Session 2: The Sea

Session Overview

Creedal Statement

Coming soon.

Key Elements

• Key Passage - Exodus 13:17–15:21
• Scripture Memory - He saved them from the hand that hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. Psalm 106:10
• Catechism - Q: What do we celebrate in baptism? A: Liberation/New Freedom. Initiation into covenant community; beginning of Christian life.

Introduction

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

After that final destruction of the Egyptians, and the terrible overthrow of the mighty pursuing army in the Red Sea, that the rest of the Egyptians feared lest the Hebrews should return, and with great ease crush the relics of them: illustrating … that He made His people stronger than their enemies.

Christians are called to express their faith in Christ both as individuals and as communities. As much as coming to faith in Christ transforms our lives, it also ushers us into the community of faith. Through forgiveness of sins, cleansing from shame, removal of guilt, and freedom from bondage, divine salvation brings about personal transformation in the lives of all who place their faith in Christ. Common belief in Christ unites believers together into a community of faith, an alternative society whose full loyalty and unreserved devotion is to their liberating king, Jesus. Freedom in Christ involves a supernatural change in one’s spiritual condition and a dynamic shift in one’s community status. Importantly, our entire faith is dependent upon God’s redemptive and liberating work on our behalf. The outgrowth of divine redemption is a life of spiritual devotion and worship that is expressed, cultivated, and nurtured in both individual devotees and communities of faith.

The sequence of liberation leading to devotion is vital to the Christian faith. No human can muster commitment to God by his own strength. Christian devotion is predicated on God’s gracious redemptive and liberating act on our behalf. Disciples of Christ do not endear themselves to their Creator by preemptive displays of allegiance. Rather, genuine believers express devotion to Christ in response to God’s proactive and powerful saving work in their lives. God initiates his redemptive work on our behalf when we had nothing to offer him. The unparalleled strength of the divine arm works wonders in vanquishing God’s enemies, liberating his people from bondage, securing redemption, and vindicating God’s own glory. Upon being recipients of God’s gracious work of salvation, we yield ourselves to his service.

Recorded in Exodus 13:17–15:21, the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and crossing of the Red Sea depicts and celebrates new freedom in God’s redemption. Guided by God’s presence with the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, Israel was called to trust God’s shepherding presence in their journey of faith. As marching Egyptian armies pursued the Israelites and cornered them near the wilderness and the sea, God used a seemingly impossible situation to demonstrate his glory, renown, and sovereign plan. Providing rear defense for the Israelites and a miraculous separation of waters, God demonstrated the might of his saving power. In response to God’s saving work, Israel celebrated in song, music, dance, and confession of God’s praiseworthy character and glorious salvation. As the story of the exodus exhibits, Christian devotion involves a transfer of allegiance. Beneficiaries of God’s saving work, Christians have traded our loyalties from the harsh and brutal taskmasters of a former life and pledged our new allegiance to the one and only true God as sovereign King and ultimate Master.

But this redemption is far more than God’s work in individual lives. Certainly, God’s redemption brings about personal effect in those who come to saving faith. All this being true, God’s redemptive work also involves God’s agenda to redeem a people—a whole community of faithful—to a reconciled relationship with himself. In this way, the story of the exodus depicts the godly devotion of a community of faith. Inasmuch as this narrative also foreshadows baptism—the redeemed Israelites passing through the divided waters—we see how this Christian rite of passage is an initiation into a covenant community as much as it is a proclamation of God’s saving work. As we explore this passage in more detail, may we be amazed at God’s redemptive actions on Israel’s behalf, a saving work he has continued throughout human history and that has culminated in the work of Christ on the cross.

Biblical Interpretation: Hearing the Word

Study the Text: The Bible is God’s inspired word to his people. Christian disciples mature in the faith when they are grounded in God’s word. In this movement, you will study the basic details of the biblical text.

Observation Questions

Read (or listen to) the whole passage of Scripture. Discuss the questions below for each section of the story. Pay attention to the details of the text to recall what the passage is saying. Use the focus verses to guide your conversation.

Storycraft

Retell the story in your own words, recounting the overall flow of the narrative, the main segments of the story, and the major developments that take place.

Narrative Elements

Story Retell

Theological Dialogue: Discussing the Plot

Explore the Text: God’s word is his trustworthy and sufficient revelation to his people. We grow as Christ’s disciples by rooting our lives in God’s unchanging truth. In this movement, you will explore vital teachings of this biblical passage.

Discussion Questions

Summarize the biblical story. As a community, discuss the following questions. Be attentive to the truths taught in this text. Use the commentary on the next pages to uncover core principles this passage teaches about the Christian faith.

Biblical Commentary

Use this commentary to help you understand the meaning of the text. Refer to the infographic on the next page to think through how narratives work.

Passage Introduction

Key Idea

Christian baptism announces God’s liberating work, joining God’s people together as the community of the redeemed.

