Text: Exodus 14:13-31
Theme: Be Still and See the Salvation
Introduction: The Lord is good; His love endures forever. God willing, we will meditate on the theme, HOPE AMIDST DESPAIR, throughout August. Almost all of us are going through tough situations, hopelessness despite resources and people around us. Our ordinary life is disturbed and more pressure mounted upon all of us. All sectors of life challenge us to cope up. The Lord brings us, hope, amidst Despair. Today we are meditating on the theme:
Be still and see the salvation based on the text Exodus 13-14.
The take away from this sermon could be:
Move on, the Lord is travelling with you;
Look up, the Lord is fighting for you; and
Trust in Him, he has delivered you.
1. Exodus 14:15-20: Move on(v. 15), the Lord is travelling with you(v. 19)
Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. God led them into the valley and brought them to this place purposefully. They were caught between the mountains and the sea. Pharaoh thought that the Israelites made a foolish move. Can God make a wrong move in your life? When you are perplexed, disturbed, gave up hope. God tells you and reminds you that I am with you. God taught the final lesson to Pharaoh who was Jehovah, and God has shown himself as a redeemer and silent fighter to the children of Israel. God makes the way even when there is no way. The end of the human mind is the beginning of God’s mind and God’s ways.
Do not stay back, move on. Move forward. The Lord is with you. He travels with you. Exodus 14:19 expresses that the Angel of the Lord who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army went behind them to safeguard them. What a wonderful understanding that the Lord goes before you. When we feel lonely, when we are in disastrous moments, the promise is that the Lord goes with us. Step out with faith that the Lord is going ahead and behind you.
Travelling Angel of God refers to the divine presence, manifested in the pillar of cloud and fire. The pillar of cloud slow and silent movement of that majestic column through the air, and occupying a position behind them must have excited the astonishment of the Israelites (Isaiah 58:8). It was Yahweh, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit (Exodus 13:21, 14:24). Burning Bush associated with God and the Lord (Exodus 3:2). He proceeded the camp and stood behind them (Exodus 13:21, Psalm 78:14). 1 Corinthians 10:4 says it was Jesus Christ, and in Psalms, it refers to the Holy Spirit (Psalm 2:12).
He gave a promise to Abraham and he does lead him to an unknown country as a guide walking in front of Abram (Genesis 12:1, 4, Acts 7:3). Moses has the promise of God that God will be with him when he stands before Pharaoh (Exodus 3:10, 12). The Lord led the battle of David; he went before him to the battlefield. The Lord had gone before him on the tops of the Balsam trees (2 Samuel 5:22-24).
Jesus told his disciples that he will be with them until the end of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). Mark ends his Gospel confirming the presence of the Lord was with them everywhere (Mark 16:20). While Jesus sent seventy of them to cast demons, perform miracles and wonders. They returned and joyfully reported that how they succeeded the Satanic powers, Jesus immediately replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. This shows the presence of God was with them (Luke 10:18). The early Church had seen the work of the Holy Spirit. He told Saul that he was persecuting Christ when he persecuted the Christians. He identified with their pain (Acts 9:5). The presence of God in our life often not taken into account, the grace of God is taken very lightly. The miracles of God we experience in our day to day life. God expects a thankful heart and gratitude from us.
2. Exodus 14:21-28: Lookup(v. 10), the Lord is fighting for you(v. 25)
Pharaoh had best chariots (Exodus 14:7), the officers, soldiers, armies were marching boldly against the Israelites (Exodus 14:8), the Egyptian horses, chariots, horsemen and troops pursued and overtook the Israelites (Exodus 14:9). The Israelites looked up and there were Egyptians marching after them. Often we think, we are satisfied in slavery, sin and defeats. We are comfortable with the fear of men. We serve a wonderful God. He is the God of Hosts, God of victory, God of the mount and valley, and God of seas and wilderness. Pharaoh thought the Israelites were wandering in confusion (Exodus 14:3). Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord and there is no other God.
