Exodus 14:25, commentary and pictures

In the midst of the divided sea God looked upon the pursuing Egyptian army through the pillar of cloud and fire and troubled their host, taking off their chariot wheels and miring them in the seabed so that they drove heavily and could not advance. The Egyptians had hardened themselves and rushed into the miraculously opened path after Israel, though the cloud was darkness to them and light to Israel. Seeing their chariots disabled, they recognized that the Lord Himself was fighting for Israel against them with a power greater than any human power, and in terror said, Let us flee from the face of Israel. It was Jesus Christ, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud and fire, who as invisible Leader and Captain held back the waters until every Israelite was safely across, then at His word let the sea return to drown the whole host so that not one escaped. The deliverance was wrought for a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves who could not save themselves, to teach their utter need of divine help and that trusting God's word enables the helpless to withstand the power of the whole world.

Pursuit Into the Sea

The verse belongs to the moment when Israel stood trapped with the Red Sea before them and horses, chariots and men equipped for war behind them, seeing no way of escape and greatly terrified, while Egypt shouted in triumph at having them in their power. They were a helpless multitude of slaves facing the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe. Their terror and helplessness set the stage for the Lord to fight for them against the pursuers.

That pursuit came after Pharaoh had hardened his heart against the messengers specially sent by God, reasoned away their miracles, explained the increasingly severe plagues as natural causes, and refused release until the firstborn from the king on the throne to the most humble were slain, bringing wailing and mourning. After commanding Israel to go and burying the dead he relented, because his counselors and mighty men would not admit the bereavement was a judgment from God, and in hardness of heart he pursued after releasing them.

In darkness through the night the Egyptians followed Israel into the divided sea on dry land, guided only by marching sounds because the cloud gave light to Israel but was a wall of darkness to them. They found Israel halfway across in the morning, disappointed and enraged at losing prey they thought was in their power. They kept following through the night expecting soon to break through and overtake the fugitives, and by morning had almost reached the fleeing Hebrews.

The sea was the appointed place for God's last display of power, with high walls of water congealed on either side and a path of deliverance made for the hosts following Moses. That deliverance closed a sojourn of nearly four hundred years as slaves under grievous oppression by an idolatrous nation that did not acknowledge God and refused to listen to His voice. The pursuing force was a chosen, well-equipped army of Egypt's mightiest men, rulers and priests of idol gods, with all Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen, sent to intimidate Israel and restore Egypt's glory after yielding to Israel's God. Seeing Israel walking the dry path only increased their rebellion, so that hardened in blindness they rushed into the path miraculously prepared for God's people despite the dark cloud before them.

Chariots Hindered Heavily

In the morning watch the Lord looked upon the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud and troubled their host. He moved the pillar from before Israel to stand between the two armies to shield His people. Upon the pursuers He brought confusion with fire and storm.

At His bidding angels went through the Egyptian host and removed their chariot wheels. Thus they drove heavily, with very slow, plagued progress, and could not advance. Their hindered driving was the Lord's troubling of those who pursued Israel into the midst of the sea.

Their wheels sank into the soft sand of the sea bed and the horses became entangled, so the chariots moved with difficulty. They were thrown into confusion. Yet they kept following through the night, guided only by marching sounds, expecting soon to break through and overtake the fugitives.

Egyptians Confess and Flee

The disabled chariots forced the Egyptians to remember the judgments God had brought upon them in Egypt to compel them to let Israel go. In that memory they concluded they were fighting a power greater than any human power. They thought God might deliver them into the hands of the Israelites.

They recognized that the Lord Himself was fighting for Israel against the Egyptians. They understood that God was acting against them. The troubling of their army and the heavy driving of their chariots was the proof that made them know it.

They became terribly afraid at what they recognized. They said, Let us flee from the face of Israel. Until that revelation they had kept following through confusion, confident of victory and expecting soon to break through and overtake the fugitives. When the waters returned and they saw Israel safe on the farther shore they were overcome with fear and tried to flee. They were turning to flee from Israel when the sea returned upon them.

