Through the Red Sea - 250306

SPEAKER 1 Hello. Welcome to Let God Speak. I am your host, Uriah St Juste. No one can say the Bible is boring. It is filled with drama, suspense, intrigue, mystery, and many great miracles. Our study today contains all of the above. Most importantly, we will discover through studying a powerful miracle that God's promises are true and we can trust Him by faith in His Word. Stay tuned and walk with me through the Red Sea, our topic for study today on Let God Speak. On our panel today we have Cassie Sollano and John Kosmeier. Welcome, Cassie and John. SPEAKER 2 Thank you. SPEAKER 1 Please join us as we pray. Dear Lord, we thank youk for another opportunity to present yout Word to youo people. Father, we ask that yout presence will be with us wherever we are and in this studio, Lord, those who are listening, those who are viewing, we pray youy blessing upon them. and may this study increase our faith in youn and deepen our love and commitment to youo, is our prayer through Jesus Christ, you, Son. Amen. A university student was reading his Bible in his dorm room. He was reading the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea in the book of Exodus. As he read, he made shouts of praise to God, causing his atheist roommate to come in and see what is going on. He explained how excited he was to read of God's deliverance of His people. His friend explained that science has already proved that when the wind blows at a certain spot on the Red Sea, the waters recede to expose a sandbank where people can cross in ankle-high water. So it had nothing to do with God and it was not a miracle. Upon hearing this, the student shouted more praises to God. His friend perplexed wondered what was it this time? He said he is praising God that God can drown an entire army in ankle-high water. Now, Cassie, we often hear of deathbed confessions where people convert and accept Jesus on their deathbed. And sometimes we wonder if God really accepts those or the stories of people people who are in difficult situations and they pray to God and ask Him if He gets them out of this, they will serve Him. Looking at the story of Pharaoh finally allowing the children of Israel to leave Egypt, can we know whether his decision was genuine or not? SPEAKER 3 Well, first of all, we have to be careful how we judge other people's motives. God looks on the heart and only God knows what's in a person's heart. and if they are genuine or not. But Exodus 12 does give us some insight into Pharaoh's mind. Exodus 12 verse 33 says, and the Egyptians urged the people that they might send them out of the land in haste, for they said, we shall all be dead. Pharaoh's advisors pressed upon him the urgency to set the children of Israel free for fear of death. There is a very clear difference between repenting because of remorse and repenting because of fear, whether that be of punishment death. SPEAKER 1 That's correct. Now, John, let's probe a little bit deeper and see if we can get into Pharaoh's mind. I want to read Exodus chapter 12, verses 31 and 32. And it says, Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, 'Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also. Now, John, here is Pharaoh who worships false gods, asking Moses to have his god, the true God, to bless him. Is that an indication that his conversion was genuine? SPEAKER 2 Well, we know for sure that he had given permission and then changed his mind, and then later on he changed his mind again. so when you come to Exodus chapter 5 and verse 2, it said, and Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? Here we are getting into Pharaoh's mind of what his thoughts really were. And I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go. So We don't know whether it's because of the plagues that had come, but we do know that he was humbled by what happened. SPEAKER 1 We can definitely see a change of attitude in Pharaoh. Now we must remember that these were the children of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, but now they are slaves in Egypt. and God had promised that they would be a great nation with great wealth, and now here they are slaves, Cassie. They would have been impoverished as slaves. Whatever happened to God's promise to Abraham, to them? SPEAKER 3 Though it didn't seem like it, God's promises are always sure. The thing is, when Joseph was the governor of Egypt, and when Jacob and his family entered Egypt, they were quite wealthy. I'd like to just turn to Genesis 15, verses 13-16. 