“What are we supposed to do now, huh, Moses?” You can almost hear the sarcasm that must have crossed the minds of at least some of the cynical among the Israelites. It had been a hectic few weeks and months. First, Moses showed up after forty years and told them Jehovah had remembered them and would set them free. That got everyone excited. Pharaoh, on the other hand, had a different plan. He made them work even harder. Thanks, Moses! In the end, after a monumental struggle of wills, Pharaoh was beaten and the children of Israel marched out of Egypt leaving that country in ruins. The only thing the Egyptians had left was the most powerful army on the planet. And now, that army is hot on their trail and has the Israelites pinned against the Red Sea with nowhere to run. You know some were sarcastic to Moses because of what we know they said: “They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 14:11).
Have you ever had your hopes built up for something really great and then had them dashed before your very eyes? I used to know a brother in Christ who would answer the question, “How are you?” by saying, “Fine, but I’ll get over it!” Now, he was joking, and I thought it was funny, but some people really do look at life that way. They’re afraid to get their hopes up because they just know those hopes will be dashed. Have you ever had your back up against the wall with nowhere to go?
Listen to how Moses answered the fear of the people: “But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent’” (Exodus 14:13, 14). Did you catch that? Here is the formula for their deliverance: 1) Do not be afraid! 2) Stand by - don’t run! 3) See the salvation of the Lord! 4) Keep silent!
The first thing we do when victory seems about to be snatched away or when we have our backs against the wall and there is no way out is…fear not! I love 2 Chronicles 20:15: “…and he said, ‘Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.”’” Wow! The battle is not years, but the Lord’s!!
The next thing we have to do is stand still, or don’t run. This battle may not be ours, but we cannot run in the face of the enemy. We must trust in the Lord, even when we do not see the salvation yet.
The third step in this formula is to see the salvation. The apostle Paul promised that part of God’s care to see that we do not suffer more temptation that we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13) is that He provides a way of escape. We must be looking for that way of escape to avoid temptation. When our backs are against the wall and the whole world (it seems) is against us, God will take care of us, but it takes spiritual eyes to see it. In other words, your salvation may not come in physical form. You may die, but if you are faithful unto death, He will give you a crown of life (Revelation 2:10). Do you see the salvation? Do you see (understand) with your spiritual eyes that God is in charge of the situation?
The fourth thing Moses told the people to do was to keep silent. Have you ever noticed that you cannot hear very well when you are talking? My ears work a lot better when my mouth is shut! Scripture tells us that the tongue is a terribly destructive thing when misused (James 3:5). Amazingly, it causes no damage when kept behind the bars of a clenched jaw. Do not challenge God! Don’t hold our your innocence as a reason why you don’t deserve to suffer this problem or that calamity. You and I don’t have anything to brag about or complain about. We have been given an opportunity to be children of God; to be under His protective wing.
Do you remember those mean old Egyptians that were coming after the Israelites? You know the story, don’t you? God parted the sea, and the Israelites walked across on dry land. The Egyptians followed, but God caused the wheels of their chariots to swerve and made it hard for them to drive. When the Egyptians realized that God was fighting for the Israelites, they tried to go back but it was too late. Jehovah had Moses stretch out his hand over the sea and it returned to its place drowning all the Egyptians. Look at what happened next: “When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31).
Have you ever seen the salvation of the Lord in your life? Let me challenge and encourage you to not be afraid, stand by, see the salvation of the Lord and keep silent before Him! If you do this in faithful submission to His will as outlined in Scripture, you and He are one unbeatable combination! Your enemies do not stand a chance. Remember, God loves you and so do I.
Donnie Bates