8

One of the most vital aspects of genuine prayer is learning to listen. It is of the utmost importance that we learn to listen to all the Lord is attempting to say to us.

In our previous study, our focus was on those events which related to the initial attempts made by Moses to get Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. He failed! Pharaoh's reaction to this request was both negative and extremely defiant. He ordered the Israelites to be subjected to even more stringent demands which resulted in greatly increased suffering. When these measures were applied, the Israelites turned against Moses. They demanded that he stop interfering in their situation and leave them alone.

Moses was caught completely unprepared. Both by the defiant response of Pharaoh, and by the negative reaction of the Israelites. In his confusion, he turned to the Lord in prayer. He suggested that the Lord had not done all He had promised to do. The Lord had not failed. The problem was with Moses! He had failed to listen to everything the Lord had said to him.

For us to be effective in prayer, and to be effective in service, we must listen to the Lord ... giving very careful attention to every aspect of the Word which the Lord speaks to us. Moses had to learn that lesson. So must we. "The LORD said unto Moses, Now thou shalt see what I shall do!" From that point onward, Moses did give the closest attention to everything the Lord said to him.

In the following chapters which reveal all that the Lord set about to do, Moses listened very carefully to everything the Lord spoke to him. He faithfully followed the Word of the Lord in each detail. As he did so, he witnessed the Lord working in great power. The result: Pharaoh was brought to his knees and compelled to let the Israelites go!

"The LORD spake ... saying!" Moses was listening. At no point did Moses attempt to act on his own initiative. He had learned the lesson well -- this was God's work. It must be done according to God's will. This required that everything be done according to God's Word.

"Now, thou shalt see what I shall do!" This new command of the Lord may have been unexpected, especially as it would place the Israelites hard against the Red Sea. From the human perspective, such a move would appear to make the camp quite vulnerable. Some may have wanted to suggest that it made more sense to go around the end of the Red Sea. Such a suggestion could accomplish two goals. First, it avoided the barrier of the Red Sea. Also, it would make the people less vulnerable to attack.

The Lord's work in His servant Moses had been well done. Moses now knew better than to attempt to second-guess the Lord. He made no attempt to either question or debate this direction which the Lord gave to him. Moses had reached that level of spiritual maturity where he was fully convinced of one fact. It was completely unimportant to give any consideration to what he himself thought on any issue. The decision was not left to his judgment. The Lord decided!

This decision had been made by the Lord. Moses accepted it as an essential aspect of the perfect plan and purpose of the Lord. All aspects relating to the directions which they were to follow were totally in the control of the Lord's sovereign will.

The Lord still knows what is best in every area of our lives and our service today. He knows which is the right way for us to take -- the only way by which His perfect plan and purpose for our lives can be achieved. We never have any reason to question His Word. nor to doubt that His motivation is always directed to accomplishing the highest good in our lives in every area.

"For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in!" (v. 3)

The Lord was committed to making His perfect plan for His people an actual reality. In His sovereign power and authority He certainly could and would do that. He had perfect knowledge of any and every possible circumstance which may in any way affect His plan. For example, He had perfect knowledge of the heart and mind of Pharaoh!

The Lord knew every thought Pharaoh was thinking. Yes, the king had been so greatly impressed by the incredible evidence of the amazing glory and power of the Lord. "Who is the LORD?" (Exodus 5:2) Pharaoh now had a much greater respect for the Lord and all that the Lord could do. Yet the Lord also knew that in his great grief and deep humiliation, Pharaoh was still seething in anger ... that nothing could make the Egyptian king happier than to find some way to be able to reassert his own power and authority.

The Lord also knew that Pharaoh was being kept fully informed concerning the movements of the Israelites. Also, when he heard where they had camped, he would see that as a golden opportunity for him to get back at them. The Lord knew that Pharaoh would jump to the conclusion that either the Israelites, or the Lord, or both, had made a fatal mistake ... a mistake which he was all too ready to use to achieve his purposes!

The Lord knew! The Lord knows! In every difficult situation which confronts us ... in every seemingly impossible circumstance, the Lord knows -- everything! He knows every thought and fear... every evil intention of those who may be seeking to hurt us... every detail of all their scheming. He knows -- everything. He not only knows, He is perfectly able to deal with everything which may develop. Trust Him!

"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I AM THE LORD. And they did so." (v. 4)

There is a most significant spiritual principle which is revealed in this development. The Lord knew that, at best, Pharaoh had most reluctantly yielded to the Word and the power of the Lord. In his heart, the king still harbored great bitterness and strong resentment. In himself, Pharaoh was violently rebelling against the thought that he had to give in to ... the Lord!

