Exodus 13:17-22
Get Out of This Wilderness
Notice that God took the Israelites out of Egypt "through the way of
the wilderness." If you look at a map of Egypt and Israel, you will
see that the two nations were almost neighbors, the only people being
between them was the Palestinians. Israel could have traveled from
Egypt into Israel in a few weeks, but God took them out of Egypt
south into the Sinai Peninsula instead of north into the Promised
Land. The Sinai has some of the driest, most undesirable,
unsustainable land in the world.
Why did God take them that way? The Bible tells us that they weren’t
ready for the Promised Land yet. There was going to be fighting
both there and apparently with the Philistines and Israel just was
not ready—so God took them through the wilderness.
Would you note what Paul said of our Old Testament.
1Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto
them for ensamples: and they are written for
our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world
are come.
Paul was saying that the things which occurred in the Old Testament
can serve as a lesson to us. Those Old Testament stories are more
than just historic facts; they are fodder for us. How can that be?
How can we be fed from those old stories? By seeing a bigger
pictures, by seeing how many of those stories have application to us.
For example, throughout the Old Testament, Egypt is a picture of the
world. It is a place of bondage, a place of pleasure but a pleasure
which has a great cost—and that cost was torment. God rescued His
people out of that land of bondage.
Not only so, but in that application, Pharaoh would picture Satan.
He was the tormentor, the cruel task master. He was the one who had
to be defeated before the people could be free.
So God rescued His people, took them out of the land of bondage. But
where was that deliverance wroth? At the Red Sea. Notice
\\#Ex 13:17\\, "when Pharaoh had let the people go…." When did the
terror of Pharaoh end? At the Red Sea. That was the place of God’s
deliverance from Pharaoh. It was the door out of Egypt and into
deliverance; hence, the Red Sea is a picture of salvation.
Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter
in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture.
And where was God taking His people? He was taking them to Canaan.
Many Christians associate Canaan with heaven (and I understand that);
however, the Hebrews had to fight in Canaan. They had enemies in
Canaan. They sinned in Canaan. They even got expelled from Canaan.
Friend, Canaan is not a picture of heaven. It is a picture of
conquest, a picture of the victorious Christian life.
We have here the whole story of Christian life taught through the
stories of the Old Testament. We were once in bondage, a victim for
Satan to torment, but God delivered us and wants us to have a
victorious Christian life.
With that understanding, why did God take these people through the
wilderness? \\#Ex 13:17\\ Because they were not ready for war yet.
They were not ready to make the tough decisions. They were not yet
fit for the battle, so God took them through the wilderness.
What is the wilderness? The wilderness is that place between our
salvation and our place of victory. Every baby Christian must go
there for at least a short period of time, just like the Hebrews had
to go through the wilderness to get from Egypt of the Promised Land.
The wilderness is the place of being saved but spiritually immature.
It is the place where you are in God’s care, but not yet in the
battle. It is the place of training, of grooming, of preparation, a
place of relative safety.
For a few moments this morning, let’s consider the wilderness.
I. The wilderness is to be a temporary place.
A. God took the Hebrews through the wilderness but it was not
to be their home.
1. Their home was the Promised Land, Canaan, the place of
victory.
2. Yet, for a brief time, they were to go into the
wilderness.
B. So it is with the Christian life. The wilderness is where
Christians go for a brief time after their salvation.
1. The Bible writers make reference to this temporary
sojourn.
a. Peter referred to it as our stage of infancy.
1Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice,
and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,
and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk
of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious.
(1) We understand the infant stage of babies.
(2) At that time, they simply aren’t ready for
any responsibilities.
(a) We do not ask our infants to pick up
their toys, to make up their beds, or
to turn off a light.
i. They simply cannot.
ii. They have neither the understanding
nor the ability.
iii. However, we do not allow them to
stay in this stage forever. They
grow up.
(b) Even as a toddler, we start training
them to assume responsibility.
i. Pick it up.
ii. Go the potty?
iii. Don’t touch that!
iv. What are we doing? We are taking
them out of the infant stage.
v. We are taking them out of the
wilderness.
(3) That is what we do for the Christian.
