Day 34 – Exodus 13-15

Talking Points

• God institutes a feast for the people to remember these great acts of God’s deliverance. It becomes an important part of the practice of those saved by God’s power to pass on to following generations the truths of God and His work.
• A profound account — a donkey was considered unclean and either had to die or be redeemed by the sacrifice of a lamb substitute. There is much symbolism here. God again trains His people to look to the Lamb!
• God leads and directs His people as they move out of Egypt.
• Caught in duress, the Israelites quickly turn back to fear in doubt. It is really a silly cycle (one we still spin in). Then, once again, seeing what God had done, they have a renewed faith. (14:31)
• In a song, God is remembered, and through singing He is worshiped. And, then, the Israelites go from singing His praises to grumbling again in short order.

Thoughts

There is a popular song that says, “Wherever He leads I’ll go.” Most of us would profess that we want to be directed by God. As we read these three chapters, we see some pretty great things for those who desire their paths to be set by Him.

First, we see we can trust God’s wisdom to set the course. Notice, being infinitely wise, God chooses the best route — not the shortest, and for sure, not the easiest! We can trust that the direction He lays out will be the absolute best.

Second, we find that our success is not secured in the plan of God alone, but in our obedience to the plan of God. For Israel, God clearly and graciously marked the course. How could it be any plainer than a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire? The route was obvious. Success, however, only came in exactly following the leading of God. It was His direction, His timing, His pace. Today, God also clearly leads the way through His Word. And just like then, success also comes in our exact obedience to it. It bears saying, partial obedience is not obedience.

Last, we see God’s empowerment and protection in the course He sets. God does not lead them to perish. He does not lead them to be distraught, discouraged, or defeated. No, He leads them to success — in His power and for His glory! (14:4) Notice, when the fleeing exiles end up between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s tremendous army, it wasn’t because they were off course or had somehow walked into a trap. The opposite was true. They were there because God led them there! See that. God led them to a place where they were seemingly out of options. He led them to what appeared to be a disastrous dead end. He brought them to a place where the only out was His acting. And, then, He acted! It wasn’t a logical route. It wasn’t the route that looked promising. It was a route that forced them to look solely to Him, and He did not disappoint — not even close! Today, may we be so blessed to be led by God to places where our logic runs short and His might is on full display. Following Him, He will never disappoint — not even close!