Exodus Teaching - 03 - God's Mighty Hand
Exodus Teaching Series #3
TITLE: God's Mighty Hand
TEXT: Exodus 4:1-19:11
Introduction
If you can recall the events associated with the Exodus without recalling the words, “By My mighty hand,” or remembering that it was by the mighty hand of God that the Children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, and eventually permitted to enter Canaan to possess their possessions, you may well have missed the main part of the story of the Exodus. It is easy to get caught up in the story of slavery, suffering, and a miraculous deliverance, crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, without really stopping to appreciate the fact that this is all about the mighty hand of Yahweh, the great I Am, who promised Abraham that He would give his descendants the fertile Land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Compared to the desert country to the arid wilderness all around them, Canaan must have seemed like a land flowing with milk and honey. The Lord promised Abraham that his descendants would possess that land, but only after they spent 400 years in a foreign country. I wonder how many people have stopped to ask why the Lord would see them waste away in some foreign, pagan country for over 400 years before giving them the land. When the Lord entered the covenant with Abraham the Land of Canaan was filled with well armed people, various nations with a lot of experience in warfare. Abraham’s son Isaac, at that time, lived only in a prophetic hope in Abraham’s mind and heart. There was no Isaac, no Jacob, no twelve sons at the time. Five hundred or so years later, when Moses led Abraham’s descendants out of Egypt, they were two million or more strong, with some 600,000 men who could bear arms for Israel.
We may also wonder why the Lord permitted His Chosen People to become enslaved by the Egyptians, who persecuted them, killed some of them, and then ordered the death of all new born baby boys. Before a new king came to power who did not know about Joseph, or recognize the covenant the earlier Pharaoh had made with Joseph, the Israelites flourished in the land Joseph, through that very sympathetic Pharaoh, provided for his kinsmen. Until they were forced into slavery, suffering, death, and grief came to them, they would not have been willing to leave the fertile land of Goshen to go out and fight their enemies along the way and then fight to conquer the Land of Canaan. To them, Canaan wasn’t ever a memory - not even to their grandparents. Many of the Israelites had forgotten the one true God, the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The withdrawal of the protective hand of the Lord made the Israelites cry out to the Lord for deliverance. The mighty hand of God made the Egyptians want them to go, whether Pharaoh did or not.
The Lord knew Pharaoh would harden his heart against Moses and Israel. The Scripture tells us that after each of the early plagues Pharaoh hardened his heart. Then, we read that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh: “Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.” (Ex 11:10, HCSB) It is a very dangerous thing to harden one’s heart against the Lord in any day, but now we shall see what happened when Pharaoh hardened his heart for the tenth time against Yahweh, against Moses and Aaron, and against the Israelites.
I. THE TENTH PLAGUE: DEATH CAME CALLING IN EGYPT.
A. The Lord Prepared Egypt for the Exodus, Ex. 11:1-3.
“The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here. When he lets ⌊you⌋ go, he will drive you out of here. (2) Now announce to the people that both men and women should ask their neighbors for silver and gold jewelry.” (3) The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And the man Moses was highly regarded in the land of Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and the people.” (Ex 11:1-3, HCSB)
1) There was one more plague coming and it was directed against Pharaoh. When the Lord was through with him he would drive the Israelites out of Egypt.
2) The Israelites were told to ask their Egyptian neighbors for their silver and gold jewelry. He did not explain the reason for that but God always has a reason for what He does. We shall see why they were told to do this. They not only departed with jewelry, but with all the things necessary to worship and serve the Lord in the wilderness.
3) Moses was highly regarded among the Egyptians. He was highly regarded by Pharaoh’s official and by the people of Egypt. This is one of the most amazing things in this whole story, but then, ours is an amazing God. The one true God had demonstrated His power over the worthless gods of Egypt and the people understood that Moses was his spokesperson.
