Pharaoh trusted in his chariots and horses. (Psalm 20:7[notes1] ) But what Pharaoh can’t see, and what the Israelites weren’t seeing is the invisible realm. ¹⁷ The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them… Psalms 68:17a (ESV) There was the frightened servant of Elisha who saw an army after the two of them. ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 (ESV)

What is your battle? What are the odds? If it’s God’s battle, why are you fearful? Remember Gideon with his 300 against a multitude of Midianites, or Jehoshaphat against that confederation of armies? (2Chronicles 20:1-2[notes2] ) Or how about David versus Goliath (1Samuel 17:4-7[notes3] ), or Jonathan and his armor bearer against the Philistines? (1Samuel 14:6[notes4] ) The odds don’t matter if it is God’s battle. God is always the superior force. May the force be with you or maybe we should say, “May you be with the force”, because He always wins!  Even when it looks like we lose, we win, for we are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37[notes5] )

The people then reminded Moses of their sin, as if they were right when they told Moses to leave them alone. ¹² 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.” Obviously, they haven’t yet grasped all that God had done to liberate them. They couldn’t blame God because they desperately needed Him, so they blamed His messenger. They’ll resort to this numerous times. (Numbers 16:3[notes6] ; 12:1[notes7] ) They did the right thing in calling out to God. But they did the wrong thing in blaming His servant Moses. That was rebellion against God. (Psalm 106:7-8[notes8] ) They were crying out for God to save them, and He was saving them through Moses!

Yes, this too is a tendency of fallen man. I frequently hear the complaints about pastors. “Why don’t they preach on this or that? Why aren’t they for that or against this?” No man is perfect, but maybe the humble question should be this, “If God’s ordained leaders are or aren’t led the same way I’d like to see them go, then what am I missing? What is my blind spot?”

If there is one thing they should have feared, it wasn’t the army of Egypt, but the LORD. He is the One that just demonstrated His power over and over. He’s the One that is leading through Moses. They were spared from many of the plagues even though they were guilty of many of the same things as the Egyptians. (Isaiah 8:13[notes9] )We might think complaining about those God has place in authority makes us look important or authoritative our self, but it is just hiding the fact that we are complaining about Almighty God who placed the person in authority.

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

[notes2] 2 Chronicles 20:1-2 (ESV)

1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi).

[notes3] 1 Samuel 17:4-7 (ESV)

4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.

[notes4] 1 Samuel 14:6 (ESV)

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”

[notes5] Romans 8:37 (ESV)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

[notes6] Numbers 16:3 (ESV)

3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

[notes7] Numbers 12:1 (ESV)

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.

[notes8] Psalms 106:7-8 (ESV)

7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea.8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.

[notes9] Isaiah 8:13 (ESV)

13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

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Exodus 14

Remember that definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Well, here goes Pharaoh again. ⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” “What did we do?” You did the only sane thing you could do! You gave in to all-powerful God’s demand. You recognized He could wipe you out if you persisted. Pharaoh had a temporary lapse of sanity, but that has passed.

It happens to us too. We give the Holy Spirit a chance to speak to our heart and do something by faith instead of by sight. Then we start reasoning out our action and trying to make sense of it and decide it wasn’t a good decision. “Why did I pledge to support Young Life?” OR “Why did I say I would go on that mission trip?” We reason our way out of the blessing of walking by faith. (Hebrews 11:6[notes2] )

Pharaoh and his officials started thinking about losing all that labor and decided they had made a mistake. They called the cavalry divisions up and headed out after the Israelites.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They had just seen God deliver them and prove the gods of Egypt were powerless, but they were afraid. My guess is that we would have been as well. They had weapons, but the Egyptians have chariots and horses and are trained soldiers. Women and children might die in the confrontation. On top of all that, there was nowhere to flee. It would have to be a head on confrontation. The impossible situation is the opportunity for great lessons of faith.

“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” We’ll hear this repeated again when things get difficult. (Exodus 17:3[notes3] ) It’s the expanded version of “Why me God?” “I gave my life to God and now I have to deal with – ”. You fill in the blank. Why do we think following God will be easy? The Bible never says that it will be. We are to give thanks in every situation because we know God is for us. (Romans 8:28[notes4] ) What they couldn’t see in the midst of their whining was that this predicament was actually going to finish off their enemies. (Psalm 53:5[notes5] ) In fact, it would become a point in their history that they will always look back on as very special, for God is about to reveal His greatness again. (Ezekiel 20:9[notes6] )

It is a hard lesson to learn because it goes against our natural senses. Bottom line is this, where is your faith placed? In what do you trust?

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

[notes3] Exodus 17:3 (ESV)

3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

[notes4] Exodus 17:3 (ESV)

3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

[notes5] Psalms 53:5 (ESV)

5 There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

[notes6] Ezekiel 20:9 (ESV)

9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

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Exodus 14

⁸ And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. Deuteronomy 26:8 (ESV) That is Moses’ own summary of what had happened to this point in our study. This great mixed multitude was following the Angel in the cloud and boldly went out in plain sight, even armed for battle. The LORD had defeated the gods of Egypt. Pharaoh and his officials drove them out of the land, just as God had foretold. (Exodus 6:1[notes1] )

The locations of the names of the places are very uncertain today. We can’t be sure of the exact route or of where they crossed, though there is a fascinating video of a land bridge in the Red Sea with coral encrusted chariot wheels on the ocean floor. One problem is the name “Red Sea” in Hebrew, Yom Suph, means Sea of Reeds.  Wherever it was, it was location that appeared as if this great band of refugees were cornered.

When we were redeemed, we may have thought we would step right into a land of milk and honey. Instead God led us into a wilderness to build our faith. Sometimes it even looks like He has led us to our doom. “I was trying to follow You, God. Now look where You have led me!” We don’t realize that this is the best place for our faith to grow.

God predicted, ³ For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ As I have explained before, God is outside of time. He knows our thoughts before we think them. (Psalm 139:2[notes2] ) If He says it will happen, then it will.

God went on to tell Moses, ⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” One last time, God will harden the heart of this unrepentant king. He gave in to God’s demand, but not because he was yielding his heart. He was afraid of the consequences.

Later, Nehemiah will tell us that in spite of all the signs and wonders, Pharaoh acted arrogantly against God’s children. (Nehemiah 9:1[notes3]0 ) God was making a name for Himself by humbling one of the proudest men on earth. We’ve seen how Pharaoh is a warning to all prideful men. Isaiah tells us that a day is coming when every prideful and lofty man will be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted. (Isaiah 2:11[notes4] ) That is good news to the humble children of God, but ought to strike fear into the heart of every prideful man and woman.

1 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

[notes2] Psalms 139:2 (ESV)

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

[notes3] Nehemiah 9:10 (ESV)

10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day.

[notes4] Isaiah 2:11 (ESV)

11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

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