Interesting passage about the Israelites walking out of slavery from the Egyptians. They have left Egypt and have walked until they reached the Red Sea. Suddenly, the Egyptians, who had changed their minds about letting all their slaves go free, are coming up on horses and chariots to drag them all back to slavery and torture. Many of them would be killed in the struggle. And life would be excruciatingly hard for them as they would be punished for stepping a foot outside their country of bondage. The people, terribly afraid, began to complain and scream out to God for help. But the Scripture says this: “The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you keep calling out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward” (Exodus 14:15).
God is telling Moses, “Why are you calling out to me for help?” It’s a strange question for God to ask. Of course we are going to ask God for help. It seems a bit insensitive. So I had to think about it for a bit. The next statement God makes is very telling. “Tell the Israelites to move forward.” Ok, so here’s a group of people who have been in slavery for over 400 years. Slavery is all they’ve known. They don’t know how to be independent. They don’t know how to make their own decisions. They don’t know how to live free. But the answer is this… Move forward!
If you continue reading you will discover that there was an impossible future before these slaves- over a million of them had to actually cross the Red Sea to get to freedom. The enemy was closing in fast. If Moses hadn’t introduced them to the idea of freedom, they would still be in bondage and without an identity, but at least they would be living in the familiar. Freedom was an unknown. And they were terrified. But there was no turning back now.
There are three things that stand out to me in this passage. The first thing that stands out to me is there had to be a leader who had tasted freedom and who was willing to share what he knew with the slaves. I’m sure it was like trying to describe the colors of a rainbow to a blind person. But he instilled hope. People began to imagine a future that they had never been able to dream about before. But there needed to be a dream weaver. Without the inspiration of Moses, the people never would have had the courage to try.
The second thing that stands out to me is that to get to freedom they had to stand together, facing forward with their backs to the past. Being in a group of people with the same background, the same struggles, and the same dreams of freedom for themselves and their children gave them the courage to move forward. I can tell you that they were all afraid, they had no idea what lay before them. But they stood facing either a new life or death- and they stood together.
The third thing that stands out to me is that the miracle did not occur until they took that first step into the water. The Red Sea did not part first. They did not see the path to the other side first. They all had to move. And they all had to get wet. They had to begin the journey. When God said “Tell them to move forward” he wanted them to know that they had to have the courage to take the first step and he would do the rest. Do you really want freedom? Start to move.
It doesn’t matter if your bondage is an unhealthy relationship that you believe you will suffer through until you die. It doesn’t matter if your bondage is a purpose-less job with little pay. It doesn’t matter if your bondage is addiction to a substance or behavior. There is hope. But freedom doesn’t come just by begging for it. Freedom doesn’t come just through praying for it. Freedom doesn’t come through complaining.
The application, hopefully, is obvious. Recognize that God has put into your lives a Moses- one who is willing to share the reality of freedom with you- look for him or her. Then, be brave enough to stand with those who have also struggled in bondage- to receive their encouragement and to give them yours. And finally, take that first step. Freedom is on the other side.
