Moses 10 THE PARTING OF THE SEA
(Ex. 14:1-15:21)
From Sinai to Canaan
C. The Salvation 1
5. The Crisis At The Sea
1) The Preparation 14:1-4
2) The Pursuit 14:5-9
3) The Panic 14:10-12
4) The Positive Words 14:13-18
(1) From Moses 13-14
(2) From God 15-18
5) The Partition 14:19-20
6) The Parting 14:21-22
7) The Punishment 14:23-31
8) The Psalms (15:1-21)
(1) Of Moses 1-18
(2) Of Miriam, 19-21
There is one good thing about the devil. He never gives up. He is persistent. When Pharaoh and his leaders realized all their free labor was gone, they forgot their fears and went out in full military force to bring slaves back.
And when they did the mightiest miracle in the Old Testament took place. The bigger the problem the bigger we find God to be. The angel of God in the fiery cloud moved been Israel and the Egyptian army. God had Moses raise his rod and wind of God parted the Red sea and the people of God, all two million of them, with their herds “went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left” (14:22).
Satan hates his own people so when the Egyptians saw this, they drove in after them, but God fought for Israel, getting the chariot drivers confused and getting their wheels stuck in the mud. Then God gave the order for Moses to stretch out his rod over the sea. He did and the waters came together and destroyed the entire army of Egypt.
I. THE PREPARATION (14:1-4)
God knows the hearts and plans of the wicked. Knowing Pharaoh’s greed and pride, God sent Israel eastward to Hahiroth by the Red Sea. Wherever it was, it looked like a mistake to Pharaoh (4:3). Israel was “hemmed in” (14:31) on two sides by the desert and the other by the sea.
It wasn’t a mistake. It was a trap to display God’s glory (14:3). God wanted Israel to know He was adequate for any crisis. The power He displayed in the plagues AGAINST Egypt, would now work FOR Israel in the wilderness journey of life.
When God’s will seems to leave you hopeless with nowhere to turn - look up. THE WAY OUT IS UP!
II. THE PURSUIT (14:5-9)
Realizing his financial loss Pharaoh marshaled his army (probably in the thousands), with six hundred of his “best” chariots, plus others and came to where Israel was camped. The sheep, he no doubt thought were there for the slaughter. Pharaoh, however, forgot the Shepherd who watched over Israel. Sadly, so did Israel, for we see next. . .
III. THE PANIC (14:10-12)
The Israelites saw the huge army bearing down and were seized with panic. As they would do for the next forty years, they blamed Moses. They said - did you bring us here to die? Why didn’t you leave us alone? “It would have been better to serve the Egyptians than die in the desert?”
IV. THE POSITIVE WORDS (14:13-18)
1. From Moses (13-14)
Here Moses stands the tallest he ever stands. While they have been crying out at him he has been crying out to God (14:15). He stands up fearless like a race horse amidst rats and says, “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: (14:13-14).
When churches are in trouble the kind of leader they need is one who knows. When a family faces the drug culture and the sex culture and the money culture the best defense is a mother and a father and young people who know God.
2. From God (15-18)
Moses, not knowing how God would act, seems to have resumed praying. God tells him to stop praying and to stretch out his hand and told him the sea would part, Israel would walk through and Egypt’s soldiers would follow and die.
V. THE PARTITION (14:19-20)
Moses did what God said and God did what He said He would. But first, the angel of the Lord, in the fiery pillar, moved from the front to the rear - between Israel and the army. All that night two million people slowly crossed, it was dark on Egypt’s side of God, but God’s fire shined and it was light on Israel’s side. They walked using God’s flashlight.
VI. THE PARTING (14:21-22; Ps 107)
God’s wind blew and the water parted. With a huge wall of water on the left and one on the right, held back by the Lord, Israel walked through. What a night. Ps. 77:17-19 says,
“. . .the clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed. . . the earth trembled. . . your path led through the sea” (7.
VII. THE PUNISHMENT (14:23-31)
Morning came, the fiery pillar was gone and Pharaoh and his soldiers saw the path through the sea. Satan is not only cruel to his people he is a fool who leads them into unbearable hurts. The rode into the path like fools and died when Moses brought the water down. Their punishment, for all the evils they had done were complete.
An mean spirited farmer who hated the church and Christianity always plowed one of his fields that was next next to the church when they had their summer revival. He removed the mufflers and made a sound that drowned out the singing and preaching.
He loved to brag, to tell people about this and add, “And I still had bumper crops from that field every November”. The church called a new young preacher this and the man couldn’t wait to tell him this. When he did young man said, “Mr. Smith God does not settle his accounts in November.” and walked away.
VIII. THE PSALMS (15:1-21)
What a sight. And Moses and Miriam both broke out in song. Miriam, called a prophetess, when her brother Moses finished his long one (15:1-18), sang her short one (15:19-21) She picked up a tambourine and started dancing and singing. All the women joined in. Israel was free! That’s something to sing about, to shout about, to dance about, to praise God about.
IX. THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
1. This Was Miraculous.
Liberal Bible scholars take delight in explaining away the miracles of Scripture. They smile and put stories like this on the same fictional level as “Jason and The Golden Fleece.” Now we all know the “Red Sea” they crossed was not the Red Sea, hundreds of miles to the South, we know today. It was probably what we call “The sea of Reeds,” but it was a deep sea or what we would call a deep lake. The Liberals, however, said it was only a marsh land.
