The Red Sea Places of Your Life

    Many are familiar with the story of Moses leading the people of Israel in crossing the Red Sea. However, it's easy to overlook important details. That's what usually happens with spectacular stories like this: we remember details of the climax but miss the whole point of the story.

    The narrative is found in Exodus 14. Here's the overlooked details :

1. God deliberately sets up the action.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.' And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." And they did so.

-Exodus 14:1-4 (ESV)

    The context shows the motivations of God. Exodus 13:17-21 tells that there was a shorter way to the promised land but that route would bring them into Philistine territory. That would mean engaging in war and God knew that Israel wasn't ready to wage battle. So God leads them into the wilderness going towards the Red Sea. He led them by day in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night.

     God specifically tells Moses to encamp at an area by the sea. Why? The Lord wanted to set a trap that would destroy the Egyptian army so that He gets the glory and when the Egyptians will hear of the defeat of their army, they will know that "I AM" is the one true, living God.


2. God sets up Pharaoh for destruction.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

- Exodus 14:5-9 (ESV)

   
    If God hardened Pharaoh's heart then Pharaoh should not be held responsible for his actions, right? No, he is still held accountable. What Pharaoh did was consistent with his true character. Pharaoh forced Israel into slavery.

    He harbored evil motives right at the beginning of his reign:

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

-Exodus 1:8-14 (ESV)

Even when God demonstrated His awesome power by bringing the ten plagues, Pharaoh made it clear that He did not fear God. So when God hardened Pharaoh's heart it showed God's wrath and judgment against a cruel, tyrannical ruler.

    Theologian Bruce Waltke explains,

"Through hardening Pharaoh's heart, the Moral Governor of the universe shows that he rules creation and history and deals with the creation according to his moral pleasure, determining how long he will extend his grace and varying the degrees and kinds of judgments he inflicts."

Pharaoh was a type of anti-God (or anti-Christ) and the one, true living God would demonstrate his awesome power over the evil king. Going back to the story, we see that God once again hardened Pharaoh's heart so that the king would decide to pursue the fleeing Israelites. Pharaoh gathered the army of Egypt which was superior and was equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. But they would be no match against God. 



3. God sets up Israel so they would see that He is Israel's Champion

    God deliberately positioned the people of Israel so that they could see the Egyptian army marching after them. Predictably, they were overcome with fear and blamed Moses for their dire predicament (Exodus 14:11-12). With the sea on one side and the pursuing Egyptian army on the other, there was no way of escape. But Moses said,

"Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

-Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV)

God did not command Israel to fight, rather He would fight for them. God would be Israel's champion - the mighty Warrior King. The rest of the chapter (Exodus 14:15-31) tells how God fought and won. God tells Moses to lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea and divide it so Israel could go through the sea on dry ground. Then the angel of God moved the pillar of cloud and stood between the Egyptian army and Israel. This made it possible for Israel to make a nighttime crossing of the sea. The cloud and the darkness slowed down the Egyptian army pursuit. God threw the Egyptian army into confusion by making the wheels of their chariots come off. Finally, the sea was released and drowned the entire Egyptian army.

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

-Exodus 14:30-31 (ESV)

    God put on display His glory and his power to both the Israelites and the Egyptians in order to accomplish His purposes with them. In recounting the Red Sea crossing, the author of Exodus made God the central character in the story. Readers need to realize this. God was the General. Moses was a lieutenant. This was God vs. Pharaoh and God scored a resounding knock-out!

    Israel was rescued from the hands of the Egyptians that day. Then Moses and all of Israel sang a song of praise to the Lord (Exodus 15).

"The LORD is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation". -v.2

"The LORD is a man of war..." -v.3

"Your right hand O LORD shatters the enemy..." v.6

"Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?" v.11

"The LORD will reign forever and ever." v.18

God fights for His elect. Do you see God this way? God has already triumphed in the greatest "Red Sea place" of your life. Your were delivered from slavery to sin (John 8:34-36) through His Son. No longer will you live in fear again because Jesus triumphed over Satan. He didn't just eke out a win, he shattered the enemy! Jesus is your Champion! For those who believe in Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection, they are no longer condemned but are saved (John 3:16-18).

Trials and tribulations in this life are also Read Sea places. There was a poet who experienced great suffering. She went through the untimely deaths of not just her biological parents but also her foster parents - orphaned twice over. She also had a debilitating condition that became worse through time and made her an invalid. Through it all, her faith and trust in Jesus never wavered.

I am encouraged by this poem that she wrote:

The Red Sea Place
By : Annie Johnson Flint

Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where, in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, "Go on."

And His hand will lead you through - clear through -
Ere the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break,
But over their bed you shall walk dry shod
In the path that your Lord will make.

In the morning watch, 'neath the lifted cloud,
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed,
You shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,

A place that His hand has made.