Exodus 14

Read Exodus 14.

The LORD instructed Moses to lead the Israelites to camp near the Red sea, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-zephon. This was part of a divine plan to harden Pharaoh's heart and draw the Egyptian army into pursuit, so that God could demonstrate His glory and power over Egypt, causing them to know that He was the LORD.

When Pharaoh was told that the Israelites had fled, he and his officials wondered why they had let their labor force go free. Pharaoh assembled a massive military force — six hundred of the best chariots along with all the other chariots of Egypt — and set out in pursuit of the Israelites, catching up with them as they camped by the sea.

As the Egyptian army approached, the Israelites became terrified and cried out to the LORD. They turned on Moses in anger, accusing him of bringing them into the wilderness to die, saying it would have been better to remain as slaves in Egypt than to perish in the desert. Moses responded by urging the people to stand firm and not be afraid, assuring them that God Himself would fight for them and that they need only to be still and watch the salvation that the LORD would bring that day.

Then the LORD told Moses to lift his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea to divide the waters, so that the Israelites could walk through on dry ground. The angel of God and the pillar of cloud that had been traveling ahead of the Israelite camp moved to the rear, positioning itself between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud brought darkness to one side and light to the other, preventing the two camps from coming together throughout the night.

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind throughout the night, turning the seabed into dry land. The waters divided, and the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water standing on either side of them. The Egyptians pursued them, with all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen following them into the middle of the sea.

During the night watch, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw them into confusion. He caused the wheels of their chariots to come off so it was difficult for them to drive. The Egyptians began to cry out that the LORD was fighting against them and urged each other to escape.

The LORD then told Moses to stretch his hand back over the sea so that the waters would return upon the Egyptians. Moses obeyed, and, at daybreak the sea returned to its full depth. The Egyptians tried to flee, but the waters swept over them — the chariots, the horsemen, and the entire army of Pharaoh. Not one of them survived.

The Israelites, however, had crossed on dry ground with the water forming a wall on either side of them. When the people saw the great power that God had displayed against the Egyptians, and when they saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they stood in awe of the LORD. The people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and in his servant Moses.