Why Did Moses Doubt God? | Exodus 14

Summary

Andrew Wommack teaches through Exodus 14, focusing on Israel’s escape across the Red Sea and the lessons he draws about faith, fear, and acting on God’s direction.

Main Ideas

• Faith requires a current relationship with God. Wommack emphasizes that God spoke to Moses repeatedly, not only at the burning bush. Comparing this to “daily bread,” he encourages believers to seek God’s guidance in the present rather than rely only on past experiences or instructions.

• The Israelites were led into a seemingly impossible position. In Wommack’s reading, God directed the Israelites to camp by the sea, where mountains and water left them apparently trapped. God knew Pharaoh would see this as an opportunity to pursue them, setting the stage for God’s deliverance and honor.

• A hardened heart can impair judgment. Wommack describes Pharaoh’s pursuit as an example of a hardened heart: despite the devastation of the plagues, Pharaoh and his army failed to respond rationally. Wommack connects this theme to biblical passages about rejecting truth and losing the ability to perceive, understand, or remember. He also applies it to modern social and political disagreements; those comments are his personal opinions and applications.

• Fear makes people forget past deliverance. When the Israelites saw Pharaoh’s army, they panicked and accused Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die. Wommack argues that they had forgotten the plagues, their deliverance from Egypt, and God’s previous protection. He encourages believers facing hardship to recall what God has already done, saying that remembering God’s faithfulness can build hope.

• Moses spoke in faith but did not fully follow the next instruction. Moses told the people not to fear and said God would fight for them. Wommack sees this as faith based on what God had told Moses, despite the lack of visible evidence. However, Moses told the people to “stand still,” while God then instructed him to tell them to “go forward.” In Wommack’s interpretation, Moses’s response was partly right but incomplete.

• God told Moses to use the authority he had been given. Rather than continue crying out for God to act, Moses was told to lift his rod and stretch out his hand over the sea. Wommack interprets the rod as a sign of God-given authority and argues that God’s power operated through Moses’s action. He extends this lesson to prayer, saying believers should not only ask God to intervene but also act in faith and use the authority they believe God has given them.

• The Red Sea crossing reveals both deliverance and judgment. Wommack recounts how the cloud separated the Israelites from the Egyptians, the sea opened, Israel crossed on dry ground, and the waters returned over the Egyptian forces. He stresses that the same event that provided Israel a way of escape destroyed the pursuing army. He rejects the suggestion that the crossing occurred through shallow water, treating it as a major miracle.

• A dramatic experience does not necessarily produce lasting faith. At the end of the chapter, Israel sees the Egyptians defeated and believes in God and Moses. Wommack notes that their confidence soon falters in the next chapter when they face another hardship. His lesson is that witnessing miracles or feeling inspired does not, by itself, ensure enduring trust. He emphasizes the importance of an inward, continuing relationship with God.

Practical Lessons Wommack Draws

• Seek God’s guidance regularly instead of relying only on past experiences.
• In a crisis, remember previous examples of help and deliverance rather than letting fear define the situation.
• Ground faith in what you believe God has said, even when circumstances offer no visible reassurance.
• Respond to instruction with action. In Wommack’s application, do not only pray for change; also take steps and exercise the authority you believe God has given you.
• Recognize that fear and emotional reactions can distort judgment.
• Do not mistake a brief response to a dramatic event for lasting spiritual change.

Other Claims and Anecdotes

Wommack discusses the proposed locations of the Red Sea crossing and Mount Sinai. He argues that biblical place names and Galatians 4:25 point toward Arabia rather than the traditionally identified Sinai Peninsula. He cites an expedition associated with Bob Cornuke, a map in his “Living Commentary,” and the film In Search of the Real Mount Sinai.

He also shares personal stories about a staff member’s financial need and a dispute over development on ministry property, using them as examples of remembering past help and exercising authority.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: Andrew Wommack, the presenter and sole audible speaker.
• Biblical sources cited: Exodus 13–14, Exodus 1 and 4, Matthew 6, Galatians 4:25, 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11, Mark 8:17, Romans 5:3–5, Ephesians 3:20, Mark 11:23, 1 Corinthians 11, and Psalms.
• Other sources mentioned: Josephus; Bob Cornuke and his reported expedition; Wommack’s “Living Commentary” and its map; the film In Search of the Real Mount Sinai; and the film The Ten Commandments.
• Personal examples: Wommack’s ministry experiences, including a staff member’s financial difficulty and a property-development dispute.