The Pillar of Cloud and Fire (Ex. 13:17-22)
Hallelujah. I’m standing before you today instead of Pastor Park who is in Korea for the World Missionary’s Conference. I hope that you will pray for him a lot so that he may conclude everything he needs to do in Korea and come back with a healthy spirit and body. Let us greet the people to the left and right of us.
If you look at Ex. 13:21 in our main scripture today, “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.” That is why, today, I will give you the Word entitled, “The Pillar of Cloud and Fire.”
1. Jacob who came to the land of Egypt
1) Joseph who became prime minister of Egypt
When the Israelites were still living in the land of Canaan, Joseph went to Egypt and became the governor there, and he invited his family and his 70 relatives to come to Egypt as well, and that’s how the Israelites began their immigrant lives in Egypt.
(1) Joseph who chose the land of Goshen – Goshen which the Egyptians detested
Joseph wanted his family to live in the land of Goshen in Egypt. The land of Goshen was slightly north of Egypt, but it was a place that worshiped the god of the sun, and it was also a pathway to take them to the land of Canaan, and it was a land where many animal-raisers lived. So, that is where a lot of the people who raised animals lived, and in Egypt, because they lived next to the fertile Nile River, they loved agriculture and farming, but they looked down on people who raised animals. So, even though all the land of Egypt looked down on the land of Goshen because they were animal herders, that Joseph, who had the most power second to the Pharaoh, would prefer the land of Goshen, would seem foolish and strange.
If it were me and I would go there as an immigrant, I would tell my father, “If you send me to the Pharaoh, don’t ever tell him that you were a herdsman in the land of Canaan. Tell the Pharaoh that, while we were living in the land of Canaan, we were farmers and had a very large fortune. Then ask the Pharaoh to build you a very luxurious villa mansion right next to the palace so you could live next to your son who is the governor.” If he had requested that, then without a doubt, the Pharaoh would have listened to the words of Joseph, because we can express in some sense that the Pharaoh owed a large debt of gratitude to Joseph.
(2) Joseph’s power
Because of Joseph, not only did Egypt survive the large famine, but all of the Middle East was able to survive the famine, and Egypt had risen to be the most wealthy, superpower nation. However, Joseph was not somebody who would use his authority for his own benefit for the benefit of his family. Joseph’s father Jacob stood before Pharaoh and expressed himself exactly as it was, “I was a herdsman in the land of Canaan, so please allow me and my family to remain in Goshen.” It is possible that the Pharaoh who heard the words of Jacob was shocked by it. Even if Jacob had requested to live in the palace, Pharaoh would have to acquiesce to that, but because Jacob was asking to live in the detestable and looked-down-on land of Goshen, the Pharaoh was probably letting out a sigh of relief. There are many times when we may have to make a similar decision, but we need to do that, fully acknowledging the results and consequences of those actions.
(3) Joseph’s resolution (Gal. 6:8)
Gal. 6:8 says, “Those who reap for their flesh will rot, but those who reap for their spirit will gain eternal life.” Because of Joseph’s resolution, the Israelites living in the land of Goshen could not make a name for themselves, and they could not climb the rungs of Egypt, and eventually, they would become slaves. However, this was not a problem at all for Joseph who had the covenant. Joseph was more worried about, “What would happen if my family comes to Egypt and begins worshiping the gods of Egypt and loses hold of our God?”
2) Our resolution for temple construction
(1) Responsibility, burden, difficulty
Our church is also currently holding onto the prayer topic of temple construction and thinking about what to do. We need to carry forward, already acknowledging the fact that, when we are taking on this responsibility of temple construction, it may result in a lot of difficulties.
(2) Opportunity for devotion given by God / Blessing that is used as God’s tool
However, something to keep in mind is, as we do this temple construction, it is ultimately an opportunity to devote and serve the Lord, and God will use us as the main figures of temple construction to save this age. Even though I’m a lifelong member of the church, there are not many people who are members of temple construction. In the Old Testament, King David wanted to do temple construction so much, and he prayed to God for it, but he was not able to fulfill that will, and God gave that blessing of temple construction to his son, King Solomon.
