God Parts the Red Sea

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AStudying God’s Word

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Studying God’s Word

Introduction

Last week we talked about the final plague that God brought on the Egyptians—the death of the firstborn. God continued to work to fulfill promises that he had made long before. Today we are finally going to see the Israelites leaving their captivity under the leadership of Moses and the mighty hand of God.

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  Who can tell me where we saw God’s promise of a land, a Seed, and a nation? Look back to Genesis 15:12–16. Have someone read the passage and identify the three elements.

  We also see that God told Abraham that his descendants would be afflicted before returning to the land of promise.

  In the details God gave for the Passover feast, the life and death of Jesus was foreshadowed. From the unblemished lamb, the blood as a sign, and even the unbroken bones, we recognize all that Jesus did on our behalf through his life and death on the Cross, though in a shadowy way. And it was these details that the writers of the New Testament used to confirm that Jesus was indeed the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Even in the pages of the Old Testament, the hope that was fulfilled in the New Testament was present.

Gifts from the Captors

Today, we are going to look at how God kept that promise and brought one final judgment on Egypt by providing a miraculous escape from a desperate situation. The key idea for our lesson today is how God provides for his people in amazing ways.

We are going to pick up the account of the Exodus during the night and early-morning hours after the last plague.

Let’s read Exodus 12:31–42 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• What did the Israelites take with them as they left Egypt? Bread dough, kneading bowls, and the clothing they were wearing, as well as silver, gold, and clothing from the Egyptians.
• How did the Israelites find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians? God gave them favor—God caused the Egyptians to give their possessions to the Israelites.
• Besides the men, who else left Egypt? Children and women, as well as a “mixed multitude” including non-Israelites, and also an abundance of livestock.
• Which direction did they travel? They went from Ramses to Succoth, headed south. Refer to the map in the Prepare to Learn section of the Student Guide.

Discover the Truth

God had brought his plan to fruition—the Israelites were free to leave, and he had caused the Egyptians to give them their riches. The Israelites had been freed from their bondage, and they held that night as a solemn time of observing what God had done for them.

In the section that follows, Moses reminded the people of how God had delivered them and that they were to use this event as a memorial to teach their children of God’s deliverance once they were in the Promised Land. Three times Moses reminded them that they had been freed by the “strong hand” of the Lord (vv. 9, 14, 16). Just as God had been faithful to his promises, Moses called the people to faithfully remind their children of God’s deliverance. And generations of Israelites would look back to this event as a defining moment. Countless passages in the Old Testament look back to the Exodus as a reminder of God’s power and faithfulness to his people.

Led by Cloud and Fire

Now we are going to read through what is probably one of the most well-known passages from the Bible. But when we come to something that is familiar, it is wise to be mindful of biases that we might be bringing to the text. Let’s try our best to read this passage with fresh eyes, as if it’s the first time we’ve ever heard it.

Let’s read Exodus 13:17–14:31. Have someone read the passage aloud, dividing it into sections.

• Who can summarize in about five sentences what we just read? The Israelites left Egypt, taking Joseph’s bones, and were led toward the Red Sea. God led them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God caused Pharaoh to pursue the Israelites so that they were trapped and doubted God’s providence. After confusing the Egyptians with a dark cloud, God parted the sea so that the Israelites could cross and then drowned the Egyptians when they tried to cross.
• How did the Lord lead the people? He appeared as a cloud by day and a pillar by night so that they could travel.
• What do we learn about this pillar in verses 14:19 and 24? The pillar is actually a physical representation of the Lord, and the angel of God.
• According to Exodus 14:4 and 14:17–18, what was God seeking to show through Pharaoh’s actions? God gained honor over Pharaoh so that the Egyptians would know that God is the Lord —the sovereign God of the universe.
• Exodus 14:8 says that the Israelites left Egypt defiantly. How had their attitude changed by verses 10–12? They were complaining to Moses that it would have been better for them to be slaves in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.
• How was Moses’ response different from that of the Israelites? Moses trusted in God to preserve them and told the Israelites to look forward to God’s salvation.
• Did God or Moses part the sea? God instructed Moses to raise his rod, but Exodus 14:21 says that the Lord caused the sea to go back.
• What physical mechanism is described in the parting of the waters and drying of the ground? A strong east wind blew all night as God parted the waters to dry the ground.
• How long did it take to cross? By the “morning watch” at sunrise the people had crossed over, the Egyptians following.
• In what other ways did the Lord interfere with the plans of the Egyptians? He caused the wheels of their chariots to be clogged (some translations say “come off”) and threw the army into a panic.
• How did the Egyptians meet their end? They were drowned as Moses held his hand out and the waters returned and covered all of them.
• Who conquered the Egyptians? The Lord threw the Egyptians into the sea. “The Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians.”
• What did the Israelites know in response to seeing all of this? After seeing God’s great power, they feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