B. Yahweh Sent an Angel of Death to Strike Egypt, Exodus 11:4-8.
“So Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, (5) and every firstborn ⌊male⌋ in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the servant girl who is behind the millstones, as well as every firstborn of the livestock. (6) Then there will be a great cry of anguish through all the land of Egypt such as never was before, or ever will be again. (7) But against all the Israelites, whether man or beast, not ⌊even⌋ a dog will snarl, so that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (8) All these officials of yours will come down to me and bow before me, saying: Leave, you and all the people who follow you. After that, I will leave.’” And he left Pharaoh’s presence in fierce anger.” (Ex 11:4-8) [bold added]
1. The tenth plague was the death of the first born son in every home in which the people did not smear the blood of a lamb over the lintel of the door and on the door posts, 11:1-12:36. This final plague was directed against Pharaoh himself, there being a belief that the first born son of Pharaoh was the incarnation of the sun god Amen-Ra (he was called son of Ra). In the first chapter of Romans, those who worship created things instead of the Creator are condemned, but people are still doing it.
a. “...You may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (11:7). I have no doubt that you can see how the Lord made a distinction between Israel and Egypt. That is very obvious. But have you stopped to consider how the Lord makes a distinction between believers and unbelievers today? He does, you know. How can we tell? Do we compare houses, businesses, or automobiles? Many worldly people are in their element doing business with the world and the prince of this world rewards them openly. What better way to lure more worldly people into its control? Let me be quick to add that the Lord often blesses His people with wealth, comfort, and good health. I was asked by the President of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, Dr. Perry Hancock to participate in the Dedication of the Marie Galaspie Pavilion. Miss Marie Galaspie had left an amazing amount of land (with pine trees on top and oil beneath) and money to one of the really outstanding children’s homes in the country. You may have read about J. C. Penney and William Colgate, who tithed ninety percent of their income to the Lord. Stanley Tam got in on the groung floor of the plastics business. In his book, God Owns My Business, he explains how he gave his business to God and lived on a salary like everyone else in the company. However, wealth, power, and fame still lure a lot of people into Satan’s camp.
Let me mention another way to observe the difference between the way the Lord deals with the world and the way He deals with His children. Have you ever noticed letters to the editor in the local newspaper, with special attention to the ones in which someone praises the Lord for His blessings, and someone else responds with a letter attacking him (or her)for his or her stand on the Bible or because he or she gives the Lord credit for His blessings. A retired pastor, whom I met years ago but have not seen is some time, wrote a very well written letter to the editor of our newspaper. A few days later there was a vicious attack on this pastor by someone who obviously thought he was a lot smarter than the pastor. That retired pastor responded in an effort to explain his first letter, but the same man attacked him again. No doubt there were many Christians who sympathized with the minister, and probably some non-Christians who were cheering on the atheist, agnostic, or whatever the man is. How do we see the Lord making a distinction in a case like this? Is He really making a distinction? You can be sure He is, and the atheist or agnostic will someday know it, too. In fact, he may replay his argument over and over for all eternity.
Let me explain the difference. The Bible, and I mean every word of it, was miraculously inspired by the Holy Spirit. The entire Bible was miraculously preserved by the Holy Spirit. Assyriologists have, for a long time, been cleaning up clay tablets found in or around Nineveh and translating them for generations. What they have found is amazing, and both Christian and non-Christians scholars can use the information. Countless clay tablets from ancient Assyria, Babylon, and Persia support the Bible, when related to it, and do not disprove the Word of God. But wouldn’t it be something if all the information on those cuneiform was as accurate as the Book of Isaiah? Or Jeremiah? Or, Amos?
The answer to my question, however, lies deeper than that. The lost person today may appreciate the information on those cuneiform and he may write books about the discoveries. He may learn more about historical events, names, and laws in the Bible that the average pastor knows. What he cannot do is understand the deeper truths of the Word of God and apply them in his or her daily life. He may try, but there is one major problem. There are things that are spiritually discerned and only the person who is filled with the Holy Spirit will ever understand the deeper meaning and the right application of those principles. That points to a work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of true believer we call Illumination. I can assure you I have known people with a seventh grade education who could apply scriptural truths more readily and more appropriately than some PhDs I have known. God is still making a distinction between His children and the children of the world.
b. Pharaoh, “...summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, “Get up, leave my
people, both you and the Israelites, and go, worship the Lord as you have asked” (Ex 12:31). The late Bible scholar John R. Sampey observed, “The man who begins to harden his heart will presently find God cooperating with him through the laws of his mind. He will pluck up courage to fight God to the finish; and that course spells destruction.”
