Exodus 14:15-31 NKJV
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.
Today’s reading comes on the heels of God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt after years of bondage and hardship. The Israelites had walked out of Egypt untouched. But they had a hard time believing they would be safe because they saw the Egyptians continue to pursue them and grew afraid. And now they seemed cornered between the Red Sea and the Egyptians with no way out, even complaining that Moses had brought them to that exact place to be slaughtered, thus forgetting very quickly what God had done for them already.
But God delivered them yet again in an astounding way by keeping them safe with the pillar of fire and smoke between them and their pursuers, and then leading them through the Red Sea on dry ground and destroying all the Egyptian army with its chariots and horsemen in that same Red Sea. God was the One who made the waters stand up and make a safe path. God was the One who allowed the Egyptians to continue to chase their prey. God was the One who took off the chariot wheels and then ultimately destroyed Pharaoh’s army.
God both killed and saved through water. This is a picture of your Baptism! In Holy Baptism God drowns/kills you, the sinner, and then raises you up again to new life, for as Luther correctly states, based on clear Scripture, baptism gives “forgiveness of sin, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this.” (Small Catechism answer to What Benefits Does Baptism Give?).
At the end of today’s reading are these words: “Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” You too have seen the Lord’s great work, and you have it preached into your ears in each Divine Service – that God sent His Son to die for your sins and has given you faith to believe in His work for you. He has drowned you and raised you up in your Baptism in order that you may look in confidence to spending eternity with Him.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Baptism and deliverance. Help me to walk in Your grace every day. Amen.