The crossing of the Red Sea is definitely one of the major historical events that could be categorized as something God is indeed famous for. The economy of Egypt had been devastated by 10 judgements. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were told to ask the Egyptians for gold and silver. The Egyptians were so glad they were leaving, that they emptied their pockets, so to speak, and the Israelite’s plundered Egypt.

The last thing Egypt had was its army. The Israelites had gone into the wilderness several days march and were hemmed in between water and mountains on either side. They were caught in what looked like a perfect trap. They saw no way out. They panicked and said stupid things like, “Dang, we should have stayed in Egypt, safely as slaves!” They still didn’t see that all God had done was meant to make it patently clear that He loved them, was caring for them, and was rescuing them. He had NOT brought them out into the wilderness to have them slaughtered by their ancient slave-masters.

When people are first presented with the full message of the Gospel, they are made painfully aware that, spiritually, they are dead in their sin, without God and without hope in the world. There is no way they can restore themselves to God in the relationship they were created for. Without God’s intervention His grace, they are doomed. BUT…God has made a way.

The waters were parted, piling up mountainously on either side, making a way for the Israelites to walk through on dry land, which they did, following Moses through to the other side.

Oh, when God led them out of Egypt, His Presence was visible in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of firs by night. The word in Hebrew that is translated “pillar” is more like an umbrella than a pole. During the day in the wilderness, you could bake. God provided covering from the heat during the day. At night, you could die of exposure, so God provided light to travel by and heat to keep them warm. So, at the sea, God’s Presence went from in front of Israel to behind them, blocking the Egyptians from getting anywhere close to God’s people until they were all safely through the parted waters.

THEN, God moved His Presence and the Egyptians saw the way through the water and pursued the Israelites to slaughter them. They were blind with rage against God’s people and followed to their doom. The waters swept over them and drowned the whole army, chariots and all. There were none left alive

God made a way for all humanity to return to Him. When Jesus Christ was crucified on that Roman cross, He took into Himself the sum-total of the sin of humanity for all time, once and for all. Satan thought he had thwarted God’s plan to rescue humanity and all the forces of hell stormed Jesus on the cross. Jesus opened Himself to absorb it all: all the sickness, injustice, and horror, all that death contained, all that sin was, every enumerated wrong-doing humanity had ever committed.

Satan and his demons thought they had won, until they “heard” the door shut behind them and the lock “click” closed. Jesus cried out, “It is finished”. He had won absolute victory over sin, death, hell and the grave. There was not one sin left unatoned for. God defeated His foes and anything that could ever separate us from His love. He offered it as He had promised He would’ His gift of grace received through faith. Read Colossians 2:13-15!