Exodus 14: 1 – 31
You can’t pull a fast one over on me
14 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so. 5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, “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? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” 15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off[a] their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.
When someone tries to "pull a fast one" it means to get away with doing something that you should not be able to do. The "fast one" part means that you got away with doing the thing before someone could stop you. So, it could be a trick, and it most likely involves some deception, but it is not necessarily either. It isn't so much to do with the how of the thing as much as that you succeeded.
For example here is a story of a woman who tried to pull a fast one over a doctor. The woman wasn't feeling well, so she asked a co-worker if she could recommend a doctor. The co-worker replied, "I know a very good doctor, but he is quite expensive. He charges $350 for the first visit, and $150 for each subsequent visit, but he really is quite good," The woman went to the doctor's office and, trying to pull a fast one and save herself some money, she cheerfully announced, "I'm back!" Not fooled for a moment, the doctor gave her a quick exam and said, "Very good, now just continue the treatment I prescribed for you on your prior visit.’
Back with our story of the Israelites leaving Egypt you remember in previous chapters that Moses had asked Pharaoh on behalf of Yahweh God to go into the wilderness to worship Him. Pharaoh turned him down time after time or it can be better worded, plague after plague.’ Finally after the tenth plague which caused the death of every first born of Egyptians and their animals Pharah finally relented and told them to go and do what they had asked for. We will see from today’s chapter that word had come to him that the Israeltites were trying to pull a fast one on Pharaoh. They were not going to go and worship Yahweh. They were trying to sneak out of Egypt.
14 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
The withdrawal from Etham, where they had encamped, was probably caused because the children of Israel panicked when they saw the border fortresses. So Yahweh graciously incorporated the withdrawal in His plan. They were to turn back and encamp at Pi-hahiroth. This would be reported back to Pharaoh by the men at the frontier forts who would then gloat as he realized that they were afraid and were trapped in the wilderness by the sea.
There could be no doubt that Pharaoh was seething. He had been humiliated in a way to which he was unaccustomed. Yahweh will thus use this to make him determine to humiliate the children of Israel and their God in turn. Because of false reports (verse 5) he will follow them and seek to drag them back by force, possibly after taking great revenge on their leaders. We must remember that to some extent he himself had been sheltered from the effects of the plagues. But this too was in Yahweh’s plan for He will defeat them, revealing once for all that He is Yahweh.
5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
It is clear that the reports or rumors coming back to Pharaoh probably suggested that the children of Israel were not only going into the wilderness to worship but were showing signs of a permanent departure. This made him and his high officials finally rethink their position and they determined to bring them back immediately. The recognition that they may have lost so many useful slaves was more than they could bear.
6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
Pharaoh gathered a large force of Egyptians Calvary and chariots and pursued them, and eventually his scouts told him that they had been spotted in the near distance.
He took six hundred chosen chariots. These were no doubt his elite force. Each chariot would carry a driver and a fighting man. Speed was necessary. But the elite chariot group was reinforced by summoning all other available chariots. Pharaoh was taking no chances. What a terrifying sight this would be to the children of Israel. What chance would they, untrained and badly armed slaves, have against this supreme force?
You can see why I chose the title for today’s study as we see with the statement -‘For the children of Israel went out with a high hand.’ This was Pharaoh’s view of the position. They had become high handed and were taking the opportunity of getting out of Dodge City.
10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, “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? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
When the children of Israel saw the approaching Egyptian chariot forces they were terrified and cried out to Yahweh. But this was in fear, not in hope. They clearly expected no help for they then turned on Moses and criticized him bitterly. They forgot what Yahweh had already done through Moses. This serves to demonstrate how subservient they had become. They were cowed. They had no pride, only fear. It would take much to change their outlook on life. When we tend to criticize them we must remember the extreme persecution they had to endure.
Their slave mentality then comes out. Rather than die proudly they were willing to cringe before their masters. They now regretted that they had not remained as slaves. How quickly their previous jubilation has turned to sourness and grief, for they believe that the wilderness in which they find themselves will now be their grave. Instead of jubilation they now remembered how they had constantly told Moses to leave them alone in their misery. They were a people without heart and in no condition to fight the Egyptians
Yet there was some justification for their fear. In front of them was an impassable stretch of water. Border fortresses and mountains were on both sides. Behind them were the powerful Egyptian chariots. They had nowhere to go but into the sea.
13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
The contrast between the cringing people and the confident Moses is outstanding. He recognizes their dilemma but He has no doubts that Yahweh will act and tells them that they will not need to fight. They have only to stand and watch, for Yahweh will fight for them. He is certain that the Egyptians will be dealt with in such a way that they will never again try to interfere with the journeying children of Israel. But he does not think of trying to cross the water for, while some might manage to get through, the majority will be stranded with their cattle and flocks and possessions.
15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
At Moses cry God made an enigmatic reply. It was not a rebuke but an assertion to increase his confidence. Why had Moses cried to Him? The time for calling on Him was past. His purpose was already guaranteed. What he should rather do is tell the people to go forward. Then He explains what He will do. Moses is to lift his staff over the sea and the sea will divide and let them through on ‘dry land’, that is, land from which the water has withdrawn, muddy but not waterlogged.
