Faith of the Israelites
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In this sermon in the Faithbook series we will look at Hebrews 11:29-30 which profiles two very different Israelite generations, the generation of the Exodus and the generation of their children who finally entered the Land of Promise. It is a study of second chances as we see the lost opportunity at Kadesh Barnea and the regained opportunity at Abel Shittim on the doorstep to Jericho.
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Faith of the Israelites
- 1. Connecting with God’s Faith-filled Friends
- 2. Search Faithbook Home Israelites Edit Profile We are trapped!!! What will God do next? Elohim 5 hrs How fast do Pharaoh’s chariots sink? Watch and learn! Pharaoh’s Army 4 hrs We have this sinking feeling. Groups Ex Hebrew Slaves Jacob & Joseph
- 3. Challenges on the Road of Faith Hebrews 11:29-30 Exodus 14 Israelites Edit Profile Israelites Challenges on the Road of Faith
- 4. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Marvin Pipkin
- 5. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Hebrews 11 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.
- 6. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD.
- 7. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
- 8. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
- 9. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 13 And 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.
- 10. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
- 11. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites First Post God understands the challenges we will face on the road of faith.
- 12. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites God imposed the first detour. Comment
- 13. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 13 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
- 14. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 13 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
- 15. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites 1 Corinthians 10:13 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
- 16. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Second Post Although God will not tempt us beyond our limits, He will take us to the limit of our faith at times.
- 17. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
- 18. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’
- 19. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Exodus 14 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
- 20. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Third Post God provides us with a second chance when we stumble badly on the road of faith.
- 21. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Hebrews 11 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
- 22. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 7 The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
- 23. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”
- 24. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
- 25. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.
- 26. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
- 27. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
- 28. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
- 29. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
- 30. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
- 31. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Joshua 3 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. Numbers 13 1 From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” Another gathering of 12 men
- 32. Joshua 3- Jordan River 15As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” Numbers 13 22And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Another miraculous water crossing
- 33. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Yet another gathering of 12 men 1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, Joshua 4
- 34. Challenges on the Road of Faith Israelites Yet another gathering of 12 men 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” Joshua 4
- 36. Connecting with God’s Faith-filled Friends
Editor's Notes
- Frosting Lightbulbs Years ago new engineers in the Lamp Division of General Electric were assigned, as a joke, the impossible task of frosting bulbs on the inside. Eventually, however, an undaunted newcomer named Marvin Pipkin not only found a way to frost bulbs on the inside but developed an etching acid that gave minutely rounded pits instead of sharp depressions. This materially strengthened each bulb. Fortunately, no one had told him it couldn’t be done, so he did it. Bits and Pieces, December, 1989, pp. 20-21
- Hebrews 11 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.
- Exodus 14 10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.
- 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
- 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
- 13 And 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.” Do you notice the difference between these two accounts? The text in Hebrews places its complete emphasis upon the faith of the Israelites. The narrative account in Exodus 14 paints a more conflicted picture.
- First Post God understands the challenges we will face on the road of faith.
- Comment: God imposed the first detour.
- 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
- 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Notice that God understood both the strengths and weaknesses of His people.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
- Second Post Although God will not tempt us beyond our limits, he will take us to the limit of our faith at times.
- Exodus 14 1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
- 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’
- 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am theLord.” And they did so. The Challenge of Pi-Hahiroth The Israelites were freed slaves, not soldiers. That is part of why God spared them from passing through Philistine territory. However, they were not blind to the most obvious military strategy – Never back yourself into a place with no retreat. It is not at all clear that Moses communicates God’s strategy to the Israelites. They are simply told to wander aimlessly with their backs to the Sea. Their faith is revealed in the closing words of verse 4: And they did so.
- Third Post God provides us with a second chance when we stumble badly on the road of faith.
