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[ Silence ] (slow jazz music) [ Music ] ♪♪

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♪♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Oh children ♪ ♪ Oh children ♪

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♪ Sometimes I sit and I look back ♪ ♪ Lord, I'm hungered ♪ ♪ Over the way I've come ♪ ♪ And the tedious journey I've crumbled ♪

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♪ And I'm hungered, hungered ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, I'm hungered ♪ ♪ Where in the world I've been ♪ ♪ If Lord, if Lord, if Lord had been with me ♪

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♪ Oh, children ♪ ♪ Oh, children ♪ ♪ Sometimes I sit and I look back ♪ ♪ Lord, I wonder ♪

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♪ Over the way I've come ♪ ♪ And the tedious journey I've run ♪ ♪ And I wonder, wonder ♪ ♪ Oh yes I wonder ♪

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♪ Where in the world I'd be ♪ ♪ If the Lord, if the Lord, if the Lord ♪ ♪ Had been with me ♪ ♪ I had a mighty rocky road ♪

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♪ Yes my Lord ♪ ♪ I had a mighty rocky road ♪ ♪ Mighty rocky road ♪ ♪ I had a mighty rocky road ♪

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♪ And I wonder, wonder ♪ ♪ Oh yes I wonder ♪ ♪ Where in the world I'd be ♪ ♪ If the Lord, if the Lord, if the Lord ♪

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♪ Had been with me ♪ ♪ I had to go to the doctor ♪ ♪ To get a diagnosis ♪ ♪ And I wonder, wonder ♪

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♪ I had to hang my head and cry ♪ ♪ Yes my Lord ♪ ♪ I had to hang my head and cry ♪ ♪ Hang my head and cry ♪

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♪ I had to hang ♪ ♪ My head and cry ♪ ♪ Yes my Lord ♪ ♪ I had to hang my head and cry ♪

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♪ And I think of the way I'm run ♪ ♪ And the speed that's dirty I've run ♪ And I wonder, wonder, oh yes I wonder, where in the world I'd be, if the Lord had been with me. ♪ Oh, children ♪

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♪ Oh, children ♪ ♪ Sometimes I sit and I look back ♪ ♪ Oh, I wonder ♪ ♪ What a way I've come ♪

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♪ And the journey I've come ♪ ♪ And I wonder, wonder ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, I wonder ♪ ♪ And it's by my feet ♪

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♪ The Lord, the Lord, the Lord ♪ ♪ Hath lifted me ♪ - Amen. And it came to pass

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when Pharaoh had let the people go that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, "Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt." But God led the people about through the way of the

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wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up, harnessed out of the land of Egypt." Would you repeat after me, "God led the people--" (Audience Repeats) "--round about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea." The

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subject of the message, "Why God led the Israelites roundabout." Sometimes on our life's journey, we seem to be going around in circles, and we are. God is leading us, and He takes us roundabout on the journey from Egypt to Canaan, the Israelites

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could have taken a short, direct route which would have enabled them to arrive in Canaan in just a matter of days. But God led them round about. And sometimes life seems to be going around in circles for us. We just keep going around in circles and

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shifted gears. But it is the will of God for His people that do not always take a short route. In fact, most of the time we take the long way home. So God led the people around about because if they had gone the direct route

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and followed what is known as the via Amoris, the way of the sea, which is right around the Mediterranean Sea, they could have come out of Egypt

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and gone right on around up the sea, all around, the desert, but God led them round about." This is to avoid, first of all, the Philistines. The first reason that God led led them. This text states that if they had gone that quick, direct, short route, that

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they would have encountered the Philistines. And had they encountered the Philistines, would have necessarily engaged in fierce fighting and they were not prepared. They were no match for the Philistines. They did not have the equivalent of war weapons that they possessed. The Philistines were far more advanced.

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Can you imagine these desert travelers with sticks and stones fighting those who have spears and other more modernized weapons? So God did not lead them that way. Alexander and Napoleon, who were known as great generals

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in warfare, they took the near way because it was the key to their position between Egypt and the empires of Asia. So the Philistines stood in the way.

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They were a shut door that had to be opened. So to take the newly freed slaves on the journey that was considered most direct would have been to have an experience

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to leading a lamb to the slaughter. God led the Israelites round about and took them the long way home, rather than the shortcut by the sea. So, they took a detour into the wilderness. Let me say that again. They took a detour that

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God gave them. God led them on a detour through the wilderness. So, my beloved, do not become disturbed if sometimes you seem to be going around in circles. Because sometimes God leads that ways. And He wants us to take a detour into the wilderness.

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That's rather strange. Rather strange for us because we want to get on with it. But that's not the way of God. Often He leads us on the detour. And He does this because He knows that we're not prepared for that quick, direct route.

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We're not prepared to engage in warfare with the Philistines. So God leads us round about. Instead of taking them on this direct route from Egypt to Gaza, they take this long way around

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on their journey toward Canaan. Now, that's not good military strategy because the great generals didn't follow that way. But first, he does this because he seeks to teach us

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that the shortest way is not the best way. To be sure, it's quicker and we may have a measure of comfort, but this short way is not the best way. Shortcuts do not assure us of the best results.

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Short way may appear to be the easiest way, but it's not the best way. The short way is occupied by fierce fighters and the Philistines are in that way.

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Some products that we get are not ready for the market because they are programmed to grow too fast. They are rushed to the market before maturity. Takes time for proper development.

