Stories from the Bible - Ep 6 Saved through the Water (Exodus 14)

Episode Date: November 6, 2021

Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go and they speedily left Egypt. But then he regretted it and chased them. Trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, the Israelites were terrified. There was no possible way of escape...  The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Beauty, perfection, desire, deception, rebellion, judgment, hope. You're listening to Stories from the Bible, Bible stories told in order, using the words of the Bible, with introductions to give a recap and provide context. At the end of each story, you might want to pause and take a moment to reflect on what you noticed in the story, things you liked or didn't like, something the story showed you about God or about people. Don't worry if not everything makes sense. Keep listening to each episode and sit with the journey. I'm stoked to have you on the ride. Today is story six, but before we get there, let's remember what's been

happening to the Israelites in Egypt. Last time we heard about the tenth plague God sent, the plague that would force Pharaoh to let God's people go. God told Moses to warn the people that he would strike the firstborn in every family in Egypt, and to be safe, the Israelites had to choose a perfect lamb. They must kill it, take the blood, and put it on the doorframe, above and on each side of the doorframes. God promised that when he saw the blood on the door frames, he would pass over that house and not let the destroyer in to hurt the family inside. God told them that each year, once they came into the land which he would lead them to, that they must observe this ceremony. It would be a festival to mark their new year, a special time of remembering their new identity as God's rescued people.

Well, we heard that that night, at midnight, the angel of the Lord came and struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock as well. When the Egyptians and Pharaoh got up, there was a loud wailing throughout the whole land, because there was not one household without someone dead. Pharaoh summoned Moses and his brother and said, Get out. You may go. Take your flocks and your herds as you've asked,

and get out. But first, before you go, bless me. The Egyptians said to their Israelite neighbors, Leave, quickly leave, before we are all destroyed. About 600,000 Israelites left Egypt that night, taking with them bread that hadn't risen with yeast, because there'd been no time for it to rise. God guided them as a pillar of cloud during the day, When Pharaoh was told that the Israelites had all left Egypt, he and his officials changed their minds and thought, What have we done? We've let all our slaves go.

So Pharaoh's army, his horsemen and chariots, chased after the Israelites and caught up with them as they were camped beside the Red Sea. The story begins here. When the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians approaching, they were terrified and cried out to God and complained to Moses. They said, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out here in the desert just to die? What have you done by bringing us here?

Isn't this what we told you back in Egypt? Just leave us alone to be slaves? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians and to die in this desert. But Moses said, don't be afraid. Stand firm and calm down. You will see God provide salvation today. You will never see these Egyptians again. God will fight for you.

Just wait and be quiet. Then the Lord God said to Moses, so that Israel can go through the sea on dry ground. I'm going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army and his chariots and his horsemen. Then the angel of God, who had been in front of the Israelites, moved and went behind them. The pillar of fire and cloud came between the Israelites and the Egyptians, so neither group came near each other the whole night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. God drove the sea back with a powerful east wind that blew all night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians set out in pursuit after them into the sea. Then during the early morning,

the Lord looked down on the Egyptians and threw them into confusion. He made their chariot wheels swerve, and driving was difficult. The Egyptians cried out, Let's get away from Israel, because the Lord God is fighting for them against Egypt. And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots and horsemen.

And the story ends here. Thanks for joining us for today's story. You might like to take a moment to pause and think about what you noticed. Things you liked, things you didn't like. Something the story showed you about God. Perhaps you might even have thoughts about how this story fits into the bigger narrative of the Bible. If you'd like to look it up, it's from Exodus chapter 14. The Israelites got scared pretty quick, right, when they saw the Egyptians behind them,

but God showed impressively and astoundingly that he could be trusted to look after them. Will they trust him after this? Make sure you tune in for the next episode. You've been listening to Stories from the Bible. I'm Jen, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you.