THE PATH: a JOURNEY THROUGH the BIBLE the Waters Were Divided | 69
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6 The Waters Were Divided After the final plague, the death of the firstborn son of every Egyptian family, Pharaoh finally relented and let the Israelites go. They packed up that very evening and started out, just as God had told them. As they traveled, God went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. But their journey was not to be an easy one. PHAROAH PURSUES THE ISRAELITES When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him; he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his 68 | THE PATH: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE The Waters Were Divided | 69 chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the into the sea on dry ground, the waters TRAIL CROSSING sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. forming a wall for them on their right This is the second time that and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were God has appeared to Moses in and went into the sea after them, all of fire: first in the burning bush the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot and now in a pillar of cloud cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there drivers. At the morning watch the Lord and fire. Read about some of were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in in the pillar of fire and cloud looked the other times God shows the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of down upon the Egyptian army, and up in fire: 1 Kings 18:20-39, 2 Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us threw the Egyptian army into panic. He Kings 2:11, Daniel 3:19-30. alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been clogged their chariot wheels so that they better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the CROSSING OF THE RED SEA SCENIC VIEW sea returned to its normal depth. As the Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to The portions of the Bible Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed that are songs are some of me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your the Egyptians into the sea. The waters the oldest parts of the text. staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that returned and covered the chariots and the Here we are told that Miriam the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh leads the people in singing harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after that had followed them into the sea; not immediately after their them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all one of them remained. But the Israelites deliverance. In fact, singing his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. And the Egyptians walked on dry ground through the sea, and dancing is often the shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for the waters forming a wall for them on biblical response to good news. myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.” their right and on their left. Thus the Lord Check out 2 Samuel 6:5, saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; Psalm 149:3, and The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army Luke 1:45-55. moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came seashore. Israel saw the great work that between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. did not come near the other all night. Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them: into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went 70 | THE PATH: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE The Waters Were Divided | 71 “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; much as each of them needed. And Moses said to them, “Let no horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.” one leave any of it over until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms The Israelites rejoiced and sang, for God had delivered them from and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by Egypt and miraculously led them across the Red Sea. Moses followed morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when God’s command and led the Israelites into the wilderness. Their the sun grew hot, it melted. rejoicing soon turned to complaining, as the people realized that life in the wilderness would not always be easy. In spite of all that they On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers had seen and experienced, the people continued to doubt God’s love apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told and promise of provision. Moses, he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.’ ” “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; assembly with hunger.” today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and none.” So the people rested on the seventh day. gather enough for that day. I have heard the complaining of the The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. The morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable that I am the Lord your God.’” land; they ate manna, until they came to the border of the land In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in of Canaan. the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give they did not know what it was.