The Berean Pursuit
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast."
So Moses told the people, "Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites-the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey-you shall keep this service in this month.
For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.
And on that day you are to explain to your son, 'This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. Therefore you shall keep this statute at the appointed time year after year.
And after the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He swore to you and your fathers, you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. You must redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.
In the future, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you are to tell him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.' So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, "If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, "God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place."
They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon.
For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, 'They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD."
So this is what the Israelites did.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us."
So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out defiantly. The Egyptians-all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops-pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
But Moses told the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD's salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. Then I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army and chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."
And the angel of God, who had gone before the camp of Israel, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from before them and stood behind them, so that it came between the camps of Egypt and Israel. The cloud was there in the darkness, but it lit up the night. So all night long neither camp went near the other.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.
And the Egyptians chased after them-all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen-and followed them into the sea. At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion. He caused their chariot wheels to wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. "Let us flee from the Israelites," said the Egyptians, "for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!"
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into the sea. The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen-the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
"I will sing to the LORD,
for He is highly exalted.
The horse and rider
He has thrown into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise Him,
my father's God, and I will exalt Him.
The LORD is a warrior,
the LORD is His name.
Pharaoh's chariots and army
He has cast into the sea;
the finest of his officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
The depths have covered them;
they sank there like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD,
is majestic in power;
Your right hand, O LORD,
has shattered the enemy.
You overthrew Your adversaries
by Your great majesty.
You unleashed Your burning wrath;
it consumed them like stubble.
At the blast of Your nostrils
the waters piled up;
like a wall the currents stood firm;
the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy declared,
'I will pursue, I will overtake.
I will divide the spoils;
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword;
my hand will destroy them.'
But You blew with Your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
Who among the gods is like You, O LORD?
Who is like You-majestic in holiness,
revered with praises,
performing wonders?
You stretched out Your right hand,
and the earth swallowed them up.
With loving devotion You will lead
the people You have redeemed;
with Your strength You will guide them
to Your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
trembling will seize the leaders of Moab;
those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
and terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of Your arm
they will be as still as a stone
until Your people pass by, O LORD,
until the people You have bought pass by.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of Your inheritance-
the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling,
the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.
The LORD will reign forever and ever!"
For when Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang back to them:
"Sing to the LORD,
for He is highly exalted;
the horse and rider
He has thrown into the sea."
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened.
There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them, saying, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.
When Israel departed from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Judah became God's sanctuary,
and Israel His dominion.
The sea observed and fled;
the Jordan turned back;
the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
Why was it, O sea, that you fled,
O Jordan, that you turned back,
O mountains, that you skipped like rams,
O hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
the flint into a fountain of water!
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...
Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace, given me through the working of His power. Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence. So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.