“Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Perhaps the people will change their minds when they see war and will return to Egypt. / Thus God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea.” (Exo. 13:17-18)
We know that God in His economy arranges all circumstances to turn out to the fulfillment of His own desire. And as we look at the world situation these days, we know that He is using even — and especially — the most fallen situations to glorify Himself. Religion defines glory a certain way, and humans define glory a certain way, and yet our God’s definition is something completely different. It is the revealing of Himself to His chosen people, that all may know that He is God. In Exodus 13, God sent the children of Israel not on the logical way, but to a dead end. Earlier in the book, the mighty hand of Jehovah had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt using miracles and signs to testify to the Egyptians and Israelites alike that He is Jehovah. And yet afterward, Jehovah did not lead them out by the fastest or the most convenient route, but instead led them to be “hemmed in,” surrounded on all sides by Egyptian cities and the Red Sea. In this “hemmed in,” weak situation, the Israelites found themselves in an impossible situation. With seemingly no way out and with Pharaoh and his army in close pursuit, they began to murmur:
And they said to Moses, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you done this to us, bringing us out of Egypt? / Is this not the very thing that we spoke to you about in Egypt, saying, Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. (Exo. 14:11-12)
The children of Israel didn’t understand why they had to escape Egypt in such a way and had to go to the wilderness in such a way — so illogical, and so tiring! Their memories were short, and once the urgency of their departing Egypt and their memories of how the Lord miraculously brought them out had passed, they immediately once more desired their comfort. In himself, man is always quick to forget the Lord, especially when his physical life is challenged. Fallen man desires to glorify himself, to usurp the glory from God. Like the children of Israel, when the Lord’s way seems illogical or uncomfortable, we, too ask, “Why does everything have to be so hard? Why can’t we take the easy way out, or the shortcut, or the normal way? Can we just take a moment to have a little rest, a little comfort, an easier life?” At this turning point in Exodus, the Lord made clear to both the Egyptians and to the Israelites that they were delivered by Him and unto Him— and that their complete reliance should be on Him. We are charged to remember whose hand saved us first in Exodus — “Remember this day on which you came out from Egypt…” (13:3) — and again (and again) in Deuteronomy: “Be careful that you do not forget Jehovah, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the slave house” (6:12).
From the perspective of God’s economy, we see that the situation of the children of Israel was perfectly arranged by His hand to save them and to glorify Himself; God always has His governmental view. There are many things in us that hinder our salvation, but He is removing all our options, preferences, and comforts that we may be delivered from our old lives, from our bondage, from the world, and from Satan’s control that we may live sanctified as God’s people unto His purpose. Through each of the Lord’s dealings of our flesh, sin, Egyptian nature, self-love, and rebellion, He is orchestrating a very specific environment through which we can be saved and through which He can be glorified. Just as Pharaoh saw Israel’s roundabout path as an opportunity to attack them, when people in the world look at us, they see us as “hemmed in” with no way out. They can’t find logic or sense in the way we live our life. And yet as God’s people, we should know He indeed is preparing the ultimate way out — glorifying Himself through all of this human impossibility. Chapter 14 says three times that Jehovah would glorify Himself through Pharaoh and through all his army. If God can glorify Himself through the very figurehead of the fallen and sinful world, He surely can glorify Himself through us in every situation! He surely can use our weakness and our “no way out” condition to reveal Himself to us and to be a testimony before the world! We are a stiff-necked people, stubborn and so easy to turn from Him. Yet He does provide for us a way out, and even more, this way is for us to be used to glorify our God Himself!
His hand is not only mighty, but tangible and real to us today as His redeemed people on the earth. All regenerated believers need to be brought out of “Egypt” — the world — spiritually. That’s why He says remember, recall, do not forget, that it was “I, Jehovah, who brought you out.” The exodus wasn’t just a straightforward, physical move out of Egypt and across the Red Sea; there was also the “Egypt” inside of the children of Israel that needed to be dealt with — that needed a mighty hand. Even though the people had been given the food and supply in such a miraculous way, they were still lacking understanding of their departure from the world. Did you ever consider your own salvation experience? Was it easy to be saved? If we recall, we realize that leaving Egypt was not that easy. Even after our initial salvation experience, there were experientially many times we fell back into bondage. We experienced signs and miracles for us to be brought out of our Egypt; a lot of inward working and process had to occur within us in order for us to repent and be saved. These are all by the strength of His hand that sinners like us can be saved out of Satan’s grip, just as it was by the strength of His hand that the children of Israel escaped Pharaoh and crossed the Red Sea.
The Lord’s hand and his works are for glorifying Himself, and are also for constituting His corporate firstborn son. It’s not a light matter, but one of life and death. The children of Israel survived generation to generation by passing down their history and the Lord’s words. The assurance and identity — that they had been delivered and sustained by nothing other than Jehovah — was the inheritance of the children of Israel. Exodus 13:14 says, “And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What is this? you shall say to him, By strength of hand Jehovah brought us out from Egypt.” Their existence was a matter of redemption from death into life, and they were charged to raise their children accordingly — to continually remember how they were saved by His hand. Today, as God’s children, as the church of the firstborn, how much more is the charge to us! Serving is a matter of life and death, knowing that we live by the passing on of the word and are sustained by Him alone. His word, or this relationship with our God, constitutes us — it molds who we are and aligns, regulates, and frames our daily walk and action. It grants us power and purpose and direction. It is the sign on our hands and the frontlets between our eyes (Deut. 6:8). Without this understanding, we will murmur, and eventually not only get lost on the journey, but die in the wilderness. It is not enough that we appreciate His hand. Just as at this critical moment for the Israelites, we must know why we are here today at this junction of the church life in the 21st century. What is our goal on this way out of Egypt? Who will take the Lord’s words as power and strength to live? Who will see that today our spiritual living is truly a matter of life and death? Only when men reach a dead end will they start to hold onto the Lord’s precious words and will they start to put the Lord’s words on their forehead to live.
When we find ourselves hemmed in, let us instead see His hand and His glorification rather than desiring a self-driven, comfortable life. We are unafraid because we know our Father’s hand, that He utilizes every situation and even the fallen world — even our stubborn beings — to glorify Himself. Indeed, Egypt will be destroyed, and the pride of her strength will come down (Ezek. 30:6). The world will be desolate — a wasteland (Ezek. 29:10)! As God’s people today, we see His hand over all the earth and we see the signs of His return! Can we claim that the church is victorious and free from Egypt, from bondage? In the world’s eyes we are seemingly hemmed in, surrounded on all sides, and yet we know that the Lord’s hand is active and moving! Hallelujah, He is the way out! He is the answer! He is glorifying Himself through this dark age! By His mighty and tangible hand, the church is journeying through the wilderness toward the kingdom age — His truthful testimony on the earth today amidst widespread corruption. On that day, His redeemed people will stand as the corporate firstborn son, a testimony against the fallen world and of His mighty and tangible hand that delivered us unto His glory.
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 12/26/2021, not reviewed by the speaker.)