(3) Blessing for generation after generation
If we are able to participate in this temple construction, then I believe that these works will be recorded in the book of life and God will rain down upon our future generations great blessings.
3) Jacob’s death
(1) Joseph’s brothers threw themselves down (Gen. 50:18)
17 years after the Israelites had gone into the land of Egypt, Jacob passed away at the age of 147. After Jacob passed away, Joseph’s older brothers were very worried in case Joseph was still resentful of them for trying to kill him and selling him off as a slave, that he might seek revenge to kill them. Gen. 50:18 says that his brothers were so worried that they threw themselves before Joseph and said, “We are your slaves.”
(2) God who changes evil to good (Gen. 50:20, Rom. 8:28)
However, Gen. 50:20, Joseph forgives his older brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Joseph did not even have a heart of resentment towards Potiphar’s wife who had imprisoned him with a false accusation because Joseph firmly believed that God is Someone Who uses evil for good. There is a word in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
(3) Forgiveness and reconciliation (Eph. 4:26)
Are there any of you who are potentially harboring resentment in your hearts? I hope you will look at the heart of Joseph today and let all of that go. What do you think would happen if there was a fight between the pastor and his wife? There was a time in my earlier years when my wife and I would fight. There are some people who look kind of strange whenever I tell them that pastors can have household fights as well.
It wasn’t anything large, but one Saturday afternoon, we decided to go to the beach, get some fresh air, have a nice dinner there, and then come back. So, I was waiting in the driveway in the car, but my wife was not coming out. A little while later, my wife did come out, but by that time, I had already become angry, so I snapped at her, “What was taking you so long?” It was unfortunate because even though we did leave that day for the beach, we were arguing in the car, we didn’t have dinner, and we just came back. After we came home, my wife was just glaring at me, she locked herself in her room and hid under the covers and cried. I said, “Fine,” so I stayed in the guest room that day, then in the morning, on Sunday morning, I couldn’t even eat breakfast, and I went to church. It took about 40 minutes to get to church on Sunday morning, and we didn’t say a single word to each other on the ride there, and we looked at the church bulletin when we got there, and the title of the message was “Do Not Be Angry.” When the sermon started, it was almost as if the pastor was speaking to the two of us directly.
I thought, “Wow, God is really precise. How did He know we were in the middle of a household fight and He gave us this message specifically?” Every single week, the message was just beating my wife and me up. For some reason, my heart felt so relieved as I was listening to these words. I hope you believe the most precious of all massages is God’s messages.
While the pastor was giving his message, he gave the message of Eph. 4:26 of, do not be angry, and if you are angry, do not let the sun set on your anger so you will not sin, and he was looking directly at us. When the pastor and I made eye contact, I could tell there were sparks in the air and my heart just dropped. So, the entire day, I was pretty much being beaten up by the entire message, and at the very end, I greeted the pastor, saying, “I received a lot of grace today.” Even with these tiniest of issues, we have so much anger, and we keep that anger overnight, but what about Joseph’s situation? Joseph forgave his older brothers who tried to kill him and sold him into slavery, and even Potiphar’s wife who falsely accused him and sent him into prison. God saw that heart and that faith inside of Joseph and used Joseph in a great way and made Joseph prosperous no matter where he went.
2. Pillar of cloud and fire
1) Joseph’s death
(1) New leader appears in Egypt
As the years passed, Joseph passed away, and all of the people in Egypt had also changed as well. When the leaders of Egypt saw the Israelites in their land becoming more successful and fruitful, they began to get worried and more concerned.
(2) Persecuted the Israelites
So, in order to prevent the Israelites from becoming more abundant, the Egyptians used a new, very stern policy that would enslave the Israelites and prevent them from being more fruitful. Because the Israelites were under such great suffering, they began to cry out to God.
