INTRODUCTION
In Ex 13:20 we read that the Israelites were encamped at
Etham, on the edge of the desert, apparently the last city on
Egyptian soil. Once across the Red Sea, at whatever spot they
crossed over (and there are at least two options given serious
consideration by scholars today), they would finally have left
Egypt completely. Given this fact, we would do well to not give
too literal an interpretation on verses such as Deut 16:6:
FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM
At times we too find ourselves "bewildered" and hemmed
in by the world, especially when hard-pressed by trials or prevailing
sins. How often, I wonder, do we then view clear directions from
God in a similar way? The way that seemed right to the Israelites,
and too often seems right to us, is not always the walk of faith
that God intends for His people, as the experience of the Israelites
so vividly demonstrates.
Ex 14:6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people
with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots,
and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of
them.
FAITH RENEWED
Ex 14:15 And the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry
to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 "But
lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide
it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through
the midst of the sea. 17 "And I indeed will harden
the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I
will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots,
and his horsemen. 18 "Then the Egyptians shall know
that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself
over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen." 19
And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved
and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before
them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp
of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and
darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the
other, so that the one did not come near the other all that
night.
A MIGHTY MIRACLE
Ex 14:23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them
into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots,
and his horsemen.
Gen 4:7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted?
And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire
is for you, but you should rule over it."
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ex 14:26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out
your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the
Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen." 27
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning
appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians
were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the
midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered
the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh
that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them
remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry
land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a
wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
CONCLUSION:
Isa 63:13 (NRSV) who led them through the depths? Like
a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.
Most Jewish tradition places the crossing of the Red Sea by the
Israelites of old on this day, the Last Day of Unleavened Bread.
The account of the triumph of the people of Israel over their
enemies is more than just a historical narrative. It contains
much meaning and symbolism for God's people today, and it is this
symbolism and imagery I would like to have a brief look at in
this message.
Deut 16:6 "but at the place where the LORD your God
chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the
Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time
you came out of Egypt."
They ate the Passover lamb before they had even left their homes
and were not to leave Egyptian territory until about a week
later. However, God obviously considered the starting
time of their journey as the point from which to reference
their departure out of the land of Egypt.
For the children of Israel, the Red Sea crossing was the final
dividing line between slavery and freedom. It also pictures wonderfully
the deliverance of all the people of God from slavery to sin into
the glorious liberty of the truth of God.
Let us read the story, piece by piece, in the fourteenth chapter
of Exodus.
Exodus 14:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2
"Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp
before Pi Hahiroth [meaning "Freedom"!], between Migdol
and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by
the sea. 3 "For Pharaoh will say of the children of
Israel, 'They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness
has closed them in.'"
Christ had been leading the Israelites south, along the west coast
of the Sinai Peninsula, not by the most direct or easiest route
from Goshen to Canaan, for this road, the main road, was too risky,
being heavily guarded by a string of Egyptian fortresses. The
straight and most obvious path, the so-called "Way of the
Land of the Philistines" (Ex 13:7) would have been
the wide path that led to destruction (Mat 7:13) so, instead,
the narrow path of the desert road was the one taken.
Now all of a sudden God was telling the people - and it was a
clear, unambiguous command - to turn back, to head northward,
in the general direction from which they had in fact come! He
even predicted the reaction of pharaoh to this change of strategy,
and the Israelites reasoned in a like manner. As we shall see,
the people were indeed "bewildered by the land". These
instructions, from their standpoint, didn't make much sense, for
they now found themselves completely enclosed by the land.
Exo 14:4 "Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that
he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over
all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the
LORD." And they did so. 5 Now it was told the king
of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and
his servants was turned against the people; and they said, "Why
have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
When we read that God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart, we
need to understand that God was merely stating what He knew would
be the reality: that Pharaoh, swayed by the Devil, would harden
his own heart and violate his own conscience to once again deny
the reality of the power of God that he and the whole land of
Egypt had already experienced so dramatically. The scriptures
several times describe the king of Egypt and his officials as
hardening their own hearts (see Ex 9:34-35), so confirming
what God had already foretold. This is a reminder of the power
of sin to which we need to be ever attentive:
Heb 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called
"Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness
of sin.
Josephus writes that besides the six hundred war chariots, there
were fifty thousand horsemen and two hundred thousand foot soldiers
(Antiquities 2:15:3). The picture is a vivid portrayal
of the forces of evil marshalled together by Satan against the
children of God. Note that we are told in Ex 13:18 (NIV)
that the Israelites were, at least in a small way, "armed
for battle", just as we should always be ready for battle
equipped with the armour, or arsenal of God (Eph 6:11, 13-18).
But what often happens in the face of such an overwhelming torrent
of evil?
Ex 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king
of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children
of Israel went out with boldness.
The Israelites had, after the events of the Passover night, been
marching with boldness, in triumph, literally "with a high
hand", just as we, having been made clean by the blood of
Christ's sacrifice, have also been commemorating the triumph and
victory over sin which the Passover period pictures.
It is at this precise time that Satan is very ready to unleash
the forces of evil, of sin and of discouragement to upset us.
For this is exactly what he did to the ancient Israelites, striking
when they least expected it. They were indeed ignorant of the
devices of the evil one (2 Cor 2:11).
Ex 14:9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and
chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook
them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
Now notice the reaction of the people when they realised that
in the face of this massive onslaught they were in fact hemmed
in on all sides:
Ex 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel
lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them.
