3rd June 2024

3rd June 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 14:15-31 focus v15-20)


Message (Alan Burke)


As we come to this passage the Lord we have to remember that the Lord had put his people in this situation, they were crying out because the Lord had brought this upon them. He didn’t do it because he had some vindictive sense of humour, giving with one hand and taking with the other, no, he was doing it for his glory and their good. Back in v10 the people cried out to the Lord because of the situation that they were in and now the Lord responds to Moses and says, “why are you crying out to me”. It was the people who cried out to the Lord not Moses.


Moses though was the peoples representative before the Lord, he was acting as their mediator. How we should understand this is that the Lord saying to Moses “why are you crying out to me” is not direct at Moses and his actions but is directed to him as the peoples representative. The Lord is saying to the people' “like seriously, have you lot not got with the programme yet, have you not understood who I am, I’m right there with you, see that big pillar of cloud that turns into fire at night, remember the plagues in Egypt, how you’re now freed from that”. I could add much more that is being conveyed with the words “why are you crying out to me” but you I’m sure get the idea.


The Lord has heard his peoples cries, they didn’t need to cry out to him, in a sense it was the right response but it was needless, what they needed to do more than cry out to him in those moments was to trust in him. But they had taken their eyes off the Lord and were filled with fear. A fear that what lies ahead of them was too great and they lost sight of the greatness of their Lord. There are some preachers who will promise you that if you put your faith in Christ then the Lord will spare you hardship, you will have healing, that you will have happiness but that wasn’t what had happened here for the Israelites. In fact the Lord today places trials, testing and suffering in our path not to harm us, to trip us up but for our best, to refine us, to help us so that we would persevere. Now this is for some of us a wee bit uncomfortable to hear but that is because we live this life where we see that trials, testing, and suffering is something that we try to avoid at all costs.

Here the Lord was going to use what his people faced to bring himself Glory. How the Lord would have the glory we will see but right at that moment the Israelites were oblivious to what the Lord was doing, how the Lord was going to work, if indeed how he would work. While fear consumed them in that moment as what they faced seemed bigger than God, God is bigger than anything that faced and he was working out what was unfolding for his glory. It is the same for us, none of us know what lies ahead, how he uses those trials, temptations, sufferings for his glory but he does. We do not know what the future will bring, we may not understand but the Lord is at work in all that is unfolding for his own glory. His glory is the reason why the Lord made all that is, why he created the heavens and the earth and it is the reason why he saved the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt and it is the reason why he saves us from sin, it is for his glory. The Lord knows what ways is best, he never leaves us, he brings glory to himself through us and the Lord delivers his people.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q55 What is forbidden in the third commandment?
A. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God maketh himself known.