Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 14:17-18

17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

The Egyptians had already come to commit a slaughter, so why would their hearts have to be further hardened to continue with what they already intended to do? Perhaps because God was about to work another miracle in their sight, one that would pose an obvious danger. To venture into the maw of the parted sea would require a hatred or an arrogance sufficient to override the most extreme sense of self-preservation!

Only this time it was not Pharaoh’s heart alone that would harden, but that of the entire army. God meant to slay the entire horde and that could only happen if they did not mutiny and leave Pharaoh to his own devices. They all needed to charge forward as one.

This is the last instance of God being said to harden the heart of Pharaoh and his people. Frankly, it wouldn’t even concern me if in this instance He really did. At this point, Pharaoh had already shown himself willing to commit a horrible genocide, even after being given so many reasons to stand down. He was already more than worthy of death, and the God who rules over every life would be justified in guiding Pharaoh and his men to their death sentence.

Of course, there has been some speculation as to whether Pharaoh himself died in the depths of the sea. Did he lead the charge after the Israelites, or did he command from the rear, ordering his men ahead while he remained on the banks of the sea? The fact that God specifically mentions that He would “get me honour upon Pharaoh” strongly suggests that the ruler received the exact same fate as his soldiers. I think it is pretty explicit language that Pharaoh did, indeed, die in this wonder.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 14:13-16

13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Moses appears to have been unperturbed by the Israelites mocking, frantic questions. He assured the Israelites that they would not have to trade blows with the Egyptians, for God would battle for them. After all, hadn’t God battled for them with His plagues in the midst of Egypt? The Israelites had sat idly by while the Lord worked His wonders there, and Moses was confident that it would be the same here.

But notice that Moses first told the Israelites to “stand still,” and then the Lord corrected him, saying “Whererfore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” Moses had been incorrect in suggesting that the Israelites should remain motionless, when actually God needed them to start moving. This suggests that until God detailed the parting of the sea in verse 16, Moses had no idea what God’s plan to save the Israelites actually was. He was sure that God would save his people, though, even if he didn’t know in what way. This reveals great faith on Moses’s part. It shows the confidence he had in the character of God, and how he rested in the certainty that the Lord would surely save them somehow.

The somehow, God revealed, was going to require more of the Israelites than standing on the banks of the sea. Back in Egypt, He had worked many wonders that required no involvement from the Israelites, but He had also worked some wonders where something was required of them, such as painting the lamb’s blood on their door posts. This next miracle was going to be of the latter category.

Moses was absolutely correct when he told the Israelites that God would fight for them and destroy their enemies, but first they had to get themselves to the place appointed for their salvation.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 14:11-12

11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army approaching they first begged the Lord to save them, but then they complained to Moses. Their conduct towards him was entirely inappropriate, and shows that they did not honor the station that he held as God representative. The people gave Moses three accusatory questions, and each reveals a different form of insincerity and disrespect.

  1. Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?
    In their first question the people utilized great sarcasm and irony. At face value, the question wondered whether Moses thought Egypt was too inadequate of a place to die, and so had he thought it better to instead bring them here for their demise? Obviously that question wasn’t genuine, though. It was a rhetorical question, meant only to mock Moses for his lack of foresight.
  2. Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
    This question had the Israelites dodging any personal responsibility for this situation. The way it was phrased suggested that they had no choice in the matter, that Moses made them pack up their belongings and leave the land. Yes, Moses had told them to do it, but of course they could have refused. They didn’t refuse, though, they chose to leave, presumably with gladness because they thought they would make a clean getaway. Now that the tables have turned, though, they behaved as if they were being compelled against their will all along.
  3. Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?
    They doubled down on the idea that Moses was short-sighted. This time, though, the accusation was genuine. When Moses first demanded the release of Israel, Pharaoh had doubled the burden on their backs. Then the people had complained to Moses, stating that they were better off before. It is this moment that they are referring back to with this final question. They are, in essence, saying, “We told you that it was better to leave us be! Now just look what you’ve done!”

It is understandable that the people would have felt hurt by the sudden turn of events. Because of their infantile faith, it is understandable that they would have even felt betrayed. But the way that they manifested these pains and fears was completely inappropriate and dishonest. They had chosen to throw their lot with Moses when things looked promising, but then they turned against him when things looked bad. They pretended to have not been complicit in the making of this situation.

The fact is, they had been complicit for many years, even before Moses came to them. For generations they had begged God to free them. They had requested some sort of divine intervention millions of times over in their prayers. Probably they hadn’t anticipated that their deliverance would transpire in this particular way, but that just shows that they weren’t as converted to the idea of freedom as they thought.

This was an important lesson to the Israelites, and also to us all. Do we really want the deliverance that we ask God for if we don’t get to control the form that deliverance takes? Are we praying for substantial changes in our lives, but imagine it happening by magic with no involvement and no risk on our part? When we pray for what we want, do we really want it no matter the cost? If we are going to petition the Lord to get involved in our lives, then we need to be compliant with whatever “mysterious ways” He uses to grant our request.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 14:8-10

8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

The expression “with a high hand” means to go with a confident and bold air. It would seem that the Israelites had an attitude of now being home free, certain that all their woes had been left behind them. Thus, it must have been quite the whiplash when they suddenly saw Pharaoh in pursuit.

