Exodus 14-16

What I Noticed Today (Exodus 14-16)

Exodus 14

Chapter 14 describes the Egyptian’s pursuit of the Israelites, and the Israelites escape through the Red Sea.

In verses 1-4, God speaks to Moses and gives him instructions:

• That night (the night the Israelites arrived at Etham), God gave Moses instructions to double back to Pi-hahiroth and camp between Migdol and the Red Sea.
• God said He would harden Pharaoh’s heart again and Pharaoh, thinking they were lost and confused, would pursue them. Then God will receive glory from Pharaoh, and the people of Egypt will know that He is Yahweh.

In verses 5-14, Pharaoh pursues the Israelites just as God had said:

• Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about releasing the Israelites, realizing they had lost their labor force.
• Pharaoh gathered 600 of the best chariots in Egypt along with all the other chariots, each driven by an officer, and his army, and pursued the Israelites. He caught up with them at Pi-hahiroth.
• As the Israelites saw the Egyptians approaching, they were terrified and cried out to God for help. They accused Moses of bringing them into the desert to die. They even said they would have preferred to stay in slavery in Egypt.
• But Moses encouraged the people telling them not to be afraid that God will fight for you today, and you will never see these Egyptians again.

In verses 15-31, God saves the Israelites as they escape through the Red Sea:

• God told Moses to tell the people to break camp and get ready to leave.
• Then God told Moses to lift up his staff over the sea to divide the sea. The Israelites will pass over on the dry ground, and the Egyptians will pursue them.
• The Angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of the Israelites to behind them. Neither group came close to each other all night.
• Moses stretched out his staff over the sea, and the Lord brought a strong wind that separated the sea and dried the floor of the sea.
• The Israelites walked through on dry ground while the water of the sea was piled up on either side of them like a wall.
• The Egyptians set out after the Israelites in the morning watch, but God brought confusion among them. The Egyptians realized God was fighting for the Israelites against Egypt.

• God told Moses to stretch his out over the sea and close it at daybreak. The waters closed in over the Egyptians, and none of Pharaoh’s army that had gone into the sea survived.
• When the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord and what He had done for them, they feared the Lord and believed in Him and His servant Moses.

Exodus 15

Chapter 15 opens with the first song recorded in the Bible and God’s provision of water in the desert.

In verses 1-18, Moses and the Israelites sang a song of praise to the Lord:

• Section 1, Verses 1-6. The Lord is praised for His strength and power as He defeated the armies of the Egyptians and saved the people of Israel.
• Section 2, Verses 7-11. The Lord is praised for His majesty and the power of His wrath as He shattered the enemy. There is no other like God, who is glorious in His Holiness.
• Section 3, Verses 12-16. The Lord is praised for leading and redeeming the people He loved. Terror and dread will fall upon Philistia, Edom, Moab, and Canaan until the Lord’s people pass by on their way to the land the Lord has promised them.
• Section 4, Verses 17-18. The Lord will bring them to the mountain of His possession that He had prepared for them. The Lord will reign forever.

In verse 19, the Lord’s victory over the Egyptian army and how He saved the Israelites as they walked through the Red Sea is recounted.

In verses 20-21, Miriam (Moses’ sister) sings and dances with a tambourine praise to the Lord.

In verses 22-27, God provides water in the wilderness:

• Moses led the people of Israel three days’ journey into the wilderness to the desert of Shur (northern part of the Sinai Peninsula).
• They came to an area known as Marah (Marah means bitter, or bitterness). The people could not drink the water there because it was bitter, and they complained to Moses.
• Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord had Moses throw a tree into the water, and it became drinkable.
• The Lord made an ordinance for the people and tested them at Marah. He told them if you carefully obey Yahweh your God, do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands and statutes, He would not inflict disease on the people that He had inflicted upon the Egyptians.
• Then they came to Elim, where there were water and date palms.

Exodus 16

Chapter 16 tells how the Lord provided quail and manna in the Desert of Sin.

In verses 1-12, the Israelites complain to Moses about being hungry:

• The Israelites journeyed on to the Desert of Sin, arriving on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left Egypt.

• The people complained to Moses and Aaron, saying they had plenty of meat and bread to eat in Egypt, and now they were in the wilderness and would die of hunger.

In verses 13-36, the Lord provides quail and manna to the people:

• The Lord immediately responded by telling Moses that He would rain bread (manna) from heaven. Each person was to go out in the morning and gather enough manna for the day. On the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much.
• Moses and Aaron told the Israelites what the Lord would do to provide for them and what they were to do. He also told them this evening they would eat quail. And then they would know that I am Yahweh, Your God.
• That evening quail came.
• In the morning, as the dew evaporated, there was manna on the ground. Moses told them to take two quarts of manna per person. Whether they gathered much or a little, each person had just enough.
• Moses warned them not to let any remain until morning. Some people saved some until morning, but it spoiled and had worms, and Moses was angry because they did not obey.
• They gathered manna every morning, and when the sun came up, the manna melted.
• On the sixth day, Moses told them to gather twice as much because the next day was a day of rest. What they set aside did not spoil or have worms, and they ate it on the seventh day.
• Some people went out on the seventh day and did not find the manna. The Lord was displeased and spoke to Moses because the people had not followed His commands. They were to gather twice as much on the sixth day and the seventh day was to be a day of rest.
• The manna resembled coriander and tasted like wafers made with honey.
• Moses told Aaron to take two quarts of manna and preserve it in a jar for future generations as a testimony to what the Lord had done. So Aaron filled a jar with two quarts of manna and placed it before the Lord.
• The Israelites ate the manna for 40 years until they reach the border of Canaan, the Promised Land.

Some thoughts for additional consideration:

• God made a deal with the Israelites, saying if you will listen to Me and do what I tell you, I will protect you. God says this twice in a slightly different way (Exodus 15:25-26). Listen and do. Listen and do!
• Imagine witnessing the parting of the Red Sea, the tower of clouds and the pillar of fire, and then a mere three days after singing about all God had done, start to complain about not having enough water. God provides water, and a few weeks later, you complain again about not having enough food, so God provides food.
• How often do we do the same thing! We sing praises to God when conditions are good, but the minute life turns hard, we start to complain to Him. How often does God ask us to listen and do, yet we fail to even follow the simplest of instructions!

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Exodus 17-19