Exodus 19, Mount Sinai

The Israelites continue their desert sojourn.

Exodus 19: 1-2, Camping in the Sinai desert

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt--on the very day--they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

After two months, the nation comes to Mount Sinai.  (The Jewish calendar began anew with the Exodus.) This is the same mountain where Moses saw the burning bush in Exodus 3. Here it is given a different name but once again, God will suddenly be physically present; YHWH will provide a physical manifestation of His nearness.

Exodus 19: 3-8, God's covenant offered to the people of Israel

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: `You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

    

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak.

    

The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.

Israel, carried on eagles' wings by YHWH, is set aside as a "particular people", a "treasured possession."  Ime's, in her class on Exodus, focus on the phrase "treasured possession."  It is the Hebrew word segulla, appearing eight times in the Old Testament. It means a special personal treasure, maybe a favorite piece of jewelry.  But in the Old Testament it almost always appears as a description, by YHWH, of His special covenant people.  In the Septuagint it is translated as the Greek peripoiesis and is used in I Peter 2:9 to describe the followers of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus.) 

At this time the Israelites have confirmed their enthusiasm for having YHWH as their God and King. They commit to a covenant relationship.

Exodus 19: 9-13, Israel to be consecrated to God

The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.

    

And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, `Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live.' Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain."

The Israelites prepare to welcome their King.  He will be physically apparent in a dense cloud. 

But be careful! Nearness to God means death; in this case the death will be carried out by the people.

Exodus 19: 14-19, Mt. Sinai covered with smoke

After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations." 

    

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.    

    

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

NIV footnotes point out differences in ancient manuscripts: In verse 18, most Hebrew manuscripts say "the whole mountain trembled" but a few Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint say "all the people trembled". In verse 19 the final phrase could be "and God answered him with thunder." Regardless, we feel the terrifying volcano-like explosions of fire and thunder. The visible presence of God on the mountain is a frightening thing.

I'm not sure why the instruction "abstain from sexual relations" is there -- maybe sex would be a distraction to a day consecrated only to God?

Exodus 19: 20-25, Moses called to the top of the mountain

The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the LORD said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them."

    

Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, `Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.'"

    

The LORD replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them."

    

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Once again, all the people are warned away from God and the mountain.  We note that to meet at the top of the mountain, YHWH comes down while Moses goes up.

Exodus 18, Advice from a Father-in-Law

Of the various roles Moses fulfills, as leader of his people, one role is to administer justice.  If there are 600,000 men (or even 600 clans), this is a significant role.

Exodus 18: 1-4, Jethro, priest of Midian, hears of Moses' victory

Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have become an alien in a foreign land"; and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh."

In verse 3 "Gershom" sounds like the Hebrew for "an alien there" and "Eliezer" means "my God is helper".

I see no explanation for why Moses sent away his wife and sons.  This was apparently before Moses visited Pharaoh....

Exodus 18: 5-8, Moses reunited with wife and sons

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, together with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the desert, where he was camped near the mountain of God. Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."    

    

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.

Moses catches Jethro up on all the events and the news. The relationship between Moses and Jethro seems to be friendly.

Exodus 18: 9-12, Support from Jethro

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, "Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly."

    

Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.

Like the Egyptians and others of this day, YHWH is recognized as better than the "other gods". Jethro has heard of the things YHWH has done for the people of Israel and publicly recognizes that YHWH is king of all gods.

Exodus 18: 13-16, Moses wearied by decision-making

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"

    

Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws."

Jethro has some experience and advice.  He is shocked that Moses is taking all the work on himself.

Exodus 18: 17-23, Jethro has wise advice

Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.

    

But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 

    

If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."

Jethro suggests some basic delegation of responsibilities.

Exodus 18: 24-27, Leaders chosen

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

    

Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

Moses agrees.  Although the suggestions are fairly simple, it is likely that in this intervention Jethro forces Moses to step back and agree to a more general approach to dispensing justice.

Then Jethro (and Zipporah and sons?) return to Jethro's home in Midian.  Note that the aid of this Midianite, at the birth of the nation of Israel, is recorded here.  A later story, the story of Ruth, will acknowledge the value of a woman from Moab. A number of heroes of the Old Testament will be from outside Israel!

