Exodus 14:28, commentary and pictures

After every Israelite had passed safely to the other side on dry ground between walls of water, Moses stretched his hand over the sea at God's command and the restraint was removed so the sea returned in the morning to its full strength and covered the chariots and horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that pursued into it, leaving not one of them alive. In that act the Lord Himself overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea and saved Israel out of their hand, bringing complete deliverance in one night by His power over nations and nature. Pharaoh had long hardened his heart against God's mighty works, and in blinded rebellion he dared to rush into the path prepared for God's people until his probation ended and he destroyed himself by his own impenitence under God's just judgment upon Egypt and its gods. Seeing that great work made the people fear the Lord and believe Him and Moses, yet though they witnessed it with their own eyes they soon forgot His goodness and murmured in distrust and rebellion when new trials came. That same mighty power that divided the sea and destroyed the oppressors will be manifested again in the final crisis to deliver God's helpless people when earthly powers are arrayed against them, as a warning not to war against the infinite God.

Sea Covers Pursuing Army

At God's command Moses stretched his hand and his rod over the sea, God removed the restraint that had held the waters back, and in the morning the sea returned to its strength and its natural course. The returning waters covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after Israel, so that not so much as one of those who entered remained alive. The Egyptians had pursued in rage into the divided sea after finding an unexpected dry path opened for Israel.

The waters were not loosed until every Israelite was safely on the other side. The same sea that provided Israel's escape thus became the means of Egypt's destruction, completing the deliverance from the pursuers. The Egyptian army heard Israel's song of praise just before it perished.

Before the waters returned, the Lord in the morning watch looked upon the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and troubled them. Angels went through their host and removed their chariot wheels, so that they drove heavily and moved very slowly. Remembering God's judgments in Egypt, they knew the Lord was fighting for Israel against them, and in confusion and dismay they tried to flee back toward the shore they had left, even against the returning waters. Their flight was amid thunder and lightning and the pillar of fire reaching from earth to heaven, while the piled-up waters, hissing and roaring as if eager for prey, rushed together to swallow them in their depths.

While the Egyptians were being covered, Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, with the waters as walls congealed high on the right hand and on the left. Morning revealed all that remained of their mighty foes, for Israel afterward saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore, their mail-clad bodies cast up by the sea. The contrast displays safe passage for God's people on dry ground set against utter overthrow for those who followed them in.

The pursuing force was a well-equipped army sent to intimidate Israel with pomp and greatness and to redeem Egypt's glory and regain Israel's service. It included priests of idol gods, rulers, all the great men, and the mightiest of Egypt. Pharaoh himself pursued with his host into the sea and perished there with them, so that not one soul escaped.

God Saves and Overthrows

The Lord Himself overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea and saved Israel that day out of their hand, bringing complete deliverance in one night. Jehovah alone did it, smiting the oppressors with supernatural terror and stretching out His hand to wither their power. The waters returned to cover the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after Israel, so that not so much as one of those who entered remained alive.

The destruction of the pursuing army set against Israel's safe passage on dry ground displays the Lord's power to protect His people and bring them safely through. The way had seemed impassable, yet Israel was led through while the Egyptians who followed were drowned when the waters returned. The same sea that provided Israel's escape became the means of Egypt's destruction, completing the deliverance from the pursuers. It was mercy mixed with judgment, saving His people while destroying their enemies.

As Ruler of nations and of nature He works by His own laws of order both to save His people and to dash His enemies in pieces. With Jesus He held the waters back from their natural course, rolling up the deep and piling them into walls to make a path for more than a million Israelites delivered from slavery, not letting them pursue their course until every Israelite was safely on the other side. Then at His word, through the human agent lifting the rod, that simple stick, He let the impetuous waters rush on as before to cover the chariots and horsemen and all the host, so that Pharaoh and all his host were slain with not one soul escaping. He gives the sea its decree, gathers the waters in His hand, sits upon the flood King forever, and uses angels to hold back winds and waves for deliverance and then release them for judgment.

