Into The Hand Of God

It seems that the people would not have fallen apart so easily. Think of what they had been through already; Pharaoh would not let the people go; he insisted on keeping them in bondage and slavery. So God brought plagues down upon Egypt because of Pharaoh’s disobedience to the Lord. Ex. 8 though 13 records those plagues that the Lord brought down upon the nation of Egypt. Plagues of the Nile turning into blood, frogs, flies, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. But each time Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he said, "No, I will not let the people go; they are my slaves and this is where they will stay. That sounds to me a lot like what Satan says about us.

Pharaoh kept offering compromises to Moses and the people, but one cannot compromise with God. Finally Pharaoh did let the people go, but in chapter 14 it says that he regretted doing so, and decided to destroy them as they encamped by the Red Sea. So this is where we are now; the people saw the army coming and they fell apart. They forgot that God is able to deliver them. Moses said stand back and see the salvation of the Lord. These Egyptians you see today you will never see again (v 13). God will do the fighting for you, v 14, all you must do is place yourselves in His hands.

III. A Leap of Faith, vv 15-18

The outcome of this, what happens here, ranks right up there as one of the most dramatic events in the Bible; the crossing of the Red Sea. God told Moses in v 16 that He wanted him to lift up his staff, stretch his hand out over the sea and divide it – part the water. And the people would cross over on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Vv 21-22 in ch. 14 tell us that this is just what happened; a divine miracle took place. God parted the sea in order for His people to cross over to the other side.

Many have tried to explain away this miracle by saying that the water was only ankle deep, or that the shallow water was driven back by some strange freak of nature such as a great wind. But these silly explanations fly in the face of what the Word of God says actually happened, and if we believe the Word of God to be reliable and trustworthy, then we can know that it is a factual event. V 22 says that the people crossed over on dry ground and that there was a "a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." Also, we see that when the Egyptian army pursued the Israelites into the sea that once God’s people were safely on the other side that God closed up the parted sea and drowned Pharaoh’s army (ch 14:23-28).

What strikes me here is that these same people who were in a panic only moments before were now faced with a decision; either be destroyed, or take a leap of faith and place themselves in the hand of God. I honestly believe that if I did not daily place myself in the hand of God that I would not make it through the daily pressures and troubles of life. It is a leap of faith to be sure, but one that brings life and victory.

My friends, do not panic when trouble comes, but do as Moses told the people; when hard times come stand back and see the salvation of the Lord. Take that leap of faith and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and make Him lord of your life.