Exodus 14:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
The Bible often reminds us that It is the Word of the LORD.
II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
In the book of Exodus God was preparing the nation of Israel for their next big task. It would take them longer than they expected because of their rebellious hearts. However, God’s plan would move forward according to His plan.
God chose Moses to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt and toward the land of Canaan. Moses was constantly reminded that the LORD was speaking to him. Moses was a man of God and he needed to be strengthened in the inner man. He would face many challenges yet, and he needed the constant assurance that God was with him.
In our text the LORD commanded Moses to speak unto the children of Israel. There were a number of people in Bible times who heard directly from the LORD. However, there were many others who heard from the LORD through His chosen instruments. Today as well, we do not hear directly from the LORD. There are people who are deceived and they assume they are hearing from the LORD. We hear from Him through His Word. Hearing from Him through His Word is just as relevant as Moses hearing directly from the LORD. God inspired His Word, and He also preserved His Word. The words we have in our Bibles are THE WORD OF GOD.
In our text the LORD told Moses to give the children of Israel their immediate marching orders. They were heading in the general direction of the Red Sea. They would be stopped by the Red Sea and they were to camp there.
The LORD also informed Moses that Pharaoh was not ready to give up yet. He would see the route that the children of Israel were on and he would assume that he could get them back again because the Red Sea would be a trap to them. The wilderness would prohibit them from finding a different route and the Sea would block their exit. This is what Pharaoh thought. We will see that the children of Israel thought the same way.
In verse 4 we read that the LORD would harden Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh would pursue after the children of Israel. He did not know it but he was being used of the LORD to bring glory to God. Pharaoh had no intention of exalting the true God. He had done all he could to keep his people from believing in the true God. He loved the praise of men and he believed his false gods were the ultimate gods.
The Egyptians also needed to know that the LORD is the true God. In verse 5 we read that the king received the report of what was happening with the children of Israel. We read that Pharaoh’s heart and that of his servants was turned against the people. The servants of Pharaoh had just recently given of their treasures to the children of Israel. Now they resented this. Now all they could think of is the free labour they were losing. It was difficult for them to think of not having all that labour at their disposal.
Pharaoh commanded his men to get his chariot ready. We read that he took his people with him. He was going to bring the children of Israel back. He took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt. He did not realize it but he would deplete the nation of their chariots with this move. He must be the pattern our nation has been following. For years we have argued about getting updated aircraft and ships for our military. We really do not have much of a military. We had an incident in Vancouver recently, that demonstrated how ill-equipped we are for even a small emergency.
Egypt would put itself in a very vulnerable position due to Pharaoh’s hard heart. In verse 8 we read again that the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh chose a wrong path. He despised the LORD and the LORD was going to show him that this was a very foolish choice to make. It was too late for Pharaoh. It was also too late for many of his servants and his armies.
We read that Israel went out with a high hand. God had greatly humbled the Egyptians with the sudden death of their firstborn. They were greatly impacted by this sudden loss. However, they were not broken. They became even more defiant. Bad counsel is never good.
We began this chapter by noting that the LORD spoke to Moses. God was giving Moses and the children of Israel good counsel. Moses received that counsel. The children of Israel followed this counsel but they did not accept it as good counsel. They had much to learn.
It is important for us to have our confidence in the LORD. He is never wrong. He never gives bad counsel. We can make a mess of things when we do not receive His counsel.
Today is another opportunity for each person to choose to go to a good church and learn of the LORD. Be sure you do not miss out on this opportunity to hear from the Word of God. Be sure you choose a true church. Don’t short change yourself. The blessing of the Lord is still there for those who will submit to Him.
Pastor Bartel