This chapter is a strange interlude in the story of the exodus from Egypt.  Why is it here?  I suspect that the events in this chapter prepare us for the lengthy smaller decrees we will read after the Ten Commandments are given. Before the Ten Commandments (coming in chapter 20), Moses makes all judicial decisions, presumably after consultation with YHWH.  After the Ten Commandments, a set of smaller decrees flesh out how those "Ten Eords" apply to the people. Embedded in the smaller laws are instructions on how judges are to rule, describing a system in which there is a judicial system that allows decisions at a local level. 

Exodus 17, Massah and Meribah

God has provided the Israelites with manna and quail.  They continue their journeys in the Sinai desert.

Exodus 17: 1-3, Thirsty

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

    

So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." 

Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"

    

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"

At a place called Rephidim, there is no water.  Once again the people complain, in the same way that they complained earlier: "Egypt was better! You brought us out here to kill us!"

What does it mean to "put YHWH to the test"?  Fretheim argues that (in modern terms) this is using YHWH as a "vending machine", demanding that He put out gifts upon request.

Exodus 17: 4-7, Massah and Meribah

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."

    

The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.  I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.  Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." 

So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

     

And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Once again, God will provide a solution.  But Moses is weary of the grumbling. Moses "strikes" the rock with his staff, just as he, earlier, struck the Nile.  This time there is a good result.

(In verse 7, "Massah" means testing and "Meribah" means quarreling.)

Exodus 17: 8-13, Battle with the Amalekites

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."

    

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

    

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

And now there is a battle with the Amalekites. This is the first battle in the wilderness.  To emphasize that it is really God acting through the Israelites, we see that whenever Moses holds up his hands (to worship? to ask for help?) the Israelites are winning but when he tires and drops his hands, they begin to lose.  Aaron and Hur comes to Moses's aid and help him hold up his hands.  Fretheim suggests that the easiest interpretation of the necessity of Moses to hold up his hand is that this gives the army below a visible sign that YHWH, through Moses, is in charge -- that the staff of Moses represents the hand of YHWH.

This is the first mention of Joshua. Here he leads the army against the Amalekites. He will reappear in chapters 24 and 32 of Exodus.

Exodus 17: 14-16, Amalekites draw God's wrath

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

    

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

The symbolism, in the hands lifted up to the throne, is an important one and is to be memorialized. Apparently this means that the Amalekites (like the Philistines later) will be a  perpetual enemy of Israel.

The Role of the Law in Israel (Then and Today)

The ancient law, given to Moses in Exodus 20-23, and expanded in Deuteronomy, is a strange thing to a modern culture.  Why was it given? Does it have any role for Christians and Jews today?  Are we to obey all aspects of it? (For example, do we pay a fine in shekels for lying about a woman's virginity --see Deuteronomy 22:19?)

A witness to the nations

The answer to this is deeper than one might first recognize.  There were several purposes for the Law.  As explained by both Imes (in her Exodus BibleProject course) and Fretheim (in his commentary), one of the purposes of the Law was as a witness to the other nations.  (See Exodus 34: 10; also Exodus 19: 4-6.) If practiced well, as both a civil code and a religious code of conduct, the Law would make Israel a place of peace and prosperity within the Ancient Near East culture.  The other nations would look at Israel and their citizens would say, "Oh, I'd like to live there!"

The Law was given at a time and place, in the midst of a certain culture, and was a witness to that culture. Although certain principles extend into our modern culture(s), we cannot fit every extension of the Law into modern practice. 

The people of Israel were a people who were to bear the Name of God. Their actions were supposed to glorify YHWH and make Him known.  The third commandment of the Ten forbade dragging His name into the mud by acting as if they were not his people.  Their actions were to be a witness to that ancient culture.  This is especially obvious in the first four commandments of the Ten.

Underlying principles of life

In the ten commandments, the last five commandments, those dealing with our relationships to others, are simpler than the previous commandments. They are expressed negatively, as "You shall not...", but commentators argue that these commands sets an outer limit on one's actions and thoughts. Furthermore, the tenth commandment, describing internal thoughts, suggests that these commandments are more than a set of rules but are instead examples of some underlying principles. Those who meditate on these commandments (see Deuteronomy 6:6-10, for example) should realize that avoidance of murder, stealing, adultery, false testimony and covetousness require positive, constructive steps with one's neighbor.

