I Have A God Problem
Exodus 2:1-3:14
Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567
Life is a journey that must be traveled, regardless of the condition of the roads. While a fortunate few may seem to glide through life with ease, most people encounter formidable challenges—whether they be incurable diseases, insurmountable foes, or overwhelming financial difficulties—that can leave them feeling hopeless. In the face of such trials, it is natural to question how anyone, like the Apostle Paul, could claim to be hard-pressed on every side yet not crushed, perplexed yet not driven to despair, persecuted yet not abandoned, and struck down yet not destroyed. This sermon will explore how, in the face of "God problems"—situations without human solutions—the key to experiencing safety, security, and peace that transcends all understanding lies in faith in the risen Savior. Before delving into this conclusion, let's examine a few examples of "God problems" that the Israelites encountered in the Old Testament.
Children of Israel by the Red Sea
After enduring over 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the children of Israel were finally liberated from their bondage, fulfilling the prophecy given to Abraham in Genesis 15:13. They had witnessed the mighty hand of God unleash ten devastating plagues upon Pharaoh and his people (Exodus 7-12) and departed with the wealth of Egypt bestowed upon them by a nation eager to see them go (Exodus 12:36). However, their joyous celebration was short-lived as God led them not through the heavily guarded Philistine territory, but instead along the desert road toward the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17-18). Encamped near Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the sea (Exodus 14:3), they were filled with terror upon seeing Pharaoh approaching with 600 of his best chariots and his entire army (Exodus 14:10). Trapped between the sea and the desert with no apparent escape, they cried out to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?' (Exodus 14:11). In this moment of despair, they faced an impossible situation that only divine intervention could resolve. They had a God-sized problem with no human solution!
The Promised Land
This was not the only time Israel would face insurmountable odds. Imagine the excitement among the people when they heard that the Lord had commanded Moses to send one representative from each tribe to explore the “land flowing with milk and honey” promised at the burning bush in Exodus 3:8 (Numbers 13:1-16). Moses instructed the spies to answer critical questions: Were the people in the land strong or weak? Was the land good or bad? Were the towns unwalled or fortified? Was the soil fertile or poor, and were there trees or not (Numbers 13:17-20)? After 40 days of thorough investigation, they returned with a mix of good and bad news. They affirmed that the land was indeed filled with milk and honey, bringing back a branch bearing a cluster of grapes so large it took two men to carry it (Numbers 13:23-24). But the bad news was daunting: the people there were powerful, the cities were fortified and very large, and they even saw the descendants of Anak, who were strong and tall (Deuteronomy 9:2, Numbers 13:28). Ten of the spies concluded, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:33). Faced with a grim choice—continuing to die in the wilderness, attacking the Canaanites and dying by the sword, or returning to Egypt as slaves—they confronted an impossible situation that only divine intervention could resolve. Once again, they had a God-sized problem with no human solution.
Babylonian Captivity
How does one respond to the prophet Jeremiah’s cry: “This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So, turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and actions” (Jeremiah 18:11)? One would think that after hearing such a warning from the same God who brought the Ten Plagues upon Egypt to "bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12), Israel would have repented in dust and ashes, as Job did (Job 42:6). Yet, instead of heeding the call to repentance, they chose to “continue with their own plans” and “follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (Jeremiah 18:12), thereby inviting God's righteous wrath upon themselves. In 586 BCE, Jerusalem was destroyed, and most of the population was deported to Babylon. Removed from the land God had promised them, they now lived as exiles, unable to rise against their captors. For seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12), they endured the loss of their Temple, the center of their worship and cultural identity, while facing immense pressure to assimilate into a foreign culture with its idols. The task of remaining faithful to the God who had disciplined them seemed impossible, and with no hope of immediate deliverance, they found themselves once again confronting a God-sized problem with no human solution.
