The glory of the United States includes many geographical features such as the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, the barren Mojave Desert, the fruitful plains of Kansas and the morning fog of the Smoky Mountains. This glory also includes the fusion of many ethnicities, foods, languages and cultures that compose our society. Furthermore, we also have the ideals of hard work, the entrepreneurial spirit, the freedom to create and the freedom to worship. All of these elements combined create the glory of the United States. Likewise, the glory of God is the combination of His character traits which include, but are not limited to, His faithfulness, mercy, justice, wisdom, truth and grace. If one of these traits is removed or even remotely diminished, God is no longer God. Today’s passage from Exodus 14 twice records that God will pursue and receive glory over Pharaoh so that Egypt may know that He is the LORD (Exodus 14: 4,17). And, within this same chapter, we see three ways that God pursues His own glory. One way is…
God pursues His own glory in salvation
At the beginning of Exodus 14, we find the Hebrews (Israelites) in a desperate situation as they were caught between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian army. And, as humans often do, the Hebrews responded by doubting and questioning; Specifically, they asked why Moses brought them out of Egypt and (in their minds) into a worse situation (Exodus 14: 10-14). What was Moses’ response? Some translations read “stand firm.” Others say “stand still” (Exodus 14:13). In this very specific moment, God, through Moses, is telling the Israelites the following: Do nothing. Be silent. Yahweh will work. Yahweh will fight. And, as we learn by reading this passage, the Israelites see His deliverance and salvation a second time (the first time being when Pharoah released them) when God provided safe passage through the Red Sea and brought about the total destruction of Pharoah and his army (Exodus 14). So, who receives the credit for Israel’s deliverance and who gets to claim responsibility for Israel’s salvation? The answer is God alone! Salvation is never a joint partnership between God and the individual. It is not even 99% God and 1% you. Salvation is wholly and completely of the LORD (Ephesians 2:8-9). Friend, you may be asking if the deliverance and salvation God provided to the Israelites applies to us today. The answer is a resounding Yes! God provides eternal salvation to us through the redemptive work of His son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17) (Romans 6:23-24). However, the ONLY way to escape God’s judgment and to obtain this eternal salvation is to accept this free gift. As Romans 1o:9 says, we must confess and believe. No other belief or action(s) on our part will accomplish this. Have you accepted God’s salvation and, if not, will you do so today?….
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