Exodus 14 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Exodus 14:1-9

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to camp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh will think, “The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.” 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.’ So the Israelites did this.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, ‘What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!’ 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians – all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops – pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

A. Find Out:

1. Who told Moses to camp by the sea? v.1,2
2. What would Pharaoh think? v.3
3. What will the Lord achieve by what follows? v.4
4. What did Pharaoh and his officials do? v.5
5. Who did he take with him? v.7
6. What had the Lord done? v.4a,8

B. Think:

1. What picture does a “hard” heart conjure up?
2. How, from this passage, had the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart?
3. What sort of position, humanly speaking, were the Israelites in?

C. Comment:

      The Lord instructs Moses to take his people (probably well over a million people) and camp near the Red Sea. This meant they were in a position where they had nowhere to escape to if pursued. When Pharaoh heard that Israel were leaving but were appearing to wander around, apparently hemmed in by natural boundaries, the same evil resolve that had been there previously, rose up again. Being presented with an opportunity to get these Israelites before they finally got out of his reach, he grabbed at it. What Pharaoh didn’t realise was that God had set him up! He didn’t have to come into the place of judgement and destruction chasing the Israelites, but that was the choice of his evil heart. No, don’t think, “He should have learnt from the plagues” because Sin blinds the unbeliever and creates foolishness in him.

     When God “hardens” a man’s heart, He gives him something that He knows his (already) evil heart will respond to, so that he will resolve to take a wrong course of action and come into a place of judgement. In this there is no unfairness on God’s part; He is merely exposing to view the state of that man’s heart by providing circumstances he will surely respond to.

D. Application?

1. The Lord in His wisdom exposes the sinfulness of men for all to see.
2. God set up Israel ‘s circumstances, remember that!

Passage: Exodus 14:10-18

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, “Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians”? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’

13 Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’

15 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 water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.’

A. Find Out:

1. What did Israel feel when they saw the Egyptians? v.10
2. What did they express to Moses? v.12b
3. What 2 things did he say they needed to do? v.13
4. Why? v.14
5. What did the Lord tell Moses to do? v.15,16
6. What did He say He would do to Pharaoh? v.17,18

B. Think:

1. How would you describe the way the Israelites spoke to Moses?
2. How would you describe Moses’ answer?
3. Why was he able to answer like that?

C. Comment:

     When Pharaoh’s army appear over the horizon, Israel are somewhat naturally disturbed! They may have been through the plagues of God in Egypt but they, like us so often, are rather slow to realise that when God says He will deliver, then He means it! They wish they could have been back in “the good old days” of slavery. Faith IS a bit disturbing at times, but Moses is moving in faith, and he believes the Lord. It’s all right, he says, just watch the Lord deal with them, and he so he turns and calls on the Lord.

      The Lord’s reply is interesting: He indicates that He expects Moses to understand His heart, even if He hasn’t expressed it yet. Why are you crying out to me, you know my will surely? Moses, you have authority! Take your people through the Red Sea. When Pharaoh sees your method of escape, he won’t be able to resist the temptation to follow you, and that will be his undoing. He is so set in his heart on getting you that he will take any risky opportunity of revenge, but your means of escape will be his means of death. He doesn’t have to move into the place of death, but he will choose it himself.

D. Application?

1. Someone has said “faith is spelt R-I-S-K” and of course that means it’s uncomfortable.
2. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God”.

Passage: Exodus 14:19-31

19 Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 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 waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, ‘Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’

26 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.’ 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing towards it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen – the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

A. Find Out:

1.  How did God protect Israel? v.19,20
2. How was the Red Sea divided? v.21,22
3. How were the pursuing Egyptians upset? v.24,25
4. What did the Lord tell Moses to do then? v.26,27
5. What was the result for the Egyptians? v.28
6. What was the result in the Israelites? v.31 

B. Think:

1. What 4 things are attributed to the Lord here?
2. What had Moses to DO?
3. Why was what happened not “just a natural phenomenon”?

C. Comment:

      A “scholar” explained that the Red or Reed Sea would only be very shallow at this point so the miracle couldn’t have happened as the Bible account gave it. “Oh”, said a little old lady who was a firm believer, “how wonderful, an even greater miracle! The Lord drowned an entire army in a few inches of water!” Whatever liberal unbelieving scholars may try to say, the Biblical account is quite clear! God intervened and delivered His people and destroyed the enemy.

      First, the Lord PROTECTED His people over night by a wall of cloud that kept back the Egyptians.

      Second, He PROVIDED a path of deliverance for His people through the sea.

     Third, he PLUNDERED the Egyptians and caused their total upset.      Finally, He PUNISHED them by destroying them. God could have destroyed Pharaoh at any time previously and, let’s admit it, he deserved it for the way he led his nation in demonic idol worship. But God held off His judgement until this point when Pharaoh put himself in a place where only the mercy of God (holding back the water) could preserve him. Mercy comes when people call on God for His salvation. Pharaoh didn’t call! Oh yes, that was nothing to stop him except his own foolish pride! 

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord that He protects and provides for His people.
2. Thank Him for His mercy that you have received.