Episode 2478 - Lesson 6 - Tuesday August 5 - Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red SeaRead Exodus 13:17-14:12. How did God guide the Israelites when they left Egypt, and what happened next?Following God’s instructions to Moses, the Israelites left Egypt as a well-organized army. The Hebrew terms tsaba’ and makhaneh testify to that description, namely, "army," "division," "camp," and "hosts" (Exod. 6:26; Exod. 7:4; Exod. 12:17-41, 51; Exod. 14:19-20; compare with Exod. 13:18). They were divided into units and marched like an army. Later Balaam saw from Moab’s hills that Israel was "encamped tribe by tribe" (Num. 24:2, NIV).Meanwhile, "Moses took the bones of Joseph with him" (Exod. 13:19, NIV). This is a very important detail in the text, and it reveals the fulfillment of Joseph’s faith in God’s promises. Joseph never lost sight of the Promised Land, even though he lived in the splendor and privileges of Egypt. He requested that his bones be taken to the land of Canaan (Gen. 50:24-25). He believed that the Lord would surely visit Israel in Egypt and bring them to the land, as He had sworn (Heb. 11:22). On Israel’s arrival in Canaan, Joseph’s bones were "buried at Shechem" (Josh. 24:32, NKJV).The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were the visible signs of God’s presence among His people. The Lord dwelt there and spoke also from the cloud (Exod. 14:24; Num. 12:5-6).Meanwhile, Pharaoh reveals the true motives of his heart. He is not converted, and he never truly repented. His asking God to bless him was a farce, perhaps a deception in his own heart. He gathered his army, and they went after their escaped slaves. How totally blinded by sin this man really was.When the people saw Pharaoh’s army coming, they spoke words and expressed sentiments that would be echoed by them more than once: "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?" (Exod. 14:11, NKJV).That is, having already seen such dramatic manifestations of God’s power, which included the sparing of their own firstborn sons, the people still displayed a stunning lack of faith.Think of the last time you faced a terrible situation. What was your first reaction: faith in God or a lack of faith? What lessons should you have learned from that situation which could help you the next time another comes (and come it will)?