Complete Overthrow and Judgment

At the Lord's command Moses was to lift the rod and stretch his hand over the sea to divide it, and the sea parted so that Israel passed over dry shod and safely under God's protection. He piled up the waters as a strong wall and made a path of deliverance for the hosts following Moses, holding back the hurricane of waters from pursuing their natural course until every soul of Israel was safely on the other side. The vast army of Egypt, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen, pressed after them by the same path into the bed of the sea despite the dark cloud before them. Then, at His word through the human agent lifting the rod, Moses stretched forth his hand and the banked waters rolled on in their natural course and returned to their strength, rushing on as before. The waters covered and drowned the whole pursuing Egyptian host, Pharaoh and all his host slain, so that not one soul of that vast army escaped.

Their overthrow in the sea was God's manifested judgment fulfilling His word to execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. The Red Sea was the appointed place for God's last display of power against hardened Egypt, and the pursuing force was a chosen, well-equipped army of Egypt's mightiest men, rulers and priests of idol gods, sent to intimidate Israel and restore Egypt's glory after yielding to Israel's God. When they saw Israel walking on a dry path through the sea with high walls of water congealed on either side by God's power, it only increased their rebellion, and hardened in blindness they rushed into the path miraculously prepared for His people. By these mighty acts, disabling their chariots and turning them to flight, protecting His people and destroying the army when it tried to overtake and enslave them again after a sojourn of nearly four hundred years as slaves under grievous oppression by an idolatrous nation that did not acknowledge God and refused to listen to His voice, God revealed Himself to the Egyptians as Ruler of the universe, greater than all heathen gods and above them all.

All perished in determination to have their own way and refuse God's way, and that occasion was the end of their probation. Judgment on the wicked was thus mixed with mercy in preserving God's people, for as Ruler of nations with jurisdiction over the sequence of nature, working by His own laws as a God of order, He held back the waters for the saving of Israel and then let them rush on to slay Pharaoh's host. That act proves He has power to create or to destroy and gave unmistakable evidence to the idolatrous nations around Canaan that He is the only true and living God. That light was freely given so they might turn from idolatry and licentiousness to serve the living God, and after four hundred years of long-suffering, kindness and tender pity toward the Amorites it left them without excuse when they spurned it and opposed Israel, so God exercised His power to destroy them even as He had fought against Pharaoh and his hosts.

Christ Led Deliverance

Jesus Christ, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, was Israel's invisible Leader, the mighty General of armies and Captain of salvation and Lord of hosts, communicating God's will to the people, directing Moses to stretch out his hand over the waters, and standing as their defense against Pharaoh's vast army and their unerring guide and light in the wilderness wandering. Looking in the morning watch through the pillar of fire and cloud upon the Egyptians pursuing into the midst of the sea, He troubled their host and fought for Israel against them. That passage through the sea with deliverance from affliction in Egypt revealed His power to save and was recorded for later generations to teach obedience to the heavenly Guide, faith in His power to deliver, and obedience to God's commandments as the terms of securing life that measures with the life of God, by which people become partakers of the divine nature and escape corruption in the world through lust. The deliverance gave great light and precious opportunity to know His will, with food given when hungry, murmurings quieted by springs of cool water flowing from the Rock, and His glory manifested, yet when tempted the people believed suggestions against Moses and Aaron and against Joshua and Caleb, turned away from all wrought for them, passed the boundary of forbearance and patience, and awakened anger to smite with pestilence and disinherit.

At His bidding His angels troubled the Egyptian host, and walked on either side of the vast army of more than a million Israelites so that no harm could come to them. He shielded His people by moving the pillar of cloud from before them to stand between the two armies.

As Ruler of nations He has all nature and the sequence of nature under His jurisdiction and works by His own laws as a God of order. He held back the impatient winds, controlled the tempests, calmed the angry sea and rolled up the mighty deep, piling up the waters as walls to make a path for the more than a million of His people delivered from Egyptian slavery, not suffering the hurricane of waters to pursue its natural course until every soul of Israel was safely on the other side. Then at His word, through the human agent lifting the rod, the impetuous waters that had been held back for the saving of Israel rushed on as before in their natural course, and Pharaoh and all his host were slain so that not one soul of that vast army escaped. He gives the sea its decree, walks on the wings of the wind, sits upon the flood and sits King forever, with judgment on the wicked thus mixed with mercy in preserving His people.