Passage Overview

God’s saving work on Israel’s behalf was a divine feat that God alone could accomplish. Bringing about Israel’s freedom from harsh bondage, God led his people in their journey of faith. While he orchestrated events that caused Egypt to pursue and corner them near the sea, God used this circumstance to showcase his sovereign plan, glorious renown, and mighty power. Through his servant Moses, God parted the waters of the Red Sea, gave Israel passage through the sea on dry ground, and collapsed the waters upon Israel’s enemies. Setting forth an example for the community of faith in all generations, Moses, Miriam, and the Israelites gave praise to God in song, dance, and music. From this narrative, we learn that our devotion to Christ is based upon God’s liberating work, symbolized in Christian baptism, and expressed through community practices. As you explore this true historical record of the divine liberation of the ancient Israelites, use the following commentary to help guide your thinking about the biblical account and scriptural teaching on Christian devotion.

Passage Outline

1. Freedom from Egypt Exodus 13:17–22
2. At the Red Sea Exodus 14:1–14
3. Across the Red Sea Exodus 14:15–31
4. Celebration of Liberation Exodus 15:1–21

Through the Sea

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

But if a man asks me, he shall hear not of Egypt nor of Pharaoh; but of our deliverance from the deceit of demons and the darkness of the devil: not of Moses but of the Son of God; not of a Red Sea but of a Baptism overflowing with ten thousand blessings, where the “old man” is drowned.

Introduction

God’s redemptive work on behalf of his people is definitive, dynamic, and enduring. Salvation in Christ is a liberating work that decisively effectuates freedom from bondage—freedom from sin, Satan, death, and all evil. More than a mere change in status, this definitive work of redemption is life-altering. Through his power and enabling grace, God brings a total transformation in the lives of his people—once enslaved but now freed, once sinners but now saints, once separated from God but now reconciled to God. This liberated status and transformed life represent an enduring and ongoing reality—a new creation existence—for the community of faith. Marked by God’s gracious intervention in their lives, God’s people are freedmen and freedwomen in the Lord—emancipated from a burdensome and onerous life of slavery to serve the living God in newfound and unfettered freedom.

Although God’s supernatural work of salvation is the defining mark of God’s people, God’s people are called to live out their redeemed life of faith in continued growth and progressive maturity. The decisive work of divine liberation should be followed by an ongoing development of faith progress. Freed by Christ’s redemptive work, believers do enter the life of faith fully formed. While God’s saving work brings a definitive and discernible change in our lives, we must learn to forsake our former lives of sin and bondage. Devotion to Christ needs to be cultivated. Faith needs to be nurtured. Communities need formation. It takes time for newly liberated believers to get their bearings as they learn what it means to be God’s freed people. The historical event of Christ’s saving work on the cross is applied to believers in a transformative encounter with God, which, in turn, initiates them into a redemptive community and ongoing process of faith maturity. This ongoing progress in faith can aptly be described as a life of increasing devotion and worship.

The biblical account of Exodus 13:17–15:21 records Israel’s liberation from Egyptian captivity. Foreshadowing Christ’s work on the cross and Christian baptism, the story of the exodus highlights God’s redemptive work in liberating his people from slavery, guiding them with his faithful presence, utilizing them in his sovereign plan, delivering them with his mighty power, and displaying his incomparable glory. The narrative retells how God led his people out of Egypt with a pillar of cloud and fire, luring Egypt to pursue the escaped Israelites, bringing Israel across the parted waters of the Red Sea on dry ground, and destroying the panicked Egyptian armies as the divided walls of water returned upon them. This scriptural account is a true, historical narrative of God forming his people into a devoted community of faith through gracious liberation and divine rescue.

Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years, oppressed by harsh taskmasters (Exodus 1:1–22). God raised up Moses to be an instrument of deliverance for his people (2:1–4:17). As God’s chosen deliverer, Moses went to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh let the Israelites go free (4:18–6:30). Pharaoh’s hard heart refused and God sent ten plagues that humbled, humiliated, and defeated Egypt, eventually prompting Pharoh to set the Israelites free (7:1–12:51). Upon receiving their divinely-secured liberation, Israel would venture across a daunting threshold—crossing a liminal boundary that transitioned them from slavery to freedom—that would mark their newfound deliverance. A milestone of emancipation, Israel’s exodus from Egypt would involve crossing the Red Sea on dry ground by God’s miraculous intervention. As we will see in the narrative that follows, this episode in Israel’s life would punctuate their freedom and initiate their new life in service to God. While the exodus certainly serves as a picture of God’s deliverance, it also helps the community of faith in all generations understand devotion to Christ. In particular for Christians, it is a miraculous work foreshadowing Christian baptism.

Highlighting God’s liberation of the Israelites, this story emphasizes that the foundation of all Christian devotion is God’s gracious work of salvation on our behalf. Israel’s passage through the waters of the Red Sea marked them as a redeemed community, a people of God’s own possession. The exodus narrative also foreshadowed Christian baptism as a symbolic rite of passage from the life of bondage to the life of freedom—from a people of slavery to a community of the redeemed. In general terms, the scriptural account of this landmark event also provides important teachings about a life fully devoted to God. By highlighting community practices and emphasizing the importance of God’s glory, this biblical record is fundamental for a mature Christian faith and an undivided devotion to Christ. As we explore this significant text, may our minds be renewed, our hearts encouraged, and our spirits strengthened to faithfully live out our identity as God’s redeemed and liberated people.

