Darkest Hour, Greater Glory | Exodus 13:17-14:31
It is our custom, on the first Sunday of each month to remember the most important event in all history – the sacrificial and substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our aim in doing so is to practice keeping the gospel the main thing. And whereas the crucifixion of Jesus is the most significant event in all of history, perhaps the most famous event in the OT is the crossing of the Red Sea by the people of Israel. My prayer is that it will be evident that what we will do after contemplating this text, remembering Jesus’ death through the Lord’s Supper, is the practical application of this text. So, I’m going to drop into this passage, and begin reading at Ex. 14:1. Please follow along.
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon.
You shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said,
“What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.
The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD.
They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
—Exodus 14:1-14
I believe God’s purpose in this passage is summarized in a single phrase in Ex 14:13. “See the salvation of the LORD.”
This is God’s passion. This is God’s purpose. That all the earth might see His salvation and know that He is the LORD. Twice in Ex. 14 (vv. 4, 17-18) God says, “I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” God means for us to see his glory in his saving acts. And God means for us to praise him and exult in him for he is. “The LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:7).
And we saw the beginning of God’s gracious and miraculous deliverance of his people from Egypt in Ex. 12. But then in chapter 13, God does something unanticipated. Rather than leading Israel out of the land by the shortest and most direct route, God instead directs them south toward the wilderness.
“When Pharaoh let the people of God go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea . . . And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.—Exodus 13:17-18, 21
God directed them to the longer way so that they would not be tempted to go back to Egypt, and back to slavery. But then, the same LORD who delivered Israel from Egypt, and positioned Israel so that they would not be inclined to return to Egypt, intentionally leads them into a trap. God positions them with the Red Sea on one side, and Pharaoh’s highly experienced and highly mobile army on the other. What is God doing? Wasn’t the whole reason for steering clear of the well-paved trade route along the Mediterranean because of the danger posed by the Philistine army? God restrains his people from the danger of one army only to enclose them, trap them in the cross-hairs of another army – the very army from which they had just been miraculously saved. What is this?
They’re boxed in. The entire strength of the Egyptian army – six hundred chariots, and all the other chariots, with officers and horses, and horsemen are bearing down on them. There’s no going back now, even if they wanted to. And they feel betrayed by the God they’ve trusted. And with raging sarcasm they cry, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt (the nation with more land dedicated to burying dead bodies than any other - just think Pyramids)? Is it because there’s nowhere in Egypt to bury dead people that you have brought us out to die in the wilderness? What have you done? We’d rather live as slaves than die.”
And Moses, in a moment that would have surely provoked even the most self-differentiated leader, says, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. Because the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.” How’s that for communicating a non-anxious presence? But rather than commending Moses, the Lord corrects Moses for doing something right. “The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15).
Wouldn’t you expect God to direct his rebuke toward the Israelites. But Moses represents the people to God, before God. And therefore, God’s rebuke is communicated to Moses as their covenant representative. And then the Lord instructs Moses to use his staff, an instrument with no power in and of itself. But a symbol of God’s authority and power.
“Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.”
—Exodus 14:16
I’ll bet neither Moses nor the people saw this coming. “How are we going to get out of this? Head to the sea.” There is nobody thinking, “Oh! We’re going to swim for it.” There was no category in anyone’s mind for what was about to happen. And remember, we’re talking 2 million people, plus herds of livestock, and whatever else they could carry. Those of you with small children know how long it takes to get going on a Sunday a.m. Getting this multitude moving would have been a massive undertaking. And then God explains how it’s going to work.
“I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.
And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
—Exodus 14:17-18
This was strictly outside the realm of any human experience. It is strictly divine activity. God is about to act at a precise moment, in a precise situation where there is absolutely no hope for escape. And he’s going to do it so that it is absolutely clear to ALL who it is that should receive the glory for their rescue.
Throughout the Bible, God is at his best when there is no hope humanly speaking. Think about this. Who is in the best position to experience the glory of God? Those who are backed into a corner. It’s in the darkest hour, when there is no way out – humanly speaking – no apparent hope – when God displays his most glorious work. Then v. 19 says, “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night” (Exodus 14:19-20).
So along with everything else that’s going on, an angel appears, and the pillar of cloud is repositioned. And it’s all happening to keep the Egyptians in the dark, so as to hinder the Egyptians from attacking the Israelites. The pillar of cloud and fire inflicts an inability on the Egyptians to navigate. And it provides light for Israel. Hindering one. Helping the other. And this has bought the Israelites time – time to pack up and head toward the Red Sea. The Lord isn’t only guiding them, he’s protecting them, and keeping his promise to fight for them.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for 2 million people, trying to get under way while all this is going on before them, and above them, and behind them? How do you focus on keeping little Jacob and baby Joseph on the cart, while the heavens are filled with visible manifestations of the glory of God? And then comes the moment we’ve all been waiting for.
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
—Exodus 14:21
Raising the staff, and stretching it out is to assure everyone that what is happening is an act of God to save his people. And then the incomprehensible happens. It wasn’t like this was an option some had anticipated. “Oh yea! Told ya this was coming.” At the darkest hour, God put on a display of unrivaled power. There is no other explanation. God is sovereign over creation. God rules over nature. Hear the eyewitness account.
“And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall of water on their right hand and on their left.”
