Immediately it seems that God would test their faithfulness. He spoke to Moses (v1-4) and told him to speak to the people. He seemed to say that they should turn back, or off the direct route, but this was so that Pharaoh would think that they were lost. However, this was to harden Pharaoh’s heart even more and go out after the Israelites, and God would show His people that he was The LORD and would deal with Pharaoh’s army.
Sure enough Pharaoh was regretting sending Israel out and so he decided to pursue them in accordance with God’s plan. The people started to blame the Pharaoh for letting Israel go. He realised that they had lost their workers and so he got his chariots ready. He prepared his own and he took six hundred of his best (choice) chariots with captains over each one and went after the Israelites, thinking they were lost, he pursued them and overtook (probably means they caught up with them) the Israelites who were camping by the sea at Pi Hahiroth before Baal Zephon.
Not unnaturally, the Israelites were afraid when they saw Pharaoh and his army drawing near. They cried out to The LORD (v10-12) and 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? 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.”
It was understandable, no doubt they saw Pharaoh and his army and the Red Sea and felt trapped between the two. They probably thought that they were in a trap but in actual fact God had brought Pharaoh into one. They did the right thing in crying out to The LORD and speaking to Moses. Their response, however, showed little faith in God and in Moses. There was no way that Moses had brought them to that point for them to die. I don’t recall them saying to Moses when they were in Egypt that they would perish in the wilderness if they escaped from slavery. They had seen the hand of God in their escape, why doubt Him now. They had complained bitterly about their treatment in Egypt but now they are wishing they were back there.
Moses replied to them (v13,14), “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. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Moses was confident in his God, but I don’t think he had any idea how God was going to save them. He told them not to be afraid. Only God could help them in this situation. Rather than running, he told them to stand still. What else could they do apart from surrender. What confidence he had in God to say what he did? ‘You will see God’s salvation and you will never see these Egyptians again, and God will fight for you.
The LORD asked Moses, “Why do you cry to me?” Moses had no-one else to cry to. It showed his faith in God. It is the only way to start. To act before praying can be disastrous. The answer came from God, (v15-18) “Tell the children of Israel to go forward”. That was all very well, but, where? They were facing the sea.
The answer again came from God, “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. 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. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
If Pharaoh needed convincing who The LORD was, he was going to find out now, to his cost! All Moses had to do was lift up his rod over the sea and God would do the rest. Sometimes we have to step out in faith and trust God to do the rest. It was important that Moses held out his rod. God could do it without him, but sometimes God uses us to be part of His work.
‘You shall cross on dry ground’ but, it’s a sea. That was nothing to God. They would not be crossing at the edge of the sea, but in the middle of it.
Note that God would 1) harden Pharaoh’s heart to follow the Israelites, 2) would gain honour over Pharaoh’s strength of army and chariots and 3) would cause the Egyptians to know the power of God.
God began by moving the pillar of cloud which normally went ahead of the Israelites by putting it behind them (v19,20). However, it was a cloud and darkness to one side and fire and light to the other side. This was a barrier between the Egyptians and the Israelites, and they were kept apart all night. God protected Israel whilst He made a way through the Red Sea. It is fair to say that the Egyptians had darkness whilst the Israelites had light.
Let’s remember how God protects us even when we don’t realise it. Thank you, Lord.
In obedience to The LORD Moses stretched out his hand over the sea (v21,22). “…. 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. 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 exact place of their crossing is not known. Critics and doubters say that it wasn’t through the sea at all but on land, but if that is the case, why were the Israelites worried by being trapped by the sea in the first place and even more to the point, how did the entire Egyptian army and chariots drown in it. It was wide enough for the entire body of Israelites, at least two million, to cross in one night and deep enough for the Egyptians to drown.
The LORD caused a strong east wind to blow all night and it drove back the waters and dried the seabed. It divided the waters as a wall on their right hand and their left. They could see the water. It must have been an amazing sight to see the waters as a wall on both sides. Despite the critics, modern research and computer calculations have found that this was plausible.
Whatever the critics and unbelievers say, the Bible states that God did it, it was a miracle even though He may have used created means to do it. An even greater miracle follows (v23-28). If they doubt the first, I don’t see how they can possibly doubt the second.
If it took faith for the Israelites to step out into the sea on dry land, it also took some sort of faith for the Egyptians to follow. They did so and went after the Israelites ‘in the midst of the sea’. Thus, I believe that they too could see the waters piled up on either side. All Pharaoh’s chariots and horses and horsemen went in. I like the way it is recorded here – ‘in the morning watch The LORD looked down’, almost casual, as one would! It would still be dark, but The LORD saw them. ‘The LORD troubled the Egyptians’; in what way we are not told. Perhaps they realised where they were, and fear came upon them. God delayed them long enough for the Israelites to clear the sea crossing on dry land.
Then God removed the chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty. What an amazing statement, it really would be difficult without wheels. Then the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” I may be wrong, but I guess they tried to turn back but with no wheels it was impossible even on dry land.
“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.” Moses did so and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing. The waters returned and covered the chariots, horsemen and all Pharaohs’ army. Not one of them remained.
God could have done this without Moses’ help, but this was to enable the people to recognise that Moses was God’s chosen leader.
In verses 29-31 we have a summary of the miracle of their passing through the Red Sea. We are reminded that the Israelites walked on dry land with the waters as a wall to the right and the left, whereas the Egyptians started to cross but when The LORD brought the waters back, were drowned and the Israelites saw the Egyptian dead on the seashore. This would be a great assurance to them that all their oppressors were lying dead. One must ask, if it wasn’t a sea how did the Egyptians drown with horses and chariots. Remember that there were more than 600 chariots (v7).
Israel saw the great work which The LORD had done, and they feared The LORD and believed in Him and His servant Moses. Did it last? Sadly, it didn’t as we shall see later. It must have been a time of great elation to see the mighty works of God in working these miracles. Many say today that if they could see a miracle that they too would believe but we know it doesn’t work like that in most cases. In fact, Jesus said, ‘Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed’ (John 20:29).
