Exodus 14:29, commentary and pictures

The children of Israel walked on dry ground in the middle of the sea on a path God prepared, with the divided waters standing like walls on their right hand and on their left. By His own power He held back wind and wave and piled the deep as walls, lighting and shielding the crossing by the pillar of cloud and fire, until more than a million people had passed safely to the farther shore without one perishing. That same passage saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians and freed them from bondage, while the Egyptians who dared to follow into the way made for Israel were troubled and slowed until the waters returned and covered chariots, horsemen and all the host so that not one escaped. When Israel saw the great work and the Egyptians dead on the shore, the people feared God, believed Him and Moses, and sang in triumph, for the rescue revealed Him as Ruler of the universe, greater than all the gods of Egypt. Helpless slaves against the mightiest army withstood the power of the whole world by trusting His word, showing that He can make a way through what seems impassable and hold winds and waves at His bidding, a pledge that He will again turn the captivity of His people in the final crisis and a call for later generations to follow Christ, their invisible Leader in cloud and fire, in obedience to His commandments.

The Path Through The Sea

The children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea on a dry path God Himself prepared and opened for them, with the divided waters standing like walls on their right hand and on their left. That dry ground carried them safely through to the farther shore, and the Lord safely delivered the entire people from the Egyptians. God can thus prepare a way through what appears impassable, and His people should trust and follow His leading.

By morning Israel was already halfway through on that dry ground, when the Egyptians had expected them trapped with the sea before them and the army and mountains behind them and again in their power. God made an unexpected way of escape where there seemed no possibility of escape and gave His people safe passage on dry ground. The deliverance came through God's power despite Israel's apparent trap between the sea and the mountains.

The crossing was lit and shielded by the pillar of cloud and fire, which concealed Israel from the Egyptians until the way and the walls of water were revealed. The pillar of fire lit the way, and the sea's division and the cloud that protected them were works of God. Christ Himself was the invisible Leader enshrouded in cloud by day and fire by night, communicating God's will and giving light and opportunity to know Him.

God by His own power and order held back the impatient winds and tempest, congealed and piled the mighty deep as walls, and did not let the hurricane of waters pursue its natural course until every soul of more than a million people was safely on the other side. He piled up the waters as walls and made a dry path for more than a million delivered from Egyptian slavery, with high walls of water congealed by His power standing on either side. He rules the forces of nature and can restrain them to save His people and bring judgment on their enemies, holding back winds and waves at His bidding to shield His people from destruction, for which gratitude is due. Then at His word through the human agent lifting the rod, that simple stick, the impetuous waters that had been held back rushed on as before and returned to their natural course.

Though trembling and unable to see clearly where they were going, Israel followed the path Providence had prepared to the farther shore. While Pharaoh's army pursued, God made that path through the sea for them to walk on dry land. Not one Israelite perished.

God Saves And Judges

The verse means God safely delivered the entire people and brought them to the other side on dry ground with the waters protecting them on both sides. That day He saved Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians and freed them from Egypt and the pursuing army that sought to overtake and enslave them again. The division of the sea opened a path through what appeared impassable and brought escape where Israel seemed trapped between the sea and the mountains. Not one Israelite perished in the passage.

The Egyptians had thought Israel was again in their power, and were disappointed and enraged to find the unexpected way opened. Hardened by long resistance and blinded, they dared to venture after Israel into the path made for Israel. There they were troubled and plagued and moved heavily and slowly, with their chariot wheels removed. Remembering the judgments in Egypt, they confessed that God fought for Israel against them and turned to flee before the waters returned.

Then the waters returned and covered the chariots and horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea, so that not one of that vast army escaped. In contrast Israel still walked safely on dry land in the midst of the sea. God by mighty power guided and protected His people through the sea while destroying the army that pursued them.

