TRUST AND OBEY
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Opening Prayer
Loving Lord, your love continually draws me to you, and your power provides everything I need. Please receive my adoration and praise.
Read EXODUS 14:19–31
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed[a] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward[b] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
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Footnotes
- Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
- Exodus 14:27 Or from
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever faced active hostility because of your faith? What happened? What was the outcome? How did the Lord help you?God’s care and protection over his people in this passage is clear. First, the cloud moves and positions itself between the two opposing forces. It provides light for God’s people and darkness for the Egyptians, effectively keeping them apart during the night (vv. 19, 20). Then the Lord causes the wind to blow so strongly that a pathway through the waters is created, leading the people to freedom on the other side (vv. 21, 22).
The Egyptian army, chasing after its fleeing workforce, gets confused by what’s happening. Their chariot wheels jam, they decide to get away from the Israelites, and they realize—belatedly—the power of the God of the Israelites (vv. 23–25). But it’s too late. The sea flows back as Moses follows God’s command, and the whole army perishes (vv. 26–28). The Egyptians who wanted to drown Hebrew baby boys are now drowned themselves.
End result (v. 31)? The Israelites have had a dramatic demonstration of exactly what their God can do. The passage is dominated by what the Lord does. This fills them with awe at who God is, as well as causing them to trust him and the person he has called and chosen to lead them: Moses.
Apply
Look back through all of chapter 14 for the phrases that indicate what the Lord did in rescuing his people. What situations are you facing? Pray with confidence and trust.
Closing prayer
Thank you, Lord God, for the many places in Scripture where you show me your faithfulness, where you keep your people safe and carry out your purposes. Thank you that the same power is at work on my behalf because you care for me.
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