Author: Randall Smith

Based on a true story, The story, screen play and eventually the movie called “The Fifth Quarter” unfolds an emotional tale of one family’s journey through unimaginable grief. In February, 2006, a young man named Luke accepted a ride home from a fellow student following his high-school team practice. Driving recklessly over the intense objections of his friends, the teen driver lost control of the car at nearly 90 miles-per-hour, hurling off a tiny back road and landing in an embankment far below. Luke suffered instant and irreparable brain damage, and died two days later in the local hospital – just shy of his sixteenth birthday. His broken family struggled with facing their loss. Luke’s brother, Jon was a football player at Wake Forest University and considered quitting his sports career. Instead, he returned home and worked with a personal trainer to ramp up his performance on the field, just as his brother would have wanted. His newfound dedication not only affected his abilities, but encouraged his team, as well. Jon gained approval from his coach to trade his jersey for number five, the one his brother wore. In the 4th quarter of each game, he signaled the number five with an outstretched hand to his family in the stands. Soon the entire team embraces the signal and “the 5th quarter” is born. Wake Forest University went on to one of their best seasons ever. It is an inspirational tale.

That’s the kind of story I love to watch – a “feel good” fest. I don’t want the story where pain lingers and good is hard to find. Like most Americans, I want resolution in one and a half hours or less – or the movie wasn’t worth the film it was made on. I want happiness to come from sorrow. I can deal with the “grave scene” if the end is about the beautiful flowers that grow on it. I am structured for comfort and convenience. That is one of the reasons I have learned through my culture an un-Biblical way of judging experiences and challenges.

For the believer, his life is about the journey from the world to the land of Promise that awaits him at life’s end. The journey has some cool evenings and comfortable days, but also a significant number of painfully hot times of testing and trouble. Many believers get the notion that if God is in it, things will be easy. Conversely, if things are tough, God is either negligent or has left the scene. It never occurs to us that our comfort is not God’s main concern – our growth is!

Key Principle: We cannot judge God’s blessing by our comfort.

For some context to this lesson in their lives, we need to recall that this is a FIFTH LESSON in a series that God was teaching Moses and the people, as God formed a nation from a rabble. The first four were:

• The Obedience Test (15:22-27): They were brought to bitter water when they needed to drink. This was a test in “doing what was hard to understand, while trusting the results to God. Obedience is more important than obstacles. God gives us what we NEED, not what we WANT.

• The Goal Test: (16:1-3; 8-12): They were tested on the real problem they had in their complaints. They lived with their “eye on Canaan, but heart in Egypt. The children of Israel thought their number one issue was Moses’ leadership, but they had no self-awareness of the bigger obstacle – their departure from God. God wants our hearts tuned to following Him – and our complaints will evaporate.

• The Consistency Test (16:4) They were given instructions concerning the manna collection. The daily GRIND of serving another’s goal goes against our nature. Those who master this are remembered as great by God. God doesn’t take care of our part without us, that isn’t the deal. Nor can we expect others to do our part. We must act when prompted by God or face lack and the withdrawal of His blessing.

• The Limitation Test (16:16-36) They were given limits on the food they collected. This test can be summarized as the  “learning to set limits” test. This is a hard one for a culture trained in HAVE IT YOUR WAY thinking. A simple request for food gets translated into gluttony in our culture. Many Christians do to food what drunks do to alcohol. The difference is the believer doesn’t feel guilty or unjustified at all.  Our culture is all about self-indulgence – and God was curbing theirs.

Now as we look at the fifth test, note carefully the details of this short but dramatic story…

Exodus 17:1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

The Problem (17:1)

Life has its barren places. For the children of Israel, life in the wilderness proved to be theirs. This was the second shot at “lessons on water supply” in a few weeks!  Exodus 17:1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.

1. The people were moving farther into the harsh lands with no ability to turn back (17:1). Many of God’s people left Egypt reluctantly. Like Lot’s wife, they needed to be delivered but they wanted to continue to enjoy the comforts of compromise. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8). This was a time of full commitment – for soon they would be past the point of no return. Someone has said: “The problem with skydiving is that you can’t change your mind after you step off the plane – it is about total commitment.”

A blind man was describing his favorite sport – parachuting. When asked how this was accomplished, he said that things were all done for him: “I am placed in the door and told when to jump. My hand is placed on my release ring for me, and out I go.” “But how do you know when you are going to land?” he was asked. “I have a very keen sense of smell and I can smell the trees and grass when I am 300 feet from the ground” he answered. “But how do you know when to lift your legs for the final arrival on the ground?” he was again asked. He quickly answered “Oh, that’s easy, I attch a rock to a rope, and when we come to the ground the rock hits first and the rope goes slack”. Though you may not be able to see exactly what God is doing but He will provide subtle signs.

2. God led them to that difficult and barren place. Now was the time to completely trust God.

3. The place didn’t seem to have what they felt the needed – it seemed WRONG. The human body is 2/3 water. – By the time you are 70-years-old, you will have required 1½ million gallons of water. – Studies show that increasing water consumption can decrease fat deposits. Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Australian pain expert Dr. Michael Farrell study claims Going without a drink can make you more sensitive to pain. If you loose 2% of your body’s water supply, your energy will decrease by 20%. A 10% decrease in water, you will be unable to walk, and a 20% decrease – you’re dead. I think it is interesting that the need for water began their journey – Ex. 17:1-7. The need for water ends their journey – Num 20:1-13. Now was the time to recognize that all they needed to focus on was following God – and let Him provide for them.

THE PROBLEM WASN’T WATER —  IT WAS TRUST!

The Reactions: (17:2-4)

Exodus records the reactions of the people –  a perfect model for all the WRONG responses.  Exodus 17: 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.”

1. Act as though there is a conspiracy by the other people in your life (17:2a). Skip the hints of God and focus on others. If you aren’t comfortable, someone must be at fault. After all, you are supposed to be comfortable – aren’t you. This comes from the misshapen notion that I deserve better than a hard life.

