By Delvin R. Sweeney

If you grew up in a church youth group, you most likely participated in a trust fall—a fun activity where you close your eyes and fall backward, expecting others in the group to catch you. Maybe this helps us understand the trust that Moses asked the Israelites to have in God. 

Only Slaves

The Israelites were slaves, accustomed to doing what they were told. They did not have to think about or rationalize their actions. They simply obeyed. Then Moses came along with a promise of freedom. They didn’t know what freedom was. At the beginning of the lesson they were faced with water in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them, quickly closing the ranks. They had little choice but to trust in God to deliver them. Their passage from slavery to freedom was marked by going through the walls of water. The same water that saved Israel was the element of destruction for the Egyptians.

Saved Through Water

In giving our lives to Jesus, the Bible states that we are saved through water (1 Peter 3.20, 21.) Di was afraid of water, even to the point she would not cover her face with a wet washcloth. She knew she had to trust in God and submit to Christian baptism despite her fears, and she did. John was afraid of being in front of people, but when he decided to become a Christian, he nearly ran down the isle to show his trust in Jesus and to be baptized. In cases like these and in many others around the globe, people are saved, Jesus is praised, and Satan is defeated through water.

Delvin R. (Dee) Sweeney is the senior minister at Milltown Christian Church in Milltown, Indiana. He and his wife, Cynthia, have three adult sons in the ministry and a daughter studying missions at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee.