Taught by
Stephen Armstrong
Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongTonight we study the first stage of the Exodus, that is Israel’s flight from Egypt and the Egyptians’ pursuit
The Israelites have already begun to move eastward out of Egypt
They moved from Rameses to Succoth and then again to Etham
You may notice on my map or a map in your Bible that these places are marked with a question mark in many cases
The question mark reflects scholars’ uncertainty about where the locations mentioned in the Exodus were actually located
This is an important detail to remember tonight in our study
As we go deeper into the events of the Exodus, it will be increasingly the case that the locations mentioned in the text are shrouded in mystery
We simply don’t know for sure where they are, though there are clues in many cases to help us get close
Even though your maps may suggest the locations of these places, that doesn’t mean those locations are correct
The maps in your Bible aren’t inspired like the text of scripture
Most of the places mentioned in Exodus 14 and later including Etham, the various stopping points in the wandering, the Red Sea crossing and even Mt Sinai itself are all guesses
And those guesses are almost certainly wrong
As we study the events, I will also suggest approximate locations for some events while leaving other locations unmarked
Obviously, I may be wrong as well, but I think you’ll agree (at least in a few cases) that the conventional wisdom about certain places in the Exodus story are more legend than fact
And yet there are strong clues leading us to other locations, ones that traditional scholars may disagree about
Just remember the scholars’ guesses are not inherently better than any other
Especially since there is no archeological evidence to support any of the current locations claimed for the major events of the Exodus
Tonight’s lesson will include an examination of one those mysterious locations: the crossing of the Red Sea
I will enlist the help of a video presentation at the end of the lesson to examine a possible location for the crossing
The video is one researcher’s opinion on the place of the Red Sea crossing
I think the video is provocative and personally convincing
It lines up with the Biblical text
And it provides some powerful circumstantial evidence
In the end, the video is still only one perspective
So I am leaving the video until the end of tonight’s lesson simply as food for thought
But I want to be clear that the teaching for the night will come from scripture as usual
The video is for entertainment purposes only
Since I cannot make this copyrighted video available as part of the materials on our website, I am including a link to Youtube where you can watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZFJgeMezRo
Last week we saw the nation preparing to leave on the week-long Exodus
The Angel of the Lord (the Second Person of the Godhead) was leading the nation forward as a cloud by day and fire by night
The Lord’s presence will accompany the nation in this manner for the entire 40 years they spend wandering in the desert
Some scholars suggest that the cloud had the effect of covering the nation from the effects of the hot sun during the day
While the fire gave light and warmth during the cold evenings
We also noted last week that these two objects made it possible for Israel to travel for seven straight days nonstop
Remember, the seven days of the feast of unleavened bread was given specifically to remember Israel’s flight out of Egypt in haste
That flight was seven days
And in 13:21 we’re told they traveled “by day and by night”
How could 2+ million people travel for seven straight days?
Only by the supernatural provision of God
God enables this remarkable feat
Just as He enables many remarkable things in this story
Why does God insist that their travel happen so quickly?
The events of chapter 14 give us that answer
The nation moves into the wilderness under the Lord’s direction
As the nation moves out, the Pharaoh has sent spies to follow the people and report back their location to Pharaoh
So the Lord tells Israel even as they begin their trek that Pharaoh will be watching
And what he sees will convince him that Israel is lost and trapped and vulnerable
But then in v.4 the Lord reveals to Moses that Pharaoh’s perception is intentionally created by the Lord to cause Pharaoh to chase after Israel
In fact, the Lord is not finished hardening Pharaoh’s heart
The Lord will once again cause Pharaoh to think he can defeat Israel and their God with his army
But the Lord is using Pharaoh’s sin to glorify Himself through a display of His power
Remember what the Lord told Moses in the very beginning concerning Pharaoh
The Lord raised Pharaoh up for the very purpose of displaying His power in Egypt
Pharaoh existed for one reason: to be defeated by God
In these first verses of Exodus 14, we’re already given numerous place names to indicate the place where Israel camped in the desert after leaving Egypt
But as I mentioned at the start this evening, the location of these places are a mystery to us today
Even if your Bible or a map suggests a location, be aware that they are guessing and are likely wrong
We have no archeological evidence to support the supposed locations of these places
So can we determine an approximate location for them from scripture alone? Perhaps
Let’s begin by simply noting the geographical boundaries of the event
First, they are moving into the wilderness
This refers to the Sinai Peninsula
The event happened east of Egypt next to the sea and opposite some location on the opposite side of the sea
If we look at the geography of the Sinai peninsula, we can immediately narrow down the possibilities
The Sinai has the Red Sea on either side
And we know that Israel is fleeing from Egypt, so they must be traveling eastward
It makes no sense to assume they crossed the Red Sea in a westwardly direction, because that would send them back in the direction of Egypt
Some of suggested that Israel was backed up against some other body of water, like the Reed Sea
These suggestions are not consistent with scripture
The Hebrew words for Red Sea (yam sup) are not translated “Reed Sea” despite sounding similar in English
Secondly, the descriptions of the cross itself don’t fit with a shallow marshy body of water like the Reed Sea or similar locations
We are talking about the depths of the Red Sea, either the Gulf of Suez or the Gulf of Aqaba
So if Israel wandered to a point that they were backed up against the sea and assuming they were attempting to move east away from Egypt, that leaves only two places they could be
Either they were trapped on the western side of the Gulf of Suez or the western side of the Gulf of Aqaba
Let’s consider the possibility they crossed from the western side of the Suez
Could they Red Sea crossing have been from the western bank to the eastern bank of the Suez?
