Exodus 14:10-14

"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah. 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 bring us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. Jehovah shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

"They were sore afraid ..." From the human standpoint, they had every right to be afraid. The situation, apart from God's intervention, was absolutely hopeless.

"The children of Israel cried unto Jehovah ..." They not only did this; they murmured and complained bitterly against Moses; and from this, we must assume that some of them cried unto Jehovah, and that others among them did the complaining.

"Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us ...?" Moses was to hear a lot of complaining before his leadership of Israel was concluded, but Moses was a man of magnificent patience, understanding, and forgiveness. His great love for Israel was to reach its climax later, when he offered himself to die in the place of Israel, prevailing with God Himself to spare them when they richly deserved the death with which God threatened them.

This murmuring at the Red Sea was sufficiently serious to evoke the words in Psalms 106:7,8:

"Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy loving-kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless, He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known."

"Better to serve the Egyptians ... than ... die in the wilderness ..." The people of Israel had been too long in slavery to have much of the attitude that has always characterized free men. Today (as of June 5,1984) the license plates for automobiles issued by the State of New Hampshire carry the motto, "Live free or die." What the Israelites were saying to Moses was an ancient equivalent of "Better Red than Dead!"

Moses' response to the situation actually had five elements: (1) Fear not; (2) Stand firm; (3) See God's salvation; (4) Jehovah will fight for you; and (5) Shut up! "Hold your peace!" It should be noted that "Stand still" had no reference whatever to an order to "Do nothing." We cannot believe that Moses meant anything like that; but, even if he did, God thundered it into his ears at once, "Command the people to `Go Forward.'" One of the basic meanings of "stand still" is that of "stationing one's self, or taking a stand."[15]