July 24 2023

But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish 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 keep still.’

From Exodus 14:5-18, NRSV

No sooner had the Pharaoh sanctioned the escape of the Israelites than he changed his mind about allowing them to leave his service. The Pharaoh, along with some of his best troops, gave chase. When the Israelites saw the Egyptians in pursuit of them they were understandably terrified. They began to blame Moses for their plight and said that it would have been better to die as slaves in Egypt than to die in the wilderness. This would not be the last time Moses would have to hear and deal with such complaints! Moses told the people to stand firm and to have no fear. What happened next is described in poetic form. We hear about the numbers of chariots and horsemen and the “walls of water” that parted to allow the Israelites to pass through and which then engulfed the Egyptians. Even allowing for the poetic licence used in the telling of the story and for the possibility that there may be some logical explanations for the parting of the waters, it is clear that God did intervene in some way to save the people and to show the Egyptians who was in charge.

• Do you think that the Israelites trusted what Moses told them?
• What is your experience of God intervening at difficult moments in your life?

Pray for those who feel overwhelmed and hopeless because of what they are experiencing.