Verse 10 tells us that the Israelites were “sore afraid,” and it seems that they saw no hope in having a battle with the Egyptians. As mentioned yesterday, there were certainly more in the Israelite camp than there were of the Egyptian soldiers, even there were more Israelite men able to bear arms than there were of their enemy. The problem, presumably, was that they did not have any arms to bear. The Israelites would be raising fists against spears and bows. It would be a slaughter. And with the sea at their backs and no option to retreat, the Israelites were absolutely powerless.

Note, then, their immediate reaction of crying to the Lord. This was the only course that remained to them, the only avenue of hope. God had worked miracles for them before, but the stakes were higher now than ever before. This was the first time where they needed a miracle simply as a matter of basic survival. This was the first time that if God didn’t come through for them, it would be an immediate death sentence!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 14:5-7

5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of 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 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:

7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

Pharaoh received word that the Israelites had fled beyond the three-days-distance allotted for their sacrifices. It was clear that they were on the run, never intending to return, though as I have mentioned before, it must have been obvious to Pharaoh that this was always their intention.

Of course, even an expected insult is still an insult, and verse 5 tells us that not only did Pharaoh’s heart turn against the Israelites, but also the hearts of his people. Before, Pharaoh’s counselors had beseeched him to give in to the Israelites’ commands, and he had refused. But now all of Egypt was united in wanting revenge upon God’s chosen people. They had lost their crops, their economy, their firstborn, and they had been spoiled under false pretenses. What also might have been a factor in the Egyptian civilians’ wrath was that the battlefield would now be out in the wilderness, not in their heartland. This time the people wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire between God and their king, so perhaps that emboldened them to support a further provocation.

Thus, Pharaoh gathered his army for battle, and he, himself, rode with them. Verse 7 mentions that “he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt.” That “and” suggests that 600 was not the total number of chariots, probably it was only the number of his personal guard, with many other chariots making up the rest of his cavalry. Also, it is to be assumed that he had many foot soldiers to further support the cavalry. Several ancient historians (Josephus, Patricides, Ezekiel) all describe a different number for this army, but averaging all of their estimates suggests that the force might have very well stood in the hundreds of thousands of men.

As mentioned earlier, the Israelite camp is estimated to have been about two million souls, but most of that was women and children, and even the men presumably did not have proper weapons to fight with, nor any advanced tools of war such as horses and chariots. Thus, Pharaoh was leaving with a force of sufficient strength that he really could kill the entire Israelite nation if he wanted. Perhaps he meant to bring a residue back to be his slaves again, or possibly he really meant to slaughter them all!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 14:1-4

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

Thus far, God had been leading Israel by day and by night, moving them as quickly through the land as He could. Now, though, He instructed them to stop their progress and make camp, and He deliberately instructed them to do it with their backs to the sea, thus cutting off any escape route.

God even said that this was so Pharaoh would see a moment of supposed weakness where the Israelites would be “entangled in the land.” This would tempt Pharaoh to come out with his armies and destroy them. Pharaoh would think that the Israelites had walked themselves into a trap of their own making. And indeed it was a trap, but a trap for catching Egyptians!

Thus, it was Pharaoh’s hubris that was to be his downfall. He could, of course, have left well-enough alone, but God already knew that he would not. The trap was effective because it was targeted towards Pharaoh’s character flaw: his pride and unwillingness to accept when he had lost. Due to this flaw he had already unnecessarily subjected his people to unnecessary suffering through the plagues, and now he would do so again.

Of course, verse 4 does say that God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, but I’ve already written many times that I believe this rendering is inaccurate, given the other times where it instead says that it was Pharaoh who hardened his own heart. And while this may not be the most significant of evidences, after reading today’s verses it occurs to me that another reason for believing that Pharaoh was culpable for his actions is that to assume otherwise would disrupt his character arc. Pharaoh is a type and example to us all of hubris and pride and self-defeat, but his cautionary tale would lose all its weight if he wasn’t a free agent in choosing that path of self-destruction. From a narrative perspective, it is essential that Pharaoh chose of his own free will to do evil so that the moral of his story may resonate in our hearts.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 13:20-22

20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

The signs and wonders had not ceased for Israel. Now they were being led by a pillar of cloud during the day and of fire during the night. The passage gives as a reason that the Israelites could “go by day and night.” The fire was apparently large enough to light their way so that they could continue walking even after the sun had gone down. Some have speculated that the pillar of cloud might have provided shade from the sun, preserving their strength as they walked through the day. It seems that God intended for them to move with great haste, carrying them swiftly towards the Promised Land.

We are also told that the Lord, Himself, “went before them” in the cloud and the fire. Note that it does not say that God was the cloud or the fire, but that He was in them, much as He had been in the burning bush when He first spoke to Moses. Thus, where God went, the cloud and fire went, and where the cloud and fire went, God’s followers went also.