13 and 14, which say, Then he said to Abram, 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them 400 years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge. Afterward they shall come out with great possessions.' Nothing takes God by surprise. He knew in advance this would happen, and he even told them precisely how long. He also says in advance, When he frees them, he would punish their captors. And finally, he declares that they shall leave with great substance. So the promises of God are true and precise always. So we can trust them. SPEAKER 1 Even if it takes a long time, even if it takes hundreds of years. Now, John, sometimes when we're in a difficult situation, it might seem impossible and we wonder how God is going to get us out of it. The Israelites, they are slaves. How is God going to free them? with great substance or with great possessions. How's that going to happen? SPEAKER 2 When you turn to Exodus chapter 12 and you read verse 32, Also take your flocks and your herds as you have said and be gone, and bless me also. Here we find that Pharaoh changed his mind. and this is where God enabled that to happen. SPEAKER 1 And we noticed that on previous occasions when he had told them they could leave, he did not allow them to leave with their flocks, but this time-. SPEAKER 2 Now that could tie everything. SPEAKER 1 He's so desperate, you know, leave, take whatever you want and go away from me. Now, Cassie, what else happened that allowed God's promises of their their enrichment to be fulfilled. SPEAKER 3 This is very interesting. Staying in Exodus 12:35-36 say, Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them with what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. The Egyptians, well it says they found favor, but they were really so eager to see the backs of the Israelites that they handed over their wealth. And God acted on those Egyptians' hearts. So it's very clear that this was the working of God. SPEAKER 1 Now some versions use the word borrowed and lent. Now John, was this some kind of deception where the children of Israel knew that they wouldn't return, so they asked for a loan? knowing that they wouldn't pay back? SPEAKER 2 It's the problem of translation, isn't it? From one language to another. And here, other versions they say asked or requested. And the Hebrew word Shalal used here means to ask or to request. And so we've got to remember that they had worked for the Egyptians for so many years and had never been properly rewarded for the work that they'd done. So now that the Egyptians wanted to get rid of them, they said, Give us our pay and we'll leave. SPEAKER 1 So they did. There wasn't any deception. SPEAKER 2 They didn't- no deception at all. They knew. SPEAKER 1 They asked everybody. And the Egyptians knew that they had basically robbed Israel by not paying them. They were getting free labor. So they thought, you know, it's only fair that you get your just reward at this time. Now, let's turn to Exodus chapter 13. We come to chapter 13, and this time God makes a strange request, John. I want to read verse 1 and 2 of Exodus chapter 13. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, Consecrate to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both man and beast, it is mine. John, every firstborn, both human or animal, was to be dedicated to God. Why did God ask for them to do this? SPEAKER 2 We have very good forgeries. and as a result God said, Look, you remember this. He asked us to remember a number of things and here in Exodus chapter 13 starting from verse 8, and you shall, and I'm reading from the New King Version, it shall be, and you shall tell your son in that day saying, this is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt. It shall be a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord's law may be in your mouth, or with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year. And that helps us to remember, but it also passes on the information to the next generation. And as a result, here we are. So many thousands of years later and we remember it. SPEAKER 1 And God is very big on remembering. SPEAKER 2 You know, He says, Remember the Sabbath. SPEAKER 1 Remember the things of old. Remember the Sabbath. SPEAKER 2 Remember Lot's wife. SPEAKER 1 Remember Lot's wife. And it's something that we do today. We have anniversaries, we have birthdays so that we can remember significant events in our lives. SPEAKER 2 Special occasions. SPEAKER 1 Now, Ecasie, why the firstborn? of every man and beast. SPEAKER 3 It's more of God's love for remembering. It's in this case making connections with events in history and thinking about its spiritual significance. We only have to turn a couple of chapters back in Exodus to chapter 11, verse 5, where we read, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on the throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the animals. This was the tenth and it involved the death of the firstborn of both men and beast, if their house had not been covered by the blood. Those who left Egypt for the Promised Land would be those who obeyed and were spared in this plague. God wanted it that everyone who looked on a firstborn of man or beast would remember His saving grace. SPEAKER 1 And there's a powerful difference there as well, because whereas He requested that the firstborn of every animal be sacrificed, to make them remember those who perished, but also not the firstborn of every human being. He didn't call for those to be sacrificed. They were supposed to stand as living memorials for those who were saved and those who were obedient. So there is that clear distinction between those who