There is two serious problems with this possibility
First, Israel would not be wandering in the wilderness
Rather they would still be sojourning in Egypt
They would not have gone out of Egypt
Secondly, if they were to cross the Red Sea at the Gulf of Suez, they would still have been in Egypt when they made it to the other side!
Remember, the Egyptians largely controlled the Sinai Peninsula, as they still do today
So crossing from the western side of the Suez to the eastern side would have left Israel still in Egypt
This leaves us with only one likely location for the Jewish encampment described in Exodus 14
The western side of the Gulf of Aqaba is the only location that fits all the data we find in scripture
It’s in the wilderness, not in Egypt
It is hemmed in by the Red Sea
And it provides for an escape by crossing the Red Sea from the West to the east away from Egypt
With this conclusion comes an important implication
If the nation crossed the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba, then it would mean that Mt. Sinai is not actually located in the Sinai Peninsula
It would have to be located in present-day NW Saudi Arabia
Could this be possible?
We are going to examine the location of Mt. Sinai later in a few chapters,
Including watching another video that examines the archeological evidence for the location of the mountain
For now, let’s see if the Bible leaves room for this possibility
First, let’s remember what we’ve already read back in Exodus 3 concerning the location of this mountain
Mt. Sinai is the same mountain where Moses first heard from the Lord in the burning bush
This mountain, also called Mt. Horeb, is said to be located in the land of Midian, on the western side of the land
If we look at a map, we find that ancient Midian is the ancient strip of land located to the east of the Gulf of Aqaba
And the mountain is located in the western part of Midian, that is near the Red Sea
Later in that chapter, we read this:
The Lord commanded Moses to bring the nation of Israel back to this very same place to worship
This mountain in the land of Midian will be the place that Israel will worship the Lord and receive the Law
Therefore, the Biblical text seems to support the conclusion that the nation crossed the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba
From this point, they would have moved eastward into the land of Midian
Thirdly, we have Paul’s description of the mountain of Moses from Galatians 4
Paul says that Mt. Sinai is located in Arabia
The land of Arabia has always been identified with present day Saudi Arabia
This further confirms that the Jews would have crossed into Midian to meet God at the mountain
So from these details in scripture, we can construct a theoretical exodus path for Israel
They left Etham headed east into the Sinai wilderness
At some point, the Lord led the nation off that path toward the south and into the rugged mountains of the southeastern tip of the peninsula
Could Israel really travel so far in just seven days?
