“Crossing the Red Sea”

Exodus 14:1-31
May 2, 2010

Objective Statement: When facing a predicament, every person should follow God’s command to the Israelites:
1) Do not be afraid
2) Stand firm
3) See the salvation of God
4) Be still

Open: Turn with me, if you would, to Exodus 14 it is on page ___ of the Worship Center Bible. We’re going to be
study one of the greatest miracles recorded in Scripture.

As the Resurrection of Jesus is the greatest miracle recorded in the New Testament, the crossing of the Red Sea is
the greatest of God’s supernatural interventions recorded in the Old Testament.

This story recorded for us displays the greatness of God, who is able to simultaneously work salvation for the
Hebrews, bring judgment on Pharaoh and the Egyptians, while gaining glory for Himself.

Let’s take a look…

<Read Exodus 14>

“Predicament” – if you go around the country, you can find different phrases to indicate that someone has found
himself in a predicament:
East – “In a pinch”
South – “Between a rock and a hard place”
North – “Up a creek
Midwest – “In a pickle”

Have you ever gotten yourself in a pickle?

I asked this question of the group gathered for Life Link last Sunday, and we listened to stories about tipping
canoes, log jams, arrests and nights spent in jail!

Baseball players get themselves in “in a pickle” when they leave one base, head for another, and the player at the
base already has the ball! Not knowing which way to go, they end up going back and forth between bases while
the whole opposing teams gathers in for the kill!

I’ve gotten myself in different “pickles” over the years.

Eg: End of the summer at Service Unlimited – out of cash!

It’s been said, “We all want God to do a miracle. We just don’t want to be in a place where we need one!”

God came through with a $10 tip!

Invariably, we could all tell stories of when we got ourselves:

- “In a pinch”
- “In a jam”
- “In a pickle”
- “Up a creek”

Have you ever had God put you “in a pickle”?

The Israelites sure did!

To fully understand this story, we need to look at the geography.

<Map of Sinai Peninsula>

th
At the conclusion of the 10 and final plague, Pharaoh conceded and let the Hebrews go. Emancipated from
slavery, the Israelites headed for the Promised Land.

The latter part of Exodus 13 tells us that they didn’t take a direct route. God had them skirt the way of the
Philistines because of the Egyptian outposts along the way. Instead, he had them head into the Sinai Peninsula.

They were on their way to camp at the mountain of God (See Exodus 18).

Where is the mountain of God?

That’s a very good question, because it is very key to the placement of the Red Sea crossing.

Many Bible maps place the mountain of God in the Sinai Peninsula, but most have a question mark following the
place designation.

An “Indiana Jones”-like adventurer named Bob Cornuke sought to find the real mountain of God, and didn’t see
anything conclusive at the traditional site.

Given the idea that Moses fled from Egypt to Midian (modern Saudi Arabia), he and a partner ventured into Saudi
Arabia, following the geographical sites listed in Exodus and found themselves at the foot of a Jabal al Lawz, which
bears a very strong resemblance to the mountain of God described in Exodus, complete with a blackened peak, a
large split rock, and petroglyphs that match the account of the golden calf.

I took a class on the book of Egypt while in college and found the placement of the Red Sea crossing very
confusing!

“Yom suph” – “Red Sea” or “Sea of Reeds” – Those who are critical of the biblical record like to scoff at the idea
that Pharaoh and his armies were drowned in the shallow, muddy waters of a swamp, going so far as to say that
the Exodus never even happened.

If the mountain of God is in Saudi Arabia, this means the crossing of the Red Sea was most likely through that
portion known as the Gulf of Aqaba.
There are some very interesting geographical features and archaeological findings that indicate that the children of
Israel made their crossing from a beach where we can find the modern city of Nuweiba.

Exodus 14 tells us that God had the people back-track, giving the appearance that they were lost and wandering.

Many of the peaks in the Sinai Peninsula were manned with sentinels who would have been able to communicate
with Pharaoh their whereabouts.

Learning that they were hemmed in by the mountains and the sea, Pharaoh gave chase!

And why not!?

- The ruler of the ancient world had been embarrassed by slaves!

- And – he had lost a major force that drove the Egyptian economic engine. (Imagine Missoula losing
the University of Montana!)

Trapped by the sea, the mountains and seeing the Egyptians bearing down on them, the Israelites began their first
of many complaints:

“Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt? Why bring us out here to die? We would rather have you leave us alone
to be slaves in Egypt than come out here to die in the wilderness!”

Patrick Henry declared, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

Not these people – they would rather stay with what they knew – enslaved builders of Egyptian tombs.

Moses, who had gained more and more confidence in God’s power with each passing plague said to the people:

Exodus 14:13-14 "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The
Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

<Map of Sinai Peninsula>

He lifted up his staff, stretched out his hand, the sea divided, the ground dried up and the people crossed.

