December 1, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: 1 John 1-3

Weekly Memory Verse: Proverbs 27:17

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

Still trying to upload the webpage, it is giving me fits.  Tech support is working furiously to try to correct the problems.

Exodus 14:1-12 (The Message)
¹ God spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites to turn around and make camp at Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Camp on the shore of the sea opposite Baal Zephon. ³ “Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are lost; they’re confused. The wilderness has closed in on them.’ ⁴ Then I’ll make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn again and he’ll chase after them. And I’ll use Pharaoh and his army to put my Glory on display. Then the Egyptians will realize that I am God.” And that’s what happened. ⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people were gone, he and his servants changed their minds. They said, “What have we done, letting Israel, our slave labor, go free?” ⁶ So he had his chariots harnessed up and got his army together. ⁷ He took six hundred of his best chariots, with the rest of the Egyptian chariots and their drivers coming along. ⁸ God made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, determined to chase the Israelites as they walked out on him without even looking back. ⁹ The Egyptians gave chase and caught up with them where they had made camp by the sea—all Pharaoh’s horse-drawn chariots and their riders, all his foot soldiers there at Pi Hahiroth opposite Baal Zephon. ¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them! They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. ¹¹ They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? ¹² Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’ ”^[1]

Try to picture what is going on in this scene.  I copied from the Message Bible since it reads more like a book, and embellishes on the concepts more.  Pharaoh realized that he had released his entire force of slave labor, with the nation in a crisis this was a very bad time for him to have released them.  One question that I have had nagging at the back of my mind is how long that the ten plagues took to take place. 

Consider also the fear that Israel displayed after watching God deliver them from the Egyptians.  Times got tough, and the Hebrews doubted the very God that they had watched perform miracle after miracle.  The Hebrews viewed life with their natural eyes, they saw things from the perspective of man rather than the perspective of a spiritual man.  Moses demontrated faith in God and an ability to be in touch with the thoughts of God that the rest of the Hebrews did not have. 

Don't be too hard on them though, we act the same way.  God allows trials to come in our lives and many times we forget that He is in charge.  Our natural response is to figure that God is busy elsewhere, forgetting all the works of God in our lives. 

Exodus 14:13-31 (The Message)
¹³ Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again. ¹⁴ God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!” ¹⁵ God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. ¹⁶ Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, ¹⁸ to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.” ¹⁹ The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. ²⁰ The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn’t come near each other all night. ²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back. He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split. ²² The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. ²³ The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. ²⁴ It was now the morning watch. God looked down from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud on the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. ²⁵ He clogged the wheels of their chariots; they were stuck in the mud. The Egyptians said, “Run from Israel! God is fighting on their side and against Egypt!” ²⁶ God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.” ²⁷ Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived. ²⁹ But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. ³⁰ God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, ³¹ and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses. ^[2]

There have been a lot of people who have tried to explain this passage away.  I believe that God literally split the sea, building a wall of water on each side of the Jews, just like the Bible says.  This is not the only occurrence of God controlling the water that we have in the scriptures. 

Joshua 3:14-17 (NASB95)
¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, ¹⁵ and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), ¹⁶ the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

2 Kings 2:7-14 (NASB95)
⁷ Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. ⁹ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” ¹⁰ He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

Matthew 14:25-29 (NASB95)
²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” ²⁸ Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ^[3]

During the time of Joshua, the Jordan was at flood stage, and God caused the water to stand in a heap.  God split the water for Elijah, then later for Elisha.  When Jesus was doing His public ministry, He walked on water at least twice, demonstrating power over the water and the ability to control its properties.  Jesus also stilled the sea, causing it to go from a stormy state to a calm lake like effect.  God is in control of the water, to claim that God really did not split the Red Sea is open the door to explain away Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus.  The water split just like God said it did. 

It is interesting that God caused darkness to fall upon the Egyptians until the water was split.  He covered them in a dense cloud and at the same time bathed the Hebrews in light, it had to be an incredible site.

I am going to close here, enjoy the story and learn from it.  All comments are welcomed.

Father, as we consider Your word today, enable each of us to draw from Your strength and from Your wisdom.

In Him,

Joe Turner.