Exodus 13:17-22

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotions is where every day you and I would get together. We have a little bit of coffee. We get into God's Word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2023, Lord willing, we'll make it from Genesis to Leviticus.
Well, I have not been off of work, but I've been off of this for the last 11 days, something like that. Just. Finishing up VBS. And then we had our national body of elder meeting. So our international elder body meeting called Synod last week. And so I was busy all last week taking care of matters with that. But I'm glad to be back with us today.
Why don't we have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. Let's pray. Father, you are a wonderful God. faithful to your promises, powerful in your works. I pray that you would please bless us this morning. Help us Lord to understand. We pray that your spirit would please teach us this morning in Jesus's name. Amen. All right. So we are at Exodus chapter 13. The very last part of the chapter here. Here we go.
Then it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although it was near. For God said, lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you. So they took their journey from Succoth and encamped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire that gave them light. So as to go by day and night, he did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
Well. We need to ask ourselves, A, what's this about? B, what's the first or what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to this? Well, this is God leading the people out. And why did he take them through the wilderness, through the south, through the Negev, rather than taking them straight up the Mediterranean Sea to go through Philistia and into the land? Well, he didn't want them to get afraid. He didn't want them to be scared, right? If they were to go straight through Philistia, they would have immediately start going north and boom, they would have hit enemies and there would have been fighting and take them away the long way.
But they're there. And this is showing us the way he's going, the care he has for his people. But it's also with his people. It's not just that he's leading his people by the way. But he gets some. His divine presence. To show them where they're to go and to be a protection to them, a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. This is God showing that he really is with his people. He's been showing them this and all these different plagues that have gone throughout the land. But now he's showing them that he is with them in a special way.
And I love this part as well, that Moses remembered in verse 19, that they were under an obligation from Joseph. In Genesis chapter 50, Joseph had made the people swear that they were going to take his bones away, that they would return them to Canaan, the land of promise. Joseph trusted the promises of God. And now Moses and the Israelites are seeing the promises of God come to fruition.
I have a hard time in this section actually finding one verse to underline. I mean, maybe verse 18, maybe verse 18 would be a good one. So God led the people around the way by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea and the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. Might be a good one. But verse 19 is kind of thrown in there also about Joseph's bones. Help me out. What would, what would you, what would you underline in your Bible as the best verse?
I think connected to this with calling is do we have that same faith that Joseph did, that Moses did, that the Israelites did, that God was going before them, that God was with them? Do you trust that it is God who directs your steps? Do you believe his promises, even though you may die? Do you believe that what he has said is true?
I think this is one of the things that Christians have struggled with for years. I think Paul talks about this in First Thessalonians, when Jesus has returned, has promised to return again. But what happens when Christians die? Doesn't change anything.
We're the ones who wait in our graves for the resurrection because he's promised it's going to happen He's promised he's going to return and so there's hope So Do you trust in his promises? Do you trust that he is true and that he is still leading his people That the Redeemer of his people is not going to leave us and forsake us Let's pray father.
You are good and your ways are perfect. We pray, Father, that you would help us to love you and follow you, to trust in your ways. Thank you. Thank you that we have a sure hope because you are truly God. In Jesus's name, amen. Well, may the Lord bless you. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, and I'll see you next time. Bye.
Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue. Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.