When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
Comment: You can’t always avoid war! And with the way ahead of them a non-crossable, fairly wide and significantly deep, stretch of water and behind them a well trained and prepared army, it is not surprising that the Israelis were terrified.They had no trained fighters, and I suspect that they didn’t have many tools of war. Mixed in with the adults were all their animals and babies and children and household goods. I am not surprised that they called out to God, but blaming Moses and no doubt Aaron for the situation they were in. But even as I write that excusing sentence, I can’t help but remember all that God had done to get them this far from slavery. They were about to wave white flags and surrender but Moses cried out, it seems very confidently, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD“. I don’t know what Moses thought that God would do, but Moses had experienced the delivering power of God and added “For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.” History isn’t easy to record instant by instant. Did Moses’ confidence come after a period – not recorded in detail here – a time in which God said to him “I’m going to make a way for you through the sea and then as the other guys, your enemies, seek to follow you I’ll drown them!” Or had he learnt to just do what God said?
“Just hold up your staff Moses and march into the water!” We’ll wait and see what happens!
Prayer: I’m frightened sometimes as I face the future without a clue as to what is going to happen. Help me to put my fear aside and trust You!
As I read it! 