At the Edge of the Wilderness: Learning to Follow God’s Faithful Presence

Biblical Narrative (Exodus 13:17–22)

After centuries of bondage, Israel had gained freedom from oppression, slavery, and evil enemies. God’s powerful demonstration through the ten plagues brought about Israel’s liberation. After the tenth plague, Pharaoh “let the people go” from their Egyptian bondage (13:17) and God intentionally “led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea” (13:18). While God could have led Israel into the promised land through a more direct and more expedient route—“along the road through the land of the Philistines” (13:17)—he did not do so. As new initiates in their life of freedom, Israel had to mature. It would not suit them well to take a route that was “shorter” (13:17). Had God led them into the battle to take the promised land, the people would “face war” and “change their minds and return to Egypt” (13:17). Even though Israel’s newfound freedom would require a process of growth and development, God would not entirely shield them from the challenges that lay ahead. Inasmuch as challenge and opposition can mature faith, Israel left their old life of slavery “arrayed for battle” (13:18), ready to live out their liberated life as a community of faith devoted to God and his purposes in the world.

Fulfilling the prophecy given by the patriarch Joseph, the exodus from Egypt accomplished God’s promise to visit his people with a gracious, powerful, and delivering arm (13:19). Israel left Egypt and moved to “the edge of the wilderness” (13:20). God did not leave Israel to fend for herself. God “went before them” (13:21), shepherding Israel with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Faithful to his people, “neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people” (13:22). As God acted decisively on Israel’s behalf through the power of the plagues, he continued to lead, guide, and sustain his people with his faithful presence.

Biblical Principles

Journey of Faith. Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea was an initiation into a community of faith and an inauguration of new life devoted to God. Israel had been “let go” (13:17). They were no longer the property of Egyptian taskmasters; rather, they belonged to the gracious and forgiving God. Freed and emancipated, the Israelites were God’s redeemed people. Because their master had changed, the trajectory of their lives had also changed. The Israelites no longer belonged in Egypt (13:17–19). They “left the land of Egypt” (13:18) to enter a promised land. The people were to travel “from this place” (13:19) of bondage and not return (13:17). In this opening to the narrative, the post-liberation life of faith is depicted as a journey. The Israelites were to trek on a God-appointed “way” (13:21). Their movements were described as leaving (13:18), setting out (13:20), encamping (13:20), and traveling (13:21). Their free life would be marked by pilgrimage. This would be no casual walk to a new homeland. The people left Egypt liberated, but also left it “arrayed for battle” (13:18). God would use the wilderness journey to equip his people for the battles that lay ahead. From human eyes, their route seemed a roundabout way (13:18) in the wilderness (13:18, 20). God intentionally brought his people on a longer route so that as they matured in their faith, they would be ready to face battle without changing their minds and returning to Egypt (13:17).

God’s saving work is a decisive act of liberating grace that transforms one’s status, community, mission, and life. As Christians come to faith in Christ, they experience a newfound freedom, join a new community, participate in a new work, and enjoy a new lifestyle and life direction. Like Israel’s rescue from Egypt, believers in Christ also live out their faith like a journey or pilgrimage. After believers experience God’s redemption, it is important for them to grow in their faith, maturing in their new identity as God’s freed people. This freedom is to be experienced, exercised, and enjoyed with other freedmen and freedwomen. Consequently, individual believers are initiated into a new community of faith. Community life involves participation in God’s work in the world. Although believers are not defined by Israel’s warfare, disciples of Christ are engaged in a spiritual battle for the progress of the gospel throughout the world. Believers embrace their new identity, community, and mission with a new life orientation, trekking through this earthly existence toward a promised homeland that will be the fullest expression of freedom and liberty. Thankfully, God does not send his people on this faith pilgrimage without his guarding and guiding presence.

God’s Presence. The Israelites experienced liberation because of God’s gracious and supernatural intervention in their lives. The Israelites also trekked toward the promised land with God’s presence. After Pharaoh let the Israelites go, God actively led the community of faith (13:17–18, 21). Not left to their own resources, the Israelites journeyed in the wilderness where God offered his continued presence to his people. God had visited his people (13:19), God went before his people (13:21), God illuminated the path for his people (13:21), and God’s presence did not depart from his people (13:22). A God of provision and care, God sustained his people in the wilderness. A God of providence and nearness, God led his people through the difficult and dangerous terrain of the wilderness.