2. Blame people for what God is doing, but don’t talk to Him about it! They weren’t even on speaking terms with God. Instead, they complained to Moses about God. When you have been talking to God you don’t need to be talking about God.

3. Ascribe motives to people that uncover why they are causing the discomfort in your life. After all, by now you should be able to read their hearts and flawlessly judge their motives! (17:3a).

An old rather crotchety Christian man and his dear believing wife were suddenly killed in an auto accident and both were taken to Heaven. As they began to look all around at their setting for eternity, the sweet wife was amazed at the beauty, the peace and the contentment she felt and commented over and over about what a nice place Heaven was and how fortunate she felt to be there. The husband turned to his wife and sneered, “If it weren’t for you and your oat bran muffins & health food, we’d have been here 15 years ago.”

4. Forget any blessing God may have given you. (When did slaves get livestock anyway? 17:3b). It is hard to complain about the livestock you didn’t even have until God gave it to you… or is it? If they took the time to think about it, so far God had provided:

1. An opening in the heart of Pharaoh.
2. An unexpected showering of gifts on them by their former masters.
3. A cloud and fire navigation system.
4. An escape corridor through the sea.
5. Water wells at Marah and Elim.
6. “Frosted Mini Wheats” in the desert.
7. Quail roasters.

5. Push leaders to the edge, become threatening and nasty. (17:4) After all, if you don’t stand up for yourself, who will? The person who followed God next to you is obviously less competent than they should be, even though you followed the same God they did. Surely they get special perks for being in charge that you don’t get, so make sure you blame them. If they can’t stand the heat, they shouldn’t be in the kitchen. After all, the perks of leading God’s people should more than replace the inconvenience of getting threatened with stoning – shouldn’t they?

By the way, many leaders mishandle the situation as well: In a short article called “Sinking Ship”, Steve Templeton wrote: Left on a sinking ship were the captain and three sailors. The captain spoke first. “Men, this business about a captain going down with his ship is nonsense. There’s a three-man life raft on board and I’m going to be on it. To see who will come with me, I will ask you each one question. The one who can’t answer will stay behind. Here’s the first question: ‘What unsinkable ship went down when it hit an iceberg?’ The first sailor answered, “The Titanic, sir.” “On to the next question: How many people perished?” The second sailor said, “One thousand five hundred and seventeen, sir.” “Now for the third question,” and the captain turned to sailor number three. “What were their names?”

God’s Answer: (17:5-7)

The people took God’s testing and turned it upside down – testing God! Finally God stepped in – but it wasn’t until someone asked Him! God’s response was a six part model for times of trouble. Exodus 17: 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

1. Get out in front of the people – reset the leadership place of Moses (17:5). Without leadership, the mass would quickly become a panicked mob. God knew that Moses would need to re-establish the place of leadership or nothing else could happen.

2. Get others to see how God works and what He can do (17:5b). God used the time to train people, because that was the point of the discomfort to begin with. The time of discomfort was about trust, obedience and confidence in Him. As long as we believe we can build a comfortable life that is sufficient for the wilderness trip, we will not trust God. Our God will be our bellies. God doesn’t have your HEART until He has your WILL, and what FULFILLS you!

Paul comments on the significance of the water which they drank in 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” The issue was control and fulfillment. And it still is!

3. Remember to take the gift God has given you, that He has used in the past. For Moses it was a stick. The stick that came from Moses’ shepherding days. Remember when God said so long ago, “What is that in your hands?”

What was significant about this stick was: It was what Moses had. IUt is what God has used in his life. God did not ask Moses what he didn’t have. We could all make a long list if what we don’t have. (*We don’t have enough money; *We don’t have a good education; *We don’t have a high social standing) The list can go on and on.. but God never directs our attention to what we don’t have, but to what we do have even though it seems small. God gave us everything we needed to do the job! Even though what we have seems, small, weak, insignificant, This is on purpose, because God has designed it so that what we have must be connected to him to work. The difference is the power of God. It is not your ability, your knowledge, your talent, or the size of your gift or the beauty of your gift that matters. All that matters is:  How much of God is in your stick. Your stick represents that which you have that you surrender to God. When God gets in it, it’s enough! When God gets in it – it will surprise you (Moses fled from before his rod when it turned into a serpent). The empowering is the supernatural power of God operating through the natural to produce results that are humanly impossible. When God gets in a thing it is not the same. When God gets in a thing it can scare some people. Just like Moses who had never seen his rod do anything like that before. God got in a rock and caused a river to flow out of it that quenched the thirst of the nation of Israelites. Got got in a donkey and caused it to speak and rebuke a rebellious prophet. The rod could only do what the natural human power of Moses enables it to do – until the power of God got in it. One of the greatest problems we have as Believers is we have a tendency to underestimate what we have – because when yielded – God is in what we have! (adapted from Sermon Central illustrations).

4.     Follow God to the place He will take you, promptly when He leads you. When you are talking to Him about each step, it is much easier than it sounds. (17:6). God is leading you when you are following Him. He sees you as one of great value, for He has written into your life. Others may not see you the way He does, but His view is the right view – the Eternal view. A story is told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.” “Not Gutenberg!” the book lover exclaimed in horror. “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!” His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German.” Do you realize your value to God? You may think it’s not worth much but  it has Jehovah’s writing printed on it.

5.     Obey God, no matter whether you get it or not. Don’t just follow the directions that appear to work out. That is a disaster. Follow all the things God tells you to do! Moses knew what to do, but God led him where he was to do it! Remember, Moses has been in this desert before, the people had not!

This selection is taken from records of the British governor of the Sinai region of the 1930’s, Major C.S. Jarvis – today a part of the “Palestine Exploration Fund” records:

“Several men of the Sinai Camel Corps had halted in a dry wadi and were in the process of digging about in the rough sand that had accumulated at the foot of a rock face. They were trying to get at the water that was trickling slowly out of the limestone rock. The men were taking their time about it and Besh Shawish – the color sergeant – said, “Here, give it to me”. He took the spade of one of the men and began digging furiously in the manners of NCO’s the world over who want to show their men how to do things but have no intention of keeping it up for more than a couple of minutes. One of his violent blows hit the rock by mistake. The smooth hard crust which always forms the weathered limestone split open and fell away. The soft-stone underneath was thereby exposed and out of its apertures shot a powerful stream of water. The Sudanese, who are well up in the activities of the prophets but do not treat them with a vast amount of respect, overwhelmed their sergeant with cries of ‘Look at him! Prophet Moses’!”

