InterVarsity Large Group: Hebrews 13:17-14:31

We have been given the task of considering the thirty-seven verses from Exodus 13:17 through 14:31. The events that are described in this passage happen for two reasons. First, it happens for those who experienced it firsthand. Secondly, it happened for the benefit of all of God’s people who would come after them. In other words, this story is repeated throughout the Scriptures. Sometimes as a warning and sometimes for the encouragement of our faith.

If I asked you to summarize this story in a sentence what would you say? I might summarize these verses by saying, ‘Israel fled for their lives in fear from Pharaoh’s and his massive army because they intended to do them great harm, but God defeated their enemies and saved His people.’

Do you think this is a good summary? Let’s compare my summary with the one given by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 11:29, “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.”

After comparing these two summaries I think my summary was wrong. Hebrews speaks of their faith and places this summary in Hebrews 11 the Hall of Fame of Faith! Does this surprise you? It is easy to overlook faith in this story because it does not show up until the very last verse in our text (Ex. 14:31).

Our text begins with these words in Exodus 13:17, “Pharaoh let the people go…” These words ought to be an occasion of a great celebration for God’s people. The objective and the goal has been achieved and God’s people have been given permission to leave Egypt by Pharaoh himself!

• So why isn’t this story over?

• Why don’t God’s people ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after?  

It is not over because there is someone greater than Pharaoh calling the shots, implementing the plan, writing this story, and accomplishing His will- the LORD. The LORD wants His people to have faith so that they enter into the Promised Land and more importantly so they will enter into the future rest that has been promised (Hebrews 3&4).

The words, “Pharaoh let the people go”, seem like a profound understatement. For example, before the tenth plague Moses told Pharaoh that the Egyptians would come and bow down before him and cry out, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ (Exodus 11:8) Can you hear the panic, the alarm, the dread, the terror in their voices? We read in Exodus 12:33, “The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead.’”   Therefore, they cry out, “Get out, get out, get out!”

The door for God’s people to leave Egypt was now open. This is why it is so shocking that this is not the path that Israel took. Instead the LORD, who has commanded them to leave in haste, will take them on a detour! We read these words in Exodus 13:17, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near.”

What possible reason could there be for the LORD to do this?

The reason is given in Exodus 13:17b, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’”

God’s people were fearful and had not learned to walk by faith. God, knows the hearts of His people and there is a problem. They are weak in faith, full of fear, and they are double-minded. We do not always take our faith seriously but God does. Therefore, He is going to lead His people in a different way which will expose their hearts and give them an opportunity to respond in faith.

The LORD knows that when they encounter the Philistines they will turn back to Egypt. Let me ask you a question. “Are the Philistines as big and as strong as the Egyptians?” No, the Philistine army was small, weak and insignificant, but without faith God’s people would flee from before the lesser nation and return to the greater nation to be enslaved.

If the LORD would have asked His people, “Will you flee from before the Philistines and return to Egypt?” they would have said, “There is absolutely no way we would do that!” There are three reasons that Israel believed that they would fight the Philistines with courage.

• First, Israel has just plundered Egypt. We read in Exodus 12:35-36, “The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”

• Second, Even though they had all of this plunder it is their weapons that is emphasized as they are leaving Egypt. In Exodus 13:18 we read these words, “And the people of Israel went out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.”

• Third, In Exodus 14:8 we read these words, “...the people of Israel were going out defiantly”. Israel is confident, bold and insubordinate. Therefore, Pharaoh comes after God’s people and is prepared for a fight. In Exodus 14:19 we read, “The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army…”.   

The Israelite’s are confident but the LORD knows that only a few of them truly have faith. Therefore, if they face trials, wars, or adversities His people do not have the faith to be courageous, confident, thankful, and hopeful.

Because of this the LORD sends them in a different direction. We read in Exodus 13:18-22, “But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

Then we read in Exodus 14:1-4 these words, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.”

When God’s people encounter the Egyptians, if they have faith they will trust the LORD. If, however, their faith is weak they will fear, doubt, question God and Moses. This is what they do until Ex. 14:30-31.

In Exodus 14:5 we read, “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, ‘What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?’”

When Israel looked up and saw Pharaoh’s army they were fearful (14:10-12). They said, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘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.” (14:11-12) God’s people were ready to surrendered to Pharaoh immediately! Without faith their defiant spirit immediately evaporated, their plunder could not ransom them, and their weapons no longer gave them any comfort.

How will they get out of this situation?

In this dreadful moment Moses was used by God to turn things around. God had Moses speak to the people. He only spoke a few words but they were God-centered, God- exalting, God-glorifying. His words were not man-centered, but full of Good News about what God would do. These words immediately gave God’s people faith.

Moses says to them, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (14:13-14)

These words changed everything that day. When Moses spoke these words the LORD was with His people in the Pillar but it was these words that created faith in God’s people! (13:21-22) Oh, that we would not despise or think so little of the Word of God.

Isn’t it encouraging to see that things can change so quickly when the Gospel is preached and believed. As fast as God had hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He now gives faith to His people through the Word of God. (Dt. 34:9-12) Oh, that we would not harden our hearts if we hear His voice in His Word today.

We ought to thank God for faithful men like Moses who will speak the truth and encourage and strengthen our faith. God used Moses as a preacher to do a miracle in the hearts of the people. Defeat was imminent but now there will be victory because Moses spoke words that produced faith in God’s people.

Moses spoke and all the people obeyed the Word of the LORD. “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.” (11:29)

Exodus 14:30-31 ends with these words, “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so that the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.”

This is a wonderful moment when God's people displayed faith, however, often they did not. They crossed the Red Sea but not the Jordon River. They left Egypt but did not go into the Promised Land. They rested from their labors in Egypt but they did not all enter into the promised eternal rest. Let us have a faith that endures, that grows, that is characteristic of our life. Let us enter into our eternal rest and not fall short of it.

Questions to Consider Together

I had mentioned, “The LORD knows that when His people encountered the Philistines they would turn back to Egypt. I asked the question, “Are the Philistines as big and as strong as the Egyptians?” No, the Philistine army was small, weak and insignificant, but without faith God’s people would flee from before the lesser nation and return to the greater nation to be enslaved. Therefore, how do we do this in our day? What trials, temptations, difficult providences reveal that our faith is weak as we turn away from God and go back to the world?

What is the source of your confidence and boasting? Is it Christ or other things? If the LORD had asked His people, “Will you flee from before the Philistines and return to Egypt?” they would have said, “There is absolutely no way we would do that!” I gave you three reasons for this and none pertained to faith. What is your hope, trust, confidence, boldness and courage grounded in?

I said, “If God’s people have faith when God’s people encounter the Egyptians they will trust the LORD. If, however, their faith is weak they will fear, doubt, question God and Moses.” Now look at your life and diagnose how you are reacting to trials and circumstances. Is your faith strong or weak? Has your faith shifted from Jesus to something else?

What do you need to do when our faith is weak or has shifted away from Jesus? What did Moses do in that moment when the people lacked faith? What can we do for others when we see that their faith has shifted away from Jesus and His Word? (Hint: Hebrews 3:12-14, 13:7)

In Hebrews 5:11-12 we see that these Christians should be teachers of the Word of God but they still needed someone to come and teach them again the basic principles of the Word of God. There was not many like Moses in that congregation to speak to them. How important is it that you grow in the Word of God and begin to teach others? How will you hold yourself accountable to do this for your own good and the good of others?