Exodus 14:15-31
~15 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Every good story has a climax, and the story of Exodus was no exception. It was such a great book, but the difference is that the book of Exodus not only had one climax but numerous. We have seen the 10 plagues. Each of those plagues was increasing in its intensity and severity. Then we saw the climax of how the Angel of Death passed over the houses of the Egyptians and killed all the firstborn while the houses of the Israelites were saved through the blood of the Lamb. Just when we thought that could have been the climax of The Exodus, we saw the Israelites being led by the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Again, that was not the climax because here in this passage, we are going to see another climax, and that is the crossing of the Red Sea.
In our last message, we have considered how the Israelites were brought to a particular place whereby they were surrounded by the desert. The Egyptians were right before them; the Red Sea was behind them. They were trapped. What could they do? But isn't it true that God was the one who had led them to this place? It was not as if God did not know, or he was not in control. But by His sovereign plan, God had led them to this particular place to accomplish His sovereign purpose. This is what we want to learn from this passage. The title of our message is "Crossing the Red Sea."
I. The command to go forward
Our first point is the command to go forward. Let us begin with verse 15, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward." In the preceding verses, it was Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘Do not fear, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. The Egyptians you see today, you shall not see them again anymore forever because the Lord shall fight for you.’ So, although here it may appear as if God was rebuking Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?" This rebuke was intended for all Israel. God was speaking to Moses simply because he was Israel's prophet, and he was representing the people before God. In other words, the hour of their salvation had come, and this was not a time to cry and complain. It was time for them to move forward.
Dear friends, there are times when we have prayed and prayed and prayed over a matter to a certain degree and for a long period of time. We have asked the Lord for His guidance, for His empowerment, for His will to be done. And the time has come for us to take our desire and put it into action. Prayer is important, but it must never be used as an excuse for non-activity. Some people will go on praying and praying with no desire to take the next step, with no desire to move forward in faith. Perhaps we have been praying for a new ministry, or we have been praying for the salvation of our unbelieving loved ones, or we have been praying for the restoration of good health and strength. But, like the Israelites, it is not the time to continue crying out to God in prayer. It is time to get up and get going. It is time for action, not prayer.
One of the reasons why we do not move forward in faith is that we ourselves do not believe it is possible. Like the Israelites, the only way to move forward was through the Red Sea, which seems like mission impossible. So, we ask ourselves, how can we have the wisdom and strength to do this enormous work? How can we, so weak and troubled with much infirmities, be able to move forward? When we ourselves do not believe it is possible, we would just keep on praying and praying and praying without taking the next step.
Indeed, humanly speaking, it seems impossible, but nothing is impossible with God. With Him, all things are made possible if it is according to His will and purpose. This is especially true in the case of salvation. The Bible repeatedly teaches that man cannot save himself. Only God can save him. When the sinner realizes that he's totally depraved, there's nothing he can ever do to save himself. That is when the Spirit of God will convict his heart, and he will come to Jesus. As the saying goes, man's extremity is God's opportunity.
II. The demonstration of a divine miracle
Our second point is the demonstration of a divine miracle. In verse 16, "But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." Moses obeyed God's command. Look down to verse 21, "And 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 dry land, and the waters were divided."
This was the Red Sea, most likely the Gulf of Suez or Aqaba. No one knew the exact location where the crossing took place, but traditionally, it was believed that the Israelites crossed on the northwest arm of the Red Sea. Many modern-day Bible critics have tried to explain the parting of the Red Sea using humanistic ideas. Some scientists explained that it was the mighty east wind in verse 21, which blew all night long, at about 74 kilometres per hour, which caused a 10-foot drop in the sea level, exposing a large area of shallow waters for the Israelites to pass through. It seems quite logical, but that cannot explain how the Bible said that it was dry land. And on top of that, they cannot explain how, by the time the Egyptians tried to follow, the ground was turned to mud. According to verse 25, the muddy ground took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily so that the Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fighteth for them.’ In other words, they got stuck in the mud. By the time they realized that it was the Lord fighting for the Israelites, they wanted to flee, but it was too late.
No natural possibility can ever explain this miracle. Firstly, they cannot explain the dry and muddy land. Secondly, they cannot explain the timing - why the moment Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, the waters divided, and then the moment he stretched out his hands again, it returned. Look at verse 26, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Verse 28, “And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them."
