When the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians approaching in yesterday's study they cried out in fear. As it is often human nature to do, they next look for someone to blame, and that someone is the man who convinced them God was going to rescue them from Egypt and take them into the promised land.
"They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out into the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 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!'" (Exodus 14:10-12) They say, "If you wanted us dead you could have gone ahead and gotten us killed while we were still in Egypt. Why carry your charade of deliverance this far, by bringing us all out into a desert place where we're trapped? Why fill our minds with hopes of freedom only to allow us to be slaughtered? When you first came to Egypt and spoke to Pharaoh on our behalf, he made our work harder than ever. We told you to go away and leave us alone. But you persisted. You kept speaking to the king. You started calling on the Lord and Aaron started raising your staff over the land and plagues began falling upon Egypt. We started to believe you and trust you. Now here we are with everyone and everything that belongs to us, thinking we were on our way to the promised land and that we'd be free of Egypt forever, but Pharaoh and his army are about to grind us under their feet. We would rather have remained slaves forever than to die like this!"
I can relate to what they're saying because sometimes the Lord's deliverance doesn't look the way we expect it to look. There have been times when I've wanted and needed things changed in my life and the Lord went about changing them by methods I didn't expect---by methods I didn't welcome. I was pushed far out of my comfort zone by the methods the Lord chose to use. On top of that, Satan never wants anyone to be set free from bondage and he'll try coming after anyone who is escaping just like the Egyptians came after the Israelites. This means that, while the Lord is accomplishing our deliverance, it sometimes appears as if our circumstances become worse before they become better. I've said to the Lord, metaphorically speaking, "Leave me alone; let me serve the Egyptians." I've said, "This is too hard. I don't even think it can be done. Just leave me where I am. Better for me to struggle with this thing for the rest of my life than endure the strain and fear of trying to leave it behind. The stress of trying to break free is going to do me in."
But the Lord doesn't want those who belong to Him to live in bondage to anything. He wants to rescue us, and sometimes deliverance doesn't look the way we expect it to look and we question His methods. Breaking free of shackles and chains is almost certainly not going to be easy and in our human weakness we'll be tempted to say, "Leave us alone. Let us serve this thing. We've accepted Christ as Savior and the eternal destiny of our souls is settled. Isn't that what matters most? While we live in the flesh in a fallen world filled with temptation can we really be blamed for repeating the same sordid sin over and over, or for not being able to let go of a particular fear or obsession, or for struggling with an addiction we can't ever seem to lay down and walk away from? Getting free from these things is too hard! It's painful. It's frightening. We don't know what life is going to look like if we are set free. What will we do with our lives without this thing (this illicit relationship, this addiction, this fear that defines our every waking moment, and so on and so on)? Just leave this one thing alone. We still love you and still believe in Christ as our Savior. What's a little bondage to sin, really, in comparison to that?"
Oh, but a life where we're weighted down by shackles and where we're dragging chains behind us isn't good enough for God's children! He wants to give us an abundant life. (John 10:10) He tells us to lay aside the things that hold us back so we can run the race of life successfully and without being burdened and made weary by shackles of sin. (Hebrews 12:1-3) Does a marathon runner put on a weighted vest and ankle weights and wrist weights before he runs the race? No, that wouldn't be very sensible. He couldn't run the race with much endurance and he certainly couldn't win it. It's doubtful he'd make it to the finish line at all because he'd be sidelined by the strain of running while so heavily weighted down. God wants us to be winners! He wants us to run the race with stamina; He doesn't want us clutching our chests and gasping for breath. He doesn't want us falling behind and falling out. The process of breaking our shackles and chains loose isn't always pleasant, but it's necessary if we are to be strong and fit runners in the race of life.
Moses reassures the people. He doesn't waste time trying to convince them he hasn't deceived them. In fact, he takes their focus off himself entirely and puts their focus where it should be: on the Lord. The Lord is the one who is going to deliver them, not Moses. The Lord who performed such great wonders and signs in Egypt is the one who is going to deliver them from bondage in Egypt forever. "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.'" (Exodus 14:13-14)
As I said a day or two ago in our study, sometimes the Lord does all our fighting for us. He tells us to stand back and watch what He's going to do. Other times He allows us to go on into the thick of the fight while He labors in the heat of battle right alongside us. He chooses whichever method best suits whatever He's currently accomplishing in our lives, but either way He is the one who brings the victory. With their backs against the Red Sea and with the Egyptian army hemming them in, He's going to choose the method of doing all the work for the Israelites. He doesn't tell them to charge at the Egyptians with whatever weapons are at their disposal. Even if the Israelites have weapons, which is doubtful since I doubt the Egyptians allowed them to possess any while in Egypt, they are not skilled in using them in battle. They are no match, militarily speaking, for these trained soldiers. They are helpless. They cannot successfully defend themselves. And God doesn't ask or expect them to. In tomorrow's study we find Him standing between His people and their enemies. We find Him going on the offensive. This battle is the Lord's and He is going to win it.
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