MosesSýnishorn

Watch today’s clip as the Israelites leave Egypt while Pharaoh has second thoughts. 

Imagine for a moment being an Egyptian and knowing that your horrible suffering is coming at the hand of your leader’s pride, ego, and stubbornness. The God of the Israelites, through Moses’ obedience, has beaten their leader at every turn. In a matter of days, Egypt witnessed the years of oppression their people had placed on an entire nation coming down upon them. The sowing had now become the reaping. Regardless of what the Egyptians believed about Pharaoh prior to the plagues, likely by this point his position as a god was questionable and his approval ratings were way down.

God led Israel through Moses, from slavery to plunder, bondage to freedom. The nation suddenly had the blessings of great provision for their journey to the Promised Land. But at some point after Moses and the Israelites had a reasonable head start, Pharaoh changed his mind about losing his slave labor force and decided to recapture them. Being defeated by God and Moses was likely beginning to sting as well. So he bridled up over six hundred chariots and horsemen, taking off at breakneck speed to head Moses off. Meanwhile, the Israelites were camped out by the Red Sea.

Now, imagine the people’s shock and terror as they heard the sound of hundreds of hoof beats rumbling across the land, heading straight for them. In great fear, the people quickly turned on Moses. Suddenly with their lives threatened, they decided that returning to slavery was better than death by the sea.

Applying this scenario to our own lives, when we realize a major life crisis is “riding over the hill” towards us, we must remember that God is never surprised and always has our best interest at heart. There is great peace and comfort to be found in knowing that we need only to be still, listen to and follow Him, just as Moses did. God will fight for us as we face life’s overwhelming odds. This is a major point of application we should not miss in this story, regardless of the perceived threat level.

Think about your last (or current) crisis, did you panic like the Israelites or look to God as Moses did? What practical steps toward spiritual maturity can you take in between crises to move from fear to faith?