Crossing Over

Introduction: Did you ever get into it with a classmate or friend and start the whole “my dad can beat up your dad?”

The Exodus story is a clear and repeated theme throughout the Scriptures that God is the one who battles, the God who saves, and God who deserves the glory for it alone. He is on His mission to crush the head of the Serpent and deliver enslaved humanity from sin and lead them to a Promised Land.

CTS: See the salvation of the Lord and may it increase your love for Him.

The Pursuit of the Enemy (1-9)

The setup (1-4)

God brings his people to not the most ideal of spots. As a matter of fact, it is a terrible spot tactically in military sense. It traps God’s people along the water. But that will be the point. This is the setup for God to get the glory.

The pursuit (5-9)

What we see here already is God’s concern for His own glory. Every bit of what has happened has not been out of God’s control. Every plague, every hardening of Pharaoh’s heart has led to this final confrontation between Pharaoh and God. The Serpent vs. God. The theme of the Bible played out, another reminder that this is a cosmic battle that is being waged. Yet as the pieces are played out, we come to the realization that God is in control of every piece, knowing and enacting his plan so that there can be no doubt that God gets the glory.

And what we see is this continued theme. Verse 4 makes it clear. I will get glory over Pharaoh (the Enemy) so that the Egyptians will know that He alone is God. God will defeat the Enemy so that it will be seen that he is weak and feeble, deserves no glory, and that He alone deserves the worship. The intention of God is that He would be known across the world as the true God.

Application: This reminds us that the church, that God’s salvation, is for the express purpose that He may be known to the world. God’s plan of salvation is not for us to be honored, for us to get the lockdown on knowing Him, but that every intention of God is that His creation would come to know Him and worship Him. Glory is shown in greatest form when those that are far from God, across this world, know God and worship Him.

2 Corinthians 4:15 ESV

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

1 Timothy 1:15–17 ESV

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Everything in our salvation is designed by God to magnify the glory of God.

John Piper

So, it is God’s primary intention that He would receive glory. This may seem selfish, but we were created with this in mind. The most fulfilling life that we can live is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism reminds us.

And we see that in the rest of the text. The setup is clear, and God will continue to be the focus of the Exodus and salvation

I. Salvation by God Alone (10-29)

The Fear of God’s People (10-14)

Very clearly, we see again that God’s people are facing the adversity, the prospect of any sort of conflict, and fear grips them. This is a reminder to us as we read that these people are not by any means the ones who battle or deliver themselves. When the going gets tough, they often resort to complaining.

This complaining doubts God’s promises. Remember what we just read over the last few chapters. We have seen in miraculous and powerful signs of the plagues show the power of God. It should have been obvious that God was going to make sure they were going to get out of their bondage, but when the conflict came to their backs, it was over.

This would become a preview for God’s people throughout their Exodus journey. We will see that this will not be the last time that God’s people doubt God and His chosen leader.

And we see that in this, Moses responds clearly to the people. With great confidence in the Lord, he rebukes the people. He wants them to do three things that will help them see the truth that they are about to witness.

Fear not

Stand firm

See the salvation of the Lord

All of these things show one truth. God will fight for you. Moses then rebukes very clearly with verse 14 that they are to be silent. The ESV is a little better than some other translations in regards to saying “be still,” but the full force is still lacking. Eugene Peterson in his Message paraphrase says it like this:

Exodus 14:13–14 M:BCL

13 Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again. 14 God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

The Lord Fights (15-25)

In the fulfillment of the text, God rebukes Moses and the people and tells them to go forward. Why do you not trust me? Go, and I’m going to do exactly as I said I would.

The Lord protects His people

The differentiation is clear. The presence of God does two different things. One is to guide the people, giving them light. The other is to confuse the enemy, keeping them off the back of His people. The start reminder is that God will protect His people, His possession. The Enemy cannot defeat God or His people.

The Lord makes a way for His people

So well known is this act, but a couple of things need to be highlighted. The miraculous nature of this event is often questioned, but the same God who created the world by mere words can also cause a sea to part. The way this sea is parted is by a strong east wind that opens up the water overnight. Contrary to how popular media has portrayed this, the water was walled up over time.

But what we see theologically is again, God makes a way for His people to be delivered. God saves and does all of the work. Yes, Moses is the agent of this miracle, as he holds out his staff over the water, but it is purely God’s power that causes this. He doesn’t give the Israelites swords and armor to fight back. No, he has a plan to wipe them out himself and save His people. They would cross over for their deliverance.

