Moses at the Red Sea

Moses at the Red Sea
By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,
whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
(Hebrews 11:29, NKJV)

Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "...; you shall camp
... by the sea.... Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so
that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over
Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know
that I am the LORD." ... (Exodus 14:1-4, NKJV)

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the
LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all
that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters
were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst
of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to
them on their right hand and on their left. And the
Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the
sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
(Exodus 14:21-23, NKJV)

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the
morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while
the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew
the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters
returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all
the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not
so much as one of them remained. (Exodus 14:27-28, NKJV)

After spending forty years in the land of Midian, Moses was
finally ready to begin the ministry that had been
previously revealed to him. In place of the arrogant man,
who had attempted to fulfill what he believed was the
Lord's will in his own power, stood a man who was more
humble than any other on the face of earth (Numbers 12:3),
a man who was now very timid and insecure (Exodus 4:10-17).
Yet Moses was called to a position of power, authority, and
confrontation (2 Corinthians 12:9).

After delivering the Israelites out of Egypt after the
death of the Egyptian firstborn, the Lord led Moses and the
nation of Israel to the edge of the Red Sea. Militarily,
this was a very weak and totally indefensible position that
left the people boxed in on three sides. Pharaoh, sensing
a situation he could easily take advantage of, pursued the
nation of Israel with all his military might, intending to
slaughter the virtually unarmed and militarily
inexperienced nation as an act of revenge. However, Pharaoh
failed to take into account the power and authority of the
Lord God.

When Pharaoh and his overwhelming military force caught up
to Israel, the Lord intervened, stood between Pharaoh's
army and His chosen people, and parted the Red Sea (Exodus
14:13-22). The Israelites fled through the parted waters,
and the Lord later allowed Pharaoh's army to pursue them
into same parted waters, but the Lord hindered their horses
and chariots, and ultimately drowned the entire army
(Exodus 14:23-31). So complete was the destruction of the
Egyptian army, that Moses Miriam and the nation of Israel
broke into songs of rejoicing (Exodus 15:1-21). The waters
that had become the path of deliverance for Israel was also
a trap for the Egyptians.

So what does this incident teach us about faith? First,
those who truly follow the Lord in faith will sometimes be
led by the Lord Himself into seemingly impossible
situations. These are not meant for our demise, but rather
for our development and the humiliation of the Enemy
(Romans 8:35-39, 9:17 James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-9). Second,
the Lord delights in demonstrating his strength on behalf
of those who love and trust him (2 Chronicles 16:9ab).
Third, there is no reason to fear when following the Lord
in Faith (1 John 4:17-19). Fourth, salvation from the Lord
brings unbridled rejoicing (Nehemiah 8:10d, Philippians
4:4).

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your
own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He
shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV)

----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

Moses the Commissioned Deliverer

Moses the Commissioned Deliverer
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the
king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By
faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood,
lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
(Hebrews 11:27-28, NKJV)

Moses had a revelation that he was going to be a deliverer
of the nation of Israel out of bondage to Pharaoh. However,
instead of patiently waiting for the Lord to move in His
time and power, Moses initiated an ill-advised and
murderous effort without the Lord's direction. As a
consequence, Moses spent forty unnecessary years in Midian,
and the nation of Israel spent an extra thirty years in
bondage to Egypt. However forty years in Midian greatly
humbled the arrogant Moses, making him ready to be
commissioned by the Lord for the work to which he had been
called.

After an encounter with the Lord at the Burning Bush
(Exodus 3:1-4:17), Moses returned to Egypt to confront the
son of the Pharaoh from whom he had fled forty years
previously (Exodus 4:18-31,7:7, Acts 7:24). In fact, Moses
was very confrontational with the new Pharaoh, continually
demanding that the entire nation of Israel leave Egypt to
go worship the Lord in the desert. Every time Pharaoh
refused, Moses made a prophetic proclamation, and released
another plague on the Egyptian deities, Pharaoh, and the
entire nation of Egypt (Exodus 5:1-10:29). However, rather
than becoming more compliant to the demands of the Lord,
Pharaoh became increasingly resistant, even against the
expressed wishes of his own advisers and the desires of his
own people, which lead to one final confrontation:

Now the LORD spoke to Moses ... "On ... the fourteenth day
of the ... month ... the whole assembly ... of Israel shall
kill [the male lamb without blemish] at twilight. And they
shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat
it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in
fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they
shall eat it.... It is the LORD's Passover.

'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night,
and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I
will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall
be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I
see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall
not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of
Egypt.

'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep
it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You
shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
(Exodus 12:1-14, NKJV)

The nation of Israel obeyed the Lord, killed the lambs at
twilight, applied the blood to the two side posts of their
home doors and the lintel above those doors, and were
spared the Lord's wrath. The nation of Egypt on the other
hand, suffered the loss of the firstborn of their children
and of all their livestock. Since the Egyptians so greatly
feared the Israelites, they gave many costly gifts of
silver, gold, jewelry, and clothing as bribes to leave
(Exodus 12:33-36). Even though they had lived in Egypt for
430 years, most of that time in slavery and poverty, the
Lord compelled the Egyptians to repay them for their time
of service. The Lord had victoriously delivered His people
from the domination of Pharaoh, lavished great gifts on the
former Israelite slaves, and instituted a symbolic feast
that has lasted over 5,000 years.

There are several aspects of faith revealed in this story:
true faith simply obeys the Lord's commands, even in
impossible situations. Second, true faith always stands
with the Lord, even in the face of dreadfully intimidating
opposition. Third, true faith gladly engages in symbolic
acts as instituted by the Lord, even though those acts may
not be fully understood. Fourth, the Lord always honors
true faith; He will not abandon those who commit their
faith to Him.

----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."