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And there's one slogan that one company has, "We will make no wine before it's time." So not only were they led roundabout because they were not prepared for war,

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they were not prepared for conflict, they were led roundabout because they needed time. Time to mature. Just takes time.

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Make no wine before it's time. And sometimes we want to get on so quickly. When I was a little fella growing up, We wore short pants, and I was so anxious

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to wear those long pants to look like the time, look like the time couldn't come soon enough to wear long pants like a man. And we had three girls at home,

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and they wanted to get in their mother's shoes, you know, high heels. Children, but yet, wanting to dress in mother's clothes. But it takes time to be an adult.

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It's a long journey from childhood to adulthood. Some people never make it. (audience laughing) It's a long, long, long journey.

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Long journey. So, God led them round about not only to avoid war with the Philistines, God led them round about because they needed time to mature.

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So he takes them around about out there in the wilderness where they can develop laws and rituals and do all of those things as a means of training for nationhood.

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In other words, they are preparing to mature as a people. So he leads them roundabout. He leads us that way. That we may take time to mature.

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You hear people say, "Oh, if I had known then "what I know now." It's taking them some time to mature. time to grow up. And Israel needed that time. These uncouth slaves right out of Egypt, they

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needed some time to mature, to understand themselves, to get a good vision of what their mission is in the world. They needed time to mature. So don't take the shortcuts because they invite sudden death. Israel needs to take the long way to develop maturity. Israel needs to take

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the long way because she needs more time. It takes time to grow from infancy to adulthood. It takes time to go from kindergarten to college. It just takes time. God led Israelites roundabout to provide them the opportunity to grow in the way that they should go. So, the last reason that God led the

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Israelites roundabout, He led them roundabout that they might avoid war. He led them roundabout that they may develop the maturity that they need. And then He led them round about in order that they might experience the discipline of the

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desert. They needed that, the discipline of the desert. We like comfort. I heard someone talking the other day about they were staying in five-star hotels and how wonderful it is. We love our comfort. But God wants us exposed to the rigors

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of the desert. You know, I was saying just yesterday how I appreciate the fact that I grew up poor because it taught me a whole lot about how to manage. You know, it's been very profitable. I can get along on a whole lot less. And that's good to know. So they

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needed the riggers of the desert. Prepare them for Canaan. Oh, there's a land over there with milk and honey and there were wells that you did not dig and there are houses you you did not do but before you get there. You need to experience the discipline of the desert.

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Imagine these newly freed slaves who had waited 430 years to get free. They wanna get right in there. They'll get right into this new land.

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But here the Lord takes them out here, sends them on a detour, leading them into the desert where they wander around and around for 40 years.

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40 years, that's a lifetime. Wandering around out there in the desert. But that's what God does. We don't always understand why he does it.

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We just are called upon to follow him wherever he leads. So, out there in the discipline of the desert, there's some disappointments. Disappointments.

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disappointment they come and they need some water. They cross the Red Sea, that was a miracle, but now they need water. They're out there and they need and they cry for water and when they think they have some water and they get to this stream, the water is bitter. And they said we could not drink the water of Mara

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because they were bitter. Couldn't drink it. And see, life is like that. God wants us to learn how to live with disappointments. Oh, we always deal with things going our way and everything's on schedule. You say, "That's wonderful,

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wonderful. Everything is going my way." But God wants his people to learn how to live with disappointments. When you had it all programmed to work just this way and everything seems to go wrong, God wants us to be able to live with it, be able to

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accept it, because that's a part of life. So we're on a detour. visit. Couldn't drink the water, but God sweetens the bitter water so we can drink it. And then they go a little farther and they get to England and they see 12 springs of water.

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Still out there in the desert, but God lets us know that He can provide water in a thirsty land. And they have 12 springs. I'd like to think they had a spring for each one of the tribes. Plenty of water in Eland. And then they keep on

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going, keep on traveling. They're still on detour. They're God. And they go to the refugee. And there was no water. That's the way life is. Sometimes the waters are bitter. And then we have streams of water. Look like God is so good and showering us

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with prosperity. And then we get to a place where there's no water and they cry out to God. God leads in a mysterious way. God leads His people on the journey. Sometimes you have a couple, they have everything to offer. They have a good

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they have a good financial situation and they like to have children and they're not blessed with children. But that doesn't mean that God is against you. God has certain experiences for us in this desert so that wherever we are, whether it's with bitter waters or whether it's with springs and whatever the situation

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is that we can relate to it. And when we can do that, we're growing up. And then we have become schooled, I call it, schooled in the discipline of the desert.

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So let me close this by saying to you, wherever God leads, it's right. It may not be to our satisfaction, things may be going wrong,

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sometimes we may have good health, and sometimes bad health, but wherever God leads, it's right. Whether it's in Mara, whether it's in Elam,

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whether it's in Rephidim, wherever he leads, follow him. Because our lives are enriched and someday, somewhere along the way, we will be blessed

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with the assurance of knowing that we will get home. We'll get home someday. I don't know how long it'll be. What the future holds for me but this I know. If Jesus leads, we shall get home someday. So wherever He leads, He leads right. He leads right.

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So follow Him. Follow Him wherever He leads. Where He leads me, I will follow. I'll go with Him.

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With Him. All the way. Because He promised us a home in that land. And even though He leads on a detour here through this desert,

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We shall get there someday. So we sing now the hymn of invitation. We invite you to accept this God as Lord of your life and to follow Him wherever He leads.

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Come. It's an open door, he says, before us. Come. By letter, by Christian experience,

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By confession of faith come where he leads. Follow where he leads, step by step. Yes. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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