When we offer ourselves to God, we are asserting a change of allegiance. No longer loyal to the brutal taskmasters of our former sinful life, we are now in the service of a good, generous, and gracious God. The character of our liberating God marks the character of faith. This passage shows us that the life of devotion is founded upon a deep trust in God’s presence. God’s continued presence with, before, and among his people is the sustaining hope of a Christian’s life. God’s intervening presence brings about our liberation, his sovereign presence guarantees the good promises of his plan come to fruition, his illuminating presence guides our every step, and his faithful presence endures with us always. Devotion to God is not a fleshly undertaking of mere human grit or manufactured commitment. Rather, our devotion is built upon the fact that God abides with his people—sustaining, guiding, leading, illuminating, and equipping.

Past and Present. Israel’s liberation from slavery was marked by God’s past acts of faithfulness and future promises of faithfulness. That Moses took Joseph’s bones from Egypt was a fulfillment of a divine promise, a testament to God’s faithfulness to his people and his word: “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place” (13:19). God’s faithfulness in the past was an encouragement that he would be faithful to his people in the future. As the Israelites left Egypt, God promised to go “before them,” “to guide their way by day,” and “to give them light by night” (13:21). Christian devotion incubates in the context of God’s faithfulness to his people. Devotion to God is not measured by human capacity or spiritual dynamism. The grace that initiated one’s salvation is the grace that sustains it. Christians ever live between God’s acts of grace in the past and his continued care of his people in the future.

Initiation and Inauguration. Although not a strict rite of passage like Christian baptism, the exodus story foreshadows this Christian initiation into the community life of faith and devotion. Israel stood before the impressive waters of the Red Sea, marking their transition from one status and reality to another. The Red Sea represented a liminal moment, a threshold moment that would visibly mark their new identity and new life as God’s emancipated people. As Israel experienced new life after the Red Sea, Christian baptism inaugurates the journey of faith. It orients Christians on a path toward being established in maturity, equipped for God’s purposes in the world, and exposed to God’s continued care for his people. Not meant to be experienced alone, this baptism also joins believers together as a unified people of God. It sets forward the Christian’s life as a pilgrimage of wilderness wanderings, a sojourn of faith in which God shepherds his people by the light of his very presence.

You Have Only To Be Silent: Coming to Trust God’s Sovereign Plan

Biblical Narrative (Exodus 14:1–14)

Having brought his people out of Egypt by his powerful arm and under his shepherding care, God told Israel to set up camp by the sea (14:1–2). These instructions meant Israel had to relocate and set up camp again (cf. 13:20). After liberation from Egyptian bondage, Israel would become a people on pilgrimage. Foreshadowing their wilderness journeys, God told Moses that Pharaoh would say that Israel was “wandering the land in confusion” (14:3). Pharaoh would consider Israel in a vulnerable position: “the wilderness has boxed them in” (14:3). Even though Pharaoh had let the Israelites go free, his heart would become hardened—in this instance, God would harden it—and the Egyptian leader would pursue the emancipated Israelites (14:4). God wanted this pursuit to happen so that he would “gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army” (14:4). God would demonstrate his glory in this way for the following reason: “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord” (14:4). The enemy would try to reclaim his freed slaves, but God would vanquish his efforts and reassert this divine supremacy as a gracious and powerful deliverer. What looked like an opportunity to (re)enslave a trapped and vulnerable people would prove to be the enemy’s own undoing.

Israel followed God’s command (14:4) and Pharaoh did as God forewarned (cf. 14:4). God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (14:8), Pharaoh changed his mind about releasing the Israelites (14:5), and Pharaoh pursued the Israelites (14:8). He marshaled his army with hundreds of chariots and officers (14:6) to go after his former slaves (14:8). Eventually, Pharaoh’s army came to the Israelites who had set up camp at the sea (14:9). As their enemies approached, the Israelites saw the marching army and “they were terrifired” (14:10). Overwhelmed by fear, the Israelites “cried out to the Lord” (14:10). The frightened Isralites also complained to Moses. They questioned why he would have brought them out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die?” (14:11). They told Moses that they had asked to be left alone in Egypt and said that it “would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (14:12). In response, Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the Lord’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today” (14:13). God’s appointed deliverer told the Israelites that God would come to their aid: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (14:14). God would win such a powerful victory over the Egyptians that the Israelites would never see them again (14:13).

Biblical Principles

Divine Intervention. For Israel and God’s people of all ages, God powerfully intervenes on behalf of his people. God not only orchestrates the affairs of human history but tends to the events in each human life. Calling Israel to multiple moves and encampments (14:1–2; cf. 13:20) would be yet another opportunity for God to defeat and disgrace Pharaoh. This roundabout wandering would also serve to accentuate God’s divine purposes and display God’s glory. From a human vantage point, Israel’s movements could have appeared aimless, foolish, or cowardly. In fact, Pharaoh viewed the Israelite movements as confused and unstrategic (14:3). Since God had instructed Israel to move in this way, the apparent tactical errors would only galvanize God’s control over the situation. Through these circuitous movements, God’s sovereign plan was accomplished, a plan which magnified his glory and highlighted his renown as the one and only true God (14:4). God’s plan was accomplished, his might was exhibited, and his glory was revealed. Neither the mighty armies of Pharaoh (14:6–7), the stubborn intransigence of this enemy king (14:8–9), nor the fear-inducing march of a pursuing adversary (14:10) would be able to challenge God. God’s saving power fights for his people and works on their behalf (14:13–14). God vindicates his glory, rescues his people, and judges his enemies in a great act of redemptive power.