(3) God who heard the groans of the Israelites (Ex. 2:24)
It says in Ex. 2:24 that, “God heard their groaning and he remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.”
2) Called Moses
(1) Let my people go (Ex. 6:11)
In order to bring His people, the Israelites, out of suffering, God brought Moses out of Midian. In Ex. 6:11, God told Moses, “Go, tell Pharaoh King of Egypt to let the Israelites out of his country.” However, Moses was a refugee and a runaway and a murderer who, 40 years ago, killed somebody in Egypt, and was hiding in the wilderness of Midian. Even though Moses might have been imprisoned for that murder if he returned back to Egypt, he stood before the Word of God and obeyed.
(2) Plan of salvation for the Israelites (Ex. 12:5-7)
He shouted before the Pharaoh to let the Israelites, the people of God, go. However, the Pharaoh was so stubborn, he did not listen to the words of Moses. Finally, God prepared a very serious disaster where all the firstborn children of Egypt would be killed, and God would save the Israelites through the blood of the young Passover Lamb. In Exodus 12:5-7, God commands the Israelites to take out a young lamb, pure and clean of any defect, and on the 14th day of the month, to slaughter the lamb, eat the meat, and put the blood of the lamb on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their homes, then wait.
(3) Passover / Blood of the lamb (Ex. 12:13)
In Ex. 12:12, on the night where God would go through Egypt and kill the firstborn child, on that same night, “I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn, and the blood of the lamb will be a sign to pass over your house.” The 14th day of that month is still commemorated as the Passover because that is the day when the disaster of the LORD passed over their house when He saw the blood of the lamb on their doorpost.
The blood of the lamb that set the Israelites free from Egypt was a sign to show that the Christ will come to shed His blood and save all of mankind. From that point on, the Israelites would shout out, “The blood of the lamb has saved us.” The blood of the lamb has so much power that it is able to control the life of man. They confessed, “We are the people of God who have been saved by the blood of the lamb.” They said, “The blood of the lamb has saved us from all our sin, and has liberated us; it is the blood of power.” “There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb.” This is our confession in our praise today.
3) Exodus of the Israelites / Pillar of cloud and fire
(1) Pharoah surrenders / God who guides them into the wilderness (Exodus 13:17-18)
After the Pharaoh saw that the blood of the lamb had freed the Israelites from these disasters, even stubborn Pharaoh let the Israelites leave, and they were able to have Exodus after 430 years of slavery in Egypt. If you look at our main scripture, Exodus 13:17, when the Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them through the Philistine country even though that was shorter. God said, “If they face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” Instead, God led the people through the desert road towards the Red Sea. If they had just gone through the road in Philistia, they would have gotten to the land of Canaan in ten days, but God let them loop around and go around the wilderness for 40 years.
(2) Moses who left with Joseph’s bones (Ex. 13:19, Gen. 50:25, Jos. 24:32)
But for God, it is never an issue whether the pathway is long or short, whether it takes 10 days or 40 years. God’s will was that all the Israelites would be obedient to God’s Word and God’s time schedule, and they would all arrive in the land of Canaan eventually. Even though the Israelites were in such a rush to get out of Egypt, it says in Exodus 13:19 that Moses, their leader, had taken with him the bones of Joseph. In Gen. 50:29, Joseph passed away before his older brothers did, and he made them swear an oath. He made them swear, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” Back in those days, there was no written language for them to write down these oaths comfortably, so they had to relay these words from mouth to mouth, and for 400 years, they remembered this, and Moses brought Joseph’s bones out, which was a great line of faith.
So, not only did Moses bring Joseph’s bones out of Egypt, but he was holding onto those bones for the entire 40 years of difficulty in the wilderness. Josh. 24:32 records that, after the Israelites had fought countless battles and gone through many difficulties, they buried the bones of Joseph in the land of Shechem. This was such an amazing act of faith.
