MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Exodus 14:15-18
PROGRESS UNDER DIFFICULTY
The children of Israel are now commanded, in their perplexing circumstances, to move forward into the waters of the Red Sea. A soul anxious to go forward will find paths where least expected and in the most unlikely places.
I. That in the perplexing circumstances of life, progress is often the highest wisdom, and gives the best solution of difficulty. “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” When men have learnt to “stand still,” then they are prepared to “go forward.” Men must be patient before they can be truly active and energetic. God expects men to co-operate with His plan and purpose in reference to their deliverance from enemies; He will open a path in the waters, but they must walk in it. To move forward under difficulty is generally to find it vanish at every step. To stand still looking at the mountains is not the way to get beyond them. But progress at such a time must be guided by the providence of God, and not by the reason or inclination. Men must stand still till God tells them to go forward, then they will be defended by His power and led by His wisdom. God always gives men clear indications when they are to go forward; the cloud moves and must be followed through the great waters.
II. That in progress under difficulty there are times when action is more needful than prayer. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” Thus it is evident that Moses had been praying unto the Lord, not in public but in the secret place of the heart. The good man can pray without removing; from the busy crowd. The prayer is not recorded—hence was, no doubt, offered silently. Certainly, it seemed an appropriate time for prayer on the part of the great Leader, as his position in reference to Israel became more critical every moment. It is sometimes difficult to know when to pray and when to act; certain it is that there are times in life when the former must be merged in the latter. Men require to go forward at the right time as well as pray at the right time; and success in any enterprise will depend upon the right combination of the two duties. It is folly to stand praying when surrounded by mountains, armies, and seas, without seeking to overcome our difficulties. Prayer without action will not remove physical disease, will not improve social position, will not give mental culture, and will not strengthen moral character. Men must go forward as well as pray. The energetic character will be more likely to neglect the latter, the meditative character will be more likely to neglect the former;—combine both. Progress under difficulty needs strenuous effort. At such times effort must be brave—must go into the waters; obedient—according to the word of God; constant—must not halt in the midst of the sea.
III. That in progress under difficulty there are times when the most trivial instrumentalities are useful, and are apparently associated with great results. “But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” Thus the rod of Moses was, in the providence of God, used as an instrument for the dividing of the Red Sea. We know right well that the rod did not in reality produce the result here recorded; that was done by the omnipotent arm of God, of which the lifting up of the little rod was but the symbol. It would be evident to all that a miracle was wrought. And so, in the progress of men, under difficult circumstances, God often makes use of little instrumentalities, to enhance their welfare, that the power of heaven may be visible in the events of earth,—that there may be an appeal to sense, and that the result may appear more sublime in contrast with the petty means with which it has been associated. Thus providence links small agencies with important issues. God can employ our smallest possessions for our welfare. Thus He dignifies them.
IV. That in progress under difficulty there are times when the wicked are obliged to recognise the supremacy of God. “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.” Thus the progress which the good make under difficult circumstances bears a relation to the wicked who are pursuing them. The progress of the good is the destruction of the wicked, the providence which secures the one also secures the other. In these issues men cannot but recognise the supremacy of God, they show that God can bring to naught the enmity of the wicked, that He can subdue the proud, and that He can make the weak to confound the mighty. God reveals Himself in the judgments as in the mercies of life. LESSONS:—
1. That difficulties are not to prevent progress.
2. That Heaven can enable men to overcome the greatest hindrances to progress.
3. That the progress of some may be the destruction of others.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exodus 14:15. Soul-Progress.
I. The soul should go forward because enemies are in pursuit. Pharaoh pursued the Israelites. The souls of the good are eagerly pursued by moral evil, and hence are under the necessity of ever keeping in advance of it. The good must never allow sin to overtake them in the journey of life. Progress is needful to moral safety.
II. The soul should go forward because glad experiences await it. The experiences of the soul increase in joy as progress is made in all that is good and pure. The good must go forward if they would sing the hymn of triumph on the other side of the river, when their enemies are destroyed. Onward there are grander visions of God to be obtained, there are richer fields of truth to be explored, and there are nobler things of character to be obtained. Then onward to Canaan.
III. The soul should go forward because God gives abundant grace to help it. God has made the soul capable of infinite moral progress; it cannot be satisfied with the present He gives grace to enable progress, food to sustain progress, hope to inspire progress, and Himself as the destiny of progress. Nothing in the universe stands still. Shall the soul of man be an exception?
Exodus 14:16-18. It is God’s pleasure sometimes that His ministers should use signals for working miracles.
The sea shall be dry ground to the Church when God doth promise it.
Promises to the Church become threatenings to the wicked.
