Day 34 —  We are in the second month now! We’ve been reading for over 1/12th of a year! Praise God. I pray it’s become a GOOD habit that will continue, and that your heart is leaning more towards HIM.

   Day 33 – Exodus 13 – 15  (sons, signs, the sea, songs)

Chapter 12 showed us THE EXODUS of the long-enslaved people of God and the birth of “Israel.” They all had escaped at the hand of God when all of Egypt’s first born were killed.

Chapter 13 begins with God telling Moses that every FIRST BORN in Israel (boy or beast) belongs to Him. (After all, they had been spared in the slaughter of Egypt’s sons.) Later, a “redemption” coin would be paid to the Lord’s priests in order to “buy back” or redeem a family’s first son. First born animals would killed or become a sacrifice to God.

Then God tells Moses that the new nation was to observe a Feast of Unleavened Bread when they reached the Promised Land to remember the night of their escape. It would be a time to tell their future generations of the miracle, and also a witness of God’s power to the nations around them.

God establishes the means He will lead Israel on their journey, by His very Presence as a Pillar of Fire at night and a Pillar of Cloud by day. And He led them – not due north into Gaza of the Philistines – but south-east towards the Red Sea and Sinai.  (Oh, and as a footnote, Moses took the coffin bearing Joseph’s bones with them, as their ancestors had promised him 430 years earlier.)

FREE!  FREE!  We are FREE!  But then came the SEA.

In chapter 14, God TOLD Moses to lead Israel right up to the Red Sea and camp there, facing the water. Wow. What a barrior! And their exhilaration began to fade into reality. This wasn’t going to be an overnight trip to reach the Promised Land. First Israel would need some training in the ways of their God, Yahweh. They needed to learn to TRUST Him. And OBEY Him.

Meanwhile Pharaoh came to his senses. “What have we done?” He calls for his chariot and leads an army of all his horsement and 600 chosen chariots to get them back. And, Ha! There they are, stuck at the Red Sea! Easy-peasy.

The people cried out!

Moses said, “Fear not. Stand firm. See the salvation of the LORD which He will work for you TODAY.”

Then Moses (at God’s direction) raised that staff of his over the sea and divided the water!!!!   And the people (who were already facing the water) began to cross ON DRY LAND.  Two million of them, with flocks and herds and wagons of loot. The water stood up on either side of them. WHAT A SIGHT!!  And the Angel of the LORD stood between Israel and the Army of Pharaoh. Thick darkness on Egypt’s side so they could not approach Israel until they were through.

After the last Hebrew foot left the sea bed, the Egyptian army charged forward through the water on dry, or maybe muddy, land. When they reached the middle the heavy chariots began to bog down. They tried to turn around but at that moment, Moses again held out his staff over the sea and God closed the watery passage and drowned them all – horse and rider and chariot.

And “Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people FEARED the LORD, and they BELIEVED in the LORD and His servant Moses.” (14:30)

And in chapter 15 they sang a song of triumph that Moses wrote. (wow!!).

“I will sing to the LORD for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”

“The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God and I will praise Him.”

“Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”

“You have led in Your mercy the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by Your strength to Your holy abode.”

And Moses’ sister grabbed a tamborine (who knew this family was so musical?) and led the people in the singing.

BUT…… a mere three days later the bedraggled, hot, and thirsty Israel came to a watering hole that had turned bitter.  They grumbled to Moses. (This will become a habit for the ungrateful ex-slaves.)  And God, in His MERCY told Moses to grab a nearby branch and throw it into the water.  Ta da!!  Instant sweet water!  Calamity averted.

There God laid out a statute for them that would continue beyond this incident and into the Promised Land.  IF….they would —

• diligently listen to His voice
• do what is right in His eyes
• give ear to His commandments
• keep all His statutes.

THEN….. He would put none of the diseases on them that came on the Egyptians (plagues) because HE was their HEALER. (Just as He healed the bitter water, He would heal them.)

Shortly afterward (as a kind of pledge by God) they came to the place of TWELVE springs of water, and seventy palm trees (an oasis!) and camped there.