When Sight Becomes Faith (Exodus 13:17-14:31) Series

Maybe, you'd think the Israelites have already seen God's strong hand in the plagues. And they should've. But this is the first time, I think, that Exodus actually says "they see." When God wipes out the superpower, and the symbol of its strength-- its chariots-- here, the people truly see what God can do (the modern equivalent would be aircraft carriers). This is the first time they have eyes of faith.

So the people see. And they also "fear." Only here, instead of fearing the Egyptians, they fear-- or "revere"-- Yahweh.

This is the moment, when the people finally, truly, place their trust in Yahweh, and in his servant Moses. This is the moment when sight becomes faith.

And now that the Israelites have seen, and revered, they are ready for service. Their limitations are gone; they can do fully do the job God gave them. They are going to kill some nephilim kings (Og and Sihon). They are going to go, wherever God wants. There are no limits.

--------------------------------------------------------------

What we see in this passage, is what God wants for us. God wants to use us to do great things. God has works, that He's prepared ahead of time for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). But these works, are a possibility, not an inevitability. There's nothing fatalistic, or deterministic, about any of this. The day will probably come when we are lying there in a casket, and we maybe checked off half of the list God had for us.

And if that happens, I assume it's because one of two things is true. Either, we got entangled with sin, and that kept us from serving God effectively. Or, we never grew into the works God has for us. We never "saw" God's hand for what it actually is. We never saw these stories, and claimed them for ourselves. We never learned from what we saw God doing miraculously all around us. Sight never became faith.

Let me encourage you this morning, to change how you look at yourself in the mirror. You are not a finished product. You can grow. You can overcome your limitations. You can become someone, that God can take on a higher road. Ask God to give you faith (Mark 9:23-24). Ask God to help you believe you are, what God says you are in Christ. Claim the promises. Accept the responsibility. Ask God to partner with you, as you go into the world (Acts 4:28-30). And then, go.

Translation:

(17) and then, when Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them on the road toward the land of the Philistines

although near, it [was],

because God said,

"Lest the people repent[/change their minds/actions] when they see war,"

and they return to Egypt,"

(18) and God led the people around on the road of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds,

and, being armed for battle, the sons of Israel went up from the land of Egypt,

(19) and Moses took the bones of Joseph with him

because he had surely made the sons of Israel swear [to him], saying,

God shall surely help/visit you,

and bring up my bones from here with you,"