Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Welcome to Hope for Today, a weekly Bible teaching program that will bring you hope for every day.
Hello and welcome. Thanks for joining us. As we continue our study in Exodus, it is encouraging to hear from God and learn more about him in the Bible. This happens no matter which book of the Bible we are focusing on. This is not just a book, it is alive and in every section of the Bible there is more for us to learn.
Looking at the children of Israel, we can see how God directed and led them from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised land. And really that is what God longs to do for each of us. He has provided the way for us to go from slavery to freedom. We can be free from the slavery of sin and experience true freedom by following Jesus and living according to the commands Jesus gave us.
And think about Pharaoh. He is an example of someone who, despite all the evidence and proof for God, rejects God and continues in his own way.
Time after time.
God reveals his power and each time Pharaoh's heart becomes harder and harder. This pattern has been repeated by many men down through the ages.
God, in his mercy, shows himself alive and real in many incredible ways. But this turns some hard hearts even harder. Exactly what Pharaoh was doing.
We look forward to what J. Mark will teach us from Exodus and and how these truths will teach us more about God and how we can live for Him. Let's give our attention to JMARC now.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: Our world today is filled with voices.
Many voices clamor for our attention. In fact, there are so many voices that we sometimes are confused.
Maybe you feel that way. There are so many voices and all of them claim to be true. But I assure you, they can't all be true because there is only one source of truth.
True truth is found in the book of God.
It is important that we pay attention to God and His Word and in order to get to our eternal home, the promised land of the soul, we must go where God leads.
Many years ago, the founder of Heralds of Hope, Dr. J. Odys Yoder, told me a story about when he was traveling through the country of Turkey with his wife in the early 1960s.
They came to a place on their way to Esparta where they weren't sure which way to go.
They had been traveling through mountainous country and they came out to an intersection and they didn't know which way to turn.
So he said to his wife, Isabel, let's stop here and pray.
So they prayed and they asked the Lord to give them some kind of direction.
After they had prayed, he Said, I believe we ought to go to the left.
So they turned left.
And you know something? They soon came to Esparta. Then they praised the Lord for His guidance. They went the way that he had led them.
Now, if you've ever been lost, you know, it's not a very pleasant experience.
It's so much nicer if you have directions to show you where you're going.
Directions are so helpful. And especially those mileposts and signposts along the road to guide us.
God knew his people would need someone to lead them. Someone to guide them.
Several generations of people had never been outside of Egypt.
So in Exodus chapter 13 and verses 17 to 22, God begins to lead his people on a path that they had never walked before.
So listen as I read that scripture, Exodus 13, beginning with verse 17.
And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. But for God said, lest peradventure the people repent when they see war and they return to Egypt.
But God led the people through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up harnessed or in ranks out of the land of Egypt.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Etham in the edge of the wilderness.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and by night.
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night. From before the people.
In this text I find certain directives to help them and us to go where God leads.
The first directive that will help us go where God leads is follow his path.
God knew his people needed to be led. And he knew the best way for them to go.
He didn't take them the closest way, the nearest way to the land that he had promised him.
The shortest route. As I figured, it would only have been about 200 kilometers or 125 miles.
Even with children and animals, that would have taken probably less than a month. But God had a different plan, and God had a different path.
We read that he didn't lead them through the land of the Philistines because he was sure they would give up and go back to Egypt.
God knew that the Philistines were fierce warriors and the people of Israel had no experience in warfare. Remember, they had been slaves for generations.
And so the sight of such a fearsome army would fill them with terror.
So God chose a different path, a different route.
It made a difference which way they went, because only one way was God's best way. The other way, any other way would have been less than the best.
It was very important for them to follow in his path to, because they needed his help, they needed his directives.
God determined the way. It was much farther to go by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. But God knew that that was the best way for them.
You know, sometimes I think that I know better than God knows. I suspect you might feel that way sometimes too. We want to choose our own way, our own path.
