THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
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Israel’s experience at the Red Sea is a fine illustration of the familiar, but blessedly true saying: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” It was indeed an extremity' for Israel, but it was a.11 of God’s own appointment, not the result of self-will on their part. They DEVOTIONAL were led by the cloud (Ex. 13:21, 22), COMMENT and on this occasion God definitely told John A. Hubbard them where to encamp (Ex. 14:1, 2)» He also revealed to Moses that He had a definite purpose in view (Ex. 14:3, 4 ). Even so now God sometimes leads His redeemed ones into places of great difficulty where it looks as though they are to be ut terly crushed. The word which was spoken to Israel in their great ex tremity is the word God would have us hear in ours: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which He will show you today. The Lord will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Ex. 14:13, 14). Note the three-fold message. First, “Fear not.” How often He speaks this word to His people. It will pay you to just now look up the following verses: Deut.- 20:1-4; 31:6, 8; 2 Kings 6:14-16; 1 Chron. 28:20; 2 Ghron, 20:17; Isa. 41:10, 13; Jno. 14:27. Verily “fear hath torment” (1 John 4 :1 8 ), and unfits us to meet the difficult situation. He who bids us “fear not” can take away our fear. The second word, “Stand still,”— a very difficult thing to do when, to all appearances, one is about to be over whelmed by the enemy. It is then that the flesh wants to be on the move, doing something. But what could Israel do— dry up the sea? sweep away the mountains? overcome Pharaoh? No; they could do nothing but stand still. So it is with us in our extremities. To fuss, to fume, to fret is of no avail. “Stand still.” And then hear Him as He speaks the third word: “See the salvation of the Lord.” And Israel did see! They saw Him come between them and the enemy (Ex. 14:19, 20; they saw the sea open (Ex. 14 :21 ); they saw the enemy completely overthrown (Ex. 14:23-28). Then their faith was strengthened (Ex. 14:31 ). “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel” (Ex. 15 :1 ). Read and meditate upon this wonderful song in chapter 15, and then remember that it never would have been sung, except for, the difficulty and trial of faith o f chapter 14. The Road Through The Sea. Ex. 14:15-22. Memory Verse.— “The Lord saved Israel that day.” Ex. 14:30. Approach.-—(Teachers let us realize and thank God for the privilege of teaching the precious Bible stories to the boys and girls. Make them live as you tell them). This great historic event can be made very real with the use of sand table. Use two pieces of mir- ELEMENTARY ror, placing two straight edges to- Mabel L. Merrill gether,. moving apart and making road through, pushing back sand on either (This place at Red Sea is always pointed out to travelling tourists in the holy land.)' Lesson Story.—Who is more powerful and mighty than all the kings of the earth put together? Our God who made the world is mighty and powerful, and it is He who gives people their strength. (Review last week’s story). We learned last week how God saved his people from death, who placed the blood of the lamb over their doors, and we know when He comes He will save every man, woman and child who has the marks of the Saviour’s blood on their hearts, that is those whose hearts have been cleansed from sin by his blood. Now after king Pharaoh let the children side.
Fifth, they begin their journey to the land of Canaan, (12:31-51). .Sixth, they are baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (Ch. 14). Seventh, we leave them singing on the farther shore. Sighing and crying at the beginning, singing for joy at the ending! Thus the Lord saved Israel and thus He saves all who are in bondage. One only has to cry unto the Lord, to continue waiting on Him, to believe His Word and go forward in simple obedience and in due time He will fill the soul with joy and the mouth with praise. How helpless the children of Israel were to save them selves! What could an undisciplined mob of slaves accom plish by attacking a trained army in iron war-chariots? The sinner is equally helpless to save himself. They were not told to do what they could and trust in God to help them out. They were told to “stand still and see the sal vation of the Lord.” In like manner the believer is to cease from his own efforts and enter into the finished work of God. “To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for right eousness” (Rom. 4-:5). To him that fighteth not but trusteth in the Captain of his salvation who has met and conquered every foe, shall be given the victory claimed by faith and realized in experience. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” m Exodus 14:21-31. V. 21. The Lord caused. . . . Natural causes are used in a super-natural way. There is. an attempt on the part of a certain class of Bible expositors to minimize this miracle and explain it all from, natural causes, leaving out the su pernatural element. But it must be COMMENTS noted that the wind was timed and FROM THE its direction changed; the pillar COMMENTARIES blinded the Egyptians and at the V. V. Morgan same time gave light to Israel; Pharaoh and his people, who knew the sea and the action of the tides much better than Moses, were all drowned! while not a single Israelite perished; the Egyptians themselves declared that the Lord was fighting against them. “That the whole should have been so ex ecuted as to save all Israel and destroy all the Egyptians is unaccountable on merely natural assumptions.”-—-Whe- don’s Com. V. 23. The Egyptians may not have been aware that they were entering the sea, as it was night and they were surrounded by a fog. Observe that the Pharaoh himself is not said to have gone in.— Rawlinson. V. 24. The morning watch of the Hebrews, at this period of their history, lasted from two a. m. to sunrise. Sun rise in Egypt, early in April would take place about a quarter to six— Rawlinson. The time is coming again when all sinners and rebels against God shall be over whelmed by a look from His eye of judgment (Rev. 20: 11-13).— Torrey. V. 25. But Jehovah not only “looked unto” but “took off their chariot wheels.” Abject fear overtook the Egypt ians a s 'it will sooner or later all enemies of God, even the most stout-hearted. They realized at last that “Jeho vah fighteth for Israel.”—Torrey. Vs. 26-31. “Let us never forget that God was as willing to save Pharaoh as he was to save Moses. But Pharaoh would not be saved. ’’-feBanks. Israel was, typically, a people dead to Egypt and all pertaining thereto. The cloud and the sea were to them what the cross and grave-of Christ are to us. (See 1 Cor. 10). The cloud secured them from their enemies; the sea separated them from Egypt; the cross, in like’ manner, shields us from all that could be against us, and we stand at heaven’s side of the empty tomb of Jesus. Here we com mence our wilderness journey. Here we begin to taste the heavenly manna and to drink of the streams which emanate from “that spiritual Rock,” while, as a pilgrim people, we make our way onward to that land of rest of the which God has spoken to us.— C. H. M.
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