Between a Rock & a Hard Place

Introduction: The meaning of the phrase originated in the USA in the early part of the 20th century. It is the American manifestation of a phrase that exists in several forms in other cultures.

It is a dilemma of being in a position where one is faced with two equally unwelcome options. In difficulty, to be “between a rock and a hard place” means being faced with a choice between two unsatisfactory options.

There are people in the church RIGHT NOW who are BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE! Being BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE is being in a dilemma. Is there anybody in here who is BETWEEN AND A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE?

The title of this book, Exodus (“ex” – out; “odus” – road), literally means the road out. God is taking them on the “road out” of Egypt and now they have come BETWEEN A ROCK AND HARD PLACE.

I. #1 – Fear Ye Not, Don’t Be Scared!

· be afraid, be frightened, i.e., be in a state of feeling great distress, and deep concern of pain or unfavorable circumstance; be intimidated[1]

· , “And the Lord shall make you the head and not the tail, and you only shall be above, and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”

· , “For God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of power, and love, and a sound mind (discipline).”

II. #2 – Stand Still…

· stand, i.e., be in a standing position, implying one stays in the same position for an extended period of time (); 2. resist, formally, stand firm, be in a state of firm inner strength as an extension of being in a standing position and not moving or running away; 3. take one’s stand, i.e., take a defensive fighting position, as an extension of being in a standing, staying position[2]

o See – visible perception; be aware of God’s handiworks…

o Salvation of the Lord – it comes from a term that has to do with room or space. The people were under great pressure, squeezed between the waters before them and the armies of Pharoah behind them. SALVATION would relieve the pressure in a most dramatic way. This salvation was to come from God…

o You will not see these Egyptians no more!

III. #3 – Hold Your Peace

· Hold your peace - not take action, be still, be silent, be quiet, become deaf, i.e., to not take an action in response to a request, as a figurative extension of not having the faculty of hearing, or not having the faculty of speech; take no action, be still (); make no moves; 2. be silent, not say a word, hold the tongue, i.e., not use the faculty of speech.[3]

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Israelites went out of Egypt “with a high hand,” i.e., under the protection of a high hand (14:8). Nevertheless, when they saw the enemy approaching in the distance, they panicked. To the east was the sea, to the south and west were mountains, and Pharaoh was pressing in from the north. First they cried to the Lord. Then they turned on Moses with a series of “I told you so” questions. In their despair they evaluated their servitude to Egypt as better than a slaughter by Pharaoh’s army in the desert. Moses urged the people to be calm and stand their ground. He promised them that they would (1) see the deliverance of Yahweh; (2) never see the Egyptians again; and (3) observe how Yahweh fights for his people (14:10

[1] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

[2] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

[3] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).