Be Still
As the Israelites are leaving Egypt, God tells them not to go by way of the road through Philistine country, because if they were to face war they might turn back. Instead He led them by desert road toward the Red Sea. Now we all know the story of how God parts the Red Sea, and the awesome victory He provides. But the Israelites have not yet read the end of their story. They don’t yet know the awesome power God is going to display here. And I think that is really vital for us to understand. Knowing these stories helps us as we live out our own lives, but just like the Israelites we live life walking forward, and we can’t see the end of the story until it has happened.
The thing about where the Israelites are here in this story is that they are in an extremely vulnerable position. The Bible says they left Egypt prepared for battle, but think about who this people have been for the last few centuries. They have been slaves. A people who have been oppressed and treated like they were nothing for years. They are leaving the only home they have ever known with children and grandparents. People are carrying bread dough in bowls on their shoulders. I have never heard of a war where they brought their children and grandparents along for the fight. That adds a whole extra layer of worry and concern to the situation at hand. My point is this is a highly tense situation for the Israelites.
Yes, the Lord has just dealt a mighty blow on the Egyptians with the plague of the firstborn. And yes, Pharaoh has finally relented and told the people to get out, but every time Pharaoh has said that the people could leave, he changed his mind. So even if there is faith among the people, there is also going to be this reality hanging over their heads that every time Pharaoh has relented, he has also gone back on his word. I read this story from the perspective of God is able. The thing is though, He has not yet delivered the Israelites. I know from the end of the story He is going to and even how He did, but the Israelites have not yet seen it. And the impossible before it becomes possible seems in fact, impossible.
Sometimes as I read this part of the story, I am looking at the Israelites as unfaithful, because I see their fear. And I think they should just trust God is going to bring about a great deliverance for them. But they don’t see the story from the perspective of having been delivered before they are delivered. They see great-grandma who is unsteady on her feet or their 2 month old baby boy. They look around and see slaves not free men. They see people with bread dough on their shoulders. They see the only life they’ve ever known shrinking in the distance behind them as they head toward the unknown. And while God is about to bring about a great deliverance for them. They are still people, and there are a lot of emotions going on in this scene.
Then they get to the Red Sea. Wilderness surrounds them, and the sound of horses and chariots start to fill their ears. The people look around and to their horror, the Egyptians are pursing them. We know how God delivers, but imagine this scene with me. The sea is not yet parted. There is no safe place to run and even if some could swim or make it a distance, there are some very vulnerable individuals in this place, and the enemy is coming. They are hemmed in with no place to go. They have put all their faith and trust in Moses and the God leading them, and all of a sudden they are in a place that unless God acts they are going to die. It is a helpless feeling to know you are in a spot where you are not in control. They could fight maybe, but who will they lose if they do?
I don’t always think of this scene. I typically just think about how God does make a way, and I forget how terrifying a situation can be before the Lord delivers. And when I do that, then when I get in a tough situation myself I think, God wouldn’t lead me here. Forgetting that sometimes He does lead us to the vulnerable places not to leave us there, but because He has a plan. And that plan is ultimately for our good, but in the hard places it may not feel like it. The thing is sometimes God will hem us in to help us see Him.
The next part is the hard part. As the Egyptians are drawing near, what does Moses tell the people? “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Be still? How hard is that? The thing is sometimes we are put in the moments that teach us what it means “for when I am weak, then I am strong.” It’s in those vulnerable places where my strength is not going to cut it. Imagine if the Israelites had tried to attack the Egyptians there? That wasn’t how God was going to deliver them, so who would they have lost? It’s hard to lean on the Lord’s plan in these situations. The Israelites were being asked to face their greatest fears head-on. That is not a simple situation. And yet, that is where God led them. And then brought about a great deliverance for them. But it’s not until after they have faced their fears.
This concept of be still is so important. But it is difficult as the storm is raging on, and reality is breathing down your neck. But it is vital to remember where our true strength comes from-it is in Christ. And in these seasons of fear, He becomes our Red Sea Crossing.