I have a QUESTION: Why ten plagues? Why not three? That is the divine number. Why not seven? That is the complete (perfect) number. Why ten? Ten is the number for human completion (ten fingers, ten toes, etc.). Add three (divine number) and seven (perfect number) and you get ten, the number for human completion. Do you suppose that had something to do with the complete population of Egypt, or even the total defeat of ten false gods? What we do know is that the victory was full and complete. By these ten plagues God demonstrated His sovereignty over all the elements, over all the so-called gods of the world, and His ultimate control over all people; whether they like it or not, whether the believer it or not, whether they cooperate or not.
2. He struck the unprotected first born son in Egypt. Almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob struck fear in the hearts of the Egyptians. They feared the God of the Israelites, because of the first nine plagues, but the tenth one was a direct attack, not only on the Pharaoh, who thought of himself as a god, but also on all the people of Egypt. The common people of Egypt were frightened, but they were in awe of Moses and were anxious to encourage the Israelites to leave Egypt, and when the Israelites asked for gold and silver they gladly gave that to them, as well as other things they would need at Sinai when the Lord told them to build the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the altars, and the various tents that completed and protected the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Whatever they needed, they Egyptians had provided, and as we have seen, they had also provided the training needed by the craftsmen to build all the Lord commanded. The craftsmen whom Yahweh had gifted with special talents were trained by the Egyptians who served Pharaoh. Nothing is too amazing for the Lord.
C. The Death Angel Passed Over Hebrew Homes Marked with Blood of a Lamb, Ex. 121-28.
1. Detailed instructions are given for Passover, 12:1ff. This is amazing, and I wish those who make the movies and TV specials about the Exodus would read chapter 12 very carefully. The death angel would spread panic and grief all over Egypt, except in the Land of Goshen where the Hebrew children lived. The Lord very specific instructions for the salvation of the Israelites. They could muster 600,000 soldiers at the time they left Egypt, but they were completely disorganized, untrained, undisciplined, and ill equipped. The deliverance was totally and completely the work of Yahweh, the great I Am.
a. Specific instructions were given for Passover, EX. 12:1-11. The Lord gave specific instructions for the preparation and observance of Passover. Down through the centuries, every time the Israelites celebrated Passover they would be remembering that first Passover and their deliverance, and what they did was prophetic of the ultimate Passover when the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world would make the supreme, once for all sacrifice for the sins of the world. The Lord told those early Israelites, “They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them” (12:11). (Bold for emphasis)
They would be saved by the blood of the lamb, just as we are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God. When we sing, “Nothing but the Blood,” we acknowledge the fact that the only way anyone is ever saved is by the shed blood of the Lamb of God, who poured out His blood at Calvary.
b. God gave specific instructions for Passover, Ex. 12:8-11.
“They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roasted over the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (vs. 10) ....Here is how you must eat it: you must be dressed for travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hurry; it is the Lord’s Passover” (vs. 11).
c. Those who obeyed avoided the death of the firstborn, 12:12-13.
“I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn ⌊male⌋ in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. I am Yahweh; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. (13) The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy ⌊you⌋ when I strike the land of Egypt.”
d. They must celebrate Passover annually. That celebration looked back to the night God delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt by His mighty hand. God instructed them: “You are to observe the ⌊Festival of⌋ Unleavened Bread because on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent statute.” (Ex. 12:17) The method He chose may seem strange to those who do not know the Word of God, but, and I know I am repeating myself, Passover not only looked back, it looked ahead to the sacrifice of the unblemished Lamb of God whose blood would be poured out on the cross for you and me, and for all who simply believe in Him. Folks, to be sure we do not miss the significance fo this, we are talking about the death of Jesus on the Cross! That makes this personal.
e. Moses told the people what they were to do, Ex:12:21-23.
