13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:13,14
“I wanna DO something!” Whether because of stir-crazy quarantine, a sense of responsibility, or fear, we often have an overwhelming desire to act.
And yes, in crisis, there is something for us to do. Yesterday, some of us helped Valley Center Schools pass out lunches (donated by local eateries) to families. Others have brought supplies to travel-bound folk. And many have worked hard to ensure that ‘life goes on.”
But the Biblical response to fear is shouted here by Moses. Simply put, he directs the people (us) to be silent. That’s kind of surprising to us. Be silent? When there is so much to DO? Further, ‘silence’ does not mean, ‘turn down the volume.’ It means be at peace. Be at rest. Stop fretting.
Moses’ silence is put in context through his earlier words.
He directs us to ‘stand firm.’ That’s not a lazy, couch-dwelling rest. Not yet. Standing implies that we already have a place to be. Firm implies that we need to keep doing something that we already have established.
And what are those ‘silent’ responses to fear? He urges us to ‘see the salvation of the Lord.’ I suppose Moses might simply be giving the Israelites theater seats at God’s upcoming destruction of Pharaoh, however he actually has a more continuing, repetitive, constant concept in mind. Seeing is believing. Seeing is noticing. Seeing is understanding.
Moses tells us to face fear with the bastion of God’s Salvation. He’s saved your rotten sinful despicable soul from a deserved eternal death… surely He can handle some ancient Egyptian chariots. He’s pulled our feet from miry clay… surely He can bring some ex-slaves to a pleasant land. He’s fixed Adam’s time-breaking rebellion… surely He can feed some wandering Israelites over a few miles of wilderness.
Moses reminds us to face fear on the firm footing of God’s Salvation. We do that in silence before Him. We do that in prayer. We do that in worship.
Jahweh saved the murderous Saul, changing him into redeemed Paul… surely He can handle a tiny virus. Jahweh saved the boy David, making him into a Psalm-singing King… surely He can handle the giant economic catastrophe on the next hill. Jahweh saved my rebellious, self-centered heart, pulling my eyes to Him. Surely He can handle unemployment, and tyranny, and monsters, wherever they dwell.
Fear not.