If we add another 30 miles for the back and forth wandering we arrive at 210 miles traveled in seven days
If the Jews walked day and night stopping only occasionally, we could assume 20 hours of travel per day
That would mean they only needed to walk at about 1.5 miles per hour on average
The average person walks at 3-3.5 miles per hour
So if we were to increase their average walking speed to 3.5 miles per hour, the Jews would only have needed to travel about 9 hours per day over that week
So this is a very reasonable distance to walk, and they could do it at a leisurely pace given the Lord’s leading them day and night
Eventually, they landed most likely at a large flat beachhead on the western bank of the Gulf of Aqaba
This is the only place along the gulf that could sustain millions of people under the conditions mentioned in the Bible
Backed up to the sea, shut in by the wilderness
And there is only a single way in and out through a narrow channel
As Pharaoh’s spies reported to Pharaoh that the Israelites had left the trade route and were headed south, the Pharaoh thought he had an opportunity
He knew that there was no escape from the southern tip of Sinai, since the Red Sea prevented the Jews from preceding further
Once they had entered into the steep mountain terrain of the Sinai, they lost the ability to maneuver freely
They would have been like rats in a maze with no way out
From that point, Pharaoh would only have to drive his chariots into the mountains and then let the mountains hold the Jews until his army crushed them
This was exactly the idea God intended Pharaoh to have, so that Pharaoh would lead the charge against Israel
In the end, the nation would escape Pharaoh’s army through the sea crossing
God hardens Pharaoh’s heart once again, but notice the people join him in this change of heart
Now that Egypt has lost it’s source of free labor, the work of building will have to be done by the people of Egypt
Once this realization sinks in, the Egyptian people decide that maybe letting Israel go wasn’t such a good idea after all
So Pharaoh readies his own chariot and six hundred more of his army
And they set out after Israel
By this point, Israel is already camped at the edge of the Red Sea
And in v.9 we’re told that the Egyptian army overtakes Israel by the sea
At the point where Israel is encamped and trapped by the sea and the mountains
The chariots of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt were feared throughout the ancient world
They were fast and nimble, enabling a warrior to quickly overtake an adversary, dodge any attack, and turn quickly for a second pass
The design of chariots in Egypt evolved over the centuries
At this time, two designs were common
A four spoked wheel and a larger six-spoked wheel
In a sign of things to come, the people of Israel begin to complain to Moses at the first sight of the approaching Egyptian army
We certainly can’t blame the Israelites for being scared
But they have also seen the power of God unlike anyone else to that point in history
And so their words are completely unreasonable in light of what they have seen God do on their behalf
They turn against Moses and declare that Moses is at fault for freeing them from slavery
In a sarcastic statement, they ask Moses if there weren’t enough graves in Egypt for all Israel, so is that why you brought us out here to die?
Besides being an exaggeration, the statement is ironic since Egypt was known worldwide for its elaborate graves, the pyramids
Remember earlier in our study when we studied the way God called Moses into leadership
Among other things we noted that God was prepared to give Moses what he needed to succeed
And we also noted that God would make clear to His people that Moses was their appointed leader
Well, here we see the reality of life as a spiritual leader among God’s people
As much as we like to think we are mature and reasonable, the truth is we’re all sheep
And like sheep, we are prone to stray, to get lost, to run in fear and to follow the herd
Moses is getting his first taste of what’s in store for him in leading a stubborn and stiff-necked people
The Israelites possess two of the worst personality flaws combined together: incredibly short memories and no appreciation for irony
That’s the only explanation for some of the things they say to Moses
Here they ask Moses if he freed them because he felt this was a better place to die than in Egypt
As if to suggest that it was Moses alone who imagined the whole caper and orchestrated the plan by himself
Have they already forgotten how the Lord was the One running the show?
Anytime we are called to lead God’s people, in any capacity, be prepared for a similar response
Even our best people might let fear and doubt cloud their memories and leave them vulnerable to saying dumb things
Not every decision we make will lead to stunning success, and sometime our apparent defeats are outcomes God intended to achieve some greater purpose
God lets events fail, programs fail, ministries fail, churches fail so that His purposes may be met
Human accomplishment and satisfaction is never God’s purpose
Spiritual growth and holiness in His people and the increase of His glory are the only imperatives driving His purposes
And trials and disappointments are some of the best experiences to achieve those outcomes
In response, Moses says exactly the right things
First, he orders the people not to fear
The fear of the Israelites is obvious in this situation, but I think fear drives more conflict in the church than most people realize
Fear of rejection, fear of judgment, fear of change, Fear of failure, fear of success
Certainly, there are other causes of conflict like envy, but fear is a key driver
And fear is ultimately the result of a failure to trust in the Lord to respond in a crisis, to meet needs, to bring loose ends together
So Moses orders the people not to fear, and we have a similar responsibility
Remind people, exhort people not to behave out of fear
Remind them to trust the Lord to direct the activities in His church
Don’t fear; trust in the Lord
Secondly, Moses tells Israel to watch for the work of the Lord in saving them from Egypt
The call to watch for the work of the Lord is the necessary corollary to the call not to fear
We conquer fear best when we remember that the Lord is always at work around us, and His work will be the solution to our problem
Always be ready to echo Moses words in the face of fear and doubt:
Take note of God’s work and be prepared to see Him show up and address the needs of His people
Don’t be so consumed by your doubts and fears that you fail to take note of the way the Lord is already working
Like Abraham’s servant at the well
Or the mourners at Lazarus’ tomb
Thirdly, Moses tells the people to be quiet
Discontent breeds discontent
The more the people grumbled, the more they tested God and provoked His anger with their unbelief
This pattern will grow much worse over the coming months, but even now Moses recognizes that the people are their own worst enemies in this battle
There comes a time to remind people to stop grumbling, stop testing the Lord with our sinful doubts and questioning
Instead, be quiet and let God work
Though the text doesn’t record Moses’ words to the Lord, we can tell by the Lord’s response in v.15 that Moses appeals to God for help
In a fascinating response, the Lord asks Moses why are you crying to Me?
