John Kitto Morning Bible Devotions: April 19

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John Kitto Morning Bible Devotions: April 19


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The Red Sea

Exodus 14

The expiration of three days from their departure was a critical time for the Israelites. It will be remembered that their application to the king was, that they might go three days’ journey into the wilderness, there to worship their God. It is clear, therefore, that to continue their march any further, would indicate that intention not to return, which the suspicions of Pharaoh had imputed to them. By this time they were near the head of the Red Sea; and here they received the, for the time inscrutable, directions to turn southward, and put themselves in such a position between the mountains which border the sea on the west, and the sea itself, as would completely shut them in and stay their further progress, unless they could pass over the sea in front, or return through a valley behind them into the heart of Egypt. This command must have astonished the Israelites themselves not a little; but they were assured that there was an ulterior design of Providence in this direction, and they obeyed—nobly obeyed, although it must have seemed to them that by this step they placed themselves at the mercy of the Egyptians, should they be induced to follow them. It is no objection to this movement, but, on the contrary, its highest recommendation, and the best proof of its divine character, that it is one which no human leader would have directed. It was taken for the very purpose that a yet more signal display of the Lord’s power, in the discomfiture of the Egyptians, and the deliverance of Israel, not only from present danger, but from the future fears from the side of Egypt, by which they would otherwise have been haunted continually during their long sojourn in the wilderness. To the Egyptians, who by their scouts took care to watch the movements of the Hebrew host, this must have seemed the height of suicidal infatuation; and no sooner did the king hear of it, than concluding that they were forsaken by the God who had hitherto been their shield, and whose power he had full cause to know, he resolved to take advantage of such egregious folly, and pursue them with all the forces at his immediate disposal. This shows that notwithstanding the humbled language he had used in allowing the Israelites to take their departure, his heart was still essentially unsoftened; and now that the opportunity seemed to offer of regaining the upper hand, of avenging the disgrace and loss he had sustained, he prepared for action against the fugitive host. The loss of so large a body of useful slaves must have been severely felt by the Egyptians, and probably, therefore, his primary object was to drive them back through the valley of Bedea. He knew that from the position in which they had placed themselves, as well as from their enfeebled character, they were unfit of themselves to resist a comparatively small disciplined force, and he might, therefore, hope to compel them to return without a struggle; or if not, what then? They were at his mercy, he could drive them forward into the sea, for there was no retreat. Blindly obdurate as this king of Egypt was, we can hardly suppose that he would have ventured to take this step, had he conceived that their God had not forsaken them, or that his own gods had now at length bestirred themselves in the cause of Egypt. But how could the former impression be consistent with the visible demonstration of the divine presence, as shown in the pillar of cloud, which became one of fire by night, and moved on before the Hebrew host, marking out the path it was to take? He could not have been ignorant of this appearance, which his scouts would not fail to report to him. But it is not likely that they, viewing it at a distance, were acquainted with its real nature. At the present day, in great caravans, such as that of the annual pilgrimage of the Mohammedans to Mecca, a large cresset containing fire, is borne aloft, before the moving host, the smoke of which by day, and the fire by night, forms an ensign, or waymark, for the people, the most conspicuous—and therefore the most useful—that can be devised. The king probably thought the pillar of cloud something of this nature, and was, therefore, not by its presence, deterred from his enterprise.

To the student of Egyptian antiquities there is something of much interest in the two verses (Exo_14:6-7), which describe the force of the Egyptians: “He made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.” Here the pursuing force is described as composed entirely of chariots. This is entirely in conformity with the existing testimony of the monuments, which exhibit no kind of military force but war-chariots and infantry—no cavalry, properly so called, that is, warriors on horseback. But few horsemen are at all represented on the monuments, and these are not Egyptians, but foreigners. In a hot pursuit like this, the infantry could, from the nature of the case, take no part, and there being no mounted cavalry, the matter was left entirely to the chariot warriors. It is true that in Exo_14:18; Exo_14:26 we read of “chariots and horsemen,” and in Exo_14:23 of “horses, chariots, and horsemen;” but it has been shown grammatically that the “horses” are those of the chariots, and the “horsemen” (properly “riders”) those who rode in them. Indeed, it appears from the narrative that only chariots were involved in the result. The war-chariots of the Egyptians were of very light construction, and drawn by two horses. They mostly carried two persons, one of whom managed the horses, while the other plied his weapons of war; but sometimes the warrior stood alone in his chariot, the reins being lashed around his body. They must have been expert riders to discharge arrows standing in a chariot, with the horses in full gallop, while the horses were to be guided by the movements of the body. But it is likely that the reins, which at the first view appear as a hindrance, actually afforded some support to the body in this position.

