Trapped, With No Way Out!

Trapped, with No Way Out!

Women In The Exodus

Read: Exodus 14:5-14

The Hebrew women who left Egypt knew what an emotional roller coaster felt like. They must have been thrilled when God sent Moses to deliver them from slavery. Although God sent plagues on the Egyptians, he clearly demonstrated that the Israelites were his chosen people. The Israelites didn’t suffer swarms of flies, hail, or the death of their livestock. When the Egyptians endured three days of darkness over their land, the part of Egypt where the Israelites lived had light as usual. When God devastated the Egyptians by killing the firstborn male in each family, the Israelites were protected.

At last, the day of their freedom arrived. The Israelites walked out of Egypt as free people—and wealthy ones at that. God had caused the Egyptians to shower them with fine clothing, silver, and gold. Then he provided visible signs of his presence to lead his people to a wonderful new land of their own. Suddenly, their celebratory mood changed as someone spotted the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. The Israelites were trapped, with the Red Sea in front of them and hundreds of chariots and troops coming up behind. As Pharaoh’s immense forces closed in, the Hebrews responded in the normal way—they panicked. It looked as if their glorious escape from Egypt would end in death.

We all feel trapped sometimes, hemmed in by problems, failures, fear of what might happen, or ghosts from our past. Sometimes it seems there is no way out of our predicaments. At those times, it is best to ignore the adage, “Do something—even if it’s wrong!” God may show us how to resolve an impossible situation, or his instructions may be the same as Moses’—to stay calm and watch God rescue us. At those times, we’ll have an idea of how the Hebrew women felt so long ago.

Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

Exodus 14:13 (NIV)