Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114:1-8, Exodus 15:1-11, Exodus 15:20-21, Genesis 50:15-21, Psalm 103:1-13, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35
A). A PATH THROUGH THE SEA.
Exodus 14:19-31.
EXODUS 14:19a. The “Angel of God” removed Himself from ‘going before’ the people and “went behind them.” We see here, and in other places where the Angel is mentioned, that the Angel is a distinct divine personality, and yet is at one with the LORD. The ultimate manifestation of the Angel is Jesus. This is all part of the mystery of the Trinity – but that is not our subject today.
EXODUS 14:19b. In effect, the removal of the Angel is explained in the following clause: “the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.” This is elucidated in the following verse:
EXODUS 14:20. Basically, the pillar ensured that there could be no battle that night.
EXODUS 14:21. God uses means. He is about to do a great work, but in His gracious condescension He chooses to use Moses as an instrument for His purposes. It was not until Moses obediently (cf. Exodus 14:16) “stretched out his hand over the sea” that “the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night.” The physical source of that wind is not the point: it is rather that we should see that the LORD is in control of all these things. It is the LORD who caused the wind; it is the LORD who “made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
EXODUS 14:22. The children of Israel, seeing the way ahead and dreading the alternative, at last ‘moved forward’ (cf. Exodus 14:15) into the “midst of the sea.” They were walking on “dry ground!” And they were substantially walled-in by the parted sea on each side.
EXODUS 14:23. The Egyptians hastened in in pursuit of the Israelites. The whole army blundered ahead to their own doom.
EXODUS 14:24. It was the darkest hour before dawn, a strategic time for an attack – but even as night turned to day, the LORD was watching out on behalf of Israel “through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, AND TROUBLED THE HOST OF THE EGYPTIANS.”
EXODUS 14:25. Where the Israelites had walked through on dry ground, the chariot wheels now “drove heavily,” and could make little headway in what was now a sea of mud. The consequence was that the Egyptians decided to try to turn back: “Let us flee from the face of Israel,” they decided. And with good reason: “FOR THE LORD FIGHTETH FOR THEM AGAINST THE EGYPTIANS.” It is a hard thing to fight against the LORD!
EXODUS 14:26. Now it was time for Moses to stretch out his hand once more: this time for the further discomfiture and demise of Israel’s foes:
EXODUS 14:27. Another small act of obedience, resulting in God’s mighty “overthrow” of the Egyptians “in the midst of the sea.”
EXODUS 14:28. The result was so complete, that the whole army, and all its equipment, was lost in the sea! Indeed, this is cause for wonder (cf. Exodus 15:19) and praise (cf. Exodus 15:21).
EXODUS 14:29. This verse is added to reiterate the contrast: what happened first was that the Israelites walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea, with the sea itself forming defensive walls (against the sea!) on either side of them.
EXODUS 14:30. This was a complete victory for the LORD, who thus “saved Israel.” And, by way of confirmation of the fact, “Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.” Israel knew at last that their past could no longer catch up with them.
EXODUS 14:31. The LORD’s great triumph formed the basis for confidence and faith: “the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD." And the LORD’s promise to be with Moses (cf. Exodus 3:12) was evidenced before them!
Our confidence in the LORD rests in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, who vanquished sin on our behalf, and has overcome the enemy of our souls. This too is cause for wonder and praise.
B). WHEN ISRAEL WENT OUT OF EGYPT.
Psalm 114:1-8.
The exuberance of this Psalm is immediately evident. It is a recollection of Israel’s redemption story, beginning from when the descendants of Jacob made their exodus from Egypt. It is the prelude to the founding of what Stephen, the first Christian martyr, would later name ‘the church in the wilderness’ (cf. Acts 7:38). But most of all, although He is not named, it is a celebration of “the God of Jacob” (Psalm 114:7) who delivered them.
PSALM 114:1. When “the house of Jacob” first went down into Egypt, they were a single family of about 75 persons. Jacob’s son Joseph was Prime Minister in Egypt, and there the Pharoah welcomed Joseph’s father and brethren. But a later Pharoah of Egypt felt threatened by this growing family, and enslaved them.
One of the enduring miracles of God in relation to Israel is that He has enabled them to keep their identity. For varying reasons down through history they have been ‘strangers and pilgrims in the earth’ (cf. Hebrews 11:13). [Much as Christians surely should also be (cf. 1 Peter 2:11).]
It is a hard thing for a civilised people to live amongst – and even be in bondage to – a people of a barbarous tongue. Yet God heard the cry of His ancient people, and reached down to deliver them. Even as He has done also for His new covenant people in sending Jesus to die for our salvation.
