Why God Uses Miracles

Well, good afternoon everyone. It’s great to see you. Always a pleasure.

Do you believe in miracles? Yes. Actually, it should sound more like this. Do you believe in miracles? Yes. Some of you may remember that call. It was considered one of the greatest sports broadcasting calls in sports history. A group of college students, the US hockey team, had just beaten the Soviet Union. And Soviets were considered unbeatable.

And you had this group of young men who just shocked the world and beat what was considered the best, one of the best teams in hockey history in the Soviets. It was the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. And those six words, do you believe in miracles, and the answer being, yes, were definitely well remembered. Many of you probably remember hearing about it.

My brother and I love watching sports. It’s one of my hobbies, one of my indulgences. I like to follow sports and different sports teams, and sports are something that are, you know, big part of my life. But even I have to admit as an avid sports fan to call that a miracle, I think is a stretch. Was it amazing what occurred? Sure. Was it unexpected? Definitely. No one expected that team to be able to win.

But to call it a miracle, was there anything supernatural that happened on the ice that day? I’d have to say no. No. The miracle on ice. You had these young men that they trained. I’m sure they worked very hard and did everything that they needed to do to try to win. But once again, to call it a miracle, I didn’t see any natural laws that were defied or anything like that. Any laws of physics.

Now, I know brethren, maybe I’m picking on the miracle on ice. It’s probably a figure of speech. You know, I do get it. But for some people, those are the only miracles they ever experienced. The only miracles they ever really know, some random event, something maybe that was unexpected, that was surprising, but that’s the only miracles they know. Now, we as God’s people, brethren, we know better. We know that miracles exist, miracles are real, that they happen.

Miracles are how God works with His people. I would consider miracles to be one of God’s most significant tools in His toolbox, if I could put it that way. One of the most significant tools that He has in order to work with His people. And the children of Israel, you think about this time of year, the spring Holy Days; think a lot about the children of Israel. The children of Israel experience many miracles during their time in Egypt.

In fact, that time, their time in and around Egypt was considered one of the most miraculous times in human history. Many, many miracles took place during that time. And there’s much, brethren, there’s much that we can learn from Israel’s experiences. And as I mentioned, especially as we go into the spring holy days, there’s much that we can learn from those experiences, including those miracles. And that’s what we’re going to do today.

Today we’re going to explore the miracles that God performed for Israel while they were in Egypt. And I want us to understand exactly why God used them, exactly why God uses miracles. Now, before we look at specific miracles... we’re going to go through many, but before we look at many specific miracles, I think it’s an important couple of questions to ask. First of all, what is a miracle? You know, I talked about, you know, winning a hockey game against all odds, people calling that a miracle. So I think it’s important, brethren, as we go into it, to understand what is a miracle. And the second question is, who are miracles actually intended for? So what is a miracle, and who are they intended for?

Now, I could define miracles in a couple of different ways. There’s a couple of different ways to do it, but for my purposes today, I’m going to define a miracle as a direct intervention from God. A miracle is a direct intervention from God. It can be an event. It’s often supernatural. And it’s something that only God could orchestrate. It’s not time and chance. It’s not something that’s just a coincidence that happens. It’s a direct intervention from God.

In the Bible, Brethren, the Bible is filled with such events. Turn to Exodus fifteen. Exodus chapter fifteen. Exodus chapter fifteen verse eleven. Exodus chapter fifteen verse eleven. Read it here. “Who is like unto you, O Lord, among the gods? who is like you, glorious and holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” So you see that word, wonders there. That word means miracles.

So whenever you see the word wonders in the Bible, think miracles. And that word wonder definitely fits. It points to something being unusual or something that’s unique and definitely undeniable. And when it happens, it leaves people wondering like, “Wow, how did that happen?” It’s something that grabs your attention. You wonder about it. Now, who’s heard the phrase, signs and wonders? Signs and wonders. We’ve all heard that.

The connection between signs and wonders is very interesting. Turn to Deuteronomy twenty-six. Deuteronomy twenty-six. That connection signs and wonders better helps us understand exactly why God uses miracles. That’s one of the things we’re focused on today. Deuteronomy twenty-six, we’ll pick it up in verse eight. Deuteronomy twenty-six verse eight. “And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.” Signs and wonders.

Now, that word sign can also be translated miracle. And it means a signal and it makes sense. A sign. What does a sign do? A sign signals something. It’s a sign of something. The Greek word for miracles is very similar to signal. The Greek word for miracles is an indication. An indication. So when we put it together, what we’ve covered, a miracle is direct intervention from God that causes wonder and is meant as a signal or an indication. So it’s a direct intervention from God that causes wonder and is meant as a signal. Now, a signal of what? That’s what we’re going to talk about. That’s what we’re going to cover today. A signal of what?

Now, for that other question. Who are miracles meant for? Now, we already know what miracles are. Its direct intervention from God causes wonder meant for a sign. Who are miracles intended for? Who is God targeting when he performs a miracle? Well, the easy and correct answer are His people. God is targeting the attention of His people. Miracles are meant for God’s people. But is that all? Are God’s people the only ones that miracles are meant for? No. We could stay here.

Let’s go to Deuteronomy eleven. Deuteronomy, chapter eleven. Deuteronomy chapter eleven. I already tied Israel’s time and escaped from Egypt to miracles. I did that in Deuteronomy twenty-six. But here’s another verse, and also, you’ll note, makes the connection, but it answers the question of who God is targeting with his miracles. Deuteronomy eleven verse three. Deuteronomy eleven three. “And his miracles,” speaking of God “...and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land.” So we just read that the miracles were done unto Pharaoh and done unto all that were in the land, all the Egyptians that were in the land.