So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out
to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, "Because
there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to
die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring
us up out of Egypt? 12 "Is this not the word
that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve
the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to
serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."
To be sure, they cried out to God immediately, just as all of
us do when encompassed by sin and sore trials. However, their
fear, distress and discouragement brought out their carnal, human
emotions and reactions as well. Seeing no way out of this dilemma,
they lost their perspective - and their faith, despite the mighty
miracles that God had wrought among them!
Ex 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be
afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which
He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see
today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 "The
LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
What was Moses saying here? We know that God required the people
to do their part and move ahead (v 15). Before this was
possible, however, they had to calm down and take stock of the
true realities of their situation, recalling the mighty hand of
God during the preceding days and weeks. Moses was reassuring
them, preparing them to go on in faith to do what God was now
going to request them to do. They were not going to remain still
permanently. Just as we must always do, they too had to move
forward - complaints, doubts and fears notwithstanding - in
faith! And, indeed, the apostle Paul verifies that this is
exactly what they did:
Heb 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by
dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so,
were drowned.
God Himself was now going to fight for His people! Do we likewise
believe that our God is a mighty warrior who will fight
directly for us as He did for our forefathers?
Ps 35:1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive
with me; Fight against those who fight against me.
The apostle Paul, in Col 1:13 talks about the domain of
darkness from which we were all rescued to bring us to the light
of God. The Egyptians were now plunged into darkness -the darkness
that represents the true ugliness of sin - while God was a light
to Israel as they crossed through the divided sea. The Septuagint
and other Jewish sources even suggest that the light that came
upon the children of Israel illuminated the night for them.
Ex 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea;
and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east
wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and
the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went
into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters
were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
The mighty miracle of the parting of the waters was not caused
merely by a low tide. The commentaries make the point that a
wall of water caused by a mighty wind is not perpendicular. Instead,
it bulges as the winds move the waters to the right and to the
left, and in this instance must have been a truly awesome sight
to behold. There would have been a wide path for the Israelites
with all their possessions to cross over, for it is quite probable
that these miraculous "walls" opened up a passage several
miles wide.
God provided a path for the Israelites to escape the disaster
that appeared certain to overwhelm them. These "walls"
were their salvation. For His people God likewise is a wall,
a strong city that shields the righteous:
Isa 26:1 In that day this song will be sung in the land
of Judah: "We have a strong city; God will appoint
salvation for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates,
That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.
He sees us through our trials and helps us to overcome the sins
that so easily beset us. Sometimes we may even emerge physically
unscathed just as the Israelites crossed over the Red Sea on dry
land:
Isa 43:16 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea
And a path through the mighty waters[the waters of trials and
turmoil]
Notice how this deliverance of Israel is described in elsewhere
in Isaiah:
Isa 51:10 Are You not the One who dried up
the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of
the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over?
The darkness notwithstanding, what was in the minds of the host
of the Egyptians as they marched and rode relentlessly across
dry land that had previously been sea? How could they so quickly
forget the devastating supernatural plagues that had destroyed
their nation, we may wonder? Their action is:
Heb 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called
"Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness
of sin.
Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away
by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.[Note
that James tells us that we can be deceived if we ignore
the warning to resist the pull of sin]
Heb 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us
1 Thes 5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let
us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
Continuing in Exodus 14:
2 Tim 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ
Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors
will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Ex 14:24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that
the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the
pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.
25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove
them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee
from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against
the Egyptians."
Now, sometime between 2 am and 6 am, often the time for surprise
attacks during a war, Christ Himself intervened even more directly.
Now the Egyptians could see that God was fighting against them!
Perhaps the winds stopped blowing so that the sandy bottom of
the sea again started to moisten and to soften. It appears that
all the while the Egyptian chariots, because of the walls of water,
had been unable to sweep to the right or to the left to cut off
the Israelites. They had only been able to follow them from behind
by the same ford.
Furthermore, if we take Ps 77:18-19 literally, it would
seem that God added to the discomfort of the Egyptians by also
unleashing thunder and lightning!
The lesson for us is obvious: God similarly fights for us in our
struggles against sin and the world. However, do we consider
His unseen acts of intervention on our behalf as dynamic as the
physical intervention the Israelites witnessed?
Isa 30:20-21 shows us that God's path - unlike the path
of sin - is and will always be a straight one, deviating neither
to the right nor to the left. We must not stray from this highway
of holiness:
Isa 30:20 And though the Lord gives you The bread
of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will
not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your
teachers. 21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
"This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn
to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
Not one of the Egyptians survived (although Pharaoh, picturing
Satan the Devil, is not mentioned as having perished [Ex 15:4]);
the deliverance from sin is complete.
The crossing of the Red Sea episode is, as we know, a type of
our Christian baptism. It also typifies our recleansing and
rededication to God as pictured by the Passover period. We are
also cleansed from sin, just as the waters covered the
Egyptians (v 28), and just as the Israelites walked through
the very depths of the sea, so God rescues us from the depths
of sin:
1 Cor 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be
unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed
through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the
cloud and in the sea,
So as we consider the mighty miracle God wrought to deliver Israel
of old, let us ensure that we learn well the lesson of that deliverance
on this day, that we too may ever fear our great God:
Ex 14:30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand
of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done
in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD
and His servant Moses.