Strike the Rock and Water Will Come Out of It
17: 1-7

Strike the rock and water will come out of it DIG: Why is this the same song, second verse? How does this passage compare with 16:1-4? What is wrong with this picture? Why didn’t the water come out until after the rock was struck? Was this for the benefit of Moses, the people, or the elders? Was thirst the only problem? What was the deeper object lesson and how well did they learn it (Numbers 20:1-3)?

REFLECT: Have you been to the rock that was struck for a drink of living water? Jesus Christ says if you drink of that water, you will never thirst again (John 7:37-39)! Are you spiritually thirsty? To see link click Fg – The Peace Offering, and discover how you can receive living water.

And the whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin. Note that in the Hebrew, Chapter 17 begins with the word And, which connects it with Chapter 16. So, too, Chapter 16 opens with the same word, which links it to the bitter water of Marah in Chapter 15. It is such a little word, but it makes such a big difference because there is a common thread of complaining in all three of these chapters. And here, once again, Isra’el was face to face with another trial of faith. Their dependency upon God was tested. This time it was not a lack of food, but the absence of water. How this illustrates the fact that the path of faith is a path of trial. God’s plan is to wean us from everything down here (First Peter 2:11), to bring us to the place where we have no reliance upon material or human resources, but to cast ourselves completely upon Himself. O how slow, how painfully slow we are to learn this lesson. How miserably and how repeatedly we fail! How longsuffering God is with us. This is what the introductory word and is designed to point out. Here in Chapter 17 it is but a tragic repetition of the beginning of Chapter 16.³⁰⁹

They traveled from place to place as ADONAI commanded. If the pillar of cloud moved, they moved; if the pillar of fire stood still, they stood still. Encampment locations at Dophkah and Alush (Numbers 33:12-14) are omitted here to focus on the incidents of testing and complaining.³¹⁰ They camped at Rephidim, which was their last stop on their way to Mount Sinai. It was probably either Wadi Refayid or Wadi Feiran, both of which are not far from Jebel Musa, the traditional site of Mount Sinai in the southeastern region of the peninsula.³¹¹ But there was no water for the people to drink (17:1). At Marah there was water, although bitter, but God made it sweet. At Rephidim, however, there was no water at all. It would have to be created out of nothing (Genesis 1:1).

Again, the lack of water became a stumbling block. But this time their rebellion became much more of a problem than the last incident at Marah (15:24) or in the Desert of Sin (16:1-3) because a mob mentality began to develop. Parched from their journey and finding no water, they complained to Moses and were almost ready to stone him (17:4). The leadership and capability of Moshe should have been established by then, but to a people easily influenced by the mixed multitude (12:43-51), and the difficulty of the circumstances made Moses’ track record easy to forget. Such complaining, Moses said, put God to the test (17:2), that is, they were challenging God or trying His patience rather than trusting in Him.³¹² In fact, the whole history of the desert wanderings of the Israelites is a good example of the longsuffering of ADONAI with a people who constantly tested and provoked Him (Psalm 78:56; 106:7, 14, 25, 29).

While there is no doubt that the shortage of water reached a dangerous level, the people should not have tested Moshe, but should have turned to God who had already proven His ability to provide for them in the past.³¹³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses. They said: Why did you bring us and our children and livestock to die of thirst (17:3)? Their language is angry and hostile. However, God, as always, graciously supplied the people’s need. ADONAI answered Moshe and commanded: Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Isra’el and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile (7:20), and go from Rephidim to the region of Mount Horeb (17:5). Horeb was the place where God had revealed Himself to Moshe at the burning bush (3:1-5). It refers to a range of mountains. So Horeb is a mountain range that contains Mount Sinai. The slopes of Horeb reached Rephidim, so the walk that Moses and the elders took was not a long one.

God announced that He Himself would: Stand there before you by the rock at Mount Horeb. Some argue this is merely anthropomorphic language, using human imagery to describe the presence of God. Others see a theophany in which the pillar of cloud descended upon the rock. Either way, God was at Horeb in a special, unique way in order to provide for His people. He said: Strike the hard, dry rock with your staff, and water will come out of it for the people to drink. It was not until the rock was struck with the staff of Moshe that the water gushed out. This was another Exodus-like event.³¹⁴ Because water is a picture of the Ruach ha-Kodesh (John 7:38-39), this foreshadows the coming of the Spirit of God at Shavu’ot (Acts 2:1-4) after the death of Christ on the cross (Isaiah 53:4-12; John 19:16b-37). We learn more about this incident in the Psalms. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert. For He remembered His holy promise given to His servant Abraham (Psalm 105:41-42). It was because of His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15) that God gave the water to Isra’el.³¹⁵ So Moses did this in the sight of all the elders of Isra’el so that they could be witnesses to the miracle and relay what they had seen to the unbelieving people (17:6). The word rock is used here in a literal sense. There was a real rock at Horeb and when Moshe struck it, real water came out of it, providing water for the children of Isra’el.

However, whenever the word rock is used symbolically, it is always used of the second person of the Trinity, or Jesus Christ. The Paul makes this very clear when he wrote to the church he had founded in the city of Corinth. He said to them: For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they passed through the Red Sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ (First Corinthians 10:1-4; also see Hebrews 11:24-26).

So, although the Bible uses many symbols, it uses them consistently. Whenever the word rock is used, it is a picture of Christ, although sometimes it will have a slightly different emphasis. There are seven examples of this. First, sometimes when the rock is used of Christ, or the Messiah, the emphasis is on His deity, as the God-man (Genesis 49:24; Deuteronomy 32:15; Second Samuel 23:2-3; Psalm 18:31; Matthew 15:16-18).

Secondly, the emphasis on His pre-existence is found in Dani’el 2:34 where Christ is referred to as a rock that was cut out, but not by human hands.

Thirdly, another usage is that Christ was the stone has been tried, tested and proven to be true. Like the Lamb of God, He was without spot or blemish (Isaiah 28:16; First Peter 2:4 and 6).

Fourthly, still another usage of the word rock is used in reference to the Messiah as the foundation (Matthew 16:18, 21:44).

Fifthly, to the Jews and other nonbelievers He is a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall (Isaiah 8:14; Romans 9:32; First Corinthians 1:23; First Peter 2:8).

Sixthly, another common motif of the stone in reference to Christ is to call it the rejected stone, because the TaNaKh made it clear that when the Messiah came the first time, He would be rejected by His people (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11). Therefore, out of this historical incident a picture of the Messiah begins to develop. He would be a proven and tested stone, but is rejected by the nation of Isra’el to become a stone of stumbling.

Ultimately, however, He would become the cornerstone of the Church (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20; First Peter 2:6).

In Numbers 20:8-12 we are told of a second time that the children of Isra’el complained that they had no water. The first time Isra’el complained about being thirsty, God told Moses to strike the rock and water would come out of it for the people to drink. In Numbers, however, God gave Moshe different directions. He told Moses to speak to the rock and water would pour out of it. Moses was supposed to speak to the rock because the Messiah was to be stricken only once. After that we only need to ask for salvation. Christ was crucified twenty centuries ago, and from the cross He said: It is finished (John 19:30), and it was finished indeed. He does not have to be crucified again. When He comes back a second time it will not be to die; it will be to rule and reign the entire world as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). God the Father is satisfied with what God the Son did for you. The question is, “Are you satisfied with the work Christ did for you on the cross?” He died to save you. All God the Father is asking, is that you believe in, trust in, have faith in, His Son.³¹⁶

And Moshe called the place Massah, or testing, because the Israelites tested Him there, and he also called the place Meribah, or complaining, because the Israelites complained to God saying: Is ADONAI among us or not (17:7)? Like Pharaoh before them, how many times did they need to see God work before they understood? Did they not see that God had their best interests at heart? Did they not see that He had moved mightily from the time of the patriarchs to come to that very moment and He wasn’t going to let a little thing like the water supply stand in the way of fulfilling His plan?³¹⁷ Still the people complained, and the fruits of their complaining would sow thorns of conflict in the future. And conflict would breed contention. Soon the Amalekites would attack the Israelites, and then it would be Isra’el who would be tested.

Preparation of the Israelites for Mount Sinai
17:1 to 18:27

After leaving Dophkah the people of Isra’el eventually reached their fourth important stop at Rephidim, but found no water. God was preparing them for their encounter with Him at Mount Sinai. One would have thought that after seeing Ha’Shem’s power over water at the Sea of Reeds and at Marah, and His abundant supply at Elim, that the Israelites would have learned to trust Him for water anywhere. But they seemed incapable of faith and met their new trial by grumbling.

Three important events happened at Rephidim. The first was the rock that was struck. The second was the defeat of the Amalekites, led by Joshua. And the third was Moses’ encounter with Jethro and his advice in helping Moshe with his tremendous task of counseling. All this was in preparation for Mount Sinai.

That Evening Quail Came and Covered the Camp
16: 13-36

That evening quail came and covered the camp DIG: What were the promises and requirements associated with God’s provision of the manna? Why allow some to gather much and some to gather little? Why provide food that only lasts for one day? What was different about the sixth and seventh days? What does this say about the trust relationship God desires?

REFLECT: The Torah commands that Isra’el keep the Sabbath holy. But Isra’el hadn’t reached Mount Sinai and the commandments had not yet been given (20:8-11). Why did God teach about the Sabbath here?

That evening quail came and covered the camp (Psalm 78:26-29), and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp (16:13). The habits of quail lend itself to the biblical picture. First, the bird flies mostly at night. Secondly, after migration the birds are so exhausted that they can be caught with bare hands. Lastly, they make use of favorable winds (Numbers 11:31). Like the manna, the amount of quail in and around the Hebrew camp was astounding.³⁰⁵ God rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore (Psalm 78:27). The Holy Spirit spends most of His time here describing the manna because everyone knows what quail is. But manna is quite a different story.

When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor (16:14). The miracle was that the manna was found in such giant quantities. To feed two million people, they would have needed about nine million pounds of manna per day; that equals about forty-five hundred tons per day, or about a million tons annually for forty years. All very remarkably scheduled every morning! So any natural cause would seem to be quite a stretch.

When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other: What is it? In Hebrew, this is two words, man hu, translated “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them: It is the bread God has given you to eat (16:15). Psalm 78:23-25 describes it as the grain of heaven and the bread of angels.

This is what ADONAI has commanded to you: Each one is to gather as much as he needs. This was exactly the formula given at the Egyptian Passover (see Bv – The Egyptian Passover). Take an omer, probably about two quarts, for each person you have in your tent (16:16). The point was that no one should hoard any food. An omer is one tenth of an ephah (16:36). It should not be assumed that manna was the only thing the Israelites ate for forty years. We must remember that they brought large flocks and herds with them out of Egypt (12:38; 17:3). They continued to possess these not only in Sinai (34:3) but had them when they reached Edom and the country east of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 2:6-7). That wheat and meats were available to them is clearly implied in such references as Exodus 17:3, 24:5, 34:3; Leviticus 8:2, 26, 31, 9:4, 10:12, 24:5; and Numbers 7:13, 19).³⁰⁶

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little (16:17). And when they measure it by the omer, each person who gathered much did not have too much, and each person who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as needed to be satisfied from hunger (16:18). Paul cites this as an illustration for believers who share their possessions with each other (Second Corinthians 8:15).