Now, if you know anything about the miracles that happened to Pharaoh... we’re going to cover several, but if you know anything about the miracles that happened to Pharaoh, they weren’t good. In fact, they were pretty bad. So we just learned two additional things there. Miracles can apply to those who are not God’s people and miracles aren’t always positive, they’re not always good. And it makes sense according to our definition. A miracle is simply a direct intervention from God, it causes wonder, and it’s a signal. That could be positive or negative.

Miracles are not just meant for God’s people. They could be meant for people God is working with to become His people, many people, maybe many of you hearing this message, came into the Church because something miraculous happened. Something that caused wonder happened in your life and you said, “You know what? I want to be a part of this Church. I want to be one of God’s people.”

So miracles, of course, can be meant for those already in God’s Church, people who are already God’s people, or people God is working with to become His people. Miracles can be for anyone whom God is trying to get their attention. It’s a signal. It’s an indication. Depending on who God wants to signal, depending on who God wants to wonder about Him, He may perform a miracle directly toward them, or they may witness a miracle performed for someone else. It’s intended to be a signal. It’s important, brethren, it’s important that I lay that foundation as we move forward. What miracles are and who they’re intended for.

Now, as I begin here to talk about Israel’s time in Egypt, I’m going to start from an unusual place. You think about, okay, Israel, they were slaves in Egypt. Well, I’m going to start from an unusual place as we start to get into this. Let’s go to Genesis chapter forty-one. Genesis chapter forty-one. Let’s look at how Israel got into Egypt in the first place. Genesis chapter forty-one.

Okay. Everyone is there. Genesis chapter forty-one. Pharaoh... just to give you a little bit of setup here, a little context. Pharaoh, likely the most powerful man in the world at the time, he was troubled by these dreams that he was having. So he was having dreams, he was troubled by them, and he knew enough to know that those dreams meant something. Those dreams had a message that was in them. And he wanted someone to interpret the dreams that he was having.

And his baker, the baker, the man who had spent time in prison, he remembered that there was a young Hebrew man, this man of course was Joseph, he remembered that Joseph had this ability to be able to interpret dreams. So the baker recommended that Pharaoh talk to Joseph in order to have his dreams interpreted. Now, we’re going to pick it up in Genesis forty-one fourteen. Genesis forty-one fourteen.

We’ll read a few verses here. “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon.” Joseph was still imprisoned at that time. “And he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, ‘I’ve dreamed a dream and there is none that can interpret it. And I have heard say of you that you can understand a dream and interpret it.’ And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, ‘It is not me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.’”

So we’re seeing that Pharaoh is being introduced to the God of the universe. Joseph is saying, “Look, it’s not me that has this ability. God is simply using me for this ability. But it’s God who interprets dreams.” Now, touching back on an earlier point, who was this miracle meant for? Because it’s a miracle that God can intervene and interpret dreams and do so through a human being. Was this miracle meant for Joseph? Was it his excuse or reason for being released from jail? Was the miracle meant for Pharaoh? Maybe the miracle was meant for all of Egypt and the surrounding nations. Well, to answer the question, all of the above. The miracle was meant for all of the above.

Brethren, miracles that happened to us can have a far, far greater purpose than we realize even at the time. That miraculous intervention from God can have a far greater purpose than we even realize at the time. Us getting that job promotion, which can be miraculous, it could be intervention from God that causes us to wonder and is meant as a signal. Us getting that job can cause that entire business to be blessed. That entire office location where we work, or that factory where we work, or those people that we’re around.

Our getting that job can cause all of them to be blessed, all of them to prosper. And it’s not farfetched. We’re about to read that an entire nation and group of people surrounding that nation, depending on that nation, were blessed because of one man. We’re about to read that. So it’s not farfetched to think that our presence, the miracles that happen to us, can affect those all around us.

Turn to Genesis forty-five, Genesis forty-five. As you turn there, Genesis forty-two through forty-four covers Joseph’s brothers. Those brothers that had abandoned them, left them for dead. Covers those brothers coming to Egypt for food. They came to Egypt for food. The dreams... Let’s go back there. Let’s go back to Genesis forty-one. Let’s read a little bit about those dreams. It’s important as a setup to the miracle of what God has done, what God was doing. Genesis forty-one, we’ll pick it up in verse thirty-seven.

Verse thirty-seven. “And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, ‘Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?’” So, the dreams that Joseph had interpreted for Pharaoh is that there would be seven years of famine. And Joseph, God using him, laid out a plan in order to feed Egypt and the surrounding nation for those seven years. And Pharaoh credited God for that interpretation. He recognized that Joseph was working under the power of the Spirit of God.

“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, ‘Forasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are. You shall be over my house and according unto your word, shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than you.’ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’ And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck.”

“And he made him to ride in the second chariot, which he had. And they cried before him, bowed the knee and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, and without you, shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.’” Brethren, that is a miracle. Joseph went from immediately before this being in a dungeon and you know all the things that he had experienced prior... He went from that to being second in command in Egypt. And we’re going to see brethren, how many people benefited from that.

So now you can go to Genesis forty-five. And as you do, forty-two through forty-four has his brothers coming for food, this famine that had already started to kick in. His brethren had come to Egypt for food and they were brought before Joseph. And Joseph... they didn’t recognize him when they saw him. And Joseph was testing them to see if they had learned any lessons since they had abandoned him.

So we’re going back and forth with them. We could pick it up in Genesis forty-five. We’ll start at verse one, Genesis forty-five verse one. “Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him and he cried.” This is to his brothers. “Cause every...” and those in the room at the time. “Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.”