The leaders and prophets of Israel will emphasis the beauty of this "Law".  The Psalms (see Psalm 1:2) encourage us to delight and meditate in YHWH's Law; one entire psalm, Psalm 119, has 22 stanzas meditating on God's "Word" or Law.  If we are to meditate on the Law, this must mean that there are deeper concepts within it, that the Law is not just a set of Rules. Jesus will elaborate further on this in his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7.)

Our culture is built on cultures that went before it; some of those cultures were built on the Old Testament Law and Judeo-Christian traditions. Because of that we may miss a remarkable part of the Law -- class equality.  That is, there was no distinction between the rich and poor. Indeed, it is a capital offense to buy or sell anyone; one cannot kidnap or capture slaves; embedded in the commandments around giving false testimony are clear commandments against bribing someone to give false testimony.  There was no special place for the rich or powerful.  (In contrast, the Code of Hammurabi, written three or four centuries earlier, makes it a capital offense to kidnap the son of an aristocrat (Currid, A Study Commentary on Deuteronomy, p. 25).)

Throughout the Old Testament we will see the Law cited in calls for justice, in prophetic invectives against the wealthy and powerful, against those who abuse the poor.

Return to Eden!

Towards the end of the first giving of the Law, in Exodus 23: 25-26, YHWH makes some promises to Israel conditioned on their obedience to the Covenant at Sinai. The promises are quite strong and the blessings point back to Eden.  If Israel is truly committed to YHWH, the effects of the Fall will be greatly reduced, they will be healthy and live long lives.

Of course, we know the story. At every turn the Israelites rebelled and went their own way, thus also, sadly, harkening back to the story of Adam and Eve.  But the suggestion that it might be possible to return to Eden in some way is a thread through both Old and New Testaments, ending with explicit statements about the New Heaven and Earth in Revelation 21.

Exodus 16, Manna and Quail

The Israelites have successfully left Egypt and, after singing a song of praise, have reached the oasis of Elim.

Exodus 16: 1-5, Desert famine

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.

    

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

    

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

So quickly the Israelites forget the work and oppression in Egypt!  The deserts wanderings will include many "murmurings" or "grumblings" of this type.  In this case, patiently, God provides a solution.

Exodus 16: 1-9, Stop grumbling

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?"

    

Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD."

    

Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, `Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'"

This passage includes one of many "knowing" passages: YHWH does this so that His people will know Who brought them out of Egypt!  

Moses communicates God's plan to give them meat in the evening and bread in the morning.  (Note the Jewish order: the day begins at evening.)

Exodus 16: 10-12, Glory in a cloud

While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.

    

The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, `At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"

The Shekinah Glory of YHWH appears in a great cloud, as it did in Exodus 13: 20-22.

Exodus 16: 13-17, Quail and manna

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.

    

When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

    

This is what the LORD has commanded: `Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'"

    

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.

Quail falls in the evening; a bread-ish substance is on the ground in the morning. In the seventh plague God rained hail on Egypt; this positive version of that rain is a rain of quail in the evening.  Fretheim argues in his commentary that both of these events could be explained naturally, but, as we see in a moment, the fact that this rain "rests" on the Sabbath -- as do the Israelites -- does not meet a natural explanation.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 16 and others, an omer is probably about 2 quarts.)

 

Exodus 16: 18-20, Eat only what you need

And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.

    

Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."

    

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

The people are to gather just what they need.  They are not to be greedy and -- as is common for hungry people! -- hoard their food.  In this case, the hoarding does no good.

Exodus 16: 21-24, Gather twice for the sabbath

Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

     

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much--two omers for each person--and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.

     

He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: `Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'"

   

So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.

Even here, the Sabbath is special. To emphasize the Sabbath, the people are to collect twice as much the day before and none on the Sabbath and here this double-time "hoarding" is acceptable. 

Exodus 16: 25-30, Celebrating the sabbath

"Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today.

    

Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any."

    

Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out."

    

So the people rested on the seventh day.

NIV footnotes: In verse 28 The Hebrew in "how long will you..." is plural.  (So Moses is not the subject of YHWH's question; the people are.)

Exodus 16: 31-36, Remember this!