God’s answer to Moses is I made you the leader, I gave you my staff, and the answer to your dilemma is obvious
Raise your staff, the waters will part, and then order the people to go forward
How was Moses supposed to know to drive the people forward into the sea?
Because God had already told Moses in the burning bush that he was to return to the mountain and to worship him
And Mt Horeb, lies directly across from the gulf
In fact, Moses would have known that land well after living there for 40 years
And have you noticed how Moses’ staff plays a prominent role in many of the supernatural acts of God?
Obviously, the staff is not special except that God has purposed to work through it
The obviously point God is making to Moses is that I’ve already equipped you to lead this people, I’ve given you clear instructions, the path forward is obvious...but it requires a step of faith
Yet here you stand crying out to Me?
It’s as if God is telling Moses that if you aren’t going to use the things I’ve given you for the your mission, why do you return to Me for more?
This is a fundamental principle of Scripture that comes up over and over again
God has equipped us in faith to do many great things according to His will
If we step out in faith and take advantage of those gifts we’ve already received, then we can meet every test successfully
Chief among those tools is God’s word
But if we haven’t availed ourselves fully of what God has given us, why should we be surprised when get stuck and God doesn’t seem to answer our cries
Furthermore, the Lord says He would be working along side Moses, but in unexpected ways
The Lord will once again harden Pharaoh’s heart so he would pursue the people
If you had taken a poll of the Israelites in that moment, I’m sure the option for the Egyptians to go straight home would have won in landslide
While the option for God to cause the army to chase them into the sea would have run a distant second
But in the end, God’s purpose is that Pharaoh’s army drown in the sea
So that the Lord’s might is shown all the more
The story of Israel’s flight from Egypt wouldn’t be half as memorable if it were not for the Red Sea crossing
It is a crescendo that puts to rest any question of what produced Israel’s freedom - it was God’s might
What a great example of how we work with the Lord in accomplishing His purposes
He puts us on a path that is aligned with His will and purposes
He asks us to follow the plan He gives us and use the tools He provides
And then He works in strange and unexpected ways to make the most of our meager efforts
Moses raised a stick in the air, the Israelites ran like scared children
But those steps of obedience created the backdrop upon which God worked a great display of power and glory
This narrative stands almost unparalleled in all the Bible
Why is it that the most memorable scenes in Scripture revolve around great displays of God’s power through water
Noah, Jonah, Elijah, Jesus on the Galilee
None are more powerful than this scene
The timeline of the event is a little more complex than the movie portrays
First, the army arrives shortly before nightfall, and they are met by the pillar of fire to hold them back
Secondly, the Lord brings an east wind to move the water back and to dry the sea bed
This was essential to allow the people to walk without getting stuck in the mud
Third, after the land was dry, perhaps some hours later, the people began to cross over the dry land
The crossing is about 12 miles at this point, so if we assume a hurried 3.5 mile pace, it still took one person about 4 hours to cross the distance
Assuming we have 2 million people moving together, it probably added another hour or two to the travel time
During this time, the pillar of fire is holding back the army
But at the right time, the Lord let’s them go, and they begin to chase
The destruction of Egypt happens in several steps
First, the Lord awaits for morning to arrive to begin fighting against Egypt
The army is still moving through the Red Sea as Israel watches in fear from the opposite bank
Secondly, the Lord appears in the midst of the sea as a pillar of fire and cloud to confuse the Egyptian army
Chariot wheels mysteriously come off chariots, disabling the men and horses
Fear enters the Egyptian army as they realize the Lord is fighting against them
But no one can retreat with their chariots and horses disabled
Finally, God orders Moses to raise the staff again
And with that, the waters close over the army
And the bodies wash ashore
While our attention is drawn to the sea opening and closing, I’m most fascinated by God’s determination to use Moses and the staff to work the miracle
For example, why does God insist on having Moses raise the staff to close the waters?
The only plausible answer is to impress upon the people that Moses is their appointed representative and he works God’s will
God is good to let leaders be seen to lead to encourage others to follow
Rather than spend any more time on describing the scene we all know so well already, I thought it better to just show you the 2-minute version
[Show the Ten Commandments clip at this point...]
We will return next week to a few of the details and images of this scene, including the pictures of Christ and baptism found in this story
Finally, let’s watch a video exploring the possible location of the Red Sea crossing...
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org