Follow the Lord with Confidence – Exodus 13:17-14:31
13 (17) Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was a shorter route; for God said, When the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt. (18) So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea. Now the children of Israel went up out of Egypt armed for battle. (19) Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the children of Israel swear an oath. He had said, God will surely come to your aid, and then you must take up my bones and carry them away with you from this place. (20) They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. (21) And Jehovah went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them along the way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. (22) The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from the people, they were ever present before them.
14 Jehovah said to Moses, (2) Tell the children of Israel to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea—you are to camp by the sea directly across from Baal-Zephon. (3) Then Pharaoh will say concerning the children of Israel, They are wandering in the land in confusion, they are hemmed in by the wilderness. (4) I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them; but I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah. So the children of Israel did so. (5) When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done? We have let Israel go and have lost their services! (6) So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. (7) He took six hundred of his elite chariots, as well as all the other chariots of Egypt with officers in charge of them. (8) Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; because the children of Israel had marched out boldly. (9) So the Egyptians pursued them, with all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his horsemen and his troops, and they overtook them as they were camped by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-Zephon.
(10) As Pharaoh approached, the children of Israel looked up and saw the Egyptians marching against them. They were terrified and the children of Israel cried out to Jehovah. (11) Then they said to Moses, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt, is that why you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us like this, bringing us out of Egypt? (12) Did we not say to you back in Egypt, “Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians!”? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness! (13) Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid! Stand firm and you will see the deliverance Jehovah will accomplish for you today. The Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again forever. (14) Jehovah will fight for you; you need only to be still.
(15) Then Jehovah said to Moses, Why are you crying out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. (16) Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide the waters. The children of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry ground. (17) And I, indeed, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after them. I will gain glory over Pharaoh and over all his army, over his chariots and over his horsemen. (18) The Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah when I have gained glory over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen. (19) Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s camp, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. (20) So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The cloud was present even in the darkness, and it gave light to the children of Israel during the night. Neither camp came near to the other throughout the night.
(21) Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and all night long Jehovah drove the sea back by means of a strong east wind and turned it into dry ground. So the waters were divided (22) and the children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground—the waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. (23) Then the Egyptians pursued and went into the midst of the sea after them—all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. (24) During the last watch of the night Jehovah looked down upon the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the army of the Egyptians into confusion. (25) He removed the wheels of their chariots, causing them to drive with difficulty, so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the presence of Israel; for Jehovah is fighting for them against the Egyptians! (26) Then Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their horsemen. (27) So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal place. The Egyptians fled from it, but Jehovah swept them into the sea. (28) The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; indeed, covered Pharaoh’s whole army that went into the sea in pursuit of Israel, not so much as one of them remained. (29) But the children of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground, the waters formed a wall on their right hand and on their left. (30) So it was that on that day Jehovah delivered Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. (31) When Israel saw the great power Jehovah had employed against the Egyptians, the people feared Jehovah; and they put their trust in Jehovah and in his servant Moses.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
