No Way Out
God is not a white middle aged college professor as some would have us think. He is not always rational.
Sometimes He will ask us to do something that seems totally irrational, simply so He can defeat our enemies and leave us with a testimony of His goodness. It would be great if He simply sent a bolt of lightning down on our enemies but there are times when He needs us to be in a place where all we have is Him. Take Moses and the people of Israel. Having spent 400 years in slavery, Moses finally secured their exodus from Egypt. The people of Israel were presumably nervous. They had left the faux security of slavery behind, the security of being mistreated and abused but still, they knew what to expect and had a history of coping. Here they were, in uncharted land when the instruction came from Moses to set up camp in the most vulnerable of places, a place with no escape should their enemy change his mind and come get them. And that is what happened. They camped in a spot where they were cut off from moving forward, Pharaoh changed his mind and came after them. Have a look at the photo that goes with this post, it shows you the apparent folly of moving to a beach with no way out and no way forward.
Exodus 14:1-4 The Message
God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to turn around and make camp at Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Camp on the shore of the sea opposite Baal Zephon. “Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are lost; they’re confused. The wilderness has closed in on them.’ Then I’ll make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn again and he’ll chase after them. And I’ll use Pharaoh and his army to put my Glory on display. Then the Egyptians will realize that I am God.” And that’s what happened.
God will ask us to do things that look like we are in a pickle just so He can defeat our enemies and create a way through where there is no way through.
Sometimes it may look like the dumbest thing to do, there is no way forward and we are trapped; it just doesn’t make any sense to be in the place we have been asked to be and then, the sea opens as you move forward towards your promise and you will never see your enemy again. But here is the thing, it isn’t obedience if you can work everything out. It is only obedience when you simply cant make sense of it and it seems dumb or dangerous.
Don’t be discouraged by what you see the enemy threatening. Know that God is positioning you so you can walk into your promise and your enemy can be defeated.
(The image that I have attached is the route they may have taken, the Red Sea is visible between the slopes of Migdol. There looks to be no way out.)