#11 The First Crisis of Israel in the Wilderness

(14:1-31) Introduction: life is often cruel, very cruel. Hopes that have risen to great heights sink in disappointment. Everywhere, every day, thousands of people are facing...

“He [God] made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel” (Ps. 103:7, nkjv). The Jewish people were told what God wanted them to do, but Moses was told why God was doing it. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him” (Ps. 25:14). The leadership of Moses was a key ingredient in Israel’s success.

“Where is God when we really need Him?” becomes the cry of the human heart. This was the very situation confronting Israel. The Israelites had been freed from the cruel hand of Pharaoh, but for what reason? To perish like hunted animals? There they stood trapped by the Red Sea and the surrounding Egyptian army. Up against insurmountable odds, Israel had to face:

But note: the problem was not Pharaoh and his great military power. The problem was not the Red Sea. The problem was closer to home. The problem was the hearts of the Israelites, the secret thoughts of the heart that wondered...

Þ Mothers were clutching children, trying to make their final memories of freedom as least painful as possible.

Þ Perhaps some were contemplating throwing themselves into the Red Sea, allowing the waters to become their final resting place.

Scripture states that the people bitterly accused Moses and God of being cruel. This stinging yet false charge cut to the core. Any other man would have thrown up his hands and waved the white flag of surrender to Pharaoh, but not Moses. Instead, Moses pointed the people to the LORD. He knew that God was in complete control of the situation. God was preparing to do something great, something so marvelous, so extraordinary that it would be recorded as one of the greatest acts in history. God was going to make them eyewitnesses of His great power, a power that can deliver us from any trial, any circumstance:

This is the message of this great Scripture: The First Crisis of Israel in the Wilderness—Crossing the Red Sea: God’s Great Deliverance, Exodus 14:1-31.

2. Scene 2: Pharaoh’s change of mind and pursuit of God’s people (a symbol of an evil leader, of the world) (v.5-9).

With the pillar to guide the Israelites, one may wonder why it was necessary for God to speak to Moses concerning the leading of the people in verses 1‑4 of chapter 14. There is a very good reason, I believe. Moses was to bring about a “change of course” for the Israelites, one that would greatly perplex the people without an explanation. The Israelites were instructed to “turn back” and to camp near Pi Hahioroth, between Migdol and the sea.[1]

Had the pillar of cloud moved in this direction without any word from God, the people may have been inclined to disregard it. They might have thought that the pillar needed repair. There are several reasons why.

God’s instructions were required to assure the Israelites that the new course which the pillar would set were correct, even though perplexing.

First, the Israelites were going to “turn back,” that is, to reverse their direction. Why in the world would they possibly retrace their steps backwards? Instead of fleeing from Pharaoh, it might look as though they were making it easy for him to catch up with them. Second, the course which they were about to take would be one that would place them in a very dangerous position.

Through Moses, God ordered a change of direction which to many Israelites must have seemed strange and indeed risky, for their course was to turn in a southwesterly direction which in a short time would place great bodies of water between themselves and the Sinai peninsula to the east.[2]

It didn’t take a military genius to figure out that what the Israelites were doing was to put themselves in a very vulnerable position, trapped, between natural barriers. Were Pharaoh to pursue them, they would be in a bunch of trouble. God explained through Moses that this change of course was indeed intended to encourage Pharaoh’s pursuit. Pharaoh, God knew, would think that the Israelites were miserably lost or misguided, and that recovering them as a work force would be like “taking candy from a baby.”[3] Pharaoh’s attack would result in his defeat, to the glory of God (v. 4).

It dawned on Pharaoh and his officers that, by allowing their Jewish slaves to escape, they had threatened, if not destroyed, Egypt’s whole economy, so the logical thing was to go after the Jews and bring them back. Now we’re given another reason why the Lord selected this route: the reports would convince Pharaoh that the Jews were wandering like lost sheep in the wilderness and therefore were fair game for his army to pursue and capture. The Lord was drawing the Egyptians into His trap.

What seemed like an easy victory to Egypt would turn out to be an ignominious defeat, and the Lord would get all the glory. Once again He would triumph over Pharaoh and the gods and goddesses of Egypt. Pharaoh commandeered all the chariots of Egypt, mounted his own royal chariot, and pursued the people of Israel.

(14:1-4) Israel— Egypt— Baal-zephon— Justice, of God— Glory, of God— God, Proof of: the first scene is that of God’s plan and purpose.

1. God gave a strange, surprising instruction to Moses. He told Moses to change directions, to turn back and pitch camp by the Red Sea...

Strange, surprising instructions! Israel had already reached the edge of the desert, and the people were ready to begin their march to Horeb or Mt. Sinai where they were to worship God. Then they were to march on toward the promised land of Canaan. But here God was instructing them to turn back and camp at the edge of the sea. Why? Why would God want Israel to backtrack and camp by the sea?

a. God wanted Pharaoh to think that Israel was trapped between the sea and the desert (Exodus 14:3). Very simply, Pharaoh would hear that Israel was camped by the sea, and he would immediately know that he could trap them there. They would be in a defenseless, helpless position. He could recapture them and bring them back to Egypt as slaves. The loss of free labor and wealth suffered by freeing the two million plus slaves was bound to be a terrible blow to the economy of Egypt. Pharaoh and his people had no doubt been facing crisis after crisis since the Israelites had fled the country.