So he finally let them know who he was. “And he wept aloud and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Does my father yet live?’ And his brothers could not answer him for they were troubled at his presence.” They’re thinking who are you? You’re Joseph? You’re second in command in Egypt? They were troubled at his presence. “And Joseph said unto his brethren, ‘Brethren, come near to me I pray you.’ And they came near and he said, ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore, be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves that you sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.’”

Joseph then went on to explain how he got the leadership role that he got in Egypt, and how God used him to help his family and those all around Egypt and the surrounding land. Now, brethren, having just read that, I want you to use your imaginations. Imagine being in the kingdom of God. You are now a God being, your family is brought before you, the family who was not in the Church. You’re now in the kingdom of God. You’re ruling as a God being, and now you are explaining to them they probably won’t necessarily recognize you at first, but now you are explaining to them “I am Joseph. I am a God being.”

Needless to say, they’ll probably be troubled at your presence. They’ll finally begin to see what God was doing. They’ll finally get to understand just like Joseph’s brothers understood when they recognized whom he was, he was in a very powerful position now. How he was in a position to help them and help those all around them. And you notice Joseph wasn’t bitter. He wasn’t bitter at all. He understood what God was doing.

Brethren, when we are God beings in the kingdom of God, we won’t be bitter We will have accomplished the mission, and now we’re in a position to be able to help our families do the same. What an amazing way to see that exchange between Joseph and his brothers. Don’t overlook the miracle of being a begotten son or daughter of God. The whole point of this is for us to be in the kingdom of God as God beings and that we can help our families. We can help them come along, help them understand what God is doing, and how they have the opportunity to do the exact same thing.

All right, how did Israel get into Egypt? How did Israel get into Egypt? Verse seventeen, pick up there, verse seventeen. “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, ‘Say unto your brothers, this do you, laid your beast and go and get you into the land of Canaan. And take your father’” his name was Israel, “...and your households in coming to me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the land. Now you are commanded this day. Take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come.’” This is a miracle, brethren.

Pharaoh, arguably the most powerful man in the world, is telling Joseph to go get his family and come, and eat the good of the land. Verse twenty, “‘And regard not your stuff...’” Don’t bring anything. You don’t have to bring any of your stuff. We’ll replace all that. “Regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ And the children of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the way.” Verse twenty-eight. “And Israel said, ‘It is enough. Joseph, my son is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die.’” Israel has entered Egypt, and it was all the result of a miracle. A series of miracles.

Brethren, we don’t always see and this is important. We don’t always see Israel entering Egypt as a miracle. We usually focus on the bad experiences. Understandably. We focus on the bad experiences of Israel being in Egypt, but we don’t always recognize that there were some good experiences with Israel entering Egypt. What’s the lesson in it for us? Sometimes brethren miracles can start out very positive. God can intervene in our lives. Something very positive can happen. Something very wonderful can happen and it can be great, and it could be the result of a miracle.

Coming into the Church, being a member of God’s Church it’s a miracle. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s very, very positive, but it doesn’t mean we won’t face persecution later. Just because a miracle happened to us something that is positive, something that was wonderful in our lives, doesn’t mean it’s always going to be that way, and it doesn’t mean that the first thing wasn’t a miracle.

It was miraculous that Joseph and his family and Israel all came into Egypt. It was positive they were able to eat. They didn’t starve to death, but of course, things didn’t stay that way. Talked about coming into the Church. God’s sending us a mate. Say some of you looking to be married and you’re looking for God’s intervention. God sends you a mate. That’s a wonderful thing. It’s His direct intervention. It causes you to wonder, but it doesn’t mean everything’s going to be perfect, and it doesn’t mean that that wasn’t a miracle.

Remember God uses miracles as a sign, gets our attention, but it’s not the end of the story. Some cases miracles can be the beginning of more challenges to come. So now Israel and his family are in Egypt, and God had saved them from famine. They were able to live off the good of the land and they were able to survive. So, what happened next? Turn to the book of Exodus. We’ll begin at the beginning of the book. Exodus chapter one.

Let’s start in verse six. Exodus chapter one verse six. “And Joseph died, and all his brethren and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly and multiplied and waxed exceeding mighty. And the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new King over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.’” So, he’s seeing this population explosion, this baby. Boom. “‘Come now, let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply, and it come to pass that when there fall out any war, they join also into our enemies and fight against us. And so, get them up out of the land.’”

“Therefore, did they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Rameses.” So the people of Israel became slaves. They were made slaves. God had multiplied them throughout the land. It spooked Pharaoh. He decided to make them slaves, but something unusual kept happening. Verse twelve, “And the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.” Now, we saw earlier they were multiplying. More babies. More babies. The population was increasing. Well, the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied. They kept multiplying.

Verse nineteen, “And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not as Egyptian women, for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come unto them. Therefore, God dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and waxed very mighty.” So, Pharaoh tried to stop the Israelites... stop them from multiplying. He didn’t want them to take over, so he decided to afflict them. It didn’t work. It didn’t matter. They kept multiplying despite being slaves.

God directly intervened and caused the Israelites to increase while they were being oppressed. God’s goal was for the Israelites to increase. Period. And nothing was going to stop that. Nothing was going to stop that miracle from happening. God had a plan. He wanted them to increase to a sufficient number before He would eventually thrust them out of Egypt and free them.

Things can often happen to us, brethren, that seem bad at the time, but God has a reason for doing it. In this case, they were multiplying, and nothing bad that happened to them was going to stop that from happening. Bad things happen to us, but that doesn’t thwart God’s plan for us. It doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen. Exodus two, pick it up in verse twenty-three. Exodus two, verse twenty-three.

