Exodus 14:14 “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Remembering God’s promises is essential to our growth in faith. When we forget them, we start to imagine the worst possible scenarios, just like Israel did when they left Egypt. God had promised to deliver them with His mighty hand. Only after the last of ten plagues with the death of all the firstborn in Egypt did Pharaoh finally agree to let Israel go. But verses five and six tell us,
“When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, ‘What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!’ So he had his chariots made ready and took his army with him.”
The Bible tells us that “The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.” (Verse 8) Then in verse 9, we read, “… all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops – pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea….”
With the Egyptian army closing in on Israel from behind and the sea in front of them, they found themselves in a crisis of belief. The Bible says, “They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.” (v.10). What happened? They forgot the promise of God and began to complain against Moses, blaming him for all their troubles. They panicked.
Exodus 14:11-12 “They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to 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!”
This was a defining moment for Israel. What we do at the defining moments of our lives determines our destiny. That’s why it’s essential to know and trust in the promises of God. Had it not been for the leadership of Moses in this crisis of belief, Israel would have completely lost their way. Moses knew what God had promised despite the circumstances of the moment. I love the way he responds. Rather than becoming defensive and taking criticism personally, Moses answered the people:
Exodus 14:13-14 “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.”
Moses was a man of faith. He believed in the promises of God. He gave the Israelites three challenges based on God’s promise to deliver them. He said:
“Don’t be afraid.”
“Stand firm….”
“Be still.”
What is it that has you paralyzed in fear? Unbelief has a way of erasing from our memory all the promises of God and His faithfulness in the past. By faith, Israel had marched out of Egypt boldly, and now by faith, they must stand still and watch God come through for them as He destroys all of Egypt’s horsemen and chariots in the sea! What a victory!
Like Israel, each of us will face a crisis of belief in our lives. These are defining moments where we can turn back in fear or stand still in faith and trust in God’s promises. The New Testament tells us,
Ephesians 6:13-14a “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm….”
In his commentary on this passage, Warren Wiersbe writes, “Unbelief complains, but faith obeys and brings glory to the Lord.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
What is there to complain about when we have the wonderful promise, ‘The Lord will fight for you.’
Take heart, child of God, the victory is ours, and the battle is the Lord’s!