Thus when Pharaoh’s spies brought word to him that the Israelites were camped by the sea, he and his officials knew they could easily recapture the slaves. They knew they could regain their free labor and the enormous wealth the Israelites had taken with them as they fled Egypt.

b. God was to gain glory through Pharaoh and his army, gain glory over the evil empire of ancient Egypt and gain glory over all the false gods of the Egyptians. God was going to execute justice upon Pharaoh and his military: they were to be destroyed because of their hard hearts, because of the terrible evil of idolatry, because of enslaving and brutalizing other people, especially the people of God.

c. God wanted the Egyptians to know that He is the LORD, the only true Savior and Deliverer of man, the only living and true God (Exodus 14:4). The gods of Egypt were false. God wanted the Egyptians to know that they were worshipping and following false gods. No man-made god would be able to deliver Pharaoh and his army, no god of man’s imagination was going to be able to stop the LORD from judging the Egyptians. The Egyptians were to know beyond any question that there is only one living and true God, the LORD Himself (Jehovah, Yahweh).

Thus, by executing judgment upon Pharaoh and his army, God was giving the surviving Egyptians an opportunity to repent, to turn away from their evil and idolatrous ways and to turn to the LORD Himself. Even in judgment, God was showing mercy upon the Egyptian people.

DEEPER STUDY (14:2) Pi-hiharoth— Cities or Areas: located by the Red Sea, this was the setting for one of Israel’s greatest moments, the moment when God miraculously defeated Pharaoh’s mighty army at the Red Sea. There are three dominant views of Pi-hahiroth’s exact location.

Þ The first view places Pi-hahiroth near the Mediterranean Sea on Lake Sirbonis.

Þ The third and most likely view places Pi-hahiroth near the modern Tell Defneh (the ancient Egyptian Tahpanhes).

DEEPER STUDY (14:2) Migdol— Cities or Areas: the name of an area in western Egypt. The Hebrew word means fort or watchtower.

Þ It was between Migdol and the Red Sea that Israel camped while they waited for an apparent destructive blow from Pharaoh or a saving act from God (Exodus 14:2).

Þ The geographical location of Migdol was just west of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:2).

Þ Migdol was Israel’s final encampment in Egypt (Exodus 14:2, cp. Numbers 33:7).

Þ During the time of the prophet Jeremiah, many of the rebellious Israelites fled to Migdol and practiced idolatry (cp. Jeremiah 44:1-14; Jeremiah 46:14).⁵⁸

DEEPER STUDY (14:2) Baal-zephon— Cities or Areas: the name means Baal of the North. Note these striking facts about this place:

Þ Baal-zephon was named for an Egyptian deity. It was the perfect place for God’s people to observe Pharaoh’s on-rushing army.

Þ Baal-zephon became a visual aid for Israel to see God’s glory—the glory of Almighty God versus those who worshipped the false gods of Egypt (Exodus 14:2; Exodus 14:9; Numbers 33:7).

Changing Pharaoh’s Mind (14:5‑9)

From what we are told in these verses, Pharaoh was ready for any sign of hope that he might recover the slave labor which he had released. Shortly after the Israelites had departed, Pharaoh and his officials had second thoughts about the wisdom of releasing this valuable economic resource—slave labor (v. 5). Pharaoh mustered his entire division of chariots and went after them in hot pursuit, six hundred chariots in all (v. 6). Pharaoh’s decision was not only hard‑hearted, it was hard headed. Six hundred chariots (with 2, or at the most 3 men per chariot) would hardly seem to be a match for 600,000 men.

The change of course of the Israelites seemed to be playing right into Pharaoh’s hands. He overtook the Israelites at Pi Hahiroth, undoubted looking like the cat that had just eaten the canary. How could he possibly fail?

(14:5-9) Pharaoh— Egypt, Military of; Economy of: the second scene was dramatic: Pharaoh’s change of mind and pursuit of God’s people. Note the fast moving drama of Scripture that is described ever so rapidly.

1. Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about freeing God’s people (Exodus 14:15). Remember the economy of Egypt had been catastrophically devastated by the plagues. God had launched the plagues to execute justice upon Pharaoh and his people. The Egyptians needed to rebuild their nation. Every industry had obviously been affected: farming, construction, mining, metal, food, and the service industries.

But Pharaoh and his officials not only had to deal with a devastated economy, they had to deal with the loss of most of their labor force and with the loss of economic wealth. Remember, there were over six-hundred thousand Israelite men alone, and most of them would have large families. Just imagine the impact of losing more than two million slave-laborers, all cheap and free laborers.

Moreover, there was gold, silver, and other gifts given by the Egyptians to each Israelite family—just to get rid of them lest the plagues of God continue to fall upon Egypt. The combined wealth would have amounted to millions of dollars. Just a small amount of gold and silver and other valuables—worth say a hundred dollars—given to each family would have amounted to sixty million dollars. Whatever the wealth given, it was enormous.

The reality of the lost wealth and the loss of free labor was bound to severely impact the rebuilding of Egypt’s economy. The Egyptians could rebuild the nation much quicker if they could recapture the Israelites, enslave them, and confiscate their enormous wealth. Pharaoh and his officials had no doubt been discussing this fact in their cabinet meetings as they met to handle the devastated economy of the nation. Thus when they heard that the Israelites slaves were camped between the sea and the desert, it is easy to imagine...

What was God’s reaction against their plan to launch a savage, brutal attack? God hardened their hearts. That is, He gave them up to the passion of their hard hearts. He allowed their hearts to become harder and harder in their evil passions. Note what happened.

2. Pharaoh mobilized his massive army (Exodus 14:6-9). This is seen in the fact...

· that Pharaoh mobilized six hundred of his best chariots as well as many of the other chariots of Egypt. By “best chariots” is meant 600 of the most advanced war machines of that day.

