The people of Israel made their way to safety through the
parting of the Red Sea through a miracle performed by the Lord, while the
Egyptian forces drowned when the Lord caused the waters of the sea to engulf them. Then the people of Israel sing this song: “I
will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse & chariot he
has cast into the sea.” The Exodus out
of Egypt & the parting of the Red Sea are familiar stories for us. Yet, we know the rest of the story, how the
joy that the people of Israel felt was very short-lived. Very soon, they grumbled at the uncertainty and the discomfort of wandering through the desert on the way to the promised
land. They lost hope, they even longed
for their familiar days back in Egypt, even those days were filled with the
back-breaking work and oppression.
Fear of the
unknown, uncertainty of the future – perhaps we feel that way sometimes as
well. Perhaps we lash out at God in
anger for the uncertainly we feel in our lives, for the lack of hope we feel
about the future, for the struggles we are going through in the present moment
in our lives. No matter what we’re going
through, we need to remember that song of joy that the people of Israel sang
after the Lord rescued them from bondage in Egypt. Even when it’s difficult to have hope, we are
called to put our faith and trust in the Lord, to live out our faith as best
we can. We need to remember how the Lord
led the people of Israel to the promised land, he kept his promise to
them. Even though time and time again
the people of ancient Israel strayed from their relationship with God, he never
gave up on them, he never forgot his covenant with them. The Lord will not abandon us either.
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