However, the greed of some Hebrews caused some to keep what they had collected over night. Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning,” but should trust in God that He would provide for them each and every day (16:19). No one was duty bound to eat the whole omer, but what was not eaten was supposed to be thrown away. However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but when morning came they discovered that it was full of maggots and began to smell. This seems to be a deliberate allusion to the first plague on Egypt in which the Nile was contaminated and smelled (7:18). So Moses was angry with them (16:20). There is no stronger verb in the Hebrew to reflect wrath or anger, than the one used here. The Hebrews were again living by sight and not by faith.³⁰⁷

The manna had to be gathered early in the morning because when the sun grew hot, it melted away. Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed (16:21). The rabbis teach that what was left in the field melted and flowed away in streams. Animals drank of it, and these animals were hunted by other peoples who, by eating the flesh, experienced the taste of the manna and thereby appreciated Israel’s honor. But a different rule applied to the Sabbath. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much – two omers for each person – and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses (16:22).

God not only supplied food for the people of Isra’el, He also provided rest. He said to them: This is what ADONAI commanded to you: Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to ADONAI. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning because it would not be spoiled (16:23). So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it (16:24). Any other time if it were left overnight, it would have decayed, but not on the seventh day. Moses said: Eat today because today is a Sabbath to ADONAI. You will not find any of it on the ground today (16:25). Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any manna on the ground for you to eat (16:26). Therefore, the concept of the Sabbath was given even before the children of Isra’el arrived at Mount Sinai.

Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none (16:27). Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: How long will you refuse to keep My commands and instructions about the Sabbath (16:28)? Moses asked Pharaoh a similar question: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me (10:3)? The Israelites, therefore, were stubbornly disregarding the Word of God like Amenhotep II. And if they continued to rebel, they would receive the same diseases that fell like plagues upon the people of Egypt (15:26).

God Himself spoke and announced that the Sabbath is a divine gift to His people. Bear in mind that ADONAI has given you the Sabbath; this why on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out to gather manna (16:29). So the people rested, the Hebrew word sabat, on the seventh day, the Hebrew word seba (16:30). Today the people of Isra’el call the Sabbath the shabbat, or rest. Moses would then gave some editorial commentary regarding the giving of manna throughout the rest of the desert wanderings.

First, he summarized the previous material from this chapter. The people of Isra’el called the bread manna. It was white like a round coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey (16:31). Numbers 11:8 describes its taste as something made with olive oil.

ADONAI commanded Moses to take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt. It served as a continual reminder of God’s provision for His people in their time of need. Then Aaron took a golden jar filled with manna and put it in the ark, that it might be kept for future generations (Exodus 16:32-34; Hebrews 9:4). Moses inserted this when he wrote the book of Exodus to show that the Hebrews did fulfill the commands God gave when the manna was given to them. The rabbis teach that these verses should logically follow the account of the erection of the Tabernacle, but is placed here to stress the miracle of the manna.

The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to a Land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan (16:35). The number forty became a symbol of hardship and trial (Genesis 7:12; First Samuel 17:16; Matthew 4:2). Once in Canaan, they no longer needed manna when they celebrated their first Passover. As a result, God stopped supplying it (Joshua 5:10-12).

In Deuteronomy 8:4 we find that during the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the desert their feet did not swell. One of the common causes of foot-swelling in the Orient is an improper diet. It is interesting that the manna had all the vitamins and minerals that they needed to keep their feet from swelling as they journeyed through the desert. The manna was adequate to meet their needs.³⁰⁸

But God had a much greater purpose for giving manna to the children of Isra’el than merely to feed them. Moses later commented that: He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God . . . He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you (Deuteronomy 8:3 and 16). The most important reason that manna was given was to teach His people to depend on Him and His Word. Our continued existence depends on Him and Him alone. When Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread during His forty days of fasting, Jesus answered: It is written that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

I Will Rain Down Manna from Heaven for You
16: 4-12

I will rain down manna from heaven for you DIG: Read 16:4 and John 6:57-61, 66. In both instances, how does God test whether or not His followers will walk in His word? How do you account for the presence of manna? Do you think it was a natural food or something unique and supernatural?

REFLECT: What is the difference between your wants and your needs? How has God provided for your needs? I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging for bread (Psalm 37:25). Is this true?

When the Israelites grumbled under the slavery of Egypt, Pharaoh made their lives harder by making them find their own straw. But here God met their grumbling with a gracious promise. Then ADONAI said to Moses His prophet: I will rain down bread from heaven for you. This bread from heaven would be remembered and celebrated for generations to come (Psalm 78:24-25, 105:40; Nehemiah 9:15; John 6:31).³⁰² When God refers to it in the Bible, He always refers to it as bread; but when the Israelites refer to it, they always refer to it as manna (16:31). What providential care! God took care of the Israelites in somewhat the same fashion as He had in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8-16). They received bread without toil.

The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day and no more. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions (16:4). The purpose was to test them to see if they would depend on Him. This command probably underscores Jesus’ model when He said: Give us each day our daily bread (Mark 6:11; Luke 11:3). On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much of it laying on the ground as they gather on the other days (16:5) in order to provide for the seventh day, the Sabbath, a day of rest (16:23).

No concept of Sabbath rest has been found in ancient Egypt. That fact alone highlights the differences between God and Pharaoh. The God of the TaNaKh was compassionate and caring towards His people; however, Pharaoh was merely an oppressive taskmaster. So today when those who love God recite the commandment from the Torah to remember the Sabbath, they also remember their deliverance from slavery out of Egypt.

Manna as bread from heaven points to the coming of Jesus as the true bread from heaven, the bread of God, and the living bread that came down from heaven (John 6:32-33, 51), all in a spiritual sense (John 6:63). Yeshua, as both the bread of life (John 6:35, 48) and the source of the water of life (Revelation 21:6, 22:1 and 17), can therefore say to us: He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty (John 6:35). However, Messiah made a clear distinction between manna and Himself when he said: Our forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever (John 6:58). We will live forever when we believe in Him (John 6:40).³⁰³

Therefore, manna is a type of Christ. The Sh’khinah glory was connected with the giving of the manna (John 1:14); it came down from heaven (Ephesians 4:10), it was a free gift from God (John 3:16), the manna was sent to Isra’el (Matthew 15:24), people had to gather their own manna, it was to be a personal experience (John 1:12), they were to be fed daily from it (Psalm 69:19); the manna was despised by those who were not God’s children (Numbers 11:4-6; Revelation 16:8-11), manna did not decay on the Sabbath day (Psalm 16:8-10), and it is now hidden (Revelation 2:17).

Another typological application of manna is found in the TaNaKh itself. We are told that God gave His people manna to teach them that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of ADONAI (Deuteronomy 8:3). At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus used that verse in the desert as the Adversary tempted Him with hunger (Matthew 4:1-4; Luke 4:1-4). In doing so He illustrated the important fact that spiritual food is just as important as physical food.

So Moses and Aaron said to the nation of Isra’el, “In the evening you will know that it was ADONAI who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of ADONAI, because He has heard your complaining against Him. Who are we, that you should complain to us” (16:6-7)? Two physical signs were given to Isra’el so that the people would stop their grumbling and see the foolishness of their ways. Moses said: You will know that it was ADONAI when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against ADONAI (16:8). This verse is essentially the same as the previous one; however, the reiteration emphasizes that their grumblings were ultimately directed against God Himself.

Then the Sh’khinah glory appeared with yet another one of its ministries, providing nourishment for the children of Isra’el. It called Moses, it led Isra’el, it protected Isra’el, it destroyed the Egyptians, and now it will provide the food that Isra’el will need for the next forty years. Aaron continued to act as Moses’ spokesman by saying: Say to the entire Israelite community, “Come before ADONAI in the cloud, for He has heard your grumbling.” While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the Sh’khinah glory of ADONAI appearing in the cloud (16:9-10). He said to Moses His servant: I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, “At dawn you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am ADONAI your God” (16:11-12).

The desert experience of the Israelites is ours as well, but, as we see in Hebrews 3:9-10, with a slightly different twist. We are privileged to be living in the age in which the Kingdom of God has already come in Christ, although we still wait for His Second Coming. Even though we are fully capable of complaining, complaining and gossiping ourselves, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables us to resist those sins (James 4:7). But if all we learn from this section is “don’t be a complainer,” we will miss the riches it holds for us as we walk through the desert.

First, the desert is hostile territory to us and we are just passing through. It is still God’s world. It belongs to Him and He is still very much in control of His creation, although in ways not always clear to us. Just as the desert posed no barrier for God to act mightily on behalf of His people by providing food and water, the desert in which we live is fully at the Lord’s disposal as well. We need to take comfort in the fact that we, even here, are ADONAI’s special people. But we should not become too comfortable where we are. We are to fully trust Ha’Shem while we are here (unlike the Israelites), while at the same time not allowing our current circumstance to define our ultimate reality. Our gaze must always be where we are going, not where we are.

Secondly, we must not judge our circumstances by how we see them, but how God wants us to see them. This is exactly what the Israelites were guilty of. They were guilty of self-centeredness. Throughout Exodus we have seen their inclination for defining their situation in terms of their own perceptions. Whether it was the lack of straw to make bricks or the advancing Egyptian army on the shore of the Red Sea, the Israelites did not respond in a way that we would expect from people who have seen God’s mighty hand at work. Therefore, ADONAI wants us to look at the big picture. But seeing only our version of things is so natural to us! That, however, is the flesh. We need to live by the Spirit.³⁰⁴

If Only We Had Died by the LORD’s Hand in Egypt
16: 1-3

If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt DIG: Given the miraculous departure from Egypt, how do you account for the people complaining so soon? If they hadn’t complained, would ADONAI have heard them? Why or why not? What does that tell you about the relationship with God?

REFLECT: What does this passage teach us about the authority of Moses and God? About stress? Obedience? Trust? Who or what usually gets the brunt of your frustration? Why? One of the seven things that are detestable to God is a person who stirs up dissension among other believers (Proverbs 6:16-19). How are you doing?

And the people of Isra’el arrived at Dophkah after a one-month journey. The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt (16:1). They had been on their journey from Egypt for one full month (12:2, 6, 29, 31). No sooner had they set up their tents than they began to brumble about being hungry. In the desert the whole community grumbled to Moses and Aaron (16:2). This becomes a familiar pattern. God performs miracles on behalf of the Israelites, and their reaction is to grumble.

