Why doesn’t he just give up?! Surely by now he knows who the LORD is and that he can’t beat him. Surely after 10 times of showing His power, Pharaoh should come and say with the Philippian jailer “what must I do to be saved?” And yet, pharaoh is still trying to resist the sovereign Lord’s rule, he’s trying to break free from the Lord’s control, he wants to be in charge and can’t bear the thought of anyone else ruling over him. What he says should go, who is the Lord to tell him differently? (Exodus 14)
But it’s not just that Pharaoh is stubborn in his unbelief, again we are told that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart (14:4). It’s a frightening warning to those who go on resisting the Lord’s rule. We see in Romans 1 that for those who chose to worship created things rather than the creator, God gives them over to their own desires as part of his judgement.
And its not only Pharaoh who has forgotten about the Lord’s awesome display of power. God’s own people, who have seen God’s incredible display of power, who have personally experienced God’s saving grace in the Passover, when they get into a spot of bother cry out something like “it would have been better if we had stayed in Egypt” (14:11). How offensive to the God who has just rescued them. But before we are too harsh on them, are we any different? We who have experienced and even greater saving grace of what the Passover pointed forward to, at great cost to Himself God the Son became the Passover lamb for us to rescue us from slavery to sin, to give us new life in the promised land. Perhaps we remember a time when we were so thankful for this rescue, but then some adversity comes our way and we wonder where God is? We think perhaps it would be better if we went back to going our own way. How offensive to the God who rescued us. Perhaps you need to join me in saying “Lord I’m sorry for times I’ve done this.”
And then God rescues them through the Red Sea! They were totally trapped and without hope, Pharaoh and his army on one side, the Red Sea on the other. What can they do? Nothing! But they don’t need to do anything other than be silent, the Lord will fight for them (14:14). It’s the same for our salvation. What do we contribute, nothing. Its the Lord who fights for us, He does it all. God comes down to his trembling people and makes a way. He protects his people with the cloud of his presence, and then causes a strong wind to blow that parts the sea for them and where there was no way, God makes a way. Its not surprising that they sing praise to God “who is like you, O LORD, among the gods.” (15:11)
I don’t doubt there praise was genuine. As we head to church this Lord’s Day may ours be as well. But the shock is 3 days after this incredible rescue they are back to grumbling! After God has parted the Red Sea, they have no water to drink and they panic. “What shall we drink?” Surely God can’t get us out of this one they think, or perhaps they just forget that the Lord is Sovereign over every single thing, and just as He is enabling them to breathe so that they can grumble, He is able to sort out their water shortage.
Aren’t we the same? We praise God with our lips, but then when some trouble comes, we panic and wonder how we will get out of it, or we grumble. May the Lord give us grace to remember His rescue, and like the Psalmist tremble before the Lord (Psalm 114) as we trust His sovereign power over everything that comes our way.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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