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God Protects and Provides - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in
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  Speaker 1: the midst of the sea, and the waters were a
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  Speaker 1: wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.
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  Speaker 1: Exodus 14.29 Dear God, as I greet my new day,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that, like the cloud by day and
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  Speaker 1: the pillar of fire at night in Exodus, you are
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  Speaker 1: guiding and leading me into my promised land. As I
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  Speaker 1: move forward, I will not succumb to the spirit of fear,
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  Speaker 1: for I know that you did not bring me this
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  Speaker 1: far to become a slave to fear. When I feel overwhelmed,
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  Speaker 1: I will remain silent and hold fast to the promise
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  Speaker 1: that you will fight for me in the face of adversity.
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  Speaker 1: So let my faith represent the staff of Moses as
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  Speaker 1: I place it in the sea of adversity. I will
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  Speaker 1: stand firm, because I know you will part the sea
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  Speaker 1: and allow me to walk through on dry ground. I
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  Speaker 1: will not worry about the haters in my life, for
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  Speaker 1: I know that you will silence them, that I can
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  Speaker 1: continue to take the ground that you have promised me,
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  Speaker 1: my promised land. I declare that no weapon formed against
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  Speaker 1: me shall prosper, because I am yours and you are mine.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for being my champion. Now, and forevermore. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that I am closer to my promise than I realize.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you that you satisfy my needs, in abundance and
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  Speaker 1: with nourishment. I will be grateful for my daily bread,
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  Speaker 1: because I know that you are the God that protects
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  Speaker 1: and provides, and I know this full well. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for the
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: God protects and provides. In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: about how far God would go to set his people free.
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  Speaker 2: As Pharaoh's heart grew harder and more cruel, God's resolve
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  Speaker 2: to redeem his people remained steadfast. God's people were freed
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  Speaker 2: from 430 years of slavery and oppression. In this story,
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  Speaker 2: we will learn about Israel's journey through redemption and how
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  Speaker 2: the path to the promised land is not straight and narrow.
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  Speaker 2: as inspired by the book of Exodus.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org. In our previous episode, we saw that
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  Speaker 3: God brought one final devastating plague upon Egypt. This was
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  Speaker 3: a terrible judgment. Pharaoh is now broken. He has lost
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  Speaker 3: his own son because of his own hard heart. And
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  Speaker 3: so now he finally lets the children of Israel go.
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  Speaker 3: Great rejoicing rose up among the Israelites as they left
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  Speaker 3: Egypt and left behind the shackles of slavery after 430
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  Speaker 3: years of oppression. But as we're going to see in
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  Speaker 3: today's story, their joy would meet abrupt roadblocks and obstacles
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  Speaker 3: in the form of the Red Sea, in the form
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  Speaker 3: of grumbling and dissension. Listen to the words of the
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  Speaker 3: Israelites as they feared death and forgot the power of
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  Speaker 3: their God who just brought them out of Egypt. Once again,
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  Speaker 3: we'll see how God remains faithful and true as he
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  Speaker 3: has promised and show the world his great unmatched power
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  Speaker 3: as he rescues his people. Let's listen now to today's story.
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  Speaker 2: They would never forget that day. The angel of the
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  Speaker 2: Lord passed through Egypt like a thief in the night,
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  Speaker 2: and in an instant his people were free. God told
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  Speaker 2: Moses to remember and celebrate that day for generations. Thus
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  Speaker 2: the Passover feast was established, a day to celebrate God's
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  Speaker 2: mighty hand breaking the shackles that once bound all of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: So Israel fled to the wilderness. A roar of applause
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  Speaker 2: and laughter could be heard from miles away as thousands
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  Speaker 2: of Hebrews left their torturous home in pursuit of a
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  Speaker 2: new beginning. They ventured forth towards the Red Sea, avoiding
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  Speaker 2: the land of the Philistines, lest they fall into battle
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  Speaker 2: and have to retreat back to Egypt. Although Moses was
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  Speaker 2: in front of them, God was their leader. By day,
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  Speaker 2: a pillar of smoke could be seen in the distance.
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  Speaker 3: To guide them.
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  Speaker 2: At night, A pillar of fire lit up the horizon
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  Speaker 2: as the sun, and it did not depart from the people.
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  Speaker 2: After a few days of travel, the Israelites came to
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  Speaker 2: the coast of the Red Sea to camp. The waters
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  Speaker 2: were vast, and the sea crashed on the shore like thunder.