Again they failed their test of faith. They grumbled and regretted ever leaving Egypt. Like those with Stockholm Syndrome, they celebrated their captors rather than ADONAI, crying: If only we had died by ADONAI’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat, ate all the food we wanted like fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks onions and garlic (Numbers 11:5). They continued to lay it on thick by saying: But you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death (16:3). They were doing more grumbling in the Desert of Sin than they did under Pharaoh! When people wish themselves back to Egypt (a life of worldliness and sin), they forget both the bitterness of the old life and the blessings of the new.³⁰⁰ Two points here. First, from all the accounts of their life in Egypt, we never get the impression that they had plenty enough to eat, so they were really exaggerating. And secondly, it wasn’t Moses and Aaron that led them out of Egypt. It was God. And He was about to graciously answer their grumbling with a gift from heaven.

Are we not like the people of Isra’el? We often find ourselves in difficult situations and we grow anxious and look back, full of regrets and wish things had turned out differently. But we need to understand that Ha’Shem will test us as He tested Isra’el. These trials may have great benefits for us as believers, such as increasing our trust and dependence upon God, or bringing us back to the godly way of living and thinking, or many other reasons. So let us not rebel when things get difficult, but let us go to ADONAI in prayer and serve Him with all our hearts, souls and minds.³⁰¹

The Wilderness of Sin
16: 1-36

According to Numbers 33:10-13 the Israelites continued on their journey southward along the Gulf of Suez, which occupies the northwestern arm of the Sea of Reeds. They left Elim and at some point stopped and temporarily camped by the Red Sea, in the Desert of Sin or the Sinai Peninsula. The word Sin is a proper name probably derived from Sinai, the meaning of which is unknown, but here it has no moral implication. From there they camped at the third important stop of Dophkah. Some believe that Dophkah was probably the modern city of Serabit el-Khadem in west central Sinai, where the Egyptians had a flourishing turquoise-mining industry. But even though we cannot be certain of the exact location of Dophkah, we can be certain of the lessons learned there.

Then They Came to Elim
15: 27

Then they came to Elim DIG: Do you think ADONAI is trying to salvage a bad honeymoon or showing patience with His people? What did the seventy palm trees and the twelve springs represent to the Israelites?

REFLECT: What has God graciously given you, even after your grumbling? How can you be like a tree planted by streams of living water? When you are stuck in Marah, do you believe that Elim will be coming?

Continuing on their journey they traveled several miles south of Marah and came to their second important stop of Elim, meaning large trees or oaks. Many people believe that today this area is called Wadi Gharandel, but we cannot be sure. Elim portrayed a honeymoon period of the wilderness experience. ADONAI would later fondly reminisce: I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me through the desert through a land not sown (Jeremiah 2:2).

The people must have been ashamed after their grumbling at Marah to see how graciously God had provided for them at Elim where there were twelve springs with good water, seventy palm trees, and grass for their flocks and herds. They camped there near the water. The picture is of an ideal oasis, with a spring for every tribe and a palm tree for every elder. We do not know how long the people stayed there, but it was no wonder that they settled down and camped for a while. For it was there that Isra’el would learn how God could make His people lie down in green pastures and lead them beside the quiet waters, even in the barren desert of this life (Psalm 23:2).²⁹⁸

So after the bitterness of Marah, God brought His people to Elim. It was a place of abundant blessing and fruitfulness. The psalmist said: Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Simon Peter may have been locked in the inner prison, but the angel was going to open the door. Paul and Silas may be beaten at midnight, but an earthquake would free them. God’s plan for us always leads to Marah and then to Elim. Joseph, you remember, had that same experience. Moses did, Elijah did, and David did. Beyond every Marah there is an Elim. Beyond every cloud, there is the sun. Beyond every shadow, there is the light. Beyond every trial, there is a triumph. Beyond every rainstorm, there is a rainbow. This is the way God leads us.²⁹⁹

When They Came to Marah
the Water was Bitter
15: 22-26

When they came to Marah the water was bitter DIG: How can these people turn from prison to praise to protest so quickly? What is the essence of their complaint and God’s cure? Why hadn’t He led Isra’el to sweeter water in the first place? What does that say about our patience? God’s provision? His discipline?

REFLECT: What is your sweet and sour experience this year? Most importantly, how are you reacting to it? Are you most open to the Lord’s leading in feast or in famine? Are you in the desert right now? What does the Bible have to say about our complaining to Christ (First Corinthians 10:10)?

Then Moses led Isra’el from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur located east of Egypt (Genesis 25:18, First Samuel 15:7) in the northwestern part of Sinai. This desert separates Egypt from Palestine. The same area is called the Desert of Etham in Numbers 33:8. Shur and Etham mean fortress wall, Shur being the Hebrew word and Etham its Egyptian equivalent (15:22a). The first important stop they came to was Marah, which means bitterness, (and is the same root that the name Mary, the mother of Jesus, comes from). Many believe that it can be identified with modern Ain Hawarah, east of the Gulf of Suez about fifty miles south of its northern end, but in reality its exact location is unknown.

It is only after we are saved that we become aware that this world can be a barren and desolate desert to us. To the natural man and woman there is much to be desired in this world. However the eye of faith sees nothing but death written across the entire scene. So far as the spiritual life is concerned, the world is simply a desert. It is a place for travelers. But believers understand this is not their home; they are looking forward to the New Jerusalem, the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10). Consequently, they are aliens and strangers on the earth (Hebrews 11:13). It is in this sense that believers are in a desert.²⁹⁰

With light hearts the Israelites begin their journey, but they were not prepared for what lay before them. To go three days in the desert without finding water and when they reached some, to find it bitter! Oh, the disappointment. That is why the place is called Marah (15:22b-23). They had expected much more from God! So, too, is it with young believers. They have peace with God and rejoice in the know-ledge that their sins are forgiven. But they do not (nor did we) anticipate the troubles that lay before them. Did we not think that things would now go smoothly? Have we not been disappointed and discouraged when we found no water, or that it was bitter, in this life?

So the people complained to Moses because they were looking at their circumstances and not to God. In doing so they set in motion a pattern that would be repeated whenever they faced a crisis (Exodus 16:2-3, 17:2-3, Numbers 11:4-6, 14:1-4, 16:11-14, 20:2-5). But it is important to note that their complaining was not merely an expression of disgruntled complaint. No, it was much more than that. It was open rebellion, and their rebellion was not against Moses and Aaron alone, but against God as well (Psalm 106:25). They said: What are we to drink (15:24)? Their lack of faith was startling in light of their recent songs of deliverance and worship. They were blessed so much, yet when adversity came they quickly reverted to their complaining ways. But, then again, let us not judge them too harshly, because how much like the Israelites we are!²⁹¹

As believers in Jesus, we should learn an important lesson from this. When we first realize that Satan’s power over us is broken forever, that we are born of the Spirit, and as God’s children, we are to live forever with Him, our hearts are filled with praise and thanksgiving. But as the days go by, and we travel in life’s journey, meeting trials, disappointments and difficulties that come to every one of us; we forget that Christ is with us to supply all our needs. We get our eyes fixed on the discomforts along the way, and only too often we grow discouraged and grumble. We all have our Marahs. We cannot bypass them, detour around them, skip over them or tunnel under them. But how much better it would be to go forward with our eyes fixed on God instead of our problems? ²⁹²

The sight of water that was undrinkable depressed the people greatly. However, as they grumbled, Moses sought God in prayer. Then Moses cried out to ADONAI, and ADONAI showed him a branch of a tree. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet (15:25). The lesson seems to have been that the people of Isra’el were totally dependent upon God for their survival. They needed divine assistance, apart from which, they would surely die.²⁹³ Thus, we should always remember that no matter how bitter the experiences of this life are, if we put the Branch (Isa 4:2, 11:1, Jer 23:5, 33:15), or Yeshua in the middle of it, the bitterness will disappear. There is no disappointment in life so bitter that Messiah cannot sweeten it.²⁹⁴

Long before Moses was given the Torah on Mount Sinai, the Israelites were expected to keep ADONAI’s commands, decrees and requirements given to them at various times (Genesis 26:5), and to conduct themselves in ways that were right and just (Genesis 18:19). It should therefore not be surprising that God would demand obedience to His commands and decrees at Marah. This principle runs throughout the Bible and applies to every dispensation; blessing (not salvation) is dependent upon obedience.²⁹⁵

Then God gave the people a simple principle; obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings judgment.²⁹⁶ Moses said: If you listen carefully to the voice of ADONAI your God, obey and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians with the plagues, for I am ADONAI your healer (15:26). The healing of the waters of Marah, together with the promise of continued good health for His people, was the occasion for God to reveal one of His many attributes by combining the personal name ADONAI with another element, in this case, ADONAI your healer (Isaiah 19:22, Hosea 6:1 and 11:3).²⁹⁷

The people of Isra’el were spiritual children in the wilderness. Like many spiritual children, they were very immature. When people come to Yeshua Messiah at the beginning of their walk with Him, many times they think everything is going to be perfect. Then they discover that they are still in the world, grumbling and complaining when things don’t go their way. Yeshua said: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). That is what this trip is all about for the people of Isra’el, learning that they could rely on God, rather than themselves. Their lesson then is our lesson today.

The Journey from Egypt to Sinai
15:22 to 19:2

The most common response to God’s gift of redemption is a spontaneous outburst of gratitude and joy. As one might have expected, Moses and the Israelites reacted in just that way by singing a hymn of victory to God who had redeemed them (15:1), and the prophetess Miriam did the same (15:21).

But redemption is the beginning, not the end, of a journey. And although life after redemption is usually challenging and exciting at first, all too quickly it can become tedious and boring, especially if we forget our first love (see the commentary on the book of Revelation Az – The Church at Ephesus). When that happens, grumbling and complaining against God and His leaders is not far behind. Unfortunately the Israelites, who had so recently experienced the greatest act of redemption that would ever take place in their long history as a nation, were about to embark on a life of defeat by forgetting ADONAI and dwelling on their own problems.²⁸⁹

ADONAI would lead His people to Sinai, but they would make four important stops along the way, and at each stop He taught memorable lessons for them and for us. The first stop was at Marah.

Then Miriam the Prophetess
Took a Tambourine in Her Hand
15: 19-21

Then Miriam the prophetess took a tambourine in her hand DIG: What was noteworthy about Miriam’s role in this celebration? Later, what does Miriam do that contrasts sharply with the spirit of this song (Numbers 12)?

REFLECT: What has God done for you that you could sing about? How could you use your creativity (in music, art, drama or dance) more often to praise God for the wonderful things He has done in your life?