(21) “Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go, select an animal from the flock according to your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. (22) Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and brush the lintel and the two doorposts with some of the blood in the basin. None of you may go out the door of his house until morning. (23) When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, He will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike ⌊you⌋.”
f. They obeyed the Lord. They bowed down and worshiped the Lord (vs. 27) and “Then the Israelites went and did ⌊this⌋; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron” (vs. 28).
D. The Death Angel struck every firstborn among the Egyptians, 12:29-30.
1. The death angel struck every family in Egypt. Every first born male, whether human or animal was killed. No one was spared. The people saw the tenth plague and if the first nine had not been convincing, the final one left the Egyptians in a very cooperative state of mind. They were anxious for the Israelites to leave. I must confess that I have a problem remembering names. However, when I think about the death angel passing through Egypt I remember spending the night with Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Powell in Cleveland, Mississippi when I was a student at Mississippi College, serving in my first pastorate, Dockery Baptist Church. Gerald had a telescope and he studied the moon and stars at night. That night there seemed to be a little fog that you could see under street lights. I had no idea what Gerald knew about the Bible, but he made a statement that I have never forgotten. He looked out into the dark, with the glow of a few lights here and there and said, “I picture it as a night like this when the death angel of the Lord passed through Egypt, killing all the first born sons of the Egyptians.” I cannot imagine the cries of the Egyptians, but that must have been a horrible night, a night like no other in the history of the world, unless it was the Sennacharib Crisis of 701 B. C. when the death angel passed through the camp of the Assyrians leaving 185,000 dead in one night.
Let me hasten to add that the real story of that night was not death, but life. It was not only about the death of the first born among the Egyptians, but the life of the first born sons among the Israelites who were spared by the blood of the Passover lamb. It is also about eternal life which is given each person who believes in Christ our Passover - Jesus who died on a cruel cross, but was raised the third day. It is about Jesus, who ascended to His place at the right hand of the Father, from which place He is making intercession for us today. It is about the Lamb of God who has promised to come again, at a time when all true believers will be caught up to meet Him in the air. It is not about rhyme or riddle, it is not about ritual or ceremony, it is not about popes and bishops, it is not about denominations and documents, it is about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was sent into the world to die for the sins of the people of the world. We are not told to observe feast of festival, sing the praises of preachers or priests, but we are invited to receive Jesus, who is called Christ our Passover, by simply trusting our all to Him.
2. The death angel came to Egypt at midnight. In the entire history of the world there has never been another night quite like this one: “Now at midnight the Lord struck every firstborn ⌊male⌋ in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock.” (Ex. 12:29). This tenth plague overshadowed all the others, moving Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel go, and the people of Egypt to encourage and assist them on their way: “Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, “We’re all going to die!” (12:33)
II. THEN CAME THE EXODUS, EXODUS 12:35-39.
A. The Israelites Plundered Egypt, 12:35-36.
“The Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians’ sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians” (35-35). Ancient kings went to war during the season when weather permitted it. They invaded neighboring countries in order to plunder those countries, killing soldiers, capturing slaves, and taking anything and everything that might be of use to them. The Israelites took whatever the Egyptians offered them and no doubt they made use of it during those long years in the wilderness. Little did they realize that the Lord, as already mentioned, would call on them to give gold, silver, brass, precious stones, fabric, wood, and animal skins for the construction of the tabernacle, the Ark, tables, altar, the holy vessels, an Aaron’s attire as high priest.
B. The Bible Provides the Historical Information, 12:37-39.
“The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot, besides their families. (38) An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds. (39) The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they had been driven out of Egypt they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.”
I wondered about the rendering, “ethnically diverse crowd”, so I checked with one source and found this comment: “a mixed multitude went with them -- literally, ‘a great rabble’ (see also Nu 11:4 De 29:11); slaves, persons in the lowest grades of society, partly natives and partly foreigners, bound close to them as companions in misery, and gladly availing themselves of the opportunity to escape in the crowd.” [ —Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary] If there is one thing we can be sure of it is that all the Jews had all observed Passover. It may well suggest that the “mixed crowd” had observed Passover, but we are specifically told that.
