Between a Rock and the Red Sea

Ever stood at a dead end with pressure closing in and no good options left? We open Exodus 14 and sit with Israel at the shoreline—mountains boxing them in, Pharaoh behind them, and the Red Sea ahead—then listen for what God actually says next. The twist surprises many of us: after Moses declares “stand still,” God responds, “Why are you crying to me? Go forward.” That single command reframes fear, prayer, and action. It’s not anti-faith to move; sometimes it’s the most faithful thing you can do.

We retrace the ten plagues as more than judgments on Egypt; they are lessons for Israel and for us about who Yahweh is: supreme over rival gods, promise keeper when odds collapse, and light that travels into our tunnels. Memory becomes the engine of courage. When the present feels bigger than God, it’s often amnesia, not analysis, running the show. So we practice remembering—blood on doorposts, darkness with borders, deliverance by a mighty hand—until today’s sea looks small beside yesterday’s rescue.

From there we press into everyday Red Seas: choosing the hard conversation, pursuing healing, leaving harmful comfort, trusting provision when numbers don’t add up. Forward may look like three shaky steps before the water parts, but obedience is the place where the path appears. Along the way we draw strength from the stories of David, Peter, Daniel, and the three in the fire, not as legends to admire but as templates of theology in motion. The goal isn’t heroic optics; it’s that people “will know that I am the Lord.”

If you’re cornered by deadlines, diagnoses, or doubt, this conversation offers a clear, faith-filled next move: remember, trust, and walk. Subscribe for more grounded, Scripture-rich teaching, share this with someone standing at their own shoreline, and leave a review to tell us where you sense God saying, “Go forward.”

Chapters

• 0:00 Reading Exodus 14:1–14
• 6:00 Why The Plagues Were Ten Lessons
• 12:30 Israel’s Memory And Our Comfort With The Known
• 18:45 Stand Still Or Step Forward
• 24:00 Way Maker: Faith When Paths Don’t Exist
• 30:00 Learning From Israel’s Fear
• 34:00 Closing Exhortation And Invitation

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:35

You awake no match precious like your name Taking cross my shape rise and I can bless your name. You might all when I fall down, when I fall down, you pick me up, when I'm dry, you fill my God, you might all take precious lamp of God I think without my job precious lamb of God wives Amen.

