Focus Chapters:

• Exodus 13-15

Standout Verse(s):

THE ACTION

Exodus 14:10-12 NLT

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

THE REACTION

Exodus 14:13-14 NLT

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Observation (s):

1. In the moment when the Israelites lives were at stake, they looked back and yearned for their enslavement in Egypt, believing that slavery there was better than dying in the wilderness.
   
   

   They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”.

   
   
2. Moses made himself an example. He behaved in the manner that he requested from the Israelites. He stifled his fears, stood still and watched God.
   
   

   But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Application:

I can’t swim but I love the water as long as I am in control. I started learning to swim a few months ago. On my first try, I was told to turn on my back and float while my sister supported me. My first few attempts resulted in me thrashing around and panicking, making it more difficult for me or my sister to handle the situation. Panicking meant I was no longer in a position to hear and respond to her instructions. It took me a while to be still and calm, knowing that my sister supported me and had my back.

It is hard to be calm and watch God in the middle of a dangerous situation, especially when you know what is at stake if the danger overcomes you. For the Israelites, their lives were at stake and like many of us, their initial reaction was to panick and start looking back at moments when they were “safer”. In that moment, they were willing to go back to the situation and labels that God had delivered them from. In that moment they focused on the big stakes instead of the bigger God who is on their side and fighting for them.

I want to be like Moses. The stakes are big but God is bigger. Having already seen God’s power, he had only two reactions:

1. He placed his fears under subjection.
2. He was calm and still enough to hear God and act upon His instructions.

What will your reaction in danger be? Will you be still and watch God fight for you?