Epilogue: Relying on God in Days of Pandemic

Now these things happened to them as an example,
but they were written down for our instruction, 
on whom the end of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:11

Exodus 17:1–18:27 – ... with God in Days of Pandemic
Second Sunday of Pentecost – June 14, 2020 (am)
   

There is a word we need to be familiar with, a celebration, lest we appear to be insensitive about a magnificent event that has happened in our nation’s history, an event for which praise was given to God when it happened and should be still today. Juneteenth, from June 19th in 1865, is the common name for the celebration of the emancipation of all slaves in the wake of the Civil War. One of its names is also Jubilee Day, capturing the joyful freedom and restoration of that 50th-year celebration in Old Testament Israel. And many historians have noted that much of the abolitionist movement was rooted in the gospel and the principles of God’s Word. So, even in the midst of the confusing mixture we’re seeing these days where peaceful protests are so often being eclipsed by illegal rioting and other kinds of shameful activity, this is one joyful occurrence that we should not lose sight of in our nation or even in our hearts. Never let the unrest of the present moment dull our appreciation for an event of such immense national significance.

I have purposed during this year to make some sort of statement on each national celebration of freedom. Juneteenth is not yet a national holiday, but I believe it soon will be. And it is one which we as believers need to understand, appreciate, and acknowledge as a great day in our history, uniquely manifesting the grace of God upon us as a nation.

Introduction

I think we need one more installment to our Pandemic series. I want to read a story from Israel’s wilderness wandering that could benefit us not only now but at any season of our journey through this life.

Israel had recently been delivered out of Egypt by the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God, His ten plagues poured out as [judgment] on all the gods of Egypt (12:12), finally allowing them to go free, to head out across the wilderness to the land God had promised to their forefathers, with an extended stay along the way at Mt. Sinai where they would receive God’s law. 13:21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. And God led them not by the most direct route toward their future home; that would have taken them through the land of the Philistines, but Israel didn’t yet have the stomach for war (13:17), even though they were equipped for [it] (13:18b). 18a [So] God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.

But then Pharaoh’s heart was hardened once again (14:8) and he mobilized his whole army to chase them out into the desert and bring them back. When Israel saw the army of Egypt closing in on them, and their only hope of escape was blocked by the shoreline of the Red Sea, they were absolutely terrified! Forget for the moment all that they’d already seen God do back in Egypt, their present circumstances were the definition of an impossible situation! 14:13 [Even so] Moses said to the people, “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. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”  Then 14:15 The Lord said to Moses, “…. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand—the sign that God is intervening (cf. Kaiser 465)—over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through… on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they… go in after them…. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

And that’s just what happened; the Egyptian army was swallowed up in the collapsing waters of the sea. But as Israel came out the other side, thirsty, they doubted yet again that God could meet their new and pressing need. Three days with no new water source, a nation in the desert; and when they finally found one, its water was undrinkable. How would you have reacted? 15:24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

Next came manna, bread from heaven every morning to feed 603,550 men twenty years old and [up] (38:26; Num.1:45-46), plus women, children, and elderly. Then quail appeared every evening, like miniature chickens, so they could also have some meat! (16:12)

So, this was the situation as we arrive at our passage this morning. All this is background to appreciate what happened in the next three parts of this history Moses recorded. Israel could have no doubt that God was with them, that they were His chosen people. He had just delivered them miraculously out of their slavery in Egypt, then again from the advancing Egyptian army. He was miraculously providing food for them, and water. He was leading them in a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, so there was no way in the world that they could think they were lost, or late, or alone! And what enemy would attack them when a column of fire stood by them all night long? So, what happened next?

Water from the Rock – Part 1

17 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Israel Defeats Amalek – Part 2

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro’s Advice – Part 3

18 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country. So reads the story.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians about this very stage of Israel’s history, saying, these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction (1Co.10:11). These accounts are here in the text for us to learn from them—how to live as God’s people. And we need to learn how to live as God’s people in our day, during our own exodus out of our slavery to sin and death, during our wanderings across the wilderness of this world as we encounter our own experiences of lack, and of need, and of all-out battle. We need reminders that God is for us, that we are His people, and that our provision and protection and victory and flourishing are blessings that only He can bestow.

