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J. Vernon McGee · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Vernon McGee - Pharaoh has spies watching the children of Israel. The movement of two and one half million people would be difficult to conceal anyway. Pharaoh expects the Israelites to move up the coastal route and through the land of the Philistines. When they head toward the wilderness, he thinks they are lost and do not know where they are going. God says that when he thinks they are trapped, he will pursue them. It is obvious that Pharaoh let the Israelites go reluctantly. God is not through with this man Pharaoh yet. Exodus 14:4 "Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." And they did so. harden - Ex 14:8,17 4:21-31 7:3,13,14 Ro 11:8 I will be - Ex 14:18 9:16 15:10,11,14-16 18:11 Ne 9:10 Isa 2:11,12 Eze 20:9 Eze 28:22 39:13 Da 4:30-37 Ro 9:17,22,23 Rev 19:1-6 the Egyptians - Ex 7:5,17 Exodus 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DIVINE "ATHEROCLEROSIS" OF PHARAOH'S HEART Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart - The Hebrew verb chazaq (strengthen, but in this case make hard) is translated in the Lxx with skleruno meaning to harden, often describing Israel' heart especially in their wilderness wandering (Heb 3:8, Heb 3:13, Heb 3:15, Heb 4:7). This divine hardening reflects the truth God's sovereign power described in Pr 21:1 "The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes." Related Resource: List of hardening heart in Exodus And he will chase after them - Chase is the Hebrew verb radaph translated in the Lxx with katadiokio (also in Lxx of Pharaoh's pursuit in Ex 14:8, 9, 23) which usually signifies pursuit in a hostile sense, searching for eagerly, to the point of tracking or hunting down (first use in Lxx in Ge 14:14 of Abram going after Lot's captors, cf Ge 31:36)! Pharaoh would pursue Israel with a passion to punish! Currid adds that radaph "is normally used in the Old Testament of a man or a group pursuing others for revenge. And, thus, it sometimes bears the connotation of ‘persecution’" (Ibid) Now we see the reason Jehovah had turned Israel around and placed them in a strategically vulnerable location - it was that He would display His sovereign power over the most powerful army in the world and in so doing would "save" His people and bring great glory and honor to His Name, Jehovah, the Name the Egyptians would come to know! And I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army - "I will gain honor." (NET) The NLT paraphrases it "I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army." The Lxx (endoxazomai) means God would be highly esteemed, glorified, renowned. TDNT says "The verb endoxazomai, which is peculiar to the Bible, can refer to human distinction but denotes mainly the magnifying of God's majesty either in those who serve him or in his acts of retribution (Isa 49:3; Ex. 14:4). There is an interesting play on words here because the this same verb kabad/kabed which is here translated to be honored (as it also is in Ex 14:17, 18) is the same word used multiple times earlier during the plagues to describe hardening of Pharaoh's heart (3 times of he himself hardening, once of God hardening, once uncertain = Ex 8:15; Ex 8:32; Ex 9:7; Ex 9:34; Ex 10:1). As the NET Note puts it "So judgment will not only destroy the wicked—it will reveal the glory and majesty of the sovereignty of God." Currid expresses the irony this way - "Pharaoh’s heart is ‘heavy’ so that ‘heaviness’ would be given to Yahweh!" And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD - This final Red Sea "baptism" of the entire Egyptian army will fulfill God's purpose of Egypt coming to know God is Jehovah. Know (Heb - yada; Lxx - ginosko) means they would come to know intimately and by personal experience and yet not salvifically. So in the time when they are about to drown, they finally come to a knowledge of Jehovah! God had earlier predicted they would know Him as Yahweh, having declared "The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” (Ex 7:5+) Since Israel had been brought out by the strong hand of Yahweh from the midst of Egypt, there should have already been a sense in which the Egyptians knew God as Jehovah. But with the destruction of the Egyptian army, they would come to know Him even more as Jehovah, as the One Who had the power over life and death! THOUGHT - Sadly their "knowledge" would not save them from eternal damnation, just as "knowledge" about Jesus will not save many today, for Jesus will say to those who claim to know "I never (at any time) knew you. Depart from Me you who practice (present tense) lawlessness (NB: Their habitual practice of lawlessness is clear evidence that they never really knew Him and did not possess His Holy Spirit Who energizes practice of godliness not lawlessness!)." (Mt 7:23+). And they did so - To whom does they refer? In context, this describes the obedience of Israel to the command of Jehovah through Moses to turn back and camp by the sea. And so the NLT paraphrases it "So the Israelites camped there as they were told." NIV has "So the Israelites did this." In obeying Jehovah, humanly speaking they looked like they were trapped like rats with no possible way of escape. How like God to providentially orchestrate such a humanly non-sensical setting! As Currid says "God is controlling this event to his own end and glory. Yes, Israel is placed in the fiery furnace, but man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. The sovereignty of God is the point of this lesson: it is he who puts Israel in a dire situation, and it is he who hardens Pharaoh’s heart. He is directing the scene. We are witnessing a great maestro conducting a grand symphony!" (Ibid)
