Title: Miracle of the Red Sea
1. Words that begin
All people with three IQs have a bad habit of admitting what they understand and denying what they do not understand. That is why the Bible requires us to make a decision of faith before understanding. In other words, we ask you to believe that God created all things in the universe, including humans, provides His providence, and is in control of human life and death and the rise and fall of the nation. Only with that faith can we obey the Word of God, and we will experience the graceful wonders and miracles that appear to those who obey. At that time, one can transcend rational understanding and continue to obey and live a life of grace and a life of love based on grace.
Understanding the dilemma of the Red Sea in front and the mighty Egyptian army pursuing them behind them, Israel was terrified and complained and complained. It was a very natural attitude, both rationally and common sense. But Moses, who had faith, told him to stand still and watch God fight for Israel and save them.
2. Revelation of God
In a desperate crisis, Moses, who cried out with unchanging faith, rather than the fearful and resentful people, received a revelation from God.
First, to command the children of Israel to go forward. This revelation of God was really difficult to understand. If you prepare the ships to cross the Red Sea or tell them to go forward after all the waters of the Red Sea are drained, they can understand and obey. But God's revelation is a command to just go out toward the turbulent Red Sea.
In this case, what is needed is not reason, the ability to logically think and judge the reason of things, but faith to trust in the God of love and the power to save us from any crisis. We do not know how God will deal with us in crisis, and we do not know how to deal with the Red Sea or the Egyptian army, but it means that we must have faith in God's personal work.
Second, the command is to lift up the staff and stretch out their hands over the sea to part the Red Sea, so that Israel may walk on dry land in the midst of the sea. This revelation of God is also difficult to understand. Even in this case, not reason, which is the ability to logically think and judge the reason of things, but faith to trust in the power of God who creates and provides nature is necessary.
Third, it will harden the hearts of the Egyptians to pursue them as far as the Red Sea, so that they will be glorified by them as they perish, and only then will they know that the Egyptians are the real Jehovah.
Here, we can see the judgment of God, who hardened the Egyptians, who did not repent and did not believe in God even though they suffered ten plagues because not only the Egyptians, but also all the gods of Egypt could not withstand God. This is judgment on the surface, but behind it is the love of God who wants to be saved by realizing and believing who God the Savior is. A similar phenomenon can be seen in parents who scold their children for not studying and rotting their minds. The rebuke, “If you want to live like that, go out and die!” doesn't really mean you go out and die, but it means to behave like a student.
When God's revelation was over, the angel of God who was walking in front of the camp of Israel moved behind them, and the pillar of cloud that had guided them moved behind them and stood between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. There were clouds and darkness in the camp of Egypt, and the night was bright in the camp of Israel, so the Egyptian army could not come near Israel all night.
This amazing miracle was a very good opportunity for the Egyptian army to realize, repent, and believe only in God. If we had repented and believed in God at this golden opportunity, we would not only have escaped the destruction of being buried in the Red Sea, but we would have gained eternal life.
3. Moses Obeyed by Faith
Although Moses could not understand the command of God's revelation that he had received, either rationally or with common sense, he obeyed because he believed in God. When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, that is, when he prayed, God made a land route in the middle of the Red Sea by blowing the sea away with a strong east wind all night long. The children of Israel marched along the land route. But something as amazing as that miracle happened. The Egyptians, Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and their horsemen who were pursuing Israel all followed after them into the middle of the Red Sea. If you have seen that great miracle of God, you must realize and repent. Where do you dare to pursue that place? If you are obsessive or burn with hatred, you will not be able to properly judge the situation.
Usually, God's miracles are revealed through the prayer and obedience of believers. When we believed the word of God's revelation and took a step toward the Red Sea, a miracle occurred when the Red Sea parted. They did not take the step of obedience after the parting of the Red Sea. The word of God's revelation can be accurately understood only by believing and obeying the word. The Bible is not the record of the results of obedience after realizing the reason with our head, but the record of the reason we realized as a result of obedience by faith. In John 7:17, Jesus said, “If any man will do the will of God, he will know whether this doctrine is from God or whether I speak of my own accord.”
Whether or not many of the stories and miracles recorded in the Bible are true can be understood only by obedience to the Word, not by rational judgment.
Among the 102 Puritans who arrived in North America in search of freedom of religion, many were sick and infirm due to a sudden change in climate, and two or three people died of scurvy every day. In addition, after two or three months due to the raids of the mainlanders, the number decreased by half. The years turned and it was autumn, and the crops built with their blood and tears were a little comforting. But that comfort was short-lived. Somewhere, locusts flocked in black and began to eat the crops and wait. They looked up to the sky, beat their breasts and wept, but neither despaired nor gave up. Every single one of them took turns praying. The last person finished praying, and all in unison shouted “Amen!” When I woke up, a large flock of seagulls that seemed to cover the sky flew and ate up many locusts.
4. Egypt's Foolish Abuse
Even though they saw the power of God who made a way in the middle of the Red Sea to save Israel, the Egyptian army did not realize it and repented, but instead rushed to that road. The foolish ignorance of humans who challenged God was triggered. They swept away their last chance to believe in God and be saved with their obsession and hatred. There is nothing to blame God for the destruction of mankind, right?
God, who saw the Egyptian army in the midst of the pillars of fire and cloud at dawn, confused the army and took off the wheels of the chariot and made them run extremely hard. Only then did they know that God was striking them for Israel, and they tried to run away. But it was already too late. When Moses, following God's instructions, reached out over the Red Sea, the water flowed again, burying the Egyptian army. In the words of those who do not believe in God the Savior, there is nothing but destruction.
When Napoleon, who proclaimed, “Nothing is impossible in my dictionary,” left for the Russian expedition, the Pope took hold of the reins and stopped the expedition by admonishing, “Man plans and God accomplishes it. At that moment, Napoleon looked at the Pope and said, “You fool! no. I plan and I achieve,” he exclaimed. But his arrogant expedition to Russia ended in a disastrous defeat.
One of the tragedies that hit the ground can be called 'late realization'. How many people lament that if they had heard those words at that time, if they had believed in Jesus Christ at that time, if they had been advised to pray at that time, if they had obeyed those words at that time, they would not have suffered this painful misfortune.
5. Conclusion
For Israel in crisis, God performed a miracle by dividing the Red Sea to create a land route. The miraculous way was the way of salvation for Israel who believed in God, prayed and obeyed Him, and it was the way to gain greater faith. But it was a path of defeat and destruction for Egypt, which took the opportunities to realize, repent, and believe in God as opportunities to harass those who believed with hatred, falsehood, obsession, and idolatry.
Are there Red Sea in the way of life and tangible and intangible enemies chasing after them? If you pray with all your spirit, listen to the word of God's revelation, believe and obey, the land route will unfold in the middle of the Red Sea.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete New Testament Commentary Series/ Interpretation of difficult scriptures/ Prayer of Prosperity/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/ Sermonbook 18. 426-3051)