Introduction: In the history of God’s people, the exodus from Egypt is the most extraordinary Old Testament story, with God intervening in the most spectacular way. After eating the Passover lamb, the Israelites were ready to leave Egypt. Pharaoh finally gave his consent. In great distress, he gives the order to Moses and Aaron to go and worship their God. Everyone is included—men, women, children, as well as their herds and flocks. Previously, Moses had correctly refused to depart if the Israelites were not allowed to leave as complete families, along with their animals. In addition, God makes provisions for the future on behalf of His people: they did not leave Egypt empty-handed.
Even as the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave the country, they gave them all the articles they asked for: silver, gold, and clothing, just as Moses had instructed them to do. These articles were compensation for wages that had been unjustly withheld. Later, the Israelites would face a choice of how to use these gifts, either by giving the fabric, precious ornaments, gold, silver, and other metals to build the tabernacle (Exod. 25:1–7) or by giving the gold jewelry to Aaron to fabricate the idol of the golden calf (Exod. 32:1, 2).
The theme of actual “going out” is underlined at the beginning of the story (Exod. 12:37–41), in its progression (Exod. 13:21, 22), and at its conclusion, where it is highlighted that “the Lord saved Israel” (Exod. 14:30, 31).
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
Historical Background
Historical Background
By way of understanding the historical background to Exodus 12, consider the following two points:
A. After 430 years of sojourning in Egypt, Israel is now free to travel to the Promised Land. Because of the double occurrence of the Hebrew word wayehi, “it happened,” “it was,” in Exodus 12:41, the text emphasizes this period of time by stating that “indeed [or yes], to the exact day they went out.” First, it was only Joseph in Egypt; then Jacob’s entire family arrived. In the beginning there were 70 (Exod. 1:5), but now they are “about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children” (Exod. 12:37, NIV; compare with Exod. 38:26), which means that a company of around two million people was marching out of Egypt. Moses was surely trained in military strategy during his stay in Pharaoh’s palace, so he knew how to organize such a huge number of people. The biblical text mentions that they were marching “out of Egypt by their divisions” (Exod. 12:51, NIV; compare with Exod. 6:26, NIV; Exod. 7:4, NIV; Exod. 12:17, 41, NIV), which means as “military” units or battalions. The Exodus was well organized; however, one needs to remember that the caravan could travel only as fast as its “weakest” members, usually children, elderly people, flocks, and herds.
B. The Exodus likely occurred in March 1450 b.c., according to the best calculations by conservative scholars, which means that the 430 years would go back to 1880 b.c. How are we to understand this period of time? There are two views among conservative scholars: (1) 430 years, counted from the time of Joseph to the Exodus, and (2) 430 years, beginning with Abraham until the Exodus. (For a discussion about these two main positions regarding the long or short sojourn in Egypt [either only “in the land of Egypt,” according to the Hebrew Masoretic text, or both “in the land of Egypt” and “in the land of Canaan,” according to the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek translation of the Septuagint], and for the evidence preferring a short stay in Egypt, see The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, pp. 183–187, 313–315, 557.)
The Lord Will Fight for You; Be Still!
The Lord Will Fight for You; Be Still!
The Israelites were geographically cornered: Before them was the Red Sea. On one side were mountains, and behind them was Pharaoh’s well-trained and powerful army (for details see Ellen G. White, “The Exodus,” pp. 284, 287, in Patriarchs and Prophets). From this situation, humanly speaking, it was impossible to escape. The people were terrified. No wonder God, through Moses, encouraged them with, “ ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm [in your trust in the Lord] and you will see the deliverance’ ” (Exod. 14:13, NIV). We do not naturally know how to be still and wait for God’s intervention. We want to fight when instead we should wait for God, be silent, and advance by His grace and power.
Great tension was in the air. How would the people react? The flow of events is outstanding: God gives the command to move forward. The pillar of cloud, representing God’s invisible presence, transfers from the front to the back of the column, “coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel” (Exod. 14:20, NIV). Moses raises his staff. An east wind divides the water and forms dry land. The Israelites march through the sea’s water corridor. The Egyptians attempt to pursue them. But the Lord confuses Pharaoh’s army, and the entire army is drowned while the Israelites are safe on the other side of the Red Sea. Thus, they experience God’s spectacular victory in saving them.
Egypt stands for those who oppose and reject God. The Egyptians failed on two grounds: (1) they stubbornly resisted the living Lord, and (2) they desired to capture and enslave the Israelites. Greed and violence led them to destruction. There is a huge difference between serving the Lord, who gives grace, freedom, and salvation, and serving Pharaoh, which leads to blind obedience, terrifying commands, slavery, and, ultimately, to death.
The Lord Saves
The Lord Saves
At the very center of the book of Exodus is the crucial phrase: “The Lord saved Israel” (Exod. 14:30), which is the theological magnet, nucleus, and spring of the entire book because everything flows to it and from it. This incidence is the only time when this sentence is used in Exodus. Salvation came from the Lord. The theologically pregnant Hebrew verb yasha' means “save,” “rescue,” “redeem,” and appears in the name of Jesus (as well, e.g., in the names of Joshua and Isaiah), which means “the Lord saves” (see Matt. 1:21). God saved all the Israelites; not one was missing. In contrast, “not one” of Pharaoh’s army “survived” (Exod. 14:28, NIV); all died in the Red Sea. The Lord’s victory was triumphant and complete.
The Israelites reacted to their mighty deliverance by fearing the Lord and trusting in Him (Exod. 14:31, NIV). The text mentions that this positive response happened when they saw the display of the Lord’s great power against the Egyptians. The goal of Pharaoh and his army was probably to kill many of the Israelites as a display of their power and to bitterly enslave the rest of them again. This outcome did not happen because of God’s loving and just intervention. Israel’s response was to break into praises that were expressed in the form of a song.
