Exodus 14:1 – 14 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon.
For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So this is what the Israelites did.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.” So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out with fists raised in defiance. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
The Israelites had marched out of Egypt with fists raised in defiance. The Exodus was going just fine, thank you, until Pharaoh and his army showed up! It’s actually amazing that in view of all the plagues that had hit Egypt, there were still any horses left; however, evidently, Pharaoh’s stables had somehow been spared and his army was still strong. Despite the fact that the rest of the country was in a shambles and that his first born son lay dead back in the palace, Pharaoh still had the crazy idea that he could herd the Israelites back into Goshen and make them slaves again.
Nobody knows the exact location of the camping place of the Israelites; however, speculations include several places where the water would not be too deep and where a strong wind might conceivably help clear the way. God Himself chose the camping place and directed Moses and the Israelites there.
APPLICATION: Everything looked hopeless for the Israelites! They had nowhere to go as they were caught between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. But God was about to do an incredible miracle, one that would echo down the ages.
Notice that the Israelites were not exactly people of faith. “They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Actually, the Israelites had been BEGGING God to deliver them, but they were hoping for a comfortable deliverance, one that didn’t cost them anything. There is no point at which it is recorded that the Israelites demanded that Moses should leave them alone; they were perfectly happy to have Moses run interference with Pharaoh. But freedom isn’t free and the Israelites had yet to learn that lesson.
Verse 14:13 – 14 are the key verses in this passage. Sometimes we feel that we have reached an impasse, that we have taken a stand for righteousness but that there’s no deliverance in sight. Here God is reminding us through Moses that when we have done everything that we can do or should do, we need to hold our peace and trust God. God who is rich in mercy will do what we cannot do and He will fight for us. But our part is to make sure that we have completely followed His commands. The Israelites did not get delivered while they were sitting back in the Land of Goshen; they only got delivered when they were between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are a strong Deliverer! Thank you that your promises never fail! Help us to trust you so completely that when we have reached the end of ourselves, we will confidently look to you, anticipating a wonderful deliverance. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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