Exodus 14:26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
God’s justice is always pure. There comes a time for the hammer to be brought down upon the ungodly. In our text Moses was commanded to stretch forth his hand over the sea and the waters would come back upon the Egyptians. That wall of water that had stood on either side would now come crashing down on the Egyptians. They made their choice. They would suffer the consequences of that choice. This would also be recorded for all succeeding generations to read and consider.
Many people have regrets for things done. However, many people never turn to God in repentance seeking His forgiveness. God is willing to forgive. He also warns that there is a time of no return. The Egyptians found that time.
Moses did as he was commanded. No doubt this was not a pleasant thing for him to do; however, it was a necessary thing to do. We read that the Egyptians fled against this water that was coming crashing down. Man wants to survive. However, the text tells us that the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. There was no opportunity to flee now.
We read that the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that followed him into the sea. No one survived that judgment. There was none that were pushed out of the water and survived. That time was over. This event was recorded by Moses at the LORD’s direction. The Egyptians would hear about this from others. We know this event was even heard in the land of Canaan.
In verse 29 we see that small word “but” again. In contrast to the fate of the Egyptians, the children of Israel walked upon the dry land in the midst of the sea and the waters were a wall to them on the right hand and on the left hand. God can do that. He is the great God.
The LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians. The children of Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. This was a very sober sight to see. We do not read of any burial detail to take care of the dead bodies. Most likely the LORD had His scavenger birds and other creatures to clean up this mess.
In verse 31 we read that the children of Israel feared the LORD as a result of this event. We read that they believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. This was important. We will see that this fear and belief would be short lived. God does not force Himself upon anyone. He makes it abundantly clear that knowing Him and walking with Him is the right choice to make, but each person must make that choice for himself.
As we see here, the LORD made it abundantly clear that He was all powerful. He was also merciful. He had heard the cry of the children of Israel. He chose Moses to be His messenger to Pharaoh and also to the children of Israel. Through the ten plagues both sides saw the same LORD. The response was quite different between the two sides. The children of Israel had further opportunity to know the LORD and for those who truly feared Him, they could grow in Him. However, they needed to keep in mind that the LORD had the right to judge them just as much as He did the Egyptians.
God gave us His Word so that we might know Him. He wants us to know that He speaks no idle words. Every Word of God is Pure. He knows the way we should take. It is up to us to listen to Him and know His peace and blessing.
Pastor Bartel
