Message

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Cross the Red Sea

Exodus 13:17-14:31

Key Verse: 13:22 “and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”

Thus far we have studied how God punished Pharaoh and Egypt in order to liberate the Israelites so that they might worship Him. After the tenth plague, when God killed all the firstborn in Egypt (both men and animals), Pharaoh finally surrendered to God and set the Israelites free to go. The day of liberation was the day of salvation and the day of jubilee for the Israelites. Through this process of liberation we learn God’s will and plan for them with two repeated messages: 1, Let my people go so that they may worship me. 2. They may know that I am the LORD. In the midst of the ten plagues and the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh, God revealed who he is: He is the God Almighty and the Sovereign LORD. He rules the world and determines the destiny of nations and people. He is the faithful God who keeps his promises with his people no matter how long it seems to take. He is the mighty God and the faithful Lord.

In today’s passage the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as on dry land. This is a most powerful and impressive miracle, like the flood of Noah’s day. Let’s see how the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as on dry land and what happened to Pharaoh and the Egyptians who chased them.

First, a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (13:17-22) In John’s gospel Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…” (Jn 10:14) Our God was the good shepherd for the Israelites. He knew who they were and how they would respond to crises. Look at verses 17-18. “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” It should have taken at most three days for their journey from Rameses to the land of Canaan. But God routed them around the desert because of the Israelites’ unbelief. At that time the Philistines in the land of Canaan were aggressive militants while the Israelites were still unarmed civilians. The Israelites might have changed their minds when they faced war against the Philistines. They did this in fact, according to 14:12. God cared for his people by searching the deep thoughts in their hearts and minds. God knows our deep thoughts and desires because he is our good shepherd.

Look at verse 19. “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.” Moses carried Joseph’ bones when he left Egypt. It was amazing that Moses still remembered Joseph’s words and his bones. The Israelites did not allow Joseph’s bones to be buried in a Pyramid, but had kept them safe for 430 years. Can you remember what happened in the year of 1589? We don’t know what happened in the world 430 years ago. But Moses and the Israelites remembered Joseph’s will, and they carried his bones for their Exodus. Indeed, his bones would be carried and buried in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.

When we die, our bones will be buried under the earth. Our bodies will be buried. But this earth is not our permanent place for our bodies to stay. We’ll all be resurrected and go to heaven, our permanent dwelling place. Those who live only for this life on this earth will be buried underground. But those who live for God’s kingdom and for his name’s sake will put their hope in the kingdom of heaven, where our heavenly Father will reign. Please do not bury your bones in this perishable world, but carry them to heaven when you journey out of this earthly body. Amen!

Look at verse 20. “After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.” We don’t know the exact location of Etham, but we believe that it was on the edge of the desert of Shur in the northwest of the Sinai Peninsula. The Israelites lost the directions for their journey. They were like restless and wandering sheep in the desert. But the Lord was their shepherd. The LORD God led them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night. Let us read verse 21. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” Another miracle followed when God led them. Jesus said in John 10:4, “When he has brought out of all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep followed him because they know his voice.” God went ahead of the Israelites with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. God acted like a GPS and a Google Map, which guides travelers to their destination safely. The Israelites enjoyed shade under the pillar of cloud in the hot days in the desert. They also kept themselves warm through the pillar of fire in the cold desert nights. God did not do this it in reverse! (22) In the sight of God we are pilgrims who are traveling to the Promised Land, the kingdom of heaven. Thus far God has led us and protected us day and night. He will continue to do so. No scorching heat will harm us because of the pillar of cloud! No cold night will be in our journey because of the pillar of fire! He is our good shepherd who knows us and goes ahead of us. Amen! “All the way my Savior leads me, What have I to ask beside?...”

Second, do not be afraid. Stand firm. (14:1-18) In verses 1-4 God instructed Moses what to do and where to go with his people. The Israelites would encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Sea. We are again sorry that we don’t know the exact sites of these places. Pharaoh thought that the Israelites were wandering in the desert without knowing that this was God’s plan for the Israelites and that it was a trap for the Egyptians. Pharaoh would pursue the Israelites until God would destroy all the Egyptians. Through this event God would gain glory, and the Egyptians would know that the Lord is God from under the sea.