Faith for the Helpless

At the sea Israel stood as a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves with the way shut before them and escape seeming impossible, confronted by the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe. The Lord fighting for them against the Egyptians, troubling the host and making the chariots drive heavily until the pursuers knew God was acting against them, proved He can protect and deliver His people in a way they could never arrange for themselves even when the path appears blocked. He brought them into that helpless place and then rescued them to display His power and mercy and to teach them their own helplessness and need for divine help. That deliverance freed them from temporal bondage and led them to love and trust Him, to feel gratitude, and to gain confidence in His power to help.

It was by trusting and appropriating the word of God that those utterly helpless in themselves withstood the power of the whole world and received His gifts. Their trust in His word enabled a frightened people of slaves to stand against overwhelming human power, and the defeat of Egypt showed God fought for Israel. In this the power of God's word is displayed as prevailing against human power and policy arrayed in support of evil.

The safe passage under His protection while the pursuing Egyptians were drowned showed His favor toward Israel and acknowledged them as His church and selected people. Dividing the sea so Israel camped before it passed through on dry land while their enemies perished was one of the great blessings and mighty acts given to the Jews. It laid them under a debt they could never have repaid even by doing their best in His service.

Remembered and Applied

The deliverance at the sea proved that God had brought Israel out of Egypt and could fulfill His promise to give them Canaan, for He cut a path through the waters and destroyed Pharaoh's pursuing host. The God who brought them that far would certainly give them the promised land. Forgetting that mighty display of power on their behalf led the people to distrust the God who had safely guided them, to limit what He could do, to leave Him out of the question, and to act as though they had to depend on their own military strength and solely on the power of arms.

It is to be remembered as reason to trust God rather than murmur or rebel when facing later trials and hardship, and as proof of His power to save to inspire firm faith in His leadings and victory. Despite their unbelief and murmuring God opened a way through the waters and destroyed their enemies, with Israel crossing safely while the pursuing army was overwhelmed. Forgetting breeds distrust of God, mourning, discouragement, desperation, and murmuring, repeating the sin of those who believed the false report of the unfaithful spies instead of trusting Him. That deliverance gave great light and precious opportunity to know His will, together with food when hungry, quieting of murmurings by springs of cool water flowing from the Rock, and manifestation of His glory, yet when tempted they believed suggestions against Moses and Aaron and against Joshua and Caleb, turned away from all He had wrought for them, passed the boundary of forbearance and patience, and awakened His anger to smite with pestilence and disinherit.

The episode shows God judging oppressive pursuers and delivering His people, for the sea opened so Israel could cross and then returned over the Egyptian host and drowned them. It illustrates the desperate lengths to which slaveholders would go to preserve slavery and that God alone could free the enslaved from their power. Israel's later longing for Egypt's former pleasures tested whether they valued God's service and the freedom He had given more than those indulgences. Israel's danger there also illustrates how faith was tested during the great disappointment of the Advent body, where trust in God's guiding hand would have led them to see His salvation.

God's power there can turn the enemies' pursuit into their flight, and that same mighty power will deliver His people from the earthly powers arrayed against them and turn their captivity. Those utterly helpless in themselves withstood the power of the whole world through trusting the word of God against the mightiest army of the mightiest nation, displaying the power of God's word against human power and policy in support of evil. It belongs to the world's true nobility and royal line of faith, in which the youth of today are called to take their places. The passage through the sea with deliverance from affliction in Egypt revealed God's power to save, was meant to teach obedience to the heavenly Guide and faith in His power to deliver, and was recorded for the benefit of later generations, teaching with New Testament instruction obedience to the commandments of God as the terms of securing life that measures with the life of God, by which through obedience people become partakers of the divine nature and escape corruption in the world through lust.