The Believer’s Study Bible Notes has this to say about the multitude: “A “mixed multitude,” including some who were not Israelites, left Egypt. No doubt the plagues convinced these outsiders to join the followers of Yahweh. However, having no common heritage, this crowd of different nationalities later became a snare to Israel (cf. Num 11:4).”
There were 600,000 Israelite soldiers, which has led scholars to estimate that there were at least two million Israelites who made the Exodus. The Book of Exodus informs us that:
“The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. (41) At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the Lord’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. (42) It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because He would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor of the Lord, a night vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations” (12:40-42).
Indeed, the psalmists and prophets were inspired to remind the Israelites of their day of God’s miraculous deliverance of their ancestors.
C. They Seemed to Wander in Confusion for Some Time, Ex. 14:1-4.
Some speak of the Israelites as “wandering in the wilderness for forty years,” but let me assure you, they were not wandering aimlessly, wandering in confusion, or wandering out of control during all that time. They moved from place to place, probably at times for hygienic reasons, but those were controlled moves, not aimless wanderings. However, after they moved out of the immediate area the Lord directed them to move in such a way as to give Pharaoh the impression that they were wondering in a state of confusion. The Lord was not finished with Pharaoh:
“Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So the Israelites did this.” (Ex 14:3-4).
The Lord, who had hardened the heart of Pharaoh before would do so again so that He might declare Himself to be Yahweh, which is the covenant name for God. With what Yahweh was about to do now it would be a long time before Egypt would be a threat to Israel.
III. THE LORD SET UP A FINAL CONFLICT WITH PHARAOH, 14:15-31.
A. God Protected His People as the Came to the Red Sea.
Pharaoh, having been convinced that the Israelites were wandering around the wilderness in a state of confusion, took immediate steps to go after them and return them to slavery. With his officials, he ordered “600 of the best chariots, plus all rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers in each one” to pursue the Israelites” (14:7). The Lord, once again, hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out without fear until they saw Pharaoh’s chariots, horsemen, and his army chasing after them. As the Israelites saw the mighty Egyptian army charging toward them they were “terrified and cried out to the Lord for help” (vs. 10). Then, they did what they would do so often over the next forty years: they complained and protested to Moses and Aaron. “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (14:11-12).
Moses, as he would have to do so many times over the next forty years, “said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet” (14:13-14).
The movies about the Exodus usually portray the people in a state of panic, which no doubt was true at the time they saw the Egyptians chariots and cavalry charging toward them. Were they charging toward them to kill them or to recapture them? Pharaoh wanted to reclaim his slave, but they could not have known that when they saw the chariots. With the large number of Israelites I am sure they would not have minded killing a lot of them, especially the men.
Israel had a large army but they did not have the horses, chariots, spears, swords, and bows and arrows the enemy had. Was there any hope? How could they escape? They could not escape the superior army, with its trained men and weapons of war. There was no escape, no hope, no way out - unless God provided a way. This is exactly the position the lost person is in when he realizes he is lost in sin, condemned for eternity with no escape. He is helpless and hopeless, unless the Lord delivers him. Let’s see what happened at the Red Sea.
B. Yahweh Miraculously Delivers His Chosen People.
1. They could not deliver themselves. They had observed the Passover meal, dressed as ordered, and marched out of Egypt as ordered. They had done everything they knew to do, but now they were defenseless, unless the Lord delivered them by some miracle. It would take a miracle, but they had seen ten miraculous signs, should they not have looked to the Lord to finish what He had started? Sadly, there are some today who seem to believe that the Lord helps those who help themselves, but that does not work when you have done everything your power to save yourself, but you are still hopelessly lost, with only a glimpse or hope of salvation. What will the Lord do when you have done all you can do, and you have still come up short? We shall see.
