Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

The Bible is the inspired word of God. This page is a continuation in a series of articles about the Bible as God’s word.

Part 37  Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

Continuing with the seventh category of comments, which have been collected from the Ipuwer papyrus, we hear the words of God to Moses, for transmission to the people of Israel.

Exodus 6:6-7 “‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord’.”

God fulfilled His promise at the end of verse six by sending the ten plagues, after which pharaoh was happy to send Israel away, who were led along the route which was taken by the pillar of cloud and fire as shown in Exodus 13:21. But before they stopped to encamp for the second time after departing, the Lord said to Moses:“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert’.” - Exodus 14:1-3 NIV.

Doubtless Egyptian scouts would have reported how they saw this great stream of Israelites take an awkward U-turn. With so many people and animals, this would look like mass confusion, and making it appear that Israel were lost and did not know which way to get out of Egypt.

This was the first step in God’s plan to protect Israel from future attack by the Egyptians. Meanwhile, Pharaoh and his advisors had second thoughts about letting all that free labor get away. First, Pharaoh and all the royal guard hitched up their chariots.

“Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea.”

Evening fell as the Egyptian army arrived in view of the terrified Israelites. Shortly afterwards the angel moved the pillar of cloud between Israel, where the pillar of fire replaced the sunlight, and the Egyptians, who now were prevented from moving by the cloud-shrouded darkness from their side of the pillar.

God then instructed Moses to lift his rod over the sea, and at this signal, “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.” Evidently this wind, probably further out at sea, pulled the waters away from where Israel were, where the constant strong wind held the waters back in a great standing wave, some distance offshore.

“So the children of Israel”, instead of sleeping through that night on the shore, “went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen” - Exodus 14:7-30.

We will continue, God willing, this seventh category, Invasion of Foreigners, next time.