(a) Pray. Can you talk to God?
(b) Read your Bible.
(c) Worship.
(d) Tell others about Jesus.
(e) Give your testimony.
(f) Tithe
(g) Serve
b. Paul uses the same reference but gives to the
stage a name, carnal.
1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto
you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal,
even as unto babes in Christ.
:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with
meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear
it, neither yet now are ye able.
2. Carnal is not a bad term if applied to a new born, but
it becomes a bad term if we do not soon grow out of it.
a. The whole point is that no one is to stay in the
wilderness for too long.
b. Think back to the children of Israel, they stayed
in the wilderness for 40 years, but that was not
what God wanted.
(1) What God wanted was to take them straight
through the wilderness.
(2) In fact, God did not give the Hebrews a choice!
(a) He brought them to the Promised Land and
told them to go take it, but the people
rebelled!
(b) God did not ASK them if they wanted to
go in. He TOLD them to go in. It was
THEIR rebellious decision to stay.
(3) So it is with the Christian, God has not
asked you if you wanted to go into the land
of battle. After a short period of time,
God expects you to go to battle.
(4) If you stay in the wilderness, it will be by
your own doing and it will be rebellion to God.
(5) That is when carnality ceases to be a stage
in your life and becomes a sin!
C. Christian, you must get out of the wilderness!
1. The wilderness is not your home. It is a place for
temporary training.
2. But your home and place of your rest is over in Canaan.
3. Yes, there are some giants in the land and you will
have to fight them, but you have the promise of
victory from God. Press on! The land is yours.
II. The wilderness is for us to know God.
A. The Jews did not know who God was.
1. They had been in Egypt for over 400 years!
2. Whatever the patriarchs knew about God was lost during
their stay in Egypt.
B. A couple of miscellaneous facts about knowing God.
1. No one who was born and raised in the world is going to
have an accurate picture of God.
a. We are finite. He is infinite.
b. We are sinners. He is holy.
c. We are the created. He is the Creator.
d. We are fleshly and physical. He is spirit.
e. We live 70 or 80 years and think we know everything
by the time we are 25. He is eternal and really does
know everything.
f. There are no similarities between us at all.
2. The truth is, God is not easy to comprehend by any human
being.
Job 11:7 Canst thou by searching find out God?
canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Proverbs 30:3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have
the knowledge of the holy.
Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of
my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the
Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal
him.
a. These verses are not saying that one CAN’T comprehend
God.
b. But they are saying that it is not easy!
c. It should become the life’s goal of every believer to
seek out and understand God.
d. So this detour into the wilders was Meet God 101.
3. So God began to teach the Jews about Himself in the
wilderness.
C. God taught them….
1. That He is the Planner.
a. They had a problem with this one right out of the
gate because lead them to the Red Sea.
(1) The people knew that they were following God for
He manifested Himself in a cloud by day and a
pillar of fire by night.
(2) Since they were following God, they could not
believe He had lead them into a problem but
having mountains on both sides, a sea behind
them, and an enemy army coming at them IS a
problem.
(3) But God had a plan - Go Forward!
(4) God was showing them that no matter what the
situation, He had a plan!
b. Something similar happened to the disciples of Jesus.
(1) Jesus had taught, sent the people away, and
constrained the disciples to get on a boat.
(2) The boat ran into a storm and they rowed to the
fourth watch - 9 to 12 hours.
(3) The disciples thought they would die but then
Jesus comes walking on the water.
(4) Jesus was showing them that He had a plan!
c. God always has a plan! He is the Planner. Trust
Him.
2. That He is the Provider.
a. God took them into a land of need so that He could
meet their need.
(1) We are at Exodus 13.
(2) Ex 16-Manna from heaven begins.
Ex 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold,
I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the
people shall go out and gather a certain rate
every day, that I may prove them, whether they
will walk in my law, or no.
(a) There is no doubt that manna was a blessing
from God. \\#Psalm 78:25\\ calls it
angels’ food.
(b) However, what gave to sustain the Hebrews
for two years no doubt became a terrible
monotony after over the next 40 years!
