GOD Is Mighty: Part II

Exodus 14:4-15

4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 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. 11 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? 12 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." 13 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. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
15The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

In verse 4 God says that He will "...get glory over Pharah and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I AM THE LORD." It becomes clear that While God has heard the cries of His people and He is intent is to lead them to freedom, He is going to make sure that He gets glory in the process.

In verse 11 we read that "...the people of Israel were going out defiantly." I can't help but wonder if they were giving themselves some credit for what was taking place. In the chapter leading up to this, the people basically plundered the Egyptians. Their captors gave them anything that they wanted on their way out of town. So, at this point their heads are held high, and the question in my mind becomes 'Is this pride on parade?' Where they so sure of themselves? If they were, it didn’t last for long. That’s a lot like us; think about it. If we are so convinced of God's greatness, of His power and might, then why we so quickly become scared out of our minds when the boss gives us our 2-week notice? It says "...they feared greatly..." I’m sure they did, and I’m sure I would have felt exactly as they did, and I’m pretty sure you would have, too.

And then the questions are posed to Moses..."Why did you bring us out here, to die? We could've stayed in Egypt. We would've been miserable, but at least we would be alive." At this point it appears as if everything and everyone has stopped; save the Egyptians who seem to be closing in. I try to imagine what was going through their minds...the whispers among the crowd. "If a group goes to the left of the sea and another to the right, some of us might survive." "Do we stand and fight or simply surrender? They are prepared for battle, we've basically got our moving trucks loaded with our stuff."

Where is the confidence they once had? They had just seen God do ten unexplainable miracles…miracles done on their behalf, witnessed God's might, yet here they are acting like they’d never been the object of a single act of his grace and mercy. They are questioning His power. Don't we do that? How many times have we seen what God is capable of, what He has done and yet the very next time it's as though He's completely helpless. Therein lies our sin: God is mighty, but we deny His power.

Let's look at Moses' response to the people in verse 13 is classic: "Fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord"; verse 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." I love that! See the salvation of the Lord. People you are about to be witness to God's power. Oh, I know you've seen what He's capable of, but He's about to finish what He started. You've seen the plagues but wait until you get a load of this. God is going to see you through.

It gets better. Look again at what God asked Moses: "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward." That's great. He's essentially saying, "Stop whining and keep moving." This was not part of the plan. The Israelites were paralyzed by fear.

When we fail to recognize that God is mighty, we begin to feel weak and powerless. It paralyzes us. I go into what I call 'survival mode'. I stop where I am, and I don't move. I love the irony here. Moses has just told them to stand firm, and God is telling them to get a move on. Clearly Moses is telling them to stand firm in their faith and God is saying, follow my lead. Just because you are watching to see what I will do doesn't mean I won't accomplish at least part of it through you. You have responsibility, too!