6.     Mark the spot and recognize the lesson, because you will need to hear it again. Not only that, but other believers coming behind you will need to learn the lesson as well! (17:7).

Reggie Jackson is well known for having played baseball for the Oakland A’s and the World Champion New York Yankees. Earlier in Jackson’s career, he played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles. O’s Manager Earl Weaver had a strict rule he expected his team to follow: He wouldn’t allow a player to try to steal a base without first receiving the go-ahead sign from him. Of course, this was an affront to a temperamental individual like Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. In one decisive game Reggie did not receive the steal sign from Weaver, but he took off for second base regardless. The future Hall of Famer slid in, barely beating the tag. As he brushed himself off, he smiled and glared at Earl Weaver in the dugout, proud of his accomplishment. After the game was over, Weaver pulled Jackson aside, “Reggie, I want you to know why I didn’t give you the steal sign. Our best power hitter, next to you, is Lee May. May was at the plate when you were on first base. When you stole second, that left first base open. So our opponents intentionally walked him. The next batter hasn’t experienced much success against the opposing pitcher. That meant I had to put in a pinch hitter. This left me with insufficient bench strength should the game go into extra innings, which it did, and I think that is why we lost.” Reggie Jackson wanted to steal a base; Earl Weaver wanted to win a ball game. As God’s people we are sometimes going to miss the Big picture.

Before you finish this, let me ask you some simple questions…. What could God do through you is He has all of you (complete surrender)? What could He do through my life if I didn’t only follow when I felt it made sense to me? What could He do through my life if I recognized the point of life was HIS GLORY and not MY COMFORT? The lesson is simple: You cannot judge God’s blessing by your comfort.

For some strange reason, at the beginning of most sound checks on the microphones, no matter where I am, people use the opening line: “Testing, testing, 1,2,3, testing..” I was watching karaoke on a cruise ship a few years ago, and a Japanese man that could barely speak English, got up and clearly said those words. I was amazed! Obviously the idea of the phrase is to offer sound for the tech person to adjust levels of microphones and be sure they are working. At the same time, there is something more powerful to be learned from that simple and common exercise: Tests prepare for optimum performance.

For the believer, his life is about the journey through this world to the land of Promise that awaits him at life’s end. The journey has some cool evenings and comfortable days, but many report that there are a significant number of painfully hot times of testing. Is it because God is disconnected or cruel? No, of course not. Testing prepares for optimum performance. Testing helps us know what is improperly set in our lives. It helps us have an opportunity to take corrective steps. That is the point of the middle section of Exodus that highlights the journey through the “hot by day and cold by night” dusty desert

Life is filled with tests: At the beginning of a new year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers’ new year’s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. “Why weren’t my resolutions posted?” She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions. Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded. This teacher’s first resolution was not to let little things upset her in the New Year.

We left off in our story last time in the end of Exodus 15, where the real tests of the desert began to become clear to Moses and the children of Israel. The tests are such a feature of the life of the believer, they are mentioned in many places. In the opening chapter of James, the writer of the Epistle begins with tests of the believer (Lit: “peirasmos”or approving tests, an alchemy term, cp. James 1:2-12). James argues they should not be viewed as enemies, but rather as a normal part of the battlefield lifestyle. Moses was just about to find that out.

The Obedience Test (15:22-27)

Look back a few verses into our last lesson to begin where the real testing started. This time of trouble we will call the “Obedience Test”. All were indirectly tests of obedience. This one was a test in “doing what was hard to understand, while trusting the results to God. Obedience is more important than obstacles.

Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. 26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”  27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

Note the progression of the testing process, and you will uncover a pattern that will repeat many times in the text:

First, there was the disappointment: When they finally got to a place with water, they found that drinking the water made them ill (15:23). Having just come from God’s great miracle at the Sea of Reeds, followed by a tear-filled time of deep worship, the contrast was striking and painful. With time, they would learn there was nothing WRONG with facing tests, and they should expect them. “They could not drink” can be translated they could not bear to drink (elo yakoli). From the initial shock and disappointment, there arose a sense of disgust: What do we do now? (15:24). Voices that were quick to celebrate will be equally quick to complain! The test began in fear and quickly manifest in COMPLAINT.

Faced with an insurmountable problem, Moses cried to the Lord for deliverance. The Lord directed him to collaboration on the problem —  he needed to cast a tree limb into the water to make it potable without any ill effects (15:25a). God provided a way of escape after they failed to drink water that would make them ill – but Moses had to ACT to access the deliverance. By the end of verse 25, we can clearly see the whole thing was a test from God (15:25b). God wanted to help them by making them sick, and getting the parasites of Egypt from them. If we simply obey, it may seem more painful up front, but it is the BEST way to get through the wilderness!

In the shadow of the deliverance was the directive of God: He told them, “Next time do what I say, even if you think it will make you sick, I am working a plan!” (15:26). God knows what He is asking, and why! He is the healer! When the people were cared for, He took time to carefully teach them WHY He tested them.

The test ended with some needed “down time”: They arrived at a place of rest, with fresh water and no further test. This was a time to enjoy the delights of God after a difficult lesson. At the same time, it reminds us that many people get to Marah and never leave. They can’t go on to Elim – for they prefer to sit in bitterness and wallow at what appears to be an unfairness in the testing. To most, God gave them an escape and they were all able to continue, but they learned a critical lesson – trust God and don’t always expect an easy way out of troubles!

In this study we are in Exodus 16, where we find three more of life’s tests (sponsored by our Creator) illustrated. The three tests are the “Goal Test”, the “Consistency Test” and the “Limitation Test”. Let’s look at each.

