September 28, 2014: Rescue at the Sea

Exodus 14:10-14, 21-29

¹⁰ As Pharaoh drew closer, the Israelites looked back and saw the Egyptians marching toward them. The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ They said to Moses, “Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt that you took us away to die in the desert? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt like this? ¹² Didn’t we tell you the same thing in Egypt? ‘Leave us alone! Let us work for the Egyptians!’ It would have been better for us to work for the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”

¹³ But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand your ground, and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never ever see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you. You just keep still.”

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord pushed the sea back by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. The waters were split into two. ²² The Israelites walked into the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians chased them and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry. ²⁴ As morning approached, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian camp from the column of lightning and cloud and threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. ²⁵ The Lord jammed their chariot wheels so that they wouldn’t turn easily. The Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites, because the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water comes back and covers the Egyptians, their chariots, and their cavalry.” ²⁷ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. At daybreak, the sea returned to its normal depth. The Egyptians were driving toward it, and the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the cavalry, Pharaoh’s entire army that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. ²⁹ The Israelites, however, walked on dry ground through the sea. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left.

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Not too long ago, there was a story in the news about the Willow Run Bomber Plant in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.  This old edifice was slated for demolition.  The pulling down of an old building often does not elicit headlines, but Willow Run was different. It was a factory where many real-life “Rosie the Riveters” worked during World War II.  Thousands of women picked up tools and operated machinery while the men were overseas.  The old factory was a piece of a story that had inspired millions.

Historian and columnist Gwynne Dyer once said, “[The study of] history has two purposes: one is to understand how stuff works and the other is to know where you came from.  Whose shoulders are you standing on.”  It’s important to know how governments and nations work. It’s important to know what kinds of economies and political ideologies and military strategies are effective.  That’s all good. But history also tells us where we came from.

Our relationship with the Bible is very similar: when we read it and talk about it we learn about how God works: what God is like, what God cares about, how God wants us to live.  This is all very, VERY important.  But we also read the Bible and talk about it because it tells us where we came from. 

Reading the Bible is really like looking through an old family photo album or hearing your grandparents talk about the Great Depression or World War II.

This is most certainly true of our story today.  For the past three thousand years, Exodus has been THE story for the people of Israel.  Everything else comes back to the fact that they were slaves in the land of Egypt and God liberated them.

We don’t get the entire story today, but we do get the most exciting episode.  Everything looks lost: Pharaoh and his army with all of those chariots are about to destroy the people.  It’s going to be a massacre.  And Moses says “Don’t be afraid. Stand your ground, and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never ever see again.  The Lord will fight for you. You just keep still.”

And that is exactly what happens. This is a spectacular story with all of the special effects you could want. Generation after generation of people must have sat in hushed silence around the campfire or in the synagogue (or in the movie theater) in order to hear and see this story told.  As Pastor Rob Bell says, “God is in the liberation business.”

And this changes the way we live today.  When we read or hear history it tells where we come from and that changes our actions and our thoughts today.  It inspires us.  This story about God’s salvation and liberation does the same thing.  Did you notice how it’s God (through Moses) who does all the heavy-lifting? The people of Israel saw the chariots and were ready to go back into slavery.  How often are we ready to go back into slavery in our own lives because freedom is too scary?

Throughout the Bible God reminds the people of this event, “Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt...remember that the Lord freed you.”  This story is foundational.  The way they are supposed to live is based on the fact that they were slaves and now are free.  Treat your servants and foreigners well. Why? Because you were once slaves and now are free.  Take care of the poor among you and treat each other well.  Why?  Because you were once slaves and now are free.

The Willow Run Bomber Plant in Michigan was slated for demolition, but a campaign to preserve part of the factory as a museum was able to raise the $8 million necessary and part of our national story will be saved.  We study history for two reasons: to learn how things work and to learn where we came from.  We read and study Scripture for the same reasons.