Faith. The various responses in this part of the narrative invite us to faith in God. Pharaoh’s hard heart (14:4–5, 8) and misplaced overconfidence (14:3) represent a heart opposed to God. Israel’s fear (14:10) and complaint (14:11–12) depict underlying doubt and unbelief. These negative examples highlight the vanity of confidence in human flesh. Pharaoh’s daunting army in hostile pursuit of the Israelites (14:8–10) was no match for the warrior God on the side of Israel (14:13–14). Faith is settled trust in God to intervene on our behalf—to “not be afraid” (14:13), to “stand firm” (14:13), and to “be still” (14:13). Faith is confidence in God’s work on behalf of his people. God “will accomplish” (14:13) a mighty work for his people. God “will fight” (14:14) for his people. In particular, trust in God allows God’s people to experience “the Lord’s salvation” (14:13). Christians give themselves to God in full devotion with a firm knowledge that God defends them with the strength of his might. Our devotion to God is proportionate to our trust in God’s sovereign plan, our concern for God’s unparalleled glory, and our confidence in God’s mighty power. In total, a life of worship is not what we do for God. Rather, worship is a response to God’s faithful and saving work on our behalf. When we realize that our salvation is a part of God’s eternal plan and purposes, we more willingly yield ourselves to his service. Confidence in God’s past acts—in our lives or in redemptive history—builds our confidence to trust God for his future work.

Redeemed Community. In Christian baptism, believers express faith in God’s sovereign work in their lives. In faith, believers partake in God’s victorious work to decisively defeat the enemy—“The Egyptians you see today, you will never see again” (14:13). God’s victory over evil is conclusive. Victory is sure. Triumph will inevitably be achieved. Salvation is guaranteed. While baptism does not effectuate salvation, it does memorialize salvation that God graciously procured. The waters of baptism celebrate God’s victory over evil. To enter the church community is to become a member of the redeemed. Like the Israelites, each person who experiences God’s redemption is summoned to the waters. Israel passed through the waters of the Red Sea as a liberated people; Jesus’ disciples go through the waters of Christian baptism as redeemed people. For believers in Christ, baptism is a tribute to God’s sovereign plan, decisive redemption, gracious salvation, and unparalleled glory. As a rite of passage into the Christian life and Christian community, baptism is a means to testify to the sovereignly orchestrated events through which God rescues his people for his glory.

Crossing Between the Waters: Bearing Witness to God’s Saving, Mighty Power

Biblical Narrative (Exodus 14:15–31)

Seemingly trapped between an impenetrable sea and a fierce Egyptian army, Israel appeared to be in desperate straits. After Israel expressed her fearful apprehensions and Moses enjoined them to faithful trust, God instructed Moses to “tell the Israelites to go forward” (14:15). He told his servant Moses to lift up his staff and stretch it over the sea to separate its waters (14:16). God had said that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart to pursue Israel (14:4, 8). Now, in a kind of double hardening, God told Moses that he would “harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them” (14:17). The Egyptians would go in between the parted waters in hostile pursuit of the Israelites. What the Egyptians imagined as an aggressive and relentless advance would end up being a calloused, naive, and unsuspecting move that would result in their own deaths. As God had already said (cf. 14:4), he repeated to Moses that he would bring a swift victory over Israel’s enemies in a way that would give God glory and cause these enemies to know that God is the true God (14:17–18). In his sovereign genius, God was providing for Israel’s sure deliverance in a way that set up Egypt’s certain demise and magnified God’s unparalleled glory.

At this point, the angel and pillar of cloud, which had both been before Israel, went behind them (14:19), coming “between the camps of Egypt and Israel” (14:20). In the face of a threatening army, God sovereignly provided a multifaceted defense for his people. With the angel standing guard and an intervening cloud standing between the groups, the two sides did not come near each other all night (14:20). While God guarded at their rear, Moses stretched his hand over the sea (14:21). God sent a strong wind which drove the waters back from each other and made a pathway through the sea: “The Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land” (14:21). With walls of water on either side, the Israelites passed through the sea on dry ground (14:22). God had performed a miracle in Israel’s great moment of need. No predicament could threaten God’s redemptive intentions.