PSALM 114:2. In this verse “Judah” and “Israel” are NOT being viewed as the divided kingdom which they would later become, but as the united entity which they already were. They were one people in God, being viewed as both His sanctuary (holy people, set apart unto Him) and as His dominion (where He had His rule.) When Israel came out of Egypt, the LORD (if I may so name Him here) ere long set up His tabernacle, to be in the midst of them, and to go before them.
Just so, Jesus promises the people whom He draws out of the Egypt of sin and death to be His people: ‘Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world’ (cf. Matthew 28:20).
PSALM 114:3. The poet encapsulates the forty years of wilderness wanderings in these two remarkable miracles viewed at either end of the journey: the parting of the Red Sea, and the flowing backwards of the River Jordan. (Only Joshua and Caleb were adult witnesses to both.) The sea “saw” what God had done, and before the presence of this God had to flee from its courses; the river was “driven back” by the LORD at the head of His people.
PSALM 114:4. This moving of mountains took place when the LORD descended upon Mount Sinai (cf. Exodus 19:16; Deuteronomy 4:11-12; Hebrews 12:18-19). This is not just seismic and weather phenomena, but something far more momentous.
The irony of the figure lies in the fact that the mountains and hills, which seem to be so durable, are at last seen to be behaving with the timidity of sheep. The likes of this may never be seen again until the consummation of all things, when ‘the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed’ at the coming of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 54:10).
There is such a thing as mountain-moving faith for those who have faith in God (cf. Mark 11:23).
PSALM 114:5-6. “What (or indeed, Who) ailed thee?” This is a taunt: first to the sea and Jordan; and then to the mountains and hills. ‘What is up with you that you behaved so?’ Why is it?
In like manner the Christian church taunts death in light of the resurrection (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:55-56).
PSALM 114:7. The answer at last comes: it is “the Lord” - not here named as ‘YHWH,’ but addressed as “Adonai,” Sovereign. The mocking tone remains: “Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.”
This “trembling” is as the birth-pangs of Israel, when ‘a nation was born in a day’ (cf. Isaiah 66:8).
PSALM 114:8. At Sinai, the hard “rock” was turned into “a standing water,” and the soft “flint” into “a fountain of waters.”
Likewise the Lord ministers to the hard heart, turning the heart of stone into a heart of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26), and does not despise ‘the broken and contrite heart’ (cf. Psalm 51:17).
What a demonstration of the power of God!
C). THE SONG OF MOSES AND MIRIAM.
Exodus 15:1-11, Exodus 15:20-21.
EXODUS 15:1. The song of Moses and the congregation begins with the acclamation that “the LORD hath triumphed gloriously.” It is a celebration of the children of Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea, and the LORD’s victory over the oppressors of His people (cf. Exodus 14:29-30). “The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea” indicates the thoroughness of their defeat.
EXODUS 15:2. “The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation” is echoed in Psalm 118:14 and Isaiah 12:2, reminding successive generations of their reliance upon the LORD in all the changes and challenges of life. “He is my God” is an affirmation of faith.
“I will prepare Him a habitation” speaks of honouring Him for His victory (not that we can add anything to God, but we hold Him in high esteem on account of the triumph that He has wrought through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.)
He is not only “my God,” says Moses, but “my father’s God” (cf. Exodus 3:6). Moses’ father was Amran, his mother Jochebed (cf. Exodus 6:20). Moses’ parents are both mentioned in the roll-call of the heroes of the faith (cf. Hebrews 11:23). They recognised the potential in their infant son Moses, and were not afraid to defy mighty Pharaoh’s command (cf. Exodus 2:2-3).
EXODUS 15:3. “The LORD is a man of war.” The LORD not only delivers His people, but also destroys their foes. I find this reassuring in the midst of the SPIRITUAL battles which all His people must necessarily face.
“The LORD is His name.” The LORD (Hebrew, ‘YHWH’) had introduced Himself to Moses by this name (cf. Exodus 3:13-15). ‘I AM THAT I AM,’ He told him. Tell them, ‘I AM’ hath sent you. This speaks of God as the self-existent One, who always has been, is now, and ever will be. ‘This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations’ Hereafter our English translations render the name YHWH, translated above as ‘I AM,’ as ‘the LORD’ in capital letters.
EXODUS 15:4. “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea.” This is an elucidation of the last clause of Exodus 15:1, where we read ‘the horse and his rider hath He thrown in the sea.’ Whose horse and whose rider? “Pharaoh’s!”
