We are in Exodus 12:33–42. I've entitled this, “Wait on the LORD,” and I've slowed down in chapter 12 because it's so packed with wonderful important content.
The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.
This passage confronts us with something very significant. Yes, God will unleash his power on behalf of his people. Yes, God will redeem his people from whatever enslaved them. Yes, God will provide for his people. Yes, the will of God cannot be thwarted. Yes, God is worthy of our trust, but here's the rub, let me read verses 40 to 43 again:
The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the LORD to bring them out of the land of Egypt. So this same night is a night of watching kept by the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout all generations.
We're confronted in this passage that God is faithful to his promises, but his timing is not our timing. God is always faithful, but you will experience he often doesn't seem like he's in much of a rush. We want to see the fulfillment of his promises right away. We want to see our enemies defeated right away. We want to see answers to our prayers right away, but God calls us to wait. For Israel, the wait was 430 years, imagine!
And we have to confess that often, waiting for us is a process of ever-weakening faith. The more we wait, the more we give way to doubt. The more we give way to doubt, the less we are sure that God's going to answer. Sometimes we give up on him completely. You see, “Waiting on God is not just about what you get at the end of the wait, but what you become as you wait!” Let me say that again, “Waiting is not just about what you get at the end of the wait, but what you become as you wait!” You become one who becomes greater and greater convinced that God has the power to do what he's promised; or you become a person who has basically given up on God.
You see, it's not just the Israelites, but we too are waiting. We live in this fallen, sin-broken world. It often looks to us like evil is winning. We still struggle with sin. We are dealing with pain and suffering all the time. And God has promised that he will make all things new again and give us a new world where sin and suffering are no more. But we, like generations of the people before us, are called to wait. Pray for grace to wait with hope and joy!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. In what specific ways have you experienced God being faithful to his promises, but not in the timing you expected? When God’s timing wasn’t your timing, how did you initially respond? What kinds of questions did you ask God as you experienced his timing and not yours? Looking back, what did you learn from that experience (or experiences) that helped you to trust more deeply in the perfect sovereignty and timing of God?
2. Why do you think that waiting is often a process of ever-weaking faith for so many of us? What kinds of doubts have crept into your life in times when you’ve had to wait on the Lord? Were you ever tempted to give up on God during that process?
3. How did God work through your times of waiting to help mold and shape you more into someone whose faith grew instead of shrank? Were you able to see the value of waiting as God transformed you during those difficult and possibly troubling times?
4. In what ways are you currently waiting right now? How might God want to meet you specifically in this time to help transform you into a person who trusts more and more in his power? How might his specific means of grace meet you to wait with hope and joy instead of frustration and bitterness?
For Younger Children:
1. Why do you think it’s so hard for us to wait for something we want? How has waiting been hard for you?
2. The Bible tells us to wait on the Lord—what do you think that means? Why do you think God wants us to be people who wait on him? How do you think that waiting can help us become more and more like Jesus?
For Older Children:
1. What is the point of waiting? Why do you think it’s so difficult for us to wait? Is there something you’re waiting for right now? How has that process been as you’ve waited?
2. The Bible tells us to wait on the Lord—why do you think God wants us to be people who wait for him? How can waiting actually help us?
3. How have you seen the process of waiting be a good thing either in your life or in someone else’s that you witnessed? Why was it a good thing?
You have permission to print, repost, share, distribute, and translate this resource as long as you credit Paul Tripp as the teacher, do not charge for this resource, and do not alter the content in any way. If you require an exception or special permission, please email Info@PaulTripp.com.
