Exodus 14:15-16
The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God doesn't just hear Moses' prayer; He notes its timing. While Moses' heart is deeply engaged in prayer, God redirects him from petition to action, showing that even in desperate times, faith means stepping forward when God commands, not just waiting for the storm to pass.
Just moments before, the Israelites had found themselves trapped, with the Egyptian army closing in behind them and an impassable sea before them, causing them to cry out in terror. Now, the Lord tells Moses that it's not a time for prayer, but for action, instructing him to command the people to move forward into the seemingly impossible path that God is about to create. This divine command sets the stage for the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, a pivotal moment of both deliverance and judgment.
When disaster looms and the enemy is at your back, what's your first instinct? Is it to freeze, to cry out, or to move?
The Lord’s question to Moses, "Why do you cry out to me?" might sound sharp, but it’s not a rebuke of prayer. Instead, it's a redirection. Moses, like many of us, was pouring his heart out to God in deep, perhaps silent, prayer.
The Power of Unspoken Prayer
Commentators note that Moses' prayer wasn't vocalized in the text. Yet, God heard his deepest anxieties and his desperate hope for deliverance. This shows us that God sees and understands our unspoken cries, our sighs, and our heart's deepest yearnings, even when words fail us.
A Time for Action
But in this critical moment, God shifts the focus. "Tell the people of Israel to go forward." The time for solely inward pleading is over. God has heard the prayer, and now it’s time for obedience and outward action. The path to freedom, miraculously opened, requires them to step into it.
Imagine standing at the edge of a vast, impassable sea, with an army bearing down on you. What does 'go forward' even mean then?
God’s command to 'go forward' in Exodus 14:15 wasn’t a suggestion for a slight adjustment; it was a radical, counter-intuitive directive.
Facing the Impossibility
The Israelites were trapped. Behind them, Pharaoh's army; before them, the Red Sea. Their natural inclination was to fear and complain, as they had done before (Exodus 14:10-12). Moses' silent prayer reflected their desperation. But God’s answer was to move towards the very obstacle that seemed to seal their doom.
A Humbling Path to Salvation
This wasn’t about finding a hidden path around the sea. God intended to divide the waters, creating a path through the impossible. This method, while miraculous, was also designed to be humbling. It forced Israel to rely completely on God's power, rather than their own ingenuity or strength. The salvation God offers often requires us to step into situations that seem unmanageable, trusting His power to make a way where none exists.
Understand the original words
tsaaq · Hebrew Verb
A prayerful cry, lament, or plea for help. It denotes an intense expression of distress directed toward God, which He hears and responds to.
nasa · Hebrew Verb
A command indicating progress, obedience, and movement in the path designated by God. It signifies the transition from stationary fear to active faith in the face of obstacles.
matteh · Hebrew Noun
A rod, branch, or staff used as an emblem of authority, power, and leadership, often associated with the prophetic or kingly office as an instrument through which God performs signs and wonders.
This moment highlights that even when facing impossible odds and understandable fear, God's command is often to move forward in faith, trusting His power to create a way where none seems to exist.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites Leave Egypt
Following the ten plagues, Pharaoh finally allows the Israelites to leave Egypt after centuries of slavery, marking a pivotal moment of divine intervention and liberation.
c. 1446 BC
Pharaoh Pursues Israel
After the Israelites depart, Pharaoh regrets letting them go and mobilizes his army, including chariots, to pursue them and force them back into servitude.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Israel Encamps by the Sea
The Israelites are directed to camp by Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, a location that traps them with the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh's army behind.
c. 1446 BC
God Commands Moses to Advance
As panic sets in among the Israelites and Pharaoh's army closes in, God instructs Moses to stop praying and to command the people to move forward into the sea.
This passage echoes the command to be strong and courageous in the face of overwhelming circumstances, similar to how Moses was told to lead the Israelites forward despite the impossibility of the situation.
Psalm 114:3This psalm directly references the Red Sea crossing, highlighting God's power and the people's movement 'forward' through the waters, illustrating the miraculous nature of the event.
Isaiah 43:16This prophecy describes God making a way through the sea, mirroring the Exodus event and showing a pattern of God's intervention and provision for His people to move forward out of impossible situations.
1 Corinthians 10:13This verse reassures believers that God will not allow them to be tempted beyond what they can bear and will provide a way out, which is a spiritual parallel to God providing a path for the Israelites when they faced an insurmountable obstacle.
gillExodus 14:15: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:"
And the Lord said unto Moses, wherefore criest thou unto me?.... The Targum of Jonathan is,"why standest thou and prayest before me?''and no doubt this crying is to be understood of prayer, of mental prayer, of secret ejaculations put up by Moses to the Lord without a voice, for no mention is made of any: this shows, that though Moses most firmly believed that Go…
cambridgeExodus 14:15: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:"
15 . Wherefore criest thou unto me ?] This has not been mentioned before in the existing narrative. Moses, after what he had said in v. 13 f., would hardly have occasion to appeal to Jehovah: so the words will not be from J: probably (Di.) they are a notice from E (cf. Exodus 15:25 , Exodus 17:4 ,—both E). 15–18 . (in the main P). The Israelites are commanded to…
God doesn't just hear Moses' prayer; He notes its timing. While Moses' heart is deeply engaged in prayer, God redirects him from petition to action, showing that even in desperate times, faith means stepping forward when God commands, not just waiting for the storm to pass.
Just moments before, the Israelites had found themselves trapped, with the Egyptian army closing in behind them and an impassable sea before them, causing them to cry out in terror. Now, the Lord tells Moses that it's not a time for prayer, but for action, instructing him to command the people to move forward into the seemingly impossible path that God is about to create. This divine command sets the stage for the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, a pivotal moment of both deliverance and judgment.
Just moments before, the Israelites had found themselves trapped, with the Egyptian army closing in behind them and an impassable sea before them, causing them to cry out in terror. Now, the Lord tells Moses that it's not a time for prayer, but for action, instructing him to command the people to move forward into the seemingly impossible path that God is about to create. This divine command sets the stage for the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, a pivotal moment of both deliverance and judgment.
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c. 1446 BC
The Sea Parts
Moses obeys God's command, stretching out his hand over the Red Sea, and a strong east wind divides the waters, creating a dry path for the Israelites to escape.
c. 1446 BC
Egyptians Drowned
As the Israelites cross safely, Pharaoh's pursuing army attempts to follow. God then causes the waters to return, drowning the Egyptian soldiers and chariots.
"The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground." — God doesn't just hear Moses' prayer; He notes its timing. While Moses' heart is deeply engaged in prayer, God redirects him from petition to action, showing that even in desperate times, faith mean…
