Exodus 14:1-9: a reflection

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea. 3Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’ 4I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will follow after them; and I will get honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” They did so. 5The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6He prepared his chariot, and took his army with him; 7and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with captains over all of them. 8The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand. 9The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

God directs Israel, newly freed, to turn back and encamp by the sea, in a place that would look to Pharaoh like a trap: they are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in. And this is deliberate; God says he will use this to harden Pharaoh's heart and draw him into pursuit, that God might get glory over him. The seeming dead end, hemmed by the sea with Pharaoh's chariots bearing down, was not a mistake or a failure of guidance; it was exactly where God had led them, for his own purpose.

Notice that the trap Israel found themselves in was of God's own leading. It looked like a disaster: the sea before them, the army behind, no way out. But God had led them there deliberately, and had a purpose in it, to reveal his glory in a deliverance they could never have arranged. The apparent dead end was not evidence that God had abandoned or misled them; it was the very place where he meant to act.

That is worth remembering when we find ourselves in what looks like a dead end. We can assume that if we are trapped, hemmed in with no way out, something has gone wrong, that God has abandoned us or we have missed his way. But God sometimes leads his people into apparent dead ends, precisely so that his deliverance, when it comes, will plainly be his work and not ours. When you find yourself hemmed in, with no way forward that you can see, do not conclude at once that God has abandoned you. He may have led you there for a purpose, to show his glory in a rescue you could never engineer. Trust the God who led Israel to the sea to have a way through even the dead end, and to be working his purpose even where you see only a trap.

Lord, you directed newly freed Israel to encamp by the sea, in a place that looked like a trap, the sea before them and Pharaoh's army behind; and this was deliberate, that you might reveal your glory in a deliverance they could never arrange. Help me remember that when I find myself in what looks like a dead end. I can assume that if I am trapped, hemmed in with no way out, something has gone wrong, that you have abandoned me or I have missed your way. But you sometimes lead your people into apparent dead ends, precisely so that your deliverance, when it comes, will plainly be your work and not ours. When I find myself hemmed in, with no way forward that I can see, keep me from concluding at once that you have abandoned me. You may have led me there for a purpose, to show your glory in a rescue I could never engineer. Help me trust you, who led Israel to the sea, to have a way through even the dead end, and to be working your purpose even where I see only a trap. Make a way where I see none, Lord.