The Way
The Sea Divides
Dry ground in the middle of the sea
Story
No sooner had they let Israel go than Pharaoh and his officials regretted it. What have we done? We have let our slaves go free. Pharaoh took six hundred of his finest chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt and gave chase. Israel, camped by the sea, looked up, and out of a cloud of dust came the sound of hooves drawing near. The sea lay ahead, and an army behind.
The people wailed at Moses. Were there no graves in Egypt, that you brought us out to die in this wilderness? Moses cried out. Do not be afraid. Stand firm, and see how the Lord will save you today. The Lord will fight for you. That night the pillar of cloud that had gone before them moved round behind the camp. Toward Egypt it was darkness, and toward Israel it lit up the night.
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. All night long the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind, and the waters parted and the seabed turned dry. The Israelites walked across on dry ground, with the waters standing like walls on their right and on their left. Toward dawn the wheels of the pursuing chariots came off, and the chariots lurched and swerved. Moses stretched out his hand again, and the sea returned to its place and covered the Egyptian army. When the people saw that great work, they feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Walk this scene on the map →God's Words
Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move forward. Raise your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.
Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.
Let us get away from Israel. The Lord is fighting for them against us.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: Ex 14:5–31
Background
In Hebrew, Yam Suph means sea of reeds. Where the crossing took place is debated. Suggestions include the lakes of the Isthmus of Suez, such as Lake Ballah, Lake Timsah and the Bitter Lakes, as well as the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba.
Pause and Reflect
When the way ahead and behind both seem blocked, who do I rely on?