Exodus 14:15-31 Escape through the Red Sea
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. 18 When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”
19 Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. 20 The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.
15 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!” I love this verse, for God has used it so many times in my life. I am sitting in the midst of a great pity party; meanwhile, God wants me to get out of my comfortable hole and GET MOVING! “God, we don’t have enough money to do that project!” GET MOVING AND I WILL SEND THE MONEY!” “God, we don’t have enough equipment!” “USE WHAT YOU HAVE!” “
“God, one of our biggest donors just died!” “I OWN THE CATTLE ON A THOUSAND HILLS AND I WILL SUPPLY YOUR NEEDS! GET MOVING!” Forget your pity party; God isn’t about to participate or sympathize.
21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!
23 Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. 24 But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. 25 He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
26 When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.
29 But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. 30 That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Is there evidence for the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea? Archaeological evidence suggests a connection to the biblical account of the destruction of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea. Recent excavations at sites like Tell el-Maskhuta and Tell el-Dab’a have revealed abrupt abandonment layers that align with the timeline of the Exodus narrative, indicating a significant event occurred around that time. Additionally, findings of numerous bodies at a site believed to be linked to the Red Sea Crossing imply that a large army perished there, which supports the biblical story of the Egyptian forces being overwhelmed by returning waters.
Although there are no Egyptian records pointing precisely to the Exodus, this is understandable. Most societies, ancient or otherwise, are great at recording their victories but not their defeats, and many paintings and inscriptions vaunt the achievements of rulers, even if those achievements were actually quite meager. Misleading propaganda has flourished for millenia. The last thing any Pharaoh would want would be a record of the destruction of most of his chariots and soldiers.
There are many times when we can identify with the Israelites; we feel we are caught with no means of escape. One of the most comforting poems about this situation was penned by Annie Johnson Flint.
The Red Sea Place
by Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932)
Annie Flint suffered from crippling arthritis most of her life. However, confined to a sickbed, she experienced the presence of the Lord in a way that brought forth sweet insights which she put down in poetry. One of her most uplifting poems is “The Red Sea Place”:
Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where, in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, “Go on”.
And His hand will lead you through – clear through –
Ere the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown.
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break,
But over their bed you shall walk dry shod
In the path that your Lord will make.
In the morning watch, ‘neath the lifted cloud,
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea
To a land that you have not known.
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed,
You shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,
A place that His hand has made.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to trust You even when we feel we have no means of escape. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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