Going To It And Through It
Exodus 14:1-3 “And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land; the wilderness hath shut them in.”
If you’re a typical reader, you have probably jumped past the Biblical references in the opening passage. But please look at these again because they are very important for our devotion.
From the work of archeologist, Ron Wyatt, we find this information:
Pi-Hahiroth translates, mouth of the canyon. Migdol translates, fortress, which would apply to an ancient Egyptian fort.
If one looks for a beach area that would accommodate over 2 million people, there is only one candidate: Nuweiba, Egypt. This large area is located near the mouth of a canyon, (Pi-Hahiroth) and there is also a nearby ancient Egyptian fort (Migdol).
If you look at a map of this location, it becomes clear why Pharaoh would have said, “…they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.” The children of Israel were literally trapped at the Red Sea. Now why did God choose this route? The Israelites could have went the northern route and avoided the Red Sea altogether. It appears that God had picked out a massive graveyard for the Israelites by leading them to a “dead end!”
Had God forsaken these terrified people? No! For you see, God was not only taking them TO the Red Sea, God was taking them through the Red Sea! Over 344 billion gallons of water were about to stand at attention as God Almighty walked through and cleared out a highway. Fearful chaos was about to become a joyful celebration. A massive Egyptian army was about to become a dead Egyptian army. God was about to show his people that: “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it!”
Do you feel that you’re at a Red Sea, or should we say, a dead end?
The key to a Red Sea trial is to stand still. In Exodus 14:14, Moses told the people: “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” In the original Hebrew, “hold your peace” literally means to be silent, and keep quiet. Child of God, we are not standing still if we keep worrying and fretting over the situation. Like the old saying, “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.”
If we continue to look around at all the facts, and how we are ‘trapped’ in our situation, the devil will always hold up a sign that reads, “Dead End”. But if we quit looking around and look up, we can see a sign from Heaven that reads: “Stand Still and See The Salvation of The Lord!”
Do you feel that you’ve reached a dead end in a relationship?
Several years ago, an acquaintance of ours reached a dead end with her marriage. She tried her best to fix the imperfections of her husband. When that didn’t work, she started asking God to change her husband. Finally, after no results or miracles from God, she fell on her knees in tears, “Lord I’ve tried everything I know to change my husband, and nothing has worked. Lord I need you to change ME!” When she finally reached this place, she started seeing a change. Not only with herself, but even her husband started to change!
God does not receive glory by taking us out of a situation. The glory of God is revealed in how He brings us through the situation. And this means that Band-Aids may be required. Along the journey, sometimes our legs and arms will be scratched by the thorns of life.
Several years ago, Gary, a 16-year old boy from our church, went swimming with some of his friends on a July afternoon. He dove into the water just like the rest of the boys. Only, Gary never came back up. After some time of waiting, his friends realized that something terrible had gone wrong. It later appeared that Gary had snapped his neck during the dive that claimed his life. As his parents received the news, their world fell apart. Grief consumed them like any parent would imagine. But the Sunday following Gary’s funeral, his mother went and stood by the pew where he once sat. As she testified, she said, “I’ve always heard of how Job looked before him, behind him and couldn’t find God. But everywhere I look….all I see is Jesus!”
Grief has a way of bringing us to an emotional Red Sea. No one is hardly prepared for the Dead End of Death. The passing of a loved one can seem so final. Oh! But friend, allow God to lead you through the sea of grief! It may be dark, and it may be cold. But there is victory waiting on the other side. Isaiah 43:2 says: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee…”
As we bring this devotion to a close, I hope the word “through” has been planted in your heart and mind. With God, there are no dead ends. In the coming month, I want you to remember this phrase when the devil tells you that you’re at a dead end: “If God brings me to it, He’ll bring me through it!”