Go Into The Red Sea, Saved By God’s Way

<Ex 14> 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.”

19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

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.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 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.25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

“Why are you crying out to me? Move on! <v15>

• Prayers >>> Actions
• “Far be it from me to ever say a word in disparagement of the holy, happy, heavenly exercise of prayer. But, beloved, there are times when prayer is not enough—when prayer itself is out of season…Moses prayed that God would deliver His people; but the Lord said to him, “Why cry you unto Me?” As much as to say this is not the time for prayer, it is the time for action…When we have prayed over a matter to a certain degree, it then becomes sinful to tarry any longer…having asked God’s guidance, and having received Divine Power from on high, [we are] to go at once to our duty without any longer deliberation or delay.”- H. Spurgeon
• Hide behind prayer because don’t want to act.
• Sometimes, praying may not be a sign of faith, but of fear.
• Some things are not for us to “pray about” but “repent” or “obey”.
• When sin comes after us, God tells us to move on rather than linger.
• How far have you moved on after prayers?
• Beware of going backwards instead of forward.

The Red Sea crossing and our redemption.

• <1 Co 10:1-2> “…our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

1) From slavery to freedom.

• Timothy Keller: “You can take the people out of slavery, but you can’t take the slavery out of the people as easily.”
• Still living with “slave mentality”: “already-but-not-yet”.
• Fight spiritual battle: Each time give in to sin, lose more will to resist sin.
• G. T. Shedd: “Sin is the suicidal action of the human will. It destroys the power to do right.”
• Even our human will is bound  But Christ frees us.

2) Passing through Red Sea symbolic of Christians passing from death to life in Christ.

• OT Israelites baptized into Moses, NT believers are baptized into Christ.
• Moses only saved from physical slavery; Christ saves eternally from spiritual bondage.
• Israelites contributed nothing to cross over safely. We too are saved not by any of our works but by Christ’s work and God’s grace.
• Timothy Keller: We are not saved because of the quality of our faith, but because of the object of our faith (Christ).