—Exodus 14:22
What would it have been like to experience a massive body of water suddenly split in two? And a pathway of dry ground formed between two walls of water? And try to imagine 2 million people traveling this path. One scholar speculates, “It must have been a half mile wide in order to accommodate such a multitude as they passed through during the last watch of the night between 2 and 6 a.m.” Computer generated graphics simply could never do it justice. And then in v. 23, this highly experienced and mobile Egyptian army foolishly races right in. “The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen” (Exodus 14:23).
And they find themselves up against divine opposition as the Lord himself fights for his people. “And in the morning watch, the LORD, in the pillar of fire, and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic” (Exodus 14:24).
Psalm 77 offers another vantage point of the horror the Egyptians faced.
“The clouds poured out water. The skies gave forth thunder. Your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind. Your lightnings lighted up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters. Your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
—Psalm 77:17-20
It is a terrifying situation. Their chariots, a symbol of their strength and superiority, are nothing. Clogged wheels, broken axles, frightened horses, panicking soldiers, thunder, lightning, torrential rain, and earthquake. It is utter chaos as they are opposed by God. And so the Egyptians cry, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians” (Exodus 14:25).
And then, their time was up.
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared.
And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen. All of the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.”
—Exodus 14:26-28
A display of the glory of divine justice. That’s what it is. In response to Pharaoh’s attempt to kill the Israelites – it’s divine justice for Pharaoh’s infanticide. Divine justice for Pharaoh’s murder of the first born in the Nile. It was fitting for them to die by drowning, because they had once attempted to drown the sons of Israel. A display of God’s glory in a dark, dark hour.
But an even more astonishing exhibit of God’s glory is on display – the display of God’s gracious salvation of Israel. “But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exodus 14:29).
And then this summary of it all in v. 30, “Thus, the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore” (Exodus 14:30).
All those dead bodies – they were a sign, a visible display of the God’s glory. They saw the salvation of the Lord. It was an exclamation point on the ending of 400 years of slavery in a foreign land. The redemption of Israel from slavery had been accomplished. They were now free – free to serve the Lord, and free to make their way to the land God has promised.
The Lord had fulfilled part one of his promise to Abraham. They now had a new life. They now had a new identity. And they are now headed to a new land. And in v. 31, the narrator describes the effect of it on God’s people.
“Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.”
—Exodus 14:31
God’s passion is to put his glory on display in order to share his joy in it with his people. What matters most is NOT merely that they’re safe. What matters is their hope and their trust in him, and reverence toward him, and their satisfaction in him.
Now some might say, “If I saw what those Israelites saw, it would stir up reverence, and establish confidence in me as well. But I’ve never seen anything like what the people of Israel saw.”
Actually, if you are a Christian, then you have witnessed something greater, much greater. Because the Exodus of which we just read is merely a preview. It’s just the teaser for the greater Exodus that is to come – namely the Exodus of the saving work of Jesus Christ. The first Exodus prepares the way for the greater glory uniquely displayed in and through the gospel. And that is what today is all about. Phil Ryken writes,
“At this point some preachers would invite their congregation to identify their own “Red Sea” experiences and trust God to bring them through . . . However, this misses the point.
Israel’s passage through the sea is not primarily intended to teach us what to do when we are in spiritual trouble . . . Rather, it is meant to teach us about coming to God for salvation.”
—Philip Ryken
Allow me to draw your attention to one of the more compelling NT illustrations of how we should apply the Exodus to our lives. Please turn to Luke 9:30-31. In this text, Jesus is on the mount of transfiguration, carrying on a conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. “Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31).
There’s only one topic of conversation taking place, namely “his departure.” The “departure” of Jesus. The impending death of Jesus. And the Greek word for “departure” is exodus. In his excellent book, Christ Crucified, Donald Macleod writes, “The cross is all Moses and Elijah want to talk about.”
And Moses and Elijah aren’t talking with Jesus simply about his death. They’re talking with Jesus about the significance of his death – that is, the significance of Jesus’ death as the greater exodus. The exodus Moses had witnessed, and led, he did not get done. Moses wasn’t able to lead the people into the promised land. But Christ has now come! Christ has come to complete what Moses was not able to complete. And no one could be more excited to think about it and talk about it than Moses. What he could not do completely, Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has completely done.
Just as Israel needed rescue, so we need to be rescued, for we cannot save ourselves. Our bondage to sin is a far worse enslavement than Israel’s enslavement to Pharaoh. We too are trapped, boxed in, with no way out. There are no human options for deliverance from our sin and the righteous wrath of God against our sin. A greater exodus is necessary. And in our darkest hour, the best news possible is that one greater than Moses has come. And he has come to lead that exodus through his sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross for sinners like you and like me.
If you are Christian, trusting Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins, you have witnessed the most glorious display of deliverance ever accomplished in the death and resurrection of Christ. It should engender love for Jesus, affection for Jesus, confident reliance on Jesus, and glad obedience to Jesus.
And for those who have yet to participate in this exodus, if you have not yet trusted in Jesus for your deliverance from your bondage to sin, then I have no greater joy and privilege than to announce to you that the sea remains parted for you – to run across right now. It remains parted for you to cross through repentance and faith, trusting in the exodus provided by the crucified and risen Christ. That sea is parted for you today. And it remains parted until you die. And because you don’t know when you’re going to die, do not postpone stepping onto that path. Our prayer for you is that instead of drowning in God’s wrath, you’d run and make your way through this sea that has been parted for you by the cross of Jesus Christ. For whoever – men, women, children – calls on the name of Jesus, and trusts Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, they experience the greater exodus. Let’s pray.