In this week’s Lesson, Ex. 14:15 states: “And the LORD said unto Moses, … speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward,” and, Ex. 14: 21 & 22 explain how God “…caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”
In Genesis 1:9 we read, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear…” And on page 507 of Science and Health, our Leader explains, “In metaphor, the dry land illustrates the absolute formations instituted by Mind, while water symbolizes the elements of Mind.”
An article entitled, “Let the Dry Land Appear” (CS Journal, July 1945, by May Rimes Hutson), points out that “As Christian Scientists, it is not only our right but our duty to call forth the dry land in any and every experience, to realize the presence of the specific or ‘absolute formations’ of thought which we need each moment.”
And, in an article in the Christian Science Sentinel (6/5/1948, Lela May Aultman) entitled, “Go Forward,” the author shares Ex. 14:13, which states, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” – a seemingly contradictory command to Ex. 14:15, which instructs the children of Israel to “go forward.” But, she explains with this citation from Science and Health: “Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause, – wait on God. Then we push onward…” (p. 323), and further explains that “We must go forward mentally….We need ever to be active….Thus we shall take every step revealed by God,…There is an old saying that a ship can be steered only when it is moving.” This statement by Mrs. Eddy in “The Blue Book” is along the same line of the necessity of activity in thought when waiting on God’s direction, as has been discussed in Bible Studies and/or Roundtables: “God is moving on the face of the waters of your thoughts and His creations will appear” (p. 119).
Thank you to the Lesson writer for bringing forth these concepts to ponder in our efforts to understand how to demonstrate the truths of Christian Science that reveal healing solutions when we are facing what seem to be impossible circumstances, with Moses being one of our most cherished heroes of faith (Hebrews 11: 23-29), as a shining example!