Christ Himself was Israel's invisible Leader in that deliverance, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night to communicate God's will and give great light. He stood as a wall of protection between Israel and Pharaoh's pursuing armies, chariots, and horsemen. The pillar rose from before Israel and took position between the two armies to shield Israel from Egyptian sight, and the drowning of the pursuers at the word of the Lord proved the Captain of salvation, the Lord of hosts, was leading His people.

God on purpose brought the vast helpless throng of bondmen unused to battle into the strait before the sea to manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He chose this method to test their faith and strengthen their trust, bringing the people to recognize their helplessness and need for divine aid. If they had held back when bidden to advance He would never have opened the path, but by marching down to the very water they showed belief in His word and did all in their power before He divided the sea. Trusting and obeying His guidance would let them see His salvation, and the deliverance stands as a revelation of His power to save and a lesson in trusting and obeying Him.

Rebellion Meets Just Judgment

Pharaoh had long withstood God and hardened his heart against His mighty wondrous works, and hardened and blinded by long resistance he in infatuated rebellion dared to rush into the dry path God had miraculously prepared for His people. Even seeing Israel walking on dry ground between high walls of water congealed on either side only increased that rebellion. The destruction that fell there was God's judgment on a ruler who had repeatedly hardened his heart and pursued the people God had delivered.

The Red Sea was appointed for the last display of God's power before the Egyptians. In covering the pursuers it fulfilled His word that against all the gods of Egypt He would execute judgment. It was the closing display showing His power and justice superior to all others.

By this mighty act God revealed Himself to the idolatrous Egyptians who did not acknowledge Him, as Ruler of the universe, greater than all heathen deities. He manifested His power to guide and protect His people while destroying the army that pursued to overtake and enslave them again. It was God Himself fighting against Pharaoh and his hosts, unmistakable evidence that He is the only true and living God.

Pharaoh's unbelief produced obstinacy, and he reaped as sown what he had sown in resistance to a power greater than any human power. Every refusal to submit made his heart harder and less impressible by God's Spirit, sowing obstinacy left to grow to its harvest and produce after its own kind. That growth was checked only for a moment by the dead forms of the firstborn.

Their determination to have their own way and refuse God's way and persist in trying to reclaim Israel ended their probation. The destruction was not an arbitrary decree, for God destroys no one, but Pharaoh destroyed himself by his own impenitence. What took place in Pharaoh's heart will take place in every soul that neglects to cherish the light and walk promptly in its rays.

The destruction illustrates the danger of resisting God and the deliverance He provides for His people. It shows how terrible it is for finite man to war against the infinite God and set himself in defiance of Omnipotence.

Israel Believes Then Forgets

The great work at the sea caused the people to fear the Lord and to believe the Lord and Moses His servant. God had brought them out with mighty signs and wonders after laying the land desolate by plagues and slaying the firstborn, had opened a path through the sea and stood as a wall of protection between them and the pursuers, and at the word of command the waters rolled back upon the hosts of Egypt while Israel sang songs of triumph and praise. The helpless and terrified people were thus brought to recognize their helplessness and need for divine aid, leading them to love and trust Him as their deliverer from temporal bondage. That deliverance was given so they might keep the Sabbath day holy and fulfill the precepts of His law.

If they had held back when bidden to advance God would never have opened the path, but by marching down to the very water they showed belief in His word and did all in their power to do before He divided the sea. Though they witnessed this deliverance with their own eyes, they later forgot it and the goodness God had shown them. They murmured, imagined trouble, anticipated evil, and grew jealous of Moses as if he had selfish motives in leading them from Egypt. Their later distrust and murmuring showed ingratitude and forgetfulness of this mighty act, an act of distrust and rebellion. Forgetting this work led them to receive the discouraging report of the unfaithful spies, mourn over themselves, and distrust God in desperation.