died and those who obeyed God and they were saved. SPEAKER 2 John. SPEAKER 1 Religion can sometimes be filled with traditions and practices that can become empty rituals. How can we avoid making our religious services empty rituals? SPEAKER 2 Here in Exodus chapter 13, it gives us the answer to that in verse 14. It's so It shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, what is this? That you shall say to him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And so we pass on this information to the next generation. SPEAKER 1 Yes. And that would be the fact that they were doing it every year. SPEAKER 2 Yes. SPEAKER 1 There's no way they could forget. And if we also read Exodus 13:14, it says, so it shall be when your son asks you this time to come saying, what is this that you shall say to him? And as you've said, that idea that it's passed on from generation to generation that they will never forget as time goes on. Staying with you, John, chapter 13 records to be something that can be considered a very morbid detail. Moses takes with him the remains of Joseph out of Egypt. Why did he do this? There's some significance in this, obviously. What really was the importance of them doing that? SPEAKER 2 When you go into the New Testament, it says there that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Joseph died in Egypt, but he had the memory of Abraham's promise. And that was to be fulfilled, and it was in Genesis 50:24. Chapter 15 and chapter verse 40, 24 and 25. As Joseph was dying, he said to his brethren, I am dying, but God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. And then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you. He had believed what had been told to Abraham. He will visit you, and then I want you to promise me that you'll take my bones and take me back to the Promised Land. And this is where Joseph was taken into Egypt as a slave and he served faithfully and well. but he was taken back because that's where his heart was. SPEAKER 1 So Joseph had the faith because he knew he was dying. He had the faith that God would deliver them out of Egypt. And so that's the promise asking them to promise him that they would take his remains back, his bones back. He knew that God's promise would be fulfilled. That's the theme that comes out today. that God can be trusted and His promises are sure. Now, Kathy, when I'm driving my car and I don't know where I'm going, which happens very frequently, I often just type the destination in my GPS and it gives me directions exactly where I should go, when I should turn left or right. What about the children of Israel? Did they have satellite navigation? to get to the Promised Land? SPEAKER 3 Yeah, well, GPS technology is pretty good, but they had something even better. Exodus 13, verses 21 and 22 tells us, 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. how wonderfully practical God is. The cloud is quite visible by day, but not at night, hence the fire by night, which provided them warmth. The cloud also shaded them from the harsh sun. The two pillars also were a constant reminder of God's presence and leading. SPEAKER 1 So we didn't just have these things as indications of where they should go, but it was a practical reminder that God would provide. He's providing shade with the cloud, not just direction. but he's also providing warmth at night in the desert. It gets pretty cold and they would have that fire providing them warmth. So it's more than just direction, it's God's presence and God's provision for them. So they really had nothing to fear, isn't that what's happening here? Now, John, today we don't have a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire to tell us which direction we should turn in our lives. Are we left by ourselves alone to wander and get lost. SPEAKER 2 We are left and it depends upon this verse as to whether we will be alone and wandering and getting lost. And it's Psalms 119, you, word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. and here we have the Old Testament and the New Testament, and that is what guides us, just like the cloud and did by day and by night. And so we can feel God's presence as we read His Word because that's how He communicates with us. SPEAKER 1 And you know, it's, we take a lot of things for granted today because we have so much technology, we have electricity, we just flip a light on, But, you know, people in Bible times really depended on lamps to get to know where they're going at night. And here the psalmist is saying, John, that God's Word is like a lamp to guide us, to show us where to go, but also to prevent us from stumbling, to prevent us from being tripped up by false ideas that may be out there. as well. Now, Cassie, continuing with the story of Pharaoh, when he's told that the children of Israel have left, his advisors, they're not very happy. I want to read Exodus 14:5. It says, Now when it was told the king of Egypt that the people had left, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants were turned against the people. And they said, why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from