Pharaoh’s “chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.” There is an authenticity in this report in that the word translated “chosen captains” or ‘officers’ appears to be identical to the Egyptian word for the commander of a corps.
EXODUS 15:5. “The depths have covered them; they sank into the bottom like a stone.” Again, the thoroughness of the LORD’s victory.
EXODUS 15:6. “Thy right hand, O LORD” indicates that the victory belongs to the LORD, and to Him alone. His right hand is seen to be “glorious in power” because His right hand “hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”
EXODUS 15:7. “And in the greatness of thine excellency.” The ultimate manifestation of the greatness of God is Jesus. Jesus has ‘a more excellent name’ than the angels (cf. Hebrews 1:4), and a ‘more excellent ministry’ than any other high priest (cf. Hebrews 8:6).
“Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee.” Those who rose up against God’s people are here described as those who rose up against God. It is a fearsome thing to fall into the hands of an angry God: “Thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.” (Cf. Matthew 3:12).
EXODUS 15:8. “The blast of His nostrils” was earlier called ‘a strong east wind’ (cf. Exodus 14:21). The miracle is that the waters stood up on end, like a mighty wall on either side of the Israelites as they passed through, and did not fall down upon them.
EXODUS 15:9. Meantime the enemy (Pharaoh) made his fatal plan: “I will “pursue,” “overtake,” “divide the spoil,” “satisfy my lust” upon Israel, “draw my sword,” and “destroy” them.
EXODUS 15:10. The LORD’s reply was as swift as it was thorough. “Thou didst BLOW with thy wind, the sea COVERED them: they SANK as lead in the mighty waters.”
EXODUS 15:11. “Who is like thee, O LORD, among the (so-called) gods?”
1. “Glorious in holiness.” His total otherness; His moral purity.
2. “Fearful in praises.” Reverenced in the praises of His redeemed people.
3. “Doing (supernatural) wonders.”
EXODUS 15:21-22. No wonder Miriam and the women continued to praise the LORD with their timbrels and dances!
D). ALL THINGS FOR GOOD.
Genesis 50:15-21.
Young Joseph made the mistake of sharing his dreams with his brothers, and ended up in a pit, then sold into slavery, then falsely accused, and thrown into prison, then forgotten by someone for whom he had done a favour. Yet God did not make a full end there: Joseph was remembered, released, and promoted.
Joseph, in all this, is very much a ‘type’ of Jesus. Joseph was the firstborn of Rachel (cf. Genesis 30:22-24). Jesus was the firstborn of Mary (cf. Matthew 1:25).
Joseph was his father’s favourite (Genesis 37:3). Jesus is God’s ‘beloved Son’ in whom He is ‘well pleased’ (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 12:18).
Joseph dreamt that he should be a ruler (Genesis 37:5-11). The prophets foresaw Jesus as a ruler (cf. Micah 5:2) and spoke of Him receiving ‘a kingdom which shall not be destroyed’ (cf. Daniel 7:13-14).
Joseph’s brothers would not believe Joseph’s dreams (cf. Genesis 37:5). Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him (cf. John 7:3-5).
Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers (cf. Genesis 37:13). Jesus was sent by His Father to Israel (cf. Mark 12:6-7).
Joseph was stripped of his coat, and it was dipped in blood (cf. Genesis 37:23; Genesis 37:31). Jesus had His coat taken from Him at His crucifixion (John 19:23), and when He appears in the Apocalypse, He is clothed in ‘a vesture dipped in blood’ (cf. Revelation 19:13).
Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, the going price of a slave (Genesis 37:28). Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, the going price of a slave (cf. Matthew 26:15).
Joseph was falsely accused (cf. Genesis 39:11-20). Jesus was falsely accused (cf. Matthew 26:59-61).
God was with Joseph (cf. Acts 7:9), and the Spirit of God indwelt him (cf. Genesis 41:38). God was with Jesus (Acts 10:38), and He was full of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:34).
Pharaoh raised Joseph to be ruler over his whole kingdom, and all knees bowed to Joseph (cf. Genesis 41:40-44). Jesus is raised up and exalted to the right hand of God, and every knee shall bow to Him (cf. Philippians 2:9-11).
Pharaoh sent the starving Egyptians to Joseph, as the only source of bread (cf. Genesis 41:55-57). God sends us to Jesus for eternal life (cf. 1 John 5:11-12).
Joseph graciously offered forgiveness to his brothers, announcing that God had a purpose in it all (cf. Genesis 45:5-8). Jesus prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (cf. Luke 23:34).
