Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Exodus 14:10-14
When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (ESV)
by J. Gabriel Alegre
In the previous day’s reading, we saw the Israelites go out of Egypt with boldness (v. 8). But, in the face of an approaching army, the Israelites panicked and became very afraid. What a contrast! They moved from boldness to sheer panic and desperation.
When faced with an oncoming problem do we tend to panic? Do we blame others for the situation? One of my favorite passages of Scriptures is in today’s reading: Exodus 14:13! This is how every child of God should be in a crisis: unafraid, standing still, and seeing the salvation of God. It takes faith to be calm in a storm, and we are assured that “all things work together for good, for those who love God, and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The Israelites had been called for a purpose; neither dying by the hand of Pharaoh nor returning to slavery were in the plans of God.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