Here the writer, using narrative prose, sums up the deliverance from the Egyptians. The reason for the song is when Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the Red Sea, ADONAI brought the waters of the sea back over them but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground (15:19). Now we are introduced to a woman we have not heard about since the birth of Moses.²⁸⁶

The Song of Miriam is introduced by this prose passage. Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing (15:20). The women’s voices, with their musical accompaniments, took up the refrain below. The rabbis teach that she is a prophetess because she foretold the birth of Moses. She is the first woman in the Bible to be called a prophetess, and she must have been more than ninety years old at this time (2:4, 7:7). Other women were called prophetesses, but not many. Deborah (Judges 4:4), Huldah (Second Kings 22:14), the unnamed wife of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:3), and Anna (Luke 2:36) were all called prophetesses. The position and duty of a prophetess are the same as those of a prophet. That is, they were authorized to speak for God. As a result, Miriam had a favored status in the nation of Isra’el. The title of prophetess was no empty title. Micah tells us that God delivered Isra’el out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, Aaron and Miriam (Micah 6:4), but later, her status as a prophetess would lead her into trouble (Numbers 12:1-2).²⁸⁷

From this time on, it would be customary for the women to express their delight in victory by songs, music and dancing in the presence of their conquerors.²⁸⁸This would become a genre known as the Victory Song.

Miriam sang a song to Moses and the men of Isra’el: Sing to ADONAI, for He is highly exalted. All the women were singing in response to the men: The horse and its rider He has hurled into the Red Sea (15:21). It seems that this passage served as a refrain to the larger hymn sung by the men.

Then Moses and the Israelites Sang This Song
15: 1-18

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song DIG: Pharaoh boasted: I will pursue the Hebrews, and I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils and I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them (15:9). Read Psalm 50:3 and contrast it with Psalm 50:21, Isaiah 42:14 and Exodus 15:13 and 16. What moves God from silence to action?

REFLECT: How is God’s wrath compatible with His unfailing love? How else could God have achieved His loving purpose for Isra’el, other than destroying the Egyptians? What would be the most effective means for God to deal with the evil threatening your life? For whom would that be painful? Fearful? Troublesome? Loving?

Hebrew poetry is not based upon rhyme or rhythm, but is based upon parallelism. If you have two lines of poetry, the second line would refer back to, or complete, the first line. If you have line number three, line number four refers back, or completes the thought of line number three. In addition, Hebrew poetry is not divided up into verses, but is divided up into what are called strophes. There are three strophes in the Song of Moses, verses 2-6, verses 7-11, and verses 12-16. ADONAI appears at the end of each strophe. It should also be noted that a simile appears at the end of each strophe: like a stone at the end of verse 5; like lead at the end of verse 10; as a stone at the end of verse 16, to describe the destruction of the Egyptians. These three strophes are followed by an epilogue in verses 17 and 18.²⁷⁷

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God. After seeing the bodies of the Egyptians lying dead on the shore of the Red Sea (14:30), it seems that the people immediately and spontaneously broke into song. Before the Israelites joined in with Moses to sing their song of redemption, they were singing the blues, the desert blues. Before crossing the Red Sea, they sang the blues long and hard, and they would return to the desert blues again because it will be their theme song as they travel throughout the desert for forty years. But for a time, however, they would sing this song of redemption.²⁷⁸

I will sing to ADONAI, for His is highly exalted. The horse and the rider He has hurled into the Red Sea (15:1). This was the introduction, which contained the theme of the song. The phrase: I will sing, frequently begins hymns of victory and praise in the Bible (Judges 5:3; Psalms 89:1, 101:1, 108:1).²⁷⁹ It was a hymn of praise and honor to God. Hymns of the ancient Near East commonly open with such adoration, but usually they are in praise of an earthly king; but here, only God was honored. Sung by the men, it was repeated by the women led by Miriam (15:20-21).

The first strophe is in verses 2-6 and emphasizes the strength of God.

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him (15:2). Divine strength and spiritual song are inseparable. In a future time, Nehemiah would say: The joy of ADONAI is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). He was the same God that appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This verse is quoted in Psalm 118:14 and Isaiah 12:2.

ADONAI is a warrior; ADONAI is His name (15:3). This is the first overt statement of God as a man of war in the Bible, but the theme of God as a warrior will be repeated throughout the Hebrew Scriptures (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ec – During the Night Abram Divided His Men to Attack). He upholds those who cling to Him, and He aids them against their enemies. He fights not with weapons of war, but by means of His name (Second Samuel 17:45). Because He is holy, He hates sin; because He is righteous, He must punish it. This is something that we should rejoice in.²⁸⁰

Pharaoh’s chariots and his army, He has hurled into the Red Sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea (15:4). The fate of the Egyptian army is detailed here.

The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone (15:5). The deep is the same word found in beginning of the Bible. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep (Genesis 1:2).

Your right hand, ADONAI, was majestic in power. Your right hand, ADONAI, shattered the enemy (15:6). The second line aids our understanding of the first line. As a result, God’s destruction of the Egyptian army explains what is meant by His right hand being majestic in power. The Jewish culture places great importance in the right hand. It symbolizes power, superiority and strength. The Hebrew word ADONAI appears at the end of each strophe. This serves as a transition to the second strophe.

The people of Isra’el were celebrating their deliverance. The Egyptians represented the world, slavery and hopelessness to them, but they had been redeemed. That is what their song was all about.

The second strophe is in verses 7-11 and emphasizes the power of God.

In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who oppressed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble (15:7). The second strophe begins in much the same way as the first. In fact, the term majesty is a noun derivative of the verb to rise up, which is translated as: I will exalt Him (15:2). The simile, it consumed them like stubble, is a frequent saying in the TaNaKh describing the end of the wicked (Isaiah 40:24, 41:2; Jeremiah 13:24; Psalm 83:12). What makes this figure so moving is the fact that stubble was what the Hebrews had to gather to make bricks in Egypt. So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw (5:12). Now the Egyptian army was consumed like stubble!²⁸¹

By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the Red Sea (15:8). The word blast is actually a common Hebrew word for wind. Surely it refers to the east wind from 14:21. The division of the waters was not a natural phenomenon, it came from the nostrils of God.

The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them’ (15:9). The Ruach ha-Kodesh gives us some insight into the thinking and feelings of the Egyptians. In their boasting, five verbs appear in rapid succession. You can sense that they believe that their pursuit would be payback for the horror of the plagues and the loss of their first-born sons. The confidence of the Egyptians as they pursued the people of Isra’el, oozing of vengeance and anger, was very striking indeed. Their violent intentions, however, were never realized as God stopped them cold in the water.

But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters (15:10). With one breath of His mouth God overthrew the proud foe in the waves of the sea.²⁸² The verb sank is a hapax legomenon (a word occurring only once in the Scriptures). It is possibly related to the verb from the same root that means to be or to grow dark. Darkness in the TaNaKh can represent being near death (Psalm 102:11, 109:23); therefore, the phrase could be translated: They sank into the darkness of the abyss. The waters are described as being mighty. The word actually means majestic or magnificent. As a result, the waters reflect the character of the Creator (Psalm 18:1, and especially Psalm 99:3-4).

The rabbis teach that the name Maccabee is an acronym of the verse: Mi kamokha ba’elim ADONAI, “Who is like You, ADONAI, among the mighty,” the Maccabean battle-cry to motivate the troops (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Hj – Then Came Hanukkah at Jerusalem, and It Was Winter for the background on Hanukkah). Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders (15:11)? The gods of Egypt had been defeated; none of the gods of other nations could do what He had done. As a result, the second strophe ends in the same way as the last verse in the first one, with praise and worship of God. The parallel nature of the two verses is seen in the fact that the word majestic is the focal point of both. Although two rhetorical questions are asked, no answer is really expected. God has no rivals. ADONAI appears at the end of each strophe. This serves as a transition to the third strophe.

The third strophe is in verses 12-16 and emphasizes the consequences of Isra’el’s deliverance by God.

You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them (15:12). God had commanded Moshe to stretch out his right hand over the sea (14:16), and now He does the same. Since it was actually the sea that swallowed up the Egyptians, the word earth sometimes means she’ll or the place of the dead (Psalm 63:9, 71:20; Isaiah 14:9, 29:4 and Jonah 2:6). So the end result of God’s work was that He swallowed the snakes of the Egyptian magicians (7:14). Literature of the ancient Near East often uses the act of swallowing to be a sign of death.

In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength you will guide them gently to Your holy dwelling (15:13). To be redeemed is to be given a second chance, when a second chance is impossible. As a result of His unfailing love, God would lead His people to His holy dwelling. The Hebrew word for unfailing love points to God’s covenant loyalty. He is the Promise Keeper, and He will keep His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was as if they were already in the Promised Land, and as far as God was concerned, they were there because He was going to take them there. God’s holy dwelling would first be built at Shiloh in central Canaan (Jeremiah 7:12), but would eventually be the Temple in Jerusalem (Psalm 76:2), the place He would choose through the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:14).

The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
The people of Canaan will melt away (15:14-15). Here Moses taught the Israelites to look at their circumstances from God’s point of view, rather than their own. The battle is the Lord’s; hence, there is no struggle (Psalm 2). The end is never in doubt.²⁸³ The nations named here are listed roughly in the order along the route that Isra’el would eventually follow on their way to the Promised Land. All four nations became infamous enemies of Isra’el. But here, we are told of their reaction when they heard what God did to the Egyptian army. The Canaanites never forgot how God rescued the Israelites through the Red Sea (Joshua 2:9-11, 24, 5:1). After forty years of wilderness wanderings, when Joshua and the nation of Isra’el crossed over into the Canaanite territory, they still feared God. Rahab was an example of godly fear of ADONAI, as she became a convert to Judaism.

Terror and dread will fall upon them.
By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone;
Until your people pass by, ADONAI,
until the people you bought pass by (15:16). How utterly futile their efforts would be. And how equally futile it is for our enemies, be they human or demonic, to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). ADONAI appears at the end of each strophe. This serves as a transition to the epilogue.

The three strophes are followed by a short epilogue in verses 17 and 18.

You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, the place, ADONAI, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, ADONAI, your hands established (15:17). What confidence do these words bring! The epilogue looks even further into the future when God will bring them into the Land, the place where He will establish His own sanctuary. The mountain is obviously Mount Zion, where the temple will ultimately be built. What God had accomplished at the Red Sea was the guarantee to Isra’el that He would finish what He had started.²⁸⁴

ADONAI will reign, for ever and ever (15:18). The song ends where it began, with God being lifted up. He is the center of the hymn. Everything begins and ends with Him. In the future, all will acknowledge His kingdom.

After crossing the waters, the victorious people of Isra’el stood on the shore of the Red Sea and sang a song of deliverance and triumph. That event was a foreshadowing of the victory of God’s people at the end of time. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John saw a vision, saying: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous thing: seven angels with the last seven plagues – the last, because with them God’s wrath, or the Great Tribulation, is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:

Great and marvelous are Your deeds.
ADONAI, God of heaven’s armies.
Just and true are Your ways,
King of the ages.
Who will not fear You, ADONAI,
and bring glory to Your name?
For You alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before You,
for Your righteous acts have been revealed (Revelation 15:1-4).

Thus John sees a sea of glass mixed with fire, and on that seashore stands a victorious multitude. They are playing harps and singing the Song of Moses. Certainly this vision is based on the story of the drowning of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. It is exciting to note that the substance of the song is the same in Exodus as it is in Revelation: the glorification of God. He is worthy of our honor and praise because of who He is, and because of His great work of redemption.