The Egyptian army came in between the walled waters, pursuing the Israelites on the dry seabed (14:23). Although Pharaoh had earlier maligned Israel as a confused and wandering community (cf. 14:3), God “threw their camp into confusion” (14:24) and clogged the wheels of their chariots (14:25). In dread over their own plight, the Egyptians called for a retreat acknowledging the Lord’s work on behalf of the Israelites: “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt” (14:25; cf. 14:14). By God’s command, Moses stretched his hand over the sea again (14:26–27). With the Israelites safely across the other side on dry ground (14:29), the divided walls of waters went back and killed all of the Egyptian army (14:26–28). This moment would be a defining moment for Israel and the people of God for all subsequent history. At this time, “the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians” (14:30). While this was certainly a divine deliverance that would magnify God’s glory, it also served as a formative moment in Israel’s faith. The victory over Egypt was final and undeniable: God orchestrated this deliverance such that “Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore” (14:30) and “Israel saw the great power that the Lord had exercised over the Egyptians” (14:31). They were witnesses of his mighty power and miraculous salvation. As a result, the Israelites had come to faith: “The people feared the Lord and believed in Him and in His servant Moses” (14:31). God’s mighty act of deliverance had rescued his people, magnified his glory, and ushered his people to faith.

Biblical Principles

Divine Might and Salvation. God’s mighty power acts on behalf of his people. He caused the waters of the sea to divide (14:16, 21) and made a path of dry ground (14:16, 22) for Israel to escape their adversaries. Using his might to protect his people, God created a barrier between the Israelites and the Egyptians (14:19–20). God threw the Egyptian enemies into confusion (14:23–25), emphasizing his full and total control over the situation. Humorously, he even caused the chariot wheels to wobble (14:25). Israel’s well-being was secure in God’s safekeeping. With perfect timing, God caused the waters of the sea to crash upon the Egyptians to their prophesied demise (14:26–28). The Israelites made safe passage, and the Egyptian armies all died (14:28–29). In this crossing of the Red Sea, God’s saving power was put on display. Although the circumstances of our own salvation differ from Israel’s, the same divine power that parted the waters of the sea has acted on our behalf. In fact, with greater confidence than the Israelites, we can say that in Christ we can see “the great power that the Lord had exercised” (14:31). In Christ, “the Lord saved” (14:30) us from our enemies. The defeat of the Egyptians was complete (14:27–28), clear (14:30), and conclusive (14:31). The whole army was subsumed by the waters. Israel had even seen Egyptian caracasses wash ashore. And Israel realized God’s great power over their menacing enemies. God’s liberated people are witnesses of God’s redemptive work in human history and in their personal lives. Like Israel, we bear testimony to what we have seen God do in his saving work (14:30–31).

Faith and the Fear of God. Much like our devotion to Christ matures with a deeper understanding of God’s sovereign plan and unparalleled glory, so our devotion grows as we come to understand God’s saving work on our behalf. As Israel could not accomplish their own rescue, so no human can bring about their own redemption. We are dependent upon God to bring about our salvation. We receive this salvation by belief in Christ’s saving work. Our response to God’s saving work through Christ is the same as Israel’s response: “The people feared the Lord and believed in Him and in His servant Moses” (14:31). Devotion is built upon faith—a holy and healthy fear of God—in God’s salvation. At the level of the heart, in the sphere of community practice, or in the fabric of our lives, our devotion to Christ is only possible because he has graciously purchased us as his own.

Rite of Passage and Defeat of Evil. As a rite of passage, baptism is prefigured by the crossing of the Red Sea. The Israelite witness of the defeat of the Egyptians also foreshadows the witness of baptism. Israel’s movement “through the sea on dry ground” (14:16; cf. 14:22, 29; 15:19) was a transition from a land of slavery to a life of freedom. When Israel crossed the threshold of this barrier, they were certifying their salvation. Their passage from one side of the sea to the other involved a transition from a former life to a new life of the redeemed. Importantly, Israel had already been released into freedom (13:17), but did not experience true freedom until their enemies were defeated. When the Egyptian chase (14:23) turned into a retreat (14:27), these enemies could not escape God’s judgment. The eviscerated Egyptian army no longer presented a challenge to the Israelites. Importantly, the Israelites saw this defeat (14:30–31). The transit through the waters of the Red Sea represented a freedom from evil and the realization of a new life. While baptism in water does not bring about one’s actual salvation, it does mark one’s membership into the community of the redeemed. The Red Sea was a transitional marker—a liminal border for a time of transition—for Israel’s passage into new life. Baptism is an initiation rite of passage. Like passing through the waters of the Red Sea, the waters of Christian baptism visibly mark the defeat of evil, the freedom from slavery, and the transition from one life to another. Upon coming to faith in Christ, Christians get baptized to publicly announce their new allegiance to Christ and their new place in God’s faith community. In fact, baptism is a testimony to God’s saving work they have experienced for themselves. Once a part of the faith community, believers participate in building up the body of Christ as a community of worship.

Song and Dance: Responding to God’s Gracious Redemption

Biblical Narrative (Exodus 15:1–21)

In response to God’s gracious deliverance, Moses and the Israelite community sang a song to God: “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted” (15:1). Moses called the people to sing to God for his glorious victory over their Egyptian enemies. This was a song that praised God for his strength salvation (15:2). The lyrics of this song retold God’s delivering acts for his people in the exodus: “The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea” (15:1). In liberating Israel from Egypt, God was a warrior who fought for his people (15:3). The Egyptian armies were defeated in the sea by God’s glorious power (15:4–6). God’s great majesty overthrew Israel’s opponents and caused them to drown in the very sea that Israel crossed for salvation (15:7–10). In this great act of salvation, God showed himself as incomparable, “majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders” (15:11).