Now here are some items of interest, found by researcher Ron Wyatt:

- Underwater geography
o Eilat Deep - 3,000 feet deep to the north
o Argonese Deep - 5,000 feet deep to the south
o Both have a pitch of 45 degrees
o Underwater land bridge formed from silt from wadis (canyons) on either side
<Nuweiba Beach>
 - Underwater findings
o Coral encrusted

Chariot wheels

Human bones

Horse hooves

- Markers on land – Phoenician columns on either side, indicating they were erected by Solomon, who
traded in these waters during his reign.

Check these findings out for yourself, but I find them to be very compelling, convincing and encouraging to my
faith in the Bible’s veracity!

God brought his people through, the Egyptians followed them and were subsequently drowned.

In summation, the chapter closes:

Exodus 14:30-31 That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians
31
lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians,
the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

God worked a miracle for Israel, showing his great power and saving Israel from the Egyptians.
God’s power and greatness were wonderfully on display!

We want to see God’s power and greatness in our lives, don’t we?

There are some great lessons we can learn from this story, especially if we break down verses 13 and 14.

For the remainder of our time, I’d like to camp on these verses and would encourage you to commit them to
memory so you may draw upon them in times when you find yourself “in a pickle”.

Exodus 14:13-14 "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The
Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Let’s look at the statements Moses makes to God’s people:

1) "Do not be afraid.”

This is one of the most common commands we see God give his people in the Bible.

Why? Because we are given to fear of the many threats we may face.

The Israelites were fearful of the physical threat imposed by the Egyptians, who were bearing down on them.

What are your “Egyptians”? Of what are you afraid?

Possibilities:
- Being rejected or being accepted – relational fear
- Losing a job – economic fear
- Maybe you are afraid of failing morally – spiritual fear
- Perhaps a fear of bodily injury – physical fear

Eg: Kelly and the poodle in Lake Forest

Are you fearful this morning? If so, rest assured that you find yourself in good company.

The following people in scripture heard the command: “Fear not”

- Abram
- Joshua
- Gideon
- Solomon (from his father David)
- Isaiah
- Daniel
- Disciples (from Jesus)
In these instances, God didn’t tell his servants that their fears were foolish and that they just needed to “buck up”.

His charge to “fear not” was based on His promise of protection, deliverance and most often his presence:

David said in
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

After saying, “Do not fear”, Moses said,

2) “Stand firm”

When I hear these words, I think of similar phrases:

- Have confidence
- Be strong and courageous
- Be resolved
- Don’t flinch
- Steel yourself
- Dig in your heels, clench your fist, grit your teeth… “Come on!”

Eg: “Revolutionary War” in paintball

Eg: Doug Hoak with the dog on the M Trail in Bozeman

David charged his son Solomon:

1 Kings 2:2 Be strong, show yourself a man

He was to do this, not based on his own strength, but in the strength that God provides.

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm.” …

3) “You will see the deliverance of the LORD”

Note: this is future tense: “You will see the deliverance of the Lord”

Biblical scholar A.W. Pink makes the point that Israel first had to see with their spiritual eyes and believe in their
hearts before they would see God’s activity in the physical realm.

Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land

This gives the indication that the Red Sea parted as they stepped in.

Countless times in Scripture, God’s intervention into the natural world through miracles came after his people took
a step of faith.

They saw first through the eyes of faith, believed God, then saw His activity with their physical eyes:
- At the River Jordan
- The woman providing her oil and flour
- Peter getting out of the boat
- The little boy providing his loaves and fish

It seems that if God is to act on our behalf, we first have to see Him do it!

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm. See God’s salvation…”

4) “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

When I hear this command (“be still”), I think back to Psychology 101 and the common responses to fear:
- Fight! – “Put ‘em up!” – Lion in Wizard of Oz
- Fright! – “Shake and shiver” – Scooby Doo
- Flight! – “Run!” – Me and poodles. ☺

By saying, “Be still”, Moses was telling Israel (and us) that we need to relax and let God fight our battles.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

1 Samuel 17:47 it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Being still means that we quiet our bodies, we calm our hearts, we let our hearts be at rest, we place ourselves in
the center of God’s care.
And as we do, our blood pressure decreases and our pulse slows down…

In thinking of this passage, Charles Swindoll wrote in his journal:

When I panic, I run

When I run, I lose
When I lose, God waits
When I wait, He fights
When He fights, He wins
And when He wins, I learn

Charles Swindoll

Close: A little over a year ago, our family was having an “Exodus Experience”. We were sensing from the Lord that
it was time to move on from our ministry position in Bozeman. And contrary to wisdom which says don’t leave a
job until you have another one, we placed ourselves in God’s care. We had two prayers as a family:
1) Please give Daddy a new ministry position
2) Please sell our house in Bozeman