WHAT DO YOU DO, WHEN YOU HAVE DONE ALL YOU CAN
Exodus 14:10-13 Text: (v.13)
Intended for Reading on the Lord’s Day July 11, 2010
Delivered By Rev. Kelvin L. Parks
At Shiloh Baptist Church of Waukegan, Waukegan, Illinois
Good Morning ... and too, God be the Glory!
I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. I would like to thank Pastor Francis for this opportunity to stand behind this desk in proxy for him to preach God’s Word (thank you kind sir) ... and there is a Word from the LORD...
So let us turn our hearts and our Bibles to Exodus 14:10-13
(v.10) And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
(v.11) And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
(v.12) Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
(v.13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, standstill, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
(v.14) The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace
Turn to your neighbor and say... Neighbor, I have a question: What do you do, when you have done all you can?
You may be seated...
What do you do, when you have done all you can...
(v.13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, standstill, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
(v.14) The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace
INTRODUCTION
We are all, in one way or another, familiar with this morning’s text. Partly because many of us have been reared in church and are thus familiar with the stories from the Bible, or perhaps because most of us have seen the movie The Ten Commandments, which stared Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Rameses.
However, the historical recounting before us this morning is more than just the stuff of Hollywood.
Well ... our background opens with Moses and the children of Israel, probably about two million in strength, heading out of Egypt on their way to the Promised Land.
And our text picks up with Moses and the children of Israel, free from slavery but surrounded. Surrounded
- On the north by desert;
- on the south by desert;
- on the west by Pharaoh’s fast approaching Army;
- and on the east by the Red Sea
My, my, my ... this picture alone is enough to fill the heart of the strongest in faith with despair
Yet, Moses gives us two commands and two promise of deliverance that we could use to answer the question:
- What do you do when you all that you can; in other words
- What do you do when you are surrounded by the desert of despair on the north
- Surrounded by the desolation and dismay on south
- Anxiety and apprehension on the east
- And enemy of your situation is fast approaching on the west
WHAT DO YOU DO...
Well, the first command Moses tells us is...
#1. (v.13) Fear Ye Not.
Well, we all know that in the Bible words have different meanings. In fact this word fear yārēʾ(yaw-ray) has five general meanings.
Now, I don’t have time to go in detail but...
(1) the emotion of fear
(2) the intellectual anticipation of evil
a. David’s recognition while in Achish’s court that his reputation was a danger to him (1 Samuel 21:13) is an example along with Jacob’s anticipation that his family might be taken from him (Genesis 31:31).
(3) reverence or awe
a.Such reverence is due to one’s parents (Leviticus 19:3), holy places (Leviticus 26:2), God (Proverbs 1:7), and God’s name (Psalm 86:11).
(4) righteous behavior or piety
a. the motivation, which produced righteous living. This practical, active fear is the kind of fear for which God rewarded the Egyptian midwives (Exodus 1:17, 21).
(5) formal religious worship
a. The clearest example of "fearing" as formal religious worship occurs in describing the religious syncretists (syn-cre-tist) of the northern kingdom who "feared" the Lord in respect to cultic worship (2 Kings 17:32-34), while at the same time not "fearing" the Lord in respect to righteous obedience to His law.
Again, I don’t have time to go into much detail each one individual, however I want you to know that the command in our text fear not deals with the emotion of fear...
Well, I know firsthand that this is not an easy command; like Israel, many of us are going through some stuff and our situations warrant fear; our situation warrants the emotion of fear.
Yet, the command here is to "quit fearing." In other words, the charge is to let the peace of God rule our heart.
So What do you do when you all that you can
The first command that Moses give us is to Fear Ye not.
And this requires faith. You see, Moses was able to stand firm because he did not focus on the situation, nor did he focus on his own ability ... was able to stand because of his confidence in the Lord. He did not allow his emotions of fear to overshadow God’s promise of deliverance.
One of the great lessons we learn from the book of Exodus as a whole, and a message reiterated throughout the scripture, is that God is ever present.
Turn to Exodus 13:21-22
(v.21) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
(v.22) He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
This tells us that Ever before them was this physical reminder that God was present with them. In fact (v.22) says that God did not depart from them.
In Exodus 33:14 God says, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
You see ... God was with His people then, and He is with us today. In fact, Jesus promises in Matthew 28:20, “Lo I am with you alway, even to the end of the world. Amen”
I need to let somebody know this morning that God does not want us to fear.
In fact, Jesus repeatedly instructs us not to fear.
