Exodus Moments: How Will You Walk Out of Egypt?

Today, I will be talking about Exodus 14-15.

I won’t write out the full chapters, but in short: "The Lord miraculously allowed the children of Israel to pass through the Red Sea on dry ground to escape, while the army of Pharaoh was drowned."

If you feel led to read the full chapters, you can do so here: Exodus 14-15.

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Part 1

I want to focus on what happened before the Israelites were freed from Egypt.

Verse 4 of chapter 14 in Exodus says:

"And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.

I remember being in a season of my life where it felt like every door was closing, and I kept hearing "no" everywhere I went. I thought God was being cruel, playing with me. How could He promise me something, but then allow me to face so much rejection and discouragement on the way to that promise?

Well, God is the God of the improbable. Every time the odds are not in our favor, every time it feels easier to give up or move on, God uses that as an opportunity to remind us that He is the Lord. I can name multiple times when things felt like they were falling apart, and God opened doors I had no business walking through. He placed me in rooms where I had no qualifications to be, connected me to the right people at the right time, and none of that was because of me. It was all so that God could be glorified.

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Part 2

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen, and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon (Exodus 14:5-9).

For months now, I’ve been drawn to a key detail that I always overlooked when reading this story: Pharaoh prepared the very best of the Egyptian military.

When I researched more about this specific piece of text, I found a Bible commentary that took my thoughts further:

"Six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt: Pharaoh had the best military resources. Chariots were the most sophisticated military technology available at that time. Israel had nothing—except that the children of Israel went out with boldness."

"There is an analogy in this to the spiritual life. We sometimes think that Satan will let us go easily, or that once we leave his kingdom, he forgets about us. Yet, just like Pharaoh after Israel, Satan pursues us, attempting to keep us at least on the fringes of his domain, and hoping to destroy us if he can."

—Enduring Word Bible Commentary (source)

I know I said I wasn’t going to go through the whole chapter here, but this next part is so important:

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on" (Exodus 14:10-15).

Here, we see a few things:

1. Israel had every reason to be terrified. They saw Pharaoh’s soldiers on one side and the Red Sea on the other. They looked around and saw no hope of escaping. It was God who had led them into this seemingly hopeless situation. The only way back was the way they had come, and that route was thoroughly blocked by the Egyptian army. What did Israel do then, in this moment of crisis? They did the right thing—they cried out to God, and He was indeed their refuge and strength. He proved, once again, to be a very present help in trouble.

2. "Allow us to serve the Egyptians": Just days after their exodus, the Israelites were already romanticizing their past, proclaiming it was better for them in Egypt than it really was.

3. "Do not be afraid": At this point, Moses had no idea how God would help them in this situation. All he knew was that God certainly would help. In a sense, Moses knew he was in such a bad situation that God had to come through.

4. "Stand still": Moses told the people of Israel to stop. This is often the Lord’s direction to the believer in a time of crisis. Despair will cast you down, keeping you from standing. Fear will tell you to retreat. Impatience will tell you to do something now. Presumption will tell you to jump into the Red Sea before it is parted. Yet, as God told Israel, He often tells us to simply stand still and hold our peace as He reveals His plan.

I find it so interesting that God said, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on." It's almost like God is telling us through this story, "I made you a promise. I’m working things out according to that promise—now move! Keep going and trust that I’ve already brought you through your Egypt!"

As Moses stretched out his hand, a strong east wind sent by the Lord drove back the waters, creating a dry path with walls of water on either side for the Israelites to cross. Meanwhile, the angel of God and a pillar of cloud moved to protect the Israelites by standing between them and the Egyptians, bringing darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israelites.

As the Egyptians pursued the Israelites into the sea, God intervened by throwing the Egyptian army into confusion, causing the wheels of their chariots to jam. Recognizing that God was fighting for Israel, the Egyptians attempted to retreat. However, God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand again, and the waters returned to their place, drowning the entire Egyptian army. The passage concludes with the Israelites witnessing the destruction of their enemies, leading them to fear the Lord and place their trust in Him and in Moses, acknowledging the divine power that saved them from their oppressors.

The title of my message is "How Are You Walking Out of Egypt?" because I was inspired by the way the Israelites sang to the Lord. Often, Egypt weighs so heavily on our minds and souls that it feels like we barely made it out—whether you crawled, ran, or the Lord carried you out. The Israelites are a great example of what our response to God’s goodness should be:

"I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted. Both horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. In the greatness of Your Majesty, You threw down those who opposed You. You unleashed Your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. By the blast of Your nostrils, the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword, and my hand will destroy them.’ But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who among the gods is like You, Lord? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretch out Your right hand, and the earth swallows Your enemies. In Your unfailing love, You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength, You will guide them to Your holy dwelling. The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm, they will be as still as a stone—until Your people pass by, Lord, until the people You bought pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, Lord, You made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, Your hands established. The Lord reigns forever and ever." (Exodus 15:1-18, NIV)

My hope today is that if you find yourself in your own personal "Egypt," you will be still and know that the Lord is fighting for you. There is no plan, weapon, or attack from the enemy that can even compare or compete against the goodness and fullness of God’s plans and promises over your life. And as you find yourself being freed from your Egypt, I hope you will praise God for all He has done. Just as the Israelites sang in joy and gratitude, let your heart overflow with praise, recognizing the mighty hand of God that has led you through, and trust that He will continue to guide you on your journey.

Whether you walked, crawled, or were carried out, your response should be one of worship and acknowledgment of His power and faithfulness. The Lord reigns, and His plans for you are good, beyond what you can see or imagine.