Message #1: Moses & the Red Sea
In the book of Exodus, chapter 3, there’s a conversation going on between God and Moses, an Israelite chosen by God to be the leader who leads the Israelites out from underneath the hands of the Egyptians, their current oppressors who they had been enslaved to for about 400 years. Moses was an unlikely candidate based on his societal status and difficulty expressing himself through words; he often stuttered when speaking in front of others. The conversation that God and Moses was having in chapter 3 (and chapter 4), consists of God telling Moses that he will be with him through all that God is asking Moses to do in order to bring the Israelites out of captivity and that God himself will equip Moses with the strength, power, wisdom and even the words needed in order to establish himself as the leader Israel would need when escaping from Egypt’s reign over them.
In verse 14, God responds to Moses’ inquiry about what he should say if the Israelites question that Moses was truly being appointed by God for this role over their people:
?God says to Moses “…’ I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you’.” Exodus 3:14 NIV
After reading this, I try to put myself in the shoes of Moses when hearing God speak these words. I imagine myself asking questions like, “What does he mean? What does it mean to be the ‘ I AM ‘ ?” If I was Moses I’d rather tell the Israelites that the creator of the universe sent me (Elohim), or the one who protects and provides (Jehovah Jireh), or even the almighty and powerful one (El Shaddai). But God doesn’t give Moses any of these names to provide him with security against the questioning Israelites. No, he simply gives him the name “I AM.” Think about how confused Moses was, not understanding how those two words created a name that would comfort the doubtful Israelites.
After sending plagues of all kinds down onto the Egyptians to pressure Pharaoh to let the Israelites be freed, the day finally came where God would demonstrate what he meant by this strange name he had given to Moses to refer to him by (chapters 7 – 11).
Picking up the story in chapter 13, verse 17, Pharaoh had finally been pushed passed his breaking point and no longer resisted Israel’s plea to be freed and let them leave the land of Egypt and they set out for a land that God had promised he would take them to once they were freed, a land that would bring provision and protection, a land where they would plant roots in and establish themselves as God’s people: the Promise Land.
However, the Israelites had never been out of the land of Egypt and had no idea where to go, so they had to rely on God to lead them in the right direction. There were two paths that led them to the land that God intended for them to go to. One path was short, and would take the Israelites through the land of the Philistines. A people group who were known to have a very strong army. The other path was longer, and would take the Israelites to the shore of a body of water called the Red Sea. God knew that the Israelites were not ready to face a war with the Philistines and led them towards the sea instead. The end of chapter 13 describes how the Lord led them:
“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” Exodus 13:21-22 NIV
As they headed toward the sea, Pharaoh regrets letting the Israelites go, because they had been laborers in Egypt and Egypt would suffer many losses and hardships without the Israelites to do their work. Pharaoh then sends an army of Egyptians to pursue the Israelites to bring them back as slaves once again in Egypt. When the Israelites see that the Egyptians are pursuing them, they became fearful. They became so scared, that they began regretting ever leaving Egypt in the first place, stating they would have preferred to remain slaves who were at least safe in their captivity than to die in the middle of the desert on the way to an unknown land (v. 5-12).
In response to their fears, the Lord speaks through Moses to the Israelites:
“…’Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still’.” Exodus 14:13 NIV
With this, the fears of the Israelites ceased and they were able to press on towards the sea, as the Egyptian army closed in behind them. Then God begins to show how he will fight for them, by providing protection for them on the journey towards the promised land:
“Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in from of Israel’s army; withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of the Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.” Exodus 14: 19-20
Eventually, the Israelites reach the shore of the sea. They quickly realized they had no way to cross, but God had already planned how he would bring them into safety and had commanded Moses on what to do when he reached the edge of the sea (v. 16-17). His obedience would result in refuge for the Israelites, he just needed to have faith that God would be faithful to do what he had said, even if the situation seemed impossible to overcome. Moses was obedient, and God was faithful:
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Exodus 14: 21-22 NIV
As the Israelites walked the dry foundations of the sea, the Egyptian army followed until both armies were in the middle of massive aquatic hallway. God then brought havoc on the Egyptian army by disrupting their chariots and bringing them to a halt in the middle of the sea while the Israelites safely reached the opposite shoreline. The Egyptians recognized that God was fighting for the Israelites and became fearful, and tried to retreat out of the sea, back towards Egypt. God commanded Moses to again stretch out his hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptian army (v. 26). The water completely swallowed the Egyptian army up, leaving no survivors.
“The day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord, displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” Exodus 14: 30-31 NIV
Israel’s doubts in Moses and in the Lord vanished and I believe it’s because God proved through these series of events what he meant when he used the name “I AM” to describe himself and bring the Israelites confidence in his character and his appointment of Moses as their leader.
You see, when Israel escaped Egypt but didn’t know where they were going or how they would get there, God said “I AM your guidance,” by leading them with the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night so they always knew the way.
And then in the desert, when they discovered that the Egyptian army were pursuing them, and they became fearful of their fate to the point of desiring slavery over freedom, God said “I AM your peace”, when his words spoken through Moses, calmed their anxious hearts and gave them the strength to press on.
And again when the Egyptian army closed in on them before they were able to reach the sea, God said “I AM your protection” by moving from in front of them to behind them, creating a shield of protection between the Egyptians and the Israelites.
Then when they reached the sea, but had no way of crossing it and there seemed no way to escape the oncoming Egyptians, God said “I AM your power” by splitting the sea in half and giving a path of dry land for the Israelites to cross upon.
Finally, once the Israelites had made it safely to the opposing shore, and the Egyptians were following them on the dry path God had carved out of the sea, God said “I AM your victory” when he swallowed the entire Egyptian army up by the waters, leaving no survivors and allowing the Israelites to feel truly free from their oppressors.
God demonstrated that he could be whatever the Israelites needed him to be in order to accomplish the plans he had for them.
God is saying the same thing to you today.
God says to you, the one who is struggling with financial problems, “I AM your provider.”
God says to you, the one who is broken hearted and hurting from the pain that life sometimes brings, “I AM your comforter.”
God says to you, the one who is feeling lonely and betrayed, “I AM your friend.”
God says to you, the one who feels forgotten and unloved, “I AM a good, good father.”
God says to you, the one who feels powerless and helpless, “I AM the Almighty God.”
God says to you, the one who pressed to make a tough decision, “I AM a wise counselor.”
God says to you, the one who feels lost and has no hope, “I AM your salvation.”
And on and on and on.
Whatever trial you are facing and whatever internal battle you are fighting, if you feel like you don’t have what it takes to make it through another day, it’s because you don’t, but God does.
God wants to be whatever you need him to be and he has the ability to be just that.
But take notice, God couldn’t reveal these parts of his character until Moses or the Israelites stepped out into what God was calling them in to. They needed to trust him, depend on him, and surrender to his way in order for him to prove himself capable to be exactly who they needed him to be, precisely when they needed him to be it.
So, I encourage you, call out to God, tell him what you need him to be in your situation, declare over yourself the name that God has already promised to be for you.
For me, I needed to raise a little over $18,000 to be on the World Race. There was absolutely no way myself or my family could have contributed that amount of money in order for me to go. I needed God to be my provider, and he was and he is still.
Again and again God has proven himself trustworthy to His name, which encapsulates so much more than we give him credit.
