1-24-15. Exodus 14:10-14. Get Ready To Stand Firm And Experience God’s Glory – my devotional

 Exodus 14:10-14                                                       Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse 14:13                                                        1-24-15

 “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”

. God was going to teach his people a great lesson…to stand firm and experience deliverance and the glory of God. Exodus 14:10-14 read, “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 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? 12 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!” 13 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. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (NIV)

When the ancient Israelites saw the Egyptian army coming, they were terrified. Read 14:10. “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 thought they were going to die violent deaths or be driven into the ocean to drown. They turned on Moses in anger and despair. They forgot about God’s mighty acts in Egypt.

Their first reaction was terror. The second reaction was to blame the servant of God who led them into the desert. (In a sense this is like blaming God himself). Look at verse 11-12, “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? 12 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!”

They should have realized a universal principle. Freedom does not come without sacrifice. There are some things worth living for and some things worth dying for. Patrick Henry, a great American patriot and Christian, once said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Think about the American Civil War. It took the death of many Americans, in a bloody war, to free the slaves in this country. Think about what God has accomplished through the Gospel. It took the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to free slaves of sin. If we want to enjoy freedom it will require sacrifice. The Israelite slaves had not learned that freedom is more precious than life. But they will.

Moses was facing several “Red Sea’s” himself. Not only was he facing the Egyptian armies with the rest of his people. He was facing the criticism and the rage of his own people. Moses didn’t know what to do, but had had faith and courage and by faith he told them to trust God. Look at verses 13-14, “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.'” You can see true faith when you are placed in trying situations. This is the difference faith makes…calmness, assurance, peace, cool headedness and hope and trust in the Lord no matter what happens. Moses experienced the difference and so can we when we place our faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ our Lord.

God, more often then not, comes through at the very last minute. He waits until we have exhausted our last human effort to save ourselves and then, when we think that all is lost, he comes through in a pinch. Why does living by faith seem like a roller coaster ride? I believe God’s wants us to reach our own limitations so that we despair about our limited “human-ness” and learn to trust in him. We can also experience faith, that, when God does come through and delivers us we will know that he is God. God is glorified. We become stronger and faith and can face the next trial and the next and the next.

We are facing some things in life that seem daunting and foreboding. These things are too hard to face, so hard, that we feel we can not stand our ground. We are convinced that we will meet a miserable end and be driven into a raging sea. Think about these scenarios. What about a student facing impossible exams? What about a troubled marriage? What about a troubled relationship with your kids and friends? What about issues with your job? What about financial woes and health problems? What about diseases that are leading to disability and death? What about sin problems within us, that don’t seem to go away? What about Satan’s persistent attacks? These are just personal Red Seas. What about Red Seas on national and international levels. The list of various “Red Seas” goes on and on. What do we do about them?

Having faith in God is paramount. Let’s examine the basis of Moses’ faith. Look at verses 13-14 again, “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.” God is the Almighty Creator God. He created the universe. He calms the seas. He can raise the dead. He can work in peoples’ hearts, in both believer and non-believer to bring about change. He can affect the outcome of things. He loves us like a Father loves his own children. When we feel that our backs are against the wall, we can trust him to come through for us, and for his glory. There is no need to fear. We need to stand firm. This means don’t run. Don’t make fear your modus operandi (mode of operation). Don’t let go of what God has called you to hold of. Don’t abandon your mission because of fear. Stand firm in your faith and trust in Christ. There we can find peace, trust and assurance in his great love.

Prayer: “Lord, thank you for helping me to stand firm in faith even in the face of enormous Red Sea’s in life. Thank you for teaching me to trust you and glorifying yourself in my life.”

One Word: Stand firm and you will see the glory of God.