Be Still And Watch The Salvation of The LORD

Sometimes in life we have done all we know how to do, yet we find ourselves further behind than when we first began, or caught between a rock and a hard place. Certain circumstances are not for us to figure out. Your peace begins when you give your problem to God.  Some situations are bigger than our own will and power and therefore require God’s ability to do what seems impossible for man.  For the battle is not yours but it is the LORD’S.

In the Book of Exodus, we see similar circumstances. Israel’s descendants had been enslaved in Egypt for more than 400 years, and God finally responded to their cries. God sent a champion, Moses, to free His people.

Moses himself is an interesting character. He was the son of Israelite parents but was raised as an Egyptian prince. However, when he came of age at 40 years old, he began to comprehend the suffering of his people. He witnessed an Egyptian overseer abusing a Hebrew slave, intervened, and killed the Egyptian overseer. As a result, he fled to the wilderness of Midian, where he was received by the priest of Midian. Moses later married Zipporah, the eldest daughter of Jethro. He became a shepherd, had children, and lived peacefully until God called him 40 years later at 80 years old.

So we come to the point in the story where God utterly humbles Pharaoh and the Israelites are finally free. Exodus 14:1-4,13 states:

“[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [2] Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi–hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal–zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. [3] For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. [4] And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. [13] And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”

God, in this text, sets a trap for Pharaoh by specifically positioning the Israelites in what we might call a “dead-end road.” The Egyptians were behind them, the wilderness and mountains surrounded them, and in front of them was the Red Sea. They literally had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Yet God set this trap not for them to be harmed, but so they could be delivered forever from their Egyptian masters.

Now the Israelites, seeing their Egyptian masters pursuing them with six hundred chosen chariots and soldiers, believed they were about to be destroyed. They cried out to Moses in Exodus 14:11:

“…Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?”

Moses responded in Exodus 14:13:

“…Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”

He declared, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.”

The people were likely thinking to themselves:

• We are surrounded by mountains in this wilderness.

• We have nowhere to run because the Red Sea is blocking our path.

• The enemy’s army is behind us, ready to destroy us.

Then God stepped in and did what He specializes in doing the impossible. God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea, and by the power of a mighty wind the Red Sea parted. The children of Israel crossed through the sea on dry ground, and more than one million people escaped safely to the other side.

Yet the Egyptians continued to pursue them. God then instructed Moses once again to stretch out his hand over the sea, and this time the waters returned upon the Egyptians, destroying Pharaoh’s army. This event is recorded in Exodus 14:21-31.

The children of Israel, now witnessing the full power of God’s might, developed a renewed reverence for Him. Exodus 14:31 states:

“And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.”

There is much we can learn from this story:

1. We must realize that God will protect His people

2. We must be obedient to God

3. We must, as Moses did, keep our faith in God regardless of the circumstances or consequences

4. Traumatic experiences don’t always result in tragedy but God can use them for deliverance

5. We learn to turn our problems over to God

6. We must understand that some situations are not for us to fix, but for God to handle

7. When we face circumstances that are bigger than us, we must stand still and watch the salvation of the LORD

8. If God brings us to the dead-end then He can bring us through it

Sometimes God allows us to stand at the edge of our own “Red Sea” so we can learn that victory does not come by our own strength, wisdom, or power, but by trusting completely in Him. When there seems to be no way forward, God is able to make a way where none exists.