The people of Israel on the way to the promised land was caught literally between the Devil and the deep-sea. When they discovered that they were facing the Red Sea, they were convinced that there is no way beyond the lashing waves—the path ended in the sea. Then when they turned back, the dust being raised by the army of the Pharaoh fast approaching. They were sure that their end has come. So, they complained to Moses, “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.” (Exodus 14:12, ESV).
We
know the rest of the story that they did not perish by the sword of the Pharaoh,
neither did they drown in the Read Sea. They made it across, but the army that
pursued them perished in the sea. But why did they whine? What frightened them?
What
terrified them is certainly what they saw—the army behind, and the sea in front.
However, if they were capable of perceiving realities beyond what they could
see, they would have dealt with the situation more courageously.
They
failed to perceive two realities. The first is that God is with them. That was
the immediate reality. The army of the Pharaoh is far behind, though they are fast
approaching. The God who has led them out of the land of slavery with ‘a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm’ hasn’t abandoned them, he is right with them,
beside them. The reality that is far off scared them because they ignore the ‘present-help’
that was nearby.
Overlooking
what is close by is very much part of human nature. That is why the airhostess making
safety procedures has to remind us that “the nearest exit my be just behind
you.” In an emergency we may head for the exit far ahead in the front ignoring the
exit which is just one row behind us. We fail to realize that God is close to
us in every circumstance than our adversaries are.
They
failed in another aspect also. They failed to see that there is a land beyond
the formidable watery chaos staring at them. God hasn’t delivered them out of
the Egypt to lead them into the sea but to take them to a land that is beyond the
sea. He is leading them to a land that God promised repeatedly to their
forefathers. The sea just happens to be on the way. The failure to perceive this
promise beyond the immediate threat is another reason why they thought that their
end has come.
We
need to realize that God is with us in all circumstances. We need to assure
ourselves as Elisha assured his scared servant that “for those who are with us
are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Realizing
God’s fuller purpose for our life is the sure way of combating fear that
cripples us. God’s plan for us doesn’t end with the immediate circumstances
that we face at the moment. He will not bring anything to an end unless he fulfill
his promises in our life and his plans are completed they way want them to be.
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