And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:9-14)
Temptation got you down? Are you struggling with a sin in your life that you cannot seem to shake? You have been freed from the slavery of sin by the blood of the Passover Lamb. You have been freed from slavery and you now venture as a pilgrim to the Promised Land. But lo and behold, sin chases you down to trap you and to completely destroy you when there seems no route of escape. You raise your eyes, and instead of praise, your lips are tainted by fear and doubt. Why has God freed you from your sins, placing a new heart in you, writing the Law on your heart, giving you the will and ability to be righteous by the power of the Spirit only to allow you suffer more in this sin than you did before when you committed it without a heart to obey Christ?
But wait a minute, what does all of this have to do with the Israelites at the Red Sea? Exodus is a just an Old Testament story about God saving Israel from the oppression of a wicked Egyptian Pharaoh through the mediation of Moses and by signs and wonders? What does that have anything to do with my salvation and my present struggle with temptation?
Arthur Pink writes:
"Historically, the book of Exodus treats of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt; but viewed doctrinally, it deals with redemption. Just as the first book of the Bible teaches that God elects unto salvation, so the second instructs us how God saves, namely, by redemption. Redemption, then, is the dominant subject of Exodus" (from Gleanings of Exodus).
With this in mind, Exodus is both a historical narrative of the true events that took place concerning Israel's exodus from Egyptian bondage, and also a narrative of true events that take place in every believer's redemption from the bondage of sin by the hand of God. The historical Passover points to the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ upon the cross (1 Cor. 5:7). Paul also shows that the Israelites were baptized into Moses in the Red Sea and that they drank from the spiritual Rock, Jesus Christ, in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:1-4). By their crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites in a sense died to Egypt and were raised to a new life free from slavery and free to worship their Covenant God. Therefore, there is undoubtedly a connection between every believer struggling with besetting sins and temptations with the Israelites that felt trapped at the shore of the Red Sea. Like Israel, we have been saved from slavery but it now seems that we have only been saved from bondage for our utter destruction.
Sin is now attacking all the more vehemently for our demise, sparing no device at its possession. Just as Pharaoh gathers every resource at his disposal, so sin will not let you leave its possession quietly. You can trust that sin will seek to devour you all the more after you are freed from its reign over your life. Satan, the accuser, will recognize your new resting place in Christ, and he will take advantage of your new position hidden in Christ to increase his attacks' propensity and intensity.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:8-10)
All of Israel was encamped at the shores of the Red Sea. They all experienced this same trial together. You are not alone. Look to your right and to your left, and recognize your brothers and sisters who are in the same boat with you. Know that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. There is not a fellow brother or sister that does not have sin seeking to destroy them. There is not a fellow believer that is not sought out by the devil to devour.
As the enemy approaches, Israel lifts their eyes up but not high enough. They look upon Pharaoh's army and they begin to doubt God's salvation. They accuse God of only freeing them from Egypt in order to destroy them in the wilderness. They foolishly say that it would have been much better that they remain in Egypt as slaves than to be slaughtered as freemen in the wilderness. We are quick to see the foolishness in Israel's lack of faith, but do we not often make the same foolhardy mistake and speak such faithless words?
For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they (the wicked) entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire." (2 Peter 2:18-22)
Like Israel, we are tempted to return to Egypt like a dog returns to its own vomit and a sow returns to wallow in the mire after being cleaned. We believe that we are in a worse state now, facing destruction as freemen in the wilderness, than we would have been in if we had only remained under the bondage of sin. However, Peter clearly articulates that the worst state of all is to escape the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then to be overcome and entangled back in our past corruption. Israel, therefore, only saw two options: die in the wilderness or return to Egypt as slaves.
Arthur Pink writes:
How absurd are the reasonings of unbelief! If
death at the hands of the Egyptians was to be their lot, why had Jehovah
delivered them from the land of bondage? The fact that He had led them out of
Egypt was evidence enough that He was not going to allow them to fall before
their enemies. Besides, the Lord had promised they should worship Him in Mount
Horeb (3:12). How, then, could they now perish in the wilderness? But where
faith is not in exercise, the promises of God bring no comfort and afford no
stay to the heart.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)God is faithful, and He promises to provide the way of escape so that you may not be destroyed and overcome by temptation and sin. God has not delivered you from sin in order for you to be enslaved by it once more. Therefore, look at Moses' words to the people of Israel, and take them to heart: "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Fear not, Christian. Stand firm on the Rock, believer. See and remember the salvation of the Lord, brother and sister. The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:7-11)
The Red Sea was parted, the Israelites passed through on dry land, the army of Pharaoh pursued them, but were swallowed up in the sea. Paul tells us that Israel's passage through the Red Sea was a type of baptism. Therefore, look to your baptism, Christian, when Egypt seeks to return you once more to bondage. It will pursue you, it will chase after you, but you have entered a path where it cannot pursue. You have died with Christ and have been raised with Him, and never forget that which your baptism signifies (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12)! If while you were still an enemy of God he reconciled you to Himself by the death of his Son, how much more, now that you are reconciled through our Lord Jesus Christ, shall you be saved by his life.
The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The sins that you see today, you shall never see again. Fear not. Stand firm. See and remember the salvation of the Lord.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Your slavery is past tense. Yes, sin will chase you to the shores of the Red Sea, but remember the salvation of the Lord when you feel trapped against its bank. Such were some of you. You were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. As Israel passed through the Red Sea and Egypt could not follow them, you too have passed from death to life in Christ's death and resurrection, and sin, like Pharaoh's army, shall be consumed by the raging waters.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:16-23)
Amen.
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