Read Exodus 15.

Exodus 15 opens with a, a triumphant hymn of praise sung by Moses and the Israelites to the LORD following their miraculous deliverance from Egypt. The song celebrated the LORD's overwhelming victory over Pharaoh and his army, who had been swallowed up by the sea. The Israelites exalted the LORD as their strength and salvation, declaring Him a warrior whose name was to be glorified above all.

The song vividly recounted how God had hurled the enemy's chariots and soldiers into the water, where they sank like stones. The Israelites praised the incomparable majesty and power of the LORD, acknowledging that His right hand had shattered the enemy and that His wrath had consumed them like stubble in a fire. The waters piled up with a blast of the LORD's breath, allowing the Israelites to pass through, while the same waters then crashed down and covered the Egyptians.

The song then turned toward the future, describing how the surrounding nations — the inhabitants of Canaan, the Philistines, the Edomites, and the Moabites — would hear of this great act and tremble in fear. The Israelites affirmed their confidence that the LORD would guide them to His holy mountain and plant them there, and He would reign forever and ever.

Following Moses' song, his sister Miriam led the women of Israel in praise, taking up a tambourine and dancing as she sang a refrain echoing the opening of the great hymn — praising the LORD for his glorious triumph over the horse and rider thrown into the sea.

The chapter then shifts from praise to struggle, as Moses led the people away from the sea and into the wilderness of Shur. After three days without finding water, they arrived at a place called Marah, only to discover that the water there was bitter and undrinkable. The people complained about Moses, asking what they were to supposed to drink.

Moses cried out to the LORD, who showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became sweet and drinkable. It was there that the LORD gave the people a statute and a rule, testing them and calling them to listen carefully to the LORD's voice and do what was right in His eyes, promising that, if they obeyed, He wouldn't bring upon them the diseases He had brought on Egypt, for He was the LORD who healed them.

The end of the chapter records the journey of the Israelites to Elim, where they found twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there beside the water.

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.

Read Exodus 13.

Exodus 13 opens with the LORD commanding Moses to consecrate all the firstborn of Israel to Him. Every firstborn male (whether human or animal) was to be set apart as holy to the LORD. This reflected the significance of the final plague in Egypt, during which God had struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians while sparing those of the Israelites.

Moses then addressed the people of Israel, instructing them to commemorate their escape from Egypt. The LORD had delivered them from slavery with a mighty hand. He told them to observe a feast of unleavened bread each year during the month of Abib, the month of their exodus. For seven days they were to eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day, a special feast was to be held in honor of the LORD. Moses emphasized that no leavened bread was to be found among them during this time, and they were to explain to their children that the feast was observed because of what the LORD had done for them when He brought them out of Egypt. The practice was to serve as a sign on their hands and a reminder between their eyes, so that the law of the Lord would always be on their lips.

Moses also gave instructions concerning the consecration of firstborn animals. Every firstborn donkey was to be redeemed with a lamb, or else its neck was to be broken. Every firstborn son was to be redeemed in the same way. Parents were told that, when their children asked about this practice in the future, they should explain that it commemorated the LORD’s powerful act of bringing Israel out of Egypt — and how, when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let them go, the LORD struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. This was the reason every firstborn male, both of man and of animal, was sacrificed or redeemed to the LORD.

Exodus 13 then describes the beginning of Israel’s journey out of Egypt. Rather than leading the people along the shorter coastal road through Philistine territory, God chose a longer route through the wilderness toward the Red sea. He did this deliberately, knowing that, if the people faced war too soon, they might regret leaving Egypt and go back there. The LORD Himself went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to guide their way and a pillar of fire by night to give them light so they could travel at any hour of the day or night. These pillars never left their place in front of the people.

Finally, Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him on the journey, fulfilling the oath that the Israelites had sworn to Joseph long before. Joseph had made them promise that, when God came to their aid, they would bring his bones up with them out of Egypt — a testament to his faith that God would one day lead his people back to the land He had promised them.