We learned in the beginning of chapter 14 that God did not lead the Israelites along the shortest and easiest route to Canaan, because they were not ready to face the enemies they must conquer there. Instead, He leads them on a much more 'scenic' route, so that He can show them the landscape of His incredible power and glory, and so build up their faith. His plan was not to train them up in the skill of warfare, but to prepare them to trust Him to fight the battles for them. This path led them to the Red Sea, where they found themselves at a dead end with the armies of Pharaoh bearing down on them. They do not respond with faith, but with fear. Moses encourages them to be still and see what God is about to do to save them.