(3) God who sent the pillar of cloud and fire (Ex. 13:20-22), Protected and guided day and night (Ps. 121:4)
If you look at our main scripture passage, in Ex. 13:20, “And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.” Starting from that point on, from Ex.13:21-22, it says God led them through their way with a pillar of cloud in the daytime and a pillar of fire in the nighttime so they could travel by day or by night. God is not Someone Who just tells you to go through the wilderness and makes us figure out a way on our own. In Ps. 121:4, it says, “He Who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” During the day, God would bring about a pillar of cloud, such that in the scorching heat of the desert, they would be able to have shade and go in comfort. Then, during the nighttime, when the desert would be frigid cold, God would send a pillar of fire that would warm the people of Israel like a heater.
During that time, I’m sure the people of Israel thought the pillar of cloud and fire was a necessity in their lives that they could not live without. I hope that they realized that this pillar of cloud and fire was their unique and only way to go into the land of Canaan, it was their way to life. In the day and nighttime, the Israelites would all be looking towards this pillar, and when the pillar of cloud and fire moved, they would have to move; when the pillar of cloud and fire stayed, they would set up the camp and stay there. So, the 40 years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness was a time for them to receive training, for every single day, to look up into the heavens and receive the pillar of cloud and of fire from God.
3. Israelites who faced the Red Sea
1) Israelites who resented and complained
As they were following this pillar of cloud and fire, they were faced with the Red Sea. They were facing the Red Sea, and there was no way for them to cross, so they looked behind them to see if there was another route. The evil Pharaoh had sent a large army to the Israelites to try to bring them back into slavery. So, the Israelites just plopped down where they were, in such despair, they were resentful of God and resentful of their leader, Moses.
(1) God will fight (Ex. 14:14)
In Ex. 14:14, Moses said to the Israelites, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The Israelites were just waiting around, hoping the LORD would get rid of the army of Egyptians that was pursuing them.
(2) God commands them to move on (Ex. 14:15)
Then in Ex. 14:15, the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” The Israelite people would think God would fight against the Egyptians who were trying to kill them and defeat that army, but instead, God explained to them to walk into the Red Sea. For us Christians, we are not the type of people who would stand in front of an obstacle like the Red Sea and turn around. For us Christians, if we have a command from God, then no matter what difficulty or obstacle we face, we go through it. Christianity, every single day, we are growing closer and closer to the gates of heaven until we one day stand before those doors. For us Christians, we are not even afraid of the den of lions, but instead, we sing praises there.
“By the Father given, how can you faint, and why this delay?” I hope you will believe you are a type of Christian that, no matter what kind of difficulty you face, you will always sing hymns and praise, “Why are you discouraged in the face of difficulty? The Holy Spirit is with you, so let us march on.”
(3) Pillar of cloud goes behind the Israelites (Ex. 14:19-20)
When the Israelites were marching towards the Red Sea, following God’s command, the pillar of cloud and fire, which was always in front of the Israelites, moved to behind the camp. When the pillar of cloud and fire moved behind the Israelites, between the Israelites and Egypt, it was completely dark for the Egyptians, and they could not follow the Israelites.
2) God who splits the Red Sea
(1) Strong east wind, dry land (Ex. 14:21-22) / Israelites who crossed the Red Sea
If you look in Ex. 14:21-22, “Moses stretched his hand over the sea and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with the strong east wind and turned it into dry land,” so the early morning the next day, all of the Israelites were able to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. Hallelujah, how great of a work of God is this?
(2) Egyptian army pursued them (Ex. 14:23)
In Ex. 14:23, the Egyptians pursuing the Israelites saw the Israelites cross the Red Sea, and followed them with all their chariots and horsemen.
(3) Destruction of the Egyptian army (Ex. 14:27-28)
Then in Ex. 14:27-28, after the Israelites had all crossed through the Red Sea, Moses stretched his hand over the Red Sea, and God broke through the walls that were holding the water in place, and all the Egyptians were drowned. Even though all the Israelites were able to make it safely across the Red Sea, all of the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea, so why do you think all of this happened? It’s because the Israelites were following the Word and command of God, and that is the way of salvation, the way of life. But instead, the Egyptian army was following Pharaoh’s command, which are the words of a person, and that is the way of destruction and death.
