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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, 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: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, we saw
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  Speaker 3: that God brought one final devastating plague upon Egypt. This
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  Speaker 3: was a terrible judgment. Pharaoh is now broken. He has
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  Speaker 3: lost his own son because of his own hard heart.
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  Speaker 3: And 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 Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: and left behind the shackles of slavery after 430 years
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  Speaker 3: of oppression. But as we're going to see in today's story,
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  Speaker 3: their joy would meet abrupt roadblocks and obstacles in the
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  Speaker 3: form of the Red Sea, in the form of grumbling
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  Speaker 3: and dissension. Listen to the words of the Israelites as
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  Speaker 3: they feared death and forgot the power of their God
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  Speaker 3: who just brought them out of Egypt. Once again, we'll
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  Speaker 3: see how God remains faithful and true as He has promised.
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  Speaker 3: and show the world his great unmatched power as he
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  Speaker 3: 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 the
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  Speaker 2: God's mighty hand breaking the shackles that once bound all
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  Speaker 2: of Israel. So Israel fled to the wilderness. A roar
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  Speaker 2: of applause and laughter could be heard from miles away
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  Speaker 2: as thousands of Hebrews left their torturous home in pursuit
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  Speaker 2: of a new beginning. They ventured forth towards the Red Sea,
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  Speaker 2: avoiding the land of the Philistines, lest they fall into
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  Speaker 2: battle and have to retreat back to Egypt. Although Moses
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  Speaker 2: was 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
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  Speaker 2: servants and all his people had suffered a loss unlike
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  Speaker 2: any nation before them, and now they were unable to
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  Speaker 2: rebuild because their 600,000 slaves had all departed at once.
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  Speaker 2: He would be written in history as the king who
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  Speaker 2: was defeated by the god of slaves. Pharaoh's mind raced,
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  Speaker 2: and his council shared in his anger. How could I
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  Speaker 2: have let this happen?
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  Speaker 1: He whispered to himself.
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  Speaker 2: His eyes glared forward towards the doors Moses had once
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  Speaker 2: stepped through. He arose from his throne and called for
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  Speaker 2: his chariot. Six hundred chariots rode into the wilderness like
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  Speaker 2: a hurricane. They ran through the night violently, leaving a
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  Speaker 2: cloud of dust and sand behind them. Pharaoh would not
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  Speaker 2: be made a fool of. Like lightning they rode, ready
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  Speaker 2: to capture back their slaves and kill any who opposed them.
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  Speaker 2: In his mind and heart, Pharaoh was going through his
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  Speaker 2: own battle with God, and his heart grew even harder
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  Speaker 2: than before. They ascended the hills that descended on the
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  Speaker 2: other side to the shore, and Pharaoh with his army
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  Speaker 2: sought to overtake the Hebrews. Pharaoh was fast approaching, and
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  Speaker 2: the people of Israel could see his army in the distance.
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  Speaker 2: Fear caused a panic among the people, and a roar
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  Speaker 2: of terror fell upon the entire group. They cried out
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  Speaker 2: to God and turned to Moses in a frightened frenzy.
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  Speaker 2: We have no graves in Egypt. Is that why you
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  Speaker 2: took us out here to die in the wilderness, they said?
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  Speaker 2: Didn't we ask you to just leave us alone to
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  Speaker 2: be slaves? Now we are going to die here. They
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  Speaker 2: were panicking, and fear was beginning to consume them like
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  Speaker 2: fire to paper. Moses stood up for everyone to see.
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  Speaker 2: God had gotten them this far, and he was not
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  Speaker 2: about to succumb to the slavery of fear. Fear not,
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  Speaker 2: Moses shouted. The salvation of the Lord will work for
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  Speaker 2: you this day, Moses spoke, as if a general in
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  Speaker 2: an army. He pointed towards the fast-approaching Egyptian horde and shouted,
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  Speaker 2: These Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord will fight for you. Be silent and watch
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  Speaker 2: his glory unfold. As Moses was still speaking, God spoke
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  Speaker 2: to him, saying, Why do you cry to me? Go
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  Speaker 2: and tell people to move forward. Lift up your staff
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  Speaker 2: and stretch out your hand towards the sea. After speaking
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  Speaker 2: to Moses, the angel of God descended violently in the distance,
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  Speaker 2: and the pillar of smoke that guided Israel rushed towards
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  Speaker 2: the army. The cloud shrouded them in darkness and came
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  Speaker 2: between the armies of Egypt and and the captives of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: As the night drew close, the cloud lit up with fire.