Therefore, the Lord was about to effectively apply His influence so as to motivate Pharaoh to reveal his true attitude. It is in this we find the meaning of the words, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart." (Exodus 4:21) The hardness and bitterness were already there. The intervention of the Lord, as He influenced the thoughts of the king, would fully expose all that was in his heart.

It is so important that we today clearly understand what this means. The intervening influence of the Lord, exercised in answer to prayer, can result in either positive or negative expressions. It all depends on what the Lord sees is already actually in the heart of the person concerned!

When He sees a genuine positive faith and obedience, and the desire to honor and glorify Him, His influence results in strengthening those attitudes and revealing them. But when He sees negative bitterness, unbelief, and rebellion, the effects of His influence expose the true condition of that person's heart. This is all as true today as it was in the days of Pharaoh.

The king, expressing the bitterness and the rebellion which he harbored in his heart, would move to attack the people of God. In doing so, he would find himself once again subjected to the almighty action of the Lord in judgment and condemnation. Man may be so foolish as to attempt to shake his clenched fist in the face of God, but in so doing, he guarantees his own inevitable and utter defeat!

"I will be honored!" The thrilling challenge which comes to us from this statement is so inspiring. God will be honored, whether that honor comes to Him from His demonstration of the complete futility of all negative attitudes to Him, or, as He so graciously uses positive attitudes to reveal the wonder of His mighty works, in blessing in the lives of His faithful people.

The choice is ours! We can choose to be the positive instrument which brings greater glory to the Lord, making this choice out of a deep love and devotion to Him and His will. What an amazing privilege this is for us today.

They shall "know that I AM THE LORD!" "Every knee should bow … every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2: 10, 11)

"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?" (v. 5)

It had actually happened. The very thing which Pharaoh said he would not let happen -- the Israelites were leaving Egypt! They had so arduously served for so long as the slaves of the Egyptians. This was an arrangement which Pharaoh was determined to perpetuate. But now ... they were actually leaving! The consuming bitterness and resentment which both Pharaoh and his people harbored became uncontrollable. At that point, their thinking became irrational.

"Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" Did they imagine that they had had a choice? Had they forgotten so quickly: "The Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men!" (Exodus 12: 33) They had no choice! None!

God had promised His people, "I AM THE LORD! I will bring you out!" Once the LORD had made that commitment, there was absolutely nothing which the Egyptians could do to turn back His almighty hand. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) That is the glorious, unchanging reality ... even for us today!

His blind anger and irrational bitterness goaded him into launching into the most suicidal mission which any man has ever undertaken. Insanely driven by the most intense resentment and frustration, he hurled his entire military machine into inevitable and total disaster.

His heart was so hardened ... so utterly coarse ... so irreversibly insensitive! God had announced: "I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, that the Egyptians may know that I AM THE LORD!"

It was happening! It is happening! Even as it is being witnessed by all those who have the eyes of faith to see ... by all whose hearts delight to honor and glorify His Name. "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!" (Romans 8:37)

"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD." (v.10)

As far as their experience and expectations were concerned, the Israelites believed that they had entered into a dramatic new era. The very Egyptians, who for so long had held them in slavery, then urged them to leave the country. They not only thrust them out, they provided them with everything the Israelites asked for!

Now, these once-captive people could set their faces toward their new life in the land which the Lord had promised to give them. They felt that all of the terrible experiences of the past would soon be nothing but a dark memory. Yet, just when it appeared that they could forget the Egyptians, there they were once again. The Egyptians were marching after them!

This was another unexpected development ... for the people ... but not for the LORD! He knew that the enemy would not so easily quit. This meant that He could give His people one final, ultimate victory! This unexpected development was the first real test to be faced by the Israelites as they began their new life. They had already seen the many incredible things which the Lord could do. How would they respond in the face of this ominous threat?

The first real test! It would certainly not be the last! All those who want to walk with God, with the desire to do His will for His glory, must expect to be tested ... opposed ... attacked! We have already seen so much of the glorious things which the Lord can do. How do we respond to the threat?

In the crucial moment when they realized they faced this ominous threat from the Egyptians, their new-found faith in the Lord collapsed! Undermined by groundless fears, their joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving faltered, replaced by anguished and hopeless cries!

It was this negative personality trait which had marked them from the beginning. We saw it at the time when Pharaoh rejected the approach of Moses and added to their bondage and suffering. At every point of their travels, whenever any difficulty arose, this same negative trait is expressed. It is not surprising that they all fell in the wilderness, so far short of God's ultimate goal for their lives.

Those who desire to experience the great blessings of the LORD must also be willing to meet great trials. .. to meet all such trials in faith and loyalty to the Lord. Blessing and testing cannot be separated. The potential blessing will be lost if our reaction to testing reveals a negative reaction which does not honor the Lord. The true blessing is first claimed in the fires of testing, as faith triumphantly conquers fear and claims the victory for the glory of the LORD.

