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Dec. 22, 2005 
Ex 14 The Red Sea
Exo 14:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
Exo 14:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before
Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
We all, just like Israel, when we are born again, and become children of God, have to come to our own Red Seas.
Whether it's facing the sin in our hearts that we think we can't overcome, or whether it's a hard situation we are faced with
that we can't see any way out of ourselves. When things are so bad that man can't fix them, that is when God steps in and
is glorified, because when he fixes it no one else can take the credit.
Israel was directed to turn and encamp before the first place, between the 2nd place and the sea, AGAINST the third
place. You can always get extra insight into the spiritual application of what is written in the Old Testament by examining
the names of people and places and learning what they mean. Prayer also is invaluable in asking the Lord to open his word,
and help you understand it. That is one prayer he loves to answer and often, quickly. And didn't Paul say the Old Testament
was written for our learning, as examples, for us that we not go the way that they did, for upon us comes the end of the world?
Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust
after evil things, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
In light of these scriptures, and in light of the fact that Jesus used the Old Testament Scriptures
in Deuteronomy to put Satan in his place in Matt. 4, I want to learn. The Old Testatment is our schoolmaster. To bring us
to the end of ourselves. To show us, just like Israel, that we can not do anything without God, and it be right.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified
by faith.
Pi-hahiroth (1)the mouth; the pass of Hiroth
A place before, or at, which the Israelites encamped, at the close of the third march from Rameses, (the last place before
they crossed the Red Sea), when they went out of Egypt. Exo_14:2; Exo_14:9; Num_35:7-8. It is an Egyptian word, signifying "the place where sedge grows". But the ISBE says this:
Some attempts toward an Egyptian etymology for it have been made, but without much success. Since the meaning of the name
is unknown and no description of the place or its use is given, it is impossible to determine anything concerning the character
of Pi-Hahiroth, whether a city, a sanctuary, a fortress, or some natural feature of the landscape. So perhaps this means
they were coming out of nothingness. Out of a place of no hope, no strength, nothing. A place where they were not valued,
except for slave labor. A place where they meant nothing to their task masters.
Migdol (2)
a tower
The name of one of two places, on the eastern frontier of Egypt. 1. A Migdol is mentioned in the account of the Exodus,
Exo_14:2; Num_33:7-8, near the head of the Red
Sea. Israel encamped between Migdol and the sea. Having wells of water.
Baal-zephon (3)
the idol or possession of the north; hidden; secret
These people were coming out of an idolotrous, sinful, pagan land. They had grown up for centuries in a land
of idolatry. It had influence them deeper than they realized. They'd seen the rituals. The paintings of the idols on the walls,
in the tombs, on buildings. They knew of the Egyptians' sacrifice to so many different and various idols. Surely there were
some Israel secretly revered. Why else would they carry little statues out with them? And worship them secretly in their tents?
(Ezek. 20:8; Ps. 78:57-58; )
Ex. 32, when Moses is on the Mount with God, it only takes a few weeks before Israel is pressuring Aaron to
make them a god they can see, ready to give up on the Lord and Moses. Their heart always turned back to Egypt in every difficulty.
Every time of testing, they wanted to return back. Had they but known, if God had let them go back, the Egyptians would have
slaughtered them mercilessly in revenge, for the destruction wreaked on their land, and their children, by God, in delivering
his people.
Exo 14:3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
Exo 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them;
and I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
Verse 3:
Entangled in the Land: to involve, be entangled or perplexed.
Wilderness hath shut them in: desert shut up, surrender, close up, deliver up, give over or up, stopped.
Verse 4:
When God hardens someone's heart what does that word mean? In the Strong's Hebrew: fasten upon, seize, be strong,
strengthen, fortify, bind, restrain, conquer, make hard. The Lord says he will be honored upon Pharaoh and his people, and
here this word 'honored' means to be heavy, in a bad sense, burdensome, severe, more grievously afflict, lay heavily, harden,
bring honor to self, prevail, promote, stop.
When God brings people out of sin, the enemy will come after them and make a last ditch effort to get them back, to
overwhelm them. Not because he wants them back, but because he would rather destroy them than let God have them. He'd rather
see people dead and in hell than serving and loving God. It's interesting the place where Israel was encamped "before Baal-zephon,"
which means the idol or possession of the north; hidden, secret. The Israelites had grown up for hundreds of years in an idolatrous
culture. They saw how the Egyptians worshiped. They saw what the Egyptians worshiped. It must have had an influence on them.
But here, after God had sent plague after plague, against the land of Egypt and its gods, showing their total helplessness,
when his people have their back literally up against a sea, with no where to go, and a furious people bent on revenge, in
hot pursuit, the Lord proved he was all his people need. He shows them their idols they worship, the little gold statutes
they carried out with them, are useless. But they sadly, do not understand or get the message. When he saves us, he takes
us on a journey of discovery. He takes us from faith to faith, from image to image, from glory to glory. He is the Author
and Finisher of our faith. And in one sense, from image to image-could it be the images or idols in our hearts that he confronts
and shines the light on, so he can transform us from our images to HIS? In so doing, he teaches us about Him, who he is. How
much he loves us. How patient he is with us.
Thank you Father, for your breathtaking love.
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