lord spoke of in this statement.  The Egyptians, whose hearts would be hardened, speak of Pharaoh and his army.  They would follow Israel on dry ground until they would be consumed by the sea.  This means the second set of Egyptians would be all of those who were left behind.

So, this time, God would show His power and might, not over a wannabe god, but over a powerful sea.  God would glorify Himself, not to the Pharaoh but to all who remain.  This, the Lord would do so that all could see and believe in His power.

This reminds me of the death of Lazarus.  In John 11:4, Jesus told the disciples that His friend’s sickness was for the glory of God.  When He restored Lazarus’ life, there were many who witnessed the miracle and believed in Christ that day.  

Would you believe me if I told you that your Red Sea crossings are used for the same purposes?  Yes, the Lord will deliver you from your trials and tribulations so that others can see His work and believe.  This, again, is another reason why you ought not panic or fear, no matter the situation, because God will deliver you.

When we take a look at Exodus 14:19-22, we will see two things happen that speak to God’s way of love and care.  Scripture tells us that the “Angel of God” went from before the camp to behind them, and that the pillar of cloud shifted from the front to the back.

The “Angel of the Lord”, we can identify as the preincarnate Christ.  What we see in this scripture is God putting Himself between Pharaoh and the backs of Israel, protecting them.  When someone has your back, that means that they care about you and won’t let any hurt, harm, or danger come upon you.

Let’s also point out, again, the fact that the cloud also moved to the back of the camp makes it clear that God was the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.  Again, the people could see God in the form of the cloud by day and the fire by night.    

When Moses stretched out his hand, scripture tells us that God caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land.  We are also told that the waters were divided.  

There are many who try to recreate the parting of the Red Sea by trying to prove it is possible for the sea to part.  We must understand that the parting of the Red Sea was not a natural occurrence; it was a miracle.  When it comes to the miracles of God, one is left with a choice–believe them or not.

God can do anything because He is the sovereign ruler of His creation.  You may try all you want to prove the Lord, but at some point, one must decide whether they believe or not.  One must decide whether they will heed His instructions or not.  My recommendation is to believe the one who makes HIs sun to rise and set each and every day.