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McGee - The Red Sea is ahead of the Israelites, and the hosts of Egypt are behind them. These poor defenseless people are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. From a natural viewpoint, the Israelites are in a bad spot. Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Currid As Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold the Egyptians were marching after them. And they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to Yahweh. NET Exodus 14:10 When Pharaoh got closer, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified. The Israelites cried out to the LORD, LXE Exodus 14:10 And Pharao approached, and the children of Israel having looked up, beheld, and the Egyptians encamped behind them: and they were very greatly terrified, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord; NLT Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, KJV Exodus 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. ESV Exodus 14:10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. NIV Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. ASV Exodus 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto Jehovah. CSB Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians coming after them. Then the Israelites were terrified and cried out to the LORD for help. NKJ Exodus 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. NRS Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the LORD. YLT Exodus 14:10 And Pharaoh hath drawn near, and the sons of Israel lift up their eyes, and lo, the Egyptians are journeying after them, and they fear exceedingly, and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah. NAB Exodus 14:10 Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the LORD. NJB Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up -- and there were the Egyptians in pursuit of them! The Israelites were terrified and cried out to Yahweh for help. GWN Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were coming after them. Terrified, the Israelites cried out to the LORD. became very frightened - Ps 53:5 Isa 7:2 8:12,13 51:12,13 Mt 8:26 14:30,31 1Jn 4:18 cried out - Jos 24:7 2Ch 18:31 Ne 9:9 Ps 34:17 106:44 107:6,13,19,28 Isa 26:16 Jer 22:23 Mt 8:25 Exodus 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A REASON TO BE FRIGHTENED! As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked - Looked is literally "lifted their eyes." NET adds this is "an expression that indicates an intentional and careful looking—they looked up and fixed their sights on the distance." Notice how Moses mentions only Pharaoh drawing near, for he was representative of the hostile force he commanded. As Currid says "Pharaoh is commonly depicted as the central figure of battle scenes in Egyptian representations and designs. The Egyptians believed that in war the ‘acts of the king alone count; he is invincible, nay, unassailable’; ‘[No] man can hope to resist the divine ruler and survive,’ and ‘It is no mere assertion that so many are powerless against the single figure of Pharaoh.’" Wiersbe makes a great point - As long as the Israelites kept their eyes on the fiery pillar and followed the Lord, they were walking by faith and no enemy could touch them. But when they took their eyes off the Lord and looked back and saw the Egyptians getting nearer, they became frightened and began to complain. (Be Delivered) And behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened - Their reaction makes sense. They could see the dust raised up by the oncoming chariot wheels and IT WAS A LOT OF DUST! This behold (hinneh) which normally is used to gain one's full attention seems almost unnecessary in this context! "It captures the surprise and the sudden realization of the people." (NET) Yes, they had just seen Jehovah pour out 10 plagues and been delivered from the midst of the Egyptians, now there was an army bearing down on them. They had never seen an army defeated by Jehovah. And so it seems their eyes were eyes of fear not eyes of faith. Recall their defiance/boldness in Ex 14:8. It was melted in a moment! They went from boldness to become greatly terrified. Matthew