Not only did God deliver with his outstretched arm (15:12), but he led his people in steadfast love (15:13). The surrounding nations fell in terror of God’s powerful acts on Israel’s behalf (15:13–16). God had purchased his people as his own possession (15:16) and would establish them in his own abode and sanctuary (15:17). Truly, God was the sovereign and eternal King over Israel and all things (15:18).

By bringing the waters of the sea back upon the Egyptians, God had destroyed Israel’s enemies while Israel crossed the sea on dry ground (15:19). Responding to God’s liberating work, the sister of Aaron and Moses, Miriam, played a tambourine and led the women in music and dancing (15:20). As a part of this celebratory moment, Miriam sang the beginning of Moses’ song, “Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea” (15:21; cf. 15:1).

Biblical Principles

Praise and Worship. Israel responded to God in praise (15:2) and exaltation (15:2). In this biblical narrative, God’s divine acts brought about glorious redemption (15:2) and established the Israelites as the redeemed people of God (15:17). Having experienced God’s redemption, the Israelite community responded in worship with song, music, and dance. This time of celebration offered God praise (15:2), retelling the exodus narrative and asserting truths about God’s incomparable character (15:2, 3, 7, 11, 13), saving actions (15:1, 4–7, 8–10, 12, 21), great renown (15:14–16), and eternal rule (15:18). We are to emulate Israel’s example. God is to be worshipped because of his divine acts in human history. We are also to worship God for his work of salvation in our own lives. Praise, exaltation, and worship are fitting responses for the beneficiaries of divine redemption.

Community Celebration. This passage highlights the importance of community worship: “Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord” (15:1), and “Miriam the prophetess … and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing” (15:20). God’s people should worship God as individuals and as communities. These two spheres of worship are mutually edifying. Community celebration of God’s gracious salvation in the gathered assembly develops devotion in individual Christians. Vibrancy in individual worship stokes the flames of worship in the community of faith. As Christians, we need to be regularly reminded (and remind others) of God’s saving work on our behalf. More than just superficial remembrance, however, we need to call our whole being to celebrate God’s redemption. Giving ourselves to regular celebration helps galvanize anew our devotion to Christ in heart, life, and relationship. In fact, the regular practice of community celebration of new life in Christ is a witness in and of itself to the watching world (15:14–16).

Community Practices. Time-tested community disciplines foster Christian worship. In addition to baptism, we also see several community practices that help to develop Christian devotion. In this capstone to the exodus narrative, song (15:1, 20–21), music (15:20), and dance (15:20) are used to usher the community of faith into a formative experience of worship. The music, lyrics, and dance in this post-exodus celebration invite the emotional, cognitive, and bodily aspects of humanity to express God’s praise. The melody, metric, and poetry of the song touch the depths of the inner person. The lyrics and content of the song build conviction around the truth of God’s redemptive work. In particular, the retelling of the narrative of God’s redemptive work—with all its repetition and figurative language—serves a confessional purpose. Moreover, the community dancing casts God’s people as actors in the drama of God’s redemption. These community practices—liturgical aspects of a Christian community’s gathered life together—are helpful components to a church’s formation and growth in devotion.

As a foreshadowing of Christian baptism, the exodus is a powerful picture of God’s mighty salvation, which reflects God’s praiseworthy character and activity. We offer ourselves to God in faith because he is worthy of our full devotion. As God has moved on our behalf in bringing us salvation, baptism is an expression of fully surrendering our whole being to God. In such surrender to God, we declare his majesty, goodness, steadfast love, greatness, strength, righteousness, and eternal reign. In particular, each disciple being baptized declares God’s kingship as a follower of Christ. On the other side of the parted waters of the Red Sea was a vibrant life of community worship. On the other side of the waters of baptism is a community of worship, devotion, and exuberant praise. The witness, life, and faith of God’s people are sustained and nourished in the context of this worshiping community. In this way, the act of baptism is a first act of worship and witness that sustains its continued acts of worship and witness.

Conclusion

The story of the exodus is of great significance to understand what it means to be a devoted follower of Christ. Serving as a foundation pillar to the faith, it recounts Israel’s freedom from Egyptian slavery, depicts Israel’s newfound freedom as a faith pilgrimage, emphasizes God’s sovereign plan coming to fruition, narrates God’s superlative power to bring salvation, and showcases a community of faith gathered in celebration of God’s gracious salvation. This story anticipates Christ’s saving work on the cross, the ultimate work of redemption and liberation. Moreover, it foreshadows Christian baptism, a rite of passage which announces a believer’s transition from the life of bondage to the life of freedom by faith in Christ.