But I can tell you from personal experience, I've tried that and maybe you have too. But then we find out that our way isn't as good as God's way.
And that's because we can't see everything like he does.
So if we really want to arrive at the place God has promised to us, then we will need to follow in his path and let him choose, because he knows best.
Then there's another important directive to us as we go where God leads. It's is carry out his prophecy.
Now this is reflected in Joseph's faith because we are told here that Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.
If you go back To Genesis chapter 50 and verses 24 and 25, we see the kind of faith that Joseph had when he was about to die.
It's recorded there.
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am dying and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land unto the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you. Now listen, and you shall carry up my bones from here.
What a faith that Joseph had. It was rewarded so many, many years later.
Joseph's faith had prophesied about the time when the people of Israel would be leaving Egypt. So they were charged under oath to take his bones with them to bury in this new land.
Actually, it was the land of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God's faithfulness is shown here too, because Joseph had said, God will surely visit you. And he did. He had finally released them, emancipated them from the bondage of Egypt. He had brought them out. And so it was important that the faith of Joseph be honored by the faithfulness of God.
Moses carried out the prophecy, and the people took the bones of Joseph along with them.
Today you can visit the tomb of Joseph in Israel, near Shechem.
If you want to go where God leads, then you will need to carry out his directive. In other words, when you do what God wants you to do, you honor his promises.
And then the third directive brings joy and security as we go where he leads. Delight in his presence.
These are beautiful words. They set forth a beautiful symbol, a beautiful picture.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and by night.
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
Those beautiful symbols assured the people of the presence of God.
His presence was their delight. He went before them. He didn't push them out or thrust them out like Pharaoh did and say, get out of here.
Instead, he led them out. And he always does that. Remember the words of the Psalmist David, Psalm 23, he leads me beside still waters. And furthermore, David wrote these words in Psalm 1. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.
We're talking about delighting in the Lord's presence. And here the psalmist says that the light of a godly man is in the law of the Lord.
And so a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, God gave them. So by day and by night they could be assured of and delight in his presence.
It was a constant reminder. It was a constant presence. Because we read that he never took away the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire. They were always there, always reminding the people that the presence of God was right there with them. Wasn't that special to have that assurance? They could be confident in his presence because he was there by day and by night. They had a visible symbol of his presence.
Now we don't have that today, but you too can delight in his presence. He will be with you. He will be by your side. He will go before you. He has promised in his word that he will never leave you or forsake you.
Praise the Lord.
If you sincerely want to go where God leads, then here are the directives.
Follow in his path.
You see, he has a way for you to go.
Carry out his prophecy, that is do what you know to be his word and will, and finally delight in his presence and make him your chief joy. If you really want to go where he leads, you will find his presence to be your delight.
[00:11:58] Speaker B: Thank you J. Mark for this teaching from Exodus and we thank you for joining us. As Christians.
It is a privilege to serve and trust our God, our God who is above every nation as his people. It is good for us to remember the important principle in Daniel 4:17.
It says that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men.
This verse teaches, our sovereign God is over the kingdoms on earth. What happens here among our leaders is known and directed by Him.
Our leaders may be powerful and important or minor and less known, but it is our God who has placed them there and our God is using them to accomplish his will. We don't always know how this can be and and when I don't, I usually tell God. I don't know why this is happening or why you are allowing it, but I trust you and I pray that your people will stay faithful, be encouraged in this story from Exodus that our God was in control and the same God who was in control back then is still in control now.
Do you have any thoughts from today's teaching? If you want to share them with us, here are a few ways you can contact us.
One of the best ways is via email. Our email is hopeheraldsofhope.org if you don't have email, no problem. Our address is HopeFor Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pa 15533 or you can connect with us on our website.
Our website is heraldsofhope.org While you're there, please check out the Listen tab and listen to our other teaching again. The website is heraldsofhope.org this brings us to the end of today's program. Thanks again for being there. Please join us again next week for another lesson from Exodus. Go with God this week and know that he is big enough for your circumstance. Trust him because the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men.