No natural possibilities can ever explain the timing—why the sea would obey when Moses' hands were stretched over the waters. Thirdly, they cannot explain how the waters were divided into the form of two walls, one on the right and one on the left. Verse 29, "But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." The word "wall" was an architectural term normally used for the walls of a city. You can imagine how magnificent it was when the Israelites walked across the seabed - it was dry land with the waters being held back like two pillars of walls. No one can ever explain that.
Fourthly, remember there were about 600,000 men, excluding the women and children. So, the total number of Israelites would be about two or three million, including the animals. It was a great multitude. Therefore, there had to be a significant amount of time for all of them to pass through. Presuming the sea was about four to five miles wide, it would take several hours for just one family to cross over to the other side, and for the entire population, it would probably take the whole night.
The other day, a sister in Christ was discussing with me about the atrocities happening in Israel and the Gaza region. We talked about how difficult it was for 2 million Palestinians to be evacuated from the north to the south in 24 hours. But this sister in Christ said, ‘The Israelites did it. They crossed the Red Sea. The entire population, about two or three million, crossed over to the other side in one night.’ Truly, it is the wonderworking of God's power.
A story was told of a pastor who preached to his congregation about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. He did not really believe in the parting of the Red Sea and, therefore, he said mockingly, ‘It was not a miracle. They were in the marshland. The wind was strong, the tide was receding, and the children of Israel were able to wade through the six inches of shallow waters.’ So, he mocked about the parting of the Red Sea using humanistic ideas. But one of his congregation members who knew his intention cried out and said, ‘Praise the Lord! God drowned all the Egyptians in six inches of waters. What a mighty miracle!’
As believers, we must take God's word as it is. When the Bible says it is a miracle, it is a miracle, period. Yes, there was the strong east wind, as the Bible recorded for us, but it was the power of God which brought about this miracle.
Let us move on to verse 19, "And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before their face and stood between them." Remember, the pillar of cloud was always before the Israelites. As the pillar of cloud moved, the Israelites moved step by step. God led them. But here, for the first time, the pillar of cloud went and stood behind them, in between the frightened Israelites and the mighty Egyptian army. For what purpose? Verse 20 gives us the answer, "And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them” - referring to the Egyptians - and “it gave light by night to these” - referring to the children of Israel - “so that the one came not near the other all the night."
On the Egyptian side, it was darkness, and on the Israelite side, it was light. That would explain why the Egyptians had to pause in their pursuit of the Israelites, giving them sufficient time to cross over to the other side. The phrase "all the night" could be an indication of how long the Israelites took to cross the Red Sea. Remember, there were at least two or three million Israelites.
Dear friends, as we serve the Lord, as we share the gospel, there will always be oppositions. There will be the enemies of the gospel. The enemies may be the majority. The enemies may be powerful. They may be intimidating. They may try to destroy us. But if God be for us, no man can do anything to us. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God is able to protect you? Sometimes, God will confuse the enemies so much so that they will not be able to do anything to you. Sometimes, God will set a distinction, a separation, between the enemies and you, so much so that even if the enemies want to, they cannot touch you, they cannot reach you. That is how amazing God is. That was what He did to the Israelites. He went behind them, and then for the Egyptians, it was darkness. But for the Israelites, it was light, and they could not come near to the Israelites. That is our God. He's so powerful; He knows how to deliver us; He knows how to deal with our enemies. But we must always make sure that we are on the Lord's side. Make sure you're on the right side, not on the wrong side.
III. The manifestation of God’s glory
Our third and final point is the manifestation of God's glory. In verse 17, "And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen." The original word for "honour" is the same word for "glory." The Egyptians had refused to give glory to God. However, whether they like it or not, the time had come for them to honour the Lord. But if it will be too late.
Here it reminds us of Philippians 2:10 to 11. Maybe if you have your Bibles, you can turn with me to Philippians 2:10 to 11. Let me read for you, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven” - this would include the holy angels and the souls of the saints, the redeemed believers of all ages, and they have long been worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. “And things in earth” - these will include the redeemed and unredeemed, the believers and unbelievers. “And things under the earth”- these are the fallen angels and the unredeemed dead that are awaiting the final judgment, eternal punishment at the great white throne judgment.