The Goal Test: (16:1-3; 8-12)

In order to achieve success, or attain a goal, you must have a deliberate mind. This test is aimed at the mind and focus. It can be quickly summarized as the “eye on Canaan, heart in Egypt” test. The text opens with three symptoms of the need for the test:

Exodus 16:1 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Symptoms of the Need for the Test (16:1-3)

FEAR: First, there was a fear of the future that set in when they recognized the discomfort of their choice to follow God. The Israelites left the comfort of Elim and entered the foreboding environment of Sin a month after their departure from Egypt (16:1). The place of Elim (Hebrew: אֵילִם‎, ’êlim) is referenced both here and in Numbers 33.9 as a place where “there were twelve wells of water, and seventy date palms,” and that the Israelites “camped there near the water”.

It is described as being between Marah and the Wilderness of Sin, interior to the Sinai, and has been debated by some scholars to be in Wadi Gharandel, an oasis 100 km southeast of Suez. In the late 1960’s, Professor Menashe Har-El (a researcher of the ancient geography and history of Israel and the Mideast, formerly a lecturer at the teachers’ seminaries of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University) proposed Elim to be `Ayun Musa “the springs/wells of Moses.” He noted that in 1907 the geologist Thomas Barron had observed that 12 springs existed at this site along with palm trees.  That location is still debated. What is NOT DEBATED is the meaning of the name, “gods” or “strong ones”. It was a place of gaining strength, and it was a place of LIFE to a people lost in the desert. In protest, they became one giant “Back to Egypt Committee,” acting as though slavery with water was preferable to freedom without. The problem with the FEAR was that it blocked out God. We cannot see faith through fear, but the reverse is also true: We cannot see fear through faith.

FUSSING: A second symptom that surfaced from the inner fear was the whining about the circumstances – a mere verbalization of disbelief in God’s power and purposes. When the discomfort grew intense the contagion was released and spread like wild fire (16:2). Some people can complain about anything! One writer tells the story of a young man writing at a post office desk who was approached by an older fellow with a post card in his hand. The old man said, “Young man, could you please address this post card for me?” The young man gladly did so, then agreed to write a short message when asked and to sign the card for the man. Finally the younger man asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” The old man looked at the post card, thought about it for a moment, and said, “Yes, at the end put, ’P.S. Please excuse the sloppy handwriting.’” (Complaining Saints by Quintin Morrow Exodus 16:1-15, SermonCentral.com)

FORGETFULNESS: A third common call for the GOAL TEST is the manifestation of a selective memory, when we recall the past differently than it really was! (16:3). It is astounding how quickly they forgot their sorry in Egypt and recalled it romantically. Though memories are great to have, we never move forward by looking behind us. Israel was so consumed with the memories of leeks and onions by the Nile they failed to wait on the One who was taking them to a “land flowing with milk and honey”! Why? Simply because they hadn’t LET GO. Although God released them from Egypt, they hadn’t released Egypt from within them! When we won’t let go of the past life, we won’t follow God in faith in the present life.

The Process of the Testing (16:8-12):

Exodus 16:8 Moses said, “This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

WRONG DIAGNOSIS: When the Lord provided for the needs, they should have quickly realized they had rejected His plan, not just their own dreams and ideas (16:8). The people needed to look beyond THEMSELVES to see the hand of God and the purposes of God. When we are hurting and needy, we don’t easily see others, and God is buried deep in the pile.

Jim Smith went to church on Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to be bowed in silent prayer. He felt like the usher was watching to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He caught the preacher making a slip five times in the sermon by actual count. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn, he muttered to himself, “Never again, what a bunch of clods and hypocrites!” … Ron Jones went to the same church that Sunday morning. He heard the organist play an arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress” and he thrilled at the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment in the service to speak her simple moving message of the difference her faith makes in her life. He was glad to see that this church was sharing in a special offering for the hungry children of Nigeria. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday – it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. He thought as he walked out the doors of the church, “How can a man come here and not feel the presence of God?” (Illustrations Unlimited, James Hewett). The reality of these two men are that each HAD A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE about church, life and God.

The children of Israel thought their number one issue was Moses’ leadership, but they had no self-awareness of the bigger obstacle – their departure from God. Their failed relationship with the Lord was at the heart of their grumbling – and so is OURS.

DIVIDED HEARTS: The children of Israel looked one way and thought another…. They talked freedom, but dreamed slavery….They followed God’s cloud, but dreamed about Pharaoh’s provision. The PROMISED LAND and the PAST LIFE were is opposite directions – and they knew what their heart was beckoning for.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10 It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”

When we recognize the Lord has heard our voice whining, we may be afraid He will judge us, but we if we don’t back away from Him we will discover new things about God and His character (glory-16:10; provision- 16:12a; mastery over all things- 16:12b; creative ability to care for you- 16:13-15). God was about to give them BREAKFAST CEREAL for the morning, and QUAIL for the evening grill.

To think about Egypt, their minds would slip across the burning desert sands, and back across the sea, where slime bricks and slavery were quick forgotten but the smell of leeks lingered and held sway. But to think of Canaan, their minds would have to lift past the burning sand of their feet to the promised land of the distant hills… Canaan or Egypt… Forgotten shackles in one, future songs in the other…. Freedom in Canaan, full stomachs in Egypt… The key question is always, Would we rather stay in bondage than pay the price for freedom?

The key to the focus test is this: We need to keep our eyes on the Lord of our journey, not simply on the destination of our journey, or we lose heart!

The Consistency Test (16:4,27)

This can be easily summarized as the “use only as directed” test. The text shares: Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.

The clear point of the Consistency Test is obedience – not once, but ongoing. The daily GRIND of serving another’s goal goes against our nature. Those who master this are remembered as great by God.

In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. “Your Majesty,” said the Prior Richard, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king.” “I understand,” said Henry. “The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you.” “Then I will tell you what to do,” said Prior Richard. “Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you.” When King Henry died, a statement was written: “The king learned to rule by being obedient.” (Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching 155, ed. By Craig Brian Larson Baker 1993).