Illustration An old fashioned, country preacher enrolled in a less than conservative OT history class. The professor said Israel did not go through a sea but what was only a swamp. The water, he said, was about 3 inches deep.
That old preacher shouted, “Glory to God! Thank you Jesus!” The professor asked him why he was so excited and he said, “I can’t wait to get back and preach what you just taught. God worked a greater miracle than me and my people ever realized. He drowned the whole Egyptian army IN THREE INCHES OF WATER! Glory to God! Thank you Jesus!”
That old preacher had the right idea. Wherever it was, the body of water was big enough and deep enough to drown an army. And we who believe in God and the Bible know He could part the Atlantic Ocean if He wanted to.
Note: Some say this was caused by a tornado or natural, violent wind. Any fool knows no natural wind will hold two walls of water, pushing in two opposite directions. This was a wind from the hand of God.
2. This Was Meaningfu
. Few events captured the heart of the Hebrews like this. The pagans marveled at it. Rahab, in Jericho, forty years later, said to the spies,
“We have heard how the lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt” (Josh. 2:10).
Prophets like Isaiah (51:15), Nahum (1:3-4; Micah (7:15) and Jeremiah (31:35) all stand in awe of this God who controls the sea. Think about it - we men can move mountains and re-route rivers. But the wind and the sea we can only harness. Its size and power staggers us. No wonder, when Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee, even His disciples said, “Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him?” (Mk. 4:41). Who indeed, but God? Let’s look and listen and see what this old story says to us.
1) God will often lead us into hard situations.
How happy Israel must have been when they crossed the Egyptian border. But can’t you imagine the confusion when they did not take the scenic inter-state highway by the sea but headed toward the dangerous desert? Can’t you imagine the panic when God’s road led to this dead end and with no way out and they were at the mercy of Egyptian swords?
God led them right off the bat to a place of bewilderment, confusion and fear. How different this is from modern Christian appeals for people to be saved and link their lives up with the Lord. “Come find peace and joy and fulfillment and friends” is our major incentive.
Only half of our people attend church regularly and half of those show little commitment to the point of sacrifice in their daily lives. Could it be they are angry at God without knowing it, over lost jobs, family problems and poor health? All the way through the forty years the Israelites spoke about the good old days of stew pots before they met the Lord.
We are so eager sometimes to make converts we don’t tell we don’t tell people what a true convert is. No wonder Southern Baptists lose six of every ten people who “accept Christ” and join the church. We haven’t told them the truth about what to expect.
Many popular evangelicals not only take the desire, willingness and commitment, with God’s help out of the plan of salvation. They takes all Jesus’ appeals to take up crosses and give up things, as a call to discipleship and not a call to salvation (Google “The Lordship Debate and John Macarthur)
2) God can help us no matter how hard the situation.
We have the same two choices Israel had - panic or prayer. The people chose panic and Moses chose prayer. He did not know what God would do but he knew God had promised him when He called him that he and Israel would make it to Sinai.
God told him, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Ex 3:12) Moses had not only performed the plagues, he had seen them. He knew what God COULD do and because of His promise what HE WOULD do - save His people.
When you and I get into an impossible situation, we need to grab hold of God and hold on. We need to know. . .
- No river is too wide!
- No mountain is too high!
- No problem is too hard!
- No burden is too heavy for prayer because:
As John R. Rice says, “Prayer can do what God can do!”
3) God gives the delivered a song.
Most of know how Moses felt as he sang and Miriam felt as she sang and danced and waved that tambourine. Folks I have been to MEETINGS. The musicians get us worked up. The preacher’s oratory gets us worked up. The music and invitation get us worked up to walk an aisle. We have “felt good” so we talk about how “God was there!”
Maybe so, maybe not. Sometimes we just work up a feeling and call it “God”. But I know this - when God REALLY touches you and me it will set us to singing, shouting, dancing, etc.
Worship leaders today are constantly telling us to raise our arms and clap our hands, so a lot of people do it now every time they go to church. That is fine if that is the way you enjoy the Lord for all he has done for you.
But when it is manufactured it becomes meaningless. Vance Havner says the most excited thing in a barnyard is a chicken with its head cut off, but it is still dead.
I don’t believe Miriam danced and praised every day. In the next forty years we will hear more of Moses’ sighs than his songs. This day was special. When God comes - whether you wave your arms or go out in the woods alone to cry you will have a new song to sing - a song of true praise. But I must end on a negative note. . .
4) God separates us in the final storm of judgment (Ps. 77:17-19).
This pictures the final where the saved are spared andthe lost are not. This was a terror filled night of thunder and lightning. (Ps. 77:17-19). On one side of the angel of God was darkness and on the other was light (14:19-20).
One day God will shake this whole universe and the Bible says the lost will cry for the rocks and mountains to hide them from the wrath of the Lord (Rev. 6:15-17). I’m reminded of the old song,
“I dreamed of the great judgment morning
When the lost were told their fate
They cried for the rocks and the mountains
They prayed but their prayers were too late”
What happened to the Egyptian army will be exactly what happens to the lost who are left on earth when Jesus comes and removes His church. Paul says,
The Lord will come like a thief. While people are saying ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape (I Th. 5:3). Exodus 14:28 says of Egypt’s soldiers, “Not one of them survived.”