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  Speaker 2: God pulled Moses in close and spoke to him, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh will pursue you, but I will get glory from
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh and all his people. All of Egypt shall know
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  Speaker 2: that I am the Lord. I am the protector of
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  Speaker 2: my people, and nobody will harm you. Moses gulped as
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  Speaker 2: he looked upon the vastness of the Red Sea. If
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh really was going to pursue them, they were trapped.
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  Speaker 2: Miles away, Pharaoh soaked in his own anger. He, his servants,
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  Speaker 2: and all his people had suffered a loss unlike any
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  Speaker 2: nation before them. and now they were unable to rebuild
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  Speaker 2: because their 600,000 slaves had all departed at once. He
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  Speaker 2: would be written in history as the king who was
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  Speaker 2: defeated by the god of slaves. Pharaoh's mind raced, and
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  Speaker 2: his counsel shared in his anger. How could I have
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  Speaker 2: let this happen? he whispered to himself. His eyes glared
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  Speaker 2: forward towards the doors Moses had once stepped through. He
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  Speaker 2: arose from his throne and... called for his chariot 600
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  Speaker 2: chariots rode into the wilderness like a hurricane they ran
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  Speaker 2: through the night violently leaving a cloud of dust and
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  Speaker 2: sand behind them Pharaoh would not be made a fool
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  Speaker 2: of like lightning they rode ready to capture back their
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  Speaker 2: slaves and kill any who opposed them in his mind
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  Speaker 2: and heart Pharaoh was going through his own battle with
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  Speaker 2: God and his heart grew even harder than before They
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  Speaker 2: ascended the hills that descended on the other side to
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  Speaker 2: the shore, and Pharaoh with his army sought to overtake
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  Speaker 2: the Hebrews. Pharaoh was fast approaching, and the people of
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  Speaker 2: Israel could see his army in the distance. Fear caused
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  Speaker 2: a panic among the people, and a roar of terror
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  Speaker 2: fell upon the entire group. They cried out to God
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  Speaker 2: and turned to Moses in a frightened frenzy.' We have
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  Speaker 2: no graves in Egypt,' Is that why you took us
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  Speaker 2: out here to die in the wilderness? they said. Didn't
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  Speaker 2: we ask you to just leave us alone to be slaves?
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  Speaker 2: Now we are going to die here. They were panicking,
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  Speaker 2: and fear was beginning to consume them like fire to paper.
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  Speaker 2: Moses stood up for everyone to see. God had gotten
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  Speaker 2: them this far, and he was not about to succumb
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  Speaker 2: to the slavery of fear. Fear not, Moses shouted. The
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  Speaker 2: salvation of the Lord will work for you this day,
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  Speaker 2: Moses spoke, as if a general in an army. He
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  Speaker 2: pointed towards the fast-approaching Egyptian horde and shouted, These Egyptians
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  Speaker 2: you see today will never be seen again. The Lord
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  Speaker 2: will fight for you. Be silent and watch his glory unfold.
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  Speaker 2: As Moses was still speaking, God spoke to him, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Why do you cry to me? Go and tell people
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  Speaker 2: to move forward. Lift up your staff and stretch out
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  Speaker 2: your hand towards the sea. After speaking to Moses, the
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  Speaker 2: angel of God descended violently in the distance, and the
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  Speaker 2: pillar of smoke that guided Israel rushed towards the army.
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  Speaker 2: The cloud shrouded them in darkness and came between the
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  Speaker 2: armies of Egypt and the captives of Israel. As the
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  Speaker 2: night drew close, the cloud lit up with fire. Moses
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  Speaker 2: did as God commanded. People watched curiously as Moses walked
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  Speaker 2: towards the waters. Silence fell upon the crowd as Moses
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  Speaker 2: inhaled deeply and looked to the sky. He remembered the
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  Speaker 2: words of God on Mount Sinai. Take this staff, and
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  Speaker 2: with it you will do my wonders, God had once
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  Speaker 2: told him. Moving his gaze towards the sea, Moses outstretched
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  Speaker 2: his arms with the staff in his right hand. A
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  Speaker 2: cold wind blew violently from the east around him, and
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  Speaker 2: the seas began to rush to and fro. The wind
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  Speaker 2: howled at night, and the waters danced as the seas
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  Speaker 2: began to split in half. Moses' hands were lifted in
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  Speaker 2: the air and all of Israel stood in awe of
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  Speaker 2: the wonders of their Lord. All of Israel went into
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  Speaker 2: the midst of the sea and walked through on dry ground.