Fast forwarding in time, “And it came to pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died.” So the one that it began to afflict them, he died. “...and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up into God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob.” who was eventually renamed Israel. “And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”

God had not forgotten about Israel and that promise that He made to Abraham. He didn’t forget about it. A lot of things had transpired since that promise, but God didn’t forget about it. The situation that God had crafted and allowed to happen was set up perfectly for a miracle. It was set up perfectly for him to intervene, and to cause people to wonder, and for him to use it as a sign.

And now was the time for God to intervene. Exodus chapter three, verse two, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame...” This is unto Moses, “...a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And he looked and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” Obviously a miracle. Verse six, “Moreover he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”

“And the LORD said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites,’” and the various people.

Verse nine. “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me. And I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.” God was seeing the oppression the whole time. Brethren, when we’re going through oppression and through challenges, God sees it the whole time. He hasn’t abandoned us. He’s just waiting for the proper time to deliver us.

Verse ten, “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that you mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.” So we see here God is first showing the miracle to Moses, this miracle of the burning bush, communicating with him. He’s showing this miracle to Moses first to get his confidence. Moses needs to be confident. Brethren, how confident are we when we see miracles work in our lives? We’re very confident. When we see God’s hand. When God does something and directly intervenes for us. How confident are you? How confident are I? I’m very confident.

When our boss tells us on Thursday that if we go to the feast, we’re going to get fired. We’re not going to have a job. He tells us that on Thursday. We go home, we pray about it. We come back Friday, boss calls us in his office, said, “You know what? I had a change of heart. You can go to the feast after all. In fact, I’ll make sure you even get paid.” How confident are you when something like that happens? Very confident. Even people who hear those stories, become confident because they know that God intervenes and God has the power to deliver. That’s one way that God uses miracles, and He was doing it with Moses to get his confidence. And the burning bush was really just the beginning of the miracles.

Exodus seven, just the beginning of the miracles that God will perform in His goal to deliver Israel from Egypt. Exodus seven. So now that Moses was on board, and Moses had to be cajoled a little bit and worked with, God had patience with him, but eventually Moses was on board and finally got his confidence and was ready to move forward. Exodus seven. We’ll start at the beginning of the chapter, “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh and Aaron, your brother, shall be your prophet.’”

I’ve made you a god to Pharaoh. Verse two, “You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” God is telling Moses exactly what he’s going to do. Here’s the plan. I’m going to make you a god. Aaron is your prophet. You’re going to move forward.

I’m going to be with you. I’m going to be involved. I’m going to use signs and wonders. I’m going to use miracles to make this happen. Moses would be like a god being. We just read it. I will make you a god unto Pharaoh. You’ll have my authority with you. Pharaoh, who no doubt saw himself as a god, the pharaohs of Egypt were that way. God is saying, “No, I’m going to make you a god unto him.”

And look how old he was when God used him. Verse seven... You could think, “Oh, that could never be me. I could never do that.” Verse seven, “And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old when He sent them to speak to Pharaoh.” Moses is eighty years old, his brother is eighty-three years old. These are some elderly men. Don’t ever think, God, you’re too old or too young. God uses who He wants when He wants.

Verse eight, it’s interesting, we begin to see God is setting up this back and forth between Moses and Pharaoh and the magicians. I like to call it dueling miracles. There’s these miracles, these dueling miracles that are going to go back and forth. And as you see it setting up, you understand that the magicians, Pharaoh’s magicians, were very powerful, were very powerful. Pharaoh... Obviously, the Pharaohs of the time would lean on his magicians and no doubt the God of this world was empowering them.

They were very, very powerful. However, God wanted to set up these dueling miracles because He wanted to change the narrative. He wanted the people who no doubt knew about these magicians and probably feared them and probably wondered at what the magicians could do. God wanted to change the narrative. So He set up these dueling miracles that we’re going to read about. Let’s pick it up in verse eight.

Exodus seven, verse eight, “And God spoke unto Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you.’” Show a miracle for you. That’s a funny way to phrase that. But what that means is show your power. So Pharaoh... God is telling them, Pharaoh is going to bring you before him and say, show your power. Show me what powers you have. Show a miracle for you. “Then you shall say unto Aaron, Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.”

All right. Verse ten, “And Moses said... Moses and Aaron went unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded, and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. Now, the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.” They threw their rods down, and those rods became serpents. Okay, okay. So Pharaoh was like, “Hey, my sorcerers... my magicians have power too.” Verse twelve, “For they cast down every man’s rod, and they became serpents, but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.” Oops.

Aaron’s rod clearly was more powerful than their rod, but this was just the beginning of this duel. These dueling miracles that they would go back and forth. Moses, as you follow here, as I go through it, Moses turned water to blood in verse twenty-one. See it there. He turned water to blood, but in verse twenty-two, the magicians also turned water to blood. I don’t know if we always appreciate that. We knew the rods got thrown down, and they turned their rods into snakes, but in verse twenty-two, the magicians also turned water to blood. Dueling miracles. Moses brought a plague of frogs in Exodus eight, six. You see it there, in Exodus eight, verse six.

God used Moses and Aaron to bring a plague of frogs, but the magicians also turned or brought a plague of frogs in verse seven. The magicians did so with their enchantments and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. So they showed power also. They’re going toe to toe, miracle to miracle. Sometimes God can bring miracles in our lives, but it seems like the people opposing us are also bringing miracles. It’s like it’s not good enough. God, you’re helping me, but it’s not working. There’s this back and forth. God does one thing, and the devil does something else. Well, brethren, that only goes on for so long. That only goes on for so long. It only goes on as long as God allows it.

