They had tasted freedom for only a few days before finding themselves penned in with no escape. Before them stretched a huge body of water with no bridges and no boats. Behind them a wall of dust rolled and grew into the dreaded phalanx of six hundred chariots and the whole might of Egypt, poised to bring the Israelites back into bondage or slaughter them where they stood.
A nation of slaves stood at the crossroads between water and wheels, and humanly it seemed impossible to escape the situation. What happened next has been told as the most amazing deliverance in Bible story - the most thrilling hour when a cowering crowd became a free people forever.
With the sea in front and six hundred of Pharaoh's chariots closing in behind, the recently freed Israelites found themselves seemingly without any way of escape.
The Long Way Round
The long way round was, ironically, God's idea. When Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to go, the most direct route to their destination lay along the coastal road leading toward the Philistines. But God insisted on taking the long way around, saying, "that they may not go back by the way of the Philistines, although that way is near" (Exodus 13:17). He reasoned that if they encountered war along the shortest route, they might be tempted to return to Egypt, from which they had so recently been freed. So He led them away from the coast and into the wilderness, along the route that led to the sea.
But he did not leave them to find the way on their own. "And it came to pass, that in the daytime the Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud, and in the night-season in a pillar of fire" (Exodus 13:21). This provided light by which they could travel at night and a sign that they were not alone as they made their way through the wilderness. God was with them, leading them to the place He had chosen for them. The nation of freed slaves followed the pillar to the very edge of the sea, where they were to encamp, according to the will of the Lord.
Pharaoh's Change of Heart
Back in Egypt, the mourning for the firstborn had scarcely ended before the old stubbornness returned to Pharaoh's heart. "What is this that thou hast done, to let Israel go?" cried the king and his counselors. "They shall bereft us of our labor!" So Pharaoh gathered his chariot force and pursued the Israelites, "six hundred chosen chariots of all the host of Egypt" (Exodus 14:9) besides the countless other chariots and horsemen.
When the Israelites saw the Egyptians pursuing them, they were overwhelmed with fear. "And they cried unto Moses, saying, Because there were not graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou made us to come up out of Egypt? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than to die in the wilderness" (Exodus 14:10-12). It is easy to understand why the people were so despondent. Only a few days before, they had been slaves in Egypt, but now they were about to be slaves to the Egyptians once more. It was not long before the first fears had been realized. The Israelites found themselves in danger of being enslaved once again.
No sooner had the grief over the firstborn faded than Pharaoh regretted his decision and launched his entire chariot force in pursuit of the departing Israelites.
Stand Firm and See
But Moses had words for the discouraged ones. "Fear not," he told them. "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which he will show thee today: for the Egyptians whom thou sawest today, thou shalt see them again no more" (Exodus 14:13). The Lord would fight for them, and they need only to "be still." The people were told to "stand still" and "see," but it is not easy to do either when an enemy army is drawing near. The pillar of cloud began to move, but this time it took up a position at the rear of the Israelites, dividing the enemy from the people. The pillar of fire provided light, and the pillar of cloud brought darkness. All night the two armies were at a distance, with the Israelites safely encamped on the edge of the sea. Before dawn, the Lord would lead them into an even more astonishing deliverance.
The Waters Divide
God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea. When he did so, the Lord drove the waters back with a strong east wind that blew all night. The waters of the sea were parted, and the Israelites walked over the dry bed to the other side. "And so it came to pass, that the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, upon the firm ground" (Exodus 14:25). The whole nation of Israel, along with their flocks and herds, crossed the sea. It must have been a long walk, with the people and their possessions walking between two walls of water. But they all made it across.
If the description of the crossing of the Red Sea sounds familiar, it should. It is reminiscent of the creation story, for it was a similar wind that had driven back the waters long enough for God to create dry land out of the deep.
The Sea Returns
The Egyptians did the one foolish thing they could have done at that moment. Seeing the opportunity to follow the Israelites, Pharaoh and his army charged right into the sea. "And it came to pass in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and the Lord threw down the horse and rider of the host of Egypt into the sea" (Exodus 14:24). The whole of the Egyptian army was destroyed, and the Israelites were delivered from their bondage to the Egyptians.
As the Israelites reached the far shore safely, the walls of water collapsed over Pharaoh's pursuing army. Not one of them survived.
The First Song of a Free People
What did the people do the morning after they discovered they had been freed? They sang. The book of Exodus preserves for us one of the oldest songs in existence - the Song of Moses and the Song of the Israelites. It is a song of deliverance and joy, for the Lord had delivered them from the hands of their enemies. "And Moses sang unto the Lord, and said, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea" (Exodus 15:1). "The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2).
Miriam, the sister of Moses and a prophetess, took up a tambourine and led the women in dancing and singing. "And Miriam answered them with a song, and said, Sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously" (Exodus 15:20-21). It was one of the Bible's most joyous occasions, for a people who had spent the previous day as slaves were now free men and women. The song was a celebration of what the Lord had done for them and what He was going to do for them in the future.
Which Sea, and How?
It is not unusual for people to wonder just where this all happened. No one can be absolutely certain, for the sea referred to in the Bible as Yam Suph was not actually the Red Sea at all. In fact, the name means "Sea of Reeds." Some scholars think the crossing took place in marshes along the eastern border of Egypt, while others insist that the Red Sea is actually the right choice. The route taken by the Israelites is also a matter of debate.
The text speaks of a strong east wind that blew all night, and many people have tried to explain how such a wind could have caused the waters to part. But the Bible does not describe the crossing as something that happened because of natural causes. On the contrary, it is always presented as a miracle of God. The people of Israel were delivered from bondage to the Egyptians because of what God did for them, and not because of any fortunate combination of the weather.
Why This Story Endures
The story of the Red Sea has never failed to captivate people, and it is not hard to understand why. It is the story of hope arriving at just the right moment, of help coming when it was least expected. It is the story of deliverance coming not from within but from without, because the people of Israel had nothing with which to deliver themselves from the army of Egypt. But God had given them something extraordinary, and that was a way of escape. This story has been told and retold for three millennia, and it has always captured the hearts of those who need the hope that only God can give. Slaves sang of crossing over Jordan and the Red Sea, and freedom fighters have always found inspiration in the story of the Israelites and their miraculous escape from Egypt. It is no wonder that the story of the Red Sea is one of the most enduring tales in all of Scripture, for it is the story of a people who had been given a future by God.
The story of the Red Sea is one of the most significant in all of Scripture because it is the story of the deliverance of the children of Israel. It is the story of how the Lord led the people out of Egypt and into the wilderness, where they would receive the law of God. The Israelites would always look back on this time as a time of great significance in their history, for it was when they had been delivered from their bondage to the Egyptians. It was all made possible by one incredible night, when a terrified crowd was told to stand still and watch, and the sea opened before them.
