Today is the seventh day of Passover, which is known as the festival of the splitting of the Red Sea. It is commonly referred to as the festival of redemption. Seven days after the Exodus from Egypt, there was a great separation at the Red Sea.
After the Israelites left Egypt to worship the Most High God on the fifteenth day of the first month (Num. 33:3), Pharaoh and his army set out to forcibly drag the children of Israel back. With the Egyptian forces in close pursuit, the Israelites stopped on the banks of the Red Sea. This is when Moses desperately turned to God seeking His help when God shifts the responsibility back on his shoulders: “ 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen” (Exodus 14:15-18).
Moses obeys God immediately: “ 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left” (Exodus 14:21-22).
Notice how God protectively moves in harmony with Moses’ obedience. Scripture tells us that the Pillar of Cloud spread darkness for the Egyptians while lighting up the night for the children of Israel at the same time: “The angel of Elohim moved [from its position] when it traveled in front of the camp of Israel, and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and it stood behind them. It came between the Egyptian camp and the camp of Yisrael. There was the cloud and darkness [for the Egyptians] and [the pillar of fire] lit up the night [for Yisrael]. The camps did not approach each other all that night” (Exodus 14:19-20 Metsudah Chumash, 2009 [with Onkelos translation]). This is when the great separation begins.
While the Pillar of Fire illuminated Israel’s journey through the Red Sea that fateful night, the Egyptians were unable to come close to them. Typically, the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire did not appear at the same time. However, at the Red Sea, both these pillars appeared behind the camp of Israel protecting them. The Hebrew Sage Ramban explains that when Exodus14:20 says that the pillar of cloud “came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel,” the pillar of cloud did not intervene between the pillar of fire and the camp of Israel, but rather it interposed between the camp of Egypt and the pillar of fire. And “there was the cloud and the darkness” between the two camps, with the pillar of fire giving light to Israel, even though it was behind them, because it was high, thus illuminating the way for them to pass through the sea.
Typically, the Pillar of Fire went before the Israelites to lead the way; but on this night it didn’t go before them. The Pillar of Fire remained stationary. Ramban reveals that had the Pillar of Fire gone before Israel, they would have passed through the Red Sea quickly. Consequently, the Egyptian would not have seen them, nor come after them. However, due to the Pillar of Fire being stationary behind the Israelites who were crossing over, they had to walk slowly and carefully. As the Egyptians saw the slow camp of Israel from the midst of the cloud, they became overconfident due to their own hubris. The haughty and headstrong Egyptians disregarded the fact that the Israelites were walking through a sea whose waters were supernaturally split and that they were being protected by a supernatural Pillar of Cloud and a Pillar of Fire. Their own disregard for the things of God would cause them to foolishly follow.
Even though the Egyptians saw the Israelites, they were unable to approach while they crossed over due to the fire burning protectively for the Jewish people while the Egyptians side grew hot, as an ominous sign of their pending judgment. Once Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and riders were allowed to pursue the children of Israel into the sea, YHVH looked down upon them from the two divine atmospheric pillars: “During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion” (Exodus 14:24). The LORD cause the Pillar of Fire to bear down upon the Egyptians with its great heat causing them to panic.
Verse 25 tells us that God also locked the wheels of the chariots, so they moved forward with difficulty. Additionally, the dry ground between the parted waters became mud. About this time, it dawns on the Egyptian army that YHVH is fighting for Israel and against them. They cry out: “Let us flee” (Exo. 14:25), as YHVH tells Moses to hold out his arm again so that the waters can come back and drown the Egyptians horses, chariots, and riders.
Let us remember the great separation at the Red Sea between those who were God’s people and those who were bent on their enslavement and destruction… the ones bent on abusing God’s people for selfish gain, because we are going to witness many such great separations as worldly forces bear down on His faithful ones.
In this Kingdom Day, there are many devout believers called to be deliverers. They are a Moses Company who will part many Red Sea circumstances and situations for their family, their city, and their country, as led by the perfect will of the Heavenly Father. According to the Father’s perfect heart, this Moses Company will have many Red Sea Moments where they will seamlessly obey the Lord. They will stick out their arm with their staff of authority in hand so God’s people can cross over safely while the wicked ones are judged.
Remember who you are and whose you are. Are you a complainer or a deliverer? “ 10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing upon them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to YHVH. 11 And they said to Moses, ‘Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness”?’ 13 But Moses said to the people, ‘Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which יהוה will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. 14 יהוה will battle for you; you hold your peace!’ … 27 Moses held out his arm over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state, and the Egyptians fled at its approach. But יהוה hurled the Egyptians into the sea. 28 The waters turned back and covered the chariots and the riders—Pharaoh’s entire army that followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29 But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 30 Thus יהוה delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. 31 And when Israel saw the wondrous power which יהוה had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared יהוה; they had faith in יהוה and in God’s servant Moses” (Exodus 14:10-14, 27-31 JPS 2006).
“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to יהוה. They said: I will sing to יהוה, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. 2 YHVH is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance. … 11 Who is like You, יהוה, among the celestials; Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in splendor, working wonders!” (Exodus 15:1-2,11 JPS 2006).
May you and yours be blessed by our wonder working God!
Happy Passover! (Samaech Pesach!)
Robin Main
www.sapphirethroneministries.com
www.santa-tizing.com
www.mysticmentoring.com
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about Moses’ staff and the 10 miracles at the Red Sea, check out STM’s latest book “ALEF-TAV’s Hebrew Living™ Letters: 24 Wisdoms Deeper Kingdom Bible Study” https://amzn.to/3NFRSTY (paperback) or https://amzn.to/3veXiiF (kindle). Its companion book is: https://amzn.to/41y1lCJ
Written April 29, 2024 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!
#2024April #24wisdoms #24wisdomsbiblestudy #ALEFTAV #aleftavbiblestudy #deliverance #hebrewlivingletters #Moses #Redemption #redsea #redseacrossing #sapphirethroneministries
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