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  Speaker 2: Moses did as God commanded. People watched curiously as Moses
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  Speaker 2: walked towards the waters. Silence fell upon the crowd as
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  Speaker 2: Moses inhaled deeply and looked to the sky. He remembered
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  Speaker 2: the words of God on Mount Sinai. Take this staff,
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  Speaker 2: and with it you will do my wonders, God had
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  Speaker 2: once told him. Moving his gaze towards the sea, Moses
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  Speaker 2: outstretched his arms with the staff in his right hand.
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  Speaker 2: A cold wind blew violently from the east around him,
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  Speaker 2: and the seas began to rush to and fro. The
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  Speaker 2: wind howled at night, and the waters danced as the
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  Speaker 2: seas began to split in half. Moses' hands were lifted
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  Speaker 2: in the air, and all of Israel stood in awe
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  Speaker 2: of the wonders of their Lord. All of Israel... And
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  Speaker 2: he said to them, of the divided seas, and Pharaoh's
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  Speaker 2: army began descending to capture them. Pharaoh's army, chariots and horsemen,
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  Speaker 2: pursued them into the split seas. As they closed the
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  Speaker 2: gap between them and Israel, God's pillar of fire and
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  Speaker 2: cloud threw them into a panic. Their horses fell and
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  Speaker 2: their chariots crumbled. The army looked up and the waters
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  Speaker 2: began to sway back and forth above them. The waters
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  Speaker 2: fell like a crumbling wall, and the Egyptians were swallowed
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  Speaker 2: up by the raging waters. Not one of them remained,
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  Speaker 2: and Pharaoh's hardened heart dissolved in the darkness of the
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  Speaker 2: deep sea. The people of Israel looked upon the seas
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  Speaker 2: on the other side, safe, not one of them being harmed.
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  Speaker 2: Egyptian bodies began to wash up on the shore. The
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  Speaker 2: Lord had been their champion once again. and saved them
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  Speaker 2: from the hand of the Egyptians. A reverent, thankful, and
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  Speaker 2: healthy fear of God came upon them, and they truly
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  Speaker 2: believed he was their redeemer and leader. They sang, danced,
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  Speaker 2: and 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
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  Speaker 2: the morning they awoke to a flake-like substance laced on
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  Speaker 2: the ground like frost. It was thin and unknown to
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  Speaker 2: the people of Israel.
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  Speaker 1: What is it?
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  Speaker 2: They asked. So they named it manna, which means what.
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  Speaker 2: As God instructed, most people gathered only what they needed,
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  Speaker 2: while others took more and watched it spoil. So began
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  Speaker 2: the providing relationship between God and his people. The days
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  Speaker 2: would be long. and the weeks would be longer. Yet
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  Speaker 2: God continued to take care 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 his 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, they again complained,
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  Speaker 3: and God provided food with manna from the skies, a
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  Speaker 3: supernatural bread that God would provide to meet their physical needs.
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  Speaker 3: They only needed to trust God and to feed on
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  Speaker 3: his faithfulness. Even as they grumble and complain and fail
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  Speaker 3: to obey, God is as always faithful. And he leads
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  Speaker 3: his people through the wilderness to a land of promise
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  Speaker 3: that he is preparing for them. Dear God, we thank
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  Speaker 3: you for what we've seen and heard in the scriptures today.
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  Speaker 3: And we thank you that we can rest in your
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  Speaker 3: faithfulness to us, to feed us and to supply our
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  Speaker 3: every need according to your riches and glory in Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: Help us always to trust in you and not complain. Lord,
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  Speaker 3: fill us with gratitude for the many blessings that you
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  Speaker 3: pour down upon us each day. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: to tap into God's power for successful Christian living, be
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  Speaker 3: sure to visit JackGraham.org. God bless.
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