"And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?" (v. 11)

"Moses, you are to blame!" We face terrible and inevitable slaughter out here in the wilderness. It is so obvious that our situation is totally hopeless. There is no possible way of escape. The Egyptians will annihilate us!

"Moses, you are to blame!" Abject terror had completely twisted their minds. Moses did not bring them out of Egypt. God did! He did not bring them out to die, but to live! To live free as His people.

They saw only one thing -- the Egyptians inflicting incredible carnage. God still saw deliverance -- victory! Their wild accusations were so totally unjustified. And yet, they were so easy to explain. They saw man ... not God! The rest was inevitable.

How we today need to make sure we learn the lessons which are so obvious in these developments. We must discipline ourselves to continually apply the principles revealed. Look to Jesus! "Thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ." (2 Corinthians 2:14) The Christian who does apply the Biblical principles will continue to walk in the light ... will be more than conqueror!

"Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." (v. 12)

"Let us alone!" It is impossible for us to make it in this so-called new life of faith! We never know where the severe tests are coming from. We cannot be comfortable with all this uncertainty. The cost involved in living this new life is much too high.

"Let us alone!" We would rather be slaves enduring the bondage of Egypt. Then our lives were predictable. At least we knew who it was who would be making us suffer. We would much rather have that than this!

"Let us alone!" The shame and anguish of that life were far more acceptable than the uncertainty which we must face in this new life.

There are so many who cry out ... as though the unpredictable inevitably means defeat ... or, the unknown must lead to failure. The uncertainty of when, where, what, or how the trial will come, means we know not what! Yet, in God's marvelous grace, this was the assured way of deliverance for them. It was the highway to the abundance of new life ... the path of victory. "The just shall live by faith!" (Hebrews 10: 38)

It is our choice: to see such things from man's perspective , or, in the light of God's promise, to see everything from His perspective. The Israelites chose man's perspective. They did so continually. Their words, "that we should die in the wilderness!" became a self- fulfilling prophecy. They did die in the wilderness ... by their own choice ... the result of repeatedly rejecting the Word of God.

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you to day." (v. 13)

Moses stands out in stark contrast to the people who accused him. It is the total difference of the man of prayer who had humbly learned the lessons of faith, over against the crowd who never really wanted to learn such essential spiritual lessons. Moses brushed aside their vicious accusations. He pointed them to the all-sufficient answer: “The LORD!”

"Fear ye not!" There was absolutely no reason to fear. Rather, there was every reason for faith. "Stand still!" Stop this wild senseless panic. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) Take the time which is required to actually experience the personal presence and involvement of the Lord. By faith "see the salvation of the LORD!"

The Lord had brought them to this point. He was fully prepared to deal with the threat posed by the Egyptians. He will bring His people through victoriously. HE WILL! Look in faith to Him. Such faith always excludes all fear! Faith sees the invisible! Faith claims and rests in the guaranteed involvement of the Lord Himself.

True prayer expresses the dynamic of this faith. It sees the Lord personally with us as He promised! His personal involvement brings to us far more than we could ever need to be more that victorious in every situation.

These very Egyptians ... the ones whose presence had aroused such great fear ... stirring terrified apprehension! These Egyptians who had the Israelites convinced that everything was lost. Think about it! Moses was talking about the very Egyptians to whom they were willing to surrender in abject cowardice, allowing themselves to be made slaves once again!

These Egyptians! Forget them! God was not about to let them do anything. They will not, cannot have their way. God was committed to reveal to them the wonder of His amazing honor. "I AM THE LORD!" Because of this, you will never see these Egyptians ever again! God was on the move to declare His glory, which meant that the Egyptians were about to suffer such a defeat; they would never recover from it.

Because GOD ... that is the affirmation of the faith of the man of prayer! It still is! GOD is the only vital circumstance for the person who truly prays the prayer of faith.

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4: 4)

The prayer of faith focuses on the promised and guaranteed commitment of the Lord. Thus, such prayer claims the victory. It is this application of faith to which Moses called the Israelites. It is through this same application of faith that we are called to live -- in victory!

Is it any wonder that Moses told the people, "Ye shall hold your peace!”? Their words of accusation and complaint had been saturated in unbelief revealing "an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3: 12) The time would come when the resurgence of that evil heart of unbelief which turned from the living God would result in God turning away from them! "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3: 19)

The Lord in love so graciously seeks to lead His people in victory. If we are listening, we will still hear Him saying to us, "According to your faith be it, unto you."

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." (v. 15)

The Lord responded to the negative reaction of the Israelites. He challenged their weak surrender to fear. He rejected their foolish willingness to concede utter defeat so quickly. God was not impressed! Yet, God's Word was addressed to Moses, not to the Israelites! "The LORD spake unto Moses, Why criest thou unto Me?" Why?