This was the last display of God's power before the Egyptians, fulfilling His word to execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. It came after a sojourn of nearly four hundred years ending in slavery and grievous oppression under an idolatrous nation that did not acknowledge God and refused to hearken to His voice. By these mighty acts God revealed Himself to the Egyptians as Ruler of the universe, greater than all heathen deities. The deliverance displayed His power and protection and care for Israel, and shows how terrible it is for finite man to war against the infinite God and set himself in defiance of Omnipotence.

When Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore and saw the great work done upon them, the people feared God and believed God and Moses. They sang in triumph over the sea returned upon their pursuers. Helpless before the sea and the pursuing army with escape seeming impossible, they learned their helplessness and need for divine aid. Their rescue from temporal bondage revealed God's power and mercy to bind them to Him as their deliverer, leading them to love and trust Him.

Faith For Future Generations

The verse holds up Israel at the sea as a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves set against the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe, utterly helpless in themselves yet trusting the word of God and thereby withstanding the power of the whole world. That trust witnessed to the power of God's word against human power and policy in support of evil, and stands as an example of true nobility for youth to follow. Their deliverance shows that faith receiving God's gifts can stand against overwhelming human power.

God can prepare a way through what appears impassable, and His people should trust and follow His leading and will see His salvation in a crisis. He works by His own laws as a God of order, giving the sea its decree and walking on the wings of the wind, with Jesus holding back the impatient winds, controlling the tempest, calming the sea and rolling up the mighty deep. He piled the waters as walls and made a dry path for more than a million people delivered from slavery, not suffering the hurricane of waters to pursue their natural course until every soul was safely on the other side. Then at His word, through the human agent lifting the rod, that simple stick, the impetuous waters held back for Israel's saving rushed on as before, and Pharaoh and all his host were slain with not one soul of that vast army escaping. The crossing was a test of faith showing that God rules the forces of nature and can restrain them to save His people and bring judgment on their enemies, for which gratitude is due.

That same mighty dividing power of the Holy One, the Lord of hosts, who divided the sea so they walked on dry land with waters as walls, is the pledge that He will manifest His might again to turn the captivity of His people in the final crisis when earthly powers are arrayed against them and like captive exiles they fear death by starvation or by violence. The deliverance was evidence that God had guided and protected Israel, and they should have trusted Him to fulfill His promise to give them Canaan rather than relying only on their own military strength. It proves how terrible it is for finite man to war against the infinite God and shows the destruction that falls on those who set themselves in defiance of Omnipotence. It proves God was on Israel's side, so Balaam's curse could not harm them, and so long as they were true to Him no adverse power of earth or hell could prevail against them.

The freedom given tested whether they valued God's service and that freedom more than the pleasures they had enjoyed in bondage, yet despite their unbelief and murmuring God opened the passage through the waters so they could escape and see their enemies destroyed. Although they saw the waters stand as walls on either side while they passed through on dry land and their enemies dared to venture in after them, they afterward rebelled, murmured, imagined trouble and anticipated evil. They soon forgot God's power and care when later difficulties arose, and grew jealous of Moses in their journeyings when for their own good He withheld flesh meats their depraved appetites craved, thinking Moses had selfish motives in leading them from Egypt to let them perish in the wilderness and enrich himself with their possessions. Their readiness to turn away afterward and believe Satan's suggestions against Moses and Aaron and Joshua and Caleb, along with His feeding them when hungry and giving cool water flowing from the Rock and quieting their murmurings, passed the boundary of His forbearance and awakened His anger against them as a rebellious people.

Christ Himself was their invisible, unerring Leader in that deliverance, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, communicating to them the will of God and giving them great light and precious opportunity to know Him, revealing God's power to save from affliction in Egypt. God used the experience to teach obedience to the heavenly Guide and faith in His power to deliver. The history was recorded for the benefit of later generations to teach obedience to the commandments of God as the terms of securing life that measures with the life of God, for through obedience people become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world through lust, and its principles, more precious than gold, are to be brought into daily life. The triumph marks rescue at the sea, but Israel had already been called God's son while oppressed and degraded in Egypt, and status as God's people did not depend on first reaching freedom or victory.