us? What is happening here to Pharaoh? Can you help us to understand what's going on in his mind? SPEAKER 3 Yes, I think it connects to what we mentioned at the beginning of our discussion. People sometimes make these deals with God where they promise God that if he gets them out of a situation, they will serve him. But when God does get them out, and it's time to make good on their promise, they change their minds because they don't want to give up something or another. I think this is what's happening to Pharaoh. SPEAKER 1 Yes, very good. And we have to remember the context in which he said to them they should go. SPEAKER 3 Yes. SPEAKER 1 The firstborn of both man and beast who didn't put the blood on the doorposts They died even in Pharaoh's household as well. So the wails in almost every household of death, and in that situation he's saying, Go, but we forget very often as human beings, and that's why God is very big on remembering. And when we make a promise to God, it shouldn't just be circumstantial, but we should actually be able to follow up on it and keep his promise. Now I want to read Exodus 14, staying in Exodus 14, John 18:16, and I want to read to you this time, verse 4. This is what God is doing. It says, Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them, and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord and they did so. This idea, John, of God hardening Pharaoh's heart, it can be a difficult concept to understand. Help us to understand what really this hardening of Pharaoh's heart is all about. SPEAKER 2 It's interesting to note that the Old Testament, ten times it says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. And another ten times it says that Pharaoh hardened his heart. And that was his own heart. SPEAKER 1 Well. SPEAKER 2 Sunlight, butter melts in sunlight, paint hardens. The same sun shines, but because it's two different things, and this is where God was telling Pharaoh what was going to happen. and here in Exodus chapter 9 and verse 34, and when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail and the thunder had ceased, problem over, wasn't it? But then he sinned yet more and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. And this is where it was the way in which they reacted And so it could have softened his heart and saved him, but in this case it hardened his heart because of his choice. SPEAKER 1 His choices. SPEAKER 2 Choice is the key. SPEAKER 1 So God sends the judgment and what makes the difference whether you repent or whether you dig deeper in rebellion is the condition of your heart. Now, Cassie, how did the people react? they can see that now Pharaoh is pursuing them. How did they react to that situation? SPEAKER 3 Let's read Exodus 14:11-12, which say, Then they said to Moses, 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians'? for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than what we should die in the wilderness. They expressed a complete lack of faith in God and began to complain and blame Moses. They also expressed regret in following God and said it would have been better if they hadn't and had been in Egypt. Christians can often express the sentiment after making a decision to follow Jesus when they encounter difficulty. SPEAKER 2 Yes. SPEAKER 1 And it's even worse when they said it would be better if they had remained in Egypt. And that would have really been a slap in God's face. Now, John, we know that God saved the children of Israel by opening up the Red Sea so that they could escape on dry land. Is there a deeper lesson for us here on how God saves beyond this great miracle of what God did in parting the waters of the Red Sea. SPEAKER 2 It happened because the people were suffering from fear. And Moses said to them, Don't fear. If we have faith in God, Moses stretched out his rod and the water opened up. But if the children of Israel had not taken the steps to cross, then they would have been lost. And so here we are saved by faith in believing what God has said. SPEAKER 1 That's all the time that we have today. Thank you very much. One day a tightrope walker advertised that he would walk between two very tall buildings on a tightrope with no net. Hundreds of people came to watch. The crowd cheered as he accomplished his feat. Then he turned to the crowd and asked, How many believe I can do it again? Blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. Everyone cheered, expressing their belief that he could. He then asked, who will be the first to enter the wheelbarrow? The crowd was silent and nobody moved. Their unwillingness to step forward and into the wheelbarrow reveal their lack of faith in the man. Today, the man Christ Jesus is inviting you to trust and obey Him as an expression of your faith in Him. We are glad that you have joined us today on Let God Speak. Remember, all past programs plus teachers' notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. or you can email us if you wish on [email protected]. Join us again next time. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.