That the king was able to commence the pursuit so promptly implies the existence of a standing force, which indeed is attested by all ancient writers to have existed from the earliest times in Egypt. The number seems small. The six hundred were, however, the “chosen chariots,” that is, those of the royal guard; and besides these there were “all the chariots of Egypt,” that is, all the available chariots, which doubtless formed a numerous force. Now this hind of force was always, until a late period of their history, regarded with awe and terror by the Israelites; and no sooner did it now appear than they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron for having brought them into such a case, or indeed for having brought them out of Egypt at all, only to perish in the wilderness. If left to themselves they would in all probability have yielded to the Egyptians, and have submitted to have been driven back like cattle before the chariots of Egypt. Resistance does not seem to have entered their minds, notwithstanding the enormous superiority of their number, under the highest calculation that can possibly be given to the pursuing force. There may be more reason than appears for this. They were probably unarmed. The Egyptians did not, as the modern Orientals do, wear arms except on actual military service. On this account, and also perhaps from their position as bondmen, the Israelites probably did not possess any, or if they did, would not, in the face of customary usage, have been likely to assume them in what was professedly a peaceful expedition.

They were with difficulty pacified by assurances of deliverance; and the Egyptians, satisfied that they had secured their prey, and that it was impossible for them to escape, were in no haste to assail them. They were themselves, also, probably, wearied with their rapid march. They therefore encamped for the night—for it was towards evening when they arrived; intending no doubt to give effect to their intentions in the morning. The Israelites were also in their encampment, awaiting with trembling anxiety the result—when to their great amazement the pillar of cloud which was in front of them, moved round in silent and stately majesty through the air, and took its station in their rear, between them and the Egyptians. Nor was this all; for whereas before it had been a pillar of cloud by day, and of flame by night—it was now both at once. To the Egyptians it remained a pillar of cloud still; but to the Israelites it became, as usual at night, a pillar of flame. The effect was that the Egyptians were in darkness, while the Israelites had abundant light, and the view of the two hosts was hidden from each other—for the opacity of the cloud towards the Egyptians would prevent them from seeing what took place among the Israelites.

And what was it that took place? Moses, at the command of God, lifted up his rod upon the waters, and forthwith a strong east wind began to blow, dividing the waters, and making a pathway through the deep. Encouraged by the light which they enjoyed, and by the marvellous interposition in their favor, the Israelites ventured into the marvellous channel thus opened, and began their march to the other side, the waters being as a wall to them on the right hand and on the left.

It was not until the morning, when the rear of the Israelites had nearly reached the other side, that the Egyptians became aware of what had taken place. Advancing then, and finding the camp of Israel deserted, they hurried on by the road which they had evidently taken. It is not clear that they knew or thought they were following the Israelites into the bed of the sea. Considering the darkness, additional to that of night, which had come between the pursuers and the pursued, it is not probable that they had any clear perception of the course in which they were moving, and least of all that they were travelling in the bared bed of the divided waters. They could hear the noise of the flying host before them, and could see confusedly a little way about their feet, but in all likelihood they were little able to distinguish the localities around them, and may even have thought that they were pursuing the Israelites up the valley of Bedea, on their return to Egypt. But by the time day broke they became aware of their position; and fearful for them did the discovery prove. They were already far advanced in the miraculous road; and the east wind ceasing towards morning, the waters piled up by its agency began to return. But the bottom, along which they were marching, had also been poached by the previous march of the people and cattle of the Israelites; and finding a heavy sea returning on them from the west, the king’s army thought it high time to retreat. But it was too late. They were embarrassed by the state of the ground, and before they could extricate themselves from their dangerous position, the waters returned and covered them all—consummating, by one fearful stroke, the deliverance of Israel and the overthrow of the Egyptians.