· that Pharaoh placed officers over all the chariots. A certain number of chariots must have been assigned to a large number of foot soldiers.

Just imagine! Six-hundred of the latest chariots to be built for warfare and hundreds of other chariots mobilized for battle. The number of foot soldiers no doubt numbered in the tens of thousands.

But this was not all. Pharaoh mobilized his horsemen and the troops that supported them. As stated, the army was of enormous size. A major military campaign was being planned and launched against God’s people, a campaign to capture and enslave and bring them back to Egypt.

3. And then the armed march began. Pharaoh pursued the Israelites and overtook them where they were camping by the sea (Exodus 14:9).

The world and its rulers, governments, and people are fickle. They move from policy to policy, turning back and changing from what they often promised. This is especially true in dealing with God’s people. For awhile, the world may grant peace to God’s people, allowing them the freedom of speech and worship. But the world can change overnight and turn away from the right of worship and free speech. The world can attempt to deny believers the right to teach and bear testimony for the only living and true God. Thus, believers must always be prepared for the turning away of the world, for the persecution of the world.

Calming Israel’s Fears (14:10‑14)

As long as the Israelites kept their eyes on the fiery pillar and followed the Lord, they were walking by faith and no enemy could touch them. But when they took their eyes off the Lord and looked back and saw the Egyptians getting nearer, they became frightened and began to complain.

These verses introduce the disappointing pattern of Israel’s behavior during their march from Egypt to Canaan. As long as everything was going well, they usually obeyed the Lord and Moses and made progress. But if there was any trial or discomfort in their circumstances, they immediately began to complain to Moses and to the Lord and asked to go back to Egypt. However, before we criticize the Jews, perhaps we’d better examine our own hearts. How much disappointment or discomfort does it take to make us unhappy with the Lord’s will so that we stop believing and start complaining? “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).

When you forget God’s promises, you start to imagine the worst possible scenario. The Jews were sure that they and their children would die in the wilderness as soon as Pharaoh’s army caught up with them. The frightened people reminded Moses that they had told him to leave them alone (Ex. 5:20-23), but he had persisted in challenging Pharaoh. Israel was now in a terrible predicament, and Moses was to blame. Unbelief has a way of erasing from our memory all the demonstrations we’ve seen of God’s great power and all the instances we know of God’s faithfulness to His Word.

Israel was in trouble now. “To the east was the sea, to the south and west were the mountains, and the north was blocked by Pharaoh’s armies.”[4]

The Israelites were shaken by the sight of the rapidly approaching chariots of Pharaoh and his men. They were terrified (v. 10). At first, the people cried out to the Lord (v. 10), but as the troops drew nearer and as Israel’s hopes of escape faded, their fear turned to bitter regret, focused toward Moses. Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Had they not told Moses to leave them alone, and not to meddle with Pharaoh? What had Moses done to them now? They would have been better off to have stayed on as slaves in Egypt. Such is the reasoning of fear and unbelief.

Moses was much more calm, at least initially. Confident that God would deliver them from the Egyptians, Moses sought to reassure the Israelites of God’s protection, and of the defeat of the Egyptians. They were told to “fear not.” They need not fight, but only to stand firm and observe God’s victory over the Egyptians. They would never see these Egyptians again.

From what God had revealed to Moses, he was confident of the defeat and destruction of the Egyptian army, now hotly pursuing them. What Moses was apparently not aware of was how and when this victory would occur. As the Egyptians drew closer, Moses probably expected to see them wiped out before the eyes of all, perhaps by some plague. Instead, they only got closer—much too close for comfort. Moses may have raised his staff, pointing it in the direction of the Egyptians. Like a jammed rifle, it didn’t seem to work. At some point, Moses began crying out to God, not unlike the Israelites had done before him (compare 14:10 with 14:15). The man who had begun “cool and calm” had begun to lose his grip.

Divine Instruction and Intervention (14:15‑20)

My imagination may have run a little wild in the description I have just given of Moses’ uncertainty, but I doubt that it is too far afield. Without informing us of the exact manifestations of Moses’ fears, the text does give us a record of God’s mild rebuke to Moses in verse 15: “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” Not only do we know from God’s words to Moses that he had cried out to Him, but there is a very clear inference that Moses was wrong in doing so. Why was it wrong for Moses to cry to God for help? There is only one reason that I can think of: Moses should have known what to do, and he should have done it.

It is possible that Moses knew what to do because God had already given him precise instructions. Because we do not find any such instructions in our text, I am inclined to set this possibility aside. It is my opinion that God rebuked Moses for crying out for instructions because Moses should have been able to figure out what to do, and he should have then done it.

Let’s think for just a moment about what Moses did know. He knew that God had guided them to the place in which they found themselves—between the Red Sea and the Egyptians. The pillar had led them there (13:21‑22; 14:19), and God had also explained to Moses that this was what He was going to do, so that He could gain glory through Pharaoh and his army (14:1‑4). Moses knew that God had promised to bring the Israelites into the land of Canaan, which was across and beyond the Red Sea (cf. Gen. 15:13‑21; Exod. 3:7‑8, 16‑17; 6:4; 12:25; 13:5). Moses also knew that God had given him power through the use of his staff.

It is therefore my opinion that Moses should have reasoned that the only direction he could and should go was toward Canaan, and that meant through the Red Sea. The means for passing through the sea was for Moses to lift up his hand with his staff and to part the sea. This is precisely what God instructed Moses to do, but I believe that God’s gentle rebuke of Moses in verse 15 implies that Moses should have reasoned this all out.

