About the Reading:
Today we read about the start of the journey out of Egypt. We also learn about Passover and the traditions, set by God, in remembering this Holy event.
Once out of Egypt, we learn how God gets His people free and then, the infamous story of Moses and how God parted the waters, allowing his people to cross the river on dry land; only to have Pharaoh and his people to be covered by that same water.
My Thoughts and Notes:
I have always found this story a bit fascinating. Imagine crossing the river with a wall of water next to you! Imagine turning back, safely across, and seeing your enemies engulfed in the water.
Yes, they sing and dance and rejoice!
Years ago, so long I don’t remember the details, I was watching a documentary that was pretty much trying to debunk this story. The scientists talked about how all these events could have been explained.
I remember them giving scientific explanation to all the plagues. The water turning red, the locusts, all of it. They even tried to explain the splitting of the water, allowing God’s people to walk on dry land.
I recall one of them saying that there is a part that, at time, the water runs thin enough to walk across, but can suddenly come up in a flash flood. This, he said, would explain it all.
That, I say, WOULD explain it all…all the POWER of GOD and, in reality, the PROOF that these events did happen…with the power of God behind them.
So what if there is an explanation. The explanation can always come back to, “It is caused by the hand of God.”
What are you thoughts?
I remember watching the movie The Ten Commandments, and the scenes of the night of the last plague were bone chilling. Can you imagine the agony of the Egyptians? Tired and worn out from all the other 9 plagues (the cleanup after the frogs alone must have taken days.) Then to have your firstborn die? Is it any wonder that the Israelites were 'driven from the land?'
ReplyDeleteThe passover is a wonderful picture of salvation. Just as the Angel of Death passed over the homes with the blood of the lamb on the door, eternal death will pass over the life with the blood of the Lamb on the door to our hears.
So, the Israelites left Egypt. After all God did in Egypt, after being saved from the Angel of Death at the passover, what is the first thing they did? Whined. "It would have been better to stay in Egypt. Did God bring us out here to die?" Waaa Waaaa Waaaa. I love what God told Moses in verse 15 of chapter 14. "...Tell the Israelites to move on." (He tells me that sometimes, too) Then God parted the sea and they walked over on dry land. It is estimated that there were 2 to 3 MILLION Israelites that left Egypt that night. Plus they had their livestock and such. That is a LOT of people and cows, so their crossing the Red Sea had to have taken a long time, wouldn't you think? But GOD was in control and He worked it all out.
By the way, they crossed on DRY land. If it had been the phenomenon that was by those trying to minimize a miracle, as described, they would have been walking across in shallow water. Also, it says there was a 'wall of water on their right and on their left' (14:29)
Then they watched the water engulf the Egyptian army, chariots and all. What an awesome God we serve! And they sang praises to God for His deliverance. How often do you sing praises to God for what He has done for you?