Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1–4)

 In this week’s reading, we see the Israelites leaving Egypt with Moses in the lead. As they journeyed into the heart of the wilderness, God begins to state the terms of His covenant with them. Because He had saved their firstborn in the overthrow of Egypt, all of their firstborn were to be sanctified to Him (Ex. 13:1–2). Knowing man’s tendency to forget, God commands them to observe the Passover feast every year so that they might remember what God had done for them and so that they might teach their children who had not witnessed these things with their own eyes (vv 3–16). Our Lord instituted a similar (but greater) feast through which we might remember what He did for us (Matt. 26:26–27), a feast that was observed by the early church on the first day of each week (Acts 20:7). The Lord’s church still remembers His sacrifice and the covenant we made with Him every Lord’s day. We also use this celebration as a tool to teach our children of the suffering of the Savior so that this feast will have meaning to them when they reach the age to obey the gospel and partake this supper themselves.

 As the Israelites neared the banks of the Red Sea, they turned back and saw Pharaoh’s army steadily approaching, and it appeared to every human eye that Israel did not stand a chance. Through the eye of faith, however, Moses saw something different. Moses told his frightened brethren, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show you today” (Ex. 14:13)! Whence would such salvation come? The sea had them trapped: they had nowhere to run! God did something extraordinary by making a solution out of what seemed to be their greatest obstacle. God used the sea as their means of escape from their old life of bondage, and He used Pharaoh’s armies to show His ability to deliver Israel from any foe they might face. When they stood on the opposite bank and viewed the remains of their oppressors, “Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians” (v 31). The LORD has given us a means of salvation today, not by baptism in the sea, but by baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38). While some object that this is an effort to save ourselves, the Bible shows it is an “operation of God” (Col. 2:12). Israel did not boast that they had saved themselves when they emerged as free men from the sea: they rejoiced in the work that the LORD had wrought upon them!

 After reading the text listed below, see if you can answer the following questions.

Non-trivial Questions (Exodus 13:1–14:31)
1.    What was the name of the month in which the children of Israel left Egypt?
2.    Why did God choose not to send Israel out by way of the land of the Philistines?
3.    Whose bones did Moses take with them from Egypt?
4.    How did God lead Israel in the wilderness?
5.    How did God tell Moses to divide the Red Sea?
6.    How did God keep the Egyptians away from the Israelites?
7.    How did God trouble the Egyptians as they pursued Israel?