Moses: Forward by Faith

Moses: Forward by Faith

Exodus 14:10-31

Exodus 14:10-14 (NASB)

10 “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so, the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.

11 Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?

12 “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may 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 fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”

14 “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Living by faith guarantees hardship. People do not like this message, but it’s true. When a person chooses to surrender to God and obey Him no matter what, that believer will suffer at times and be asked to make painful sacrifices. In order to serve the Lord, Moses had to choose to go forward by faith in spite of daunting challenges.

Having grown up in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses knew all about the Egyptian ruler’s pride, as well as the importance of Hebrew slave labor. So, he well understood the difficulty of carrying out God’s command to free His people. However, he’d left his comfortable life so he could obey.

As it turned out, Moses’ job didn’t begin until the Hebrew slaves’ release. He then spent more than 40 years leading this errant people, interceding for them when they disobeyed God, and calling upon the Lord for rescue when they faced trouble.

Moses’ life was marked by challenge and sacrifice, but more than that, it was shaped by an intimate relationship with God. Every hardship that knocked away his trust in himself strengthened his faith in the Lord. When a new challenge arose, Moses turned first to God for guidance and provision.

Scripture tells us that adversity produces a deeper intimacy with the Lord (1 Peter 5:10).

1 Peter 5:10 (NASB)

10 “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Moses’ life demonstrates this, and it holds true for believers today. Hardships are inevitable. We could try doing everything in our power to avoid them but would probably be unsuccessful. A wiser approach is to meet the challenge and go forward by faith.