Follow God in Freedom and Responsibility

“… And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle” (Exodus 13:16).

It happens. We get what we want. Sometimes. Then what?

The story of the Israelites and Moses shows us that life after victory often gets messy. We can even experience a sense of buyer’s remorse. That is, we got what we asked for, but we didn’t realize that it would cost us something in return.

Responsibility had been given to Israel. And responsibility involves accountability.

The cries of the people for freedom were heard. The answer was embodied in the leadership of Moses. He raised the rod of God and the plagues came to wreck the empire of Pharaoh.

The night of Death for the Egyptians became the night of departure for Israel. An urgent order went out from the throne. The slaves were to leave – right away. And they didn’t leave empty handed.

The Israelites enjoyed their first taste of the spoils of triumph. They went on a fabulous shopping spree. They could claim whatever they wanted – gold, silver, jewelry, and fine clothes.

The fear of death brought such terror that the Egyptians allowed themselves to be plundered – by a throng of slaves. The ones who labored in the mud pits and produced bricks for noblemen’s homes, rulers’ tombs, and idol shrines danced away in silks and necklaces and earrings.

That must have been quite a sight. I am sure there was lots of singing and celebration as the Egyptians wailed over their dead. Imagine the noise and shouts that went up. Decades of pain and oppression had come to an end.

For the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a whole new way of living dawned after that midnight. “And the people went up out of the land. …”

God is There

Once on the journey out of Egypt, the people had to adjust to the reality that comes with freedom. Slavery was in the past for these chosen ones. No longer would they be subject to task and to toil. The lash of the whip would not snap and scar them when they lagged behind on their work.

How they would spend their moments, hours, and days was now on them. How would they respond to this? Responsibility, or the ability and the right to respond, were given them by God.  They would have to learn to work, eat, and play the right way.

Choices have to be made. Eyes must see. Ears must hear. Hearts must answer. Minds must think, consider, and decide.

Choices have to be made. Eyes must see. Ears must hear. Hearts must answer. Minds must think, consider, and decide. Share on X

What was it that their eyes first saw? An amazing manifestation of the Presence of the Lord: “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night” (Exodus 13:21).

God was with them.

They had to recognize this right away. For long seasons they had been praying to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He had probably seemed distant and uninterested to them.

They were not alone. They had never been alone. Now it was clear to them that He was there.

All that was left for them to do was follow that Cloud. Right?

It was easier said than done, I am sorry to say. Especially since the Cloud led them down to the Red Sea.

Was this the end? What was to come next? Just think of some of the questions that must have been raised at that time.

Do we swim to the other side? Do we do like Noah and make arks to float to safety?

Making matters more distressing, the Egyptians were coming and coming fast and furiously. The chariot force of Pharaoh had been dispatched to recapture the escaped slaves who had stupidly wandered to a place with no way of escape.

The people feared greatly. They thought that this was most certainly a dead end.

“They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 14:11).

They are saying all of this with hands full of the stuff they grabbed as they hit the road out of Egypt. And not a few of them were ready to head right back to the life of slavery. “It would be better for us to serve the Egyptians … “ (Exodus 14:12).

Following the way of the Lord involves faith and faith involves learning how to wait and wait upon God. When all was said and done, a spectacular moment of power would be seen.

See the Salvation of the Lord

First, God had a word for these people to hear. “… Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14).

Instruction in living for the glory of the Lord started right there. Fear not. Stand firm. Be silent.

Those are not the easiest things to do, by the way.

Fear not? We hear chariots. We’ve never fought a fight. We’re slaves, remember?

Stand firm? Well, that’s perhaps the easy one. We can’t go anywhere anyway, not with the water before us.

Be silent? Now here’s the one that will prove to be the most difficult of all. It is still difficult for all of us. We just don’t think that being quiet is the thing to do. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, the saying goes.

Instruction in living for the glory of the Lord started right there. Fear not. Stand firm. Be silent. Share on X

Consider this, the Cloud was still there with them. In fact, once the enemy army got too close, this same Cloud set up a defensive position between the people of Israel and the Egyptians.

During the night, the Lord opened the sea and dried out the path leading to other side. You know the story. All of Israel went through, and when the Egyptians foolishly gave chase, the waters were set loose to drown the soldiers, charioteers, and horses.

You’ve perhaps seen the magnificent Hollywood production “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston as Moses. That whole scene is one of the all-time classics in movie-making.

Soon the Israelites were singing and shaking their tambourines. The horses and their riders had been thrown into the sea.

“The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:2).

Well, that joy faded. It lasted about 45 days as we see at the beginning of Exodus 16. The people got “hangry” and demanded food and lashed out at Moses. “… You have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

Even with their grumbling, the Cloud and the Fire did abide with them for the Lord, is a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15).

Again, the Lord answered with His provision. He made a way for them to eat. He did it by sending manna – food that came with the falling of the dew during the night. “… Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not” (Exodus 16:4).

The Long Way Home

Here’s the thing: these were infant believers and God was developing their hearts of faith. Some would never get the point. Even stranger scenes of rebellion can be read about. It would take 40 years, but the people of Israel would get their homeland. The Promise of God would be fulfilled despite the failings and faithlessness that would come and go.

The Bible is not collection of superhero stories with grand finales and happily-ever-afters. Struggles and misunderstanding remain as plagues in us until He brings the New Heavens and the New Earth and the New Jerusalem. That glorious day shall arrive.

But, until then…

We must learn to follow Him, and part of our learning process involves facing difficulties and just plain waiting. One writer put it this way: “Waiting is living on what you know about God when don’t know what’s true about your life” (Mark Vroegop).

He is here with us. He promised to be present whenever and wherever two or more are together in His Name.

Praise the Lord, for He shall triumph gloriously.