The song of Moses was a song of victory and deliverance for the righteous, and at the same time of judgment and wrath on the enemies of God. Thus, in the last days, the righteous of the TaNaKh and the Tribulation saints will stand together before the throne of God on the sea of glass and will sing the same song of deliverance sung long ago by the people of Isra’el. The blood of Christ has redeemed all believers, and they will all gather together at the sea of glass (see the commentary on Revelation Dz – The Seven Angels with the Seven Last Plagues). There, they will receive an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade (First Peter 1:4a).²⁸⁵

Songs of the Sea
15: 1-21

The miracle at the Red Sea, ADONAI’s greatest act of redemption during the Dispensation of the Torah (to see link click Da – The Dispensation of the Torah) is described not only in narrative prose (13:17 to 14:31), but also in lyric poetry (15:1-21). Therefore, this is one of the most beautifully written sections of Exodus. And it is fitting indeed that the Song of Miriam (15:20-21) is set apart from the Song of Moses (15:1-19), and is considered by many scholars to be one of the oldest poems, if not the oldest, in the Bible.²⁷⁵

These two songs are the first recorded psalms or hymns of the nation of Isra’el. They sing praises to YHVH because He brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of death and darkness into the Land of life and light. These are the first of many psalms or songs that praise God’s splendor at the exodus. For example, Psalm 106:8-12 proclaims:

Yet He saved them for His name’s sake,
to make His mighty power known.
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
He led them through the depths as through a desert.
He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy He redeemed them.
The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
Then they believed His promises
and sang His praise.

The lost cannot praise Him because they don’t have the ability. Only a redeemed people, conscious of their deliverance can really praise God, their Deliverer.²⁷⁶

The Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land
14: 15-31

The waters were divided and the Israelites went through on dry land DIG: When you retrace the movement from fear (14:10-12) to faith (14:29-31), what was the turning point? What do you think it meant to the Israelites that the same waters that saved them destroyed the Egyptians? How do you think the Israelites would have described God to someone who had not seen these events firsthand?

REFLECT: What is the one pursuing army you fear right now? How is God leading you up to this point? In circles? In the dark? Through the fire? Or do you feel abandoned by those you have trusted? In what way might this passage help you to trust God with your fears? What battle would you like God to fight for you right now?

Here before us is one of the most remarkable miracles recorded in the TaNaKh, certainly the most remarkable in connection with the history of Isra’el. From this point onwards, whenever the servants of God would remind the Hebrews of God’s power and greatness, reference is almost always made to what He did for them at the Sea of  Reeds.²⁶⁷ It left a lasting impression upon the writers of the TaNaKh (Joshua 24:6-7; Nehemiah 9:9; Psalm 78:13, 106:7-10; Isaiah 50:2, 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35; Micah 7:15; Nahum 1:3-4a).

Then ADONAI said to Moses His prophet: Why are you crying out to Me? The time for pleading and prayer was over. The time for action had arrived. Tell the Israelites to move on (14:15). In spite of Isra’el’s unbelief, God commanded: Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the Sea of Reeds to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through on dry ground (14:16). The term dry ground refers to something that is dry, withered, drained or without moisture. In Scripture, it is the exact opposite of, or contrast to, the sea. In the Creation account, for example, the separation of the dry ground on the third day (Genesis 1:9), is contrasted to the waters that are gathered into one place.²⁶⁸ When Moses raised his staff over the Sea of Reeds, he was not trying to perform a trick with a magic wand. God was working through His servant, and the mighty power of God Himself was in Moses’ staff (Isaiah 10:26).²⁶⁹

God’s moment had come and He is the main character of this scene. He proclaimed: I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. The verb is the same word used in verses 4 and 8 (and elsewhere) of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Literally it reads I am hardening and reflects continuous action. Now God stiffens the resolve of the entire Egyptian army to chase after the people of Isra’el and drive them into the Sea of Reeds. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen (14:17). This was the ultimate purpose to be accomplished there. Not only would the Egyptians who were chasing after them realize this, but God said that the Egyptians who remained behind in Egypt would also know that He was ADONAI when He gained glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen (14:18).

The Egyptians apparently reached the vicinity of the people of Isra’el somewhere near the early evening. Then the Angel of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, Yeshua Messiah, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind to protect them (Psalm 105:39). The Sh’khinah glory, or the pillar of cloud, also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Isra’el (14:19-20a). This was the Sh’khinah glory, the same figure who appeared in the burning bush. He often made His presence known to His people in that way (3:2, 19:9, 33:9-10).

Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israelites; so neither went near the other all night long (14:20b). The Egyptians were clothed in darkness, as they had been during the ninth plague; Pharaoh, the embodiment of the sun-god Ra, could not bring light to his people. But the people of Isra’el were bathed in the light of the pillar of fire. Symbolically, then, the people of Isra’el represented the children of light, while the Egyptians represented the children of darkness.

Thus, while the Egyptians were forced to be idle, Moses stretched out his hand over the waters, and all that night ADONAI drove the sea back with a supernatural strong east wind and turned it into dry land. It would be difficult to explain this apart from a miracle.²⁷⁰ While the wind kept the waters divided, the Israelites went through that night on dry ground, a fact marveled at by later psalmists and prophets (Psalm 66:6, 106:9, Isaiah 51:10, 63:11-13), with a wall of water on their right and on their left (14:21-22). The divide had to be wide enough to allow two to three million people, and their flocks and herds, to walk through it. What an awesome sight it must have been!

The best commentary on this is Hebrews 11:29a. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. From this it is very clear that the water did not begin to divide until the feet of the people of Isra’el stepped into it. Otherwise it would not have been by faith. It is equally clear that the water did not divide all at once. It does not require faith to begin a journey when you can see the end; but to begin a journey when you can only see a few steps in front of you, well, that’s faith.²⁷¹

Some time after Isra’el entered the Sea of Reeds, the Sh’khinah glory must have stood aside and allowed the Egyptian army to pursue the evil intent of their hearts. The Egyptians pursued them, not frightened by the miracle of the divided waters. And all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the Red Sea (14:23). They obviously believed they could also go through the parted waters and overtake the Hebrews quickly.

During the last watch of the night, or the morning watch ending at daybreak, ADONAI looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion (14:24). According to Psalm 77:16-19, the Lord caused a rainstorm, lightning, thunder, and an earthquake.²⁷² As the water began to seep down on the floor of the Red Sea, God made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. This hit right at the Egyptian’s symbol of power – their mighty chariots! The Egyptians were literally in over their heads, and as their chariots began to break down they said: Let’s get away from the Israelites! ADONAI is fighting for them against Egypt (14:25). But this realization came far too late.

The crossing might have begun about nine o’clock in the evening, if not before, and lasted until sunrise (so the Israelites could see what was about to happen). When the Israelites were safe on the opposite shore, ADONAI said to Moses again: Raise you staff and stretch out your hand over the Sea of Reeds so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen. With the morning light, the strong wind that held the waves back was released. So Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, and at daybreak the waters went back into place. At daybreak, as the sun-god Ra rose in the east, Pharaoh’s forces were being destroyed. As the Egyptians reversed their chariots to take flight, the waters descended upon them and ADONAI swept them to their death.²⁷³  The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen – the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the Sea of Reeds. We know from history that Amenhotep II survived, but just as he had tried to kill all the Hebrew baby boys (see the commentary on Exodus Ah – So God Was Kind to the Midwives), his entire army was drown (Psalm 106:7-11).

Then we have a simile of Isra’el’s deliverance. First, Israel walked through the sea, but the Israelites went through on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (14:29). Secondly, God saved Isra’el that day. That day ADONAI saved Isra’el from the hands of the Egyptians, and as a grim reminder, Isra’el saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore of the Sea of Reeds (14:30). Thirdly, Isra’el responded to the great work of God. When the Israelites saw the great power ADONAI displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared ADONAI and put their trust in Him and in Moses, His servant (14:31). Like Thomas many centuries later (John 20:24-28), they believed after having seen. An outburst of song followed.

Paul tells us that the exodus speaks to believers today. He basically argues that the Israelites were specially chosen people and they received the great blessing of being delivered by God’s work at the Sea of Reeds. Yet, though they had been set apart by God, their bodies were scattered over the desert because of disobedience (First Corinthians 10:1-6). Paul warned the church at Corinth and believers today that we ought to beware of, and take a warning from, this incident. John Calvin commented on this verse when he said, “If God did not spare them, He will not spare us, for our situation is the same as theirs.”²⁷⁴

The LORD Will Fight For You,
You Need Only To Be Still
14: 1-14

The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still DIG: Why did God have the people backtrack from Migdol so soon after their departure? What was the strategy behind that? How does Pharaoh end up showing his true colors? How equipped are the Egyptians? The Israelites? How did the Israelites react?

REFLECT: We sometimes chide the Egyptians for not believing in the God of the Israelites even after all they had seen Him do. It seems incredible to us that they were so stubborn. Yet, how stubborn can we sometimes be, even after all we have seen God do in our lives? Has this been true for you? How so?

At the end of Chapter 13 we see the Israelites quickly fleeing from Egypt. They have reached the very edge of the wilderness and are about to enter it for their final escape from the land of death to go to the Land of promise. They were carrying Joseph’s bones with them as a reminder that the promise of Genesis 50 had been fulfilled. Not only that, God was leading them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, His Sh’khinah glory. The Hebrews had all the evidence they needed to believe that God was protecting them and that they would soon succeed in their escape from Egypt. But soon that assurance would be shattered!²⁵⁵

They were on the brink of escape when ADONAI said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back (that is northward toward Rameses, or the general direction that they had come) and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Sea of Reeds, directly opposite (or east of) Baal Zephon (14:1-2). Archeologists have discovered the remains chariot wheels at Ezion-Geber at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba (to see link click Cf – Moses Took the Bones of Joseph With Him). King Solomon also built ships at Ezion-Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Sea of Reeds (First Kings 9:26). Amenhotep II had his spies looking on the scene to see where the Israelites were going and he expected them to move up the costal route and through the land of the Philistines. But when the Jews doubled back, Pharaoh must have thought that Isra’el’s God was a poor general because He took them to a place where there was no retreat. Pharaoh thought that the Israelites were wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert (14:3). Pharaoh concluded that he had the advantage and he decided to attack.

To add fuel to the fire, God said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would pursue the Hebrews for revenge. Why did God do that? Because He wanted to gain glory for Himself through Pharaoh and all his army, so that the Egyptians will know that He is God (14:4a). God was not through with the king of Egypt.

