Hebrews 11:29
Faith’s Hall of Fame: Israel
Introduction
• In a pinch
• In a pickle
• In a jam
• In a corner
• In a squeeze
• Up a tree
• Between a rock and a hard place
• Behind the eight ball
• Driven to the wall
• Hard-pressed
These are all expressions used to describe a situation with no easy escape or simple solution.
Have you ever been there? I’m sure you have. And some of you have been there multiple times. Perhaps some of you are there today. It’s an experience that we all face sooner or later in our lives.
This morning I would like us to consider an impossible situation that the people of Israel faced. We find their predicament in the book of Exodus chapter 14.
For the last 2 Sundays we’ve considered the faith of Moses. We have seen that by faith Moses refused the world’s prestige, the world’s pleasures, and the world’s possessions. We also discovered that by faith Moses returned to Egypt and kept the Passover. And now in Exodus 14, we find Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt.
In recounting this ancient story, we are first told of …
• The Hebrews’ Path
We begin in Exodus 14:1: “Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.’”
God directed the children of Israel out of Egypt toward the Sinai Peninsula near the Red Sea.
At this location, to the north would be several massive Egyptian fortresses.
To the south would be the barren Egyptian desert.
To the east would be the deep Red Sea.
And what was to the west of them? An angry, advancing army! And so Moses writes of …
• The Egyptians’ Pursuit
We read in verse 9: “The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.”
The Egyptian army came from the west in hot pursuit of the Israelites. But God intervened. And so we read of …
• The Lord’s Protection
The Lord protected the Israelites by first moving them to the edge of the Red Sea.
Then He put a wall between them and the Egyptians. Verse 19 explains: “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them.”
And then we all know what the Lord did next.
On the way home from church one Sunday a father asked his little boy what he learned in Sunday School that morning. The son said, “We learned about the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.” The father smiled and asked the boy to tell him about it. “Well,” his son said, “the Israelites left Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them. So the Jews ran as fast as they could until they got to the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was getting closer and closer. So Moses sent the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Sea Bees built a bridge across the Red Sea. When all the Jews were safely across, Moses told the Air Force to let the Egyptians through. Then Moses sent Israeli Navy Seals to wire explosives to the bridge. As the Egyptians were crossing the bridge, Moses detonated the explosives and blew the Egyptian Army to smithereens!”
By now the father was shocked. He looked at his son and asked, “Is that the way your Sunday School teacher taught you the story?” The boy responded, “Well, no, not exactly. But if I told you what they told me, you’d never believe it!”
And that little boy was right! The Lord did something unbelievable. What did the Lord do? Let’s watch.
[Show 10 Commandments video—Red Sea crossing]
The Lord did the unbelievable. He led His people through an impossible situation. Now, this event was not recorded for our amazement. Rather, it was written for our instruction. Romans 15:4 says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
We all encounter “Red Sea experiences” in our lives. There are times when we’re between a rock and a hard place—between the desert and the deep Red Sea. It might be a Red Sea experience with your …
• Marriage—your spouse has left you and filed for divorce
• Child—stubborn, defiant, open rebellion against the Lord
• Job—laid off, can’t find work, and money is tight
• Health—you’ve been to the doctor and it doesn’t look good
What do you do? How do you handle the Red Sea experiences of life? You respond just as the children of Israel did. You respond in faith. Let me read Hebrews 11:29 to you. You don’t have to turn there. The Red Sea generation of Israelites is included in Faith’s Hall of Fame. Hebrews 11:29 states: “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.”
When you encounter a Red Sea experience, you should respond by trusting the Lord. And what does that look like? What should you do? First, you should …
1. LOOK UP
Exodus 14:10 says, “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.”
When you first realize that you’re in a Red Sea experience, you should look up and cry out to the Lord. Pour out your heart to Him. Ask God to give you the wisdom, guidance, direction, strength, and help to make it through. After you look up, then secondly, you …
2. STAND FIRM
In verse 13 we read: “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.’”
When we face difficult experiences in life, there is a temptation to walk away from the Lord—to handle matters in a sinful way—to disobey God. We are tempted to think: “God doesn’t love me. He’s deserted me. I mean, look at the situation I’m in. So, why should I bother following Him?” But instead of running from the Lord, we should stand firm and commit to following His ways.
But we don’t stop there. After you look up and stand firm, you need to …
3. WALK THRU
That’s what Israel did. Look at verse 15: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.’” And then drop down to verse 22: “and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”
The Israelites were obedient to the Lord. They followed the Lord’s instructions by walking through the Red Sea. And likewise, you need to be obedient to the Lord. Do what He instructs you to do in His Word. Don’t walk down the path of disobedience away from Him. Walk with God hand-in-hand through your Red Sea experience. And then, fourthly …
4. KNEEL DOWN
After they walked through the Red Sea, the people of Israel responded by worshipping the Lord. Chapter 15:1 states: “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: ‘I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’”
When God brings you through your Red Sea experience, be sure to praise Him and exalt Him.
And what is the purpose in all of this? Why does God even allow the Red Sea experiences in your life?
A woman called a silversmith one day because she was curious about the process of refining silver.
So she made an appointment to come to his shop and watch him work. She saw him hold a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, you need to hold the silver in the middle of the fire. That’s where the flames were hottest. That’s where you burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. Then she thought about the verse in Malachi 3:3 that says God “sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”
She asked the silversmith if he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.
The man answered “yes.” He not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver. If the silver was left too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”
He smiled and answered, “Oh, that’s easy—I know it is fully refined when I see my image in it.”
And the same is true of you. God puts you through Red Sea experiences in order to burn away everything in your life that doesn’t resemble Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Perhaps you’re going through a Red Sea experience right now. If you’re feeling the heat of the fire, then remember that God has His eye on you. And He will not keep you in the fire any longer than you have to be. He is burning away the impurities in your life so that His image will be seen in you.
So, look up, stand firm, walk thru, and kneel down.
Let’s pray.