(c) What’s for breakfast? lunch? dinner?
birthday? tailgating?
(d) To get the satisfying food, they needed to
get out of the wilderness!
(e) But God provided!
(3) Ex 16-God gives them quail, both to show
How power and His holiness.
(4) Ex 17-Water from the rock in Rephidim.
b. God was showing His people that there was no need that
He could not provide for.
(1) They had no knowledge of that kind of God.
(2) Their gods had been of stone, wood, gold. They
could not feed themselves let alone those who
worshipped them.
3. That He is holy.
a. This is in contrast to the one thing that those in
Egypt would say about God.
b. The one thing that they will say is that God is love.
c. That is true, but even more than God is love, God is
holy.
(1) Isaiah did not hear the angels saying, "Love,
love, love, is the Lord of hosts" but "Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." \\#Is 6:3\\
(2) The book of Revelation, one of the Bible’s most
heavenly books, only records the word "love"
twice-both times were a rebuke to the church.
(3) But the word "Holy" is found 13x.
(4) Old and New Testaments alike proclaim God without
as Light, without shadow, having no darkness,
glorious in holiness, righteous, and on the list
goes.
(5) People did not JUST GO into God’s presence. Even
the most favored entered into God’s presence and
fainted, falling out, because of God’s glory and
holiness! (Daniel, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, John)
d. Do not let the people of the world dictate your
theology about God.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord:
(1) God is NOT the Santa Claus of heaven!
(2) They have painted a picture of God who is not
offended by any sin, who accepts all, who loves
all no matter what.
(3) I do not find that God in the Bible!
(4) I find a God that does love but requires
both confession and repentance of sin.
(a) Confession means to agree with God about
what sin is and then to declare that God
was right.
(b) Repentance means to turn from sin.
III. The wilderness is for your preparation.
A. Just like the Hebrews, Christians need some preparation before
we go into the battle.
1. No one has ever said the Christian life was easy.
2. There are enemies in Canaan.
3. God does not desire to throw the immature to the wolves!
B. Notice what God planned for the Hebrews in the wilderness.
1. By Exodus 17, there is war with Amalek.
(a) The main reason for taking the Hebrews through the
wilderness was so that they would not see battle,
but battle found them anyway.
(b) The truth is Amalek was not one of the enemies from
Canaan. He was the grandson of Esau. He was
family!
(c) Before can learn how to fight the enemies outside the
church, you have to learn how to fight the enemies
INSIDE the church.
(d) And so Christians have to learn to fight.
(e) Do you not find it interesting that God teaches the
same thing in the New Testament?
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil.
(1) girdle of truth
(2) breastplate of righteousness
(3) feet shod with gospel of peace
(4) shield of faith
(5) helmet of salvation
(6) praying always
2. It was the place where their instruction in the Word would
begin.
Ex 19:1 In the third month, when the children
of Israel were gone forth out of the land of
Egypt, the same day came they into the
wilderness of Sinai.
a. The Hebrews were only three months into their
journey when the came to Sinai.
b. It was on Mt. Sinai that God gave the Hebrews His Law.
c. The Ten Commandments are given in Exodus 20.
d. There is no doubt that Christians need some time
in the wilderness to study the Bible.
e. Paul himself went out into the wilderness to study
the Word of God.
Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his
grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach
him among the heathen; immediately I conferred
not with flesh and blood:
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which
were apostles before me; but I went into
Arabia (A WILDERNESS) and returned again
unto Damascus.
f. Without doubt, God wants His children to be
trained in the Word of God before assuming any
demanding spiritual responsibilities.
1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up
with pride he fall into the condemnation of
the devil.
g. However, you must do the studying.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
h. Then you must use what you have learned to help
others.
i. Time estimates:
(1) One source says it would take about two weeks
for a person to walk the trail the Hebrews
followed from Egypt to Israel.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_days_from_Egypt_to_promised_land
(2) One writer estimated that the time God
intended the Hebrews to be in the wilderness
was approximately two year.
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-travel-
times-distances-days.htm
j. If you have been sitting in this church partaking
of two or three feedings a week, you will be
ready to leave the wilderness within two years.
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