A Word for Today | Exodus 14:31
When the Bible describes God’s people going through great trials, the Scripture’s focus is not usually where we would put it. Consider one of the greatest miracles of the Old Testament: Israel’s passage through the Red Sea. The story is well-known to Christians. After Israel had departed from Egypt in the exodus, mighty Pharaoh had a (bad) change of heart and decided to chase them with his chariots. Pharaoh caught the Israelites with their backs to the Red Sea, where they seemed to be trapped. The people responded by complaining to Moses: “What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” (Ex. 1:11). But when Moses appealed to the Lord, God told him to lift up his staff and the Red Sea waters would part. This is exactly what happened! God’s people passed through the parted waves, and when Pharaoh’s chariots tried to follow, the waves fell, and the attackers were drowned.
From our perspective, this story teaches the power of God to save His people. And it does! But we should notice that this is not the perspective that God takes. We gain a clue after Moses prayed, and the Lord answered: “Why do you cry to me?” (Ex. 14:15). The answer was fairly obvious: Moses cried to God because all his people were about to be killed. God’s question indicates, however, that there was never a real danger to the Israelites, for the simple reason that He never fails to save those who bear His name. From God’s point of view, the true danger was not the sea or the Egyptians, but the unbelief in the hearts of His people. Moreover, the story ends by telling us that this incident did not really effect the salvation of Israel – since God was always going to save them – but rather it served to strengthen their precious faith: “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Ex. 14:31).
We can apply this ancient episode to our present coronavirus crisis. The danger of this pandemic is real and many people are having their health injured and some are dying. Faith in Christ does not mean that we fail to take proper precautions. But it does mean that Christians should face this and all other trials without fear, since our eternal salvation is completely secure in Jesus Christ. As we pray for God to protect our loved ones, or to heal those who are sick, or even to comfort those who suffer loss, we should do so anticipating God’s saving presence. When believers have all arrived safely in heaven, we will join the praise that Moses gave after crossing the Red Sea: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously” (Ex. 15:1). Knowing this now, we should believe in the Lord and reverence His holy name. In addition to praying for our physical safety during this pandemic, Christians should also pray that God’s greater aim would be achieved as His people learn to trust His saving love. May God grant that each of us may see His great power at work among us during this trial, and may this frightening experience strengthen our belief that we can always rely on the Lord.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Phillips