How to Cross the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-31

Pharaoh changed his mind. After telling the children of Israel to leave the land of Egypt he purposed to pursue them and kill all of them. "So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them." He believed that he had God's people where he wanted them, blocked by the Red Sea.

But the Lord said to Moses, "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." Here we have the promise of God. Moses obeyed the Lord. He "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. 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." They all safely crossed the Red Sea.

The Egyptians saw what Moses and the children of Israel had done. "And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen." Suddenly the wheels on their chariots came loose, and they had difficulty driving their chariots. At the direction of the Lord "Moses stretched out his hand over the sea.... 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."

Any casual observer of the events of that day, would have seen the children of Israel go into the Red Sea on dry ground, followed by the Egyptians who did exactly the same thing. The Israelites were saved, and the army of Pharaoh was destroyed. What was the difference?

In Hebrews 11:29 we read, "By faith they (the children of Israel) passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned." God's people crossed through the Red Sea by faith. The Lord had promised them that He would take them across. They believed the word of God. The Egyptians presumed that they would also traverse the Red Sea. But the Lord never promised them that they would cross on dry land.

Today many people attend church, sing the hymns, listen to the sermons, and follow all the motions of true believers. At best, they have a presumptuous faith, which like the belief of the Egyptians is no faith at all.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great and precious promises. Help us not to just take things for granted. We want to live by faith, not by sight. Build up our faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!

God's Cure for Bitterness - Exodus 15

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