God met their need, but not so that they would begin to place their trust in the FOOD, but rather that they would recall their Master – and TRUST HIM. Food was supplied faithfully all the while they were in the desert until after they came into the land (Josh. 5:12). They had sufficient clothing and sandles (Dt. 29:5). They saw His hand in their lives in profound ways – a pillar of fire, a cloud, provisions of food and water – and this was just the beginning. The old English word for “rely” comes from the word, rally; so to rely on the Lord means having the confidence that He will rally to you, coming to the right place at the right time with the right help. Dependence on the Lord is not blind faith; it comes with instructions from God’s Word. For fullness — they had to follow orders.

What were the instructions?

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us  — what was meant to enjoy, what they should evade, and what they should expect along the way. God told the Israelites how to enjoy their food: knowing when to collect, what to do with it, and how much was needed. It meant gathering food in proportion to the storage of the stomach and the people in the family (16:15). Exodus 16:15 “When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us…They were expected to work together in collaboration with God to get the job done, day by day. Exodus 16:4 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” God wanted them to celebrate HIS WORK and do THEIR WORK. Effective prayer involves the balanced tension between total dependence on God and responsible action by the one who prays. R. C. Sproul has noted, “To pray without action is hypocrisy. To act without prayer is pagan.”.

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us — Each person became responsible to care for their own collecting, with each family caring for the needs of their family.  Exodus 16:17  The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat.

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us – Obedience is time sensitive. He explained not only the fact that it is to be done daily, but when in the day it is to be done (16:21). Exodus 16:21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us — Those who did not follow instructions found themselves without and hungry. Exodus 16: 27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? This same idea was repeated many times, as in 2 Thess. 3:10 “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.“

The key to the Consistency Test is this: We can’t expect God to take care of everything without us, that isn’t the deal. Nor can we expect others to do our part. We must act when prompted by God or face lack and the withdrawal of His blessing.

The Limitation Test (16:16-36)

Exodus 16:16 “This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” 17 The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. 19 Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt. 22 Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.” 27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? 29 “See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

This test can be summarized as the  “learning to set limits” test. This is a hard one for a culture trained in HAVE IT YOUR WAY thinking. Look at these five truths:

• First, the amount of food was specified: The amount that each person needed was given by God. They were to live within the amount He said they needed to be healthy. The amount was checked and divided as specified. (16:16-18)

• Second, when to eat the supply was specified: Moses told them to eat it that day, and not leave any for later. God wanted them to work daily and need Him daily, but not hoard or begin to sell and take advantage of the system. (He must have seen what happens to relief food supplies of the UN! 16:19-20).

• Third, when to gather was specified: The pattern of doing it every morning got the camp up and stirring early in a way that kept them disciplined (16:21).

• Fourth, when to plan was specified: They were given opportunity to effectively plan for the Sabbath weekly (16:22-24).

• Fifth, when to rest was specified: Nothing would be given them if they tried to run without rest and keep gathering (16:25-30).

A simple request for food gets translated into gluttony in our culture. There is nothing wrong with looking out for tomorrow, but when it becomes an opportunity to hoard things, our heart toward God grows cold as our heart warms to more and more things. We are living in the days of all-you-can-eat buffets. We stop at the food spread and eat until we can’t move. Often, we eat too much, even to the point of gluttony. Many Christians do to food what drunks do to alcohol. The difference is they don’t feel guilty at all.  Our culture is all about self-indulgence. It’s about the drive to obtain things that we think will make us happy.

Funny things happen on the way to the Promised Land, don’t they. We tend to forget what is really important. We tend to stop trusting God. We forget our past and begin to doubt our future. Our fear of what may happen tomorrow can some times turn us into gluttons because we’re not sure that what we want will be available when we want it. So we stock up. We load up. We hoard all that we can get. Gluttony is in its essence, a failure or a refusal to trust God in everything.

The key to the Limitation test is this: God wants us to work hard, but to control our desire to have everything we want when we want it. Failure to control our appetites, work and plan will hurt our walk with Him and our understanding of Him!

Testing may be an unwanted gift, but it shows us our trouble spots. God is very present in our testing! The absence of trouble does not signal the presence of the Lord – and conversely, the presence of the Lord does not mean the absence of trouble.

There they stood, no dry eye in the place. We had been up until all hours of the night every day of the last week. We were all saying “Goodbye” tomorrow. How had we grown so close together in just one week? Now Pastor Ed just preached about giving our all to Jesus. We were all sure we would be ready to read our Bible no less that daily, and reach our entire school for Christ. We were the committed, the empowered. We were kids on a mission. Our lives would never be the same. We surrendered great things – such great things as can be surrendered by elementary school boys. What a time of worship we had. Now the sticks were tossed on the fire as we symbolically told Jesus we were ready to live for Him in all things. We were ready for anything… anything, that is, but going HOME. Anything but living these truths when we got home.

Don’t get me wrong, our hearts were emotionally immature, but terribly genuine. We believed what we were saying. The plateau we reached in our elementary school walk was not false… it was just set in an unreal setting. Life would set in and test our resolve. Long after camp, at least a few weeks or so, we would struggle to live the ideals we swore to at the camp fire. Was the time WASTED? I don’t believe so. Even in the camp experience of plateaus, our fragile and infant faith was being nurtured. We DID leave stronger than we came in. We NEEDED the experience of the “Rise and Fall” that followed as part of our growing process….

Have you ever left a worship time with the Lord elated, excited, committed and joyful – only to have it all come crashing down on your head! Have you ever seriously committed things to the Lord in a special time of consecration. Maybe it was a promise in a hospital room. Maybe it was a praise moment after a deliverance of the Lord. Looking back,you were geneuine in your surrender, but what followed was unforeseen in your life. EVERYTHING seemed like it was even worse than before. You really thought you were going to be able to walk with God… but in a blink the whole dream soured. Problems rushed in and nothing worked. If you know what that is like, this passage is for YOU.

Like a play with a “split stage”, Exodus 15 has two very different and even contrasting scenes. The first was elation and worship, the second was the “day after” when a pummeling of problems rolled in. It is a natural experience for us – for we live in two realms at the same time. The joys of the world above don’t cancel the power of the problems below. Yet, Intimacy with God gives us strength to care for BOTH worlds at the same time!