That deliverance was evidence of God's power and guidance which they should have remembered and trusted when they feared they could not possess Canaan. Remembering how He cut a path through the sea and destroyed Pharaoh's hosts should have proved that He who had brought them thus far would certainly give them the promised land, and should have taught trust in His power rather than reliance only on human strength. Instead they left God out of the question and acted as if they must depend solely on the power of arms, and forgetting cast a gloomy shadow of unbelief, disappointment, and despair over the congregation. The deliverance was a blessing Israel could never repay even by their best service, yet they utterly failed to make the most of their opportunities, a failure completed when they refused Heaven's best gift in Jesus Christ. That destruction of Pharaoh's army was one of the wondrous works done for them, together with providing food when hungry and quieting their murmurings by giving cool water flowing from the Rock, and with great light and precious opportunities to know God's will, yet they still turned away to follow Satan's suggestions against Moses and Aaron and against Joshua and Caleb.

Warning and Final Deliverance

At the sea a helpless and terrified multitude of slaves trusted the word of God against the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe, and that trust withstood the power of the whole world when Pharaoh's power could not prevail against those who trusted God's word. Their standing witnesses that trust in God's word can withstand overwhelming human power and policy in support of evil. That witness places Israel in the world's true nobility and royal line, in which the youth of today are called to take their places.

The miracle of opening a passage for Israel and then destroying Pharaoh's host was judgment on the Egyptians for refusing to let Israel go, God Himself fighting against Pharaoh and his hosts. Together with the plagues on Egypt, the bread sent from heaven, the water brought from the rock, and the other works and punishments in the wilderness, it was made familiar to the idolatrous nations around Canaan as unmistakable evidence that He is the only true and living God. That light was given to turn them from idolatry and licentiousness to serve the living God, and it reveals the pattern for His destruction of those nations when their cup of iniquity became full. The destruction was known far and wide, and Balaam knew it well, proving God was on Israel's side so that so long as they were true to Him no adverse power of earth or hell could prevail against them and his curse could not harm them, showing how terrible it is for finite man to war against the infinite God and set himself in defiance of Omnipotence.

That same mighty power of the Holy One who divided the Red Sea before Israel and destroyed their oppressors will be manifested in the final crisis when earthly powers are arrayed against God's people. Then like captive exiles they will fear death by starvation or by violence, and He will turn their captivity and spare them so their fall will not be a triumph for the prince of darkness. The judgment on Egypt's armies belongs with the judgments on the antediluvian world and on Jerusalem as Bible history that is to be repeated. The same retribution will come on cities full of extreme transgression by earthquake, fire, and flood, with unseen agencies causing destruction, devastation, and death and bringing human devices and accumulated riches to nothingness. One reason is the masterly power man has taken to himself, injustice, and oppressive man-made unions that bring confusion, violence, and strife and manipulate power to rule men and gain means by deception, which God cannot pass by in silence but will reward according to works, yet if warnings are heeded and churches repent and return to allegiance other cities may be spared for a time, while if men continue disregarding God's law God allows calamity to awaken their senses.

When Pharaoh and his army pursued Israel into the sea the waters returned and drowned them all, God's judgment on a ruler who had repeatedly hardened his heart against God and pursued the people God had delivered. That destruction illustrates the ruinous lengths to which defenders of slavery would go rather than give up their power, and the judgment awaiting those who oppressed the enslaved. God Himself overthrowing the hosts of Pharaoh in the Red Sea manifests divine power by which He smites oppressors with supernatural terror and stretches out His hand to wither their power, so that a vast host of brave, trained men flees without a blow before the defenders of a small and hitherto feeble nation. That deliverance is the example of divine power used to defeat oppressors, like the supernatural terror that scattered the armies invading Bohemia.

God kept His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by delivering His chosen people after a sojourn of nearly four hundred years ending in long grievous slavery and oppression under an idolatrous nation that did not acknowledge God and refused to listen to His voice, desolating fertile Egypt to rescue them. In awful grandeur He delivered them from the Egyptian host that pursued to overtake and enslave them again, manifesting His power to guide and protect His people while destroying the pursuers so that not one of those who entered the Red Sea in pursuit was saved, completing their deliverance from bondage. By this mighty act He revealed Himself to the Egyptians as Ruler of the universe, greater than all heathen deities. Israel's freedom showed His power, and the people were to value that freedom and His service above the comforts they had enjoyed in Egypt, their response testing their fidelity to Him.