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*/Crossing the Red Sea - Exodus 14.1 - 15.21 (Part 6 in a Series of 11)/*
October 5, 2008
Introduction: Read Exodus 14.
Prayer: O, Lord - Who is like You? Confident in battle; Faithful to the faithless; Fighting for us!
You will gain honor.
The world will know that You are the Lord.
You will gain honor for Yourself over the world.
What is become darkness to the world becomes light and the way out for us.
You have become a wall of power to either side of us, holding back that which would defeat us.
You look down and trouble those that rise up against us.
You fight for us!
Who is like You, O Lord?
The destroyer of those who oppose You and the deliverer of those who obey You.
You have saved us.
Let us see Your work of redemption.
Let us fear You and believe Your holy Word.
We praise and exalt You.
Glorious in power, fearful in praises, and doing wonders.
Lead forth in mercy.
Who is like You, O Lord? May dread fear fall upon those who oppose You.
Let them be as still as a stone.
Triumph gloriously and cause Your people to fear because there is none like You in all the earth!
/Transition: Let’s examine three stages in God’s battle plan against Egypt…/
*Stage 1: The Prelude to Battle (14.1-18)*
Before any battle begins, the plans are made and the lines are drawn.
When an overwhelmingly powerful enemy arrays itself against a weaker foe, the situation becomes fertile ground for three elements in the prelude to battle:
1.
There is the overconfidence of the superior power.
2. There is the cowardice of those who realize what they think to be inevitable.
3.
There is the uncommon valor of a few courageous souls.
Just before the fight begins, both sides reach a point of no return.
It is here that one must be fully committed to the fight.
/ The Overconfidence of Those Opposing God (14.1-10)/
Israel camped before Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the Red Sea.
While these places cannot be traced to an actual location on the map, it is clear that Israel was closed in by the wilderness and the Red Sea.
They had been moving in a northeasterly direction when God had them turn and head into what seemed like a trap.
Of course, it was a trap but not for Israel.
Pharaoh was extremely overconfident because the Israelites appeared bewildered and hemmed in on all sides.
God brought Israel into a vulnerable situation in order to exploit the overconfident Egypt.
Pharaoh arrogantly pressed a military advantage he thought he had.
He pursued Israel, but God would gain honor over him.
The Egyptians would finally know that God is the LORD.
The impetus for Pharaoh’s overconfident pursuit came when his people changed their minds about allowing all their slaves to escape.
“Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
This emboldened Pharaoh even after the devastation of the 10th plague.
He brought his finest to the battle lines - 600 choice chariots and a captain over each.
The LORD hardened and Pharaoh pursued.
The children of Israel went out of Egypt with boldness (14.8), but when Pharaoh drew near they were very afraid.
That fear was generated by the supremely confident foe that they faced.
Application: 1 Corinthians 10:6 states that “these things (referring to the Exodus events) became our examples.”
Pharaoh and Egypt represent the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The devil is extremely confident.
When we make a decision or a choice in life that demonstrates a commitment to Christ, it does not come without a challenge.
Satan uses fear, doubt, and discouragement to overwhelm us.
He charges ahead flailing away at the horses and rumbling upon the iron wheels of temptation seeking to turn us back to bondage.
This is demonstrated even in the way that the seed of God’s Word is snatched from our hearts before it even germinates in our lives or when persecution (no matter how mild) keeps us from doing the right thing.
/ The Cowardice of Those Overwhelmed with Fear (14.11-12)/
Israel gave into fear.
They simply did not believe that God was an ever-present help for them.
Their eyes were upon the Egyptians who marched after them.
They cry out to the Lord - not is faith but in fear.
The Psalmist points out their lack of understanding: “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of your mercies, but rebelled by the sea - the Red Sea” (106:7).
We think about Pharaoh’s overconfidence even after the ten plagues, but what of Israel’s desperate fear even though they witnessed God’s overwhelming protection?
They cry out to God but do not wait for an answer.
Instead, they rail against God’s man, Moses:
Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?
Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us out of Egypt?
Is this not the world that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’?
For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness (14.11-12).
They pledged allegiance to Pharaoh and slavery while denying the power of God.
Why?
They were a overwhelmed with fear!
Application: It is the same with us.
We see God who desires to lift the bondage of sin in our lives.
He wants full commitment in our fight against it, but we are less than committed.
How do I know this?
Consider how we respond when our backs are against the sea of problems we face in life.
· We become angry and embittered against God and everyone or thing that represents Him.
· We forget the problems by amusing ourselves to death.
· We mask the problems with addictions.
Our security for years was in a television, a bottle or cigarette, or even sexual fantasy.
So when the pressure of life is on for us, where do we go?
We go back to the very thing that destroyed our lives …that which Christ saved us from.
The terrible friends, the sickening habits, and the destructive thoughts are longed for even as Israel longed to return to Pharaoh.
/ The Courage of Those Fortified by Faith (14.13-18)/
Moses responds with meekness to the rebellion of Israel.
“Do not be afraid.
Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.
For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (14.13-14).
The difference between Moses and the children of Israel was one of perspective.
They saw Pharaoh bearing down on them while Moses saw God fighting for them.
It’s that simple.
Moses quietly instilled courage by gently rebuking the children of Israel.
“Stand still.
See what God will accomplish on your behalf!”
You don’t expect your general to tell you to stand still as the enemy presses down upon you.
But this is no mere military conflict.
It was a battle fought not by soldiers but by the LORD God.
Application: Faith is the key to salvation and the key to sanctification.
We don’t run, but stand and see the salvation of the LORD.
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