Exodus 14:11
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 carry us forth out of Egypt? 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 carry us forth out of Egypt?
Hemmed in with the sea ahead, mountains on either side, and Pharaoh's army closing behind with no human way of escape, Israel accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness for want of graves there, saying they would rather have remained slaves than perish by hunger, weariness, or the enemy. They blamed him for their distress as if leaving Egypt had been his mistake, though he had led them there in obedience to God's express command, repeating the unbelief they had already spoken in Egypt. Their cry revealed sore fear and little faith, murmuring instead of trusting despite the judgments on Pharaoh and the evidences of God's power in their deliverance, forgetting His mighty works and seeing only disaster, defeat, and death. God bade them go forward, opened a prepared path through the sea and brought them safely through, while Pharaoh's hardened pursuit led him in after them to be drowned when the waters returned. Though they were a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves before the mightiest army of the mightiest nation, their deliverance teaches that those who trust God's word though utterly helpless can stand against overwhelming human power, so believers pressed by trial must not murmur with questioning doubts but turn complaint to prayer, do all they can, cling to God, and go forward to see His salvation work with their efforts.
Trapped at the Sea
Israel was encamped beside the Red Sea in flight from Egypt when the words were spoken, with the sea before them, impassable mountains shutting them in on either side, and Pharaoh's pursuing army with flashing armor and moving chariots closing in fast behind them. More than a million people lay in a valley hemmed in by mountains, with no possibility of escape or deliverance unless God Himself interposed for their release. When they saw the pursuit terror filled their hearts, for they felt they had been brought out there to perish and saw no way through.
While some cried to the Lord, the greater part hastened to Moses in fear and lack of faith. They accused him of taking them away to die in the wilderness for lack of graves in Egypt, charging him with leading them out of the right course. They said they would have been better off remaining as slaves and serving the Egyptians than dying by hunger, fatigue, or their enemies.
They blamed Moses for all their distress and treated the danger as evidence that leaving Egypt had been a mistake. Yet he had led them there in obedience to God's express direction and commands, and to the position reached in obedience to God they wrongly attached blame for its dangers and difficulties. In accusing Moses they accused God, having forgotten His mighty works and feared the result of leaving Pharaoh's bondage. In this they repeated the words of unbelief they had already spoken in Egypt, murmuring against faithful Moses instead of trusting God in their necessity when their confidence was tested.
Unbelief, Deliverance, and Trust
The complaint at the sea exposes fear and little faith when confidence was put to the test. The people were sore afraid, and instead of trusting God in their necessity they murmured. This distrust came after they had witnessed His judgments upon Egypt to compel Pharaoh to let them go and after they had seen evidences of His power in their wonderful deliverance. Yet they accused faithful Moses of causing all their distress by carrying them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, repeating the words of unbelief they had already uttered in Egypt. They treated the danger as proof that leaving Egypt had been a mistake and declared they would have been better off remaining as slaves and serving the Egyptians.
They forgot God's mighty works and care and feared the outcome of leaving Pharaoh's bondage. From rebellious, unsubdued hearts they failed to trust God's direction, promises, and protection. Instead of faith they became discouraged and saw only disaster, defeat, and death. They said slavery would have been better than death by hunger, fatigue, or their enemies.
Their lack of discipline and self-control shaped how they read even God's guidance. The pillar of cloud that had guided them looked to them like a sign of disaster, because it had brought them to what they thought was an impassable way. In blaming Moses for bringing them out of Egypt into the wilderness, they were accusing God Himself.
God commanded Israel to go forward, parted the sea into a prepared path, and brought the people through safely. Pharaoh's hardened resistance led him into that same path prepared for Israel, and the returning waters drowned his army. Their terror had made them doubt deliverance even though God would provide a way through the sea. The scene also shows that oppression can harden those who uphold it and drive them to desperate measures rather than make them willing to change.
The people at the sea were a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves facing the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe. Yet their experience teaches that those who trust God's word, though utterly helpless in themselves, can withstand overwhelming human power. They can stand against the power of the whole world.
The verse therefore means complaining with questioning doubts in a crisis instead of believing. It warns believers pressed by debt and difficulty not to murmur but to turn complaints into prayer, faith, and works. Those in trial must believe, do all they can, cling to God, show self-sacrifice, and go forward. When Israel obeyed the command to go forward the sea parted before them, and those who believe, work, hope, and pray will see the salvation of God working with their efforts.