The LORD instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to turn back and camp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon. God explained that Pharaoh would perceive this as confusion, thinking the Israelites were lost and trapped in the desert. This strategy would harden Pharaoh’s heart to pursue them, allowing God to display His glory by defeating Pharaoh and his army, so the Egyptians would know that He is the LORD.
It is surprising that the Israelites turned back simply because God told them to, especially given their fear of the Egyptians chasing them down and killing them. Yet, at this moment, their faith in God was at its peak, and they trusted Him completely, even though they were aware that they were heading closer to Egypt. God intended for Pharaoh to perceive the Israelites’ movements as disorganized, giving him false confidence that he could still capture them. Although the Israelites had been gone for at least three days and had a significant head start, their apparent wandering convinced Pharaoh that his army could overtake them and bring them back.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” – Exodus 14:5 (NIV)
When Pharaoh and his officials realized the Israelites had fled, they regretted letting them go, lamenting the loss of their services. Pharaoh quickly prepared his chariot and took his army, including six hundred of his best chariots and additional chariots with officers, to pursue the Israelites. The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, giving him the confidence to act on the desires already in his heart. The Egyptians—Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, horsemen, and troops—chased after the Israelites and eventually overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
Fear of the Enemy
As Pharaoh drew closer, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing toward them, and fear overwhelmed them. Terrified, they cried out to the LORD and turned their frustration toward Moses. They accused him of bringing them to the desert to die, questioning why he had led them out of Egypt in the first place. Their fear drove them to lament that they would have been better off remaining as slaves in Egypt rather than facing death in the wilderness.
Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert! – Exodus 14:12 (NIV)
At the first sign of trouble, we often forget all the ways God has supported us in the past. Despite the fact that God was fighting on their behalf, the Israelites were unable to fully understand His power and love or enjoy their newfound liberation. Instead, they began to think that God was against them.
Sometimes, we assume that God is fickle—listening to us at times and ignoring us at others—because we fail to grasp the depth of His love. Often, we are drawn to Him only for temporary worldly blessings, and when a new problem arises, we quickly forget His past faithfulness. We must recognize that God supports us continuously, 24/7, not just when we call on His name. He does not need to be “activated” like a mythical creature to act on our behalf.
The Israelites’ complaint reflects a deeper truth about our nature: we often prefer the familiar chains of slavery over the uncertainty of trusting in God. This mirrors humanity’s broader struggle, going back to the Garden of Eden—we would rather remain enslaved to the prince of this world than step into our identity as heirs seated at the right hand of the Father.
Be Still
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)
Amid the Israelites’ panic, Moses reassured them not to fear, despite his own lack of faith. He encouraged them to be still and trust in God’s deliverance, assuring them that the Egyptians would no longer trouble them. God instructed Moses to stop crying out and to tell the Israelites to move forward. Moses balanced stillness with God’s command to move forward into the unknown, highlighting that it was God speaking through him. Moses’ personal doubts and insecurities did not prevent God from working through him.
The command to “be still” is powerful, but it’s also one of the hardest things to do, especially in the midst of overwhelming problems. Staying still requires trust and surrender, which goes against our natural instincts to act or panic. For example, when my phone got drenched in the rain, placing it in rice and waiting for it to dry felt agonizing, as every fibre of my being wanted to intervene and “fix it” immediately. Similarly, when we are caught in quicksand, we are told that struggling makes things worse but staying still becomes a counterintuitive battle against fear.
The same applies to life’s challenges—staying still and trusting God to fight our battles often feels unnatural and difficult. Yet, it is in this stillness that God prepares the way for us, clears the path, and fights for us. Surrendering to His power allows us to rest in His faithfulness while He works on our behalf.
The Mighty Hand of the LORD
God commanded Moses to raise his staff and stretch his hand over the sea to part the waters, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground. God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, causing him to pursue them into the sea. Through this act, God would gain glory over Pharaoh, his army, and all their chariots and horsemen, and the Egyptians would know that He is the LORD.
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. – Exodus 14:19-20 (NIV)
As Moses obeyed God’s command and stretched his hand over the sea, the LORD drove the waters back with a strong east wind, turning the sea into dry land. The Israelites walked through the sea, with walls of water on either side. The Egyptians, undeterred, pursued them, but during the final watch of the night, the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud, confusing the Egyptian army. He jammed the wheels of their chariots, making it difficult for them to move. Realizing they were losing the battle, the Egyptians cried out that the LORD was fighting for the Israelites.
God then instructed Moses to stretch his hand over the sea again, causing the waters to return. As the Egyptians fled, the waters engulfed them, covering their chariots, horsemen, and the entire army. None of them survived. The Israelites, however, walked through the sea on dry ground, witnessing the mighty hand of the LORD at work. When they saw the Egyptians’ bodies washed up on the shore, they feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and in Moses, His servant.
And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. – Exodus 14:31 (NIV)
Is it not possible to truly put our trust in God without fearing Him? Often, our trust is temporary and arises only after witnessing signs of His power. While we may trust Him in the moment, it’s usually driven by fear—fear that He will do the same to us if we don’t obey Him. What lies in our hearts is often a surface-level faith, not one that comes from deep within.
The challenge of the waters—the seemingly impossible situation the Israelites faced—was a test for them. Yet, God used that very threat to protect them from the Egyptian army who were on their heels ready to capture them. It was due to the threat of the Egyptians and the power of God’s intervention that they began to truly trust in Him. Fear and trust are often intertwined, especially when we face overwhelming circumstances, and unfortunately, it’s only in those moments that we see the depth of our faith—or lack thereof.
The Israelites sang a song of praise to the LORD after their deliverance, but instead of reflecting on their own transformation, they focused solely on the joy of seeing their enemy defeated, vividly describing how the bodies of the Egyptians were washed away. The sight of the mighty Egyptian army submerged in the sea gave the Israelites confidence for future battles with other tribes as their song was more about God defeating their enemies than about any personal change or growth in their hearts.
Despite their own sinfulness, God had saved them yet their takeaway seemed to be that God would destroy their enemies no matter what they did, and they continued to follow their own desires, abandoning God at every turn. Let us not wait for such dramatic circumstances to experience the goodness of the LORD. Instead, let us hold on to Him through both the highlands and the waters of our lives, learning to be still and trust in Him to help us get to the other side.
Discussion Questions
- Why does God want Pharaoh to believe the Israelites are wandering?
- Like the Israelites, why does our faith become so fickle that at the first sign of trouble, we forget all that God has done for us in the past?
- How can we be expected to be still in the face of our problems?
- Can we not put our trust in God without fearing Him?
The Jordan Valley 
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