In order to understand the problem of the second half, let’s spend a few minutes in the joy of the HOT HIT in the first half of the passage…

Song of Preparation for the Journey (Exodus 15:1-21)

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. 2 “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him. 3 “The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. 4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 “The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone. 6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. 7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff. 8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? 12 “You stretched out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them. 13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation. 14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased. 17 “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. 18 “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” 19 For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea. 20 Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing. 21 Miriam answered them, “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

Moses led a song with the people: This is now a famous song sung in synagogues around the world on Shabbat. Later it will become a part of the song of the redeemed Jewish people that add to it the song of the Lamb in Revelation 15:3 in Heaven!

Refrain: Who is like You? (15:11)

• Mi-chamochah b’elem Adonai (YHWH). (Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?)
• Mi-chamochah ne-adar b’kodesh (Who is like You glorified in holiness?)
• Nora t’hiloth oseh feleh – oseh feleh (Fearful/Revered in praises; Worker of Wonders!)

Don’t skip the details. The song was:

Directed to the Lord (1): Exodus 15:1a “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said…” Redemption is impossible without God, and the redeemed need to turn back to God and PRAISE Him and thank Him for the great thing He has done. We praise Him when He delivers our body from harm. We praise when He heals from sickness. Which is harder, to say “rise up and walk” or to say “your sins are forgiven you”? Tell the Lord you want to PRAISE HIM for accomplishing your new life.

Once the song was lifted, the contents yielded six truths about God: Exodus 15:1b: “…I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.”

• God has His place (1b “Lord” is Master): I am overjoyed to call Him my Master. He has all rights to my life, my happiness, my fulfillment!
• God holds His position (1b: “exalted”): I will not lift another above Him in my eyes or my heart, He is first!
• God does His powerful work (1b: “hurled”): There is NOTHING He can’t do to defend me. He can pull apart the earth itself to hold on to me!
• God gives His provision– Exodus 15:2 “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him. 3 “The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. 4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 “The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone.”

1. Personal (2 “my”): He is the object of my praise and worship!
2. Empowering (2 “strength”): He gives me the power to keep going!
3. Joy (2b “my song”): He fills my mouth with song and my heart with joy!
4. Rescue (2b “my salvation”): He throws a lifeline to me when no one else will!
5. Defense (2b “Elohim”): He stands over me to defend me in strength!
6. Connection (2b “my Father’s God”): He bonds me to a history of His legacy!
7. Victory (3-5; 19 “warrior” mentioned and then illustrated): When I am overwhelmed, He is there to create a victory over my enemy!

• God shows Himself through His Performance – He relates through His “working features” (15:6-13):

Right hand (6-7): Majestic, shattering power that consumes those who stand against You. 6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. 7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff. Later the Right Hand is mentioned again (12-13): The sign to all creation to obey, it swallowed enemies and led us gently at the same time! …12 “You stretched out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them. 13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.”

Nostrils (8-10): A powerful force that drove back the sea and shut down the pursuit of the enemy. 8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

• God works in His purposes (Exodus 15:14-19)

1. Let the world know of Him (14-15): You want all Creation to know of You! 14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

2. Let His redeemed be rescued (16-17a): You want your people to acknowledge Your rescue! 16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.

3. Let His worship be established (17b): You want to be at the center of our hearts! 17  “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

4. Let His sovereign control be known (18): You want to bring about the righteous rule You have promised! 18  “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”

STOP! See what the Lord has revealed about Himself through His servant Moses in a moment of JOY! It was the pattern of preparation for HARDSHIP!

The song is again sung in human history. The stage is set in Revelation 15:3. In the shadow of the Great Throne of God the sound of the voices of Jewish martyrs begin to cry out. From the anguish of their life on earth they were forcibly born into the presence of the Holy One, even as a newborn baby is pushed into arrival. Entering Heaven with tear-filled eyes, God wipes their eyes and pulls them to His side. “Well done, My child!” says the Master. Almost without thought they begin to sing the words they have learned from their youth. These Jewish followers of Jesus cry out, “Mi-chamochah b’elem Adonai” (YHWH). (Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?); “Mi-chamochah ne-adar b’kodesh” (Who is like You glorified in holiness?); “Nora t’hiloth oseh feleh – oseh feleh” (Fearful/Revered in praises; Worker of Wonders!). What are these words they sing? What are they saying?

• My God is My Master! He has my heart and is exalted in my eyes!
• He stops at NOTHING to cling to me, and hold me in His hand!
• He gives me the power to make it through troubles and the joy to fill my heart in the journey!
• He rescues me from the pit of despair and stands as a strong defender over my life.
• He connects me to the great drama of history – His story.
• He makes me a victor over the enemies of discouragement, addiction, and a broken life.
• With His great right hand He orders the worlds, all Creation is formed and crushed in His hands. With a mere breathe He shuts down any enemy that pursues me, and uses His hand to gently lead me.
• He wants the world to know Him, and He desires to rescue even more of my world!
• He hungers that we would enjoy Him, for He knows that only when I recognize His greatness and love Him intimately will I truly find fulfillment!
• Great is our God! Great is Our God!

In Exodus 15, the excitement receded, and what replaced the celebration was…heat and trouble. Salvation is exciting, the Christian life can be just plain hard. That’s the truth. Obedience and surrender are RIGHT and BIBLICAL and really, really tough. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are lying. It is worth it, but it is HARD.

Lessons of Living on the Journey (15:22-27)

Follow the progression of the story in 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. 26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

“Seven Lessons for the Journey”

 Lesson One: The Departure Lesson:

Moses led them from the place of victory to the desert, and the people began to suffer (15:22). Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. We must move back from the place of celebration to the problems that we face in our lives. The worship is designed to strengthen us and give us hunger for God, not a place to hide from our problems!

