Exodus 14:13 (NASB)
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.
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Bible Commentary
Exodus 14:13 is an amazing Bible verse from the miraculous story of the parting of the Red Sea. This is probably the single most talked about miracle in all the Bible. As a little girl, I used to watch the classic “Ten Commandments” movie every year on TV at Easter time.
It made an impact on me. I loved the drama and intrigue of it all. I still do. We all have some kind of drama going on in our lives. Maybe it’s relationship challenges, school or work struggles or just a big change in life.
Though our enemies look different than Israel’s enemies, we all have them. They might be in the form of insecurity or temptations of the flesh. Whatever they are, we can put ourselves in the place of the Israelites who were trying to escape their enemies.
They couldn’t do it on their own. They needed the help of a big God, and He did not disappoint. He came through in a marvelous, amazing way. He does the same for us.
Whatever our crisis or pressure point is, note what the Lord says in Exodus 14:13.
“Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”
3 Action Phrases
There are 3 action phrases in His instructions to us, but notice each of these phrases are actions of the mind. He doesn’t tell us to run out and fight our enemies with the strength of our bodies, or by the sound of our words. We are to fight by faith—our belief in the truth and our trust in Him.
The first and critical instruction is Do not fear. The voice and illusion of fear can be deafening. It can be like emergency sirens going off in our minds and our emotions. It’s so loud and powerful it can be extremely difficult to turn away and shut it down.
But again notice, we are not always called to engage the enemy. We have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God yes, but sometimes we are to be still so the Lord can fight the battle for us. And we must first stop running from fear. It might look like a big dark cloud is approaching, but we must not run.
Unlocking the Truth – Stand by
Secondly, Stand by. The Hebrew meanings here are: stand fast and present selves. This reminds me of Galatians 5:1 (KJV), which says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
It is so important to stand fast in the truth, in the liberty of Jesus Christ. Fear, which is rooted in deception, binds us. The grace and truth of Christ sets us free. We are free in Him, no matter how hard the devil tries to deceive us. As long as we are established in the truth by the power of our minds, we enjoy the liberty and protection of His grace.
When we stand by and wait for the Lord, we are presenting ourselves to Him, offering our willingness to trust Him. This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. He presented Himself to the Father, for our sake.
We resemble Christ when we offer a sacrificial gift of trust…beautiful. This is the same beauty that evokes the powerful acts of God.
See the Salvation
The third instruction in Exodus 14:13 says see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today.
Isn’t that music to your ears?! It is for me. What a wonderful thing, to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He promised. Like a proud Groom Who has come to sweep His bride off her feet, the Lord delights in rescuing us in dramatic and marvelous ways, just like He rescued the Israelites when He parted the Red Sea.
We probably won’t be rescued if we’re too busy putting out the fires ourselves, running from fear, and trying to do everything on our own. The Lord delights in the bride who trusts Him enough to stand by so she can see the salvation of the Lord.
In this way He is glorified, not us.
Make no mistake. Our dramatic rescue is for the whole world to know that He alone is God. He will be glorified, now and forever. Study the Bible verse of Exodus 14:13, do not be afraid, stand by and see the salvation of the Lord. Amen!
