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Exodus 14 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Like the Canaanites, ancient Israel thought of the sea as an uncontrollable beast. At creation the Lord hovered over the waters of chaos. At the flood, the raging waters engulfed the sinful generation that rebelled against Him and there was no escape from its grasp. Many times in Scripture, the authors used water and specifically the sea to symbolize this unpredictable, untamable, all-powerful force that no man could grapple with and survive.
The Hebrew authors personified the sea as if it was a living breathing creature with a will of its own, showing no mercy and bowing to no one except the Lord.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! 5 Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.
Psalms 93:3-5 ESV
The Leviathan
In the same way that we personify evil as mass murders, serial crimes and human trafficking, to the Israelites, evil was directly tied to the sea. In fact, in the book of Job, we read about the most feared creature within the sea, the leviathan. The entire chapter of Job 41 focuses on describing this sea creature. We don’t know if it was a general description of a terrifying sea creature or if it was a specific one such as a giant alligator or even a prehistoric animal. But here is a summary of that chapter…
The leviathan cannot be tied down or tamed (Job 41:1, 5); it is frightening to even look at (verse 9); it is best left alone (verses 8, 10). The leviathan has a graceful form (verse 12) but is incredibly well protected with scales (verses 13, 15–17). Its chest is as impenetrable as its back (verses 15, 24). It has fearsome teeth (verse 14), and death awaits anyone who approaches its mouth (verses 18–21). Even mighty men are terrified of the leviathan (verse 25).
No sword, spear, dart, javelin, arrow, stone, club, or lance can defeat it (verses 26, 28–29). It cannot be caged, because it breaks iron like straw (verse 27). On land, the leviathan leaves a trail of ruts; in the water, it produces a deep, churning wake (verses 30–32). God’s description of the leviathan concludes with a statement that it is the true king of the beasts: “Nothing on earth is its equal—a creature without fear” (verse 33).
But, the point God makes in Job 41 is that even the Leviathan (the most fearsome and evil creature within the most fearsome and evil element of nature) is absolutely under God’s sovereign authority.
Through The Waters
When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. 17 The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. 18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19 Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalms 77:16-20 ESV
After the firstborn sons are taken from the Egyptians, finally, Pharaoh agrees to let them go. But, as many of us know, just as the Israelites are at the beginning stages of their journey to freedom, Pharaoh changes his mind and begins to pursue the Israelites. Fear sweeps over the people. God has led them to the edge of the Red Sea but the Egyptian army is bearing down on them.
They are trapped. They find themselves in an impossible situation. Sandwiched between the most fearsome force of nature, the untamed sea, and the bondage of their past under the Egyptians, it is Moses who speaks such timely and powerful words bringing clarity and truth to his people.
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Exodus 14:13-14 ESV
Consider, the Israelites traveled through the Red Sea all night in the chaos of the storm, but they arrived on the other side different than how they entered.
Consider, this was not a 30 minute or hour-long walk. This lighting of the path which God provided, according to Scripture, was an all-night journey. When we take into account the width of the Red Sea, and simply do the math, the journey itself was most likely a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 12.
Additionally, God brought darkness to the enemy but light to His people. He brought a strong east wind which hurled the waters up on each side of their path. But also consider the paradox. It was chaotic peace. It was unpredictable certainty. It was unfathomable assurance. Just as He hovered over the chaos during Creation, His divine power and presence were tangible within the pandemonium of Israel’s greatest fears!
In God, the crashing thunder, the flashing arrows of lightning, the trembling earth, and the torrential whirlwind all become a beautiful and orderly symphony of praise that glorifies the Maker of all Creation and lights up the path to redemption. When life feels chaotic and that’s all we can see, His Mighty Hand holds firm control of the Universe, but He still asks us to walk forward and trust Him despite.
God took Israel through their greatest fear. He did not take them around or over, but through the waters, through the darkness of night, and through the chaos. In the same way, we too toss and turn and wrestle with God through the night trying to discern where He is leading and what He is doing, but in the end, for those who persevere by faith, transformation and redemption is always His final work!