Overcoming Fear in time of Crisis By: Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
But Moshe said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which Hashem will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. (Exodus 14:13)
The children of Israel had just departed Egypt a few days ago. They had witnessed the miraculous hand of God in ways that had never been seen before. They sat passively as God, through Moses and Aaron, had decimated the mighty Egyptian kingdom with the Ten Plagues, culminating in the devastating killing of all firstborn male Egyptians. Moreover, the seemingly impossible promise that God would take them out of the slavery of Egypt had been fulfilled.
Fear of the Egyptian army
They were camped on the banks of the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was fast approaching. What was going through their minds? The Bible tells us in the verses just before ours:
As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing upon them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to Hashem. (Exodus 14:10)
And they said to Moshe, “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt?
Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness’?” (Exodus 14:12)
Considering the supernatural display that they had already experienced in the months leading to this point, it is surprising that they would now doubt Moses. Had they not seen enough to convince them that God would save them from this imminent danger?
Before we jump to harsh judgement of the children of Israel, let us recall that they had been slaves in Egypt for centuries. Longstanding mindsets are difficult to undo. Even after experiencing the greatest and most overt display of God’s power, they reverted back to their old perceptions of how things were as soon as their old masters reappeared.
But can’t we ask the same question about the Egyptians? What were they thinking? Hadn’t they suffered enough from the Ten Plagues? Did they think that this time they would win? It seems that both the children of Israel and the Egyptians needed to learn the same lesson.
Of course, the entire scene was a setup. God deliberately told Moses to tell the people to travel back towards Egypt and to camp on the banks of the sea. This would fool the Egyptians into thinking that they were lost in the desert and were vulnerable to attack. (see Ex. 14:2-3) God hardened Pharaoh’s heart one last time in order to set him up for the final defeat.
Trusting God based on what we have seen
The lesson of these verses are powerful and all too relevant to our own lives of faith, in our time. We are the generation that has witnessed God’s mighty hand upon Israel as He fulfils His covenantal promises. We are the ones who are alive to witness the great ingathering of the Jewish people. But are we any different from the children of Israel? Are we any different from the Egyptians? Do we not also have doubts every time the enemies of Israel rise up to attack? Do we not also fear that God has abandoned us this time, even though He was with us so many times before? We must realize that just as He did on the banks of the Red Sea, God raises up our enemies to set them up for their ultimate destruction.
We must act first
Of course, God did come through for the children of Israel. He split the sea and drowned the entire Egyptian army. But not before calling on the children of Israel to act. Here is the verse immediately following the words of Moses in our verses.
Then Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. (Exodus 14:15)
God told Moses to tell the people to “go forward.” Only then would he split the sea, drown the Egyptian army, and save Israel. Again, the lesson for our own times is clear. God has a plan. He will keep His promises. But He wants us to act. God will step in, but first we must take the initiative. When God sees that we are making the effort on our part, the door is open for Him.
We must draw on past experiences of God’s salvation to remind ourselves that He is always there for us.
And when the same enemy returns, we must have faith that just as He saved us before, He will save us again. But first, we must do our part.
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