3) Red Sea that modern man faces
(1) Pillar of cloud and fire of the Word (Jn. 20:31, Ps. 119:105)
Even in today’s world as we are living, we may face obstacles like the Red Sea in our lives. Without a doubt, when we face a situation like this, God will send us the pillar of cloud and fire today as well. But something you must remember is that the pillar of cloud and fire we have today is not visible to our eyes. I hope you will believe that the pillar of cloud and fire God gives us today is the pillar of cloud and fire that is given by God’s Word. John 20:31 tells us the reason why God gives us this Word, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing, you may have eternal life in His name.” Psalm 119:105 confesses, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” It means that if we follow the pillar of cloud and fire today, that becomes a light and a lamp upon our path.
(2) God who provides a way out (1 Cor. 10:13)
1 Cor. 10:13 says God doesn’t give us temptations or tests that we cannot handle, and when we are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up and bear it. It is a promise of God’s Word, that if we are following the pillar of cloud or fire, no matter what temptations or obstacles we face, God will guide us through it with power.
(3) Uncourteous guy (Phil. 4:13)
I will conclude today’s message with just one relevant example. There was an elderly person who was exercising on a bike in a park, and there was a small five-year-old child who was approaching, and he wanted to talk to this child. He started talking, saying, “You’re very cute, little child.” The little child said, “No, I’m not cute. I am handsome.” The elderly person said, “Oh, you’re getting taller.” The child said, “No, I’ve always been this tall.” The elderly person said, “Oh, you speak very well.” The little child said, “No, this is nothing, I used to speak even better before.” Then, the man said, “Do you want me to teach you how to ride a bike?” Then the little child said, “No, I’m really good at riding my tricycle, so I don’t need to learn how to ride a bicycle.” The title of this example is, “The uncourteous guy.”
As I was listening to this example, I was laughing to myself, it’s very funny. I was thinking, “Maybe I’m a rude person before God, just like that little boy.” I began to wonder, what if it’s the case that God is trying to show me all of these wonderful things, but I’m saying, “I don’t need any of it”? Right now, God is approaching each one of us and telling us that He has a way for us to live on this earth correctly and well. I wonder if I’m saying to God in response, “I don’t need Your Way, God, because I’ve been living on this earth for 86 years and I know better than you do.” I wondered, “Perhaps I’m the rude person. When God is trying to show me the way to live on this earth, eternal life through the pillar of cloud and of fire, I’m being very rude, holding onto my thoughts, my standards, and my judgments that I’ve raised up in life.”
Phil. 4:13, Paul confesses, “I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.” I bless you sincerely so that as God gives you the Word of God, which is the pillar of cloud and fire to guide you through life, may you have victory in this life.
Conclusion
1. God who listened to the Israelites who cried out in the midst of suffering
2. God who saved the Israelites through the blood of the lamb of the Passover
3. God who guided His people by the pillar of cloud and fire.
Message Prayer
Let us think of the Word that we were given today and pray.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Prayer
God, we thank You. God, we thank You for allowing us to give You the offering of the materials that You have given to us. God, we pray that You will bless these hands and that You will pour Your blessings upon all of our businesses, our jobs, and all of our work. God, we pray that you will use all of us so that we may be used to spread God’s Kingdom and to save many lives. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Benediction
Now the God Who is guiding us today with the pillar of cloud and of fire, with the Word, we desire to be the ones who follow the Word of God well through all these different obstacles. We believe that the path we are walking will follow God’s commands to the gates of heaven. And we desire to live with the power and the strength that comes from God every day. We thank You, Jesus, Who is always guiding us with the pillar of cloud and fire. Now, we pray that the grace of Jesus Christ, the power of God, and the filling, working, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will be upon us, always and forever.