Israel crosses Red Sea, Pharaoh’s army drowns
14
📚And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 📚“Tell the children of Israel to turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-Zephon. You are to camp facing it, by the sea. 3 📚For Pharaoh will say about the children of Israel, ‘They are confused in the terrain, the desert has hemmed them in.’ 4 📚And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he follows them, and I get glory through Pharaoh, and through all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD”. And they did so.14:4 Note at Ex 4:21.⚜
5 📚And it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and they said, “Why have we done this, letting Israel go from our service?” 6 And he prepared his chariot, and took his people with him. 7 📚He took six hundred choice chariots, and all the other chariots in Egypt, with officers over every one of them. 8 📚And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel. And the children of Israel were going out with hand raised high. 9 📚But the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen 📖, and his army; and they overtook them camping by the sea, near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal-Zephon.
10 📚And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel raised their eyes, and there were the Egyptians marching after them, and they were very frightened. And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 📚And they said 📖 to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have you taken us away to die in the desert? Why have you treated us like this, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 📚Didn’t we tell you this very thing in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better 📖 for us to serve the Egyptians, than to die in the desert”.
13 📚And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show you today. As for the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see them again. 14 📚The LORD will fight for you, and you will keep silent”.
14:14 Verse 25; Ex 15:3.⚜
15 📚And the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward,
14:15 There are times when mere prayer without action is out of place and God’s people must simply go forward in obedience to His command.⚜
16 📚and raise your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. And the children of Israel will go on dry ground through the middle of the sea. 17 📚And I, I myself, will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will follow them, and I will get honour for myself through Pharaoh and through his whole army and through his chariots and through his horsemen. 18 📚And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten honour for myself through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen”.
19 📚And the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. And the pillar of cloud went from in front of them and stood behind them,
20 📚and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. It was a cloud and darkness to them, but at night it gave light to these, so that the whole night the one did not come near the other.
14:20 We can see from this that the pillars of cloud and fire were no small things but very massive indeed.⚜
21 📚And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to move 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 middle of the sea on dry ground, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.
23 📚And the Egyptians pursued them, and went into the middle of the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 📚And it came about that in the morning watch the LORD looked at the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and threw the army of the Egyptians into confusion, 25 📚and he caused their chariot wheels to come off, so that they drove them with difficulty. So the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the face of Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians”.
14:23-25 Verse 14.⚜
26 📚And 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 on their horsemen”. 27 📚And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and when morning came the sea returned to its place, and the Egyptians were fleeing against it, and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. 28 📚And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not one of them remained.
14:27-28 Ex 15:1, 7; Deut 11:4; Neh 9:11; Ps 78:53. God knew how to deal with a proud, ungodly ruler and his ungodly armies which persecuted His people, and it was just and right for God to do as He did. Note at Num 31:2. See also Prov 1:24-31; 29:1; 2 Thess 1:5-10.⚜
29 📚But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the middle of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left. 30 📚In this way the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 📚And Israel saw the great power that the LORD used on the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and his servant Moses.