February 1
Ex 13:17-15:18 | PS 26 | Prov 6:16-19 | Matt 21:23-46
Pastor Raul Ries of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs was attending class in seminary years ago in which the professor who held to a liberal view of the Bible, was presenting a skeptical account of the events recorded in Exodus. He dismissed the Red Sea crossing as laughable considering there are areas of the Sea of Reeds which are very shallow and would be easy to pass. He posed the question to the professor, if the Israelites passed through such a shallow body of water how could he explain the entire Egyptian army drowning in this same body. Skeptics have always pointed to this account. Some have even questioned the Israelites ever being in Egypt. The book and movie titled, “Patterns of Evidence” has answered many of these questions, even finding the probable tomb of Joseph and his brothers in the land of Goshen. The current site for Mt Sinai and the Red Sea crossing was inaccurately decided upon by Queen Helena in the early 300’s AD, when she marked many of the historical sites for the Catholic Church in Israel. But a better site from the narrative which has been corroborated by a number of archeologists is the passing through the Gulf of Aqaba and Mt Sinai actually being in what is currently Saudi Arabia. Findings for this site include a column placed by King Solomon on both sides of the gulf approximately 1000 BC commemorating the crossing. The beach in Nuweiba could have handled the 2.5 million Israelites. This location fits the narrative of being entered through a narrow passage and flanked on either side by mountainous areas. There is an area in the sea directly in front of this area which is shallower than the rest of the sea with a depth of only around 100 feet. Also, this area is rather wide and as opposed to the rest of the sea has a mild decline and incline (only around 5 degrees). In addition, there is little coral in this region, but the coral found has the appearance of chariot wheels. Why this long discussion on the archaeology? Because the Bible is 100% true. In fact, when history and the Bible disagree, the Bible is always archaeologically correct. You can trust what you hold in your hands. Please read Exodus 14 slowly to take in the events of the Red Sea crossing. As an aside the Gulf of Aqaba and Mt Sinai are in Muslim territory and are closed to westerners for further investigation.
We must understand and accept that what God said happened, happened. So many things, including archaeology has revealed this. What God says will happen, will happen. We must stop arguing from the position of opinion and rest on the authority of God's Word which is always true. When Jesus was confronted by the "authorities", He wasn't trying to prove that He was right, He was right, and therefore in debates He did not push from a position of pride, but to enlighten those He knew did not see the truth. We pick up the confrontation in Matthew 21:23, "When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” The miracles, the prophecies fulfilled, the authority of His words were not seen by these "leaders" as they were blinded to what was right and wrong. Rather than prove Himself right, He posed a question exemplifying the blindness, the lack of a desire to really understand on the part of the leaders, as we read in 21:24-27, "“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” We read Jesus' conclusion in 21:28, "And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things." Jesus will not force in truth when the vessels before Him are closed and full of themselves.
We read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, " All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." When the Israelites left Egypt as described in the book of Exodus, we must realize that God's ways do not necessarily make human sense, as we read in Exodus 13:17-18, "When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle." God then led them to an area where they were seemingly trapped on the beach in Exodus 14:1-3. When the just freed Israelites who witnessed so much in the way of God's miraculous hand were threatened, their lack of faith was apparent as we read in 14:10-12, "As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”" We must learn to stand on the solid ground of God's truth as conveyed in His Word, whether we are during times of ease or times of turmoil, He is the same God, and we must always remember the promise in Romans 8:31, " What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?"
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: