Exodus 14:1-31: "1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 'Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, "They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in." 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.' And they did so. 5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, 'Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?' 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, "Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?" For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.' 13 And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.' 15 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.' 19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.' 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.' 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses."
This is a rather well known pericope. The narrative of the destruction of Pharaoh and his army in the depths of the Red Sea. In this reading we see the pride of Pharaoh, and we see that the old saying is true, "After pride, cometh a fall." We also begin to see in this reading from the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, the trouble that our Lord God is going to have with the Israelites. Pharaoh also is a picture of what the Israelites will be like after they have begun living in Canaan.
Throughout the ten plagues, Pharaoh has moments of remorse; moments where he plans on letting the people of Israel go, however, he eventually reneges on remorse. He is no exception, for after the death of the firstborn has sunk in, Pharaoh, and we are told all of Egypt with him, wonders why he let the Israelites go. His pride gets the best of him, therefore, he gathers his army to chase after the Israelites to either bring them back into Egypt by force, or worse, to slaughter them all in the wilderness, taking vengeance upon them for the death of the firstborn sons.
The same thing is true of the Israelites after they enter the land of Canaan, for they also have moments where they have great faith in the Lord God, and call upon Him, and trust in Him, but then as their lives get easier, and they don't need Him as much, they forget about Him. Therefore, the Lord God sends them oppressors, in the form of other lands enacting some kind of force upon them, until they cry out once more to God. This cycle continues throughout the Old Testament, until at last God finally has enough of them, and leads them into exile.
We can see this already in this pericope, for the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt, and as much as they object at the present time about being led out into the wilderness to die, they did not like it in Egypt. But yet, they still claim they would have been better off staying in Egypt. Yeah, right! But God has already planned their salvation, and the destruction of Pharaoh. For this is where Pharaoh's pride has led him, to his own destruction.
This whole reading is a picture of Holy Baptism. Pharaoh and his army, represent the devil and world, all those things which lead us away from God, and into sin. The Israelites, represent the Church, that is, the people of God, who have been baptized in the holy waters of Baptism. And the Red Sea represents the waters of Holy Baptism itself. The Israelites pass through the waters of the Red Sea with the waters walled up on their left and their right, and they pass through those waters, through seeming death, to life on the other side. Pharaoh and his army, however, are drowned and killed in the Red Sea, so that they can no longer harm the Israelites forever.
This is precisely what takes place in Holy Baptism, all that is evil and sinful within us that we have inherited from Adam, and have added thereto ourselves is drowned and killed in the waters of Holy Baptism. And we emerge out of the waters alive and cleansed, and the powers of hell and death can no longer bother us forever.
Seeing the result of what the Lord God did through the waters of the Red Sea, the people of Israel believed the Lord, and His servant Moses. In other words, it produced faith. This is just like Holy Baptism, for through it the Holy Ghost creates faith in those who cling to their Holy Baptism. And those in whom faith has been created, believe and trust in God, always seeking after Him, and hearing His Word.
However, like the Israelites who would always stray from God, and would need to be led back through oppression and persecution, we too, when times are easy forget about the great gift that is placed upon us. However, through the trial and tribulation placed upon us by our sinful flesh and the world, we are again led back to the Lord God, we are reminded of our Holy Baptism, and that He has redeemed us by the precious Blood of His Only Son Jesus Christ. And having heard once again the message, we again have faith and trust in Him. Although, if we are kept steadfast in His Word, our faith is never shaken, although it may be tested and tried. For through our constant hearing of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are always reminded of what He has done for us, and continues to do for us.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
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