Exodus 14

I was told a story once, a story about a man fleeing a burning home. He tried and tried different doors to escape, the handles burning his hands as he grasped and pulled. He ran around frantically, trying to get out of the box of flames he found himself within. Eventually, with little hope left he tried the garage door once more and was able to get into the garage and then out of the building completely. While he did suffer severe burns, he did escape with his life. While I am not sure of the status of this man's faith, it seems that he relied on his own strength and narrowly escaped. Our passage today reminds us that we should rely on God in the face of adversity, not ourselves. 

The apex of this chapter comes when the Israelites began to see the Egyptians pursuing them. They find themselves between their captors and the Red Sea. If I were them, I would have been a little worried too. At the last second, Moses stretches out his hand, and God parts the sea. They get to the other side, and then God lets the waters flow back into place, trapping the Egyptians. The Israelites are free. 

There is a difference between the two stories. One is a man with his life in his own hands who was lucky to be able to find his way out of the burning home. The other is a people with an all-powerful God who led them out of danger, full of control and sovereignty. There is no luck involved with God, just His protection. The man in the house's only hope was in himself alone. The Israelites were angry, giving up hope, and neglecting to put faith in their Lord. God showed up. He protected them. He brought his promise to fruition that he would lead them out of Egypt. 

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be in the position of the Israelites. I’d rather have an almighty God to put faith in when it seems like I have no path forward, no exit from danger. It just so happens that I do, and we do. But I think that just like the Israelites, we fail to remember our God and his provision for us. 

I do not mean to say, “put yourselves in the position of the Israelites; you are the Israelites in the story.” That is not the case. But the theme of them not trusting God and then God coming through is a theme existent in our lives today. In this passage today, God leads his people to freedom, to live under his guidance where he has called them to live. The theme persists into the New Testament and into our current context. God used Moses to guide his people into freedom. God goes beyond that with his one and only Son. He sent his Son to die for us and raised him back to life so that our sins might die with him and deliver us into a new life, into freedom. The way God uses Moses foreshadows how he uses Jesus. Jesus is greater than Moses, bringing us into eternal freedom and deliverance. God has been doing this for a long time, looking after his people and delivering them. This idea should be one we set our eyes on and lean into. 

I pray we trust God; I pray he increases our faith. I pray that when suffering or hard times come, we don’t take matters into our own hands but let God take control. 

Let God lead you through the exit of danger and into full life, trusting him. He has proven his character, his strength, and his love for us, and he is worthy of our faithfulness. Set your eyes on his character and his word, and let God lead you through the exit of danger and into full life trusting him. Relying on God is the way, the only way.