I remember a number of years ago when Kim and I climbed Camelback Mountain here in Phoenix. Let me rephrase that, I attempted to climb the mountain, and my lack of success kept Kim from completing her climb.
It was an amazing experience. A challenge for sure; I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it. It left an indelible impression in my heart and my mind. There was a viewpoint along the way where we stopped to take a picture of sprawling metropolitan area below. The city seemed endless.
Just days before I had been reading about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and it had been hard to imagine the greatness of the exodus until I stopped to take in this view. Now, the story wasn’t just words on a page; the massive undertaking that God had called Moses to became real.
Can you imagine moving a population the size of San Diego, Phoenix, Philadelphia or Dallas? This is what the Lord had Moses do!!! Yikes. The scripture tells us there were 600,000 men plus the women and children.
I was figuring that if only 500,000 men were married and those couples only had 1 child (which would be rare) there would be a minimum of 1.6 million people and according to the US Census 2010 the cities listed above ranged from 1.2-1.6 million in population.
Now, I understand that the Israelites didn’t have all the skyscrapers and business districts that we have in modern times, but they still had to have housing, pasture lands and roads leading from one community to another.
And what if overnight everyone was gone. They all took off for the desert…WOW!!
And now Moses has them at the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army racing in behind them…
God Help!!!!
and he did. He put that wonderful cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians. It gave light to Israel and put Egypt in darkness. He caused the winds to blow and the water to hold back in walls while the Israelites walked across on dry ground.
It’s not just a story that kids hear in Sunday School – it’s real, it’s true and it’s a sign of God’s amazing love!
“30 On that day, when the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they knew that the Lord had saved them. 31 Because of the mighty power he had used against the Egyptians, the Israelites worshiped him and trusted him and his servant Moses.” Exodus 14:30-31 CEV
And then Moses led them all in song – can you imagine the party on the other side of the Red Sea…
“I sing praises to the Lord for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their rider into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the Lord— he is my God and the God of my ancestors. 3 The Lord is his name, and he is a warrior!” Exodus 15:1-3
This is our God – our Mighty God!
“Our Lord, no other gods compare with you— Majestic and holy! Fearsome and glorious! Miracle worker! 12 When you signaled with your right hand, your enemies were swallowed deep into the earth.” Exodus 15:11-12 CEV
What is it today that you are facing – nothing is too big for our God!