Anderson George: 2:05

Exodus chapter number fourteen. Exodus chapter number fourteen Exodus fourteen. We'll begin at verse number one and we'll make our way to verse fourteen. Exodus fourteen beginning at verse number one, ending at verse number fourteen. Scripture says Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Bahakirath between Migdal and the sea. You shall camp in front of Bealzephon, opposite it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel they are wandering aimlessly in the land. The wilderness has shut them in. Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them, and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. And they did so. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done? That we have let Israel go from serving us. So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him, and he took six hundred select chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel, as the sons of Israel were going out boldly. Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and the chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Bahiroth in front of Baelzaphon. As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened. So the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. But Moses said to the people, Do not fear. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you've seen today, you will see them again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you. Hold your peace. If you read that with me, say amen. Caught between a rock and the Red Sea. Caught between a rock and the Red Sea. This passage is familiar to many of us. You've heard the story. If you've been in church a long time, you you know the story of the crossing of the Red Sea. You you see it in your mind even now. Moses holding out his staff and the children of Israel walking on dry ground. But this story was not written simply for you to know it as a good Bible story. There is a great message inside this story of Exodus 14. And this the message has to do with what do you do when you're caught between a rock and the Red Sea? What do you do when you're caught between two impassable, two impossible positions? Before I get there, I need you to understand that the children of Israel found themselves in Egyptian captivity for 430 years. They were slaves to Egypt, and God raised up Moses to deliver them. When God raised up Moses, Moses goes to Pharaoh and he tells Pharaoh, Thus says Yahweh, let my people go that they may serve me. And Pharaoh asked one question: Who is Yahweh that I should let these people go? That was the worst question Pharaoh could have asked. Come here, church. See, he didn't know who Yahweh was. He did not know the God of Moses, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. So he thought that he asked an innocent question when he said, Who is this God? But the one thing I've learned is that God is always ready to show who he is and prove who he is. So when Pharaoh asked, Who is your God? Yahweh sent him 10 lessons. We call them plagues. But these were lessons to teach Pharaoh that the God you're asking about is no ordinary God. He is God above every other God. He is Lord above every other Lord. There is no equal to him. There is none like him. That was a good amen point right there. There is no God like our God. Now let me prove this. It's in the text, but don't turn there. What happens is God tells Moses, I need you to show Pharaoh some signs. Show him, put your hand into your bosom, and when you do it, take it out. It will become leprous. Pharaoh laughed because he could do that too. God told Moses, Take your staff and throw it on the ground. When you do, it will become a serpent. Pharaoh laughed because he could do that too. When Moses turned the river to blood, the magician said, We could do that too. When Moses raised up frogs, they said they could do that too. But then Moses started to do things that Pharaoh and his magicians and their gods could not do. He caused darkness and boils and hail to come upon the people. And the last plague was the death of the firstborn son. And Pharaoh's gods couldn't raise his dead son. So after ten lessons, Pharaoh learnt who God was. He learned his name and he learned that this God was greater than any God he served previously. See, Pharaoh had a God for the Nile, he had a God for the sun, he had a God for everything, but all of those gods failed him when the God of Moses started acting. So he learned to God was. And it forced him to let God's people go. But I want you to know that Pharaoh was not the only one being taught during these ten lessons. The children of Israel were front and center every time a plague occurred. They were not in the background. They were there when the Nile was turned to blood. They were there when the sky rained hail. They were there where the land was divided, and on the left hand side it was darkness, and on the right hand side there was sun, and all you had to do was cross over from one side into the other, and you would be in utter darkness or in utter light. They were there when frogs came out of everywhere and everything. They were there when boils showed up, they were there being reminded that there is no God like Yahweh. They were there learning that every other God is lesser and lower than Yahweh. They were learning that no one should put Yahweh to the test. Ten lessons Pharaoh learned, Israel also learned. But sometimes, even though God tells us and he teaches us, we need a reminder every so often. So even though they were there, even though they experienced, even though they were witnesses to the plagues themselves, somehow, a few days later, they needed a new reminder. But before I get there, I want you to understand that the last plague was the death of the firstborn, and it was unlike any other plague. Israel had to prepare themselves so that this plague would not affect them. They saw it firsthand that anyone who did not kill a lamb, anyone who did not shed blood and put it on the doorpost, anyone that was not inside of their house when the death angel passed died. They saw that God by a mighty hand freed them. After 