The Lord stops the Enemy

Pharaoh and the Egyptian army pursue, but God’s presence comes down on them and clogs the wheels. A realization is had by the Egyptians. Let us flee. God fights for them! A clear promise realized. This whole endeavor was to show who God is and that He is the only true God. He has defeated the god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself. His paltry army is nothing compared to His powerful hand.

The Lord delivers (26-30)

Moses and God’s people are on the other side of the sea, God commands Moses to outstretch his hand and make the water come back to where it was. The water envelopes Pharaoh and his army, drowning them in the sea. The pride of Egypt, one of the gods of Egypt, dead and defeated. The Enemy is defeated in full. Yahweh is God. Judgement has been incurred because of their rebellion, their enslavement, and attempts to kill God’s people.

Isaiah 51:9–10 ESV

9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? 10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?

God’s people have been saved. And God did all of it. He fought for His people. There is no other explanation. We have been saved from the dragon, the Enemy, Satan himself.

And salvation is found in God alone for us. We don’t ask the question here of “how does the Exodus apply to my hardships today.” Rather, we want to ask the question, “What do I light of knowing that God has already won the battle?”

Jesus our Deliverer

Jesus the perfect Israel, but also, the prophet like Moses. The mediator between Israel and God was Moses. He was like God, but was also one fo the people. Jesus is God and was made like one His own to mediate salvation.

Jesus also is the one who leads his people out of slavery. The chosen Messiah delivers through His own death and resurrection. IT is through the baptism we have in Christ, performed by the Holy Spirit in our hearts of regeneration by faith, that we have passed through our own Exodus. From death to life. From sin to righteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:1–4 ESV

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

Jesus says this clearly that we have passed from judgment into life.

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Application: To remember that our salvation is all of God. We look to Jesus, that through our own baptism ( a picture of our spiritual reality) communicates that it is through Christ, who led us from slavery to life, a new Exodus. We would do well to remember and dwell on this very fact in thankfulness. Jesus won the battle. WE do not fight a battle at the moment, for it has already been won. We have no fear of death, for death has been swallowed up by Jesus himself. We have no fear of the Enemy, because at teh cross and the resurrection of Jesus, his fate was sealed and His head was crushed. So we proclaim clearly from our own mouths that Jesus alone saves. Not our own doing. Not our own attempts to fight and deliver ourselves. Jesus is the source and deliverer Himself. He is the greater Moses who led us from death to life. Do you know Him?

II. Glory to God Alone (30-31)

The Israelites are going to expand upon this in the next chapter, but hear this. The Lord saved. He brought salvation and judgment, and was fully righteous in doing so. Israel saw the great power of God. They feared him and believed him.

That is the intention of God for all of us and every human being on the planet. That they would recognize that He is Lord, that He alone saves, and that we would believe Him.

So rather than try to show you how Egypt is some particular hardship and difficulty you are dealing with, I think this text should cause us to do two things:

Increase in our love for Jesus:

He won the battle. And because He won the battle for my soul, I rest in Him. I fear and believe in His promises. I trust His guiding hand. The supreme love of your life shouldn’t be your spouse, your children, your friends, or even your church. Its Jesus. Then all of those things flow out of that love, the love of a Savior who gave His life for you.

That love for Jesus is also a life of baptism, passing from life to death. We live on the other side, redeemed. Our lives are now dedicated to loving, redeeming Savior who delivered our souls from eternal death. WE declare allegiance that we are His people, but all of His own doing!

Increase in our love for His Gospel and glory:

Do you love His Gospel? And if we love it, are we loving others by sharing that victory is won by Jesus, who leads us on this greater Exodus. The most glory that Jesus receives is when He saves a sinner by His grace. Why? Because He did everything to save. When we repent and trust in Jesus, when the lost around us repent and believe, Jesus’ glory shines the brightest. He saved lost and wretched sinners like you and me.

The glory of God, and, as our only means to glorifying him, the salvation of souls, is the real business of life.

C. S. Lewis

Is this the business of the church today? We see it all around. We see how churches can cater to the wants and needs of people rather than addressing their greatest need. Salvation of their souls. And before we think that this is only a modern contemporary church model, we must ask ourselves, is our purpose that to go and see souls saved?

So we need to ask the hard questions? Do we operate with a maintaining mentality? Make sure we have enough people in the seats. Make sure enough money is in the bank. Make sure we entertain ourselves. Or are we operating with a giving mentality?

What do I mean by that? Are we solely focused on giving away the Gospel? Do we give it all so that lost people will be saved? If we say we want to glorify Jesus, we should be proclaiming the Good News that the battle has been won. Trust in Him. That’s the commission. Go and make disciples. There is lost all around us. And every thing we do should be supporting that end, that the Gospel is declared and disciples are made. Disciples go and make more disciples. Disciples know the battle has been won. Dis