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Crossing
the Red Sea

Exod. 14.10-31; 15.20-21

Good News Translation (GNT)

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10  When the Israelites saw the king and his army
   marching against them, they were terrified
   and cried out to the Lord for help.
11  They said to Moses, "Weren't there any
   graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out
   here in the desert to die?
   Look what you have done by bringing us out
   of Egypt!
12  Didn't we tell you before we left that this would
   happen? We told you to leave us alone and let
   us go on being slaves of the Egyptians.
   It would be better to be slaves there than to
   die here in the desert."
13  Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Stand your
   ground, and you will see what the Lord will do
   to save you today; you will never see these
   Egyptians again.
14  The Lord will fight for you, and all you have to
   do is keep still."
15  The Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying
   out for help? Tell the people to move forward.
16  Lift up your walking stick and hold it out over
   the sea. The water will divide, and the
   Israelites will be able to walk through the sea
   on dry ground.
17  I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they
   will go in after them, and I will gain honour by
   my victory over the king, his army, his chariots,
   and his drivers.
18  When I defeat them, the Egyptians will know
   that I am the Lord."
19  The angel of God, who had been in front
   of the army of Israel, moved and went to the
   rear. The pillar of cloud also moved until it was
20  between the Egyptians and the Israelites.
   The cloud made it dark for the Egyptians, but
   gave light to the people of Israel, (b) and so
   the armies could not come near each other all
   night.
21  Moses held out his hand over the sea, and the
   Lord drove the sea back with a strong
   east wind. It blew all night and turned the sea
   into dry land. The water was divided,
22  and the Israelites went through the sea on
   dry ground, with walls of water on both sides.
23  The Egyptians pursued them and went after
   them into the sea with all their horses,
   chariots, and drivers.
24  Just before dawn the Lord looked down from
   the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian
   army and threw them into a panic.
25   He made the wheels of their chariots get
   stuck, so that they moved with great difficulty.
   The Egyptians said, "The Lord is fighting for
   the Israelites against us. Let's get out of here!"
26  The Lord said to Moses, "Hold out your hand
   over the sea, and the water will come back
   over the Egyptians and their chariots and
   drivers."
27  So Moses held out his hand over the sea, and
   at daybreak the water returned to its normal
   level. The Egyptians tried to escape from the
   water, but the Lord threw them into the sea.
28  The water returned and covered the chariots,
   the drivers, and all the Egyptian army that had
   followed the Israelites into the sea; not one of
   them was left.
29  But the Israelites walked through the sea on
   dry ground, with walls of water on both sides.
30  On that day the Lord saved the people of
   Israel from the Egyptians, and the Israelites
   saw them lying dead on the seashore.
31  When the Israelites saw the great power with
   which the Lord had defeated the Egyptians,
   they stood in awe of the Lord; and they had
   faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

   Exodus 15:20-21
20  The prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took her
   tambourine, and all the women followed her,
   playing tambourines and dancing.
21  Miriam sang for them: "Sing to the Lord,
   because he has won a glorious victory; he has
   thrown the horses and their riders into the
   sea."

   Footnotes
   Exodus 14:20 Probable text
   The cloud... Israel;
   Hebrew unclear.

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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union

Crossing the Red Sea

    Exodus 14.10-31; 15.20-21

The company appears to be on the desert route to the east side of their destination, Canaan. Then they take a sharp turn and find themselves making camp with a stretch of water ahead.

Maybe their thoughts are on washing and bathing when someone spies an ominous cloud of dust on the horizon. The fast chariots of Pharaoh's army are racing towards them.

All the elation of the last few days comes crashing down. So much for divine guidance! They have been led into a trap. Slavery in Egypt was surely better than violent death in the desert.

Probably the only wise course now would be to surrender quietly and hope that some at least would escape with their lives.

It is a crucial moment for the Israelites as Moses calms down the uproar and panic with his words, 'Stand firm and you will see the deliverance, be still' (vs 13,14).

But Moses is panicking too. God calms him down, giving him a simple action to perform. He must point his staff forward towards the water, indicating that this is the way they are going.

Humanly speaking, this way is impossible. The Israelites are utterly dependent on God to save them. They are also in the limelight. What happens today will be public in Egypt tomorrow.

Will this finally be vengeance for Pharaoh, with the god of these Hebrews exposed as a failure?

The enemies of Jesus had their moment of premature gloating when they mocked him on the cross, 'He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him!' (Matthew 27:43).

Too late, they discovered that his death was for the glory of God It would 'free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death' (Hebrews 2:15).

After the crossing of the Red Sea, Miriam appears as a prophetess and worship leader bringing the word of God to the hearts and minds of people. Here she leads a dance, encouraging bodies to respond in joyful excitement at God's rescue.

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