In November of 1988 a 19 yr old woman fell asleep behind the wheel of her car at about 2:15 in the morning. Her car plunged thru a guardrail and was dangling by its left rear tire. A half dozen passing motorists stopped, grabbed some ropes from one of their vehicles tied the ropes to the back of her car, & hung on until fire units arrived. A ladder was extended from below to help stabilize the car while firefighters tied the vehicle to tow trucks with cables and chains. One of the rescuers later said “Every time we would move the car, she would yell and scream. She was in terrible pain.” For nearly 2 ½ hours police officers, tow truck drivers, firefighters and passers-by (about 25 people in all) – to secure the car and pull the woman to safety. All through the episode, the woman kept repeated a phrase over and over to rescuers. She kept saying: “I’ll do it myself.’” (November 20, 1988, the Los Angeles Times)

This woman was in horrible pain. She was pinned inside her car, And she unable to change her circumstances Or save herself from her danger Ultimately, it took the efforts nearly 25 people to rescue her from potential death — And yet, she kept thinking she could solve the problem all by herself.

Lesson Two: The Disappointment Lesson:

When they finally got to a place with water, they found that drinking the water made them ill (15:23). Exodus 15:23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. The contrast between the great time with God and the reality of life here can be painful (cp. Elijah). There is nothing WRONG, that is the way life is, and we should expect it. “They could not drink” can be translated they could not bear to drink (elo yakoli).

Lesson Three: The Dissention Lesson:

What do we do now? (15:24). . Exodus 15:24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Voices that were quick to celebrate will be equally quick to complain!

Lesson Four: The Deliverance Lesson:

Moses cried to the Lord and the Lord directed him to cast a tree limb into the water to make it potable without any ill effects (15:25a). Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet…. God provided a way of escape after they failed to drink water that would make them ill. Deliverance often includes doing something that requires discipline and obedience – it wasn’t intended to be easy.

Lesson Five: The Detail Lesson:

The whole thing was a test from God (15:25b). …There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. God wanted to help them by making them sick, and getting the parasites of Egypt from them. If we simply obey right down to the DETAIL, it may seem more painful up front, but it is the BEST way to get through the wilderness!

They say “the devil is in the details!” The story is told of a little boy who went to the grocery store and asked the clerk for a box of laundry detergent. The clerk was very impressed at such a little guy taking on the responsibilities of helping his mom with the household chores. So he said to the boy “Well that is mighty grown up of you to be wiling to help your mother out with the washing. Well the little guy wanted to set the record straight so he told the clerk, “Oh, I’m not going to use it to wash clothes, I need it for my dog.” The clerk was a little concerned at that point and so he said “Don’t you think this detergent might be a little strong for washing a dog?” The little boy replied, “Well, that’s what I want, he’s a mighty dirty dog.” So the boy took the box of detergent home, and about a week later returned. Well the clerk recognized him and asked him about his dog. The little boy said “O my dog is dead!” The clerk was shocked “Oh that’s so terrible, I guess that laundry detergent was too strong after all.” The little boy thought for a minute and said “No, I don’t think it was the detergent that got him, I think it was the rinse cycle.” Have you ever gone through a time in your life when you felt like you had been through the wringer.

Lesson Six: The Directive Lesson:

God told them, “Next time do what I say, even if you think it will make you sick, I am working a plan!” (15:26). Exodus 15:26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” God knows what He is asking, and why! He is the healer! The test is not whether or not God is TRUE, but whether or not I will believe and follow.

Lesson Seven: The Down Time Lesson:

Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters. They arrived at a place of rest, with fresh water and no test. Many people get to Marah and never leave. They won’t go on to Elim, they sit in bitterness and wallow. God is His goodness gave them an escape and they were all able to continue. The way out of the wilderness is THROUGH IT!

The Bible doesn’t leave us in the dark as to Who God is and what He is like..

Apparently, in New Hampshire, a man named Josh Muszynski stopped at a gas station and bought a pack of cigarettes with his debit card. A few hours later he was online checking his bank account and found that this particular pack of cigarettes set him back: $23,148,855,308,184,500.00. That’s 23 quadrillion, 148 trillion, 855 billion, 308 million, 184 thousand, 500 dollars. To put that in perspective: if you took ALL the money from ALL the countries in the United Nations, you still wouldn’t have enough money to buy that single pack of cigarettes. Needless to say, Josh immediately called his bank and managed to clear things up. Not only did his bank correct the error, they also removed the $15 overdraft fee they charged him. (Patrick D. Odum, Heartlight.org 8/11/09) The point is: if this man had actually owed that much money there was no way he (or anyone else on face of earth) could ever pay it back.

They should have understood from their time of worship: When I truly understand Who God is, I can face a trouble filled life here and now with confidence!

Walking through Colonial Williamsburg, I was struck by the simplicity of the vessels that our forefathers used to care for their needs. The days of molded plastic and cheaply machined glass have certainly made a change in the quality and stylishness of even our simplest drinking cups! One thought was particularly clear, it wasn’t the BEAUTY of the vessel that made it valuable, it was the USABILITY of the vessel. The most beautifully carved bucket was only worth having if it was water tight. In the same way, though God wants to use me as a vessel that will bring honor to Him, it is only possible if I make choices that open up His use of me. What choices can I make that will open myself to being used by Him?  Key Principle: To become a vessel God can use, I must understand and then live the choices that God will be honored by. Some of our problem stems from a lack of knowledge, but most of it stems from simple willful disobedience. Exodus 14 offers at least Ten Choices that I can make to become a useable vessel to God! Each of the ten must be grasped, but are only effective when put into ACTION:

The Ten Choices of a Vessel fit for Use

1. Choose to recognize that God has the right to use me to reach others even by taking me through difficult and trying times. (14:1-4).

Exodus 14:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 “For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 “Thus I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

God’s plan for Israel was not going to be an easy one, but that was the one Moses was to obey, announce and lead. Moses was in the difficult predicament of sharing unpopular truth. Believers should get used to it – truth is often inconvenient, but always helpful! I liked this:

Have you ever found yourself in a predicament? We have a lot of word pictures in the English language to describe being in a predicament. We hear phrases such as “you sure have painted yourself into a corner,” of being “caught between a rock and a hard place,” being “up against the wall” or “in a pickle. ” A least one person has defined a predicament as being , “A lawyer who specializes in suing doctors for medical malpractice finding himself in need of major surgery.” [Charles Swindoll. Moses: A Man of Selfless Devotion. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999). p. 211.]