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  Speaker 2: The waters surrounded them like two walls on the right
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  Speaker 2: and the left. Thousands of God's redeemed people stumbled through
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  Speaker 2: the alleyways of the divided seas and Pharaoh's army began
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  Speaker 2: descending to capture them. Pharaoh's army, chariots and horsemen, pursued
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  Speaker 2: them into the split seas. As they closed the gap
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  Speaker 2: between them and Israel, God's pillar of fire and cloud
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  Speaker 2: threw them into a panic. Their horses fell and their
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  Speaker 2: chariots crumbled. The army looked up and the waters began
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  Speaker 2: to sway back and forth above them. The waters fell
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  Speaker 2: like a crumbling wall and the Egyptians were swallowed up
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  Speaker 2: by the raging waters. Not one of them remained. and
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh's hardened heart dissolved in the darkness of the deep sea.
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  Speaker 2: The people of Israel looked upon the seas on the
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  Speaker 2: other side, safe, not one of them being harmed. Egyptian
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  Speaker 2: bodies began to wash up on the shore. The Lord
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  Speaker 2: had been their champion once again and saved them from
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  Speaker 2: the hand of the Egyptians. A reverent, thankful, and healthy
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  Speaker 2: fear of God came upon them, and they truly believed
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  Speaker 2: he was their redeemer and leader. They sang, danced, and
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  Speaker 2: celebrated God and Moses. Then they departed into the wilderness,
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  Speaker 2: hopeful for greater things. Three days had passed, and the
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  Speaker 2: heat of the eastern sun beat down on the men, women,
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  Speaker 2: and children of Israel. They groaned under the sun, for
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  Speaker 2: they had ran out of drinking water. When they had
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  Speaker 2: come to Marah, there was a vast reservoir big enough
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  Speaker 2: to satisfy the entire group. However, the water was bitter
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  Speaker 2: and poisonous.' What shall we drink?' they mumbled to Moses,
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  Speaker 2: like children looking to their father. Moses turned to the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: also thirsty and feeling helpless to satisfy the people's needs.
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  Speaker 2: God showed Moses a dead tree to be thrown into
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  Speaker 2: the water. The sap from the log drew the mineral
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  Speaker 2: content down to the bottom of the pools, leaving good
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  Speaker 2: water for the people to drink. God had saved them
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  Speaker 2: from slavery and now satisfied their needs. Not long after,
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  Speaker 2: the Israelites ran out of food to eat. Hungry and
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  Speaker 2: growing more and more angry, they grumbled again to Moses, saying,
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  Speaker 2: At least in Egypt we had food. God heard their complaints,
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  Speaker 2: and instead of resenting them, he provided for them. God
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  Speaker 2: spoke to Moses, telling him that he was going to
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  Speaker 2: provide them food, but the food would come with instructions.
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  Speaker 2: For God did not want his people to be gluttonous
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  Speaker 2: and entitled to blessings. He knew that if he provided
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  Speaker 2: them food without any parameters, they would grow fat and lazy.
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  Speaker 2: I will send bread down from heaven. I will provide
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  Speaker 2: enough for everyone to eat, but they shall only take
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  Speaker 2: what is needed and no more. If they take too much,
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  Speaker 2: the food will spoil. And on the sixth day I
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  Speaker 2: will provide a double portion to be saved for the Sabbath.
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  Speaker 2: Moses told the people, although he was annoyed at their
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  Speaker 2: constant complaining, So the people waited. At twilight, a flock
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  Speaker 2: of quail came towards their camp. And at night, they
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  Speaker 2: feasted on meat. They slept well-fed and happy. In the morning,
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  Speaker 2: they awoke to a flake-like substance laced on the ground
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  Speaker 2: like frost. It was thin and unknown to the people
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  Speaker 2: of Israel. What is it? they asked. So they named
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  Speaker 2: it manna, which means what? As God instructed, Most people
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  Speaker 2: gathered only what they needed, while others took more and
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  Speaker 2: watched it spoil. So began the providing relationship between God
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  Speaker 2: and his people. The days would be long and the
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  Speaker 2: weeks would be longer, yet God continued to take care
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  Speaker 2: of his children.
