The miracles of the wilderness
Exodus 14:1~13, Joshua 3:1~13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” (Exodus 14:13)
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #405 What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine (#458 in previous version)
Today’s Scripture says, “I am Jehovah God who brought you out of slavery from Egypt.” We must hold onto the covenant of God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. In the same way that God took hold of the Israelites and allowed them to cross the Red Sea, we must also cross the Red Sea. This is the way to experience God’s power. We must surely have this experience in our lives.
1. Crossing the Red Sea
After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites experienced many miracles while in the wilderness. God allowed them to cross the Red Sea to demonstrate His power to Egypt and to punish them. This event demonstrated God’s power to the world and produced realistic faith in the Israelites, changing their ideas and their habits. There is a lesson we can take from this. We need to hold on to the covenant and renew ourselves, and because God’s plan is steadfast, we need to firmly hold on to it. In the same way that the Israelites experienced many miracles, we need to experienced God’s power every day in our lives.
2. Jordan River
For the same reason that God allowed the Israelites to cross the Red Sea, He also allowed them to cross the Jordan River. He wanted to convey the message that the problems in the past were solved and that a new age of new grace was dawning. That is why they experienced these two similar events. In the same way the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, just as they followed the Ark of the Covenant, we must embark on new paths while holding onto God’s Word.
3. Now
God has given us a sure covenant. If we hold onto the covenant of Christ, the kingdom of God will come upon us and we will experience His power. If we hold onto the covenant, and if we put our efforts into praying we will experience works for us individually and for our churches. The evangelist Paul experienced this. Through today’s pulpit message, if you hold onto the message and begin to pray, works like crossing the Red Sea will arise.
-What does it mean to cross the Red Sea? Using today’s meditation, ask yourself how the Gospel is relevant to your life. Write down what you resolve to do now and make an effort to accomplish it.
New Believer Retreat Lecture 2 / 2010.3.16