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McGee - This is a rather ironic statement, and I am sure it was even more so in that day. The great pyramids stood as monuments to the burial places of kings. Mummies were all over the place in Egypt; it was a great burying ground. The children of Israel were saying, “Did you bring us all the way out into the wilderness to die because there was not room to bury us in the land of Egypt?” The Israelites are sure they are going to be slaughtered out in the wilderness. NET - The challenge to Moses brings a double irony. To die in the desert would be without proper burial, but in Egypt there were graves—it was a land of tombs and graves! Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? - Here the Israelites mimicked the Egyptians who also questioned the deliverance saying "What is this we have done?" Israel begins to react like Egypt in Ex 14:5 (“What is this we have done?")! They began to bombard Moses, giving us a preview of "coming attractions" (or perhaps better phrased "coming distractions!") when they would overtly grumble against God and against Moses (cf Ex 15:23-26, Ex 16:2-3, Ex 17:2-3, etc). We have also seen the resistance of the Israelites to the concept of deliverance beginning with Moses' ill-fated, poorly timed (not God timed) attempt to liberate his people in bondage (Ex 2:11-12, 13-14+) and then again after Moses had gone to Pharaoh and Pharaoh responded with worsening the oppression on Israel (read Ex 5:21)> We should not be surprised at their reaction for we saw previews of coming attractions (so to speak) in Ex 2:14 and Ex 5:21! Not only that but this previews their future reactions in Ex 15:24, Ex 16:2, and Ex 17:3! NET Note - Their cry to the LORD (Ex 14:10) was proper and necessary. But their words to Moses were a rebuke and disloyal, showing a lack of faith and understanding. Their arrogance failed them in the crisis because it was built on the arm of flesh. Moses would have to get used to this murmuring, but here he takes it in stride and gives them the proper instructions. They had cried to the LORD, and now the LORD would deliver.
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Vernon McGee - The Israelites, when they were in the land of Egypt, cried out for deliverance. God provided the opportunity for them to leave; but the minute they were in danger, they wanted to return to Egypt. Now notice what God is going to do for His people. They are helpless and hopeless without the aid of God. If they are to be redeemed, God will have to do it. I wish we could get that objective viewpoint of ourselves today because we are just like the Israelites. If we could go with the astronauts to the moon and look down on this little earth of ours, we would see people lost in sin. Actually our world is a pretty hopeless place; a great burying ground. In Romans 5:12 Paul tells us, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Man has been on the march for over five thousand years. Where is he marching to? Man is marching to the grave. It isn’t pretty, but it is true. Man is the most colossal failure in God’s universe. Matthew Henry on Israel's unbelief - They give up themselves for lost; and as if God’s arm were shortened all of a sudden, and he were not as able to work miracles to-day as he was yesterday, they despair of deliverance, and can count upon nothing but dying in the wilderness. How inexcusable was their distrust! Did they not see themselves under the guidance and protection of a pillar from heaven? And can almighty power fail them, or infinite goodness be false to them? Yet this was not the worst; they quarrel with Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, and, in quarrelling with him, fly in the face of God himself, and provoke him to wrath whose favour was now the only succour they had to flee to. As the Egyptians were angry with themselves for the best deed they ever did, so the Israelites were angry with God for the greatest kindness that was ever done them; so gross are the absurdities of unbelief...they had as soon forgotten the miracles of mercy as the Egyptians had forgotten the miracles of wrath; and they, as well as the Egyptians, hardened their hearts, at last, to their own ruin; as Egypt after ten plagues, so Israel after ten provocations, of which this was the first (Num. 14:22), were sentenced to die in the wilderness. Life Application Study Bible - This is the first instance of grumbling and complaining by the Israelites. Grumbling would become a major problem for the people on this journey. Their lack of faith in God is startling. Yet how often do we find ourselves doing the same thing-complaining over inconveniences or discomforts? The Israelites were about to learn some tough lessons. Had they trusted God, they would have been spared much grief. Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. Currid - And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Take a stand! And watch the salvation of Yahweh which he does for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will not see them again—not ever.’ BGT Exodus 14:13 εἶπεν δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς τὸν λαόν θαρσεῖτε στῆτε καὶ ὁρᾶτε τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἣν ποιήσει ἡμῖν σήμερον ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἑωράκατε τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους σήμερον οὐ προσθήσεσθε ἔτι ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον NET Exodus 14:13 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the LORD that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. LXE Exodus 14:13 And Moses said to the people, Be of good courage: stand and see the salvation which is from the Lord, which he will work for us this day; for as ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. NLT Exodus 14:13 But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. KJV Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. ESV Exodus 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. NIV Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ASV Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. CSB Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and see the LORD's salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. NKJ Exodus 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. NRS Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. YLT Exodus 14:13 And Moses saith unto the people, 'Fear not, station yourselves, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which He doth for you to-day; for, as ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye add no more to see them -- to the age; NAB Exodus 14:13 But Moses answered the people, "Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. NJB Exodus 14:13 Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you will see what Yahweh will do to rescue you today: the Egyptians you see today you will never see again. GWN Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, "Don't be afraid! Stand still, and see what the LORD will do to save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. BHT Exodus 14:13 wayyöº´mer möšè ´el-hä`äm ´al-Tîrä´û hi|tyacbû ûrü´û ´et-yüšû`at yhwh(´ädönäy) ´ášer-ya`áSè läkem hayyôm Kî ´ášer rü´îtem ´et-micraºyim hayyôm lö´ tösîºpû lir´ötäm `ôd `ad-`ôläm BBE Exodus 14:13 But Moses said, Keep where you are and have no fear; now you will see the salvation of the Lord which he will give you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. Do not fear - Nu 14:9 De 20:3 2Ki 6:16 2Ch 20:15,17 Ps 27:1,2 46:1-3 Isa 26:3 30:15 35:4 41:10-14 Mt 28:5 see the - Ex 14:30 15:1-27 Ge 49:18 1Ch 11:14 Ps 3:8 Isa 43:11 Jer 3:23 La 3:26 Ho 13:4,9 Hab 3:8,13 will never see - Ex 14:30 15:4,5,10,19,21 Ne 9:9 Exodus 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DO NOT FEAR! STAND STILL AND SEE! As best we can tell Moses had no idea of how God was going to to help them (unless God had revealed the Red Sea crossing to him but this question by God makes us think Moses had no idea - Why are you crying out to Me?), but he knew God would help. Moses knew the situation was so dire, the only deliverance would have to be divine!
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McGee - Look at these children of Israel. Unless God moves on their behalf, they are doomed. And you and I could never be redeemed unless God did it, friends. Redemption is the work of the Lord. Jonah said, “… Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9); King David made the same statement (Ps 3:8, cf Ps 37:39), and that is the message of the New Testament. The Lord will work in behalf of His people; all they have to do is accept and receive His salvation. They are to stand still and God will do the work. Remember, you cannot lift a little finger to work out your salvation. All you have to do is accept what God has done for you. Salvation (deliverance) (03444)(yeshua) is from a root in Arabic = "make wide" or "make sufficient' sarar = "narrow," = "be restricted" or "cause distress." The idea of wide connotes freedom from distress and ability to pursue one's objectives. It means to move from distress (enemies, natural catastrophies, plague or famine, sickness) to safety which requires deliverance. Generally deliverance comes from some an outside source. The one who brings deliverance is known as the "savior." Yeshua may be used in everyday life free of theological overtones at a well Moses saved daughters of Reuel (Ex 2:17) but generally has strong religious meaning. And so we read Yahweh wrought deliverance - God of our salvation Ps 68:19-20. Yeshua can also describe salvation through human agents empowered by God. While the NT idea of salvation is primarily forgiveness of sin, deliverance from sin's power and defeat of Satan, the OT only begins to point in this direction. And so in the OT the majority of references to salvation speak of Yahweh granting deliverance from real enemies and out of real catastrophe. In Ex 14:13 the Septuagint translates yeshua with soteria (rom soter = Savior from sozo = save, rescue, deliver) (Click here or here for in depth discussion of the related terms soter and sozo) which describes the rescue or deliverance from danger, destruction and peril. For - Term of explanation. Moses will explain the extent of the salvation Jehovah would bring about! The Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever - Moses gives in essence a prophecy of the drowning of the army of Egypt, which would soon be fulfilled. Note the word "see" appears 3 times in this passage emphasizing the firsthand experience of the deliverance.