I want to pause here for a moment to emphasize the relationship between faith and reason. Some seem to think that faith and reasoning are opposed to each other, and that faith is therefore, by its very nature, unreasonable. I think this is far from the case. When God had Israel turn back, it only seemed unreasonable, until the purpose of God (in causing Pharaoh to think that they were lost, thus prompting his attack) was made known by God to Moses. God’s actions were very reasonable, when seen in terms of God’s purpose.

Our Lord persistently encouraged men and women to use their minds. “Consider the lilies of the field,” He urged (Matt. 6:28), which was an appeal to man’s ability to reason. Abraham, we are told, “reasoned that God could raise the dead” (Heb. 11:19), when He commanded him to sacrifice his son. God did not tell Abraham He would raise his son, Abraham reasoned it was so, based upon his experience of having a son when he and Sarah were “as good as dead” (Rom. 4:19‑21). God delights in faith that reasons and then responds. Moses should thus have reasoned what God wanted him to do and done it without asking God for guidance. I believe that we often ask God for guidance when reason would clearly indicate our course of action already.

In spite of Moses’ lack of faith, God graciously responds to his cry for help. He specifically instructed Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea, so as to divide the water, making it possible for the Israelites to pass through on dry ground (14:16).[5] The Egyptians, God informed Moses, would enter the sea behind them, due to their hearts being hardened, but this was to result in their destruction and God’s glory (v. 17). The nation of Egypt will know for certain that God alone is Lord through this event (v. 18).

God did more than just speak. The angel of the Lord, manifested in the pillar of cloud and/or fire, moved from in front of the Israelites to become their rear guard. He stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Throughout that night the pillar brought darkness to the Egyptians and light for the Israelites, thus enabling the Israelites to see as they passed through the sea, and perhaps preventing the Egyptians from seeing the sea as they followed after them (v. 20).

Israel’s Deliverance and the Egyptians’ Destruction (14:21‑31)

Moses did as he was instructed, stretching forth his hand over the sea. This brought about a “strong east wind”[6] which drove back the sea all night long, even turning the seabed to dry ground (v. 21). This was no doubt to facilitate the need of the Israelites to quickly pass through the sea with their goods, which were likely loaded on wagons or carts of some sort.

It must have taken a certain amount of faith on the part of the Israelites to enter into the sea.[7] They, unlike the Egyptians, had the benefit of the light provided by the cloud. Thus, they were able to clearly see the water of the sea piled up like walls[8] on both sides of them (cf. 14:22). What faith the Israelites lacked was compensated for by the fact that the Egyptians were right behind them. When confronted with the choice between the sea and the Egyptians, the sea would have been the less dangerous choice. God’s motivations are a wonder to behold!

To me, the most difficult thing for me to believe is not the parting of the sea, or of the Israelites passing through it, but the fact that the Egyptians followed them into the sea. Think of this for just a moment. Any well‑trained army knows better than to plunge (pardon the pun) into an ambush. Whenever an army is faced with its enemy ahead and barriers are on both sides, there is a serious concern of being trapped in the middle by your opponent. Even worse, if you were to see the sea parted by the God of your adversary, would you be inclined to enter into that sea, knowing that you were seeking to capture the very people God was aiding to escape? To me, there are only two possible explanations to the entrance of the Egyptians into the sea, and both of them are incredible.

One surprising possibility is that the Egyptians entered into the sea without even knowing it. This possibility is usually one which we would not even entertain, largely due to our own preconceived ideas of what happened. I do not know of anyone else who has come to this conclusion, so I would caution you to think critically here (as elsewhere). Nevertheless, there are several observations which make this an option which must be reckoned with.

First, we are not told anywhere that the Egyptians knew that they were entering into the sea. We are told that they entered the sea (v. 23), but it is not specifically reported that they knew this was the case. Second, the time of the passing through the sea (for both the Israelites and the Egyptians) was late at night (cf. 14:20, 24,27). Third, the pillar which gave light to the Israelites, produced or promoted darkness for the Egyptians (v. 20). True, the Israelites could see the sea in the light provided by the pillar, but could the Egyptians? Fourth, it would seem highly unlikely that the Egyptians would enter into the sea, knowing that God had parted it for His people. Fifth, the Egyptians appear to be guided only by the Israelites. The Egyptians were in hot pursuit. Where the Israelites went, the Egyptians followed. (It wouldn’t be difficult to follow the tracks of 2 million people, now would it?) The Egyptians were concentrating on the object of their pursuit (the Israelites), not the scenery around them. You tend not to see what you are not looking for. Sixth, since the seabed had become dry ground, there would be no particular evidence that the Egyptians were in the midst of the sea. If, perchance, my speculations here are correct, can you imagine the horror of the Egyptians when they first realized where they were? They really did get in “over their heads” this time.

The only other possibility is that the Egyptians knowingly pursued the Israelites into the sea, somehow blinded to the incredible dangers of doing so. As I have said before, it is absolutely incredible that the most powerful, well‑trained army of that day could blunder so badly as to march straight into a perfect ambush, without the least hesitation. There is only one explanation for their actions—hearts which were supernaturally hardened, to the degree that the Egyptian army failed to see the obvious, to their own destruction. As God said to Moses, “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen” (Exod. 14:17).

In the morning watch, which is known to be from 2 a.m. till dawn,[9] God looked down from the pillar of fire and brought confusion to the Egyptian troops (v. 24). This was brought about by causing the wheels of their chariots either to fall off,[10] to swerve, or to sink into the sands, which may now be wet. The poetic description of Psalm 77 seems to inform us that the occasion for the confusion was a thunderstorm:

The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen (Ps. 77:16‑19).