All of this seems representative to me of the commandments and instructions that we receive from God. Like the pillars of cloud and fire, they stand out from the rest of the world, giving a stark contrast to the common, carnal behavior that we would otherwise follow. And while God might not be His commandments, we do say that He is in them, and that those who follow His law are also following Him. Furthermore, we believe that His instructions are guiding us through the wilderness to the ultimate Promised Land: paradise in the hereafter.

We should all consider in what ways we are following God’s pillar in our own lives. Are we truly allowing ourselves to be a peculiar and distinct people, following a different marker than the rest of the world? Are we following instructions that have been given to us by the divine? Are we true and authentic disciples? Or are we following our own opinions and conventional wisdom? Are we just “going with the flow” of the world, secularists who inappropriately claim spiritual titles? Speaking for myself, I am in a strange place somewhere in between, sometimes spiritual and sometimes secular. I still have work to do to be a follower “by day and night,” all of the time.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 13:17-19

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

Today’s verses give a few tidbits of information about the manner in which Israel departed Egypt. Let’s take a look at each of them in order.

First of all, the Israelites already knew what their destination was, but there remained the question of which route to take get there. Verse 17 suggests that the most direct route would have been through the land of the Philistines, but God would not allow it. His people were fresh in this world, newly exposed to its dangers in a way that they had not been for centuries. Yes, servitude in Egypt had not been ideal, but at least it had come with the protection of the Egyptian armies. Traveling through hostile Philistia would introduce the people to war sooner than they were ready for it. Thus, God commanded that they take the longer but safer route through the wilderness.

While Israel might not have been deemed ready to face battle, verse 18 does say that they were “harnessed,” which means arrayed in military fashion. They did not wander forward as an unordered blob, but structured into proper rows and columns and companies, like soldiers marching to war. This might have been to improve order, and also to begin their training for the battles that they would eventually be required to face.

Finally, verse 19 makes the point that the Israelites took the bones of Joseph with them, fulfilling the prophecy that he had made many years prior. What a long sojourn from the Promised Land this had been for him. The last time that Canaan had been Joseph’s home was just before his brothers sold him into slavery. He was the original Egyptian-Hebrew, and his bones had rested among his people in that land for centuries. But, in spite of the years apart, he was still a son of a patriarch, and the Promised Land was his proper resting place. At long last, he was being brought back to where he belonged.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 13:14-16

14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.

16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.

Verse 15 makes it clear that the purpose for which the firstling flocks were to be sanctified to the Lord was for sacrifice. They were not going to become the priests’ flocks, they were not going to be used by the community, they were simply being offered up as a sacrifice to God.

And what is the point of making an offering to God anyway? Why is it good for a person to destroy some of his resources, thus harming his personal status and also his society’s economy? What is the benefit in deliberately giving up a benefit?

To comprehend this paradox we must recognize that the act of sacrifice, in and of itself, naturally increases our connection to the sacred. It is good for us to take that which we have and give it away to the Lord, as doing so simultaneously debases the value of that worldly thing and elevates the value of God in our hearts. It is in our nature to respect and revere the things that we give away our resources to, as doing so signals to our minds that those things must be worth more than what we have given up. Thus, even today, while the Christian is not expected to make an animal sacrifice, he is expected pays his tithes and consecrate his time in worship services. If he does not do those things, then he is sending a signal to himself that God is not worthy of respect or reverence. What is more, he sends the same signal to his children and that sows a terrible future for them.

No wonder then that in these verses it is again made clear that the rising generation is to see and hear what sacrifices their parents are making to God and why. Again it is stressed that these rituals and traditions are to be a “token upon the hand, and for frontlets between the eyes” of the children. Their minds and their spirits are to be trained by these offerings, bringing them to have the proper estimation of God in their hearts. They are to impress upon the children just how mighty that “strength of hand that the Lord brought them out of Egypt” must have been that their parents would still mark it years afterward by offerings up every firstling of their flocks. The benefit of the sacrifice was how it would orient the children to the divine instead of the mundane.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 13:11-13

11 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,

12 That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord’s.

13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

Obviously Israel departing Egypt and marching to Canaan was a fulfillment the promise God made to Abraham. But as verse 11 points out, it was not only a promise to Abraham. Moses told the Israelites “the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware UNTO THEE and to thy fathers. God had promised the land of Canaan anew to all of the people of Israel that lived in that day. In fact, if anything, the promise was more to them than to Abraham, as Abraham would only receive it through them.

And in return for God giving this gift to His people, the people were again reminded of how they must consecrate their firstborn to the Lord. “All that openeth the matrix” means the first child that breaches the walls of its mother’s womb. Though again, it was specifically to be the firstborn male. It is unclear to me if the firstborn was a female, whether the first male born thereafter would still be taken and consecrated to the Lord, or if there would be no consecration from that family unit, since the first male would not have “opened the matrix.”

Also, note that it was only clean beasts that were meant to be given as an offering, which is why the firstling donkeys were not eligible. A clean lamb could be given in its place, presumably a lamb that was not already owed to the Lord by being a firstborn, or if the person refused to give a lamb or had none to give, the donkey would be put to death, as then no one would have a claim on it.