Read Exodus 14:1-9
In the previous chapter, Egypt experienced its final devastated plague — the death of the firstborn. The firstborn in every Egyptian household died. The cry that rose from the land was unlike anything before it. Pharaoh told Israel to leave. The people left quickly.
Instead of taking a route that would put them up against the Philistines (13:17-22), God routed them to a place that made it seem as if they were trapped. It was here that God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that He’s got this and that there is a greater purpose — the Egyptians will know that Jehovah is God (cp. 7:5; 14:4, 25).
Verses 5–9 shift the scene back to Egypt. Pharaoh’s grief hardens into regret. He begins to question his decision. “What have we done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
Pharaoh gathers his chariots and chooses six hundred of his best. What God said would happen, is starting to happen. Deliverance has happened. Pursuit has begun. The stage is set for faith to be tested.
Read Exodus 14:10-18
The moment the Israelites see the Egyptians marching after them, the tone shifts. The text says they were “very afraid.” The same people who had just walked out of Egypt under God’s protection now panic at the sight of opposition.
The Test and How Israel Initially Responded
They were very afraid (14:10). Fear became their dominant emotion. The reality of danger overwhelmed the memory of deliverance.
They cried out to the LORD (14:10). Their first instinct was to call for help, though this cry is quickly followed by complaint.
They blamed Moses (14:11). “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Anxiety turns into accusation.
They romanticized the past (14:12). “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” Under pressure, slavery begins to look safer than freedom.
Exercise 1: When Fear Starts Talking
When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army approaching, fear shaped the way they interpreted the situation. This exercise will help us examine how beliefs form under pressure. By looking at this event from their perspective and distinguishing between what is true and what felt true, learn how fear clouds our judgment and influences our responses in moments of uncertainty.
Step 1: What Were They Thinking?
Read Exodus 14:10–12. In one simple sentence, what do you think the people believed in that moment?
Step 2: Was That Thought Accurate?
Had God already delivered them from Egypt?
(See Exodus 12:31-33, 41-42, 13:3)
Had they seen His power before this moment?
(See Exodus 7–12; 12:29-30, 36; 13:21-22)
Did they actually know how the situation would end?
(See Exodus 14:13-14)
Exercise 2: The ABCDE Model at the Red Sea
The ABC Exercise is rooted in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy’s practice of outlining events in order to understand them and change behavior in the future. By looking at the Activating event, our Beliefs about it, and the Consequences, we can reduce that event’s power over us. When we add a D (Dispute your beliefs) and E (Effective new Belief), we have a tool that changes our beliefs, how we feel about it, and thus we can change how we react.
The ABCDE model (often associated with Albert Ellis and REBT) looks like this:
A – Activating Event
B – Belief
C – Consequence
D – Dispute
E – Effective New Belief
A — Activating Event
Read Exodus 14:10.
What happened that triggered fear?
Write the event in one clear sentence:
B — Belief
Read Exodus 14:11–12.
What belief did the people form about the situation?
In one simple sentence, what did they tell themselves?
C — Consequence
Based on verses 10–12:
How did that belief affect them emotionally?
How did it affect their behavior?
D — Dispute
Read Exodus 14:13–14.
How does Moses challenge their fear-based belief?
What truth does he introduce that contradicts their assumption?
E — Effective New Belief
Read Exodus 14:15–18.
If the people accepted Moses’ words, what new belief would guide them?
Write a healthier, more grounded belief statement:
Example format:
“Even though ____________, we can trust that ____________.”
This structure shows that the army (A) was real, but the interpretation (B) shaped the emotional collapse (C). Moses introduces the dispute (D), and movement forward reflects a new belief (E).
Lesson 5 workbook
ABCDE at the Red Sea
A real event can be difficult, dangerous, or unfair. This worksheet helps separate the event from the belief formed under pressure and identify a grounded response.
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