In life there can be times, when all of a sudden you find yourself, apparently trapped with life woes pursuing you from behind, and no obvious way ahead. You may have even followed what you felt God was calling you to do…only to find yourself apparently on a path to failure. This was a situation that Moses and the ancient people of Israel found themselves in as revealed in the book of Exodus.
God had miracously made it so they were able to leave those who had enslaved them through through many miraculous signs. Each one dealing with the false gods of Egypt. However, just when they thought they were free to go to the ‘promised land’, they found themselves being pursued by the might of the Egyptian army, and trapped in front by the sea.
The scene would have been amazing – an estimated 2 million men, women, and children, and livestock etc. A malaise of people who have just been delivered from hundreds of years of slavery, and perhaps still thinking like a slave, pushed up against a sea, in the middle of the wilderness, feeling scared (and perhaps some a little excited), and seeing their slave masters bearing down on them with the military force of day. It is perhaps understandable why they were a little titchy!
Or was it? God had just shown them through some rather amazing nationwide miracles that He was for them, and He was dealing with those who had enslaved them, moving way beyond their own capabilities. The Lord was leading this cause through two brothers, one who thought he could not publically speak, and the other who could do nothing for them with out the other…and God. And in their hand was their old tool of trade (the Shepherds Rod), that had become a symbol of divine intervention and deliverance.
With the rod in their hands they had seen it turned into a snake, turn rivers into blood, frogs cover the land, dust into lice, hail/thunder/fire/lightning pummelling the Egyptians…all as they lifted up the rod to God…or similar.
But that was then, and here they are now facing an apparently impassable blockage to the promise land, and worst still likely to be wiped out. While it had been only really days from seeing the other miracles, that had all been forgotten because of the fear they now faced. It is easy to criticise them from our position looking back on this over 3000 year old story, but when we are faced with a life or death situation, and no apparent way out, would our response be much better? Certainly their mood seems to be captured well in these verses from Exodus 14.
And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10-12)
Now it appears Moses has at least risen above their fear as his response to these fearful Israelites is appears very faith-filled.
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Ex. 14:13,14)
But I wonder if this was more a statement of what he thought was going to happen, but His faith may have not been quite there when noting the word of God to Moses immediately after the statements Moses made to the people.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:15-17)
We know the story, Moses lifts us the Rod to the heavens over the sea, the winds comes, and they cross over to the other side, the Egyptian army pursue the people of God (rather than God), and many are lost to them are lost to the sea, while the Israelites are free to continue their journey to the promised land.
A number of observations that seem apparent to me.
First, when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, remember God and what He has done in your lives. The rod was a memorial stick (like the memorial stones), and God says, “look to Me, and at the rod and you will remember what I can do”. So for us, the message is the same, in hard times remember to turn to God and recall what He has done for you.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21)
Two, stand still, don’t run about in fear, and watch what God will do. Find a place of inner peace. Sure there maybe some practical things you can still do in that moment, but do them knowing God goes beyond you and those actions, and from a place of peace and trust…knowing His presence is your surety.
Three, lift your eyes to the Lord, looking forward to what He is going to do, not on the problems behind. God may call us on a journey of promises, but it does not mean it will be a smooth one. Sure enough faith will be involved, as it is about staying connected and dependent on Him. And it is this journey of faith that is probably the most important part. In addition, like He did for the Israelites, if God is telling you to look to where you are going, and to not turn your focus one the troubles behind, know He will have a way of guarding your rear until He makes the way.
Four, obey what He says to do, even if it seems odd. Stay to the path of the promised land, in doing so obeying the vision He given you, but also listen to the every day instruction for the need today.
Five, look what has God placed in your hand. It may just be the answer or the reminder of what you need to do now. And know He can speak to you in the things He has given you today, even through the tools of your trade. There just maybe a picture He is showing you that goes beyond the every day nature of what is around you…keep looking to what He is saying.
To explain this, let’s go a bit deeper and look at this rod Moses was carrying. When looking at the word translated ‘Rod’ in this passage we find the below (from Strong’s Concordance)
Original Word: מַטֶּה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: matteh
Pronunciation: mat-teh’ or mat-tah’
Phonetic Spelling: (mat-teh’)
KJV: rod, staff, tribe
NASB: tribe, staff, tribes, rod, tribal, rods, branch
Word Origin: [from H5186 (נָטָה – stretched)]
Traditionally the word is translated as:
1. a branch (as extending)
2. (figuratively) a tribe
3. also a rod, whether for chastising (figuratively, correction), ruling (a sceptre), throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff
4. (figuratively) a support of life, e.g. bread)
However, ancient Hebrew paints a picture in its letter and the word, the pictographs representing by the principal three characters (מַטֶּה – Mem, Tet , and Hey).
M(em) – picture of/meaning: water, chaos, might, blood
T(et) – picture of: basket, surround, mud, contain
H(ey) – picture of: man with arm raised, look, reveal, breath, revelation
The picture revealed becomes most compelling indeed given the circumstance, and the instructions from God. Here we see the Lord, telling Moses not to worry, as in his hand, is actually the description of what is the answer to his problem. The picture revealed by the (pictographic) letters in the Hebrew word for Rod basically says, raise your arms, look and see Me surround and contain the water and chaos around you, using the breath (wind) of God.
Not only was the Lord reminding Moses of the great things he has done before to show His might for him and His people, as symbolised by the Shepherds rod. In fact, he’s been carrying with him a message that tells him what to do to when hemmed in by chaos – in this case the pursuing armies of Egypt, and the Red Sea before them.
If you think more about the picture of the word ‘rod’, you can see how it also spoke to the other miracles they say when lifting it to heaven, r.g. Turning rivers to blood, seeing chaos rain down, etc.
For all of us personally we have had a few of these back against the wall type moments, and some involving the sea! And when we look back we can say that it was God that got us across the sea not just once, to the place we were called, but also did it again, and called to to remember his hand…the work He did to set us free.
In Christ Jesus, our Heavenly Father was making the ultimate way through the sea of our’s and humanities sin to get to Him, the promised land. As we look to Jesus, lifting Him up above the darkness of chaos of our lives, the way is made to cross over. He did this for our eternal reward, and so to He can do this even more in our present danger.
When we are hard pressed on either side, God calls us to lift our eyes to Him, remembers that which He has done before in our lives to deliver us, and to hold His promises over the blockages that lay before us. As we trust Him to keep the enemy at bay, we watch for the Lord as His Spirit moves and opens up the door that we may advance in His call on our lives. He enters into our situation, and opens the gates.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty, yhe LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.
Selah (Psalm 24:7-10)
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