The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

    

Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: `Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'"

    

So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to be kept for the generations to come."

    

As the LORD commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna in front of the Testimony, that it might be kept.

    

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. (An omer is one tenth of an ephah.)

 The Hebrew "manna" means "What is it"? (see verse 15).  So the bread-ish food is named for the question it raises!  It will feed the people until they are ready to enter the Promise Land.

Exodus 15, The Song of Moses

YHWH has saved the Israelites from the Egyptians.  Moses and Miriam celebrate in song. Praising YHWH in song is an explicit part of worship, as proven by the book of Psalms. (See Psalm 90 for another song of Moses.)

Exodus 15: 1-5, The song of Moses

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: 

    "I will sing to the LORD, 

for he is highly exalted. 

    The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. 

    The LORD is my strength and my song; 

he has become my salvation. 

    He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

    The LORD is a warrior; 

the LORD is his name.

    Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. 

    The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 

    The deep waters have covered them; 

they sank to the depths like a stone."

This song/psalm shows typical Hebrew poetry themes  -- thought rhymes -- where a brief thought is repeated or amplified, in a repetitive rhythm.  There is poetic imagery: horse and rider "hurled" as if by a might hand.

(Reminder: The "Red Sea" throughout the Old Testament, is really, in Hebrew, the Sea of Reeds; I will cease with this reminder shortly.)

       

Exodus 15: 6-8, A blast from YHWH's nostrils

    "Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. 

    Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.

    In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. 

    You unleashed your burning anger; 

it consumed them like stubble.

    By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. 

    The surging waters stood firm like a wall; 

the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea."

God is personified in nature, a blast of his nostrils creates a wind that piles up the waters.

Exodus 15: 9-10, The enemy boasted... but ...

    "The enemy boasted, `I will pursue, 

I will overtake them. 

    I will divide the spoils; 

I will gorge myself on them. 

    I will draw my sword 

and my hand will destroy them.'

    But you blew with your breath, 

and the sea covered them. 

    They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Six lines are given to the enemy's boasting, followed by a reaction with God's "breath". The enemy here need no longer be the Egyptians; this is a song about YHWH's protection against all enemies. When the enemy raises his sword, YHWH responds with wind and sea.

Exodus 15: 11-12, Who is majestic in holiness?

    "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? 

    Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, 

awesome in glory, 

working wonders? 

    You stretched out your right hand 

and the earth swallowed them.

Of all the ancient gods, only one is truly God: YHWH.

Exodus 15: 13-16a, The nations will hear

     In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. 

In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

The nations will hear and tremble; 

    anguish will grip the people of Philistia.

    The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, 

    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, 

    the people of Canaan will melt away; 

    terror and dread will fall upon them. 

The news of this will go before the Israelites as they move east and north towards Canaan.

Exodus 15: 16b-19, YHWH's people planted in their home

    By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone-- 

    until your people pass by, O LORD, 

    until the people you bought pass by.

    You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance-- 

the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, 

the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.

    The LORD will reign for ever and ever."

YHWH has a covenant plan for His people, planting them in their home, YHWH's inheritance, in Canaan. (NIV footnotes: the people "bought" in verse 16 might be "created".)

Exodus 15: 19, Pharaoh's men drowned; Israelites walk on dry ground

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, 

the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, 

but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

The miracle of the passing across the Sea of Reeds is repeated. Imes emphasizes that although our modern culture tends to downplay the songs and instead look to the history for theology, we should do the reverse.  The history is often a recording of events, sometimes without commentary; the true commentary appears in the songs.  In addition to the exhilaration of salvation and destruction of the enemy, we also see here a statement that YHWH has a sanctuary place prepared for Israel.

Exodus 15: 20-21, The women sing

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 

Miriam sang to them: 

"Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. 

The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea."

Miriam takes a tambourine and leads the women in singing and dancing, singing the song above.  (Only the first line of the song is repeated.) Imes says that the Hebrew word translated "tambourine" is really a drumhead and that singing at the end of a battle was often done by the women (see I Samuel 18: 6-7.) Miriam takes the lead in spreading this song across Israel.

Fretheim suggests that the women, in their dancing, singing and drumming, are reenacting the story in the song. Can you see the women dramatizing the foreboding sound of the wind and water, the disaster of the Egyptians, the joyous praise at the end?