God is glorified in the destruction of persecuting enemies after their heart-hardening
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
REV. WM. ADAMSON
Forward! Exodus 14:15. “To stand still when the voice of God’s Providence cries: ‘Go Forward,’ quenches the light of hope in the heart, and opens every avenue of the soul for the incoming of the powers of darkness.” Sometimes it does a man good to be brought into such a strait that he must choose one of two courses immediately and for ever. In the days of persecution, the threat of instant martyrdom has induced some to stand up for Jesus, when they might have lived and died without making the choice, had they supposed they could have a long and peaceful lifetime to choose in. Viewed from the under and imperfect human side, Israel’s crisis was a pitiable position, but from its Godward side none could have been more profitable. It was the making of Israel’s after life for God. Even so with young Christians; a great crucial trial is often their lifelong salvation. Old Humphrey has a good paper against wandering from the path of duty, suggested by a notice at the entrance of a park: “Take notice! In walking through these grounds, you are requested to keep the footpath.” Bower says that Bunyan has supplied the same theme for solemn warning, in the pilgrim’s straying into Bypath-meadow.
“Keep your right-hand path with care,
Though crags obstruct, and brambles tear;
You just discern a narrow track—
Enter there, and turn not back.”
—Barbauld.
Red Sea Obedience! Exodus 14:15. Quaint but truthful was the sentiment of a negro preacher, whilst discoursing on the duty of implicit obedience: “If the Lord tells me in His Book that I am to jump through a stone wall, I will do it; for jumping at it belongs to me—going through it belongs to God.” Moses receives a command to cross the Rea Sea: his duty was obedience—God’s promise was deliverance. So felt the noble Swiss champion Zwingle. To go forward appeared terrible, but God required obedience. He stood on the edge of the Red Sea—the very point to which the guiding-pillar of Providence brought him; and, like the pursuing Egyptians, the Romish myrmidons closed upon him, ramping and ravening for his death. But just as they were about to clutch their prey the sea sundered, the host was troubled, and as the waters stood up on either side, the fervent, high-souled Switzer passed through into Gospel Freedom.
“Let not my peace be broken when the wrong
Conquers the right; but let me still wait on;
The day of right is coming, late, but long.”
Confidence! Exodus 14:15. Mariners speak of a “frigate bird”—to be seen in all climes, yet never to be observed near the earth. This bird of heaven floats grandly on; so that while men in the far north see him at midnight floating amid the northern coruscations, men in the tropics observe him at hottest noon, sheening his plumage all a glow, with the out-flashing sunbeams, while they shelter from the burning heat beneath the cool verandah-shade. Such should be the Christian’s hope—no diversity of atmosphere should affect its life and vigour. Far above storms and tempests, whether ice or heat prevail, it should soar serenely on, until God swallows it up in Love. As Samuel Rutherfurd puts it: “Faint not, for the miles to heaven are but few and short.”
“Thou must not stop—thou must not stay—
God speed thee, pilgrim, on thy way.”
Go Forward! Exodus 14:15. This is the watchword of progress for the world. Obedience to it is the salvation of the soul. It makes all the difference between success and failure—life and death—redemption and perdition. It is the vigorous pilgrim that climbs the dangerous steep—that bridges the mighty stream—that opens fountains in the desert—that makes the wilderness blossom as the rose. Obedience discovers and tames the most terrible forces in nature; and puts them into iron-harness to work for man. Obedience is the might hand that lifts the cloud of ignorance from the human mind—the majestic presence that scares away the horrid spectres of fear and superstition—the mysterious power that stretches the iron nerve for the electric thrill of thought to pass with lightning speed over the mountains and seas. Go Forward—
“To see avenging wrath in heaven above—
A gathering tempest—clouds of blighting woe—
Teeming destruction on the vanquish’d foe.”
—Mark.
Rescue! Exodus 14:16-18. A boy found himself in a field, pursued by an infuriate bull. Conscious that his only chance of escape was to hasten to the gate, he turned and fled. Nearer the animal came, until he fancied that he could feel its hot breath. In a moment he realised that there would be no chance to open the gate in time to escape the angry animal’s rage. On the point of yielding himself up as lost, he was surprised to see the gate suddenly open. Gathering fresh energy, he sprang forward, and sped through the open way. Quickly the gate closed, and just as the strong bar fell in its place, the mad beast’s head crashed against the wood-work. What an escape! A friend had seen his danger—had hurried along the road—and had reached the gate just in time to open it, and save the youth. God’s Great Hand (see Exodus 14:31) divided the mighty waters—opened the gateway for Israel’s fugitive legions, who passed along as through towering walls of crystal. The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee; they were afraid; the depths also were troubled. They moved aside to Israel’s host, who trusted in God to deliver them.
“And such the trust that still were mine,
Though stormy winds swept o’er the brine,
And though the tempest’s fiery breath
Roused me from sleep to wreck and death.”
—Willard.