Between

 

One of my favorite TV shows is MASH, with Hawkeye being one of my all-time favorite characters. In one episode, this American surgical unit is penned down by enemy sniper fire, impeding their attempt to do their life-saving jobs. As the problem begins, Colonel Blake tells the company, “Now the first thing people do in this situation is panic.” Hawkeye responds with, “Good, at least I’m doing things in the right order.”

 

Is that not our go-to human response? When we face tough news, impossible difficulties, and overwhelming things our natural response is fear and anxiety. But our passage today reveals that we can rest in these moments. A choice exists.

 

 

     Exodus 14:13-31 (CEB):

 

     But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand your ground, and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never ever see again. The LORD will fight for you. You just keep still.”

 

     Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to get moving. As for you, lift your shepherd’s rod, stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two so that the Israelites can go into the sea on dry ground. But me, I’ll make the Egyptians stubborn so that they will go in after them, and I’ll gain honor at the expense of Pharaoh, all his army, his chariots, and his cavalry. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I gain honor at the expense of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his cavalry.

 

     God’s messenger, who had been in front of Israel’s camp, moved and went behind them. The column of cloud moved from the front and took its place behind them. It stood between Egypt’s camp and Israel’s camp. The cloud remained there, and when darkness fell it lit up the night. They didn’t come near each other all night.

 

     Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD pushed the sea back by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. The waters were split into two. The Israelites walked into the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians chased them and went into the sea after all of them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry. As morning approached, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian camp from the column of lightning and cloud and threw the Egyptian camp into panic. The LORD jammed their chariot wheels so that they wouldn’t turn easily. The Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites, because the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!”

 

     Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water comes back and covers the Egyptians, their chariots and their cavalry.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. At daybreak, the sea returned to its normal depth. The Egyptians were driving toward it, and the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the cavalry, Pharaoh’s entire army that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. The Israelites, however, walked on dry ground through the sea. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left.

 

     The LORD rescued Israel from the Egyptians that day, Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the amazing power of the LORD against the Egyptians. The people were in awe of the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     I have two disclaimers as I get started. One, I will not quibble over the natural and supernatural elements of the miracles in this passage. Two, if you struggle with anxiety or depression, I am not saying you should not seek professional help. It takes faith in God to see professionals who are trained to assist in unpacking trauma and other things that injure our minds. Our minds get broken like our bodies do, and praise God that He has raised up those who are called to aid us.

 

     Now, for the sake of time, I did not read the verses immediately before our passage. But they are important, so I will quickly summarize. After their initial grief of losing their firstborn children, Pharaoh denies God’s Sovereignty and in anger he leads the Egyptian army to wipeout their former slaves. When the Israelites seem them coming, they begin to panic and cry out against God directed at Moses.

 

     While the people panic, Moses speaks up as God’s faithful leader to God’s people. Moses gives no orders to take up arms or defensive positions. Instead, Moses says in verses 13 and 14, “Don’t be afraid, watch the LORD rescue you. The LORD will fight for you. You just keep still.” The Israelites looked at the angry Egyptian army from their panic-stricken human position, Moses looked at it from a place resting in faith. That picture matters.

 

     Verse 15 is curious, because God says, “Why do you cry out to me?” We have no recorded prayer or words from Moses, but not all prayers are words. Moses was human, I am sure his bold faith claims in verses 13 and 14 was full of confidence, but at the same time had to be internally trembling. God was telling Moses this was a time for the people to move. Then verses 19 and 20 tell us God moved Himself between the people and their big scary problem.

 

     Verses 21 through 30 describe a series of miracles that follow. At the right time, God moved between His people and the Egyptians. At the right time, God sent “a strong east wind” that worked all night to make a way through the sea when there was no way. When the people made their way through, and the faithless and arrogant Egyptians inexplicably decide to give chase, at the right time, God created chaos in the Egyptian army and jammed up chariot wheels. The Israelites had enough faith to take a step, and God faithfully worked at the right time.

 

     God moved in such a mighty way, He fulfilled His words in verse 18 when He said, “The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” In verse 25, as God is laying the smackdown on them, the Egyptians say, “Let’s get away from the Israelites, because the LORD is fighting for them!” The faith of the Israelites led to life; the faithlessness of the Egyptians led to death. The same waters that saved the Israelites were the death of the Egyptians. Life was found through the water, and death was beneath it!

 

     As daylight comes, the Israelites are standing on the shoreline staring at dead Egyptian soldiers and horses surrounded by devasted chariots. The same enemy that sent them into a panic was now dead at their feet! Not by their own hands, but by the God who went between them and their problem. Verse 31 says, “Israel saw the amazing power of the LORD. The people were in awe of the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” “Believed in” is stronger than the Eligh would have it seem. This is transformational faith that purifies the heart and renews the mind. God’s people were changed.

 

     What does this teach us? It reveals the truth about our human condition. Panic, fear, and anxiety are our natural responses to enemies and the encounters we have as broken people in a broken world. Fear stimulates our flight or fight response, evidenced by the Israelites lashing out against God and Moses as the Egyptians charged at them. We do the same thing; it is the natural and fallen human response.

 

     While it is our natural response, it is rooted in our fallen condition. And that is a problem. In 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul writes something that steps on our toes. He writes, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit corruption.” How does that connect with what we are talking about? Panic, fear, and anxiety will not lead us to God’s kingdom. They are from our fallen nature. God wants us to live as citizens of His Kingdom here, with our hearts resting in His goodness and our minds leading us to act in the confidence of His goodness. But panic, fear, and anxiety rob us of that rest and confidence.

 

     The good news is this: God’s Kingdom is one of rest and peace available now. No matter what our problem is, we can get above fear! Not by pulling up our bootstraps, taking arms, or trying harder, but a step of faith! God became flesh to go between us and our biggest problem, sin! And He can do the same with our problems! The way above fear is not looking at how big our problem is, but instead by looking up at how big and mighty our God is.

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