the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 1 of 5
Exodus 14:1-14
Israel really thought they had finished with their enemies, the Egyptians. Yet here they are, carried along by mistaken zeal, rallying and setting off in pursuit against the people. The Israelites seem to be caught in a trap. In front: the Red Sea; behind: Pharaoh, his chariots, his captains. Oh! what a shock, what cries of distress! But the people have to learn that there is no such thing as a difficulty which is too great for the LORD. On the contrary, the greater the test, the more God has opportunity to demonstrate His wonderful power.
What a lesson for us! When a difficulty arises, a trial which appears to have no outcome, how do we react? Too often it is by getting worried or agitated. But what does Moses say to Israel? He begins by reassuring them: "Fear ye not . . ."; then he proclaims how they will be delivered: "The LORD shall fight for you . . ." Finally he gives them instructions which are easy to follow — but which we sometimes find very difficult — "stand still . . . hold your peace" (vv. 13, 14). To hold our peace means to do nothing and at the same time to keep our mind from being agitated in any way. This battle was not to involve the people; it was between the LORD and the Egyptians. He who had kept His people sheltered from the destroying angel, was He not the more able to deliver them from the hands of men?
