Exodus 13:17-22
Summary for Exod 13:17-14:4: 13:17–14:4 a The Lord’s redemptive power was demonstrated as he brought Israel into a place where they were completely helpless and had to either rely on him for rescue or die. Although at the time it must have seemed completely foolish, Israel would thank God for the rest of its history for maneuvering them into such a spot (see Ps 106:7-12 b; cp. Isa 12:2-6 c).Summary for Exod 13:17-18: 13:17-18 d faced with a battle: The Israelites had not yet seen God fight on their behalf. Even though they left Egypt like an army ready for battle (13:18 e; see also 12:51 f), it was only an appearance. Until they experienced the Lord as fighting for them (14:14 g) in the crossing of the sea, they were not ready to face enemies in the Promised Land.
13:18 h roundabout way: There is disagreement among scholars about the identification of some of the sites mentioned (13:20 i; 14:2 j), so there is little consensus about the precise route the Israelites took.
• Red Sea: Literally sea of reeds. The Red Sea proper is too far south. The Sea of Reeds was part of the Red Sea, probably located at the northern end of the Gulf of Suez.
13:19 k Joseph had recognized that God would not leave his people in Egypt indefinitely because he had promised Canaan to them (see Gen 50:24-25 l).
13:20 m The locations of Succoth and Etham are uncertain, although the reference to the edge of the wilderness suggests that they were in the region southeast of the Nile delta toward the Gulf of Suez.
13:21 n The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were to be the Israelites’ constant companions for the next forty years.
Exodus 14:1-21
14:2 o The precise locations of Pi-hahiroth, Migdol, and Baal-zephon are unknown.• the sea: See study note on 13:18.
14:4 p know that I am the Lord: This event was the climactic demonstration of the Lord’s character and power in the Exodus. Rescue for humans is by means of God’s self-revelation as he incarnates himself in our life and experience.
• as they were told: In this part of the book, the Israelites were obedient to God’s commands (12:35 q, 50 r). Unfortunately, this was not their continued pattern after the crossing.
Summary for Exod 14:5-14: 14:5-14 s Because there was no real repentance on the part of Pharaoh and his officials, once the immediate terror of their experience had worn off, their self-interest reasserted itself and they determined to recapture their slave labor.
Summary for Exod 14:6-7: 14:6-7 t chariot: At this point in history, the Egyptian light chariot was the ultimate weapon. Pulled by three horses, it was swift and highly maneuverable. Sometimes it was manned by only one person, but some ancient illustrations show a driver with a warrior. The reference to a commander may indicate such two-man teams. The greatest military power in the world of that day was being marshaled against the Hebrews.
14:9 u Even though today we don’t know exactly where these events took place (see study note on 14:2), there is no question that the narrator and his readers did. We need not conclude that this account is literary fantasy.
Summary for Exod 14:10-12: 14:10-12 v This complaint is the first occurrence of what was to become a sad refrain over the next forty years. Instead of believing that the God who had demonstrated his power so overwhelmingly could now save them, the Israelites turned on their rescuer. The cry of the unsurrendered heart is always, “Give me the security of slavery rather than the risk of faith.”
Summary for Exod 14:13-14: 14:13-14 w One person, at least, had learned the lesson of the plagues and applied it to this crisis of faith. Moses did not know what God would do, but in one of the great statements of faith in the Bible, Moses declared his confidence in God. It was not the Lord who would fail, but the Egyptians.
Summary for Exod 14:15-31: 14:15-31 x The escape through the Red Sea was the climactic moment of rescue.
14:17 y My great glory: The Hebrew word translated “glory” (kabod) connotes weightiness, significance, and reality. God demonstrated his authenticity while showing that all the political, military, and material glory of one of the greatest human cultures was only the thinnest of veils.
Summary for Exod 14:19-25: 14:19-25 z Whereas the Hebrews had been in a panic the night before, now the highly disciplined Egyptian army was thrown into disarray. They knew they were dealing with something far beyond their ability to comprehend or control.
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