As we attend to the details of this story, we can come to appreciate the design of God’s saving work. He does not expect humans to conjure up sufficient devotion in order to be reconciled to God. Instead, God takes the first move; he initiates a relationship with us by acting as our deliverer and shepherd. As we come to see the redemptive groundwork that God has laid—and laid ultimately in Christ—our devotion to Christ is a response of freely offering ourselves to the God who has given us freedom. This freedom, however, is not a freedom to self. It is not full and independent autonomy without a master. Instead, as Christian baptism symbolizes, our commitment to Christ in faith is a reception of freedom to a new master, no longer the harsh taskmasters of a former life, but a submission to God as a good and gracious master concerned for our well-being and his glory.

Session Synopsis

SESSION 2 SYNOPSIS
Liberation	In this passage, we learn about God’s liberation of his people. God told Moses that he would rescue Israel from the Egyptians. Pharaoh eventually released Israel from Egypt, but God hardened Pharaoh’s heart to pursue the Israelites. God sent an angel, and a pillar of fire (in the night) and cloud (in the day) to come between the Israelite and Egyptian camps. At that time, Moses stretched out his hand and God sent a wind that separated the waters of the Red Sea. The Israelites crossed over on dry land, and the Egyptians pursued them. When the Israelites crossed over, God sent the waters on top of the Egyptians and brought a complete victory over them. After crossing the Red Sea and witnessing the Egyptians’ defeat, Moses led Israel in a time of corporate song and worship. This passage foreshadows baptism and highlights what devotion looks like as a liberated people. A summary of this story’s principles is outlined below.
Liberation and Faith Journey	After being released from Egyptian slavery (13:17; 14:5), Israel had a life of pilgrimage and journey (13:17–18, 20–22; 14:1–3, 9).
God’s Presence	God acts on behalf of his people. When God intervenes in human predicament, people experience God’s presence (13:17–19, 21–22), God’s glory (14:4, 17–18), God’s power (14:21–22, 26–28, 31), God’s protection (14:19–20), and God’s sovereignty (14:24–25).
Salvation, Redemption, and Liberation	God works salvation (14:13, 30; 15:2), redemption (15:13), and liberation (13:17; 14:5) for his people. In saving his people, God also brings about the defeat of evil and enemies (14:13, 26–28, 30–31). Like God’s defeat of the Egyptians, God’s defeat of evil is complete (14:27–28), clear (14:30), and conclusive (14:31). God brings about full salvation by fighting for his people (14:14, 25).
Faith and Fear of God	God’s people receive his salvation and liberation by faith. In contrast to hardness of heart (14:4–5, 8), self-reliance (14:3), fear (14:10), and complaint (14:11–12) is a healthy fear of God and faith (14:13–14, 31).
Rite of Passage	Israel’s passage through the Red Sea on dry ground was a transition from one life to another (14:16, 22, 29; 15:19). Baptism marks a transition from an old life of slavery to a new life of faith in Christ. Baptism involves believers bearing witness to the great power and salvation they have experienced for themselves (14:30–31). As a rite of passage, baptism is an initiation into the community of faith and an inauguration of the life of faith.
Redemptive History	God works in history to redeem his people to make himself known to humanity (14:4). God’s faithfulness in the past is a sign of his faithfulness to his people in the present and future (13:19, 21).
Worship	A proper response to God’s liberating work is worship (15:2). God’s people worship God for incomparable character (15:2, 3, 7, 11, 13), saving actions (15:1, 4–7, 8–10, 12, 21), great renown (15:14–16), and eternal rule (15:18). Some community practices that help God’s people worship are song (15:1, 20–21), music (15:20), and dance (15:20). Christian worship can happen indivdiually and corporately. Both kinds of worship mutually strengthen the other. And both modes of worship edify believers in unique ways. Gathering Christian worship is a witness to the surrounding world (15:14–16; cf. 14:4). Baptism is an act of worship and devotion preparing disciples for subsequent acts of worship and devotion.

Personal Reflection: Entering the Story

Apply the Text: The word of God is binding and authoritative, the only reliable guide for faith and godliness. True disciples submit themselves to God’s word. In this movement, you will apply God’s word to your lives.

Reflection Questions

Encourage one person to share a testimony about how this story has impacted them so far. Use the reflection questions to examine your life in light of this biblical passage.

Spiritual Practice

Ministry Practice: Rehearsing the Script

Minister the Text: God’s word is living and active. Through God’s word, the Christian community is edified. In this movement, you will utilize the biblical passage to minister to other believers and build them up in their faith.

Application Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to minister this text to other believers.

Missional Outreach: Publicizing the Truth

Witness the Text: The Bible is a message of God’s gracious salvation to the world. In word and deed, God’s people proclaim the good news of the gospel. In this movement, you will use this biblical passage to reach out to unbelievers.

Strategy Questions

Reflect on the infographic below. Consider how you can use this passage to witness to the surrounding world. Use the suggested ideas to prime your imagination. Then, put together a plan to share this passage with unbelievers, Afterward, reflect on this mission experience.