Crossing the Red Sea
Part 3 - The Act of Obedience
Exodus 14v19-29
12th August 2016
God led his people out of slavery in Egypt, to the shore of the Red Sea. Pharaoh and the Egyptian army came after them. The Israelites were trapped. They and Moses their leader cried out to God for help. God told Moses to pick up his staff - his walking stick - and hold it over the sea to divide the water so the Israelites could walk through the sea on dry ground. While Moses was thinking about this, and wondering whether he had the courage to obey, God acted.
Exodus 14v19-20
Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of
cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and
light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
The angel of God is usually believed to be Jesus Christ, and the pillar of cloud is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. So we see that, while the first Person of the Holy Trinity was speaking to Moses and leading the people, the second and third Persons were defending God's people from attack.
God will always lead us, and always protect us. Sometimes, we can see and hear Him, and sometimes we can't, but He's always there.
The Holy Spirit brought light to God's people, as He always does. And he brought darkness to God's enemies, as He always does.
Finally, after seeing God act, Moses was ready to act. It was not a moment too soon.
Exodus 14v21-22
Then Moses stretched to his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind
and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,
and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
It made no sense, but it worked (so to speak). Moses, I'm sure, could see no more connection between him lifting up a walking stick and a path appearing through the sea, than we can. But Moses obeyed God. He lifted up his staff, and God did the rest. The staff didn't part the sea. God parted the sea.
The theological question for us is: Why did God require Moses to lift up his staff before God was willing to act? And the answer is: God wants us to be involved in His purposes.
Why do we need to pray for the sick? God can heal them anyway. Why do we need to tell the Good News to the lost? God can save them anyway. We need to pray, and we need to act, because God insists that we get involved! God wants His children to be fellow-workers with Him (1 Corinthians 3v9, 2 Corinthians 6v1). He wants us to be about our Father's business.
Generally God will not act until we act.
But why a walking stick? Because in the desert, a walking stick was all Moses had. It didn't seem anything like enough to part the sea, but it was all he had. So he used it.
God has equipped us with everything we need to do what He wants us to do (2 Peter 1v3) but we don't always feel equipped. God can use anything He likes to accomplish any purpose He likes. So we should never waste time praying for what we think we need in order to do what God is calling us to do now. We are equipped. We just need to listen to God tell us how to use the equipment we have.
Prayer is absolutely vital. Nothing happens with prayer. But action is also absolutely vital. Nothing happens without action. Faith without works is dead (James 2v26).
Exodus 14v23-28
The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.
During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and
threw it into confusion.
He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away
from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt."
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians
and their chariots and horsemen."
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing
toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.
The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen - the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the
Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
Despite yet another astounding miracle, despite the recent memory of death in their own families, the Egyptian army followed the Israelites into the sea. And they all died. God showed Pharaoh who was boss.
We like to meditate on the love of God, and the grace of God, and the mercy of God. But God is also a God of judgement. Those who oppose Him will be dealt with. For many, their judgement comes when they die and stand before His throne. For many others, judgement comes in this life. "'Vengeance is mine', says the Lord, 'I will repay'" (Deuteronomy 32v35, Romans 12v19). The Lord is full of compassion on those who fear Him, but "The Lord is a warrior" (Exodus 15v3).
Exodus 14v29
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
When Moses obeyed God, God acted.
What will God do when we obey him?