Sometimes we are asked to put ourselves in a tight spot (between a rock and a hard place) so the Lord can show His glory to everyone. Sometimes it is to deal subtly with His children.
Exodus 14:1-3
"1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in."
Exodus 14:9
"But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon."
The Israelites were stuck between the wilderness, pharaoh, and the sea. They had nowhere to turn, or so they thought.
Psalm 105:23-25
"23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants."
God was dealing "subtilly" with His servants (His children). He was testing them to see if they would trust Him and follow Him.
Exodus 14:19-21
"19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided."
The Lord was with them the entire time, He never left them. He showed them the way and, when they were in the hard place, He stood between them and Egypt in order to hide them from pharaoh and at the same time giving them light to see by all night long.
The Lord showed His glory in the winds dividing the waters and the dry land they crossed over - this was one night of wind and the land was DRY for them to walk on!
Exodus 14:22
"And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."
In the midst of their hard place the Lord never left them, He went before them, He stood behind them and protected them, He provided dry ground for them to walk on, and He walled up the sides of the sea so it wouldn't overtake them. The Lord will walk with us, lead and guide us to where He wants us to be, will protect us and wall us in on all sides to protect us, in the midst of our trials too.
Exodus 14:23-25
"23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians."
The Lord saw the Egyptians trying to follow His children and took the wheels off of their chariots. The Lord sees everything, He knows all things. He sees when someone is trying to chase us, even in the midst of our storms and trials, and He entangles the enemy and takes "off their chariot wheels" so they cannot pursue and hurt us.
Exodus 14:26-29
"26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."
The Lord made His children to walk on dry ground even while He was turning the waters back onto the Egyptians. He leads us beside the still waters in the midst of our storms and protects us from the enemy at the same time (vs. 29).
Exodus 14:30-31
"30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses."
The Lord showed His glory to His children and to those who were their enemies. He dealt subtly with His children by teaching them to trust Him for all of their needs.
Psalm 71:12-16
" O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only."
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