Deliverance #4: God’s Gifts Change Lives

This Sunday’s lesson is actually the second story of Israel’s journey through the wilderness. By a series of dramatic divine acts, the slaves find themselves delivered to the other side of the Red Sea. Yahweh has triumphed decisively over Pharaoh and his hosts. The now freed slaves rested at the oasis of Elim; then they set out into the wilderness. The wilderness is aptly named. There in the desert they will find themselves in a daily life-and-death struggle for survival. The Sinai Peninsula will be for the Israelites not only a place of deprivation and want, but also a place of moral and spiritual testing. If they thought Pharaoh’s troops were a threat to their survival, wait until they are in the wilderness.