God didn’t take the Hebrews the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land, for that way would have led them through enemy territory of the Philistines. Instead, He took them by way of the wilderness and the Red Sea.
As they made their way through the desert, God went before them as a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night.
Imagine the women lying on their tents at night, looking up and seeing the glow of the fiery pillar above their heads. How comforting it must have been to watch as the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire led them in the direction they needed to go.
Then Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after the Israelites. With the Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea before them, they saw no escape. The same women who had witnessed God’s protection of them during the Egyptian plagues now turned on the Lord, asking Moses why he’d led them out to the wilderness to die.
Moses did his best to comfort the people, then God told them to proceed forward. God placed his pillar of cloud between the Hebrews and Egyptians, causing darkness to fall on the army, but the Hebrews received light from the fire.
God directed Moses to stretch 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 into dry land, the waters were divided.” (Exodus 14:21 NKJV)
The Hebrews crossed over on dry land to the other side of the Red Sea. The Egyptian army followed them, but their chariot wheels fell off, and the waters covered over them.
At last, the Hebrews were free from the hand of the Egyptians.
Read the Story: Exodus 13:17-14:31
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