Faith, Obedience, and Hope
It had been a long hard day of hiking in the hot sun, with all their belongings in tow. A column of people miles long were walking away from generations of slavery and imprisonment by the Egyptian Pharaoh, and now, just when they thought they were free, they were being pinned up against the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army bearing down on them full speed. Pharaoh had once again changed his mind about letting them go. The situation seemed to be hopeless. Once again, they figured to see brutality take its toll on them, and now even more so because they were fleeing their slave masters.
You see, the years of being beaten down by their slave owners and masters, and being forced to work under nearly unlivable conditions had beaten down the hopes and dreams of the people. The constant fear they faced for their lives every day had made them to think they could never be free from their place in life, and that their destination would eventually be to die in bondage to the Egyptians. Hope seemed out of reach.
But behind the scenes, God had been preparing his people for the events that would follow. A man named Moses, one of their own, had grown up inside the Egyptian kingdom as a son of the Egyptians. God revealed his true heritage to him, and called him to confront the Pharaoh of Egypt to let his people go. As Moses began to do this, he witnessed God respond to his faithfulness to obey and produce a series of great miracles to reveal his power and authority to command nature itself to obey Him. So Moses stepped out in faith, obeyed God and confronted Pharaoh to let God’s people go. What followed was an amazing series of God’s hand moving to prove his faithfulness to Moses as he obeyed. Rivers turning to blood, and wiping out the Egyptian water supply, fields of dust turning to lice, a invasion of frogs, locusts, flies did not convince Pharaoh, but it did train Moses as to the power and faithfulness of God. Finally, Pharaoh let God’s people go, when the first born of those who had not covered their door posts were killed, Pharaoh momentarily gave in and allowed Moses to orchestrate the march. Just before the march from Egypt, Moses gave his people this word from God
Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, standstill, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14 and the Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.
Moses commanded them to not fear, and watch as the Lord delivered them. They would no longer be bothered by their enemies. So now you can imagine their thoughts as they saw the barrier of the Red Sea and began to question their destiny.
But then at the last moment, God came through as promised. God had Moses stretch out his hand across the ocean and it opened up for the Israelites to walk across on dry land. He then commanded the ocean to close in on the pursuing army and the Israelites watched their captors defeated at the hands of God almighty.
Exodus 14:27-31
(27) And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
(28) And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
(29) But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
(30) Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore
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I love the last verse of the chapter when the years of bondage was lifted off of God’s people. They saw, believed, and feared (Obeyed) the Lord. The basis of their faith had been shifted back onto their Lord. For the first time in decades, the people had real hope based on real faith because a man chose to obey God.
Exodus 14:31
(31) And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
Throughout the scriptures, God eludes to this message for all people. Have faith in God, Listen to his life giving commands, and have hope in the places he is taking you. God did this to redeem us from the bondage’s of sin that have built up in our lives. He desires freedom, and freedom can only exist as we live according to his precepts to enjoy how he made us. And as for our final destination, well, that is our ultimate hope.
John 14:1-6
(1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
(2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
(4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
(5) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
(6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
God Bless and have a great week full of HOPE.
His Servant,