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McGee - Had you been at the water’s edge when Pharaoh started to follow the children of Israel across the Red Sea, you would have said to him, “I suppose that you recognize that you are doing this because your heart and the hearts of your people are hardened by God, and you really don’t want to do it.” I think Pharaoh and his army would have laughed at you and replied, “We are chasing the Israelites because we want to.” The fact is that God is forcing the Egyptians to do the thing that is in their hearts. And I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen - Honored = Glorified. NLT = "My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers." ESV = "I will get glory over Pharaoh...." NIV = "I will gain glory through Pharaoh..." CSB = "I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh..." Here is the main point and could even be called the theme of the book of Exodus and this is that Egypt would be destroyed and Israel delivered for the GLORY OF THE LORD. The truth is that everything that God has ever done, is doing now, or will do is for His glory. That is clearly the reason for Israel’s deliverance through the Red Sea. God is glorified both when He judges the wicked and when He saves His elect. John Currid makes an excellent observation - The second half of the verse is dominated by four instances of the preposition beth being used to convey instrumentality. It literally reads, ‘I will be glorified [kābēd] by Pharaoh, by his army, by his chariots and by his cavalry.’ This is a statement of the ultimate purpose and significance of the Red Sea incident. (Ibid) Isaiah speaks to Jehovah's Red Sea dividing the waters bringing deliverance to Israel, death to the Egyptians and honor to His everlasting Name... Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them, Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting Name, (Isaiah 63:11-12) Related Resource: List of hardening heart in Exodus Exodus 14:18 "Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen." Ex 14:4 Ex 7:5,17 Exodus 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Then - When? When they are hardened and chase after Israel. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen - Here the Egyptians would refer to the rest of the people of Egypt, those the are remaining in the land. Currid comments that "The principal aim of the event at the Red Sea is the glorification of Yahweh and the recognition of his sovereignty over all. This has been the theme of the book of Exodus (see Ex 7:5, 17; Ex 8:19, 22; Ex 10:2; Ex 14:4, 18, 25)."
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McGee - These two verses (vv 30-31) state the purpose for God’s deliverance of Israel. At the beginning of their wilderness march they saw the power of God when He delivered them by blood out of Egypt. Now at the Red Sea He demonstrates His power again by taking them safely across the sea and by destroying the Egyptians pursuing them. God delivers His children by power. Currid applies this section - How like Israel we are! Unbelief is the same in all ages. David, in an evil hour, said, ‘I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul’ (1 Sam. 27:1). Unbelief led Elijah to flee from the evil rantings of Jezebel, that evil queen who was the power behind the throne of Israel. It caused Peter to disown his Lord and flee from the place of trial. How many of us facing suffering or tragedy or persecution have not cowered, having moments of unbelief and doubt? Yet, truly, there is no difficulty too great for the Lord. In fact, the greater the trouble, the greater the opportunity for God to display his power and grace. Man’s weakness is God’s opportunity. It is Yahweh who does battle for us—if he is for us, who can be against us? Dare we think that the God who divided the Red Sea is powerless to intervene in our lives, that he is unable to care for us? Do we think that he is somehow shackled? Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:1–6 tells us that the exodus event speaks to the church today. He basically argues that the Hebrews were specially chosen people and they received the great blessing of being delivered by God’s work at the Red Sea. Yet, though they had been set apart by God, they ‘were strewn in the wilderness’ because of their disobedience. And Paul warns the Corinthian church and the church today that we ought to beware of, and take warning from, this incident. John
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McGee - Many conservative men, although they believe in the Word of God and are saved by faith alone in Christ, try to explain the crossing of the Red Sea in some natural way. When you read this record, it is impossible to explain it naturally. God says it is a miracle and you either take it or leave it. Currid thinks that "It is not the whole army of Pharaoh that was destroyed in the Red Sea, but only the chariots and cavalry of Egypt (this fits with commentary on Ex 14:23)." C. H. Mackintosh notes, “The same waters which formed a wall for God’s redeemed, formed a grave for Pharaoh.” The point is that God has infinite resources to provide deliverance for us. As Isaiah 54:17 promises, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper.…” The Psalmist tells us of the extent of the loss of men declaring "The waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left." (Ps 106:11)