So the Israelites turned back and were trapped (14:4b). But why did God do that? The answer is very clear. He wanted to show His power in the salvation of His people so that He would be greatly glorified. Escape seemed out of the question and Pharaoh smelled his revenge, but God was still in control of the situation. It was He who exposed Isra’el to attack, and it was He who had hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Like a master chess player, God induced Pharaoh to move as a king into checkmate, and he didn’t even realize it.²⁵⁹

The scene now changes to the Egyptian palace. Pharaoh was probably informed immediately of the Israelites’ departure from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the month. But no doubt he did not react immediately because the Egyptians were burying their dead (Numbers 33:3-4) and because Moses had repeatedly referred to a three-day journey (3:18, 5:3, 8:27). But on the twenty-first of Nisan, the seventh day of the Passover, he realized the Israelites departure was not temporary. Therefore, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds and pursued the fugitives.²⁶⁰ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials (the very ones who urged Pharaoh to let the people go in 10:7) changed their minds about them and said: What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services (14:5)! They began to realize the sudden economic disaster that the loss of the slaves would bring. Memories are short, aren’t they?

So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them and pursued the fugitives (14:6-7). The word officers literally means third men. Usually each chariot carried two men, the charioteer and the warrior. Sometimes, however, there was a third man, who directed the two others. The strength of Pharaoh’s chariot force is seen in the fact that besides the usual pair of men, he had a third man in each chariot. Thus one might act as a charioteer, one as a warrior, and one as shield-bearer.²⁶¹ According to the TaNaKh, six hundred was a standard military unit (Judges 18:11-17; First Samuel 13:15, 14:2). ADONAI hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly (14:8). Things were progressing according to God’s plan.

The Egyptians – all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, charioteers and troops – pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the Sea of Reeds near Pi Hahiroth, opposite of Baal Zephon (14:9). The rabbis teach that Baal Zephon was the only Egyptian idol that God did not destroy, and that Pharaoh was deluded enough to think that the Baal of the North could take on God. Satan is always lurking behind those who think they can take on God and win. He lied to the angels in heaven who rebelled and tried to take on God (Revelation 12:7-9). Before the Flood, he tried to take on God by having demon-possessed men marry women to produce a contaminated human race that could not be saved (Genesis 6:1-6). He tried to take on God in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13), and on the cross, where seven times he chided Christ through others to come down and save Himself (Matthew 27:40, 42, 44; Mark 15:20; Luke 23:35, 37, 39). Never giving up, he will even try to take on God during the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon). And even after the thousand year millennial Kingdom, he will deceive the nations of the earth for the last time before being thrown into the lake of burning sulfur to be tormented for ever and ever (Revelation 20:7-10). None of these attempts work any better than charging through the Sea of Reeds did for Pharaoh. But it is amazing that humans, directed by Satan, continue to try to take on God.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them as a single, unified force. Contrary to God’s plan, the Israelites were expecting a carefree trip out of Egypt. The last thing they expected was to pause for a moment by the Sea of Reeds, and then turn around and see the Egyptians in hot pursuit.²⁶² They were terrified and cried out to ADONAI (14:10). I suppose it is hard to put ourselves in their shoes. They had seen God do so much for them, and it is hard not to be very impatient with them. Didn’t they realize He had brought them that far and would see it through? Isn’t that smug and comfortable from our vantage point? And yet at the same time, it must have been terrifying to see the most powerful army in the world bearing down on them. They were unarmed and hardly ready for battle.

Then they sarcastically recalled what they had said to Moses earlier: Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? The great pyramids stood as monuments to the burial places of kings. And mummies were all over Egypt; it was the great burying ground.²⁶³ What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? During the year of the plagues, didn’t we say to you, ‘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 (14:11-12). Their response was more of a temper tantrum than a cry for help. At the first sign of trouble, they were willing to march straight back to Egypt, ignoring the mighty acts of God that had brought them out of it in the first place. With Pharaoh in hot pursuit, they did not give a second thought to the promises that God had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They still had not learned God’s purpose for bringing them out of Egypt was not merely to save them, but to save all mankind, past, present and future.²⁶⁴ It is sobering to realize that we have the same fallen nature within us also.

Perhaps one of the most important verses in the Scriptures is found in Exodus 14:13. This is the Lord’s introduction to one of the greatest and most famous miracles in the Bible. The rest of the TaNaKh abounds with references to this miraculous crossing of the Sea of Reeds. Every year the children of Isra’el and Jewish and Gentile Messianic believers celebrate the Passover. It is also alluded to several times in the B’rit Chadashah. It is the event that is coupled with the slaying of the Passover lamb, which together, make up Irsra’el’s redemption (see Bz – Redemption). Both compliment each other. Both are necessary to complete any discussion concerning redemption.

Moses’ response was threefold: First, he said: Do not be afraid. Moses was not saying, “There, there. Don’t worry. God will take care of you. You’ll see. Be calm.” Rather, this is a terse, impatient command on Moses’ part. In Hebrew, the last part of the verse is only two words, which are best translated as: Be quiet! Or even better: Shut up! This was not a word of comfort but an angry denouncement of Isra’el’s paper-thin faith.²⁶⁴ The only cure for fear is to remain fixed on God. To be occupied with our circumstances and surroundings is fatal to our peace. Look at Peter when he tried to walk on the water to the Messiah. While he kept his eyes on God he was safe, but as soon as he became occupied with the winds and waves, he began to sink.²⁶⁵

Secondly, stand firm and you will see the salvation (Hebrew: yeshuah), ADONAI will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again (14:13). Moses ignored the murmurings of Isra’el and refused to go along with it. He was saying, “Hold your ground.” Moses was probably telling the Hebrews to choose between God and Amenhotep II. How long would they waver between the two? This is also our challenge. We need to remember that He will supply our every need (Philippians 4:19), make a way of escape from every temptation (1 Cor 10:13), and do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.²⁶⁶

Lastly, ADONAI will fight for you. A major feature of the Exodus from Egypt is the fact that it was carried out totally by YHVH. All Isra’el had to do was simply to walk in it. He would fight for them because it was a Holy War (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). Holy War differed from other kinds of war in that Ha’Shem Himself led the nation into battle. In this case, the only thing the Israelites needed to do was to  be still (Exodus 14:14, 15:3; Nehemiah 4:20; Ps 25:1). What did the Israelites contribute to their salvation? Nothing. They were not called upon to prepare defenses or to organize to fight. They applied the blood to the door frames of their houses and stood back (12:22). They were mere spectators and God would take care of the rest. It is the same for us. All attempts at self-help must end, and all activities of the flesh must stop. I know it is easy to say, but hard to do.

These are three things that you and I should still be doing today. First, we should not be afraid. It is with fear that Satan tries to get the upper hand in your life. Secondly, stand firm by putting on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Ephesians 6:13). And lastly, you need to understand the incredible news that God has for you today. God will fight for you; you need only to be still. Oh, the amazing comfort of it, and yet the amazing frustration of it. How often do we want to help? To draw our sword and get where the action is. Then God just has to unravel the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.

After Leaving Succoth they Camped at Etham
13: 20-22

After leaving Succoth they came to Etham DIG: With what resources (human, natural and divine) did God lead the people out of Egypt? Which ones were easier than the others to follow?

REFLECT: How does God lead you through your wilderness wanderings?

The Sh’khinah glory is the visible manifestation of God’s presence, which is seen in the form of a light, fire, smoke, cloud, or combination of these. The Sh’khinah glory serves a number of different functions in the book of Exodus. The first function was to call Moses to become the redeemer of Isra’el (3:2), and now the second function was to lead Isra’el into the wilderness by day and by night. From the very beginning of their journey, the glory of ADONAI, was among them. Later this glory was designated as the Sh’khinah (16:10; 40:34). The presence of this pillar must have been a source of comfort and assurance to those who moved in anxiety, not sure of the events of the future.²⁵¹

After leaving Succoth, the people camped at Etham on the edge of the desert (13:20). The exact location of Succoth is unknown, but the word is Egyptian and means fortress wall. At last they were at the edge of freedom, arriving at the final outpost before escaping into the wilderness. Nothing, it appears, was standing in the way of their deliverance.

Supernaturally guided by a pillar of cloud in the daytime, which became a pillar of fire at night, the Israelites apparently traveled some distance every day. By day ADONAI went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night (13:21). It seems that the Israelites traveled some part of each day and each night, which would coincide with the modern practice. They probably traveled before the heat of the day became too severe and tried to utilize the cool of the evening. Besides guiding them, the cloud symbolized God’s presence, assuring them of His goodness and faithfulness.²⁵²

Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people (13:22). God often spoke to the people from the pillar (Numbers 12:5-6; Deuteronomy 31:15-16; Psalm 99:6-7, 105:39). A similar cloud came to represent the glory of God in the Sanctuary throughout much of Isra’el’s history (Exodus 40:34-35; First Kings 8:10-11; Isaiah 4:5, 6:3-4). Our God never leaves His people without the guidance they need.²⁵³

The fire in the pillar of cloud was the same fire in which God revealed Himself to Moses from the burning bush (3:1-22), and afterwards descended upon Mount Sinai in the middle of thunder and lightning in a thick cloud (19:16-18). This cloud protected Isra’el from the heat of the day, sunstroke and pestilence (Isaiah 4:5-6, 49:10; Psalm 91:5-6), and by night lighted up her path and defended her from all harm (Psalm 27:1; Numbers 16:35). If necessary, God would send out a devouring fire, which would consume her enemies (Leviticus 10:2; Numbers 16:35). Therefore, the Sh’khinah glory, or the very presence of God, did not depart from them for the forty years they were in the desert and was a constant reminder of His guidance and His presence.

Not even the Church has the visible presence of God with it. The Bible tells us: Praise be to ADONAI, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in the Messiah, has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven (Ephesians 1:3). Moses and the nation of Isra’el in the desert, looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, or Christ, and today we look back on the First Coming as a historical event. We do not need the visible presence of God in order to walk by faith. They needed the Glory because the redemption had not yet been worked out in history as it has now.²⁵⁴ God had made every preparation for Moses and the nation of Isra’el to get through their desert, and for you and me to get through our desert.

Today, God offers direction through His Word and the promptings of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. This is a reality on which we must reflect. Yeshua made it clear: I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The writer to the Hebrews reminds us of what ADONAI said: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Therefore, we can say with confidence, “ADONAI is my helper; I will not be afraid – what can mere mortals do to me” (Hebrews 13:6)? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This is vital to the Spirit’s daily comfort in our lives.

In this sense, we must – like the Israelites – wait and listen for ADONAI. You can almost imagine the Israelites in their camp. They were satisfied but never fully settled. They set up camp but were always ready at any moment to move ahead. At any moment, God’s presence, like the cloud, would arise and press on. And Isra’el would follow. It is always wise to patiently and prayerfully look around and see what God is doing and join Him in His work.

Moses Took the Bones of Joseph With Him
13: 17-19

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him DIG: At the outset of this journey to the Red Sea what is God’s assessment of the Israelite’s emotional state? How did He allow for that? With God having defeated all the gods of Egypt (12:12), why do you think the people were afraid of one more battle? What significance do the bones of Joseph have (Hebrews 11:22)?

REFLECT:  Has God ever taken you the longer way to get you to where you need to be? Were you better prepared when you got there? Or does your life seem like it is in the wilderness right now? What needs to change to get to your promised Land?

