Trust Versus Fear
Exodus 14:19-31; Exodus 15:1-11, 20-21
This is the account of the miracle of God splitting
the Red Sea so the Israelites, being pursued by the Egyptian army, can pass
through on dry land. Can you imagine the anxiety they have, the fear the water
might not hold or that the Egyptians too are coming behind them on the same dry
land? Has Moses led them on a wild goose chase? But God doesn’t let any of the
Israelites perish. It’s a different story for the Egyptians who get stuck.
Their path was not so clear, and the entire army drowns when Moses stretches
out his hand again. Not only is trust in the Lord achieved but renewed trust in
Moses that the God he listens to is more powerful than the Egyptians. This is a
lesson to the Israelites that they should not be rooted in fear, but in a deep
trust in the Lord to save and provide for them. Also, to trust in the leader
God has appointed.
When Israel sees the great work the Lord did against
the Egyptians, their fear changes into a worship of praise to the Lord and they
sing this song of praise. “God has triumphed. God is my strength and my might
and has become my salvation.” Then they tell of their response: “Who is like
you, O Lord, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?”
The women then get involved led by Miriam who takes
her tambourine and starts dancing in praise in the joy of their deliverance –
singing again how God has saved them.
I wish I could tell you they learned their lesson, but
the verses following tell how they fall upon bitter water and complain to poor
Moses – “what shall we drink?” Again, they are driven by fear, not by trust
that God will provide. God comes to their aid again having Moses throw a stick
in the water which turns it sweet.
How many times do we praise the Lord for the answers
to our prayers and provisions for us, simply to turn around and be fearful
again. We like the Israelites need to root our faith in our trust of the Lord,
not allowing fear to overwhelm us and cause us to complain. We need to rejoice
in how the Lord has delivered us in the past and have trust God will do so in
the future.
Comments
Post a Comment