Furthermore He promises that the Egyptians will be made foolhardy enough to follow them. Then He, our Holy Father God Yahweh, will gain honor for Himself by defeating them along with all Pharaoh’s mighty weapons of war, his army, his chariots and his horsemen.
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
Reflecting back on this situation Moses describes the nearness of God to them, and His personal presence with them. He comes as ‘the angel of God’, often called ‘the angel of Yahweh’, that unique and mysterious figure who Is God and yet sometimes seems to stand over against God, whose presence means the special and intimate care of God. Thus is brought home that in the pillar of cloud and fire is the personal presence of an active and powerful God. He is the ‘angel of God (and not described as the All Powerful God Yahweh)’ here because He confronts Pharaoh as a superior to an inferior, the intrinsically divine against the unquestionably human.
God had been ahead of them, leading them on in the way that was best for them, and because of that they should have had more confidence in Him. But now, knowing their terror, He visibly went behind them to stand between them and the Egyptians, seeking to reassure them.
To the Egyptians the cloud brought even more intense darkness (compare Joshua 24.7), but to the children of Israel it gave light (13.21). This hindered the Egyptians and helped the children of Israel. God’s protection was visible and effective.
We see here that the cloud somehow hindered the Egyptian advance. It would certainly not be easy, indeed would be unwise, especially in thick fog, for chariots to advance in the darkness, and as the children of Israel were trapped it would not have been seen as necessary. Why take the risk?
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.
But while the confident Egyptians waited God was at work. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, during the night, and a strong east wind arose and caused the waters to recede. It is stressed that this was the work of Yahweh.
22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Here we witness the first aquarium designed and put into use by Almighty God. Can you imagine walking through and glancing around at the large predator fish swimming around in the walls of water surrounding each side? Down in Florida I went to an aquarium and you walk through a glass tunnel while sharks swim around. You just hope the glass doesn’t crack.
23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
At first light the Egyptian troops were commanded to go forward. The sight of the disappearing children of Israel across where the sea had been must have infuriated and astonished them. But it is noteworthy that it does not say that Pharaoh went in with them. Had he done so it would surely have been pointed out. Indeed he may not himself have even taken part in the charge. He would follow on behind, ready to pick up the glory.
24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off[a] their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”
As the Egyptians confidently advanced with their chariots and horsemen in morning light, probably at the charge, they advanced into disaster. ‘Through the pillar of fire and of cloud’ may suggest mist and storm, or the direct action of Yahweh revealing His glory through the mist. Either way they were disoriented. Then the already churned up ground began to cling to their chariot wheels and many of the wheels were unable to take the strain and were torn off. Others simply became clogged up in the mud. The proud elite chariots of Egypt were being rendered useless. If there were extra horsemen they would do little better, wallowing through the mud, hindered by the useless chariots, and finding progress impossible. In such conditions they would recognize that they would be an easy prey for the enemy. Their easy victory was turning into a catastrophe.
There could only be one result. They recognized that their position was hopeless and determined to turn back. Indeed they saw in it the hand of the fearsome God of the Hebrews. They now recognized that it was He they had to face. It was He Who had done this. And as ever He was against the Egyptians. They had come to ‘know that He was Yahweh’, the God Who is there and acts. And they were afraid.
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
But further disaster awaited the Egyptian forces. For at Yahweh’s command Moses lifted up his hand, containing the staff of God, over the sea, and the full flow of the waters returned in strength, and as the Egyptians struggled to free themselves from the mud and flee they ran into the returning waters and found them a barrier to them.
There is a book I encourage you to pick up. It is called I believe The Gold of Exodus. A couple of brave explorers dove into the Red Sea. In their book they have photos of chariot wheels and some other neat pictures.
14.28 ‘And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.’
The whole picture is vivid and suggests an eyewitness. The Egyptians clogged in the mud, struggling to get back, finding the waters which have arrived preventing them and then themselves being engulfed by further waters flowing down on them.
28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
They were all swept away before the astonished eyes of the children of Israel. But in the end all that would remain would be a calm, flat sea which looked as though nothing had happened there at all (although it had to disgorge some of the dead first). Pharaoh’s elite troops had simply vanished and were no more. All the things we fear most leave little mark on history. Before the Lord of history they are as nothing.
29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
This verse is in direct contrast with verse 28 and repeats what has been said earlier. For the one the waters returned, for the others the waters were a protection. For the one the ‘dry land’ was a trap, for the others it was a walkway.
30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.
From this moment on Israel had become a nation. The stress on ‘Israel’ rather than ‘the children of Israel’ is surely significant. Previously ‘Israel’ has always been the description used by Egypt (or to the Egyptians) to describe them, except when used genitivally. Now they proudly claim it for themselves.
In the New Testament Paul speaks of this deliverance at ‘the sea’ and likens it to baptism (1 Corinthians 10.1-2). The implication is that just as Israel were delivered through the sea, so are Christians delivered through Christ and by the Holy Spirit as exemplified in baptism (we are buried with Him in baptism unto death, so that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6.4)). The mighty forces of Pharaoh that were defeated can be compared with the mighty forces of evil that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ defeated through His death and resurrection (Colossians 2.15). At the Red Sea the old Israel were delivered. At the cross it is all the church of God’s Holy Son are delivered.
