“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.'” Exodus 14:15
The deliverance of the people of Israel from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the days of Moses, is perhaps one of the greatest testimonies in history to the greatness and sovereignty of the Almighty God. There was in that event the revelation of God’s eternal foreknowledge of events to come, His eternal power and faithfulness to bring them to pass over four hundred years after they were declared. The imprint upon the history of mankind was indelibly written, not in stone, but in truth, the proof being revealed throughout the Scriptures.
In the days of Abraham, God gave to him several promises, the extent of which would stretch throughout history, concerning the forming of a nation, through which the Savior of the world would be born. God would use the confirmation of His word by forming the nation of Israel, delivering them from bondage, and bringing them into a promised land, so that all men everywhere, then and now, would see and know that He is God. How did he specifically do this?
In Genesis, chapter 15, God told Abraham that his descendants would be very numerous, like the stars in heaven, unable to be counted. He also promised Abraham and his descendants a “land,” where the promises of God would be revealed, and realized. It would be there in that land, among the people of Israel, that a Savior would be born into this world. It would be also in that place that this Savior would be crucified by the very men He came to save. In this context, God gave to Abraham an experience of falling into a deep sleep after preparing for a burnt sacrifice to be offered to the Lord. During that sleep there was a great horror, a “darkness fell upon him.” (Gen. 15:12) Why? It was to impress upon Abraham, and upon generations to come, that this nation that was to be born, and formed, in “a land that was not theirs,” would become the servants of the inhabitants of the land, who would afflict them four hundred years. (v.13) God then told Abraham, “And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” (v.13) Over four hundred years later, God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, by a strong and mighty hand, specifically to the shore of the Red Sea, there to be participants of one of the greatest miracles of all time. There Moses and the people of Israel would be hemmed in, with Pharaoh and his army pressing them from behind, and the massive, impassable sea stretching out before them to the horizon. Here, Moses and the people would be tested, and at the same time, be given grace to believe God fully, follow Him wholly, and “…see the salvation of the Lord.”
There came a moment, when the people had seemingly run out of time before Pharaoh would descend upon them, when Moses declared to them: “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you TODAY.” However, it was also a moment when, though Moses had told the people that God would fight for them, that God spoke specifically to Moses concerning the need of the moment. That need was to not be passive, hesitating, but to exercise faith by going forward. The Lord asked Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” The time for crying out to God for deliverance was over. God had heard, and now was the moment to “go forward,” even though the waters had not yet parted. What is it about setting oneself to go forward that is so very important? It is the expression of a commitment to God, to follow Christ, to believe in the Great Shepherd, Savior of Mankind, and the Great Deliverer, who is waiting to intervene and save. Faith’s triumphant expression is obedience.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to go forward. In Jesus’ name, Amen.