Focal Passage: Exodus 14:19-31
Despite the pain of the death of the firstborn brought on by the Passover, Pharaoh, whose heart God had once again hardened, pursued the Israelites as they fled.
Why did God harden his heart? While it is not easy for us to understand God’s choice, His purpose was clear. God left Pharaoh in his rebellion so the world would see the power of the true and living God.
God’s greatest desire has always been His own glory, because there is nothing more praiseworthy. Just as God was glorified the night of the Passover, He would also be glorified in the parting of the Red Sea.
When the children of Israel found themselves in the terrifying predicament of being trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, they cried out to the Lord and then complained to Moses.
The power of the Passover had been quickly forgotten as new difficulty was thrust upon them. Unbelievably, they declared that they would have been better off as slaves in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.
The pressure of the moment revealed their preference for the predictability of slavery over the constant need to trust God in the face of adversity.
Rust
As the father of eight children, I have helped my wife do years of potty training. I will never forget learning that a child who is old enough to know better will still choose to sit in a dirty diaper.
Even after mom and dad show him the better option of using the potty, he finds something desirable in the familiarity of his own filth. As a spiritual father, Moses had to lead the children of Israel to a better future even when they were afraid to pursue it.
Knowing what God will do is not enough. God has chosen to use people in the accomplishment of His will, and we must determine the role He has called us to play on the way to His chosen destination. I am forever grateful for the work God has done in the last 30 years to restore our SBC seminaries to theological fidelity.
As one who has benefitted from this theological revival, I need to be reminded that God has not blessed us with quality training to stagnate us as armchair theologians. We must keep plowing the spiritual soil by faithfully making disciples of Jesus.
Similarly, Moses had to take the next step of obedience. He knew what God would do, but God quickly reminded him that he would be part of the process. The Israelites could not cross the sea without first giving up their current position. They had to strike camp and Moses had to raise his staff, because our sovereign God ordains both the ends and the means. In other words, He has chosen both the destination and the process that gets us there.
When the Red Sea closed, there was a clear distinction between Pharaoh’s army and the children of Israel. God’s grace brought complete deliverance, and His wrath brought complete destruction. People were either standing on the opposite shore praising God and singing Moses’ song or washing up on the shore dead with Pharaoh’s army. The power of God leaves no middle ground. B&R