John 14:1 He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled, if you believe in God, believe also in me.”
Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus says,
(v.17) ...Fear not; I am the first and the last:
(v.18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
So, what do you do when you have done all that you can
#1 Fear not; don’t be scared; don’t be afraid. Quit fearing; quit the emotion of fear
Why, because God is always with us.
#2. The second command of deliverance... is found right here in our text (v.13)
STANDSTILL ... now, if you thought, "Fear not" was hard. How hard is it to standstill when trouble surrounds us?
Lets deal with these words stand still
The Hebrew translation here is yāṣab (yaw-tsab’), which means
(1) to stand
(2) set or
(3) station oneself, or to
(4) present oneself
Well ... in my research, I discovered that this verb yāṣab (yaw-tsab’) STAND STILL expresses in the reflexive voice, a command concerning a result or fact.
Let’s try it this way, the command STAND STILL or the ability to STAND STILL is reflexive (like a sound that you hear) by the time you hear the event that caused the sound has already taken place. If a jet flew overhead faster than the speed of sound ... by the time you heard the sonic boom; the jet has already come and gone.
In other words you ability to standstill have nothing to do with you ... we are simply reflexive of a result or fact of something that has already taken place.
Our ability to stand has everything to do with GOD and nothing to do you us individually...
In fact, 1 Corinthians 10:12 say "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. "
The idea here ... don’t get to think that you are all that. The thinketh in the Greek means dokeō (dok-eh’-o).
This speaks of the ideas that we form in our own mind about ourselves. These thoughts are based on our
- Own account
- Your reputation of yourself
- What your seem
- What you suppose
- And what you think
This scripture helps us to understand ... yes, after you done all that you can, yes, stand.
But don’t allow your own account; your own pleasure; or reputation make you think that you are able to stand
Yeah ... dokeō (dok-eh’-o) helps us to understand that our ability to stand has nothing to do with us.
So we are told my Moses to ...
STAND STILL, yāṣab (yaw-tsab’)
- stay right where you are;
- God did not told you to move.
- Stay right here ...
- Stay right there God did not authorize you to quit.
- Stand still...
You tried it your way and failed; your way got you in trouble
So after, you done all you can; you just standstill (yaw-tsab)
- Yeah stay in your place;
- do not quit;
- Don’t worry about your situation
- what things; might look like
- Yes, the grass my look greener on the other side, but you can’t cross over the Red Sea of your situation until God says move
And in this case; He didn’t say move He said (yaw-stab) standstill. In other words do whatever you need to do to stay right here
Cus, one of these old days when the roll is called you want to be able to say present, I’m here accounted for.
Yes, I am here right where you told me to be...
- waiting until my change comes;
- here at Shiloh working, doing what you told me to do
- taking care of my sacred trust
- Working in the food pantry
- Working in the clothes closet
- Working in the Soup kitchen
- Preaching Your Word
- Teaching Your Word
- Serving your people
After you done all you can ... you just standstill.
So, we addressed the 2 commands of deliverance (1) fear not (2) stand still.
Now let us examine the 2 promises of deliverance.
Notice that the two command of deliverance (fear not and stand) came before the two promise of deliverance.
Now I am sure we like the promise more than the commands. However, we had better attend to the precepts (the commands) if we ever want to realize the promises.
Watch the promises...
#1. The First Promise is a God is our deliverer
(v.13) stand still and see the Salvation of the LORD.
And this is a promise of salvation
Well, let deal with this promise of Salvation.
If you were to closely examine this word Salvation here in our text. You would discover that in the Hebrew it means yeshûʿâ (yesh-oo’-aw)
The root meaning in Arabic means to
- make wide or
- make sufficient
this root is in contrast to ṣārar "narrow,"
- which means be restricted or
- to cause distress
So the idea here is ...that which is wide connotes freedom from distress.
So then to move from distress to safety requires deliverance.
Generally speaking the deliverance usually comes from somewhere outside of the party being oppressed.
In the Old Testament the kinds of distress, both national and individual, include enemies, natural catastrophes, such as plague or famine, and sickness.
And the one who brings deliverance is known as the "savior." In the OT it was Yahweh who brought the deliverance. Thus he is known in Psalm 68:19 as the "God of our salvation."
While in the New Testament the idea of salvation primarily means (1) forgiveness of sin, (2) deliverance from its power and (3) the defeat of Satan.
Although the Old Testament points in this direction, the majority of references to salvation speak of Yahweh (GOD) granting deliverance from real enemies and out of real catastrophes.
