Moses Parts the Red Sea

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

God had told Abraham that his descendants would serve another nation for four hundred thirty years.

That other nation was Egypt.

How did it happen that the Children of Israel went to Egypt?

There was some family rivalry between the sons of Jacob (Israel), and Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave to the Ishmeelites, who took Joseph and sold him in Egypt.

But God meant it for good.  Joseph was promoted to the second in command in Egypt.  Only Pharaoh had more authority.

A famine came.  Joseph knew ahead of time because God had shown him.  Joseph’s brothers came to buy corn.  At first, they didn’t recognize Joseph.

On their second visit to buy corn, Joseph made himself known.  Joseph told his brothers to go back and get all that they had, and their father Jacob.  Wagons were sent along to carry the people and goods.

Joseph explained that it was best for them to be in Egypt, where he would provide for them until the end of the famine.

Jacob didn’t believe their story until Jacob saw the wagons from Egypt.

But after four more centuries, the Children were slaves to the Egyptians under the latest Pharaoh, who hadn’t known Joseph.

It came God’s time to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt.  Moses was God’s spokesperson to Pharaoh.

Here is the narrative from the book of Exodus from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version, (Amazon.com)

___Exodus chapter 14

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baalzephon, you shall encamp before it by the sea.

3 For Pharaoh will say about the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.

4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so he will follow after them, and I will be honored on Pharaoh, and on all his host, so that the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."  And they did so.

5 And the king of Egypt was told that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"

6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him,

7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel, and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

10 And when Pharaoh came near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and see, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were very afraid, and the children of Israel shouted to the Lord.

11 And they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?  Why have you dealt thus with us, to carry us out of Egypt?

12 Is not this the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, so we can serve the Egyptians?  For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

13 And Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, that he will show to you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you'll see them no more forever.

14 The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall be quiet."

15 And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you shout to me?  Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward,

16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the middle of the sea.

17 And I, see, I'll harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they'll follow them, and I will get myself honor on Pharaoh, and on all his host, on his chariots, and on his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I've gotten myself honor on Pharaoh, on his chariots, and on his horsemen.

19 And the angel of God, that went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them,

20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these, so that the one didn't come near the other all night.

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the middle of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And in the morning watch the Lord looked to the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25 And took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them heavily, so that the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians."

26 And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters will come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared, and the Egyptians fled against it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them, there remained not one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore.

31 And Israel saw that great work that the Lord did on the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

___Exodus chapter 15

1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying, "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation, he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is his name.

4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host he has thrown into the sea, his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

5 The depths have covered them, they sank to the bottom like a stone.

6 Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, has dashed in pieces the enemy.

7 And in the greatness of your excellency you've overthrown those who rose up against you, you sent out your anger that consumed them like stubble.

8 And with the blast of your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright like a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my lust shall be satisfied on them, I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them, they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?  Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

12 You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.

13 You in your mercy have led out the people that you've redeemed, you've guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.

14 The people shall hear, and be afraid, sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestine.

15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed, the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold of them, all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.

16 Fear and dread shall fall on them, by the greatness of your arm they'll be as still as a stone, 'til your people pass over, O Lord, 'til the people pass over, that you've purchased.

17 You'll bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place, O Lord, that you've made for yourself to live in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

18 The Lord shall reign forever and always.

19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea on them, but the children of Israel went on dry land in the middle of the sea."

20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

21 And Miriam answered them, "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter, therefore the name of it was called Marah.

24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

25 And he shouted to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had thrown into the waters, the waters were made sweet, there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he tested them,

26 And said, "If you'll diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I'll put none of these diseases on you, that I have brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that heals you."

27 And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the waters.

Chapter 2

When Moses told Pharaoh that Israel had to go from Egypt, that was very unwelcome news.  Moses said his God wanted that.  But Moses’ God was not Pharaoh’s god.

It took a huge amount of convincing to persuade Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel go.  Talk about stubborn.  Pharaoh wrote the book on stubborn.

God sent many plagues against Pharaoh.  There was the plague of the frogs.  The plague of the flies, the plague of the lice.  A very great hail that killed the animals that hadn’t been brought indoors.

But the final plague that changed Pharaoh’s mind was the death of the firstborn of every Egyptian, from the firstborn of the maid behind the mill to the firstborn of Pharaoh.

After the children of Israel got out, they came to an area where they seemed to be locked in by the Red Sea.

Pharaoh hadn’t quite learned that it was futile to fight against God, and pursued after the Children of Israel with Pharaoh’s army.  Big mistake.

In Exo 14:21, Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, and God brought a great wind that pushed the waters back until Israel was able to cross the Red Sea on dry ground.

So, Pharaoh got the bright idea to pursue Israel through what had been the Red Sea.

But God troubled the Egyptians by taking off their chariot wheels.  Chariots move a lot slower when they’ve lost their wheels, even if you have the best horses pulling.

God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the Sea.  Moses did, and the waters returned like before God had parted them.

Whoops!  That drowned the Egyptians.  Not such a hot military maneuver to have pursued Israel into the Red Sea.  But that Egyptian commander wouldn’t make any more bad military decisions because he was dead.

And that is how God fought for Israel at the Red Sea.  There would be many more military victories that God would give to Israel in the process of His giving them the promised land.

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.