Case in point, the third Plague of Gnats, Exodus eight, verse sixteen. Let’s pick it up. Exodus eight sixteen, “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Say unto Aaron, stretch out your rod and spite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” Verse seventeen, “And they did so for Aaron stretched out his hand with a rod and smoked the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man and in beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.” Verse eighteen, “And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not.” The magicians tapped out. They didn’t have any more power.

What was their reaction? They’re going, “Wait a minute. We’ve been able to do everything that they could do. Now we can’t do it.” What was their reaction? Verse nineteen. “Then the magician said unto Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’” This is God. They recognize, whoa, this power is greater than the power that we have. Eventually, even God’s enemies will recognize the power that God has. Even God’s enemies will recognize that that powerful God is with us. As strong as those against us may seem they are not as powerful as God. Don’t forget that.

After the third plague, the magicians couldn’t do any more plagues. We had seven more to go. They couldn’t do them. They couldn’t match them. They couldn’t match those plagues. The fourth plague was a swarm of flies. Somehow, God only allowed those flies to affect the Egyptians and not the Israelites. Was he controlling the flies? Were they like drones or something? How could you? No, I only want the flies to go to the Egyptians and affect the Egyptians, not the Israelites.

Similarly, the fifth plague, God caused the Egyptian animals to die while the Israelite animals were fine. I don’t know if the animals got jealous. I wish I was an Israelite animal, not an Egyptian animal. Just having fun. The sixth plague of boils. It’s in Exodus nine, eleven. It’s interesting. Let’s go over there. Exodus nine, eleven. I think something interesting here I want to bring out. Exodus nine, eleven, “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boil was upon the magicians and upon the Egyptians.”

Eventually, those who oppose God will pay the price. Those magicians were specifically called out having experienced those boils. Why call them out? The Bible could have just said all the Egyptians suffered from boils but the magicians were specifically called out. Those who oppose God will eventually pay the price. Fire and hail rained down in the seventh plague that killed men and animals that destroyed the trees.

Brethren, these are all miracles that we’re seeing direct interventions from God. I’m sure the Egyptians and the Israelites were in wonder. Pharaohs, well before now, and the magicians all recognized that this was God’s doing. The God of the universe was intervening. The eighth plague of locusts came. And this is where you start to see a change from the very top begin to see a change. Exodus ten. Exodus ten verse fourteen.

Exodus ten verse fourteen, “And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested in all the coasts of Egypt. Very grievous were they...” So we’re talking a lot of locusts. “...before them, there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened, and they did eat every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees, that the hail it left.”

Remember, the hail destroyed a lot of the trees. Maybe after that, “Okay, we got a little bit left here.” Everyone reacting, the Egyptians reacting, “We got a little left here we can eat from.” No, here come the locusts. Took out the trees. “And there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” What were they going to eat? The animals died. What were they going to eat?

Here’s the point. “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste and he said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.’” Pharaoh is acknowledging God and asking for forgiveness. He’s pleading for forgiveness. Brethren, that is what miracles can do. It can cause those who oppose us, those who are enemies against us, those who are set against us, it could cause them to look and say, “You know what? I’ve sinned against God. Forgive me. I’m sorry.” The most powerful man in the world. “I’m sorry. I’ve sinned against God.”

The ninth plague was three days of thick darkness in Egypt. Israel somehow had light in their dwellings. And Egypt... The homes of Egypt did not. Somehow God apparently suspended the ability for them to light candles or to light a lantern. I guess he suspended the laws of Physics. Somehow they couldn’t even start a fire. The Egyptians couldn’t. But there was light in the Israelite homes. Brethren, these are miracles. This is God’s doing.

Hey, I love sports, but I mean, this isn’t a hockey game. These are great miracles. Great things. Finally, get to the tenth plague and the tenth miracles, I could call it. And God had nearly made his point. So we turn to Exodus eleven. Exodus eleven. Start at the beginning of the verse. There was one more plague to come. “The Lord said unto Moses, ‘Yet I will bring one plague more unto Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterwards, he will let you go hence. When you shall go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.” So you’ll be completely set free, “Speak now in the ears of the people and let every man borrow of his neighbor and every man of her neighbor jewels of silver and jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt.” Remember he was going to be made a god before Pharaoh. “Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. I’m sure he was very feared in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.” So, Moses had become that god in the eyes of Pharaoh that the true God had talked about.

Brethren, when God puts his hand on us, when he blesses us whether through miracles or put his hands on us and our lives begin to change, people start to see us differently. People start to see us differently. I’m sure prior to this, they saw Moses some 80-year-old man who was causing all this trouble. Aaron, much the same, some 83-year-old man, nobody, no one to be concerned with. Well, by the end, by the time they got to this point, their view had definitely changed. Moses was very great in the land of Egypt and in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

When God puts his hand on us and begins to bless us, whether through miracles or otherwise, it changes how people view us. They start to see us very differently. We go from zero to hero. With the final plague, God wanted to make crystal clear what he was doing, verse four, Exodus eleven, four. We’ll read a few verses here, “And Moses said, ‘Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out in the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn of the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sits upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservants, which is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry through all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall there be any more. But against the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beasts, that you may know that the Lord does put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.”

This miracle amongst other things, showed that there was a difference between God’s people and other people. Brethren, there is a difference between us and those in the world. I’m not saying we’re better than anyone, but there is a difference. We are God’s people, they are not, not yet. God’s hand brethren is on us in a unique way. His hand is on us in a way that it’s not on other people. There is a difference between us and others. God is using us that his wonders may be multiplied. Each of us is a miracle, coming into God’s Church receiving a spirit, that’s a miracle. A Miracle is a sign. We are signs. We’re walking signs. We’re walking indications. God is using us in that way.

