Do not be afraid.

Arnold Friberg (December, 1913 – July 1, 2010) was an American illustrator and painter noted for his religious and patriotic works. Friberg became well-known for his religions paintings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) Church. His paintings now hang in the LDS Visitors Center.

He is even more famous for his paintings of the Revolutionary War, the Old West and Canadian Mounties. One of his most celebrated paintings is “The Prayer at Valley Forge,” which is a depiction of George Washington kneeling in the snow, praying at Valley Forge.

Starting in 1953, Friberg spent three years in Hollywood as filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille’s chief artist for the epic motion picture, “The Ten Commandments.” Friberg would gain notoriety for 15 pre-visualization paintings which were used to promote the film worldwide.

Exodus 14 contains the amazing account of the Israelites exodus from Egypt. The Pharaoh had kicked the Israelites out of Egypt after a series of ten devastating plagues. The Israelites then traveled south and camped along the shore of the Red Sea. Meanwhile, the full significance of losing Egypt’s precious slave labor force had dawned on Pharaoh and he exclaimed to his officials, “What have we done” (Exodus 14:5)?

So Pharaoh advanced with his army of 600 two-person chariots (the armored tanks of those days), in addition to his cavalry and infantry. Moses details the vast strength of Pharaoh’s army in order to then emphasize the greatness of their destruction.

When the Israelites saw the Egyptians pursuing them, they were terrified. They realized their desperate situation – the Sea on the east of them; the mountains to their north; and the army of Pharaoh on their northwest. Plus, though their numbers were considerable, they lacked both the courage and the weaponry to stand against the armies of the tyrant.

In their panic they cried out, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt” (Exodus 14:11)? Their words were a mixture of bitter irony and inattentive terror – for Egypt was rich with great sepulchers and graves. They also forgot that they had witnessed the 10 devastating plagues of judgment upon Egypt’s land and people, plus they dismissed the Angel of the Lord who was now residing beside them in a pillar of cloud and fire.

Where was their grateful memory of faith?

Where is our grateful memory of faith?

We have witnessed the healing power of the Great Physician of body and soul … and yet we are overcome with worry as we await the outcome of our medical exam.

We have observed the saving power of Baptism and heard the promise that no one can snatch God’s children out of His arms … and yet we overwhelmed with grief when God takes our child out of our arms to reside in His for eternity.

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We have seen the Son of God on the cross dying to defeat His enemies and ours … and yet we so often trudge through life as if we are the ones who are defeated and vanquished.

The Israelites who were hemmed in by water, mountains and army deserved their destruction at the hands of their enemies. They did not display their great memory of faith.

We who are hemmed in by cancer, mortgages and old age deserve our destruction at the hands of our enemies. We, too, faith to display the great memory of faith.

Yet, the Lord acts with grace upon His chosen people. He grants them grace instead of the destruction they deserve. For the Lord was compassionate with Israel in its unbelief born of terror. He did not flare up in anger over their rebellion, but spoke these reassuring words: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13)

Thus the Lord mounted the greatest rescue of the Old Testament! After the Israelites were saved, Moses sang of the rescue (Exodus 15:1-19) and his sister, Miriam, added the refrain: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea” (Exodus 15:21). The entire Old Testament echoes this song, and this saving event. Years later King David observed that “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). The prophets repeatedly called attention this miraculous crossing of the sea. The exodus from Egypt was the great saving event of the Old Testament.

Obeying the Lord’s command, Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea. The Lord caused a mighty east wind to blow all night.

Friberg wonderfully portrays the wind blowing the hair, turbans, and fire on the torches. The walls of water are frothing and foaming with motion. The wind created walls of water on the right and left and blew the sea bottom dry. The psalmist put it vividly: “The sea looked and fled” (Psalm 114:3).

There is urgency and determination in the movement of the Israelites. They are working hard to cross the dry seabed during the evening darkness. Yet there is still a calm as Moses leads the people while carrying a sleeping child on his shoulder.

Though the Exodus from Egypt is the greatest miracle of the Old Testament, the miracle on Mt. Calvary is the greatest miracle of all time. Jesus did not just save a few million people, but the entire world. With his suffering and death, Jesus did not just provide us with a rescue from earthly death but has saved us from eternal death.

There is no reason to be afraid. Or to whine. Or complain. Rather, there is every reason to express a grateful memory of faith! God has taken care of our greatest enemies (you can read about that in the next art post on what happened to the Egyptians in the Red Sea crossing). The enemies who hem us in will be gone forever. God also takes care of our greatest needs – not just safety or security … but eternal salvation.

The Lord is compassionate with us in our unbelief born of terror. He does not flare up in anger over our rebellion, but speaks these reassuring words to us: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD” (Exodus 14:13).