Assuming that the Egyptians did not know they were entering the sea, can you imagine the horror of the charioteers when the first bolt of lightening revealed the seas towering above them? Too late, the Egyptians recognized that God was fighting for the Israelites and against them. They sought to retreat, returning to the shore from which they had entered the sea. Instead, they plunged, headlong, into the waters (cf. v. 27) as they returned to their place.

At daybreak, God instructed Moses to once again lift his staff over the sea, but this time to bring the waters of the Red Sea thundering down upon the Egyptians. The sea closed in on the Egyptians, so that every one of them was drowned (v. 28). In marked contrast, the Israelites passed through the sea on dry ground, safely reaching the other side (v. 29). The Red Sea thus became the instrument of Israel’s deliverance and the Egyptians’ destruction. The Israelites witnessed the power of God and came to a deeper appreciation of Moses as the leader God had appointed, and through whom God’s power was manifested in a mighty way (v. 31).

Moses was a man of faith who knew that Pharaoh’s army was no threat to Jehovah. He gave several commands to the people, and the first was, “Fear not” (v. 13).^5-4 Sometimes fear energizes us and we quickly try to avoid danger, but sometimes fear paralyzes us and we don’t know what to do. Israel was tempted to flee, so Moses gave his second command: “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (v. 13). By faith the Jews had marched out of Egypt, and now by faith they would stand still and watch God destroy the Egyptian charioteers.

Moses not only told them to stand still, but also to “be still” (v. 14). How easy it would have been to weep, complain, and keep criticizing Moses, but none of those things would have helped them out of their predicament. Unbelief complains, but faith obeys and brings glory to the Lord. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). What is there to complain about when we have the wonderful promise, “The Lord shall fight for you”? (Ex. 14:14) Later in their journey, the Lord would help Joshua and the Jewish army fight their battles (Ex. 17:8); but this time, God would defeat the Egyptians without Israel’s assistance.

The next order came from God to Moses, “Go forward!” (Ex. 14:15) The fact that Israel was facing the sea was no problem to God, and He told Moses exactly what to do. When Moses lifted up his rod, the waters would part, and Israel would be able to walk across on dry land and escape the Egyptian army. At Moses’ signal, the waters would then flow back, drown the Egyptian soldiers, and prevent Israel from returning to Egypt. In the years that followed, each time the Jews expressed a desire to return to Egypt, they should have remembered that God closed the waters and locked the door.

Why did God perform this series of miracles for the Jewish people? They certainly didn’t deserve it as they stood there cringing in fear and complaining that God didn’t seem to know what He was doing. To begin with, He was keeping His promise that He would deliver Israel and take them as His people (Ex. 3:7-8). In years to come, pious Jews would measure everything by the demonstration of God’s great power at the Exodus. But God had another purpose in mind: revealing once more His power and glory in the defeat of the Egyptian army. “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord” (Ex. 14:18).

The pillar moved between the Israelites and the Egyptians, indicating that God had become a wall of protection between His people and their enemies. The pillar gave light to Israel but darkness to the enemy, for the faithless people of Egypt couldn’t understand the ways of God. When Moses stretched out his hand, the Lord sent a powerful wind that drove the sea waters back and opened the way for the Jews to cross. Psalm 77:16-20 indicates that a severe rainstorm accompanied the high winds, and after Israel had crossed, the rain turned Israel’s dry pathway into a muddy road. When the Egyptian soldiers tried to follow, the mud disabled their chariots and impeded their progress and when the waters returned, all the Egyptian soldiers were drowned. It was indeed a night to be remembered. Knowing that the enemy was in pursuit, and hearing the wind blowing all night, the Israelites must have wondered what was going to happen and why God was taking so long. But when we have faith in God’s promises, we have peace in our hearts. “Why are you so fearful?” Jesus asked His disciples after He had calmed a storm. “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40, nkjv) Faith and fear can’t live together in the same heart, for one will destroy the other. True faith depends on what God says, not on what we see or how we feel. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that’s superstition—but obeying in spite of consequence.

This series of divine miracles was certainly a revelation of the greatness and power of God, His faithfulness to His promises, and His concern for His people. Future psalmists would extol the Lord for His mighty works at the Red Sea (Pss. 66; 78; 80–81; 105–106; 136), and the prophets would use the Exodus to encourage the Jewish exiles in their return to their land after the Babylonian Captivity (Isa. 43:1-7; 52:11-12; 55:12-13; Jer. 16:14-15; 23:7-8), as well as to motivate the backslidden nation to return to the Lord (Jer. 2:2-3; Ezek. 20; Hosea 2:14-23; Amos 3; Micah 6:3-4).^5-5

Paul saw Israel’s march through the sea as a “baptism,” for the water was on either side like a wall and the cloud of God’s presence was behind them and over them. As it were, Israel was “immersed” as they quickly crossed the dry bed of the sea. Their deliverance was certainly the act of God, but it was accomplished through the obedient leadership of Moses. As a result, “the people … believed the Lord and His servant Moses” (Ex. 14:31). They were now constituted as a nation with Moses as their leader. The miracle of the Exodus became a part of Israel’s confession of faith when they brought their gifts to the Lord (Deut. 26:1-11).

Conclusion

The destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea causes us to look seriously at the judgment of God. Several principles of divine judgment are evident in the events of the exodus as described in our text.

The judgment of God begins sooner than His final destruction. To put it differently, the judgment of God begins with the hardening of men’s hearts. While the final destruction of the army of Pharaoh came at the time Moses lifted his hand over the sea and it came crashing down on the enemies of Israel, that judgment was already at work much earlier. The drowning of the charioteers was but the final blow of divine judgment, a judgment which had begun a year or more earlier.

God had begun to judge the Egyptians at the time that Moses returned to Egypt and appeared before Pharaoh, and the plagues were commenced. Each plague was a judgment of the gods of the Egyptians (cf. Exod. 12:12). For about a year, the ten plagues had been poured out upon Egypt. The destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea was the culminating act of divine judgment.

But how is it possible, given ten previous plagues and the present perils of entering into the Red Sea, that the Egyptians could so blindly persist in their oppression of God’s people, and in their indifference to God’s warnings? The biblical answer, found in Exodus and confirmed in other biblical texts, is that they persisted to pursue their own destruction because their hearts were hardened.

A little investigation in a Bible concordance will show that reference to the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (and sometimes his officials’ or his army’s hearts) occurs 14 times in Exodus. Of these 14 instances, six refer to God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8), three refer to Pharaoh hardening his own heart (8:15, 32; 9:34), and five are indefinite (7:13, 22; 8:19; 9:7, 35). From these passages and others, we can identify several characteristics of hardening.

(1) The hardening the heart is a process. Pharaoh’s heart was not hardened once, it was hardened repeatedly. Hardening is thus a process, not a one‑time event.

(2) The hardening of the heart involves both divine and human initiative. On the one hand, God hardens a man’s heart, yet, on the other hand, a man hardens his own heart. When God hardens a man’s heart, He does not cause a man to think and to do other than what that individual is inclined to do. God does not harden a man’s heart by making him want to sin. Pharaoh did not want to release the Israelites, nor did he wish to submit to the God of Israel. God hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would pursue the Israelites (14:4), but this is precisely what Pharaoh was already predisposed to do (14:5).

Men often harden their hearts at crucial decision points. Notice that Pharaoh’s heart was always hardened with respect to a particular decision. Each time hardening occurred, it was in regard to a decision which Pharaoh had to make. During the period of the plagues, he had to decide whether or not to let Israel go. After the plagues, he had to decide whether or not to pursue the Israelites to bring them back (thus breaking his word which gave them permission to go). Pharaoh’s army had to make a decision whether or not to pursue the Israelites into the sea. At each decision point, the Egyptians were hardened or hardened themselves.

From a divine perspective, God hardened men’s hearts in order to achieve His pre‑determined purposes (such as the destruction of the Egyptian army and the deliverance of the Israelites). From a human point of view, men hardened their hearts by deciding to do that which was clearly identified as sin. The link between sinning and hardening is seen in Pharaoh’s actions: “When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses” (Exod. 9:34‑35). The New Testament likewise speaks of hardening as the product of the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). Thus, we can say that men not only harden their hearts, which results in sin, they also sin, which results in a hardened heart.

(3) The hardening of a man’s heart occurs when God “locks that man on his course.” The man makes his choice, based upon his own nature and course, but when God hardens that man’s heart, He prevents man from changing the course he has set for himself. What I am saying is that hardening the heart does not override the choices a person would make for himself, it is like a catalyst which causes the person to lie in the bed he has chosen to make, as it were.

I know of people who have heard the gospel and have said, “I know that I am a sinner, and that I need to trust in Christ as my Savior. I also know that to make such a choice will necessitate a change in my lifestyle. Therefore, I am going to live my life the way I want to (sinfully), and then, when life is nearly over, I will trust in Christ and be saved from the coming wrath of God.” But, you see, God does not give such a person any consolation in this decision. The hardening of a man’s heart compels that man to live out the consequences of his choices and lifestyle. The process of the hardening of the heart forces us to make our eternal choices now, knowing that we may not be free to change our course in days to come.

(4) The hardening of a person’s heart dulls and deadens their perception of danger and judgment. As we have seen in the headlong plunge of the Egyptians into the sea, the only explanation for such a foolhardy advance is that their hearts were hardened, so that they advanced, with little or no perception of the dangers of their actions. It was not until things actually began to fall apart that the Egyptians finally realized the grave danger they were in (14:25). When one’s heart is hardened, they are unable to see the danger which is abundantly clear to others.

(5) The hardening of the heart can occur both to believers and to unbelievers alike. Pharaoh and the Egyptians who died in the Red Sea were undoubtedly unbelievers. It is not difficult to acknowledge the hardening process in the lives of unbelievers. I believe Scriptures indicate that a similar hardening can happen to the Christian. We read, for example, that the Israelites of old had their hearts hardened (2 Cor. 3:13‑14; Heb. 3:7‑19), and the application is extended to saints today. So, too, the hearts of our Lord’s disciples were hardened (cf. Mark 6:52; 8:17). I have seen numerous instances where Christians have chosen to do wrong, and as they progress on the path of sin, their hearts become increasingly hardened. Their fate will not be that of the unbeliever, but surely severe consequences will follow (cf. 1 Cor. 5:5).

(6) The hardening of men’s hearts is for the purpose of achieving what is good. The hardening of the hearts of Pharaoh and his soldiers was for the purpose of releasing Israel, once and for all, from Egyptian bondage. It was also for the purpose of glorifying God. And finally, it was for the purpose of demonstrating to the remaining Egyptians that God alone is Lord (Exod. 14:4). Is it possible that because of this disaster, Egyptians came to faith in the God of Israel?

The final judgment of God comes suddenly and unexpectedly upon those whose hearts have been hardened by sin. We have already seen that the hardening of men’s hearts is the judgment of God. In other words, it seals the fate of those who are destined for judgment. Because of this, hardening the hearts of men dulls their sensitivity to sin and judgment so that it comes upon them suddenly and unexpectedly, as it did to the Egyptians.