God clearly wanted his wonders, his miracles to be multiplied in Egypt. He’s been doing it all the way up until now, and we finally come to the Passover verse or chapter twelve, we’ll read through here so we can appreciate it, we’re coming on the Passover season. Exodus twelve, verse two. “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months, and it shall be the first month of the year to you.” Abib. The month of Abib. “Speak you unto the children of Israel saying in the tenth day of this month...” this month of Abib, “...they shall take to them, every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house.” So a lamb was to be selected.

Verse eleven, “And thus shall you eat it with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And against all the gods of Egypt, will I execute judgment. I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.”

Verse fourteen. “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial. And you shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” Verse twenty-two. “And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood...” This is explaining exactly how to get the blood on the post. “Dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin, and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.” So stay inside.

Verse twenty-three. “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians. And when he sees the blood upon the lintel and upon the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your house to smite you.” Verse twenty-four. “And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.” You see that again.

Verse twenty-six. “And it shall come to pass when your children shall say unto you, ‘What mean you by this service?’” So this is well into the future. Many, many, years, generations from now, when your children ask, “Well, why do we do this? Why are we keeping this Passover? What’s the point?” Verse twenty-six. “And it shall come to pass...”

Verse twenty-seven, rather. “So when they ask that, you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses and the people bowed their head and worshipped.’” Brethren, I took the time to go through that to truly help us to appreciate God’s protection. To appreciate God’s ability to keep us even in a tough situation, in a difficult situation. God may not always pull us out of a situation right away. He may allow us to stay in that situation for a while, to stay in the midst of danger, but as we saw there, he has the ability and the desire to protect us while we’re in the midst of danger.

We simply have to stay inside. We have to obey him, do what he asks. In this case, stay in the house. Stay in God’s house. Stay in God’s Church. That’s the protection that we can expect to have when we stay inside. When we stay under the blood that is on all of our proverbial doorposts. There can be war, death, desperation, despair, division, confusion, but all of us could be doing just fine, thank you. It doesn’t say we won’t have troubles. It doesn’t say we won’t have challenges, but we won’t have the same challenges that those outside the house will have. We’re protected.

Brethren, we’ll be inside and we can peer through the window and only see and be witnesses to those things that are going on outside and better appreciate the fact that we’re inside. We may have to stay in a difficult situation for a while. We may have to stay in that bad job for a while. We want God to deliver us. God is saying, “You know what, just stay inside. Stay inside that job. I’ll protect you. I’ll take care of you.” We may have to stay in that bad marriage for a while. “Oh, I just can’t take it anymore.” “Just stay with it. Stay with it. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you.”

Our kids may not be behaving the right way, and we just want to be through. We want to throw our hands up and we’re through with it. God is saying, “I’ll keep you in that difficult situation.” That was a very difficult night for the Egyptians, for the animals, for everything that was going on. But God kept his people in that difficult situation. God can keep us and protect us even when things around us are not going well. And he often uses miracles in order to do that.

But while God can keep us in the midst of danger and keep us and make sure those things don’t affect us, there does come a point where it’s time for us to escape. Time for us to move on. Time for us to be delivered. Exodus twelve, we’ll pick it up here. Before we do, it’s interesting, God’s deliverance. Sometimes deliverance can be funny. It doesn’t happen exactly like we expect. We just want to be out of there. We just want to be finished with it. We just want to walk away. But sometimes the deliverance can be funny or it could be unusual. And a lot of it comes down to the people who were holding us back, who were oppressing us, can have a complete change of heart and see things much differently.

But let’s pick it up in verse twenty-nine. Exodus twelve, twenty-nine. “And it came to pass that at midnight...” still pass overnight, “...the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon...” even the prisoners firstborn died. Wow. “...and all the firstborn of the cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.”

Okay. So all of the houses that had blood over them, they were fine. All of the houses that did not have blood on them, there was not one in which someone didn’t die. Everyone was affected. Think about tribulation that’s coming over the entire world. There won’t be a house that won’t be affected.

Verse thirty-one. “And he called...” Pharaoh called, “...for Moses and Aaron by night and said, rise up and get you forth from among my people.” Get out of here. Go away. “...both you and the children of Israel and go serve the Lord as you have said. Take your flocks, your herds, as you’ve said, and be gone.” Get out of here. “...and bless me also.” You see how I slip that in. And he might have just meant, “You know what? If you just leave, that’s a blessing, because I can’t take this anymore. We can’t take this anymore. Go, go.”

There comes a point, brethren, where people finally realize they’re not fighting us. They’re fighting against God and they don’t want it anymore. There’s many stories I’ve heard over the years. You’ve probably heard them too. People just having a change of heart. You have these mean people that just suddenly become nice. So you know what? I can’t take it. You win. These bitter bosses that suddenly just become very friendly. They don’t want to oppress you anymore. People have a change of heart. We lose one job and get a better one. Circumstances change. Never forget bad times don’t last forever. Bad times don’t last forever.

I’m sure there were points where the Israelites thought they’d never get out of Egypt. Well, not only did they get out of Egypt, but they were given money and cattle for them to take for their journey. So not just get fired from a job, “Get out, but you know what? I’m going to give you a severance. I’m going to help you get a new job. I’m going to give you everything you need. Just go. Bless me also.” It is amazing how when God has had enough and it’s time to deliver us, what’s possible. The Israelites went from being in shackles to being thrust out and giving money and cattle to take with them. What a big, big change. God will deliver us if we wait on him. If we wait. If we wait, then he puts us in a better situation.

