Exodus 14: 14-16
5 And the Lord said to Moses, What are you calling to me? Tell the children of Israel to leave!
16 But lift up your rod, and stretch your hand over the sea, and cut it up, that the children of Israel may go straight through the sea on the dry land.
The Lord commands Moses to instruct his people to move, to move forward.
Sometimes we stand still, do not know what to do, stay. But we should move, change, move forward, because every stoppage brings only disaster. When Moses came out of slavery with his people, who spent 400 years under slave rule in Egypt, it was important to take the first step, to move !! Moses had been raised by the daughter of Pharaoh. God had made a promise to Abraham, which was to be Moses, who was to lead the people out of slavery. Pharaoh did not want to release the people of Moses, the Lord sent him 7 plagues, which should serve to move the Pharaoh, to release the people. God makes everything out of love, not revenge. The last plague God sent to Pharaoh was the death of his son. This was the occasion to release the people of Moses. The Lord also changes our fate, he wants us to put him first. When God had delivered the people of Moses and it was in the wilderness, it was whining, though God had provided for it. He gave food to the people, helped in everything, but the people were dissatisfied. 40 days were at the end, 40 years, the people should remain in the desert, there was no longer Moses the leader.The pharaoh believed that the people of Moses would not survive in the wilderness and return ruefully. But since the Lord had provided for the people, it did not come back. The Pharaoh got angry and sent his army to bring the people of Moses back. When the people saw the army approaching, they panicked and believed they had abandoned the Lord. We too are ungrateful if something does not succeed and does not happen as we would like. But the Lord brought salvation to us in his Son. Pharaoh’s army came, the earth shook, the people were in fear, but the Lord protected his people. For when they stood before the sea, believing that they had no way out – they could neither back nor forth – let God rip the waves, a road opened and the people could walk on dry earth. … It is the same with us today – at the end of the journey, when it seems that there is no way out, God comes to our aid.
Nothing can drive God out of our lives – God gives us His word on which we can build.
When everything seemed lost, Moses asked, “What should I do?” But Jesus answered, “What do you ask me, tell the people to march, and there is the goal in the foreground, over all obstacles, trusting in the Lord!” Do not look back! Going forward, always trusting in God. Even though we do, reaching out with the trust that God is leading us forward, looking forward, stepping forward, moving, not standing still, despondent. The people of Moses went dry because they had faith in the Lord, and they never saw the Egyptians again – they were behind the wall that had opened in the sea, gone, drowned, extinguished.
We, too, will be freed from our problems if we proceed with confidence in that Word of God – even if it is dark – look at God !!
Although Moses did not see the Promised Land anymore, the descendants of those who had come from Egypt over the sea saw it. It was a lot of effort, but it was worth it. It also required obedience, obedience, to do what God wanted from Moses, what he told his people.
It is always important to look the problem in the eyes, to move forward to overcome it. The Lord knew that the people of Moses would endure everything. He only gives as much burden as he thinks we are capable of enduring. He knows about our powers and weaknesses.
Another example of crossing the water we see in Josué – here is the crossing of the Jordan the speech. The Ark of the Covenant was to be carried over the Jordan. Joshua relied on the help of God and gave a sign with his cap, the water dried up and the Ark of the Covenant could be carried dry in the Jordan.
If we do not know how to behave, then reading the Bible helps us. God says, move, move forward!
God acts, if we move ourselves, if we do not, we can not pay for his help.
Like the sea, like the river, all transitions have a beginning and an end. May the Lord help us to overcome everything in order to come to “our” promised land.
