Exodus 14:1-18
For my money one of the best moments in the entire Old Testament comes in the Book of Exodus, chapter 14. The chapter culminates with Moses parting the Red Sea, the Israelites walking to safety on the dry land and the LORD dealing in a very definitive way with Pharaoh and his troops, swamping them by moving the Red Sea back into place.
The events that lead to this amazing moment are also pretty compelling. Moses is chosen by the LORD to lead His people out of slavery, and He directs him to go to Pharoah and ask for their unconditional release. Ten times Moses approaches Pharaoh and ten times Pharaoh at first agrees to let the slaves go only to have his heart harden and at the last minute he reneges on his promise.
With each refusal to free the Israelites, the LORD imposes on Egypt horrific plagues. All the country’s waterways are turned to blood. There are plagues of frogs, gnats, and flies. There’s a plague that kills all Egyptian owned livestock. With each plague we’re told how Pharaoh hardens his heart towards the idea of releasing God’s people. Then, with the sixth plague there comes a subtle change. This time it’s the LORD who hardens Pharaoh’s heart. This is important. What this tells us is that with the initial wave of plagues the LORD was testing Pharaoh to see if he would acknowledge Him as the one, true God of Israel.
When it becomes clear that Pharaoh isn’t going to relent, the LORD in a sense seals Pharaoh’s fate and makes clear to Moses that He will deal with Pharaoh in a definitive way. That demonstration begins with the final plague the LORD unleashes on Egypt. It’s a plague that results in the death of all of Egypt’s first-born sons. In the aftermath of that, Pharaoh pleads with Moses to leave Egypt taking with him all the livestock they own and most of the material wealth of the Egyptian citizens.
And that leads us to chapter 14. Once again, the LORD causes Pharaoh’s heart to harden towards the Israelites and he pulls together the full force of his military to pursue them and bring them back into bondage in Egypt. The Israelites meantime have set up camp in the wilderness as directed by the LORD. They see Pharaoh’s army approaching and we’re told that the people of Israel panicked.
This is interesting. God has made so many promises to His people up to this point. He has never given them any reason to doubt His promise to deliver them to the Promised Land. Yet despite His ongoing and great faithfulness, the people panic. They turn on Moses and accuse him of leading them to certain death. And in that moment, Moses does what any good pastor would do. He tells the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)
Listen, we know this as believers, right? When forces align against us and we seem to be devoid of all hope, praying to God for safety and deliverance is a good thing, no doubt but. Listen to how the LORD responds to Moses’ call to pray…
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the people to get moving!”
Prayer is important. Trusting in God’s desire and ability to watch over you in the most extreme moments of your struggle is important. But what your Heavenly Father also wants you to realize is that as you pray for your release from whatever bondage you’re living under there will come a moment when He expects you to act! That doesn’t mean you stop praying, it just means that with prayer you invest in your faith and walk with confidence on the dry, solid ground that He sets in front of you.
When we act with a faithful fervent belief in God’s promise to never leave us to forsake us, even the power of Pharaoh’s army doesn’t stand a chance.
And you and I have a precious gift that the Israelites didn’t have. We have the joy of an intimate relationship with a personal Savior, Jesus.
When your life looks to be about overrun by a marauding force of some kind, hear God. GET MOVING! He will be faithful to guide you to a better place. Amen!