God knew what they needed, God knew what they were going through, and then God came up with good news for their bad situation. God knew. As we struggle to live out the life of faith, we have a God who knows us, knows our problems, knows our failures, and knows our needs. God provides good news for whatever bad situations we are going through, namely, unemployment, depression and serious illness, doubt, fear, loneliness and we can add on.
Pharaoh had pursued them with six hundred trained men; in fact, they were bodyguards of the Pharaoh. But Israelites were untrained, unarmed, unaccustomed to warfare. So they terrified about the enemy camp. Be a passive person. Be silent with expectation. Do you live with confusion or others think that you are not in a sane mind? Look up and look around the Lord is fighting for you.
Now Pharaoh and his armies were completely frightened, confused and came to an unmanageable situation. They shouted let us flee, Yahweh is fighting for Israelites (Exodus 14:25). The rain, thunders, flashes of lightning and hailstones came from the heaven as artilleries of God (Gill Exposition), and added to that it was night, all these had put the Egyptian horses and its riders into a great panic. When God fights for us he will fight to assure the victory. He is certain that the Egyptians will be dealt with in such a way that they will never again try to interfere with the journeying children of Israel.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against shall prosper, and every tongue that accuses you in judgement you will condemn. If God is for us who will be against us (Romans 8:31)? “Finally, Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”( Ephesians 6:10-12).
“Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.” (Deuteronomy 3:22) "For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory (Deuteronomy 20:4). “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before the entire multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:7).
3. Exodus 14:29-31: Trust in Him(v. 31), He has delivered you(v. 30)
According to the Jewish tradition, the exodus community had crossed the Red Sea on the night of the 21st of Nisan, the month of Abib (Pulpit Commentary). The challenge on that day by Moses was, do not be afraid, Stand firm. Today is the day of deliverance and day of erasing the enemies, taskmasters. Crossing the Red sea has two key points: Israelite will learn the power of God to trust in Him, and the Egyptian King Pharaoh will know Yahweh is the Lord. God will glorify through this act (Exodus 14:4,17-18). Be still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Crossing the Red sea is going to be a memorable one to Israelites and heathens, Canaanites had shaken by this event (Joshua 2:9). Jewish history always mentions about it. Their praises had always referred to this act (Psalm 114:3, 106:9, 136:13). Likewise, it is equivalent to our Baptism in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1,2). Our first experience with the Lord, our born again experience is our strength (Isaiah 11:15). We need to remember that moment very often in our lives. As Egyptians had swallowed up, a day will come the non-believers will end up in the eternal fire. All that is against you, circumstances, people and places will have a dramatic change.
The water divided into two walls. This historically and geographically explained as the water remained in the upper extremity of the Gulf, now it is the site of the Bitter Lakes, and below Suez. The portion of the sea dried up lay probably between the present southern extremity of the Bitter Lakes and Suez (Pulpit commentary). The divided waters were seen at entry to Canaan (Joshua 3:17) and during the time of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 2:8, 14).
Waters became walls. God does miracles after miracles here – waters became walls, trained infantry lost the victory, Israel walked through with all their belongings, the light was before them during the night. It was an absolute nightmare to Egyptians and Pharaoh. Your salvation has done. You are redeemed. Even before the foundation of the earth, the Lord has purposed, he had fixed and he has given you the redemption.
Mathew Commentary: We may be in the way of duty, following God, and hastening toward heaven, yet may be troubled on every side. "Stand still," think not to save you either by fighting or flying; wait for God's orders, and observe them. Compose yourselves, by confidence in God, into peaceful thoughts of the great salvation God is about to work for you. Such a difference there will be between the inheritance of the saints in light, and that utter darkness which will be the portion of hypocrites for ever. When the Lord is travelling with you, you are in the light your darkness turned into light, your despair turned into hope.
Illustration:
Charles Blondin, famous rope walker, crossed the Niagara falls more than 300 times, for the first time he took his manager Harry with him to cross on the rope, He gave his manager the following instructions: “Look up, Harry.… you are no longer Harry, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do, we will both go to our death.” (Adopted)