Joseph’s brothers were welcomed by Pharaoh because of Joseph (cf. Genesis 45:16-20). We are welcomed into the presence of God not in our own righteousness, but because of Jesus, His righteousness (cf. Ephesians 2:8).
There are many other ways in which we can compare the life of Joseph with the life of Jesus and find a match. In both their lives there is the overarching Providence of God overcoming the things that seemed to be against them and turning them for good.
In today’s passage (GENESIS 50:15-21), we see first of all the brothers’ sense of awakened guilt, which left them doubting, and wondering whether they were truly forgiven (Genesis 50:15-18). This is how we might react, sometimes, when we catch a sense of the great weight of sin that we left at the foot of the Cross when we first believed. Why should we doubt when Christ has proved faithful? If we have truly relinquished our sins, then there we must leave them!
When they pressed him upon the matter Joseph, for his part, reassured them: “Am I in the place of God?” (Genesis 50:19). What THEY had meant for evil, God had meant for good. Not only for Joseph, but “to keep many people alive” (Genesis 50:20). Yes, of course he would provide for them (Genesis 50:21)!
In all things God works for good, for the good of His people (cf. Romans 8:28). And, incidentally, not only for them, but for others also. There is an overflow of blessings which sifts through God’s Christian people to the world.
E). AN ORATORIO OF STEADFAST LOVE.
Psalm 103:1-13; Psalm 103:22.
The book of Psalms begins with the consideration of the truly blessed man (Psalm 1:1), and ends with a crescendo of praise in which all that breathes is exhorted to praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6). En route there are highs and lows, victories and failures, but the whole is a contemplation of the corporate and individual life of devotion to the LORD. Psalm 103 is a microcosm of the entire book, beginning with a lone voice giving out the line (Psalm 103:1) - not so much to the congregation as to himself - and building up to a call to the whole of creation to bless the LORD with him (Psalm 103:22).
Sometimes we are sluggish about praising God, so we have to stir ourselves up, searching within ourselves whether there might be anything hindering us from the right worship of the LORD. Having awoken our “soul” to the task, we must delve deeper still - into our innermost being - to rally “all that is within me” to join the project. The LORD is holy, and each of us must exhort our own soul to bless His name (Psalm 103:1).
When we bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we add nothing to Him: it is only our response to the blessing in which we have received our all from Him (Ephesians 1:3). By way of incentive the Psalmist reminds himself of God’s bounteous and undeserved benefits (Psalm 103:2). The negative “forget not” is an echo of Deuteronomy 6:12 and Deuteronomy 8:11.
As the Psalmist ‘counts his blessings’ he names:
1. forgiveness and healing (Psalm 103:3) -
These two belong together (Mark 2:9-11). Not that every illness can be simply accounted for by blaming the sufferer’s own sins (John 9:1-3): but there was no sickness in the world prior to Adam’s first sin. The same Jesus who died for our sins, also heals our diseases (Isaiah 53:5).
There is nothing unrighteous about our forgiveness because Jesus our substitute took our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty due to us. Forensically, we are declared righteous, and the LORD does not reward us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:9-10). The measure of our forgiveness is as infinite as the distance from the east to the west (Psalm 103:12).
2. redemption, steadfast love and mercy (Psalm 103:4) -
Israel was redeemed out of captivity in Egypt. David (the Psalmist) was redeemed from the pit of destruction (2 Samuel 12:13). Christians are aware that their redemption is provided by our kinsman-redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24).
Psalm 103 celebrates the steadfast love of the LORD, His covenant mercy and faithfulness. Psalm 103:8 echoes Moses’ encounter with the LORD (Exodus 34:6). God’s mercy is as immense as the height of the heavens above the earth (Psalm 103:11).
3. satisfaction and renewal (Psalm 103:5) -
The LORD satisfies us with all the good things of this life, and the blessing of spiritual food out of the Word of God. He renews our vigour for the service of God (Isaiah 40:30-31). The LORD nurtures us, and cherishes us, and pities us “as a loving father” (Psalm 103:13).
Having established the benefits which helped fuel his own praise of God, the Psalmist looked beyond himself to the wider faith community. Another key word in this Psalm is “righteousness” - and the LORD showed His righteousness by executing justice for the oppressed when He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership (Psalm 103:6-7). So the lone singer summons the whole congregation to join his song of praise.
F). BROTHERS TOGETHER.
Romans 14:1-12.
This passage has much to say about receiving one another in the Lord. Paul defines “the weak in the faith” (Romans 14:1) as those who have scruples about what they eat (Romans 14:2). Do not “despise” them, warns Paul; but he also warns the weak not to “judge” the strong “for” (he says of both) “God has received him” (Romans 14:3).