Going Deeper

The Exodus was a major event of the Old Testament. It encompasses what redemption means to God, and what it means for his people. Brought up again and again by other biblical writers (see Psalm 78:13; 106:9–10; 136:10–15; Isaiah 51:10), it came to be known as a model, or paradigm, of redemption. Isaiah says that the Exodus happened to make for God an everlasting name (63:12). If you were to ask an Israelite during the Old Testament period how they knew they were redeemed, it is very likely that they would tell you the story of the Exodus.

Of course, there are similarities and differences between the Exodus from Egypt and God's saving us through Christ’s work on the Cross, but we see in both cases that God acts on behalf of his people, redeeming them.

In Exodus 6:6, God said this to people of Israel: “I am the  Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.”

In the Old Testament, a redeemer was a member of a family on whom the responsibility fell of acting to protect the interests of the family or a member of the family who was in particular need. In order to be this redeemer, then, someone had to have the right (be a family member), the resources to help, and the resolve to help. This was seen often when one member of a family would go into debt. Another family member, if they had the resources and resolve, could help them out and be a kinsman redeemer. Think of the book of Ruth.

For God to call himself the Redeemer, and for him to redeem his people, is for him to speak in very specific language. This is familial language. God affirms a bond between himself and his people that is as close as any bond of human family. Not only that, but it also means that God has not only the resources to rescue us, but also the desire. It should bring us great joy to call him our Redeemer!

Discover the Truth

The Egyptian army was destroyed without a sword or a spear—every last man. Despite the doubts and complaints of the Israelites, who had just witnessed the miracles of the Passover and the pillaging of the Egyptians, God delivered them from their distress. God demonstrated his faithfulness to fulfill the promises he had made and provided for his people in miraculous ways.

You may have heard of claims that chariot wheels and spears had been discovered at the bottom of the Red Sea, but these claims cannot be verified. One of the men who made a claim like this, Ron Wyatt, also claimed to have found Noah’s Ark and the Ark of the Covenant. But he never demonstrated these claims with real evidence. While it would be interesting to find exactly where the crossing happened, we should not base our belief in these events on their archaeological proof. Plus, this was several thousand years ago, and waterways and sea levels have changed.

But we have God’s Word on the matter, and we don’t need anything else. If we use such “evidences” as a way to persuade skeptics or to reassure believers, we run a real risk of wrecking the foundation of their belief when they later learn of the fraudulent nature of these evidences, or if we don’t have evidence of other events. We should never seek to build our faith or convert someone based on physical evidence—our faith should be in a Person. It is God's provision of grace and mercy that we must build our faith upon.

Yes, this is a matter of faith, but not blind faith. It is faith in the God who does miracles and provides for his people. If we demand physical evidence before we will believe in the Exodus, then we have put our hope in man’s ability to determine the truth about the past above God’s ability to reveal it to us as truth. Because of who God is, we can trust in his ability to accomplish all that we have just read about.

