Moses – The Making of a LeaderSample

Day 11: Moses at the Red Sea 

Thoughts on the Passage

What do you do when God takes you out of one disaster – and you end up in a worse one?

That is what is happening to Israel. That is what Moses now needs to lead people through.

It is one thing to face angry taskmasters – it is another thing to face an army of chariots and horsemen. Taskmasters may oppress, but armies destroy. They walked out of Egypt singing and rejoicing – while Egypt buried their children. That made the Egyptians angry and now they are coming to destroy. The people know it. They are filled with fear.

Now they cry out in fear against Moses. Moses has to turn that fear into trust toward God. Moses does this in three ways: 

First, he cries to God. Just as the people need direction, so does Moses. God answers – take your rod and use it! 

Second, God stops the army of the Egyptians. Moses needs some time – and God gives him the time he needs. 

Third, as Moses stretches out the rod of God, God opens the Red Sea for the people. [NOTE: Later when the Egyptians are in the Red Sea coming after them, Moses uses the rod of God to close the wall of water back on them]. We see in Moses a man who faces this greater challenge with the same measure of faith that dealt with the previous challenges he faced – the size of the problem did not matter.

Previous deliverance required no effort on behalf of the people. Now, it requires that they step forward in faith and refuse to allow fear to determine their action. Moses uses the rod to deliver in the most dramatic way. It opens the Red Sea to give them an escape route. The rod of God releases deliverance that destroys the destroyer.

Application to our Life

Have you faced a bigger problem in life when you gained victory over one area? The same promises of God that met the need of the smaller problem is there to meet the need of the greater more difficult problem.

Is God asking you to demonstrate more faith in the problem you face today than what you faced in the past? This is normal!

Time to Pray
Father, sometimes we forget the promises of God hold for the big problems just like they did for the simple problems. I forget that at times. As I look at the life of Moses, I see him move easily into the bigger problems with the same measure of faith. That challenges me greatly. I ask for a heart to receive greater challenges with faith that sees no difference between the size of the problems. Moses did it. I want to see it in me. In Jesus' name, Amen.