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| 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. |
That they turn – This turn was perhaps necessary because of the great wall of Egypt, somewhat similar to the great wall of China, and the route taken was more favorable for pasturage, etc. R2919:2
From northeast to south; mis-interpreted by the Egyptians as becoming entangled in the land. R3997:4
And the sea – The Bitter Lakes, which lengthen out the northernmost tongue of the Red Sea. R3997:4
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| 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. |
They are entangled – They are lost. R3997:4
Shut them In – Having passed between two mountain ranges, up against the northern arm of the Red Sea, they had gone into a pen from which there was no escape. R5277:5
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| 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. |
Harden Pharaoh's heart – See comment on Exodus 4:21
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| 5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? |
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| 6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: |
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| 7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. |
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| 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. |
Of Pharaoh – Type of Satan. R5273:2, R5419:5; F458
Of Egypt – Satan's dominion of sin and death. R5643:1, R5273:1; F458
And he pursued – The powers that be may possibly concede for a time the demands of the weak and helpless and then attempt their recapture under selfishness, and through a Red Sea of trouble the Lord will administer a final chastisement. R2920:1
Children of Israel – Type of all who ultimately become God's people. F458; R5641:1, R5870:1
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| 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
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But the Egyptians – Typifying Satan's servants who have oppressed God's people. R5273:2, R5641:3; F458
All the horses – Symbolic of false doctrines. C316
And chariots – Symbolic of worldly organizations. C316
And his horsemen – Symbolic of the great leaders in false doctrines. C316
Symbolic of fallen angels and men. F458
By the sea – The Red Sea, representing the Second Death. F459
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| 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. |
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| 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? |
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| 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. |
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| 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. |
Stand still and see – The duty of God's people toward the perplexing questions of the present time. A342
Sometimes we come to the very end of all human possibilities. Then, and not till then, should we apply these words of Moses to ourselves. R5278:4
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| 14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. |
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| 15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: |
Go forward – There is a time to pray and also a time to act. R2919:4
In giving and obeying this command faith was demonstrated. Does not the Lord sometimes allow adversities and oppositions to hedge us in? This is the time to hearken to his voice and, in faith, go forward. R3997:6
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| 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. |
Go on dry ground – On a sand bar. R3998:2, R4623:5, R5277:6, R2919:5
Midst of the sea – The water at the upper end of the Red Sea is at no great depth, so that at times, when the tide is low, cavalry have forded it--for instance, Napoleon. R3998:1, R2919:6
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| 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. |
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| 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. |
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| 19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: |
The angel of God – Not always a being; sometimes signifying the exercise of divine power in connection with human affairs. R5278:1
Cloud -An evidence of the Lord's special care over them, a great aid to their faith, discontinued when they crossed Jordan into Canaan. R3997:2
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| 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. |
A cloud – From the world's standpoint, very dark; from our standpoint, the healing rays of the sun. R577:2
And darkness – Josephus and other outside narratives declare that it rained, thundered and lightened appallingly. R2919:5
But it gave light – Matters appear differently from different standpoints. Since the storm is to scatter the powers of darkness, the sooner it comes the better. R577:2
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| 21 And 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 dry land, and the waters were divided. |
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| 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. |
Children of Israel – Type of all who ultimately become God's people. F458, R5641:1, R5870:1
A wall – A barricade, protection, shield. R3998:3, R4623:5, R5278:1
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| 23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. |
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| 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, |
Host of the Egyptians – Typifying Satan's servants who have oppressed God's people. R5273:2, R5641:2; F458
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| 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. |
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| 26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. |
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| 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. |
Overthrew the Egyptians – At the end of the Millennial age Satan and all who are on his side will be forever destroyed. R3999:4
Midst of the sea – A reversal of the wind would cause the return of the waters. R4623:5
The present enslaving agencies will be overthrown by anarchy, in the great time of trouble, now near. R1657:5
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| 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. |
The waters returned – Opposite Suez, the tide rises eight to nine feet when aided by strong winds, returning with unusual suddenness and power after the ebb. R3998:3*
The host of Pharaoh – Representing all who eventually will go into Second Death. R5870:1
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| 29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. |
Children of Israel – Type of all who ultimately become God's people. F458, R5641:1, R5870:1
Dry land – On a sand bar. R3998:2, R4623:5
Midst of the sea – Possibly two miles across. R3998:2
Were a wall – In its broadest sense merely signifies a barricade, protection, shield. R3998:3, R4623:5, R5278:1
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| 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. |
The LORD saved – Picturing the deliverance of all the obedient after the plagues. (Rev. 16) R1657:3
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| 31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. |
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