As
God’s people were fleeing from Egypt, a something strange appeared in front
of them.
It looked like a cloud, yet it was different. It seemed to be in the shape of a tall pillar. There was a soft brightness to the cloud. It moved in front of them. When it stopped, they pitched their tents and prepared to sleep at night. As the darkness of night came on, they could feel warmth from the cloud.
Often in the desert or wilderness it gets chilly when the sun goes down. The whole camp was lighted by the cloud. Moses explained that God was there in the cloud covering. God was their leader and protector. In the daytime He would protect them from the heat of the desert. The desert was not a very safe place for them. There were vipers hiding in the sand. There were enemies that would try to kill them. The Israelites had been slaves for many years and did not know how to fight a war. They did not have weapons either. They did know the way to the promised land though. When the cloud led them a different way, they were upset. Moses told them he was not the leader, God was. He was not choosing the way. They were following God. God knew He had to take the people around the Philistines. The Philistines wanted to kill them and they did not know how to fight. They were untrained slaves. There were little children and mothers who could not fight. There were grandpas and grandmas too old to fight. God makes no mistakes. Moses encouraged everyone to trust God’s leading.
The Red Sea was about 80 miles from Egypt. Pharaoh decided to take his 600 chariots and his priests, and his warriors and go catch the escaping slaves. He had told them to go when his first born son died in the last plague. Now he was angry and changed his mind.
When the Israelites caught sight of the flashing Egyptian armor and the horses and chariots, they were frightened. They forgot. They forgot God was in the cloud and had very strong muscles. They had seen His muscles during 10 disastrous plagues on Egypt. They forgot God had led them to the Red Sea. They picked up stones and were planning to kill Moses.
Moses was not surprised. God told him what was going to happen and what to do. Moses told the people to stand still and watch what God was going to do. They were about to see God flex His muscles again.
While they watched, they saw the cloud that had given them warmth and light and protection, begin to move. It moved over their heads and stood between them and the oncoming enemy army.
As night came on, they had light. But on the Egyptian side, the cloud was like a thick black fog. They could not see anything. They had to stop before the chariots tangled up with each other in the dark.
Having stopped the enemy, God told Moses to lift up his rod over the sea. Everyone knows a stick can not do anything to water. It was so ridiculously simple, that no one could claim Moses did what happened next. Moses obeyed. He may have felt silly holding his stick in the air, but he obeyed. It is so important to obey exactly what God tells you to do.
The sea water piled up and there was a dry road made to get across. The light on their side of the cloud covering lighted up the path. This was God’s light. The Egyptians were not able to see anything. But I wonder what they heard. Imagine six hundred thousand men with their wives, children and animals. That many excited escaping slaves must have made quite a noise. Think of the noise of their animals. The children must have been curiously staring at the piles of water full of fish and things they had not seen before, squealing for mom or dad to see their discoveries. The Bible does not tell us how much the Egyptians heard but it does say they could not see at first.
God in the cloud guarded the very last ones to get across. Remember if you are the last one in line trying to escape danger, God doesn’t forget those in the end of the line. You do not have to push and shove, God can still guard you and care for you at the end of the line.
As the cloud moved into the path across the sea, the Egyptians began to see and they were determined to go too. They were still determined to catch the slaves.
Now, it was time for God to flex His muscles some more. He was not eager to do what He had to do next. He does not like to punish the rebellious. He wants them to be His friends. He made them too. God sent warning fireworks. They could have turned back. He sent fire and lightning and then water and hail from the cloud onto the Egyptians. (Psalms 77:17, 18) This should have been enough to scare them but they had rejected God through ten horrible plagues in Egypt. They hated God.
Then God sent an earthquake. Still they rushed on trying to kill God’s people. They were very angry. Angry people do not think very well. They were angry at losing their first born children. The dry path through the sea suddenly became muddy. Their chariot wheels got stuck then wheels came off. As God’s people safely reached the other shore, Pharaoh’s whole army was inside the sea on the path. As Moses lifted his walking stick, the walls of water came crashing down on the army and they all drowned. Pharaoh, his priests, and his warriors all drowned. ( Exodus 14:13-15, and Exodus 15)
HOW BIG ARE GOD’S MUSCLES? Is anything too hard for Him? Do you have a problem you need help with? In Isaiah 4:5 is a promise you should memorize. In the last times before Jesus comes, we can see this same cloudy pillar that covers God. He promises to shelter His people. Which side of that cloud do you want to be on?