The events of our lives are not random, God has crafted a time and place for us. We forget that when things go wrong. More often than not, we wonder if we have deserved some spanking when things don’t go our way. In the face of stern difficulty, we even convince ourselves that the reason we are going through trouble is something we have done. It seldom occurs to us that the wilderness and the Sea of Reeds is part of the call of God for us. God has a plan for the troubles!

In the text, note that God had several reasons for the journey direction of Moses. First, God wanted to lure in Pharaoh. Sometimes God uses our lives to pull in the lives of godless men. It is exciting when that purpose is to soften their hearts to see His love and goodness – but that wasn’t the case here. God used the testimony of the people of God, and Moses their leader, to bring a hardness into him that would set him up for judgment. As uncomfortable as that could have been for any of us – our lives are about recognizing God’s right to use us for HIS PURPOSES.

The ultimate end point of God’s plan was what it always is: to expose WHO He is to man and to the Heavenly host. That is His big plan, and we have the opportunity to be used of Him today to do it! For this reason, Paul reminded the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”

Do you believe that God has the unreserved right to use your life for any purpose that will fit His plan – even if that use doesn’t fit YOUR plan? Moses had to believe that, or he would have been utterly ineffective as God’s leader and spokesman – and so will we.

2. Choose to remember that power is not often where it appears to be in a fallen world. God allowed Pharaoh to feel a sense of control and power that was not there! (14:5-9).

Exodus 14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly. 9 Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

The human view was a powerful Pharaoh and a puny Moses – an organized army and a hapless camp of clueless slaves. That IS the human view – but it is NOT the truth! God was there. His power moved men, and soon would move seas, mountains and monuments. God can and will shake the foundations when it suits His purposes! Towering countries will be brought low for His purposes. Famous men and women will be swept aside by the tide of HIS STORY. Power is not where it appears to be!

3. Choose to accept sometimes even friends and even God’s people won’t understand what God is doing in your life – and why! (14:10). Rather, expect that people will look for someone to blame when they are hurt and cannot understand their pain. Accept the fact that they are wrong in what they are saying, but deal with them patiently! (14:11-12).

Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 “Then 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 dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 “Is this not the word that we spoke to you 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.”

When we face insurmountable odds, it is so easy to lose our perspective over the situation. Too often when we are confronted with an impossible situation, rather than meet it head on, we want to take the easy way out. We say, “I don’t want to face this, I don’t want to have to fight so I’ll just go back to Egypt and resume my life as a slave.”

It may be that this very day, someone hearing these words is thinking… If God doesn’t take this pressure off, I am going back to my old life. It may seem like it at this moment, but a full slave is much worse off than a hungry free man. Freedom to walk with God brings possibilities. Slavery to sin brings death – God’s Word could not be more clear! The people in the narrative didn’t have all that we have, so don’t be too hard on them!

4. Choose to walk obediently while leaving the running of the universe to God. If God’s purpose is to use us as a testimony, we don’t have to fix everything. God will do what God needs done if we give His Word as instructed (14:13-15).

Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

God’s instructions through Moses are four-fold – all emphasizing the passive role of men and active role of God:

• “Do Not Fear”.
• “Stand by”.
• “See”.
• “Keep silent” .

5. Choose to courageously face that God’s purposes are bigger than we can grasp, and He will, no doubt, call you to do things well beyond your ability. (14:16-18).

Exodus 14:16 “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 “As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 “Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

Pastor John Hamby wrote: “Nine year old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School that day. ‘Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind the enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.’ ‘Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?’ his mother asked. ‘Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!’”

6. Choose to accept that God owes you no complete explanation of how He intends to work. God defends His work In ways that may look like they make no sense to you or the people around you! (14:19). Mature vessels will learn to see God’s hand in what is happening and learn to discern some of the purposes! (14:20). God works well beyond our list of possibilities! (14;21-22)

Exodus 14:19 “The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.” 20 “So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. 21 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. 22 The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

7. Remember life without God is more difficult than it appears. Choose to warn yourself often that they we follow God to be used of God. People who think they can participate in the power of God without the purposes of God  are badly mistaken (14:23-25).

Exodus 14:23 “Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 At the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

“It may be that you have developed a rather materialistic lifestyle. Like Moses, and the children of Israel you have rubbed shoulders with folks in Egypt most of your life. You work with Egyptians. Think like Egyptians. Read Egyptian newspapers. Listen to Egyptian music. Do commercial battles with Egyptian entrepreneurs. You’re in the competitive world of the Egyptians, so its only natural that you react like them.” [Charles Swindoll. Moses: A Man of Selfless Devotion. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999). p. 223.]

8. Choose to accept that God is a righteous judge. It is our privilege to be used by God’s hand to show His power to the world (14:26-29).

Exodus 14:26 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

9. Choose to identify God’s hand of blessing on your life. When God acts and His people see Him clearly, they see the world for what it is (14:30).We need to rehears the blessings twice what we say about our dislikes and troubles, because they are more easily forgotten!

Exodus 14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

10. Choose to accept the truth that the troubles are worth it all, for God will show Himself and be praised! (14:31).

Exodus 14: 31 When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.

Your future may seem impossible, and the problems impassable – but God is working a plan. You are where you are because God has something He can teach you. “Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape, designing a situation that no human judgment would have permitted had it been previously consulted. The very cloud directs them there. You…, may be involved in a situation like this at this very hour. It does seem perplexing and mysterious to the last degree, but it is perfectly right. The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you there. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. Not only will He deliver you, but in doing so He will give you a lesson that you will never forget …..” [F.B. Meyer. The Life of Moses: The Servant of God. (Lynnwood, Washington: Emerald Books, 1996.0 p. 80]

To become a vessel God can use, I must understand and live the choices that God will be honored by.

The Message offers this note to close from 2 Timothy 2:20ff

In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing. Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.