These things happened exactly as God had told Moses. In verses 5-9 Pharaoh changed his mind and regretted losing the servitude of the Israelites. He summoned all his best armies, including six hundred chariots, and began to pursue the Israelites. When the Israelites saw the Egyptian armies approaching, they were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They forgot how the Lord God had rescued them from the hand of Pharaoh with his mighty hand. They complained to Moses, saying “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (11-12) In the movie “Brave Heart”, General William Wallace and his Scottish soldiers were not afraid of death in order to gain freedom. They fought a good fight to the point of death against England for their freedom. They considered freedom worthier than death. But the Israelites were different. They said that they would serve the Egyptians rather than die in the desert. Without God and Moses they would have lived as slaves forever. They were free from the Egyptians, but they were not free from fear. They became slaves to fear.

When fear attacks, people become slaves to fear. Fear paralyzes our soul and body and makes us helpless. Satan uses fear to make us helpless and useless. But God does not give us fear, but faith and power. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:7. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” What did Moses say to these fearful people? Look at verses 13-14. “Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The Israelites were stuck between the Red Sea in front and the Egyptian chariots behind. They felt that they had been led into a corner with no way out. But Moses helped them to have faith in God and trust in Him. He said three things which they had to do: 1.Do not be afraid, 2. Stand firm, 3.Be still. God did not ask them to raise their swords and fight against the Egyptians. He did not ask them to cross the Red Sea by swimming by faith, either. What they had to do was only to be quiet and to see how God would deliver them. This was because God himself would fight for them. The battle is the Lord’s. God would take care of them as he had done thus far. Our LORD is God the Almighty who made this whole universe with his wisdom and power. He rules the world and determines the destiny of people and nations. If God is for us, who can be against us? What we have to do in this situation is to be still by faith and to see how God will deliver us from the situation. As we saw in the movie “Ten Commandments”, Moses shouted to them in a loud voice. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today….The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

We often confront similar situations as the Israelites did with the Red Sea in front and the chariots behind. We are stuck between these two impossible obstacles without knowing what to do. We have no wings to fly over the Red Sea. We have no power to fight against our enemies. We have no way out of an impossible situation. But we have faith to stand firm and to see God’s deliverance. We don’t have to step even one inch forward, but stand firm by faith in God the Almighty. Instead of crying out in fear, we have to keep quiet and see how God will fight for us and how he will deliver us from the situation. A family sold everything they had and came to a new country as missionaries. But their visa situation was not favorable. They would have to go back to their own country if she failed a language test for her work. We all prayed for this family, while they had fasting prayers. In the last minute God opened the door for them, and all her family got green cards and could live as missionaries. This was like crossing the Red Sea for this family. We have no reason to fear in front of the Red Sea. There are seas for us to cross and lands for us to conquer, and God our shepherd is for us and with us. Let us remember Moses’ message in front of the Red Sea. Where are you now? What situation you are in? What is your Red Sea in front?

Third, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as on dry land. (15-31) The LORD God said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” (15-16) Wow! God instructed Moses to open the Red Sea so that the Israelites might cross the sea as on dry land. The LORD opened the sea when Moses trusted in him and obeyed his word. Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army as a pillar of cloud, moved from in front and stood behind them. (19) When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, a strong east wind from the LORD drove the sea back to make a huge wall of the water so that the Israelites could go through the sea as on dry ground. (21-22) How could they cross the Red Sea? Hebrews 11:29 says, “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” By faith they crossed the Red Sea. We wonder how they could have such a faith, but they crossed the sea by faith. I pray that we all may cross our Red Sea by faith as the Israelites did. They repented of their unbelief and put their feet in the Red Sea by faith. God opened the way and they went through the way.

What is the opposite word of fear? People say that it is faith. Others say that it is love. I agree both. When we have confidence in God’s love, we have no fear. When we have assurance of God’s unchanging and absolute love, we overcome death as well as our Red Sea. Paul said in Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As long as we trust in God and are assured of his unchanging love, we don’t mind when and where we die. We have the glorious hope of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. We are marching up to Zion, the beautiful city of God. This is the meaning of our lives. This is the purpose of our journey. I pray that we all may understand this and join our journey.

Verse 29 repeats, “But the Israelites went through the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” The word “But” indicates what happened to the Egyptians? While they were crossing the Red Sea, God covered them with water. They were all drowned. Not one of them survived. (26-28) Look at verse 31. “And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” In this way the first part of Exodus finished with a happy ending. In this way the Israelites crossed the Red Sea by faith. May God help us to cross our Red Sea by faith, too! Amen.

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• Crossing the Red Sea-message-revised.docx

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