- Hebrews 11 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. Between Hebrews verses 29 and 30 of Hebrews 11 are 40 very long years of judgment. The author of Hebrews is intent upon highlighting faith. In verse 29 he celebrates the faith of the generation of the Exodus who exercised great faith in stepping into the Red Sea. In verse 30 he celebrates the generation of Israelites who under Joshua’s leadership obeyed God’s bizarre command to walk around the walled city of Jericho until God brought the walls down with a shout. These are two amazing moments of faith. But what is in between them? A great lapse of faith! These are not the same generation. The generation who had the faith to cross the Red Sea lacked the faith to enter the Promised Land. Their fear of walled and fortified cities and giants caused them to shrink back. Their faithless decision at the doorstep of the Promised Land led to a severe judgment… only the two men who showed faith, Caleb and Joshua, would enter into God’s Promised Land. The rest of this generation would pass and pass quickly… all dead within 40 years. In Joshua 3 God speaks to a new generation of Israelites, standing in the same spot where their parents and grandparents lost their faith.
- Joshua 3 7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
- And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”
- 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
- 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.
- 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
- 14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
- 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
- 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
- 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
- It’s easy to get these stories mixed up. In Numbers 13 the 12 men are spies, 10 of whom lack the faith to enter the Promised Land. They are sent out publicly with the full knowledge of the people. Joshua does not send out 12 spies. That didn’t go so well the last time. He sends out two spies, secretly, in order that he might gain some intel before the Battle of Jericho. There is no question in Joshua’s mind that Israel is going into Jericho. He is simply doing what any great general would do before a battle. So, who are these 12 men who follow the priests into the Jordan? What is their purpose? Hold onto that question.
- Next, we see that the Israelites of Joshua’s day experience another miraculous water crossing. Obvious similarities, but differences: In the crossing of the Red Sea, God parted the water and then the people passed on dry ground. However, in the crossing of the Jordan, the waters didn’t divide until the priests set foot in the water. This time God required a first step of faith.
- Yet another gathering of 12 men 1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
- 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” Here is that number 12 again. 12 men are selected. 12 stones are removed from the center of the Jordan River. Why 12? Joshua explains that this is the number of the tribes of Israel. The 12 stones were erected into a tower which was to be a perpetual reminder to future generations of the place where the Ark of the Covenant stood as Israel crossed the Jordan. But I think that not one of that generation missed another connection.
- Here is the route of the Exodus. 40 years earlier 12 men were sent out. 10 blew it. The nation suffered judgment, wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Notice how 40 years of suffering looks so insignificant on a map. Just a little circle. But that circle was a powerful judgment of God. For a generation, Israel wandered with no purpose or hope. They were travelers without a destination. They were a generation whose dreams lay shattered just south of the Land of Promise. These gatherings of 12 men… this tower of 12 stones. Was this God rubbing Israel’s nose in it? Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a precious moment. God is bringing an end to his righteous judgment. After 40 years of faithless wandering, the journey of faith is resumed. God is giving his people a second chance. We all have some Kadesh Barnea in our lives… some moment where we shrank back. Some place where God set a challenge before us, but we lacked the faith to trust him. And we’ve all experienced the aimlessness and frustration that follows that lapse. Whether it’s a lapse into sin, or a failure to step out in faith, we experience the same thing Israel did at Kadesh, a sense of having stepped out of God’s blessing. However, I think one of the greatest truths of God’s Word is that he will not leave us in our Kadesh. God always has an Abel Shittim. Notice that God did not bring the Hebrews back to Kadesh. That opportunity for an easy entrance from the south was lost. This time God brought them to Abel Shittim, just opposite one of the biggest most fortified cities in Canaan, the walled city of Jericho. The challenge was greater. The test of faith far more demanding. I think we have a tendency to speak glibly about how God is the God of the Second Chance. He is. But don’t miss the lesson of Abel Shittim. After you stumble badly, you may well find that your second chance comes with an even greater challenge. Why? Because God is growing faith in you.