Good morning and happy Monday. I rose early this morning and opened up the back door to a wonderful bit of good news. A soft 61 degree breeze on my face. I’ve been patiently waiting for the first cold snap of Fall and the year 2019 just didn’t seem to want to provide it. The first hint of cold brings with it so many great memories of good things in the past which then trigger thoughts of good things to come. But along with the coolness means the inevitable, I’ll have to retire my shorts and flip flops until next Spring. Well, maybe not just yet, I did see it’s supposed to be back in the high 80’s by mid-week. Life in Texas.
This morning is a grand day in Exodus, in chapter 14 we will finally see God rid the Israelites of mean ol’ Pharaoh. For 430 years the Israelites have been in captivity in Egypt, slaves in another land, their fate and the fates of future generations left to the unknown. But Exodus 14 changes so much.
So, if you’ve been keeping up with the 5MC and our journey through Exodus (and I hope you have) you’re up to speed. If not go The5MC.com and catch up on any or all of the first 13 chapters of Exodus you might have missed. They’re all easily found under the Exodus tab on the home page.
After the 10th plague which brought death to all the firstborns of the land, Pharaoh energetically invited the departure of Moses and the people that had brought such dire death and destruction upon his land. But after his entire slave force departs guess what? Yep, he has some serious second thoughts about letting 2 million slaves go. I mean who is going to empty the trash now? So Pharaoh changes his mind and decides to chase them down and bring them back.
“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?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.” Ex 14:5-7
So, you’ve got almost 2 million unarmed men, women and children on foot being pursued by a very hostile, very motivated fully armed battalion that is speeding towards them in 600 horse drawn chariots. Not what I would call a great situation for the Israelites. And to make matters worse, the Israelites are cornered. They have the Red Sea, 9 miles wide, behind them and the Egyptian army galloping towards them. What to do. Well, they do what all humans do when they find death staring them in the face and all options have been taken off the table. They cry out to God to save them.
I call this the “fox-hole” mentality. When life is humming along and everything is hunky-dory, we seem to put God on the back burner, not really needing Him much. But when war starts to rage around us, and a few mortars explode directly overhead, we head for the nearest fox-hole and start crying out to God to save us. As the mortars reach their final crescendo and the silence of peace ensues, we cautiously crawl out of the fox-hole, brush ourselves off and proceed on our way as if it never happened. Sometimes not even thanking God for his mercy. We cry out to God to save us and when He does, we forget Him like a dropped penny. Until the next time we need Him.
As the people see death charging towards them in a cloud of dust, God instructs Moses to raise his staff over the sea and in one of the most dramatic miracles in God’s Word, the sea parts and the people, all 2 million of them walk through on completely dry land. Amazing indeed.
But our lesson this morning stems from verse 14:13 and how Moses addresses the people as they are desperate for their lives. Think about this, parents screaming in terror, thinking that their sons and daughters were to either be murdered in a fierce battle or forcibly dragged back to Egypt to live the remainder of their lives as slaves in a tortuous daily routine. This was a bitter mixture of fear, uncertainty, panic and anxiety all fueled by a rush of life saving adrenaline. The people need to be comforted and calmed, and they need it quick. And oh boy does God deliver some amazing words through Moses.
“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.” Ex 14:13
As we see the armies of this life bearing down upon us today, this verse is as applicable as it was over 3500 years ago when a vast Israelite nation faced the uncertainty of their future. They had seen God do amazing things through the plagues to get them to this point, yet at this moment they doubted. They needed a reminder from God, just as we do today. No matter what you may be facing today, here is a reminder from God, He is bigger. Depression, loneliness, pornography, alcohol, fear, addiction, guilt, sexual immorality, anger; it doesn’t matter. If God can wash away an entire enemy army, He is more than capable of washing away yours.
And He gives us a beautiful 4 step recipe to deal with our enemy army in this verse. First, do not be afraid. God is mightier than anything we can encounter in this life. This is where your Faith comes in. You must believe in your heart that God is bigger than whatever you are facing. Second, be still. One of my favorite verses is Psalms 46:10, ““Be still, and know that I am God.” I’ve heard a translation of this verse as, “Be still in order to understand that I am God.” Be still. You see the Israelites were probably anything but still in this panic stricken moment. They were more than likely running around like crazy people trying to save themselves. But God’s instructions for us in those moments where we feel like we need to take control is just the opposite, just be still and let God handle it. Third, “see the salvation of the Lord.” It’s there, it’s right in front of you, but you can only see the salvation of the Lord with the eyes of your heart. You can only see it through your faith. You must believe that God can and will save you from your army. The fourth is the word “today.” God is not a God of a distant future. God is not a God of next year, next month, or even tomorrow. God is a God of today. God will offer you salvation and deliver you from your afflictions today.
My friend, no matter what you may be facing today, God offers amazing comfort and instructions through His Words in verse 13. Do not be afraid of whatever army is bearing down upon you today, God is aware of it and He is by your side. Be still and let Him do what He does. He can’t work the way He wants to if you are trying to handle it yourself, meddling in the affairs. Just take a deep breath, pray to the Lord and allow Him to be the captain of your ship. And as you do, He will offer you His sweet salvation today. Not next week, not tomorrow but today. Just remember though, in God’s perfect plan for our lives, it’s what He wants not what we want. It just might turn out that His solution is not at all what you thought it should be, it will be even better.
I pray today that your faith in your Lord will allow you to be still and watch Him part great seas in your life in order to rescue you from whatever holds you in bondage.
Rich blessings to you.
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