Go Forward: Exodus 14:1-18

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying to Me? ‘Tell the sons of Israel to go forward’” (Exod. 14:15, NASB).

When a person feels stressed and frightened an automatic response takes place. The sympathetic nervous system is activated that triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee. This response is termed the “fight or flight response.” No, this article is not about the fight or flight response directly. Instead, this article is about our faith when find ourselves in a fight or flight life situation. This article is motivated by my being made more consciously aware of the fear that a lot of people; especially Black people, have about the new vaccines for the COVID-19 coronavirus. I am reminded that there are many situations that take place in our lives that make us feel trapped and unable to move forward. Using the motivation that I mentioned I want to turn to situation that the sons of Israel find themselves at the Red Sea.

In reading some of the Facebook post and from news reports it is apparent that past experiences have many Black people suspicious and fearful of the healthcare system in America. They are saying that events like the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and other medical experiments done in the past on Black people raises the question if it is safe for Black people to take the vaccine. People are responding similarly to a person caught in a fight or flight response. This article is based on the story of the sons of Israel’s response when they are trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. They cannot fight Pharaoh’s army and they cannot cross the sea. When they cry out to Moses, the Lord tells them to go forward, a task that looks impossible. We will see that God is calling on the sons of Israel to move forward with faith in the Lord. Let us begin first by reviewing the story found in Exodus 14:1-18.

The sons of Israel live in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years (See Exod. 12:40-41). After the Egyptians suffer ten plagues Pharaoh tells Moses to take the people and leave. The people march boldly out of Egypt headed toward the land that the Lord promises to give to the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God has plans for the sons of Israel to escape and He also plans to free the people from the threat of Pharaoh’s army. The text describes their travel and the Lord’s intentions. The people however do not know the plans of God. They will need to move by their faith and trust in the same God that causes the plagues that persuade Pharaoh and his advisors to let the people go.

After the sons of Israel leave Egypt the Egyptians realize that they have allowed their slaves to leave the country. What are they to do? Who will do the work that the slaves have been doing for more than four hundred years? In response to this reality Pharaoh takes his best chariots and his entire army and sets out to recapture the slaves and bring them back to Egypt to continue the work that they have been doing for over four hundred years. However, there is something that Pharaoh and his people do not consider. It is not Pharaoh that sets the people free. It is God who moves with a mighty hand that affects the thinking and decisions that Pharaoh makes. Let us make no mistake about it, God has the power to affect our minds and we can say that what is done is what God determines beforehand to be done (See 13:17-18).

God positions the son of Israel in front of the sea. They look and see Pharaoh and his army chasing after them. They march out of Egypt boldly; with confidence, that they are going to the land promised to them. Now, they see a problem. They are trapped between the sea and Pharaoh with his army. “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD” (14:10, NASB). The people forget about the cloud that is leading them. They do not remember that God is able to control and yes even manipulate nature for His purpose as demonstrated in the ten plagues that persuade the Egyptians to let them go free. The sons of Israel see only the army of Pharaoh. They cannot fight and they cannot flee. They freeze in place, feeling helpless with no control and no power to determine what will happen to them.

The people cry out to Moses (14:11). They accuse Moses of making them leave Egypt. They reason that they should have stayed in Egypt where they would live out their days and be buried in graves. This would be better than dying in the wilderness (v. 12). Moses responds to their complaints and cries. He assures them that the Lord will fight for them. They do not need to fight and they do not need flee. They only need to continue marching in the direction that God tells them to go. God tells them to go forward. So, here it is. The Lord tells us to move by faith. Our faith is not in our own abilities. Our faith gives us courage to trust in the Lord. We walk by faith and not by sight. We trust in the Lord with all our hearts and we do not rely upon our own understanding. We allow the Lord to direct our path even though we have no earthly idea of how the Lord will make our path straight (Prov. 3:3-5).

Did you notice that the Lord tells the people to go forward before Moses lifts his staff and the waters of the sea are divided? My mother said to me many times: “If you make one step, the Lord will make two.” God works on our behalf when we demonstrate our faith and trust in Him. We must remember what the Lord has already done for us. We must be aware of what the Lord is doing for us at this present moment. We must believe that the same God will work for us in the future.

Moses obeys the command of the Lord. He lifts his staff and the sea is divided. The wind dries the land so that the sons of Israel cross on dry ground. In the meantime, the Lord separates the sons of Israel from Pharaoh and his army by placing a pillar of cloud and fire between them. The sons of Israel cross the sea to the other side. The wind stops blowing and the sea returns to its normal flow. Pharaoh’s army drowns in the sea and the sons of Israel are free to continue their journey. What’ the point you might be asking? What does this have to do with people’s fear of taking a life saving vaccine?

We are caught up in a pandemic that is killing thousands of people every day. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) has issued guidelines to help slow the spread of the virus. As I am writing this article there are two manufactures that have produced a vaccine to give people the immunity to prevent the virus from spreading and killing people. People are afraid and based on past practices they have a right to be afraid. However, God does not want us to freeze in place out of fear. Times have changed. God does not want us to return to a past that we have been set free from. God does not want us to go back and he does not want us to freeze in place. Rather, the Lord wants us to go forward. He is able to get us across our Red Sea. If we go forward in faith and trust in the Lord we are able to make it to the other side. We will never know if the vaccine is able to help us until we participate in process. I believe that the Lord is saying to those that are frightened to go forward and let the Lord fight for you.

Finally, as I stated at the beginning of this article, we often find ourselves in many situations and circumstances that frighten us and trapped in an inescapable place. Regardless, we are to always believe that the Lord can change things. He can make a crooked path straight. He can make the rough way smooth. I encourage all who are reading this article to not allow past experiences to keep you from going forward. If the Lord says go, it is because the Lord has a plan for you to accomplish everything that He has in store for you to do. That is a promise. Go forward.