Bible Study #13: The Crossing of the Red Sea
Make the pure light of Your divine knowledge shine in our hearts, Loving Master, and open the eyes of our minds that we may understand the message of Your Gospel. Instill also in us reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that overcoming all worldly desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, both thinking and doing all things pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the Light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give the glory, together with Your Father, without beginning, and Your All Holy, Good, and Life- Creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. (2 Corinthians 6:6; Ephesians 1:18; 2 Peter 2:11)
Review. God sent Moses back to Egypt to liberate His people, but Pharaoh’s heart was “hardened” and he refused to let them go. The “Passover” protected the Jews from the final plague.
The Order to Leave: Exodus 12: 31-42.
Both St. Gregory Nanzanius and St. Augustine point out that the numerical growth of Israel (from one to 600,000) was a sign of God’s blessing on them. Also note (as in the readings last week) that Israel is allowed to leave with the spoils of Egypt.
In Imitation of Yahweh: Exodus 13: 11-16.
St. Ambrose of Milan teaches that Jesus Christ is the ultimate type of perfect first-born offering.
Getting to the Red Sea: Exodus 13: 17-22.
St. Gregory the Great explains the fire (by night) and the cloud (by day). How is God like fire? Like a cloud?
Did you notice the grumbling? How can we doubt God when He is so obviously on our side?
The Crossing of the Red Sea: Exodus 14.
1 Corinthians 10: 1-6. St. Paul compares the blessing (and subsequent failures) of the Israelites with our own.
St. John Chrysostom compares Moses parting the waters (through prayer) with God walking on the waters (through power). Plus the Cross!
St. Gregory of Nyssa compares the destruction of the wicked Egyptians by water to the destruction of evil in baptism. Cassiadorus and St. Augustine both connect the “Red” Sea to the blood of Christ that washes away sins (i.e. with the water of baptism).
Psalm 134(5) 1-9. What is the context of the Exodus?
Psalm 136(5) 1-15. Again, what is the context of the Exodus (note; we sing this at Matins)
Psalm 74(3): 12-17. Even stranger. Do you notice the parallels with Genesis 1? Why are they there?
“Genesis 1 and 2 don’t provide the Bible’s only creation story. Psalm 74 describes creation as well—as Yahweh’s victory over the forces of primeval chaos. Yahweh brought the world into order, making it habitable for humanity, his people as it were. The creation act as described in Psalm 74 was theologically crucial for establishing Yahweh’s superiority over all other gods. Baal was not king of the gods, as the Ugaritic story proclaimed—Yahweh was.
Neither was Pharaoh, or any other Egyptian deity. By linking the exodus event—the taming of the chaotic waters so that Yahweh’s people could pass through them untouched—with the creation story, the biblical writers were telegraphing a simple, potent message. Yahweh is king of all gods.”
Heiser, M. S. (2015). The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (First Edition, p. 154). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
NEXT WEEK: Miracles in the Desert!
