Exodus 14:5-18
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 let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 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 there were the Egyptians, marching after them. 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 to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
Devotion
In Exodus 14, the children of Israel were in quite a predicament. Pharaoh’s army was at their back and the Red Sea was before them. The situation seemed hopeless. Moses tells the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” This seems like wise advice given their situation. Then God intervenes. God says, “Tell the Israelites to move on.” God instructs Moses to raise his staff and then God provides the miracle. The Red Sea parts and the people can cross over the sea on dry ground. Then God says, “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh.”
Life’s battles come in all shapes and sizes. Yet we see a common theme throughout the Bible: God is a deliverer. There are times when we are instructed to be still and know that He is God. There are times when God says it’s time to move forward. Either way, the battle belongs to the Lord. In the end, God is glorified, and He is made known in the world.
Questions to Ponder:
What is your current situation? Is God asking you to be still and know that He is God right now? Or is God asking you to move forward and step out in faith at this time? God wants to glorify Himself through your life right now! The question is: Will you allow Him to do so?
Prayer Points
- Ask the LORD to search Your heart and reveal to You any unconfessed sin.
- Ask the Spirit of God to remind You of a time when You were in a battle. What did You learn about Him and the situation while walking through it?
- Take some time to be still before the LORD and know that He is God. Sit somewhere quiet in Your house and set Your heart and mind on Him and His Word. Say short little prayers back to Him.
Suggested Prayer
Father forgive me for complaining. I confess that I am often caught up in focusing on my present problem rather than focusing on You. I confess I so often am like the Israelites. Forgive me Father.
Reach down from heaven and Lift my head toward You. I want to be consumed with You and Your ways. I want to waken the dawn with praises for You are worthy of all my praise and affection. Teach me how to respond to You Lord. Teach me how to respond to my present situation by Your Holy Spirit.
Thank You LORD for not being a “religion” but a real person. Thank You that we get to be relational and go back and forth talking, listening, serving, and communing together.
You are the One and Only wise King! You will not share Your glory with another. So glorify Your Son Jesus Christ in every aspect of my life. God I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.