Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:1-31)

(This is supplement 8 to the #HeartChat Bible study taking place every Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, 6:30 Pacific USA. Pastor Mike is teaching his Escape from Egypt series on Twitter. Click here for class schedule and links to the notes. Click here to follow Pastor Mike on Twitter.)

INTRODUCTION

This teaching is based on a 9-part sermon series I preached in August 2004. The "Escape from Egypt" study is relevant to our day as God will be dealing with a new Pharoah (Antichrist) soon. (Revelation 13:1-18)

DOES THE RED SEA REALLY PART?

"'But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.'" (Mark 12:26-27)

The authenticity of the book of Exodus is proven via our Lord's quoting it and the authenticity of the Red Sea account as having taken place as written is as well. Christ has given His personal stamp of approval to the story.

GOD DIRECTS HIS PEOPLE INTO A CORNER

God directs His people into a corner. (Exodus 14:1-4) Sometimes God puts us in a fix because He's got a higher purpose behind the scenes and we need to be in a fix so He can accomplish what He wants to accomplish and He couldn't accomplish it unless we were in a fix.

(To read my blog post: About "Fixes" (Are You in a Fix?), click here.)

PHAROAH CHOOSES TO PURSUE ISRAEL

"The Lord continued to strengthen Pharoah's resolve, and he chased after the people of Israel." (Exodus 14:8a; NLT)

God's sovereignty in bringing about His purposes and plans and man's own choice is seen here. (Exodus 14:5-8) Pharoah decides to proceed in a certain direction and it happens to be how God's decided things would flow. I don't know where the sovereignty of God leaves off and man's free will comes into play, and vice versa. It's one of the great mysteries of the cosmos that we live in. But somehow we still have the freedom to make choices and the Lord's plan moves forward also and at the same time in the midst of those choices. Free will and God's sovereignty work together like a hand in a glove. It's a mystery. And we see it happening here.

"Six hundred Egyptian war chariots [are] bearing down on the helpless Israelites, who [are] trapped between the mountains and the sea. The war chariots each [carry] two people - one to drive and one to fight. These chariots [are] made of a wood or leather cab place over two wheels and they [are] pulled by horses. These [are] the armored tanks of Bible times. But even their power [is] no match for God, who [destroys] both the chariots and their soldiers." (NLT 116)

PHAROAH OVERTAKES ISRAEL AND ISRAEL'S RESPONSE

In Exodus 14:9-12 Israel refers back to that moment right after Moses first approached Pharoah and before the plagues and they were so despondent that they wouldn't listen to Moses who had just received a new message from the Lord. (Exodus 6:9) God overlooks the bad side of Israel's reaction this time. (They pray, first!) It will, however, prove to be their pattern. They will end up wandering and then dying in the wilderness because of it ~ because of unbelief. (Note the contrast between unbelief in Exodus 14:10-12 and the faith in Exodus 14:31.)

MOSES COMFORTS THE PEOPLE

Moses is the perfect example of the attitude we should have when we're trapped. (Exodus 14:13-14) "The people [are] hostile and despairing, but Moses [encourages] them to watch the wonderful way God [will] rescue them." (NLT 116)

GOD INSTRUCTS MOSES ON WHAT TO DO

Man cooperates with God in bringing about God's purposes. (Exodus 14:15-18) Moses must do something (Exodus 14:16) while God will do something else. (Exodus 14:17)

There's a time to get down on your knees and then there's a time to get up and do something. (Exodus 14:15) Some Christians never get to doing what they're supposed to do because they're always "praying about it." Jesus prayed, but then He carried the cross.

THE ANGEL OF GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL

God demonstrates His power to keep His people from the enemy. (Exodus 14:19-20) In Christ we are out of the reach of the evil one. The devil can't get His hands on you!

THE RED SEA IS PARTED AND ISRAEL MOVES THROUGH

God's first approach is to bring us through our problems rather than removing us from them. (Exodus 14:21-22) It is His means to cause us to learn more about who He is and grow in our confidence and trust in Him. He wants us to be full of faith! The best way to develop faith is to put us in a position where faith is required which is the place of problems.

"There [is] no apparent way of escape, but the Lord [opens] up a dry path through the sea. Sometimes we find ourselves caught in a problem and see no way out. Don't panic: God can open up a way." (NLT 116-117)

Chorus: God will make a way where there seems to be no way. (Who is this a word for? Who needs to hear it?)

THE EGYPTIANS FOLLOW AFTER ISRAEL

This is amazing. This is stupidity. (Exodus 14:23-25) What fool will follow Israel into a sea that's been miraculously opened up and think that it'll somehow stay open for him, too?

Here's the foolishness of religion that thinks God will help a person though you've never given Him the time of day (though God does do just that a lot of times, despite these).

THE EGYPTIANS ARE DROWNED IN THE SEA

Pharoah is not killed? (Exodus 14:26-31) Only those who go into the sea are.

"Chapter 14 concludes by observing that 'the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses (v. 31)." (Hamilton 181)

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Think back to the fixes you've found yourself in. (Exodus 14:1-4) What was God's part in it?

2. Have you ever had your back up against a wall? (Exodus 14:9-12) How did you respond?

3. What do you think about the following statement?: Some Christians never get to doing what they're supposed to do because they're always "praying about it." (Exodus 14:15-16)

4. Does the Red Sea rally part with walls of water on both sides? (Exodus 14:21-22) How would you answer a skeptic?