# 40 2024 Dev. Ex.14:9. We Are Saved! “Read all of chapter fourteen first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Ex.14:9 “The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen[a] and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.”
Ex.14 Here God tells Moses to turn the Israelites toward the sea “and encamp directly opposite Baal Zephon. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart…” That is a troubling issue to many people, how can God condemn when he hardens one’s heart? From the beginning of Moses’s work in Egypt, Pharaoh increasingly refused to listen to God’s command, He had to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit and he refused to respond. In that sense he still had free will. That is how it is with us, the Holy Spirit does not force us, He points us to Jesus again and again, if we fail to respond to Jesus’ love He leaves us. There is this tension in God’s will and our own will, we make a choice but in the end we find that the Holy Spirit was helping us to make that choice. Given many opportunities, Pharaoh did not submit to God’s will and he paid the price.
Vs.1-4 God tells Moses to move the people into a compromising position causing Pharaoh to think they were trapped between the desert sea.
Vs.5-9 “Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about” letting the Israelites go. He mustered his army to go after them. The Israelites “were marching out boldly”, but “the Egyptians …overtook them as they camped by the sea…”
Vs.10-14 When the Israelites saw them “they were terrified and cried out to the Lord.” But wouldn’t you know it, they blamed Moses for it.!“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out to the desert to die…It would have been better for us the serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” People still do that today, they make a decision to do this, to do that and when there is opposition we lash out and blame others. But Moses took no offense, a real leader, he, “stand firm…the Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.”
Vs.15-18 “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 waters so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” Again we see; “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians…” The Holy Spirit had left Pharaoh long ago, he was not able to respond to God’s will. He was under the control of Satan who, up to this day, wants to destroy the Israelites.
Vs.19-20 “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,” A reference to the Angel of the Lord is a reference to Jesus Christ. Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the cloud) were protecting them. No one could get near the camp that night.
Vs.21-22 “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 Israelites started to cross the sea on dry land.
Vs.23-25 “The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.” God not only dried up the sea, when He saw the Egyptian army pursuing them He “threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of the chariots” to slow down the army.
Vs.26-28 “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.’” The entire army was destroyed.
Vs.29-31 “That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians. Pharaoh, like some leaders and people today absolutely refused to see God’s hand at work in the world and that He is with the righteous, with His People. “When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord…the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him…” Do we see God’s hand at work? And do we put our trust in Him? In today’s world, I pray that we do. Amen and Amen!
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Heavenhigh 