January
26th Exodus
14 The Lord divides the Sea
1:
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2:
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before
Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon:
before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3:
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in
the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 4:
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them;
and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the
Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. 5:
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart
of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and
they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from
serving us? 6:
And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: 7:
And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of
Egypt, and captains over every one of them. 8:
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he
pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went
out with an high hand. 9:
But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of
Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping
by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. 10:
And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their
eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were
sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 11:
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast
thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou
dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12:
Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us
alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us
to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
13:
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the
salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the
Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more
for ever. 14:
The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 15:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak
unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 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. 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. 18:
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. 19:
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed
and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before
their face, and stood behind them: 20:
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel;
and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night
to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 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. 22:
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the
dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand,
and on their left. 23:
And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the
sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24:
And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto
the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the
cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25:
And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so
that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the
LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 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. 27:
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. 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. 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. 30:
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians;
and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 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.
Exodus 15 C. The Marching
to Mt Sinai The song of Moses
1:
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD,
and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed
gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2:
The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he
is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and
I will exalt him. 3:
The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. 4:
Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen
captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5:
The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
6:
Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand,
O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7:
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them
that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which
consumed them as stubble. 8:
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together,
the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in
the heart of the sea. 9:
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the
spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my
hand shall destroy them. 10:
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as
lead in the mighty waters. 11:
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12:
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13:
Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed:
thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14:
The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the
inhabitants of Palestina. 15:
Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab,
trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan
shall melt away. 16:
Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm
they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD,
till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 17:
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine
inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to
dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
18:
The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
The song of Miriam
19:
For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his
horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the
sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the
midst of the sea. 20:
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her
hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with
dances. 21:
And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed
gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The bitter waters of
Marah
22:
So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the
wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and
found no water. 23:
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of
Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called
Marah. 24:
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
25:
And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which
when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there
he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved
them, 26:
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD
thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give
ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none
of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians:
for I am the LORD that healeth thee. 27:
And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and
threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
In
today’s reading we have the momentous event of the crossing of the
Red sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army. Israel fed from
Pharaoh and went south east into the Sinai Peninsula. Now when
Pharaoh realised that they were escaping by a route that would block
Israel in he thought that he would chase them and get his revenge.
However this was of the Lords
doing and he was heading for his own destruction. The passage says
they were entangled in the land. When we look at the route they took
it was an amazingly crooked path through great canyons towards the
Red Sea. When the children of Israel saw the Egyptians coming, a very
great army, with hundreds of chariots and foot soldiers they were
afraid and complained to the Lord. But Moses said do not be afraid
but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The Lord will
fight for you – you must be quiet. The children of Israel found
themselves on the beach of Nuweiba on the Red Sea (The gulf of
Acabar) And with mountains right and left and the sea in front of
them. The pillar of cloud removed from being in front of them and
passed over to be behind them. Then Moses stretched out his staff
over the sea and a strong east wind blew and parted the waters. In
the gulf of Acabar there is a ‘land bridge’ about 300 feet below
the surface of the water. With a steep cliff each side going down to
800 feet. In the time of Solomon he erected two pillars on each side
of the crossing place and inscribed with detailed of the purpose of
this memorial. The children of Israel crossed as on dry land. When
the Egyptians tried to follow Israelites into the sea the Lord
disturbed them and took off their chariot wheels so that they dragged
the chariots slowly. There are people who say that they crossed a
river that was in drought. However it’s hard to imagine why the
chariots of the Egyptians would get stuck in a trickle of water and
even more difficult to imagine how they drowned. The truth is that
those who visit the crossing site would realise that that idea is
pure fiction. Then when the children of Israel were safe on the other
side the Lord caused the waters to return and on the next day the
children of Israel saw all the Egyptians drowned in the water. This
event made a huge impression on Israel and the people feared the Lord
and they listened to Moses. After it was all over Moses sang a song
to the Lord. –
I will sing unto the
LORD,
for he hath triumphed
gloriously:
the horse and his
rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The LORD is my
strength and song,
and he is become my
salvation:
he is my God,
and I will prepare him
an habitation;
my father's God, and I
will exalt him.
The LORD is a man of
war: the LORD is his name.
Pharaoh's chariots and
his host hath he cast into the sea:
his chosen captains
also are drowned in the Red sea.
The depths have
covered them:
they sank into the
bottom as a stone.
Thy right hand, O
LORD, is become glorious in power:
thy right hand, O
LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness
of thine excellency thou hast overthrown
them that rose up
against thee:
thou sentest forth thy
wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
And with the blast of
thy nostrils the waters were gathered together,
the floods stood
upright as an heap,
and the depths were
congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, I will
pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the
spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them;
I will draw my sword,
my hand shall destroy them.
Thou didst blow with
thy wind, the sea covered them:
they sank as lead in
the mighty waters.
Who is like unto thee,
O LORD, among the gods?
who is like thee,
glorious in holiness,
fearful in praises,
doing wonders?
Thou stretchedst out
thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Thou in thy mercy hast
led forth the people which thou hast redeemed:
thou hast guided them
in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
The people shall hear,
and be afraid:
sorrow shall take hold
on the inhabitants of Palestina.
Then the dukes of Edom
shall be amazed;
the mighty men of
Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them;
all the inhabitants of
Canaan shall melt away.
Fear and dread shall
fall upon them;
by the greatness of
thine arm they shall be as still as a stone;
till thy people pass
over, O LORD, till the people pass over,
which thou hast
purchased.
Thou shalt bring them
in,
and plant them in the
mountain of thine inheritance, in the place,
O LORD, which thou
hast made for thee to dwell in,
in the Sanctuary, O
Lord, which thy hands have established.
The LORD shall reign
for ever and ever.
Nobody can imagine after
so many years of hard labour and bitter bondage the joy of their
deliverance. Then Miriam burst into song…
For the horse of
Pharaoh went in with his chariots
and with his horsemen
into the sea,
and the LORD brought
again the waters of the sea upon them;
but the children of
Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
Miriam
the other sister of Moses who was a prophetess took a timbrel
in her hand and she led a merry dance in true Jewish style. After
coming through the Red Sea the children of Israel soon came down to
earth. They were thirsty! After three days the children of Israel
came to a spring but the water was polluted and they began
complaining at Moses for bringing them into the wilderness. If God
was going to bless them then he was going to bring them into a place
were only he could bless them. Moses was told by the Lord to cut down
a particular tree and to throw it into the water and the waters
became drinkable. The Lord entered into a covenant that if the
Children of Israel obeyed the voice of the Lord then none of the
diseases that the Egyptians had suffered would come upon then. The
Lord would he the LORD who heals Israel. This was always the case
with Israel and it goes a long way to explain the incidents of
healing in the ministry of Christ and his Apostles. Later they came
to Elim where there were twelve wells and seventy palm trees and the
children of Israel camped there.
- Where did the Children of Israel escape to?
- What did you find on Google earth in the Gulf of Aqabar?
- What sort of rejoicing occurred when they saw the Egyptians drowned on the shore?
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