True faith depends on what God says, not on what we see or how we feel. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that’s superstition—but obeying in spite of consequence.”  -Warren Wiersbe

Apart from Israel’s exodus being an interesting historical event, God has recorded Exodus for our benefit. Warren Wiersbe makes some great observations about Israel’s exodus experience in his book Be Delivered. He writes, “Israel’s exodus experience taught them that their future success lay in fulfilling three important responsibilities: following the Lord (Ex. 13:17-22), trusting the Lord (14:1-31), and praising the Lord (15:12-21).”

Following the Lord (13:17-22)

The exodus from Egypt was just the beginning of Israel’s experience with God.

It took one night to take Israel out of Egypt, but forty years to take Egypt out of Israel.” – George Morrison

This truth also applies to the redemption we have in Jesus Christ. God delivers us from the bondage of sin and spiritual death instantaneously through salvation. But it takes a life time to grow in our Christian walk as God brings us into eternal blessing.

Weirsbe writes: “A.W. Tozer used to remind us that ‘we are saved to as well as saved from.’ The person who trusts Jesus is born again into the family of God, but that’s just the beginning of an exciting adventure that should lead to growth and conquest. God liberates us and then leads us through the varied experiences of life, a day at a time, so that we might get to know Him better and claim by faith all that He wants us to have. At the same time, we come to know ourselves better; we discover our strengths and weaknesses, and we grow in understanding God’s will and trusting His promises.”

If Israel obeyed God, He would give them their inheritance by bringing them into the promised land (Deut. 4:37-38). Unfortunately, that would take the Israelites 40 years of wilderness wandering.

Trusting the Lord (14:1-31)

As the Israelites learned, sometimes God leads us on paths that don’t always make sense.

Wiersbe writes: “As long as the Israelites kept their eyes on the fiery pillar and followed the Lord, they were walking by faith and no enemy could touch them. But when they took their eyes off the Lord and looked back and saw the Egyptians getting nearer, they became frightened and began to complain.”

This seems to be Israel’s default button during their journey from Egypt to Canaan. But before criticizing them too much, maybe I should ask: “At what point does my default setting change from trust and contentment to unbelief and complaining?”

God wants us to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Like Peter walking on the water to Jesus (Matt. 14:30), I find that I rise above fear and doubt when my gaze is locked on Christ. But, like Peter, when my attention is focused on stormy circumstances, I sink in fear. And like the Jews who were sure they were going to die in the desert, I easily forget God’s promises when I don’t consistently read His directional guide, the Bible.

So what are we to learn from the Israelites’ example? Wiersbe writes, “Simply this: Life is a constant test of one’s faith in the Lord. As a child of God, every perilous situation I find myself in is no accident. It is the Lord’s way of asking us a very important question: ‘Will you trust Me?’ He asks, ‘Will you trust Me to deliver you from this perilous situation? . . . . And if I choose not to deliver you in the way that you desire, for reasons of My own, will you trust Me to provide you with the strength to endure, believing that: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness?’” (2 Cor. 12:9).

We may not have God’s visible presence now, but we can trust His Word to direct our ways and get to know Him better through prayer. Through life’s storms we can anchor our trust in the mighty God who not only hears our cries, but also powerfully commands the impossible.

Praising the Lord (15:12-21)

With their freedom secured and their enemies drowned, the Israelites burst into a praise song led by Moses and Miriam. . . . But I best stop here and pick up on their praise and worship next week. . . . Blessings!