What role does faith play in Moses' action in Exodus 14:16? Setting the Scene Exodus 14 finds Israel trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. Panic spreads, yet God speaks a decisive word to Moses. God’s Word in Focus “‘But you—lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.’” (Exodus 14:16) Command Received, Faith Exercised • God gives no explanation of how the water will part—only a command. • Moses acts immediately, lifting the staff he has carried since Exodus 4. • The staff is merely wood; the power lies in God, yet Moses must raise it. Faith on Display • Trust in God’s character: Moses believes the same LORD who sent the plagues will now rescue. • Obedience before sight: He stretches out his hand while the sea is still roaring, confident that the miracle will follow the motion. • Public confidence: In full view of Israel and Egypt, Moses risks ridicule unless God comes through. • Partnership with divine power: God chooses to work through Moses’ action, knitting human obedience with supernatural intervention. Echoes in the New Testament • “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land” (Hebrews 11:29)—the writer credits the crossing, and implicitly Moses’ gesture, to faith. • Hebrews 11:6 reminds that “without faith it is impossible to please God,” underscoring why the gesture mattered to the LORD. Lessons for Today • Faith obeys God’s word even when the outcome is unseen. • Ordinary objects (a staff, a raised hand) become channels of extraordinary power when offered in trust. • Public acts of faith strengthen and rally the people of God, just as Israel gained courage when Moses stepped forward. • God still delights to link His sovereign work with human responsiveness, inviting believers to stretch out their own “staff” in confidence. |
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