Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:1-18)

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. [The previous direction was east southeast. Now it appears they are headed north or northeast to the sea coast—Mediterranean or the Red Sea—where they will encamp for the third time since their departure. None of the places named can be identified with certainty today.] 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. [The purpose of the change in direction is a divine rouse to trap Pharaoh one last time. But why would Pharaoh, after his humiliation by the hand of God, think he could stop them? The Egyptian religion in its ancient Near Eastern context understood their gods to be arbitrary and capricious, quick to change their minds. The purpose of this last plan to humiliate Pharaoh completely had one goal: to gain glory over Pharaoh and his army so that the Egyptians will know God. What are the two ways that we can know God?]

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed [over an uncertain period of time but not immediately] toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” [The Egyptians most likely experienced economic and infrastructure problems immediately after losing their enslaved labor force.] 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army [should be translated “people” and not “army”] with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. [Chariots were formidable military weapons in the ANE, especially when used on flat terrain.] 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh [one last time] king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel [who traveled on foot with all their possessions with them—quite a contrast] while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord [having forgotten all of God’s promises to them]. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” [Of course this is not what they had said at all. They are rewriting history when faced with the first major threat after leaving Egypt. With the recent history of God’s amazing deeds, why do you think they become pessimistic so easily?] 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. [The meaning of this sentence might better be translated as: “You should be glad you are seeing the Egyptian army coming at you. Because you have seen the Egyptians, it means that God’s prediction that he will trick them and trap them is about to be fulfilled. If you didn’t see them, now that would be cause for worry because then God’s prediction to us would not be coming true.] 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” [This speech of Moses represents his finest hour of leadership so far. Moses lists five attributes of God: 1) He is a dispeller of fear and a comforter to those who are afraid. 2) He is a deliverer from distress. 3) He invites and expects his people to trust in him. 4) He removes danger. 5) He is a warrior against the forces of evil.]

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. [The Israelites are trapped with their back to the sea with no place to go in the face of the advancing chariots except into the sea? “To go forward” means to break camp, packing up possessions, which would take hours.] 16 Lift up your staff [symbolizing God’s power and presence and reminding all it is God’s miracle and not Moses’], and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. [Now the people will know that the most unlikely route has become the finest way to salvation. God could say of what he is about to do: “This is the way and the truth and the life.”] 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” [The charioteers knew they could not pursue their foe through mud, but God will make them do it as they thought, “If the Israelites can do this, we can do this too!” Also, how could they explain to Pharaoh how the Israelites had escaped through the “dry” sea and they could not.]