As I was thinking of the aloofness and apathy of men with regard to God’s judgment, it occurred to me that throughout the Scriptures those whose hearts have been hardened have found that judgment comes upon them suddenly and unexpectedly.[11]

The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him (Deut. 28:20).

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! (Ps. 73:18‑19)

Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy (Prov. 6:15).

A man who remains stiff‑necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy (Prov. 29:1).

While they are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape (1 Thes. 5:3).

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon” [quickly, NASB]. Amen. Come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).

Throughout the Scriptures the judgment of God falls quickly and unexpectedly on the unbelieving, whose hearts have been hardened to sin and to the judgment to come. On the other hand, the Bible speaks of the saints as being ready, expectant, sensitive to sin, and pursuing and promoting purity as the day of the Lord’s return draws near (cf. 1 Thes. 5:4‑11; 2 Pet. 3:8‑18; 1 John 3:2‑3).

In marked contrast to the destruction‑bent pathway of the Egyptians is the security of the Israelites, whether or not they perceived it at the moment. Reading the account of the Israelites passing through the Red Sea reminded me of the fact that things are often not what they seem to be. The Israelites were fearful, concluding from their circumstances that the Egyptians would be victorious over them. The Egyptians, on the other hand, were confident, thinking that there was no way they could not recapture the Israelites and take them back to Egypt as their slaves. Both the Egyptians and the Israelites were wrong in the estimation of things. Confident as they were, the Egyptians perished in the sea. And fearful as the Israelites were, they passed through the sea, delivered once and for all from their oppressors.

The Egyptians felt confident and secure because it appeared that they had the upper hand. They had the chariots and the soldiers. They had the military might of Egypt. But the Egyptians failed to reckon with the fact that they were opposing themselves to God and to His people. No matter how strong and secure one might feel, opposing God is a deadly occupation.

The Israelites were fearful and would even have considered going back to Egypt (cf. Exod. 14:10‑12). The only thing which prevented this was the providential care of the God who had purposed and promised to deliver them safely to the promised land. Thus, God led them by another way than the “way of the Philistines,” knowing that war would have resulted in their losing heart and retreating (13:17‑18). The Lord also assured the Israelites of His presence and guidance by the pillar of cloud and fire, and informed them as to why He was leading them so as to appear to have lost their way. The Lord also prevented the Israelites from retreating by placing the pillar of fire and the Egyptian army behind them. While the destruction of God’s enemies was assured, so was the deliverance of His people. No people were more secure than the Israelites, no matter how the circumstances appeared. No people were in greater peril than the Egyptians, regardless of their confidence and military might.

The ultimate issue, which determined the destruction or deliverance of God, was this: ON WHICH SIDE OF THE CLOUD DO YOU STAND? In our text, the judgment of God and the salvation of God employed the same means—the Red Sea. Those who stood in the sea in front of the cloud (the Israelites) were delivered, but those who stood behind the cloud (the Egyptians) were destroyed. To put it in a little different way, those who had sided with the God of Israel were saved, while those who opposed Him were struck down by the sea.

While this text graphically portrays the hardness of man’s heart, which leads ultimately to his destruction, it also pictures very clearly the salvation which God offers to all men, regardless of race. The sea was the instrument of God’s wrath, which destroyed the Egyptians. But that sea was also the instrument of Israel’s deliverance. Today, the dividing line between those who will be saved and those who will suffer God’s wrath is not a cloud, but the cross. God’s righteousness demands that sin must be paid for. The sinner must face the wrath of a righteous God. But in His grace, God has provided salvation, by pouring out His wrath on His Son, Jesus Christ. This he did nearly 2,000 years ago on the cross of Calvary. All those who accept Christ’s sacrifice on that cross are saved, and all those who reject it (either actively or passively), must bear the coming wrath of God, which will come upon them just as quickly and unexpectedly as God’s wrath fell on the Egyptians.

If this is true, the most important question you will ever answer is this, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH REGARD TO CHRIST AND HIS CROSS? Our Lord Himself said,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16‑18).

I urge you not to delay in this decision about the cross of Christ. To delay is to further the hardening process of your own heart, and to bring about greater blindness and insensitivity toward your sin and the judgment which will come upon you.

[1] Once again, we don’t know exactly where Migdol, Pi Hahiroth, or Baal‑Zephon were located. Cf. Gispen, p. 141.

[2] Davis, p. 159.

[3] “If Israel encamped by the Sea opposite Baal‑Zephon (which lies on the other side), then Pharaoh would think that they were confused or had lost their way, and did not know their way in the wilderness east of Egypt and west of the Red Sea. This was an obvious conclusion from the rather curious route Israel followed. Then the Lord would harden Pharaoh’s heart (cf. 4:21; 9:12; 10:20, 27; 11:10; 14:8, 17; Josh. 11:20) so that he would pursue Israel, and the final outcome would be that the Lord would gain glory for Himself through Pharaoh and his entire army, so that the Egyptians would know that He was the Lord (cf. e.g., 10:2). Verses 2‑4 give us an impression of Pharaoh’s reprobation and of God’s omnipotence (cf. 9:15; Rom. 9:17, 22‑23). From a human standpoint this hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was necessary to give Israel complete freedom and to release it from any obligation to return, since Pharaoh had broken his promise. … Pharaoh’s disposition toward Israel, and that of his officials … changed. They were not forced to sin, but made a voluntary choice in the wrong direction. And what was seen in the first chapter was repeated: greed and the desire for gain once again came to the fore, now that the plagues had been gone for a few days. They asked themselves and each other what could have induced them to let their cheap labor go. But the mistake could be corrected.” Gispen, pp. 141‑142.

