Introduction
“Moses held his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind. And so he made the sea become very dry ground. The water was split.” Exodus 14:21
The Israelites started on their journey back to the land of Canaan, which God had promised them some four hundred years ago. Abraham had told his twelve sons of the promise God had made.
In not going the shortest route, God had told Moses to lead his people toward the Red Sea. This way they would not have to pass through where the Palestine’s lived. Moses had watched Jethro’s flock in this wilderness; so he marched with the Lord leading the way in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
When Pharaoh learned of this, and he had no one to do his hard work since the Israelites had gone, he decided to follow and recapture the Israelites. He called his captains together and told them to prepare their trained horses and chariots. They soon caught up with the Israelites, because they were walking. They grumbled to Moses, saying they would have rather been left in Egypt than to be killed in the wilderness.
Moses reassured them that God would take care of them, and for them not to be afraid. That night the pillar of cloud that had been with them came between them and the Egyptians, so the Egyptian army could not see. They made camp for the night, intending to attack the Israelites in the early morning. The Israelites prepared to march again as told by Moses, and that God would be with them.
They marched to the bank of the Red Sea, and a marvellous thing happened. Moses held out his rod above the water, a strong wind started, and the waters of the seas parted down the centre, making a way of dry ground, and Moses lead the Israelites across the Red Sea.
When the Egyptians saw this, they jumped on their chariots and tried to follow, but the Lord made it difficult for them to follow. The Egyptians began to fear the Israelites’ God, and decided He was too powerful for them. The Israelites had reached the shore on the other side and were watching the Egyptian army trying to come after them.
Once more Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and with a mighty roar the waters collapsed and swallowed the Egyptians. The Israelites bowed their heads, and with Moses sang of deliverance:
“The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has saved me.”
Quiz
1. Why did the Israelites go the longest way to Canaan?
2. What did Pharaoh do when he found the Israelites were gone?
3. What kept the Egyptians from seeing the Israelites?
4. How did the Israelites make it across the sea?
5. What happened to Pharaoh’s soldiers?
