Imagine being trapped between the mighty armies of the Egyptians and the vast Red Sea. The Israelites, filled with fear and desperation, turned to their leader, Moisés, questioning the purpose of their journey. But Moisés, unwavering in his faith, reassured them with words of hope and trust in Jehovah. Little did they know that this was the moment when Jehovah would reveal His power and instruct Moisés to take action.
A Call to Move Forward
Jehovah spoke to Moisés, urging him to lead the people forward. No longer was it a time to stand still; it was time to advance. But how could they move forward when the sea still lay before them, appearing impassable? They were forced to wait through the night, with the threat of the Egyptians looming behind them. Did they sleep peacefully? Perhaps those who had faith in Jehovah found solace, while those who doubted were consumed by worry.
In a similar circumstance, we remember the story of Peter, who slept soundly in prison, knowing that the next day he could face execution at the hands of Herod (Acts 12:6). Likewise, Moisés must have slept peacefully, placing his trust in Jehovah’s word. And indeed, Jehovah had already manifested Himself as the protector of His people, even before they advanced. “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, 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, the one did not come near the other all that night.”
What a beautiful picture of the Word of God! It is our protector, our comforter, ever-present if we have read and memorized it. It brings light and guidance to us, but to the unbelieving world, it remains clouded in darkness. As we were reading the scriptures this week with our dear friends Roberto and Bárbara, we found joy and peace within its words. It made me wonder, do Muslims find joy when reading the Quran? I have not read it myself, but I suspect it does not bring them the same joy, as it does not reveal the God of love. Instead, it might cause fervor to harm others, falsely believing it will please their god. But for us, the Bible illuminates our lives with truth and joy.
Miraculous Crossing
While Moisés and the people slept or doubted, Jehovah was at work. “So 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.” Then the Israelites passed through the sea, with walls of water on their right and left.
Doesn’t this incredible crossing of the sea beautifully illustrate the death and resurrection of Christ? “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). The Israelites walked through the sea on dry land because Christ, the antitype, entered the deep waters. “I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me” (Psalm 69:2). The sea they feared became their pathway to salvation. Similarly, the death that mankind naturally fears becomes the very path through which the Lord Jesus Christ delivers us from judgment.
You may wonder, “Weren’t they already delivered from judgment by the blood of the Passover lamb?” Indeed, they were. However, the work of Christ on the cross is vast, and no one prototype is sufficient to fully depict what God would accomplish through His own Son. The Passover lamb speaks of the blood, the Red Sea of the death and resurrection of Christ, and our own death and resurrection with Him. I am not suggesting that Moisés understood all of this, for it remained a mystery in the Old Testament. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” The people of Israel had a great prophet in Moisés, but we have so much more, for God has spoken to us “by His Son.”
Moisés and the people of Israel entered and exited the sea by faith. “By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land” (Hebrews 11:29). The Egyptians, lacking faith in God, did not share the same fate. “The Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.” Just as the death of Christ is effective only for those who, by faith, receive its merits. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24).