In other words, the day will come, whether as a believer, you bow before Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or as an unbeliever, you bow before Him as your judge. Everyone will still have to bow before Him as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Like the Egyptians, for the unbelievers, it would be too late. For those who are listening to this message, if you are still an unbeliever lingering on the side of spiritual darkness, always rejecting Jesus Christ as the only Saviour who is able to save you, today is the day of salvation. Do not reject Him because you will have to bow before Him, whether He be your Saviour or He be your judge. Repent before it is too late. Do not be like the Egyptians. They will honour the Lord, but it will be too late.
Verse 30, "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.” By this time, the Israelites were standing on the other side of the Red Sea, and when they look back, they saw all the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. Some people think it was too harsh for God to kill an entire army. How can a loving God do that? Indeed, God is a loving God, but let us not forget that He's also a God of justice and righteousness.
Supposing some robbers invaded your house, robbed you of all your hard-earned money, and killed all your children. Subsequently, they were arrested. They stood before a judge, and the judge said to these robbers, 'Just promise me that you will never do it again, and I will set you free.' What would you say to that judgment? Would you not scream out, 'Where is justice? Where is righteousness?' You would expect the judge to be righteous and just, to sentence these wicked robbers to life imprisonment or even death. That would be the appropriate judgment. How much more our God, who is 100% just and righteous. God knew the Pharaoh and his soldiers were extremely wicked and cruel. He knew how they had killed all the male infants just because they wanted to keep the Israelites' population low. That was wickedness on another level. He knew how they had robbed the Israelites of their freedom, money, and dignity. Will He not deal with this wicked and evil man? Surely, the amazing thing was that they all died by drowning. Remember how they had once drowned all the children in the River Nile? So, what happened at the Red Sea was actually a divine retribution. God is all-knowing. He knows perfectly well how to deal with those who are wicked. His judgment is always just and righteous.
Verse 31, "And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” The primary purpose of manifesting His power and glory was that the Israelites might believe him. Notice the sequence of events. The Israelites saw the great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians. They first saw their salvation, and then they feared and believed the Lord. God did not wait for his people to trust in Him first before He would ever save them. If God had waited for His people first to respond to Him, they would never be saved.
Dear friends, just like our salvation too. If God had waited for you and me to seek after Him, to trust and believe in Him, we would never have been saved. Before we sought after Him, before we made any attempt to look for Him, God Himself first convicted our hearts, and He showed us the great work our Lord Jesus had done on the cross of Calvary. And our hearts are convicted, and that was how we turned to Him and believed in Him, and that was this fear of God in our hearts. If God had waited for any one of us to make any attempt first, to seek Him, to do any good works before He would save us, none of us would ever be saved. That is our God.
And when the children of Israel feared and believed the Lord, notice they also believed His servant, and that was Moses. When they were saved, it was a joy unspeakable. And that was why later on, they burst out in songs. Can you remember when you were saved, how happy and joyous you were? The gift of salvation is a gift that is so precious that no words can ever express it. And He gives to us a joy that is so great that it is unspeakable.
So next week, when we come back, we will learn how Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to glorify the God who has saved them. Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this opportunity for us to learn from the lives of the Israelites, how Thou had dealt with them. And even as we consider how Thou had dealt with them, we remember that our Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thou has dealt with us in the same way, and we are eternally grateful.
And even as we draw spiritual lessons from this passage, help us that we will be able to apply them into our lives. We pray that we will always be faithful to Thee, we will always look to Thy word because Thou will guide us, Thou will protect us, Thou will lead us at every step of the way. Our hearts are truly comforted. How we saw the pillar of cloud move from before the Israelites to stand behind them, in between the frightened Israelites and the mighty Egyptian army. Thou art in control of all things. In times of trouble, when we face the enemies before us, however powerful they may be, our God is all-powerful. He knows how to protect us.
And we pray that we will take it, just as the Israelites were commanded to take it. Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. And we have learned another important lesson and that is prayers are important, but it must never be used as an excuse for non-activity. Often times we pray and pray and pray but we never take the next step to move forward in faith. The time will come for us to move forward. It is time for action, not prayers. And we pray that we will take it and learn. As we pray, Thou will impress upon our hearts, the time will come for us to get going and move forward and take our desire and put it into action. Teach us, O Lord because as humans we always forget. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding to God’s InvitationResponding to God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