... as such as in our text
So now with that we should have a better understand of Moses when he says "stand still and see the salvation (the deliverance) of the Lord."
Here, he is not talking about salvation from your sin ... he is talking about the deliverance from your enemies. He is talking about God delivering you from the Red sea of your situation.
Stand still and see ... what a wonderful promise. However, it is a promise that comes to the obedient? It is good to know that God never forsake His own. When we follow His leading, He will deliver us from our problems and our situations.
And how do we tap into this promise of deliverance...
#1. We need to Open your eyes. Moses has already told us not to fear. OPEN YOUR EYES. Many of us are riding the roller coaster of life with our eyes closed. Yes, your situation may seems hopeless. When we open our eyes, we realize that unless God moves on our behalf, we are doomed to fail.
I need to let somebody know that is good news.
As believers today, we need to put our confidence in GOD and realize that God positions us where He wants us, not where we want to be.
Being between the devil and the deep blue sea, to use a coined phrase, was not where the Israelites wanted to be. They would much rather have had a clear path before them, free from pursuing Egyptians and the barrier of the sea. But that was not what God wanted.
You see ... God positioned them to where He was their only hope, to where if He did not deliver them, they would not be delivered.
Unfortunately of fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, sometimes the only way we can recognize our own inadequacy is for God to position us to where we have no hope but Him.
If we are not careful we could walk through life unaware how helpless we really are and how dependent we really need to be.
I want to let somebody know this morning that ... we might as well accept; if we are going to follow God’s direction, He is going to position us where we have to trust in Him.
In fact ... throughout scripture, we see the same thing over and over again.
- Sadrach, Meshach and Abednigo in the fiery furnace
- Daniel: He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s meat. When everybody bowed down to the golden idol, Daniels say everybody but me. He was will to suffer the consequences of the Lion’s den because of his convictions. in the lion’s den
- David facing Goliath
These are all situations in which God’s deliverance was their only hope.
- In the same way, in your life and mine, God will put us in situations where He is our only hope.
Even as God delivered Israel, we are reminded that God is also our deliverer.
Scripture tells us that each of us, as sinners, were in slavery to sin. We are in a position where God is our only hope.
Our sin separates us from God and we cannot do anything to save ourselves. Just like the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh and the sea, as sinners we are trapped between the penalty of our sin and our own inability to do anything about it.
We can no more save ourselves than Israel could have crossed the sea on its own. But God is a God of direction. He allows us to come to that point of realization to where we see the helplessness of our situation; to where we understand that only He can save us.
On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and through His resurrection, Jesus defeated death, the penalty of sin, and He provided a way for us to be in fellowship with God.
In the same way that the Israelites simply had to follow the dry path God had made through the sea, so we too have but to follow the way God has made for us.
John 14:6,
Jesus says, “I am the Way.” The path to our salvation is Jesus. Following Him, accepting His free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life is the salvation that God has provided for us.
The finished work of Jesus demonstrates for us the same truths that our text today tells us about God’s working in the lives of His people.
As the Exodus was the defining moment in Israel’s history, so the cross, where Jesus (1) paid the price for our sins, and (2) the empty tomb, where He defeated death, (3) becomes the defining event in our salvation. Jesus is our deliverer.
3. He invites us to trust Him – In the same way God told the Israelites that there was nothing they could do but to stand back and see the salvation of the Lord, so there is nothing we can do to bring about our own salvation.
And finally, our second promise of deliverance (v.14)
#2. Allow God to fight your battle
The idea here is vengeance. Salvation is not only offensive, but also defensive.
You see ... when opposition comes, one may retreat to a refuge for safety. It is good to know that God is our refuge and strength ... a very present help in the time trouble.
He is victorious – Folks, though His death on the cross Jesus fought for you and me, He carried our sins on His shoulders and through the resurrection He won the victory.
Isaiah 53:12 says,
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
In John 16:33 Jesus says,
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Conclusion:
This morning ...I want you to know that God is with us. John 1:14 one says, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In fact, one of our Lord’s names, “Emanuel” means, God with us. He will be with you personally if you surrender your life to Him
He continues to give direction.
He says,
- “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
- “And the Spirit and the bride say come, and let the one who hears say, come and let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
This morning, if you’ve never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you’ve never surrendered your life to Him, His direction to you is “Come.” And if you come, He will deliver you.
Jesus says, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
Won’t you follow His direction this morning; won’t you let Jesus be your deliverer?
Benediction
Now unto him that is able
to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless
before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and ever.
Amen.