Parashah 16: b’Shallach (After he had let go) 13:17-17:16
(See the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People are Pharaoh, the Israelites, Moshe, 600 Egyptians on chariots, Miriam, Amalek, Joshua, Aaron and Hur.

The Scenes include the Sea of Reeds, Sukkot to Etham, Pi-hahiroth before Ba’al Zephon by the sea, the wilderness of Sin, Rephidim, Horeb, Massah and Meribah. 

The Main Events include Moshe carrying out Joesph’s bones, pillar of cloud and fire; chariot chase, parting the Sea of Reeds, the Song of Moses; bitter waters sweetened; mannah and quail, water from a rock; fighting against Amalek as Moshe’s arms are held up, and Amalek remains Isra’el’s enemy. 

We now come to one of the most dramatic portions of Scripture – the story of the exodus from Egypt. It is a masterpiece of excitement, suspense, and awe. The writer returns to a description of the Hebrews in their escape from Egypt after the parenthetical section regarding the commandment of the firstborn. There was a short way and a long way to return to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh let the people go, ADONAI did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. The shorter way was called the Via Maris, or the Way of the Sea, that extended from the Nile River, across the northern Sinai into the coastal plain of Canaan. It was heavily traveled and was the most commonly used route from Egypt to Asia.

The Hebrews had just come out of slavery and they were not prepared for warfare. The distance from Egypt to Canaan by the direct route would have taken about ten days; if it had taken longer Jacob’s sons could not have managed so easily to make that journey many times. It was the shortest and most direct route, but it was heavily guarded by a line of Egyptian fortresses that would have surely forced the people to return to Egypt. Therefore, God reasoned: If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt (13:17). A play on words is evident from the two major verbs of this verse. The verb for God’s leading them is naham. The verb used for the Hebrews’ changing their minds is yinna-hem. Although the two verbs come from different roots, here they look and sound alike in Hebrew. The reason for it is perhaps to underscore the contrast between God’s leading and Isra’el’s desire to return to Egypt.²⁴⁵

So God chose the longer way to go and led the people around by way of the wilderness (NKJ) toward the Sea of Reeds (13:18a). Throughout the parallel accounts of the crossing, the water is often referred to as the yam suph, or Sea of Reeds (Exodus 15:4; Deuteronomy 11:4; Joshua 2:10, 4:23, 24:6; Psalm 106:7, 9, 22, and 136: 13, 15). There is one site that fits all the biblical accounts of the crossing. It is a ridge of that is raised up in the deep waters of the Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba, from Newieba Beach across to Saudi Arabia. God planned for this crossing at exactly this place from the creation of the world, for He formed a ridge to rise up from the very deep chasm of Aqaba. For Aqaba’s chasm to the north and south is deeper than the Grand Canyon, but this exceptional flat underwater ridge from Newieba beach over to Saudi Arbia is flat, very wide, no rough coral to walk but has a sandy/silty floor- which would provide a perfect crossing for a multitude of people. Four and six spoke wheel frames (most encrusted with coral and one valuable gold frame) were discovered at Gulf of Aqaba’s Newieba beach, were the design of chariot wheels used in Egypt during Egypt’s eighteenth dynasty- no later than 1400 BC time frame which coincides closely with Biblical date of exodus.

There were two reasons why God did not lead the Israelites directly to Canaan. One is stated directly and the other is implied. First, the Israelites had just come out of slavery, and they were not prepared for warfare. The shortest way for them to get to the Promised Land of Canaan was up the seacoast. During the Six-Day War in Palestine in 1967, the Israeli army moved right down the seacoast and moved the Egyptians right out. Of course they had tanks, guns and planes to do that. They were prepared. The Israelites coming out of Egyptian slavery had no weapons to fight with. So for the most part, God graciously delayed the fight and took them through the wilderness. It was a longer route, but they would not have to face an enemy (except against the Amalekites in 17:8-13), until they entered Canaan under Joshua. It took them forty years to get through the wilderness into Canaan, but by then they would have an army and be equipped to fight.

Secondly, God had much to teach them before He would have them enter the Land to stand before the nations of the world as His particular treasure, a model for other nations. Isra’el would eventually become the channel through which His blessing would flow out to the entire world. If they were to fulfill their calling, it would take time for God to reveal His will to them and for them to get to know Him. They were to sit at God’s feet, listen to His instruction, and understand His plan and His methods for accomplishing that plan. Above all, they had to learn how He wanted them to conduct themselves toward God and man. They had to be willing to obey His commands. God needed to spend time with them and the long wilder-ness journey afforded it.²⁴⁷

The Israelites went up out of Egypt as if armed for battle (13:18b). Numerous ancient and modern translators (such as the Targums and the Vulgate) say that the Hebrews left Egypt armed for battle. The meaning of the Hebrew term is uncertain, however. The Septuagint translators render it the fifth generation. It seems to be related to the number five in some way, and may refer to an army in five parts or divisions. Thus, the word may indicate that the Hebrews were leaving Egypt not necessarily in a military posture, but rather in an orderly, military-like fashion. In other words, they were well organized when they left Egypt.²⁴⁸

It is significant that the move forward out of Egypt does not commence without a look backward because Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. God had told Joseph that his descendants would leave Egypt and return to Canaan (Genesis 15:13-16). Before he died, Joseph said: God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place (13:19). Therefore, Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Isra’el swear an oath (Genesis 50:24-25). They would carry his bones around for the next forty years until they finally entered Canaan. Then Joseph’s bones, and the bones of his brothers were buried in the territory of his second son Ephraim (Joshua 24:32). Stephen tells us that their bodies were also brought back to Shechem (Acts 7:15-16).

But why did Joseph want to be buried in the Promised Land? If Joseph knew he would be raised from the dead someday and taken up to heaven, what difference would it make if his launching pad was in Egypt or in the land of Isra’el? Well, the fact of the matter is that he was not expecting to go to heaven. Like other righteous of the TaNaKh, he expected to be raised in the resurrection of the Messianic Kingdom and to live there forever. And the Messianic Kingdom was going to be in Isra’el. That was why it was imperative the he be buried in the Promised Land. He didn’t want to miss the blessings of the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-10, 65:17-25, 66:1-24). This was the hope of Joseph, and it was also the hope of Moshe. Thus, by faith Moses took the bones of Joseph with him (Hebrews 11:11).²⁴⁹

God often does not lead His people by what they perceive to be the easiest and shortest way! He knows our hearts and how we falter in times of danger. Oh, how like the Israelites we are! Thus God will frequently take us by the long road in many things. In that way, He protects us from danger and destruction. His leading also teaches us to rely upon Him and His purpose. We think we know best, but there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12).²⁵⁰

Salvation at the Red Sea
13:17 to 14:31

The crossing of the Sea of Reeds is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible, both from a religious and a literary standpoint. The fugitives, including Moses and Aaron, were probably unaware of and unprepared for the mighty miracle that God was about to perform for their deliverance.²⁴³ The destruction of the Egyptians is described with a Master’s touch and formed the gateway to Isra’el’s existence as a nation; whereas for the New Covenant, it foreshadowed the ultimate victory over all its enemies.²⁴⁴

Redemption of the Firstborn 
13: 1-16

Consecrate to Me every firstborn male DIG: Why is God particularly concerned with the redemption of the firstborn (also see 4:22-23; 12:12-13)? How does one give over a child to God? What does this say about the position God wanted to occupy in the lives of the Israelites? By what sign does God want this remembered? Read Isaiah 43:3. Explain how God has given Egypt as “the ransom” of Isra’el. What does God mean when He says, “For you I will give people, nations in exchange for your life” (Isaiah 43:4)?

REFLECT: Did your parents dedicate you to God? How old were you when you realized what that meant? Has it made any difference in your life as an adult? How do you let people know He is number one in your life today? If you have no firstborn, what is something equivalent you will give over today to show God’s importance in your life?

This parashat concludes with two major instructions. The first was that Isra’el was to offer all their first born sons to YHVH, then they would be redeemed. The firstborn of Egypt had died. The gods of Egypt had always claimed the firstborn as their own. But now God claimed the firstborn of Isra’el as His own. ADONAI often gave the Israelites traditions to remember Him. Because God struck down every firstborn male of Egypt, and redeemed (to see link click Bz – Redemption) the firstborn male of every Israelite, He instituted this permanent instruction as a memorial of His power in rescuing Isra’el from Egypt. He also wants the first from us today. God claims our best, our very best and claims the first of everything but many believers put Him last. God is given what is left over.²³⁷

The basic principle that ADONAI wanted Moses to convey was this: Set apart and make holy to Me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, whether man or animal (13:1-2). This command did not apply to the Gentile world because God had adopted Isra’el as His firstborn son (4:22) and brought him out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Therefore, the firstborn of every male was set apart for Him. In verses 3 through 10 we have the background of the dedication of the firstborn, which is the redemption of the firstborn in Egypt.

Moses spoke to the people of Isra’el on the very day they left Egypt. They were to remember the Passover and the day they came out of Egypt. Then Moses reminded the people of the importance of the day of their deliverance: Set this day apart and make holy the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery because ADONAI brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast (13:3). This repetition was to emphasize the importance of the Passover to the nation of Isra’el. It would come to symbolize the concepts of freedom, deliverance and redemption. Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving (13:4). The word Abib was used earlier of a barley crop (9:31). Historically, the barley harvest in Palestine takes place in April.

The second important command is that in every generation, until eternity, Isra’el is to remember the great event by celebrating Passover. The Hebrews were no longer to serve the Egyptians; from that point onward they were to serve God and Him alone. When ADONAI brings you into the Land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites – the Land He swore to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, a Land flowing with milk and honey – you are to observe this ceremony in this month (13:5). The basic promise of 3:8 and 17 is reiterated. God is a promise keeper and He was in the process of fulfilling what He had said to His people earlier.

Like the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread had great educational value in the home. For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to ADONAI (13:6). The number seven in Hebrew often symbolizes completeness (see my commentary on Genesis Ae – The Number Seven). Here the Passover reaches its climax on the seventh day. It is a festival day in which all the people gather for a festival to ADONAI (Deuteronomy 16:8). Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders (13:7). This is repeated from 12:15 where the Israelites were instructed to keep yeast out of their homes. Here, however, they were instructed not to have any within their borders. At this point they didn’t have any borders. In fact they wouldn’t have any borders for another forty years. This was told to them in faith, for the borders they would eventually have in the Promised Land of Canaan (Joshua 12:2, 16:2-8).

The redemption from Egypt needed to be told to all succeeding generations. On that day tell your son, “I do this because of what ADONAI did for me when I came out of Egypt (13:8). The Haggadah is a word that means the telling or simply narration because this is a book that narrates the core, the essence of the Seder, or Passover, ceremony. In a real sense the Seder is a talk-fest. The basis for the development of the Haggadah is found here in this verse that literally states you shall tell. The Hebrew word for you shall tell has the same root as the word Haggadah; therefore, the Haggadah is the telling of the Passover. Four different times in the Torah, the Jews are commanded to repeat the story of the Passover (Exodus 12:26, 13:8, 14; Deuteronomy 6:20). The story need not be complex for the children. It is simply enough to tell them what God has done for them. The answer is simple. God has redeemed them.