Another reason not to reject somebody whom God has received is because that is to set oneself up as a judge over “another man’s servant.” “To his own master he stands or falls.” And, indeed, he will be upheld, “for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4).
In a second point of contention, “One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day (alike)” (Romans 14:5a). These are really “doubtful disputations” (Romans 14:1), and should not cause us to judge or despise one another. Only, says Paul, “Let everyone be fully persuaded in their own mind” (Romans 14:5b).
Here is the key: Whatever you do, do it “unto the Lord;” and whatever you eat, give thanks to God (Romans 14:6). “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself (alone). For while we live, we live unto the Lord; and when we die, we die unto the Lord: so whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7-8). This is why Christ “died and rose and lived again: that He might rule over the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9).
“Why do you judge your brother?” Paul asks the weak; and “why do you set at nought your brother?” he asks the strong, “for we shall all stand at the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10). In the context, this “all” is referring to Christians, whether “weak” or strong: all of whom “God has enabled to stand” (Romans 14:4). These are those who are ‘born again of the Spirit of God’ (cf. John 3:5), all of whom have ‘passed from death unto life’ (cf. John 5:24), each a ‘new creature’ in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Greek “bema” - translated “judgment seat” in Romans 14:10 (and Matthew 27:19) - refers to a raised dais, a tribunal (cf. Acts 12:21) or throne. However, the judgment being exercised on this throne of Christ is not a judgment of final destiny as in John 5:28-29, but a judgment of reward (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:10-13; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Peter 4:17-19; 1 John 2:28). If we are believers, we already have ‘everlasting life’ (cf. John 5:24) because the condemnation which we deserved has already fallen upon Jesus at the Cross of Calvary (cf. Romans 8:1).
In Romans 14:11 the Apostle offers a free translation of Isaiah 45:23. That which is applied to God there is clearly applied to Jesus Himself in Philippians 2:9-11. Jesus is God the Son (cf. Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13).
Again, in completing today’s passage, we are reminded that “Every one of us shall give account of himself (not his brother) to God” (Romans 14:12; cf. Galatians 6:4). ‘He that judges me is the Lord’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:4-5). So, ‘Judge not that you (all) be not judged’ (Matthew 7:1).
G). A CALL TO UNLIMITED FORGIVENESS.
Matthew 18:21-35.
Peter’s question, “How many times shall I forgive my brother?” (MATTHEW 18:21) arises out of the context of church discipline (cf. Matthew 18:15-20).
Perhaps the original grievance was resolved, between one brother and another. The brother was ‘regained’ (cf. Matthew 18:15): but what if he offends again?
How many times, then, shall I forgive him? The rabbis recommended three times. Peter’s magnanimity stretched to seven times.
So it must have come as a surprise when Jesus replied, “seventy times seven” (MATTHEW 18:22). In other words, unto infinity!
# Christian forgiveness thus stands in stark contrast to the spirit of primitive man, who presumptuously demanded unlimited vengeance (cf. Genesis 4:24).
Jesus illustrated this with a powerful parable (MATTHEW 18:23-35).
MATTHEW 18:24. A servant owed his king an unimaginable amount of money - perhaps equivalent to the gross national product of a small state.
MATTHEW 18:25. Needless to say, the man could not pay. So the servant was subjected to the extremes of the law of the time: he would be sold, along with his wife and children.
MATTHEW 18:26. The servant accepted the justice of this, but pleaded for patience.
MATTHEW 18:27. The lord’s compassion went one step further, and granted undeserved forgiveness.
MATTHEW 18:28-30. Yet the forgiven debtor laid hands on a fellow-servant who owed him a comparatively small amount, and sought to exact the debt by violence and cruelty.
MATTHEW 18:31. The other servants rightly reported the matter to their lord, and the cruel offender was brought to account.
MATTHEW 18:32-35. There is nothing that so grieves the Holy Spirit as an unforgiving spirit amongst Christians (cf. Ephesians 4:30-32).
I bring torment upon myself if I have an unforgiving heart. I am not hurting the brother, but myself. Heaven’s door is shut upon my bitterness, until I repent.
I reap blessing for myself if I nurture the determination to forgive the repentant brother. How many times has God forgiven me? Then I must forgive the other to the uttermost.
We pray, ‘forgive us… as we forgive others’ (cf. Matthew 6:12). If I am unforgiving towards others, then these very words disqualify me from forgiveness.
There is perhaps no greater evidence of my having received God’s forgiveness than my own forgiving attitude towards others (cf. Matthew 6:14-15).
