The crossing of the Red Sea

THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA

After God had taken Pharaoh and his country through the experience of many plagues, he allowed the Israelites to go and worship in the wilderness for three days as Moses and Aaron had requested. The Israelites were led during the day by a pillar of cloud and during the night by a pillar of fire. By the instruction of God through Moses, the Hebrews encamped at Pihahiroth, close to Baalzephon.

By this time, Pharaoh had realized, rather too late, that the Israelites were not going to come back of their own accord. He regretted that he had allowed them to go in the first place. He purposed to have the Hebrews come back so he gathered up his army. On their horses and chariots, they chased the Hebrews to bring them back to Egypt.

The Egyptian caught up with the Hebrews at the place they had camped. The Hebrews panicked when they saw the Egyptians coming after them. They cried out to the Lord. They said it was better for them to die in Egypt than to come and die in the wilderness. Moses encouraged them by telling them not to fear but rather wait and see the salvation of the Lord. He told them that the Egyptians they were seeing, they were going to see no more. The pillar of cloud moved and positioned itself between the Hebrews and the Egyptians, making it impossible for the Egyptians to get close to the Israelites.

Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord told him to raise his rod and stretch it over the Sea. When Moses did this, God sent a great wind over the Sea and the Sea parted into two. A stretch of dry land appeared in the middle of the Sea. A passage had been created for the Israelites to walk on. They walked through the Sea to the other side.

The Egyptians also pursued them through the Sea, very much bent on sending them back to Egypt. God instructed Moses to raise the rod again and when he did, the parted Sea came back together and drowned the Egyptians who were already in the water. The rest fled back to Egypt.

MORAL LESSONS

1. No matter the situation one finds him/herself in, God is able to provide an avenue for escape for the oppressed.

2. God can stop the oppressor and can use any means He deems necessary.

3. In times of trouble, a man must not lose hope.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE STORY
1. It is good to have faith in the Lord.

2. God is ready to protect his people when they need Him.

3. God is loyal and faithful and keeps the promises that he makes to His people.

4. God definitely punishes those who do not obey him and also humbles the poor.  

SIGNIFICANCE OF OF THE STORY OF THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA
1. The Israelites believed that their encounter at the Red was a miracle deliverance from Yahweh.

2. The experience occupied an epic place in the development of their national religion.

3. The episode brought them into covenant with Yahweh.

4. Their experience at the Red sea, coupled with their departure from Egypt cemented together as one people.

SAMPLE QUESTION(S)

1. How did God take the Israelites across the Red Sea?
2. Narrate the story of how God saved the people of Israel from the hands of their Egyptian oppressors at the Red Sea.

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