Bible History of the Old Testament

No. 41

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The Israelites Leave Egypt

Probably such a sight had never been seen in the land of Egypt as when the Israelites halted for their first night of camping at Succoth, or "booths."  We do not know today where the exact locations of either Succoth or Etham were.  Etham, though, seems to have been at the edge of the wilderness that would divide Egypt from Palestine. 

If they had gone straight here, it would have led them into the land of the Philistines.  They would have come face-to-face with a war-like race which even Egypt could often scarcely stand against.  God knew that the people had not yet learned to trust Him enough to go up against them, so he wisely directed them to turn southward and march to "Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea," and told them to camp there.

It was very apparent that Jehovah went first before His people because he sent them a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night that would lead them to wherever they needed to go.  The people now knew that God was totally in command, and that they were to go wherever the cloud led them to go.  It was this very same Shechinah, or visible Presence, which afterwards rested upon the Most Holy Place when God directed them to build the Tabernacle. 

The pillar of cloud and fire is noted on monuments in Egypt and in one of their ancient documents.  It is compared to "a flame in the darkness that streams in advance of his soldiers."

It was probably from Etham that the news was carried to Pharaoh that might have made him hope that this sudden backward movement would make them get tangled up and fall prey to his trained army.  It was probably a few days before he really realized that they were gone for good and were never coming back. 

The shock of losing his firstborn plus everything else that had gone on in the days and weeks before the Israelites left had probably put him in somewhat a state of shock. 

Now he started gathering his wits about him again and gathered his army together to make the Israelites return.  He also must have thought about all the slave labor that he had let go.  This would probably bring many of his building projects to almost a complete halt.  He had to get these people back. 

The bulk of his army's strength lay in its 600 chariots.  Each of them was drawn by two fiery, trained horses, and held two men.  One of the men carried a shield and drove the chariot, while the other man was fully armed to fight. 

It's easy to see how the Israelites could have easily been taken over by fear when they looked at things in the natural.  This would have been a very formidable sight under any circumstances.  But now the children of Israel were out in the wilderness with all their wives and children, and they did not even have anything to fight back with.  They knew all too well what the Egyptians had to fight with.  They had also been beat down by all the years of slavery, and probably didn't have much fight left in them.  It surely looked like a desperate situation from their way of looking at things.

As the sun was going down, they probably saw the glint of it against the multitude  of chariots that was coming toward them.  They would have known all too well exactly the tactic and armor that Pharaoh was using.  The chariots followed in their tracks and were approaching them from the north, so there would be no escape in that direction.  Then to the east was the sea, and to the west and south were mountains. 

They realized that there was no possible way that they could get away, and they certainly had no defense against this monstrous army.  So once more their faith failed and they broke into murmuring against Moses.  But God was faithful and had already had a plan from the very beginning.

His final act of deliverance would serve as a memorial forever for them of how He had upheld their faith in the face of sure humiliation and defeat.  But God also wanted to show Egypt that Jehovah was a righteous and holy Judge, because they were an extremely heathen nation. 

There are times when even prayer seems unbelief, and only to go forward in calm assurance is duty.  God told Moses not to keep crying out to Him for deliverance, but to tell the children of Israel to go forward.

This forward movement was to be made, though, only after Moses had stretched the rod of God over the sea, and the Angel of the Lord had gone behind them to cast light on Israel and total darkness upon the Egyptian army.  The Pillar kept Egypt and Israel apart all night while a strong east wind blew all night as it never had before and divided the waters.  They formed a wall of water with a dry road in the middle that led to the land on the other side.

When the Egyptian army reached the sea shore, night must have already fallen, and the Israelites were far advanced on the dry bed of the sea.  The Cloud must have thrown its light on the advancing multitude, because somehow the Egyptian army must have felt that it would be pretty easy to reach and overcome Israel.  On the other hand, it was just probably something Divine that made them go into the midst of the sea and pursue the Israelites. 

Jehovah suddenly "troubled the host of the Egyptians."  The fire of His Divine Presence suddenly burst through and threw them into confusion and panic.  It may be that the water started coming back in slowly at first, because the wheels of their chariots became clogged.  The sand beneath them seemed to soften and they would hardly turn. 

With the light from the fiery cloud, the conviction flashed upon them that it was Jehovah who fought for Israel and also the one who fought against them.  When they sensed this, they immediately tried to turn around and get out, but it was too late. 

Moses had already followed God's command and stretched out his hand over the sea and commanded it to go back to its normal state.  In just a few minutes, the waters had returned to normal and Pharaoh's army was buried beneath the waves.

We know that this grand event actually happened because it is talked about all over antiquity.  It has also been passed graphically from one generation to another, and in one sense forms the foundation on which God rests His claim upon His people.

We do not know the exact spot of the passage through the sea, but most agree that it must have taken place near Suez, because the conditions there are such that would make it possible for the whole host of Israel to have passed safely across during the night.

It is also a curious fact that according to Egyptian documents, 17 years elapsed after the death of Thothmes II (who is regarded as the Pharaoh of the Red Sea narrative) before any Egyptian expedition was undertaken into the Sinai Peninsula, and 22 years before any attempt was made to recover the power over Syria which Egypt had lost.  Because of this, Israel could safely pursue their march through the wilderness without any threat at all from the Egyptians.

Moses and the Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving and triumph when they got to the other side of the sea.  Then this was repeated every Sabbath in the Temple when the drink-offering of the festive sacrifice was poured out.  It reminded Israel that their kingdom was surrounded by heathen nations that were hostile towards them; that there would always be a contest between them; and that Jehovah Himself would always fight for them to destroy their enemies and deliver them because they were His Chosen People. 

For more information from this book, go to the Archives Page at www.cathydeaton.com     There are other articles of interest there also.

This text has been taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim.  This book has been used by permission.