Exodus 14:16, commentary and pictures

God directed Moses to raise the rod given him and extend his hand over the sea to split it open, so that Israel could walk through its midst on dry land with the waters standing as walls on either side. They stood trapped with the deep sea ahead, Pharaoh's chariots pressing behind, and rocks and mountains shutting them in, with no human way of escape. He commanded them to stop crying out and to go forward toward the water in faith, and the sea was rolled back only as they obeyed and advanced until their feet were in the very waters. In their utter helplessness before the mightiest army on earth, God made their necessity His opportunity, testing and strengthening their trust and proving that faith in Him withstands the whole power of the world. His command is still Go forward, opening the way and removing obstacles for His people now as He did then when they move at His word without waiting for everything to be made plain.

The Command at Sea

Israel stood perplexed at the brink of the Red Sea with its deep waters beating before them, the chariots and army of Egypt pursuing behind them, and granite rocks and mountains shutting them in on either side. The sea ahead was an impassable barrier with no human way of escape, and their deliverance depended wholly on divine intervention. In that trap they feared the very route they had been led into would bring disaster.

The command given to Moses was to stop crying to God and to act. He was to speak to the children of Israel that they go forward, even with the sea still in front of them. They had gone as far as they could, yet they must still go forward.

Moses was to lift up the rod God had given him and stretch out his hand over the sea to divide it. At the touch of the rod the waters parted and a dry path was opened through the midst of the sea. That lifting of the rod and stretching of the hand was the appointed means by which God promised deliverance when the people were told not to fear and to stand still.

The divided sea made a dry path through its midst on which the children of Israel, more than a million people, could go on dry ground. The waters stood like walls on either side, and light from God's pillar of fire illuminated the path through the sea. Israel entered that miraculously prepared way in obedience to the command to go forward, stepping toward the water in faith before the path was visibly open. That command restored hope to Israel.

At the sea they were a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves. Against them stood the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe, the power of the whole world.

Trust and Deliverance

Israel was told to go forward and to advance toward the water in faith before any path could be seen, pressing on until their feet were in the very waters, and only as they obeyed was the sea rolled back and opened before them. The opening came after they moved, for they did what they could by going toward the sea, and God then divided it to make their way. Acting at His command when the way ahead still looked blocked showed that He opens the way in answer to movement and earnest prayer.

They were to act as though they expected God to work, doing their part in faith, and then He divided the way before them. His people must go forward when His providence opens the way, not letting unbelief or selfishness hold back the advance of His work. That lesson calls for enlarged faith and plans, for organized work such as tract societies, and for conscientious giving according to ability to sustain His work.

God works for His people and makes their utter necessity His opportunity, commanding them to go forward even with the sea in front of them and to keep going after they have gone as far as they can. He opens a way where there is no way and can be safely trusted, giving success to those who work intelligently and not in a haphazard, unbelieving manner. The rod lifted over the sea was the rod He had given, used at His bidding to divide the waters so Israel could pass through on dry ground.

He chose this deliverance to test the faith and confidence of His people and to strengthen their trust in Him. The danger taught them their helplessness and need for divine aid, and His deliverance filled them with love and gratitude and gave them confidence in His power to help. When trials leave no visible way ahead, they are to trust in Christ and take the next step in the path He marks out, and doing so strengthens faith and prepares for service.

The deliverance displayed His power and care as Leader and Deliverer, making a way forward when no escape could be seen and preparing the way by miracle for the oppressed. It displayed His power, humbled the oppressors, and destroyed the pursuing Egyptian army that followed Israel into the divided sea. It showed the Egyptians that He rules the universe and is greater than their gods, while warning that hardening the heart against Him pursues the path of self-destruction.

By trusting His word to divide the sea, the utterly helpless multitude withstood the power of the whole world. At the sea they were a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves facing the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe. Their deliverance proves that faith in the triumph of righteousness holds fast against human power and policy in support of evil.

The crossing revealed Him as their deliverer from temporal bondage and from Egyptian slavery, displaying His power to guide and protect His people. That deliverance revealed His power and mercy, leading Israel to love and trust Him and binding them to Him as their deliverer. That freedom was more valuable than the pleasures enjoyed in bondage, and He later withheld some former indulgences to test whether they valued His service and the freedom He had given.

Going Forward Today

God's command still is Go forward, and He will do as great things for His people now as He did for Israel in the journey from Egypt to Canaan, helping them in their time of need and removing obstacles to their advance. He bids them go forward in faith when brought into strait and trying places with their feet touching the waters, even when an obstacle like the sea lies ahead. The rod He had given Moses became the means by which the waters parted to make a plain path, showing He can open a way forward. The Lord does not always make everything plain beforehand but tries the confidence of His people by requiring forward movement without money in hand or clear provision. What is called for is an educated faith that follows His instructions without hesitation in the most difficult experiences, and when earnest faithful prayer ascends He opens the way and brings them out into a large place.

When trials leave no visible way ahead, with the sea blocking the path and the pursuing army behind, they are to trust in Christ and take the next step in the path He marks out. They are to go forward praying as they venture even when the way looks impassable and dangerous and others give no encouragement that it can be crossed, and He carries them safely across to the other side. Doing so strengthens their faith and prepares them for service. The story teaches them to move forward at His command when His providence opens the way, trusting His direction despite obstacles, rather than giving way to unbelief and fear and selfishness, and not to let those things hold back the advance of His work. That dividing of the sea for a dry passage was part of the deliverance promised when the people were told not to fear and to stand still, when escape depended on divine intervention against an impassable barrier. It was a display of His power and care as Leader and Deliverer when they could not see how to obey the command to go forward, and a privilege to be remembered as a reason for loyal, willing service.

As at the touch of the rod the waters parted and left a plain path to travel, so it will be in present work. Though Satan brings difficulties to hinder advancement, God will part obstacles and make a plain path for those who keep far-reaching vision and let the light He has given shine to the world. Faith and cheerful obedience are needed to carry out His purposes even in difficult circumstances, as He made a way for Israel and later in establishing the Loma Linda Sanitarium. The same command to advance toward an impossible-seeming obstacle applies to moving forward with the sanitarium despite lack of funds and apparent difficulty. He requires His people to do their part in faith and act as though they expect Him to work, advancing until their feet are in the very waters, and then He divides the way, calling for much more faith, broadening of ideas and enlarging of plans, organizing for work such as tract societies, and giving conscientiously according to ability to sustain His work.