Exodus 14:17, commentary and pictures

God Himself hardens the hearts of the Egyptians so that they follow Israel into the sea, that He may gain honor upon Pharaoh and all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen. The word is spoken when Israel is shut in with the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh's pursuing army behind them, with escape seeming impossible after they followed God's direction, and Moses assures them the Lord will deliver them and fight for them. God interposes the pillar of cloud as darkness to Egypt and light to Israel, then divides the sea by a strong wind so the waters stand as walls and Israel walks through on dry ground, after which the waters return and drown Pharaoh's host that pressed into the opened path. By this He displays His power in deliverance, humbles the oppressors who had long withstood Him, frees His people from renewed bondage, and shows Egypt that He is the Lord above all. The strait tests whether Israel will trust Him after such tokens of His care, rebuking unbelief and murmuring, teaching that utter helplessness joined to trust in His word triumphs over the mightiest human power, and that blessing comes by moving forward at His command before the way is seen rather than waiting until success is sure.

Setting and Miraculous Deliverance

Exodus 14:17 belongs to the night Israel stood shut in with the Red Sea before them and the pursuing Egyptian army behind them, with escape seeming impossible. They had come into that danger by following God's direction, and Moses assured them that the Lord would deliver them and fight for them. God had brought them to the sea on purpose, so that He might display His power in their deliverance and humble their oppressors.

The angel of God that went before the camp of Israel removed and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud went from before them to stand behind them between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. To the Egyptians it was a cloud and thick darkness, so that they could not see the Hebrews and could not come near Israel all the night. To Israel it gave light by night.

When commanded to go forward, Israel did not wait until the way was distinctly opened but obeyed before the path could be seen, advancing to the water and stepping into it. At Moses' outstretched hand and the touch of the rod God had given him, the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night and made dry land. He divided the waters so that they rose and stood like congealed walls on the right hand and on the left, leaving a plain path on which Israel walked into the midst of the sea on dry ground.

After Israel had passed over safe and dry-shod, the waters returned to their strength and covered and drowned Pharaoh's host that had pursued them into the opened path.

God's Honor Over Egypt

God himself hardens the hearts of the Egyptians so that they follow Israel into the sea, that he may gain honor upon Pharaoh and upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen. By that pursuit the Egyptians are made to know that he is the LORD. Their pursuit gives him the occasion to gain that honor over Pharaoh and his army with its chariots and horsemen.

Pharaoh had long withstood God and hardened his heart against mighty, wondrous works and miracles and plagues. He refused to admit that the death of the firstborn, from the king upon the throne to the most humble, was God's judgment. Yet in blindness he rushed with his counselors and mighty men into the path God had miraculously prepared for his people, pursuing Israel with horses and chariots equipped for war until Israel was shut in with the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian host behind them. His hardened heart thus led him and his army into the opened way, and his blindness to God's power brought the Egyptians to destruction while God delivered Israel, for after Israel passed over dry-shod on the divided sea the waters returned to their strength and covered and drowned the Egyptian host.

By this pursuit and defeat God displayed his power in Israel's deliverance and humbled their oppressors. He allowed the Egyptians to pursue Israel so that his power would be revealed in their defeat. By destroying Pharaoh's army he delivered his people from renewed enslavement and showed the Egyptians that he rules over all and is greater than their deities.

Faith Tested and Applied

The danger at the sea tested Israel's faith to prove whether they would trust God after such tokens of His care and love for them, and this display of power rebuked their unbelief and murmuring while strengthening their trust in Him. God brought the people to a place where escape seemed impossible so they would recognize their helplessness and need for divine aid. He then delivered them from temporal bondage, revealing His power and mercy to lead them to love and trust Him as their deliverer. That crisis also tested whether they valued His service and their deliverance more than the comforts and pleasures they had known in servitude.

At the sea a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves trusted God's word and withstood the whole worldly power of the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe. Utter helplessness joined to trust in God's word triumphs over human power and policy in support of evil. Israel's deliverance stands as a witness to the power of God's word and the triumph of righteousness by faith, showing that those who trust God's word can stand against overwhelming human power.

Blessing comes by discerning and following God's opening providence in faith rather than waiting until success is sure. Israel did not wait until the way through the sea was distinctly opened but moved at God's word when commanded to advance, and as their feet stepped into the very waters the sea was rolled back, a path was opened before them, and they went safely over. Refusing to move until success is sure loses blessing and hinders God's work.

God does not always make everything plain before His servants but tries their confidence by bringing them into strait and trying places. He bids them go forward in faith when their feet seem to touch the Red Sea waters, when the sea blocks them and Satan raises hindering difficulties against their advance. When they move at His command and pray to Him in earnest faith He parts the obstacle, opens a clear way where there was none, leaves a plain path to travel, and brings them out into a large place. He will do the same in present work, requiring His people today to move in the upbuilding of His work even when money is not in hand and to follow His instructions in the most difficult experiences, and the same faith is shown in going forward at a seemingly impassable crossing and trusting God while proceeding through peril to a safe crossing.

God bears long with the perversity of men, sending decided reproofs and clear light. Pharaoh refused to be admonished by the judgments of heaven and pressed on in a wrong course instead of searching his heart closely and humbling himself before God. If warnings are not received and men persist in following their own will and impulses and in being like the people of the world, He repeats His judgments as He repeated them to the king of Egypt, and He will not pardon persistent determination to continue without repentance.