Poetic Truth Activity

You can imagine the delight of the Israelites after seeing God deliver them in such a miraculous way. As we might imagine, Moses led the people in a song of rejoicing and praising God. In your Student Guide, you will find the Poetic Truth activity. Your task is to compare what God has given us in Exodus 14 with chapter 15, and we will discuss what you find in a few minutes. Have students work in small groups to complete the activity.

Let’s discuss what you found as you compared these two passages.

1. What type of literature is Exodus 14? How do you know? Chapter 14 is a historical narrative that gives a straight-forward account of what happened.

2. What type of literature is Exodus 15? How do you know? Most of the chapter is poetic, written as a psalm. The structure of the language fits the structure of Hebrew poetry. There are many parallel ideas in the passage (e.g., verse 6 has two parallel expressions, verses 8 and 9 each have an idea repeated three times in slightly different ways, etc.). It doesn’t follow a chronological pattern, but conveys the main ideas, even repeating key ideas.

3. What elements in the poetic passage can you link to the narrative passage? Verse 15:1 and 4 connect to 14:27–29; 15:8 connects to 14:21–22; 15:9 connects to 14:5–9. Discuss other connections.

4. Which of the chapters is true? Explain your thinking. Both of the chapters are equally true; they are just expressed in different ways. They have two different intents. Chapter 14 is intended to be a clear historical accounting of what happened. Chapter 15 is meant to be sung as a song, making it a memory device used to pass these truths on orally. Both chapters are recorded for us as inspired Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Connect to the Truth

We can surely echo Moses’ refrain in verse 18 in light of what he did for his people: “The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

Application

What a wonderful reminder of both the faithfulness of God and his mercy and grace in providing all that his people need! God had brought the famine that led Israel’s family to Egypt. He had caused them to prosper and grow into a great nation, knowing that they would be under the bondage of the cruelty of Pharaoh. But because he is the God who transcends time, he knew exactly how long they would be in captivity. And he led them out with his mighty hand. He did this to show his power over all of nature and all of the false gods of the nations. And he did this so that his people would know of his power and care for them.

They saw the plagues. They saw the favor from the Egyptians to give them their wealth. They saw God part an impassible sea, leading them with the light he provided through the night. They saw him triumph over the mightiest army of the time, drowning all of Pharaoh’s army in the same spot they had just crossed on dry land.

They had no reason to doubt God’s power and provision . . . but we know how the rest of the story goes. Next week, we will follow the Israelites as they continue the journey, falling into a pattern of complaining against the God they knew could provide for them.

But before we thumb our noses at them, we should stop to consider our own lives. God has surely provided for us in many ways, though I haven’t had a sea parted for me lately. Our most pressing need is the reconciled relationship that God has provided through his Son. Each of us has stood at the edge of the sea of our sin, knowing we have no way to cross to the land of righteousness. But God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has delivered us out of the kingdom of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). Deliverance and provision come from the Lord!

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it.

• What did you read in the text today that clarified or corrected a misunderstanding you had about this well-known account? Discuss various answers.
• Some skeptics have suggested that the Israelites merely crossed a marshy area, the Reed Sea (a possible translation of the text). How would you respond to this claim as it tries to discredit the text? The most obvious issue is that it would not be possible to drown the Egyptian army in a shallow swamp. It would not be a demonstration of God’s great power for a bunch of people to cross a swamp, but it would be so to cross a sea with a wall of water standing on each side. Discuss other answers.
• The Israelites found themselves in a desperate situation with no apparent way to escape destruction, and they despaired. But God provided a way of escape, and the people believed. How might God use an apparently hopeless situation in your life to grow you to be more like Christ? Circumstances that may seem hopeless to us are all in God’s hands and under his direction. We need to remember his faithfulness and trust that he will indeed work these things together for good (Romans 8:28). Discuss examples from various students.
• We have seen how God provided for the Israelites in the Exodus. In what ways does God provide for your needs? Allow students to answer and suggest they take time to make a personal list that they can use as they thank God in prayer.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his faithfulness to provide all we need, physically and spiritually.
• Ask God for grateful hearts that recognize all of his provisions.
• Thank God for his mercies that are new every day in Christ.