• We need reminders that even when we feel like we’re out in a desert with no water—and especially when we feel like we’re there not by our own doing but because we’re caught up in somebody else’s plan—our God can bring water from a rock to satisfy our thirst!

• We need reminders that God is with us even in our battles in this world, and that our victory is entirely in His hands.

• We need reminders that even in the daily activities of our service to God, the exercise of our gifts, the faithful pursuit of our calling in Him, the achievement of His appointed end is going to require the assistance of other believers.

All of these lessons come to us from the instruction (1Co.10:11) in this text. And they come in real life circumstances not unlike the ones we’re facing in our day. Now, we’re not in a desert, and we’re not at war, neither are we administrating a whole migrant nation. But we’re facing a season of trial that can sort of make us feel like we’re in a desert with no water, like we’re in an unexpected battle with no control over the outcome, like we’re out of our depth and the demands of this season are well beyond the range, the scope, of our gifts.

As our family read and reflected on this passage recently, it occurred to me what a faithful reminder it is for us in these strange days, how this text might do for us just what it was given to us to do according to Paul (1Co.10:6, 11). So often when we read it, we want to plead with Israel: Just trust God! He’s trustworthy! He just delivered you from Egypt and opened up the Red Sea for you to escape their pursuit. He’s giving you food in the desert! And drink! Just trust Him, Israel! And I believe that what we’re tempted to preach to them is just what we most need to hear ourselves! We can’t just overpower a season like this! We can’t just decide it’s not going to bother us or frustrate us or fool us or get us down. We were made for community—especially to worship in community—for fellowship, and for faithful service. We can’t expect to make it through the wilderness of these days without getting thirsty, without being attacked from the rear by an unprincipled enemy (Deu.25:17-18), without realizing that our personal resources just may not be equal to the needs of this moment all by themselves!       

When we’re thirsty in a desert like this one, we could shatter our staff beating it on a rock! But no water will come out unless God Himself sends it! So, go to Him with your thirst! Don’t just complain! He’s always been faithful to Provide for His children. And He’s not only provided water from a rock but eternal salvation from a cross! Our God can satisfy any thirst in any desert!

When we’re attacked where we’re weakest by a nasty opponent, one that sneaks up on us from behind when we’re faint and weary (Deu.25:17-18)—think: an old, destructive habit seizing on our weakness and isolation as we’re separated from one another—our God is our only hope! We’re not trained for battle in days like these! We’ve never seen days like these! How could we have been prepared? Israel wasn’t trained in war yet either. But victory doesn’t come from weapons and training! Victory comes from the Lord! We can’t so much as lift our arms to bring about the salvation of the Lord! In fact, if all we need to do is hold up our hands to achieve His salvation, we’re too weak even for that! But our God can bring us the victory! And He will!

Even in our day to day responsibilities, if faithfulness to God is our aim, we’re in over our heads! We need one another! We were made to function in community. And we can still function in community, even during these days—loving one another, helping one another, encouraging, challenging, strengthening one another in the grace of God. Our God has equipped us for this purpose and He can achieve it among us, even now!

Conclusion

This is what it looks like to rely on God in days of pandemic. But here’s the bottom line for our encouragement, reminder, instruction, comfort today: our God can work through any means to meet us in our need in absolutely all circumstances! Therefore, He can be trusted! He’s entirely reliable! Our God can meet our need through direct intervention, even providing water from a rock for a whole nation in the desert when that’s the hardship at the moment! Our God strengthen us in response to our faithful acknowledgment of Him, as we just lift our arms to Him in prayer right in the midst of a nasty battle! Our God can even guide us through the wisdom of this world if He purposes to use it, just as he led Moses through the recommendations of Jethro! Our God is reliable! We can trust him! And we need to trust him in the midst of trials of all sorts.

We don’t need to waste our time evaluating and worrying about our circumstances, complaining about the frustrations and absurdities of this world, or of this season. We just need our eyes to be fixed on our God Who meets us by any and every means in any and every circumstance for His glory and our good in this world. He has promised to do so and He is faithful. Trust Him today. Trust Him every day. Rest in our God. Rely on Him. And in so doing, bring Him glory in this wilderness of a world until He finally delivers us from it forever.