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  Speaker 3: Picture the scene. 600,000 slaves are marching in the wilderness,
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  Speaker 3: Moses ahead of them, God leading the way. A great
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  Speaker 3: pillar of clouds by day and burning fire in the
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  Speaker 3: sky at night was present. So far we've seen in
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  Speaker 3: the Bible that when there is fire in the sky,
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  Speaker 3: it usually meant judgment. It signified God's wrath and punishment.
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  Speaker 3: But now this fire in the sky has a very
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  Speaker 3: different meaning. A meaning that will carry throughout the Bible.
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  Speaker 3: God's presence with his people. A meaning that we will
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  Speaker 3: see throughout the Bible, which is God's presence with his people.
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  Speaker 3: They traveled the way of the Red Sea, but when
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  Speaker 3: they came to its bank, they couldn't pass. So they
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  Speaker 3: set up camp just as God instructed them. Back in Egypt,
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh realized his desperate situation and regretted releasing the slaves.
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  Speaker 3: So he gathered his troops and gave pursuit. He lashes
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  Speaker 3: out in one final attempt to subvert the will of God,
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  Speaker 3: the power of God, but he is defeated. With Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: bearing down, the Israelites tremble with fear. They despaired, thinking
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  Speaker 3: that somehow God's awesome power was not now enough. They
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  Speaker 3: go to Moses to voice their complaint and their fears.
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  Speaker 3: We might be quick to judge their quick turn to
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  Speaker 3: fear and distrust, but how often do we in the
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  Speaker 3: face of trouble give up and go back to our
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  Speaker 3: old ways of thinking, to our old ways of being
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  Speaker 3: trapped and oppressed without freedom, not remembering that God has
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  Speaker 3: rescued us, that he has saved us. In those times,
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  Speaker 3: we must remember God's mighty power and his grace and
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  Speaker 3: all that he has already done, that he has taken
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  Speaker 3: care of us in the past and he will be
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  Speaker 3: faithful in the future. Moses spoke to his people and
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  Speaker 3: told them not to fear, but to watch what God
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  Speaker 3: is about to do, to stand still and to see
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  Speaker 3: the power of God. God instructs Moses to lead the
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  Speaker 3: people right into the waters, lifting up his staff. God
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  Speaker 3: will then miraculously divide the waters. As the people of
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  Speaker 3: God obey, they crawl safely on dry ground through walls
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  Speaker 3: of rushing, powerful water. When Pharaoh's army rushed into the
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  Speaker 3: divided sea, the columns of water tumbled onto their heads,
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  Speaker 3: wiping them out right before the eyes of the Hebrew people.
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  Speaker 3: It was a supernatural display of God's power. Was that
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  Speaker 3: enough to convince the Israelites not to despair when trouble
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  Speaker 3: came again? Well, unfortunately not. Just a few days later,
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  Speaker 3: they started to grumble again, complain again, begging for water.
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  Speaker 3: And they were saying to Moses and really saying to God,
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  Speaker 3: what have you done for me lately? God faithfully provided
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  Speaker 3: water from a tree and quenched their thirst, showing them
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  Speaker 3: he would satisfy their every need, every step of the
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  Speaker 3: way on their journey. When they grew hungry and They
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  Speaker 3: again complained and God provided food with manna from the skies,
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  Speaker 3: a supernatural bread that God would provide to meet their
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  Speaker 3: physical needs. They only needed to trust God and to
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  Speaker 3: feed on his faithfulness. Even as they grumble and complain
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  Speaker 3: and fail to obey, God is as always faithful. And
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  Speaker 3: he leads his people through the wilderness to a land
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  Speaker 3: of promise that he is preparing for them. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you for what we've seen and heard in
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  Speaker 3: the scriptures today. And we thank you that we can
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  Speaker 3: rest in your faithfulness to us, to feed us and
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  Speaker 3: to supply our every need according to your riches and
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  Speaker 3: glory in Jesus Christ. Help us always to trust in
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  Speaker 3: you and not complain. Lord, fill us with gratitude for
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  Speaker 3: the many blessings that you pour down upon us each day.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: And before we go, I want you to know that
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: I would love to send you my daily devotional to
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: give you fresh encouragement every single day. So visit jackgraham.org
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.