We position ourselves to be put in a better situation. If we take matters into our own hands, if we try to escape Egypt on our own, it may not work out so well, but when we allow God to do it, then it can work out. Oftentimes, brethren, we just want to be free of the situation. Well, God wants us to be free, but he also wants to give us something along the way. So we want to be careful. We don’t want to take matters into our own hands to free ourselves from a situation. Wait on God, let him do it. When he does it, it’ll be a miracle.

Now, once the children of Israel escaped, God didn’t just, you know, give them a bunch of money, fill their pockets, and give them cattle, and just leave them. “Okay, good luck. You’re free.” God didn’t abandon them. He stayed with them. Exodus thirteen. Exodus chapter thirteen, verse seventeen. Exodus chapter thirteen, verse seventeen. “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’”

This is an extraordinary thing we just read there. First of all, you have these Israelites. They’ve never been outside of Egypt. They don’t know where to go. They don’t know where to go. Their pockets are stuffed with jewels, and they got this cattle, and they have all these goods. Their arms are loaded, and they’re out on their own, or they’re out in the wilderness. They don’t know where to go. So God is leading them.

And you notice God said, “You know what? I could take them through the land of the Philistines because it’s closer to take them there, but if I take them through there, they may see the war that’s going on in the land of the Philistines, and they may start to regret their decision. So I’m not going to take them there. I’m going to take them a longer way.” That’s extraordinary. That’s extraordinary.

I see that as a sign of mercy. God knows how much we can take, especially when something’s new. Maybe you first come into the Church. God doesn’t allow the full onslaught of the devil, or the full onslaught of our family members, or the full onslaught of trials to come against us. Otherwise, we might regret our decision. “What have I done? Why did I join this Church? Why did I start obeying God?” What an act of mercy. They were still learning to trust God, learning about his ways. God wanted to spend more time with them. It’s amazing how that tiny verse says all that.

Verse twenty-one. Thirteen, twenty-one. “And the Lord went before them in the day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” God was with them the entire time. He had delivered them from Egypt, and he stayed with them. His presence was there with them. He led them miraculously. He was directly intervening. He was there in a pillar of cloud and fire, but it was still muted. It wasn’t just God in his full glory before them. It was muted. It was a pillar of cloud and fire, but they could see him. They could see that God was there.

Brethren, God leads us the same way. His presence is with us. Now, it’s not God’s full glory, but his presence is with us. It’s just muted. Were there some people that look, “Oh, what’s that fire over there? What’s that cloud?” “They’re saying that’s God. I don’t know.” No, it was God. God could be active in our lives, and we can see him. We can see the pillar of fire or cloud, but others can say, “Ah, that’s not God.” But we recognize God for what he is, and more importantly, we recognize his presence leading us in our lives.

Like the pillar of cloud and fire for the Israelites, God leads us as well, and he makes his presence known, and he gives us clues as to his presence. His presence could be based on past miracles that happened to us. Maybe we were healed. That’s a sign of God in our lives. It’s not God in his full glory, but it’s a sign that God is with us. Maybe the miracle was getting that job that we didn’t think we could get. Well, as long as we got that job, and we remember how we got it, that’s a sign of a presence of God in our lives. That’s that pillar of cloud and fire that God is using to show, to be that tangible proof of his presence. Maybe we got that dream home or that dream car that we didn’t think was possible.

As long as we remember where that miracle came from, that’s an opportunity for us to see the presence of God in our lives and God leading us to the things that he would want us to do. There could be people in our lives that remind us of God’s presence. Like that pillar of cloud and fire, if we see it for what it is, those people can be a sign of God’s presence in our lives. Maybe it’s that loyal Church member that you can call or text anytime and they’re there for you. That’s a sign of God, the presence of God in your life.

It could be that mate that you didn’t think you’d have, that you get married in the Church. You just didn’t think anyone would ever come along and every time you’re with that mate, with that spouse, it’s a reminder of the presence of God in your life. Maybe it’s that family member who came into the Church because they witnessed how being in the Church changed your life. It could be that child that doctor said you couldn’t have, but you had it anyway. God saw it differently. Every time you look at that child, that’s a sign of the presence of God in your life.

It could be as something as simple as the Bible. Having that Bible, having the scriptures and an understanding of that Bible is a sign of the presence of God in your life. For you, that is that pillar of cloud or fire that’s leading you and proving to you that God is present in your life. We can pick up the scriptures at any time to know what God is thinking and what God wants us to do. God delivers us, but he doesn’t abandon us. He delivers us in order to lead us. That’s the purpose of the deliverance. But until the Egyptians were completely eliminated, there was always a chance, always a chance that they could come back, and God understood that and he knew that. And he knew that that his people needed to be delivered permanently. They needed to be set free permanently.

Let’s go to Exodus fourteen. Exodus fourteen. We begin with God telling Moses the plan, “And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak you to the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth and between Migdol and the sea, and over against Baalzephon, before it shall you encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say to the children of Israel, ‘They’re entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that he shall follow after them, and I’ll be honored upon Pharaoh and upon all his hosts and the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.”

Right. So we see God is laying out the plan. He told the people to camp near the Red Sea and that he was going to cause Pharaoh to chase after them. Verse eight, “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And he pursued after the children of Israel and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and of his horsemen and his army and overtook them encamping by the sea.” Verse ten. “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians marched after them and they were so afraid and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Where forth have you dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?” “Why did you do this?”