430 years of being imprisoned and enslaved, they're now free. And somehow, when they came to a Red Sea, they forgot who brought them there. Don't miss this. God freed them. And if I had time, I would tell you it was also God's decision that they go to this particular point. Verse number one opens up telling us that the Lord spoke to Moses, telling him to tell the people, I need you to pass through Pahiroth, reach Migdal, and camp in front of the sea. Now, because you don't know where Pehakiroth is, you have no idea of Mygdol. This just sounds like weird names to you. But if I had a map, what I would tell you is Pahakiroth was mountainous regions. It was impassable. Mygdal was on the other side of Pahiroth, it was also mountainous and treacherous. So on the left you had mountains, on the right, you had mountains, and in front of them was the Red Sea. I want you to picture this in your minds with me that they are now in a place where they can't go left because it's impassable. They can't go right because it's impassable. They can't go forward because they'll drown. So you may think the only way to go is back. But as they turn around to go back, they see Pharaoh coming. And scripture tells them, scripture tells us he's not just coming, he comes with 600 of his best chariot men and everybody else who was willing to hold a sword and a pitchfork. He was coming and he was out for vengeance, he was out for blood. So there's nowhere to go to the left, to the right, in front of them, or behind them? The question now is what do you do when there's nowhere to turn? What do you do when you are caught between a rock and a hard place? What do you do when you're caught between Pahashira and the Red Sea? What do you do when you think there's nowhere to turn? Many of us are like the Israelites. What we do when we think we're out of options is we we groan and we complain and we wish that we won't hear. Why me? Is what you may say to yourself. Why me? Why now? Why this? You begin to complain, and and in your complaining, if you're like Israel, you may think it was better where you were. Oh, come here, church. They said to Moses, Did we not tell you leave us alone in Egypt? These people were imprisoned, they were enslaved, they were mistreated, and now because they're in a new place that's uncomfortable, they're in new territory, and they don't know what to do, they're wishing they were back in an unfavorable situation. Now, before you judge them, let me tell you, we do the same thing too. Because we are often uncomfortable with the unknown, we are uncomfortable with the new. If I were to call any one of you up here now, and I were to blindfold you and ask you just to take a few steps in front of you, you would see how scared you get. Because you are now walking in darkness, and even though you know how to walk, even though you think you can do it, the fact that your eyes are now covered and you're now in darkness, your next step is uncertain. And you act timid. This is the reason why sometimes you go back to what you're comfortable to and with, even though it's not good for you. Oh, I wish I had an amen crowd right now. Because if we're honest, if we're honest, sometimes it's easier being comfortable than stepping out into the unknown. If we're honest, we rather settle than try something knowing there's a possibility it may not work out. I rather stay right where I am because it's safe. I rather stay right where I am because at least I know what I'm dealing with here. Israel is us. And when us, that's not good English, but it makes sense. When us is faced with difficult challenges and options, sometimes instead of doing what God expects us to do, we stand still or we go back. Now, let me preach this thing the way I feel it. If you've heard this in a sermon form before, I'm sure the preacher would have gotten excited around verse number 14 because he's telling you that when the people were cowering, when the people were Groaning and complaining, Moses was the one who had all the faith. Moses had enough faith to tell them, stand still, fear not, and see the salvation of the Lord. That sounds good. That sounds real good. Don't you fear what you're facing, stand still and just see God work. However, there are times where God expects you to move, not stand still. When you're faced with an obstacle, God expects you to move as if there's no obstacle in front of you. Y'all ain't ready for this. You see, the reason why I'm moving is because I know who I'm moving with. See, the power is not in me, the strength is not in me. Sometimes I just need to remember God's last lesson. I need to remember what He did. I need to remember how He showed up. If Israel only remembered that He was the one who showed up in all the plagues and kept them safe, then the Red Sea was nothing for them. Sometimes you are standing still when God expects you to move. If you thought the message in this text was what Moses said, you stopped reading too soon. I know it sounds good. It could preach. Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord for the Egyptians whom you see today, you'll see them no more. The Lord will fight for you. Hold your peace. That sounds good. That could preach. But keep reading. Moses then talks to God. And God said, Why are you crying out to me? Keep moving. Okay, y'all didn't look convinced. It's in the Bible. Watch what? Get Ephesians, Exodus chapter 14. Exodus. Chapter 14. I'm getting happy. Watch this. Verse 15. Exodus 14, verse 15. This is right after Moses says, Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Verse 15. Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. You don't miss it. They were complaining. Moses had the right idea. Talk to God. But Moses also had a wrong idea. Stand still. Stand still and see what God is going to do. That sounds like a good message. But when he spoke to God, God said, What are you doing? Why are you crying out? Why are you standing still? Tell them go forward. I wish I had C in front of me now. Because it sounds crazy. If we could picture it. Picture an ocean in front of you. You can't go back. You can't go left. You can't go right. Ocean. And when you spoke to God, God said, Why are you standing still? Walk. You would think God done gone lost his mind. You probably think that he didn't put on his glasses before he told you walk. So that he doesn't see that there's a sea in front of you. God already knew that they were coming to a Red Sea before they came to the Red Sea. God was looking to see if they had enough faith to keep walking, even if it meant walking into the sea, because they knew whose power is with them. There's a song that I wish you knew right now, because the song says, My God is a way maker, a miracle worker, a promise keeper, light in the darkness. That He's a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness. My God, that is who you are. Now, now now I'm getting happy because I'm being reminded that when there is no way, my God is a way maker. When I'm in trouble and I can't see it, I just need to be able to see him. I don't need to see the next step. I don't need to see tomorrow. I don't need to see next week. I don't need to know how God is going to work out this medical problem. I don't need to know how he's going to fix my family. I don't need to know how he's going to fix my finances. I just need to believe that he could. I just need to believe that he's a way maker and that he could make a way when I can't see a way. I just need to believe that he's not just a way maker, he's a promise keeper. He is a promise that he made all things work together for good to those that love him. That's a promise. I need to believe he's a promise keeper so that when the devil shows up, when trials show up, when my obstacles show up, I could believe that he's a way maker and he'll keep his promise. I also need to believe he's light and darkness. See, if you're like me, you don't always know how things are going to unfold. Sometimes you feel like you are in the dark. And I need to know when I'm in the dark, that my God is the light at the end of my tunnel. Even better than that, he's light in my tunnel. See, that changes how you behave. See, this is the power that David had that caused him to walk up to Goliath. This is the faith that Peter had that allowed him to walk on sea that he never walked on before. This is the faith that Daniel had that he was able to sleep in alliance then because he knew God was a way maker. This is the faith the three Hebrew boys had that caused them to say, We will not bow, we will not serve. The God who we worship is more than able. He is a way maker. So I'm not going to bow, I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to compromise. What that means is some of you need to look at your situation and say, I'm not going to complain, I'm not going to go back, I'm not going to allow myself to become comfortable. I'm going to keep marching forward because if I'm going with God, that's all that I need, and He is more than enough to make a way, to keep His promises, to be a light in the darkness, because that is who He is. Doesn't come from me. I am weak at times, not smart enough at other times. But thankfully, I keep walking because I know who my God is. The question is, do you? When Israel was caught between a rock and a hard place, they gave up. They lost hope. They complained. They got frustrated. But we should be able to learn from their mistakes. We should be able to recognize that God has seen us through some stuff. Could you say amen to that? Is anybody here who recognized that God has been with you through some stuff? He's seen you through things you were not sure you would see yourself through. And if he did it then, is he not still God enough to do it now? Is he still not God enough to do it tomorrow? If God is who he said he is, it doesn't matter if you're between Pehirath and the Red Sea, God already has a way made for you. Because He's a way maker, a miracle worker, a promise keeper, and He's showing off His light in the darkness. That's who our God is. So whatever you're facing, whatever you will face, whatever comes across your way in 2026, don't forget who your God is. And if it means that you need to walk into the sea before you see him, path it, part it, have enough faith to start walking, knowing that he would never leave you nor forsake you. God is God above everyone else. And so in the text, I want you to see this, then I'm done. If you meet me in Exodus 14, verse number four, it says, Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them, and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. It's not my sermon, but it's still a good point that God allowed this to happen to remind everyone that He alone is Lord. So when you caught between a rock and the Red Sea, remember He alone is the Lord. Let's all stand. Let's all stand. Don't sing yet, let's all stand. We all need a reminder that there is only one God and his name is not you. Let me say that again. Some of you were still trying to find your legs. What I mean by that is as you live this life, let's remember that the power you're leaning on, the strength you're relying on, the strength that you need does not come from you. It comes from within you, but it doesn't come from you. It comes from the God who is more than able. The God who lived, who loved, God who sent his son. That's the real power within you. That's the real power behind you. That's the power you need to lean on, not on your own understanding, lean on him. And so on today, the encouragement, the word is simply wherever you are, whatever you're going through, God is still the Lord. He alone is the Lord, and He alone is more than you need to make it through where you are. Before John begins singing, let me also tell you just like it happened here, if God brought you to it, he'll see you through it. So if you think or feel like life is cloudy, or you're in front of a Red Sea and you're a child of God, you're not there by yourself, you're there with him. And if he led you to it, he's more than able to lead you through it. This is a reminder to lean on his power. If you need encouragement, if you need prayer, meet me in the front row while we sing the song of encouragement.