And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. Exodus 14:15.
God in His providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses before the sea, that He might manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved them in any other way, but He chose this method in order to test their faith and strengthen their trust in Him. The people were weary and terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God would never have opened the path for them. It was “by faith” that “they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land” (Hebrews 11:29). In marching down to the very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet.
The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, “Go forward.” We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, “Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly:” but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.
The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the Hebrews a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path..
Conflict and Courage p. 92
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Prayer Requests
—–Tomorrow is Eileen’s cardiologist’s appointment. Please pray that all will be well. Rose
—– A young family friend passed in a car accident the other day. She was on vacation in Daytona Beach with her family and decided to drive back to school in _____ – she was finishing her first year at ______ University. She fell asleep and hit a pine tree on the side of the road. Chris
—– It is with heavy but grateful heart, Roy’s brother, Larry went to be with our LORD at 3:33 am this morning surrounded by his loving wife and his daughters. He fought a great fight with brain cancer and was an inspiration to all in our family and to all who knew him. Rosalie
—–Pray for the pastors & team as they prepare the Michigan Campgrounds for the thousands of people who will be coming Fri & onward. Marion
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Dear Friends,
While my mother was living with us a couple of years before she died, Ron put in an 04Revival video tape for us to watch. As soon as a close-up of Pastor Doug Batchelor’s face came on the screen, my mother became interested. “This is unusual.” I thought. After a few minutes she remarked, “Who is that? That man looks like your great-grandfather.” Then she went on to describe her memories of her grandfather. Suddenly, memories of old photos flitted through my mind. She was right. Winfield was not as bald and his face was a little fuller, but the features looked remarkably alike.
That incident sparked my interest in Winfield Scott Harmon’s family tree. When I did a search for his name in the computer, the first entry was the genealogy of my great-grandmother, Ada Delight Austin. As I traced it down, I noticed a few mistakes in spelling and birthdates. I looked farther down the page until I found an email address and sent in the corrections. I have since researched it very far back and found some interesting things.
When I was in my early teens, my mother had decided to trace our genealogy. She had discovered an old family Bible from her mother’s side of the family. It had names and dates beginning in the late 1700’s. It really sparked her interest. She began to want to know about her ancestors.
Normally, different art forms took all her energies when she came home from work. Whether she did solid embroidery, made animals of fur fabric, or etched Plexiglas, she did it to perfection. This talent, she inherited from her father, who had gotten his artistic talents from his mother. She spent hours researching her “family tree.” Her best source was the older relatives, who could not only give names and dates, but could give interesting details about the people. Carefully she transferred all the information to a large roll of paper. She was very detailed in the various “branches” of the family tree. When she had her mother’s side done to her satisfaction, she then traced her father’s side.
In God’s Holy Word is traced the early genealogy of all mankind. “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not, for God took him.” Gen 5:21-24 For many years I have made various charts and graphs listing the ages of the Patriarchs from Adam to Jacob. It’s fun to do.
Paul gives us more information about the longest-lived ancestor of us all. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Heb 11:5, So, in all reality, Enoch is the oldest living man. That Enoch was also a prophet there is no doubt for Jude quotes him, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 14
The Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim 3:16, 17 And so it is. By knowing that Arphaxad was born two years after the flood, we can know when Shem was born and just how old Noah was at the time. This little boy must have given those eight people such joy, such hope. Here they were, the only people in the entire world. It must have been overwhelming. Then two years after being protected from that devastating flood, here was a new life. The first of many. Soon the earth would again be populated. Soon it would be teeming with billions. They would not be alone.
Let us read with interest every part of God’s Word. Let us find the hidden gems within those long genealogies. Let us, by every Word of God be assured that since God’s hand is over all, we can trust Him with our own life.
Rose