Brethren, the Egyptians we see, or excuse me, the Israelites we see are terrified. They’re terrified. And it’s amazing because despite all those miracles, all those previous deliverances, all those shows of power by God, despite all of that, they were terrified. They were afraid. Brethren, we can’t blame them. Sometimes we forget all the miracles God has done for us. All those amazing interventions, all those things that were unexpected, things we didn’t see coming. God did it. But we can find ourselves in an immediate situation where something is right in front of us and we can forget that God has delivered us in the past. It can happen. It can happen to any of us. Fear will do that. Fear will do that.

Verse thirteen, “And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear you not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today, for the Egyptians you have seen today. You shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.’” Moses is telling them, “God will intervene.” Verse nineteen, “And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel removed and he went behind them, and the pillar of cloud went from before their face and stood behind them.”

So prior it was the children of Israel, it was the pillar of cloud and then the sea. And then the Egyptians were on the far side. Well, now we see that God is removing himself and putting himself not between the people in the sea, but now between the people and Egypt. “And it came to pass...” verse twenty, “...between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was... oh, “And it came between...” rather “...the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these so that one came not near the other all the night.”

So on one side of the cloud it was dark for the Egyptians, on the other side of the cloud it was light for the Israelites. This is amazing. This is amazing. God positioned himself between the Egyptians and the Israelites to protect them. Brethren, the next time you have a problem picture God positioning himself between you and your problem. The Egyptians were not able to break through that cloud that entire night to get to the Israelites. They weren’t able to do that. They didn’t have the power to do that. God didn’t allow that.

The next time you have trouble, picture God between you and your problem. That problem cannot break through unless God allows it. Verse twenty-one, “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night. And he made the sea dry land and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them in the midst of the sea even all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Now all of the Egyptians are in the middle of the sea. God has them right where he wants them. Verse twenty-four, “And it came to pass in the morning watched the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians, through the pillar of fire and of cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians. And the wheels fell off,” verse twenty-three.

Verse twenty-six, “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Stretch your hand all over the sea,’ and the waters come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariot and upon their horsemen. And Moses did that. He stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength. And when the morning appeared and the Egyptians fled against it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” God saved his greatest miracle to the end. He saved his greatest miracle to the end.

The Red Sea and God using the Red Sea to destroy the Egyptians was the ultimate sign, the ultimate miracle that God was with his people and that he would protect them. God saved his greatest miracle for last. The Egyptians were completely destroyed. Brethren, sometimes God saves the greatest miracles in our lives for last. There have been people on their deathbed, they thought it was it. They were comfortable. They understood that, “You know what? When I wake again, I’ll be in God’s Kingdom.” Well, God saved his greatest miracle for last. He healed them and they’re still with us today, or they went on to live many years.

God has delivered some of us from life-threatening accidents. God saves his greatest miracles for last. Completely broken relationships that we just did not see coming back together. God brought them back together. He did so miraculous fashion. People whose finances were just in shambles, bankruptcies, credit card debt. I know this personally, six-figure debt that was never going to go away miraculously has gone away. Trust me, I know it’s happened. Maxed out credit cards, all of that. Seemingly no financial future. God intervened. He saved his greatest miracles for last.

Healing from certain addictions, depression, things that seemed insurmountable. God intervened and made the person whole. God can do that. God has done that and he’s done it using miracles, using direct intervention. Why though? Why? Why do all this? Why would God take them through all of that? Have them experience everything. Why use miracles to do that? Whether it’s using those miracles to get our attention or other people’s attention, or deliver us from trials or keep us in a trial? Why do all that?

Exodus fourteen, stay here. Exodus fourteen, we saw in verse thirty, thus says, “The Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.” So where we’re now, he had completely delivered them. But why do all this? Verse thirty-one, “And Israel saw that great work, which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses.” The people saw everything and they feared God. That’s the first major reason that God uses miracles for his people, to get people to fear him. Originally, those people almost certainly feared the Egyptians. They were their slave owners. They feared what the Egyptians could do to them. The Egyptians were very powerful. They were oppressive.

However, God intervened and showed his power through miracles and said, you know what? “Don’t fear them. Fear me.” Proverbs twenty-nine. Proverbs chapter twenty-nine, “Don’t fear them. I want you to fear me. Look what I just did to them. Those people who were oppressing you, they’re all underwater now.” Proverbs twenty-nine, verse twenty-five, “The fear of man brings a snare, but who so puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” When we fear men and what men can do with us, when we fear men instead of fearing God, it traps us. It binds us. We’re in a snare. Says, “The fear of man brings a snare.”

When we’re more concerned about what men can do to us than what God can do to us, brethren, it traps us. It limits us. But when we fear God, instead we’re free. We could be open. We don’t have to be fearful, just fear God, but we don’t have to fear what men can do. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. How many have heard that? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That means it’s foundational. It’s foundational to a better life. When we fear God, we have a better life.

God wanted these newly freed slaves that he was now beginning to work with. He wanted to understand, to fear him. And the other reason is right there in the verse, right there in back in Exodus. “God wanted the people to believe him.” And it’s even here in Proverbs twenty-nine, twenty-five, it says, to put their trust in God. So instead of fearing man, put our trust in God, believe God.

God wanted the people to fear him and to believe him. That was his purpose. That’s why he used those miracles. Brethren, miracles are direct interventions from God that cause us to wonder and are meant as a signal. It’s a mouthful, but that’s what miracles are. Like God performed those miracles thousands of years ago for the Israelites and they were witnessed by the Egyptians, God is still performing miracles for us even today, and it’s meant for us and for others around us to see it. Miracles signal many things, a great many things, but perhaps the most important signal God’s miracles signal is that he’s working with us and he’s working with us in our lives.