The God who fights for us!

Exodus 14:10–17 NKJV

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.

Romans 3:1–4 NKJV

What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

Prayer:

Introduction: When you try to help people they will fight you. Moses has a dream and even the people that will benefit by the dream does not support the dream. Because many times in-between you and your dream is trouble, and people will support you until trouble comes.

3:1-2. A characteristic mark of Paul’s style, particularly in this letter to the Romans, is to ask and answer an obvious question his discussion has raised in his readers’ minds. The natural response to the preceding material (2:17-29) is, What advantage (perrison, “overplus”), then, is there in being a Jew? Expressed in other words the question is, What value (ōpheleia, “advantage”) is there in circumcision? The first question pertains to Paul’s words in 2:17-24, and the second question to his words in 2:25-29. Paul’s response is immediate and direct: Much in every way! He was not saying that being a Jew or being circumcised had no gains.

By the phrase First of all Paul suggested that he was going to list a number of items, though actually he stated only one. He did this same thing elsewhere (1:8; ). In this case the item he stated is the most important and in a sense includes any others that could have been mentioned. The Jews have been entrusted (the Gr. Past tense could be rendered “were entrusted”) with the very words (logia, pl. of logos, “word” or “statement”) of God. This can refer to the entire Old Testament but here it probably means just the promises and commands of God. Yet, though in that privileged position, the Jews were unable to live up to God’s standards.

3:3-4. The fact that the chief benefit of being a Jew was being “entrusted with the very words of God” raised another question. What if some did not have faith? This verb “did not have faith” also means “be unfaithful.” This is preferred since the same verb is rendered “entrusted” in verse 2. It is true that some Jews did not believe the promises of God, but also some Jews were unfaithful to their trust. Will their lack of faith (this noun can also mean “unfaithfulness,” which is preferred here) nullify God’s faithfulness? To that possibility Paul responded, Not at all (mē genoito, “Let it not be,” a frequent exclamation by Paul; cf. vv. 6, 31; 6:1, 15; 7:7, 13; 11:1, 11). Though some Jews did not believe or were unfaithful (evidenced by their sinful conduct mentioned in 2:21-23, 25), God remains faithful to His Word (cf. ; ; ; ; ). This concept of God’s faithfulness in spite of Israel’s unbelief is developed more fully in .

Paul continued, Let God be true and every man a liar. This means, “Let God keep on being true even though every man becomes a liar.” This idea is taken from . As still further support, Paul quoted .

1. Know the source of your dream.

2. Avoid dreams that are born out of brokenness

14:5-9. Realizing the implications of the release of the Hebrews (we . . . have lost their services; cf. 1:14) Pharaoh and his officers were determined to prevent the escape. Though the Israelite men numbered over 600,000, Pharaoh was apparently encouraged by their seeming indecisiveness and by his own superior military prowess. Pharaoh was probably informed immediately of the Israelites’ departure from Rameses on the 15th day of the month. But no doubt he did not react immediately because the Egyptians were involved in burying and bemoaning their dead (cf. ) and because Moses had repeatedly referred to “a three-day journey” (; ; ). Later, realizing the Israelites’ departure was not temporary, he got together 600 . . . chariots, charioteers, and troops and caught up with the Israelites near Pi Hahiroth.

c. The cry of the people and the faith of Moses (14:10-14)

14: 10-14. As Pharaoh’s charioteers and armed troops approached, fear struck the encampment. They were trapped between the Red Sea (lit., “Sea of [Papyrus] Reeds”; see comments on v. 2) before them and a vicious foe behind them. The reaction of the Israelites here was much the same throughout the book (cf. 5:21) in times of duress and fright. Though they cried out to the Lord, they had no confidence He could help. Quickly forgetting the past, they bitterly accused Moses of deceiving them by leading them into the desert to die. . . . Didn’t we say . . . in Egypt, Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? Moses, recognizing that fear was distorting their memories and arousing their passions against him, sought to reassure them that the Lord would deliver them by fighting for them (cf. 15:3; ; ) as they remained firm in confidence. Surprisingly, as they came to their greatest moment of deliverance, the people of God were full of distrust and fear.

d. The parting of the Red (Reed) Sea (14:15-22)

God communicated His intentions to Moses (vv. 15-18), the angel of God protected the Israelites (vv. 19-20), and they crossed on dry land (vv. 21-22).

14:15-18. God told Moses He would miraculously deliver the people through the sea. Moses only needed to raise his staff . . . over the sea and the water would divide and the floor of the sea would be dry ground. Pharaoh’s charioteers would foolishly pursue the Israelites into the sea. There, as with the plagues, God would demonstrate His power and glory in the destruction of the Egyptian military. The Egyptians, God said, will know that I am the Lord.

pl. plural

cf. confer, compare

vv. verses

cf. confer, compare

lit. literal, literally

v. verse

vv. verses