This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that ADONAI brought you out of Egypt with His mighty hand (13:9). Later, Moses would write: Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads (Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18). And for two thousand years and more, observant Jews have taken those passages literally. The four scriptures that form their contents (13:1-10, 13:11-16, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-22) are written on four strips of parchment and placed in two small leather boxes, one of which the pious Jewish man straps on his forehead and the other on his left, or weaker arm before he says his morning prayers. The practice may have originated as early as the period following the exile to Babylon in 586 BC. Today, these scriptures are also found in a little box on the doorpost of an observant Jew’s home.

It hardly needs to be said that there is nothing inherently wrong with such a custom. The boxes, called phylacteries, are mentioned in Matthew 23:5, where Jesus criticizes a certain group of Pharisees and Torah teachers for wearing them. Messiah, however, did not condemn the practice as such, but only those who flaunt their religiosity in public. He said: Everything they do is done for men to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long (Matthew 23:5).

So although the use of phylacteries might be spiritually legitimate, it is probably best to understand the references from Exodus and Deuteronomy as figures of speech, since similar statements are found elsewhere in the Old Covenant. For example, of love and faithfulness it is said: Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 3:3), and, even more to the point, of a father’s commands and mother’s teaching it is suggested: Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck (6:21, also see 7:3; Song of Solomon 8:6). Perhaps the explanation of Deuteronomy 11:18 says it best: Fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds for we can stumble others when we wear our religion on our sleeves.²³⁸ You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year (13:10).

On the basis, then, of what happened on the Passover, we have the principle of the firstborn in verses 11 through 16. Then Moses continued: After ADONAI brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He promised on oath to you and your forefathers, you are to give over, literally pass over, to God the first offspring of every womb (13:11-12a). Here we have a play on words. Just as God passed over the Israelites during the tenth plague, so now the Israelites were to pass over their first offspring to Him.

Yeshua, Mary’s firstborn son (Luke 2:7), was brought to Jerusalem and presented to God at the appropriate time. Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus in accordance with the divine command to give over to God their first male offspring. When the time of their purification according to the commandment of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to God (as written in the commandment, “Every firstborn male is to be dedicated to ADONAI”), and offer a sacrifice in keeping with what the Torah of the LORD has said (Luke 2:22-24a). This obligation was two-fold: first, to ceremonially cleanse the mother with the proper sacrifices (see the commentary on Leviticus Bt – Women After Childbirth). The family of Yeshua was not wealthy, and therefore presented the less expensive offering of two pigeons. The second part of the obligation was redeeming the firstborn son through the pidgin ha’ben ceremony. The child Yeshua was not exempt from this redemption. Although He was the Messiah, He was not from the levitical tribe. In fact, the Scriptures predicted that the Messiah would be from another leading tribe – Judah (Genesis 49:10). Yeshua’s pidgin ha’ben ceremony is described in Luke (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Au – Jesus Dedicated in the Temple).

The verb to pass over is also a commentary on the pagan practice of child sacrifice. Pagans of the ancient Near East would take a child and pass him over/through the fire as a child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:10; Second Kings 16:3). God does not require such barbarism. He wants the first offspring to be set apart and devoted to His service. Thus, the Israelites were not to pass over their first offspring in the fire to death, but they were to pass them over to God to life. They were to be set apart for His service. This commandment applied to both humans and animals.²³⁹

All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to God (13:12B). If they owned an unclean firstborn male animal, like a horse, donkey or whatever, it needed to be substituted with a clean firstborn male animal. For example, they were to redeem a firstborn male donkey with a firstborn male lamb. The owner of an unclean firstborn animal was allowed to buy it back by slaughtering one of his own clean firstborn animals as a substitute. But if a man did not want to substitute one of his clean animals for an unclean animal, he was to kill the donkey by breaking its neck (slaughtering the donkey might be mistakenly thought of as a sacrifice, so its neck was to be broken instead). Since man was depriving God of his price, meaning a lamb, he was denied the use of the donkey. The Lord commanded the Israelites to redeem every firstborn among their sons (13:13). With the ransom complete, God said that all of Israel’s firstborn men and livestock belonged to Him.²⁴⁰

The reason is then given. Because YHVH killed all the firstborn in Egypt in order to let the Israelites live, all the firstborn in Isra’el, even the animals, by right, belong to Him. In the days to come, when your son is curious and asks you, “What does this mean?” say to him: With a mighty hand God brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, ADONAI killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to God the first male offspring of every womb, and redeem each of my firstborn sons (13:14-15).

And the dedication of the firstborn will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that God brought us out of Egypt with His mighty hand (13:16). Both were reminders of God’s gracious deliverance from the land of bondage.²⁴¹

Near the drinking of the Second Cup, the Cup of Deliverance, there is a time when the Haggadah tells us to all raise our cups in gratitude and adoration. This is because we have just finished telling of all the wonders that ADONAI did for us, His redeemed, on that Egyptian Passover. After we raise the cup, we say these words together, “Therefore, it is our duty to thank and to praise in song and prayer, to glorify and praise Him Who performed all these wonders for our forefathers and for us. He brought us out form slavery to freedom, from anguish to great light. Let us therefore sing before Him a new song. Praise the Eternal!”

Haftarah Bo: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 46:13-28
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

Punishment upon Egypt is progressive. Here, the prophet Jeremiah prophesies that Pharaoh will fail to defeat Babylon at Carchemish on the Euphrates (605 BC, about eight centuries after the Exodus). Egypt was competing for world domination with Babylon. Jeremiah warned that King Nebuchadnezzar was coming to strike the land of Egypt, preventing her from becoming a world power ever again. Finally, Egypt needed to be punished for her sin of idolatry. Amon-Re (the head of Egyptian pantheon and special god of Egypt’s rulers) needed to be destroyed forever (Nahum 3:8; Jeremiah 46:25). The good news is that Egypt will be restored as a humbled nation after being crushed by Babylon (Ezeki’el 29:13-16). In the end, ADONAI promises mercy to Egypt (see the commentary on Jeremiah Dh – A Message Concerning Egypt).

B’rit Chadashah suggested readings for Parashah Bo: Luke 2:22-24; (Yochanan (John) 19:31-37; Acts 13:16-17 and Revelation 8:6-9:12, 16:1-21 

Rabbi Sha’ul addresses ADONAI’S methods and purposes for redeeming mankind: (1) Can God be righteous and show favoritism (Romans 9:14-15)? (2) If  YHVH hardens whom He pleases, then why does He still find fault, for who is able to resist His will (Romans 9:19)? (3) Does mankind really have a right to ask: Why did You make me this way (Romans 9:20)? (4) Can Ha’Shem just conclude and “cut things short,” doing so in righteousness (Romans 9:28)? Then Rabbi Sha’ul answers his own questions. (1) God shows mercy. This is not unrighteousness (Exodus 9:16 in Romans 9:17). (2) Granted, no one can resist His will – not even Pharaoh (Exodus 9:12, 10:20 and 27, 11:10). But it’s patently absurd to criticize the Creator. Mankind is a mere pot  without hands (Isaiah 45:9). (4) God can judge the world for evil, same some (Romans 9:24), “cut short” the rest (Isaiah 10:23; Romans 9:28), and still show compassion with righteousness (Romans 9:29; Isaiah 1:9 and 13:19).²⁴²

The Exodus
13:1 to 15:21

As we follow the children of Isra’el out of Egypt, to the Sea of Reeds and into the wilderness, we will learn lessons that relate to the experiences of the life of a believer.

These are the Regulations for the Passover
12: 43-51

These are the regulations of the Passover DIG: Which of these instructions seem exclusive? Inclusive? Without regulations, what would happen? What does this say about the importance of the Passover to God? Or to Isra’el?

REFLECT: Who is supposed to partake of the Seder today (see First Corinthians 11:27)? What does the Bible mean when the Holy Spirit says: Whoever eats the Lord’s bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in an unworthy manner? What could happen if a mixed multitude of those from Egypt, or the world, partake with believers today?

When the children of Isra’el reached Succoth, additional Passover instructions were given, probably because of the presence of many Egyptians, or the mixed multitude of 12:38, who had joined the Hebrews in the exodus.²²⁹

Since the Passover was being instituted for the specific purpose of helping the Israelites remember that God had delivered them from slavery, foreigners would not be allowed to share in it.²³⁰ ADONAI said to Moses and Aaron His prophets: These are the regulations for the Passover. No foreigner, temporary resident or hired worker is to eat of it (12:43 and 12:45). Only those who identified themselves by faith with the people of God could take part in this observance.

God spoke through His servant Moses when He said: It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones (12:46, also see Numbers 9:12). King David, speaking prophetically of the coming Messiah said: God protects all of Christ’s bones, not one of them will be broken (Psalm 34:21). The fulfillment of this is seen in the death of Messiah in John’s gospel. But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Christ’s side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water (John 19:33-36). The point is simply that Messiah is the Passover Lamb (First Corinthians 5:7).

To stress the idea of unity, the whole community of Isra’el, without exception, needed to celebrate it (12:47). Apparently that term signifies all who were circumcised, their wives and children, assembling for worship. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the TaNaKh, translates the phrase: the whole community as synagogue because it has a similar meaning.²³¹

If the Passover was to remain an observance unique to Isra’el, no foreigner could participate in it (12:43). But because it was by virtue of a Divine call, and not through natural descent, that all the peoples on earth were to be blessed through Isra’el (Genesis 12:3b), if a Gentile wanted to identify himself or herself in faith with Isra’el, they were welcome.²³² As a result, a wall was erected to shut out enemies, but the door was open to receive friends.²³³ Purchased slaves, as well as aliens living among the Israelites could participate, but only after being circumcised. Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him (12:44). An alien living among you, who has permanently settled with the Israelites, who wants to celebrate ADONAI’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the Land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it (12:48). Only in the most unusual circumstances (see, for example, Second Chronicles 30:15-20) did God accept any deviation from these restrictions.²³⁴

If a man did not identify himself with the covenant promises by the rite of circumcision, he could not celebrate the Passover.²³⁵ The same teaching applies to the native-born Jew and to the permanent resident living among you (12:49).

All the Israelites did just what ADONAI had commanded Moses and Aaron (12:50). Although this had been stated in 12:28, it is repeated here. In the former passage it is recorded in connection with the Passover in Egypt, but now it refers to the Passover in the wilderness (Numbers 9). They were absolutely obedient to the Word of God.

And on the very day of the Egyptian Passover, ADONAI brought the Israelites out of Egypt. The Exodus from Egypt was complete. All that God had promised to Moses (6:6 and 26) had been fulfilled. As the Egyptians were burying their first born sons, the Israelites left Succoth in an orderly fashion by their divisions (12:51). Their divisions, a term with military connotations, is a remarkable expression in reference to an oppressed people.²³⁶