Shelby Olive
Exodus 14:10-16, 26-28
10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground.

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained.

Reflection:
The last of my belongings were packed haphazardly in the backseat and trunk of my car. I hadn’t put much thought into organizing my things or what I would do with them when I got home—that is, back home to my parents’ house. These last moments were filled with hugs and tearful goodbyes — well, tearful on my end. I got in my car and cried the whole way home. People always said that college would be the best four years of my life (they’re not), but no one told me what it would be like when they ended. Instead, I was fed promises by college recruits that the university would help me land the perfect job (it didn’t), provide me a built-in network of professional peers (nope), and that I would be perfectly equipped for whatever comes my way (not even a little). Here I was, sad and completely unprepared for the next thing, wishing that I could just turn back around but knowing full well that I couldn’t.

Our passage today takes a look at people who are completely unprepared for what’s next. Certainly, the stakes were much higher for the Israelites. They weren’t just moving from one phase of life into another; they were escaping a life of oppression under the Pharaoh’s reign. After begging Pharaoh time and time again for him to let God’s people go, after plagues that only grew in severity, the Israelites are finally on the brink of escape. The only thing standing in between them and their freedom was the Red Sea.

But they were afraid. Oh, how the Israelites would have loved to turn back around. It would be terrible, but at least they knew what to expect. Better to go back to what they know than to face the wilderness. And when God parts the sea for Israel to cross, he closes it right back up when they’re on the other side. Closing up this sea, God does two things: First, God swallows up the quickly advancing Egyptians. Second, God ensures that there is no going back. The only thing between them and the slavery they once knew was the Red Sea. Turning back was not an option. It would take a literal act of God, and it looked like God was done parting seas for the day.

For better or for worse, we often find ourselves in situations where there is no going back. We can’t turn back the clock or go back to the way it was before. The only way to move is forward. But what we see in this passage is that we don’t have to dread moving forward, no matter how admittedly scary the unknown may be. When God delivers Israel from Egypt, we catch a glimpse of the God who lovingly propels us forward and allows us to experience the immeasurable depth of God’s love and grace in ways we could never imagine. Yes, we must move forward. But we never move forward alone.

Prayer:
God, crossing thresholds into the deep unknown is accompanied by feelings of great fear. I pray today for those who find themselves in places where turning back is not an option. Fill them today and every day with the peace of your presence. In the name of Jesus Christ, who crossed the threshold into humanity for the sake of humanity. Amen.