Today's reading: Exodus 15; 2 Corinthians 6
Today’s Exodus reading goes well with the 2 Corinthians 4 reading from a couple days ago, specifically in terms of the “light momentary afflictions” we discussed.
I can guarantee that when the Israelites heard the rumbling of the chariot wheels and turned to see the full army of Egypt trapping them against the sea with no route to escape, they did not consider that to be a light or momentary affliction. And yet, that’s ultimately what it was.
God explicitly says a couple chapters prior in Exodus that He isn’t taking them the direct route into Philistia lest they see war and get dismayed, so instead He brings them here. He brings them to a place where they are faced with war, with no chance to run away from it before He can show them what He is willing and able to do on their behalf. So while all they know at the moment is that they are about to be slaughtered or put back into worse slavery than before, what God knows is that they need to experience His miraculous deliverance so that they won’t be afraid to go in and take possession of the good land that He has waiting for them.
And it works! Kind of…
If you look at the song they sing after God’s deliverance, they specifically call out the fear that grips Philistia as they hear what God has done. Rather than being afraid of the war they are going to be facing, they are emboldened by the power of their God to go in and take possession of what He desires them to have.
Now later on they are going to forget that and turn back in fear from the prospect of war at the border of the promised land, but the truth remains that God brought Israel to, and through, this “light momentary affliction” to prepare them for the better things He had in store, and to give them a tangible bedrock memory to look back on to assure them that God is good for His word and can be trusted.
God, there is no way the Israelites, trapped between the army of Egypt and the sea, could have had any idea what you were doing or why, but the fact remains that you are a good and trustworthy God who was moving in history for their good and for your glory. Give me the faith to trust your goodness and sovereignty in the midst of my sufferings and fears. Remind me, in those times, of your great faithfulness. Remind me that I don’t need all the answers and I don’t need to understand why it’s happening in order to trust in your goodness and to know that, no matter how hot the fire, I am not walking through it alone. You have proven yourself, time and time again, worthy of all my trust. Keep my heart settled in that truth and never let the light momentary afflictions I face turn my eyes away from you.
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