The Israelites will continue to praise YHWH in song throughout the Old Testament times.  The book of Psalms includes many of these (including a psalm by Moses) but these songs occur in other places.  For an overview of the many songs in scripture (both Old and New Testaments) see this site by OverviewBible.

We note here that Miriam, like her brother Aaron (see Exodus 7:1), is called a prophet. A "prophet" in Scripture is one who passes on the message of YHWH.  Both Aaron and Miriam pass on YHWH's message as it is given to Moses.

Exodus 15: 22-26, Marah

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"

    

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.

    

He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

The Hebrew word "Marah" means "bitter". Moses (or is it YHWH?) repeats the previous promises: stay committed to YHWH and you will be kept safe. Fretheim argues that many of the earlier plagues have positive echoes in the wilderness -- in Exodus 7: 20-24, Moses struck the water with his wooden staff to make it undrinkable, here he tosses in a special piece of wood that makes the water sweet.

Fretheim claims that natural solutions have been suggested here -- a branch from a particular tree, with a particular type of bark, placed in a certain type of bitter water might "sweeten" it.  His point is that YHWH may be guiding Moses to natural solutions.

Exodus 15: 27, Oasis at Elim

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Finally at Elim they have rest and oasis, among 12 springs and 70 palm trees. (We see the appearance of favorite Old Testament numbers, 12 and 70.)

Exodus 14, Egyptian Army Destroyed

The Israelites are headed the long way to Palestine, a path that leads them to the Sea of Reeds.

Exodus 14: 1-4, Enticing the Egyptians

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, `The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." 

    

So the Israelites did this.

The Israelites follow the instructions God gives them, as one more statement is to be made about the power of their God.

There appears to be considerable debate as to where this occurs geographically.  Given the more than three millennia since this event, not only have the place names changed but even the Egyptian geography.

Exodus 14: 5-9, Pharaoh's heart hardened one last time

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.

    

The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians--all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops--pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

Israel appears to be trapped.  Always obstinate, Pharaoh continues to act foolishly, hurting himself and his people.

 

Exodus 14: 10-12, Israelites cry out

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, `Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

Just as the Egyptians are enticed by this apparent dead end route, so too, the Israelites are frightened.

Exodus 14: 13-15, Trust but move!

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

    

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on."

Moses says, "Be strong, stand firm!"  YHWH appears to say, "Yes, quit complaining. But MOVE!!"

Exodus 14: 16-18, Stretch out your hand

"Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.  The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

Here is how the Israelites will get out of the trap!

One of the results of this event will be that not just Israel, but Egypt, will "know" Who YHWH is.

Exodus 14: 19-20, The angel of God stands between Israel and Egypt

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Meanwhile a very visible barrier protects the Israelites from the Egyptians.

Exodus 14: 21-23, A strong east wind

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.

During the night, while the pillar of cloud stands between the Israelites and the Egyptians, a "strong east wind" blows across the waters. The Israelites cross the Sea of Reeds.  The Egyptians follow.

Where is this crossing?  It is not clear.  The name is inconclusive and it is even possible that this body of water no longer exists, since the geography has changed over the three millennia since this event.

There are dramatic storms that sweep away water.  I recall Hurricane Ian pulling the water out of Tampa Bay for a time.  In the next chapter we will see (Exodus 15:8) that this is described as a blast of the "nostrils of God" piling up the water.

Exodus 14: 24-28, The Egyptian army destroyed

During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."

     

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen--the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

From the NIV footnotes, in verse 25, ancient manuscripts differ. The Masoretic "He made the wheels of their chariots come off" could be "He jammed the wheels of their chariots" (Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts.) Regardless, the Egyptians are aware that they have run into the actions of a powerful God.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 27, it is not clear if the Egyptians were fleeing toward or away from the sea.)

Long ago the Egyptians had tried to drown the newborn boys of Israel in the river.  Now it is the Egyptians that drown.  

Exodus 14: 29-31, Egyptians see God's power

But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. 

 

This dramatic event should seal the Israelites understanding that YHWH is in complete control and that YHWH deserves their complete allegiance.  But (spoiler alert!) the Israelites are human....