The reason is simple. Moses, the man of prayer had accepted the responsibility of being the intercessor. He was the one who was walking by faith. He was stating confidence in God and His Word, revealing a steadily increasing commitment to be true to the Lord.

God spoke to him because God could speak to him. By contrast, the Israelites were consumed by abject fear and desperate apprehension. God could not speak to them. They were not listening to Him. They had given up on God. His Word had been brushed aside, His will ignored. To make Himself heard, God had to speak to Moses, the man of prayer.

How accurately this situation illustrates the condition of so many who profess to be Christians today. There are vast numbers who claim to know the Lord who are not listening to Him. Many of them are completely preoccupied with all of the cares and problems of life. Their minds are dominated by anxiety and fear. Others are distracted by pleasure or compromise with the world. There are a variety of other things which claim their total attention.

God still seeks for: A person of prayer. An intercessor! Those who are attentive to Him, listening for Him to speak to them. The Lord can and will use such people. He can trust them to hear and respond to Him. There is no person more important than: the person of prayer. This was true in the time of Moses. It is still true today.

In all of their bitter complaints and self-pity, all they could think about was ... going back ... to Egypt ... to bondage! In their view, going back was the only alternative to certain death! God said, No! Neither! Neither was His will nor His plan for them. He had intervened in power to set them free from bondage. His will was life! ... freedom! “Go Forward!" Go on in the will of God. Press on in obedience to the Word of God. Refuse to consider any other alternatives.

Moses had already expressed the strong positive hope of the man of prayer: "See the salvation of the LORD!" God fully sustained this challenge of Moses, and added to it. Moses walked with the Lord! He was confident! God vindicated his confident faith and witness. "Go forward!" To go forward is the way into the full salvation of the LORD! The way of assured victory.

This is still God's call. Even when the opposition is so threatening and ominous. Even though the way ahead may appear to be impossible. God still challenges: "Go forward!" Believe! Trust! Obey! God is seeking to lead His people into the full benefits and blessings of His glorious salvation. The absolute assurance of: Victory! Believe Him! "Go forward!"

"But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." (v. 16)

There was but one man whom the Lord could use to make this deliverance a glorious reality -- the man of prayer, Moses. This one who was listening to the Lord, who not only heard the Word of the Lord, but would faithfully obey.

How could God ever use those who were so preoccupied with their complaints that they spend no time in prayer listening to Him? We need to continually discipline our thinking with the goal of keeping ourselves in the center of His will. Being committed to continually listen to Him ... hearing His Word ... responding in faith and obedience.

The salvation of the Israelites was guaranteed. The Lord required the one simple act done by the man of prayer. "Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea." That act of obedience, used by the mighty power of God, meant: "The children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea."

"And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen." (v. 17)

Pharaoh had dared to issue that challenge: "Who is THE LORD, that I should obey His voice?" God was about to give His final answer to that utterly foolish challenge. For both Pharaoh and all his military forces, God's final answer meant their utter defeat and destruction!

God demonstrated HIS HONOR! The impact was unmistakable. The name of THE LORD was, and is, triumphantly exalted for all to see. "The Egyptians shall know that I AM THE LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, and all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen."

"And the angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them." (v. 19)

The primary role of the angel of the Lord was to guide the people in the way chosen for them by the Lord. The presence of this angel gave constant assurance to the people that they could move ahead with confidence. In the face of this ominous threat from the Egyptians, the angel undertook another role. He placed himself in a defensive position. Standing between the Israelites and those who were intent on attacking them.

Again, what an exciting demonstration of the Lord's continuing commitment to His people today. He is always seeking to faithfully lead us in His will so that we can go forward with confidence. Yet, when any threat is made against His people, He immediately moves to their defense. Any enemy who seeks to attack or destroy us has to get through Him to get at us! Thank the Lord for that reality!

"And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel ; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night." (v. 20)

To the Egyptians: Darkness! Confusion! With the result that they were unable to carry out their planned attack! They were so well-equipped ... so determined to have their own way ... resolved to annihilate the Israelites. Yet it was all completely futile.

To the Israelites: Light! Confidence! Assurance! Comfort! Revealing to them that their God was in total control. He was at work for their salvation in great power. Their safety, security, and victory were all guaranteed.

This was the key factor! God had prepared, trained, and equipped one man -- Moses! -- as the man of prayer. He was the only one the Lord needed ... the one whom the Lord could, would, use with great effectiveness. One man, through whom the Lord would reveal His great glory as He demonstrated His victorious answer.

One person God will speak to and use... and that is the person of prayer. He will use them effectively ... victoriously ... to demonstrate the wonder of His great glory. He seeks to do so continually. God will do so only in answer to prayer! "God never does anything, except in answer to prayer!"