Day 1097: Through the sea - Exodus 14 vs 15 - 23

15-16 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17-18 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19-20 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Exodus 14:15-23 English Standard Version

Our last reading told how Israel had camped by the sea. There seemed to be no route for them to take as the Egyptian army thundered towards them. It caused panic and they cried out to Moses “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you've taken us away to die in the wilderness?” We saw too how Moses had replied: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.” And so we come to one of the greatest acts of deliverance in the Bible. Even Moses was staggered by God's solution. What do verses 15-16 suggest?

It seems that Moses may’ve hesitated in what he should do. He had cried out to the Lord with the people, but now God tells him to 'lift up his staff over the sea', and that the people should 'go forward'. They were to cross the sea on dry land! Remember, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people. God said that He would get glory over Pharaoh and his army. We read how the angel of God moved, and the cloud that led Israel from Egypt now went between Israel and the pursuing Egyptians. Israel had light, while the Egyptians had darkness.

Moses did as God commanded and stretched out his hand over the sea. And God caused a strong east wind to drive back the waters, and the Israelites set forth through the path God had opened for them, with the sea like a wall on their left and right. There've been questions as to whether this was the Red Sea, or the Reed Sea – as the word used could be translated. But the evidence is that it was indeed the Red Sea, not some marshy area of reeds. So Israel went forth, and the Egyptians followed them. The Bible text is clear that the pursuit involved all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen.

It was a mighty act of deliverance that Israel would remember in latter years. The writer of Psalm 106 recalled it and said: “Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert. So He saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.” (Psalm 106:6-10)

I said earlier that this was 'one of the greatest acts of deliverance in the Bible.' But there's an even greater one. “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7.