While the Is'ra-el-ites were making the journey, things back in E'gypt had taken a sudden change against them. No sooner were these hundreds of thousands of former slaves out of E'gypt than the wicked, greedy king began to think about what he had lost. He was very sorry that he had given permission for the He'brews to leave, and sent out spies to find them. It was soon reported that the Is'ra-el-ites were lost and entangled in the wilderness.
Determined to regain the slaves whose services had been so valuable to him, Pha'raoh organized a great force to pursue and capture them. He called for his own chariot, and for six hundred chariots of his army; with many squadrons of horsemen, and with thousands of his bravest soldiers to assist in the pursuit, Pha'raoh set out to capture the people whom God had delivered.
Soon the Is'ra-el-ites heard the rumblings of the chariot wheels as they rolled through the wilderness, and the thundering of the horses' hoofs. They knew that the heart of Pha'raoh was filled with hatred, and that he would stop not even at murder to force them back into his service. They also knew that whether they returnt to E'gypt or not, so many of them would be killed or wounded that their nation would be greatly weakened.
The situation of the great company of Is'ra-el-ites was desperate. On either side of them huge mountains, too steep to climb; in front of them rolled the great billows of the Red Sea, while close behind them the angry E'gyp-tian king urged on with his mighty army. The Is'ra-el-ites were without weapons or military training; their enemies were too strong to meet in mortal combat; they could not level the mountains or span the sea. Lost in despair they could only bemoan their fate and complain against Mo'ses for bringing them into this dreadful predicament. They cried, "Why hast thou brought us out here into the wilderness to die? We should have preferred to remain in bondage in E'gypt."
But God was on the side of the oppressed and distracted Is'ra-el-ites. He had led them into this perilous position, but He knew all the time how He would deliver them from it. Pha'raoh's greed and power must be so thoroughly shattered that he would never trouble them again. Is'ra-el must be taught again that God is able to solve any problem, and that for a long time to come they would have to rely upon Him. In their fear and panic the Is'ra-el-ites forgot the past mercies of the LORD, and could see nothing but their foes; in their belief they saw graves where there were none, but God had not forsaken them.
Mo'ses prayed to the LORD in this emergency, and said to the children of Is'ra-el, "Calm your fears; be rid of your worries, for God shall deliver you." The LORD told him to lead the Is'ra-el-ites right down to the edge of the Red Sea, and then say to them, "Go forward." As Mo'ses lifted his staff toward the great, surging waters a miracle took place. The waters were suddenly divided, leaving a dry, safe highway entirely across the sea, and forming high walls of water on either side. All night long the host of Is'ra-el walked in safety through the highway which the LORD had made in the sea, and their flocks and herds were not afraid to make the crossing. The pillar of fire which had guided the Is'ra-el-ites was lifted by the LORD and placed behind them, providing light for their journey, and bringing confusion to the enemies who pursued them.
Pha'raoh and his great army recklessly followed the Is'ra-el-ites into the great highway across the Red Sea. Here the heavy wheels of their chariots sank deep into the sand, and the E'gyp-tian forces were hindered in many other ways. As the dawn of a new day found the last of the Is'ra-el-ites climbing to safety on the other side of the sea, Mo'ses saw that the entire host of Pha'raoh was in the great lane which God had prepared for the escape of His chosen people. Mo'ses then lifted his staff toward the E'gyp-tians, and the mighty walls of water came rushing down upon them, drowning Pha'raoh and all his warriors.