[4] Ibid, p. 143.

[5] I must, of necessity, point out that there are many attempts made to explain the passing through the sea in terms of natural causes. Davis warns us that, “A very popular view is that the Israelites crossed in a generally shallow and marshy district which could easily have been cleared of water and laid dry by the normal action of a strong wind.” Davis, p. 164.

I believe Gispen’s advice should be taken at this point: “No sound arguments can be brought against the historicity of this event. … We should stay with the text of Exodus for both the fact and their explanation…” Gispen, p. 136.

Another (often related) item of discussion among the scholars pertains to the place from which the Israelites crossed over the “sea”: “Broadly speaking, there are only three possible routes for the exodus, either near the Mediterranean coast (which is unlikely, because of the proximity of the Egyptian outposts) or directly across the Sinai peninsula to Kadesh (which not only seems to conflict with the biblical evidence, but would be very difficult from the point of view of the water supplies), or south to Sinai, and then north to Kadesh (which seems most likely on any score).” Cole, p. 117.

“… I am of the opinion that, even if the Gulf of Suez was still connected with the Bitter Lakes and the Lakes were thus part of the Gulf, the statements in the text more fully agree with a crossing through the Gulf of Suez where it is deeper, thus in the vicinity of present‑day Suez. … The biblical data point to the Gulf of Suez, not to the Mediterranean Sea. It would also be difficult to imagine that Solomon’s fleet was stationed on Lake Serbonis (cf. 1 Kings 9:26).” Gispen, p. 137.

[6] Davis concludes that while the wind is a ‘natural’ force, this ‘wind’ had to be supernatural: “This writer feels that the best interpretation of the ‘strong east wind’ is to regard it as a supernatural wind rather than a purely natural wind. There are at least four reasons for assuming this view. First, it is doubtful that a purely natural wind would make a ‘wall’ (v. 22). Second, if this wind came from the east (v. 21) it most likely would have walled up the water in the wrong direction; that is, north and south. Third, two walls are mentioned (v. 22) which indicates that the waters were divided by this special wind (cf. v. 16). … Fourth, if this were a natural wind capable of moving enough water so as to provide a depth to drown the Egyptians, could the people have walked through such an area, assuming that a natural wind would have come through the area with tremendous velocity?” Davis, pp. 165‑166.

Cole adds, “Winds and fire are often described poetically in the Bible as almost personified messengers of the God who controls them (Ps. 104:4).” Cole, p. 121.

[7] “Hebrew yam is a very general word which may be used of a lake, a sea (such as the Mediterranean), a river (such as the Nile, Isa. 19:5) or possibly other bodies of water. However, in Exod. 13:18 a body of water is referred to as the Red Sea, and that is the designation often used in other passages which speak of the crossing of the sea (Exod. 15:4, 22; Dt. 11:4; Jos. 2:10; 4:23; 24:6; Ps. 106:7, 9, 22; Neh. 9:9 etc.). The Hebrew in such passages is yam sup, which means literally ‘sea of reeds,’ or ‘sea of rushes.’ In Exod. 2:3, 5 sup is used of ‘the reeds’ in which Moses was placed. Yam sup could well be rendered ‘Reed Sea.’ The translation of RSV by ‘Red Sea’ is based upon the rendering in LXX, eruthra thalassa, and Vulgate, mare rubrum. In antiquity ‘the Red Sea’ was a general term including the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and perhaps even more. … The OT uses yam sup with more than one meaning. In 1 Kg. 9:26 it clearly refers to the Gulf of Aqaba, and probably also in Num. 21:4; Dt. 2:1. In Num. 33:10 (P) yam sup obviously means the Gulf of Suez, and is distinguished from ‘the sea’ through which the Israelites had passed just after leaving Hahiroth (33:8).” Hyatt, p. 158.

[8] It is disappointing to read Cole’s conclusions about the “walls” of water on both sides of the Israelites: “This metaphor is no more to be taken literally than when Ezra 9:9 says that God has given him a ‘wall’ (the same word) in Israel. It is a poetic metaphor to explain why the Egyptian chariots could not sweep in to right and left, and cut Israel off; they had to cross by the same ford, directly behind the Israelites.” Cole, p. 121.

While the Bible often uses metophorical language, it seems to me that Cole is somehow trying too hard to find a phenomenon here that is too ‘natural’ and not enough ‘supernatural.’ Davis writes, “It appears that the basic sense of the use of the word wall (Heb. homah) is to designate a passageway between two generally perpendicular masses. On the basis of the Hebrew text alone, however, it is difficult to determine whether a literal perpendicular wall is necessarily implied. … In the light of the full context, however, preference certainly must be given to the former [perpendicular wall] viewpoint …” Davis, pp. 167‑168.

[9] “I Samuel 11:11 also mentions this, the last of the three watches, from 2 a.m. to dawn, about 6 a.m. This, the darkest hour before the dawn, was traditionally the time for attack, when men’s spirits are at their lowest.” Cole, p. 122.

[10] “The expression ‘took off’ their chariot wheels (v. 25) is a translation of the Hebrew word sur meaning in the Hif’il stem to ‘take away or to remove.’ … The Septuagint, on the other hand, speaks of God ‘clogging their chariot wheels’ an idea which has been carried over into the Revised Standard Version.” Davis, p. 167.

[11] I highly recommend that the reader look up the terms “suddenly” and “quickly” in their Bible concordance. You will be impressed with this emphasis on the judgment of God.