Stand Still!

We were reading in Exodus 14 a few weeks ago and I was really struck by this:  God took the Israelites by way of the Red Sea,  where they could go no further on their own. 

Although this this seemed to be an impossible situation to man, God was in control.  The Israelites have left/fled from Egypt by the hand of God.  The Pharoah, with his army,  decides to follow after them because he has once again changed his mind ( with the Lord's help ).  As the Israelites head to their promise land they run smack into the Red Sea with an army behind them that is pursuing them and the Sea in front of them.  They were in a position where they could go no further on their own.     

They immediately say to Moses....

And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

And they said unto Moses, Because [there were] no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

[Is] not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For [it had been] better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Then Moses replies: 

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Then this is what happens: 

And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry [ground] through the midst of the sea.  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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

What is so amazing to me this time through this passage is that God brought the Israelites to a point of complete dependence on Him.  Then not only did he deliver them he destroyed the enemy completely by bringing them to a body of water that seemed impossible to cross to them but was necessary because it needed to be big enough to swallow up the whole Egyptian army.  If God would have taken them an "easier" route like a small river - something they could see the other side of, it would not have been big enough to accomplish that part.  Not only did He deliver them        ( even though they thought they were just going to die ) God swallowed up any chance of thier enemies coming after them at another time !  He COMPLETELY FREED THEM FROM THIS BONDAGE!    ISN'T THAT AWESOME!