2. The only hope was across the Red Sea. There was no escape, no other hope. There was no turning back, no escape in any other direction. The only way was straight ahead, but there was an impossible barrier between them and freedom. They could not do it but Yahweh could! Look at what He did:
“The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. (16) As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. (17) I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army, and his chariots and horsemen. (18) The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I receive glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” (14:15-18, HCSB)
Not only did the Egyptians know, all the nations in that part of the world knew. Rahab knew forty years later, and said that the rulers of Jericho knew and feared the Israelites. How did the word spread? For one thing, by the great caravans that moved from one country to another. There would have been spies, and some of those may have attached themselves to the caravans.
3. The Angel of God came to their defense, 14:19-20.
Those who reject the Doctrine of the Trinity will disagree with me here, but I am convinced that “the Angel of the Lord,” about whom we read in the Old Testament is none other than the pre-incarnate Son of God, Jesus the Messiah. I can assure you I am not alone here. In John 1:1-2 we are told that He was the Agent of Creation. Paul wrote of the rock from which the Lord miraculously provided water for up to two million people for and extended period of time: “that rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).
Here, the Angel of God was there to bless the Israelites every day in a pillar of cloud and every night as a pillar of fire. In this passage, “The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them. It came between the Egyptian and Israelite forces. The cloud was there ⌊in⌋ the darkness, yet it lit up the night. So neither group came near the other all night long.”
C. The Lord Parted the Waters of the Red Sea, 14:21-31.
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea ⌊back⌋ with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, (22) and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters ⌊like⌋ a wall to them on their right and their left.”
1. Let’s consider the site of the crossing of the Red Sea. Several years ago a young man I had known for many years was working with the Bible Navigators when he visited in my home and began telling me about a new discovery! He told me that we had been wrong for centuries about the site of the crossing. I am afraid I doubted him and let him know than when Israeli archaeologists accept that site I will reconsider it. A few years later, my good friend J. D. Sagley of Fort Smith, Arkansas, sent me a book and a DVD about an amazing discovery. In that video, Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams share their personal experience, as well as that of Jim and Penny Caldwell and their son and daughter. Neither knew of the other at the time of their exploration. Bob Cornuke used his Bible to guide him to the new location after visiting the traditional site of the crossing of the Red Sea and the long accepted site of Mt. Sinai, the site we are told was so designated by the mother of Emperor Constantine.
Bob Cornuke used his Bible to follow the march of the Israelites, and I will have more to say about that in another message, but I was impressed with what Bob had to say about the place of the crossing and the connection he made to the location of Mt. Sinai, the Mountain of Moses, as some Beduin Arabs called it.
To reach the place where they crossed the Red Sea the Israelites probably marched - not wandered - along the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez, made the turn around the tip of the Sinai peninsula, and came to the narrowest place on the Gulf of Aqaba, the northern arm of the Red Sea. At that point there is a ridge beneath the sea that spans the entire distance across the gulf. The ridge, or underwater bridge, is wide enough for the great multitude to cross, and shallow enough for them to walk down onto the land bridge and come out again without having to descend down a steep bank into the depth of the sea, or climb a steep bank to get out of the sea. Cornuke and Williams walked out some distance into the water and stood in waste deep water. Obviously, it becomes deep enough for ships to pass over the land bridge, and deep enough to drown the Egyptian army! It is, however, shallow enough for a large group to cross with their wagons and carts. Remember that they were loaded down with the plunder of Egypt. I will save other comments about this for later message about Mt. Sinai. The point is, The Angel of the Lord protected the entire nation and the Lord, Yahweh of the burning bush, parted the water of the Red Sea so His Chosen People could cross safely.
2. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites. One thing we know for sure is that the Bible is not speaking of this crossing of the Red Sea as a crossing of the Sea of Reeds. All those horses and all those men did not drown, and all those chariots did not sink in ankle deep water. They crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, and they drove their livestock with them, and they carried their possessions and the plunder of Egypt with them. They would have had a lot of carts or wagons loaded with the plunder of which the Bible speaks.
