On Sunday, we come to Exodus chapter 14 and the account of the crossing of the Red Sea. This story continues to grip people’s imaginations and its portrayal in the 1956 movie ‘The Ten Commandments’ has been viewed by millions on YouTube! In true Hollywood style, the biblical description of the wind that blew all night is replaced by rather more magical special effects! The same is true of the ‘Prince of Egypt’ produced in 1998. It is interesting that the biblical account is rather understated compared to more recent film versions.
It is easy to see why the story is so gripping. The recently emancipated slaves are trapped between the pursuing Egyptian army and the sea. Their fate seems sealed until a great reversal occurs. A strong wind pushes back the water. The Israelites are unexpectedly given a way through. The Egyptians give chase only to be overwhelmed as the wind drops and the waters fall back over them. The powerful Egyptian oppressors are defeated. God comes through for the underdogs!
The story begins and ends with two very different kinds of fear.
Realising that the Egyptians were advancing on them we read that, “In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord.” (14.10) They are understandably terrified at the prospect of what Pharoah’s army will do to them. Moses, however, tells them, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today.” (14.13)
There are times when it is natural to be afraid. Standing firm and trusting God might not be easy but can help us to be brave.
The story ends with a very different kind of fear. Having been wonderfully saved, we read that, “Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord.” (14.31) This is not the negative kind of fear that the people felt at the beginning of the story, but rather an uplifting sense of awe and reverence at the presence, power and glory of God that they had just witnessed.
This reverential fear involves a healthy recognition of God’s greatness and power and our relative smallness and weakness. It involves a humble acknowledgement of our moral fallibility and God’s perfect goodness. It includes an awareness that God is the creator of all things and we are creatures entrusted with his creation.
This positive ‘fear of the Lord’, so powerfully experienced in the crossing of the Red Sea, remained central to the life of the people of Israel. It was seen as the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111.10). It was one of the marks of the Messiah (Isaiah 11.2-3) and of the new covenant (Jeremiah 32.40). In the New Testament it characterised the life of the early Church (Acts 9.31) and for the Apostle Paul it was a motive for evangelism (2 Corinthians 5.11).
We are encouraged not to fear people and circumstances, but ‘the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.’
With best wishes,
Stephen