The pillar must have moved back to the front of the Israelites because the barrier that kept the Egyptians from pursuing the Israelites was removed and they did pursue them into the sea. Let us read the description of what happened next. Little commentary is necessary here.
“The Egyptians set out in pursuit—all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen—and went into the sea after them. (24) Then during the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud, and threw them into confusion. (25) He caused their chariot wheels to swerve and made them drive with difficulty. “Let’s get away from Israel,” the Egyptians said, “because Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt!” (14:23-25)
3. Then the Lord caused the Egyptians to drown in the sea
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots and horsemen.” (27) So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were trying to escape from it, the Lord threw them into the sea. 28) The waters came back and covered the chariots and horsemen, the entire army of Pharaoh, that had gone after them into the sea. None of them survived.” (14:26-28).
The Lord sought to make a distinction between the pagan Egyptians and His Chosen People Israel, and He certainly did that. But, some may ask, why did the Lord destroy Pharaoh’s army and kill all those men? For that matter, why did He kill all the first born of Egypt? Is He not a God of love? Yes, He is! He is also a holy God, and He is a God with a purpose. Let me add that drowning was not the worst thing that happened to those Egyptians that day. The death experience is often a brief experience, but both heaven and hell are for eternity. The Lord had demonstrated His existence, His power and might, and His mercy ten times and more before He destroyed this mighty army beneath the waters of the Red Sea that came crashing down on the Egyptian army.
CONCLUSION
We read that “But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with the waters ⌊like⌋ a wall to them on their right and their left. (30) That day the Lord saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. (31) When Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and believed in Him and in His servant Moses” (Ex. 14:29-31) (bold added for emphasis).
Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt by the mighty hand of God, a fact that is underscored throughout the Book of Exodus. At the burning bush the Lord said, “I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, unless ⌊he is forced⌋ by a strong hand” (Ex 3:19). Listen to these references to the Lord’s strong hand:
(1) “I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt...” (Ex 3:20)
(2) “Now you are going to see what I will do to Pharaoh: he will let them go because of My strong hand; he will drive them out of his land because of My strong hand” (Ex 6:1),
(3) “Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put My hand on Egypt and bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.”
( 5) The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I stretch out My hand against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them.” (Ex 7:4-5)
We could go on and on, but I think we get the picture. Someone sent me a note about the statement made by a Muslim cleric in Egypt a few days ago: “A video of a Friday sermon before hundreds in Egypt capture this promise from a leading cleric: It’s only a matter of time before the flag of Islam flies above the White House.
The video, reported by The Arab World, quoted the cleric as saying this: “I swear to Allah almighty Sharia will be implemented, I tell you, not only in Egypt. Sharia will be implemented in and govern the entire world.” Let me see: This Muslim cleric swears by a god who does not exist, has never existed, and will never exist. His god is Satan, who met his fate at Calvary, and whose sentence will be carried out forever when he is cast into the lake of fire with all those he has deceived. Is it not interesting that so many people are coming to America to escape trials, hardships, and persecutions only to come here and try to make America like the county from which they fled?
The Lord had saved His people by His power and might, just as He had destroyed the enemy by His mighty right hand. That is exactly what happened when you and I were saved. It is what must happen in the life of every non-believer today. The Lord had demonstrated His power, His might, His protection, His deliverance, and His commitment to His people throughout the Book of Exodus.
At one point, whether you realized it or not, if you are a born again Christian, you were at one time standing before Almighty God. There was an enemy behind you and salvation before you. You were totally helpless in that you could do absolutely nothing to save your self. You placed your trust in Jesus and the waters of death, destruction, and punishment were removed by His mighty hand. You were saved by the grace of God and that required a miracle from the same God who parted the waters of the Red Sea and permitted His people to cross on dry land.
If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are invited right now to place your faith in Him and He will part the waters of doubt and fear and permit you to enter His kingdom. You cannot do it alone. You cannot do it with the help of other people. You cannot do it in any kind of partnership with Him. He does all the saving and there are no exceptions. “There is no other name given among men by which you must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