The Songs of Moses and Miriam
The Songs of Moses and Miriam
In a climactic finale to the Exodus miracle, Moses directs the Israelites to praise the Lord through exquisite poetry, which uses rich imagery (the background of this activity is explained in Exodus 15:19). The songs of Moses and Miriam were songs of victory and thankfulness. The Lord is presented as the mighty Warrior. The culminating phrase is “ ‘the Lord will reign forever’ ” (Exod. 15:18, ESV), and because He is the highly exalted and eternal King, Moses declares that He is his strength, song, salvation, and God; so he will praise and exalt Him (Exod. 15:1, 2). No one is like Him: He is “majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders” (Exod. 15:11, NIV). Moses addresses the Lord and glorifies Him: “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you” (Exod. 15:7, NIV) and continues: “ ‘In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling’ ” (Exod. 15:13, NIV). This place, referred to in Exodus 15:17, is called the “sanctuary,” located “ ‘on the mountain of your inheritance.’ ” The poem is a prophetic song, having in view the temple in Jerusalem.
The song has seven thematic stanzas: (1) verses 1–3, the Lord’s exaltation; (2) verses 4, 5, the Lord’s victory over Pharaoh; (3) verses 6, 7, the Lord’s majestic greatness; (4) verses 8–10, the Lord’s creative power and judgment; (5) verse 11, the Lord’s uniqueness; (6) verses 12–16a, the Lord’s love and redemption from enemies; and (7) verses 16b–18, the Lord is the King and gives rest to His people in the Promised Land. In Exodus 15:6, 11, and 16, two phrases are always repeated for emphasis. The poem echoes the Creation account of Genesis 1 and 2, and thus marks a new beginning for God’s people, the creation of the liberated nation of Israel.
Miriam was regarded as a prophet. Her short song (Exod. 15:21) repeats many of the motifs of Moses’ song (Exod. 15:1). But one important detail is different. Miriam emphatically leads all the women to sing (grammatical imperative!) to the Lord, accompanied by tambourines. Her heart overflows with thankfulness, and she leads others to express the same emotion. Most likely they also sang the whole song, which was abbreviated in the written account, with the opening lines serving as the title.
On the sea of glass, the redeemed will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Rev. 15:2–4). These hymns are songs of deliverance and victory, and they reflect God’s love, justice, and power.
Later, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul will employ the imagery of passing through the waters of the Red Sea as a metaphor for Israel’s baptism in Christ (see 1 Cor. 10:2).
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
To trust the Lord and His promises is often difficult, especially in perilous times when His help is not visible and does not come immediately. What does it mean to “stay still” in order to see God’s deliverance?
The Lord told Moses not only to pray but to move forward. Does God fight for us in all situations of life, or does He expect us to do things in response to His guidance? How do you know when to wait and when to take action?
Why does God very often need to remind, and encourage, us with the command “Do not fear”? Why are we so easily discouraged?
How could the Lord gain glory through the defeat of Pharaoh and his army? What is the glory of God? How could the Egyptians know that the Lord God was in the midst of all the calamities that befell their land?
Adjust My Preferences
Welcome! Please set your reading preferences below.
You can access this panel later by clicking the
preference icon
in the top right of the page.
Part I: Overview
Key Text: Exodus 14:13, 14, 30, 31
Study Focus: Exod. 12:31–15:21
Introduction: In the history of God’s people, the exodus from Egypt is the most extraordinary Old Testament story, with God intervening in the most spectacular way. After eating the Passover lamb, the Israelites were ready to leave Egypt. Pharaoh finally gave his consent. In great distress, he gives the order to Moses and Aaron to go and worship their God. Everyone is included—men, women, children, as well as their herds and flocks. Previously, Moses had correctly refused to depart if the Israelites were not allowed to leave as complete families, along with their animals. In addition, God makes provisions for the future on behalf of His people: they did not leave Egypt empty-handed.
Even as the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave the country, they gave them all the articles they asked for: silver, gold, and clothing, just as Moses had instructed them to do. These articles were compensation for wages that had been unjustly withheld. Later, the Israelites would face a choice of how to use these gifts, either by giving the fabric, precious ornaments, gold, silver, and other metals to build the tabernacle (Exod. 25:1–7) or by giving the gold jewelry to Aaron to fabricate the idol of the golden calf (Exod. 32:1, 2).
The theme of actual “going out” is underlined at the beginning of the story (Exod. 12:37–41), in its progression (Exod. 13:21, 22), and at its conclusion, where it is highlighted that “the Lord saved Israel” (Exod. 14:30, 31).
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
Historical Background
Historical Background
By way of understanding the historical background to Exodus 12, consider the following two points:
A. After 430 years of sojourning in Egypt, Israel is now free to travel to the Promised Land. Because of the double occurrence of the Hebrew word wayehi, “it happened,” “it was,” in Exodus 12:41, the text emphasizes this period of time by stating that “indeed [or yes], to the exact day they went out.” First, it was only Joseph in Egypt; then Jacob’s entire family arrived. In the beginning there were 70 (Exod. 1:5), but now they are “about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children” (Exod. 12:37, NIV; compare with Exod. 38:26), which means that a company of around two million people was marching out of Egypt. Moses was surely trained in military strategy during his stay in Pharaoh’s palace, so he knew how to organize such a huge number of people. The biblical text mentions that they were marching “out of Egypt by their divisions” (Exod. 12:51, NIV; compare with Exod. 6:26, NIV; Exod. 7:4, NIV; Exod. 12:17, 41, NIV), which means as “military” units or battalions. The Exodus was well organized; however, one needs to remember that the caravan could travel only as fast as its “weakest” members, usually children, elderly people, flocks, and herds.
B. The Exodus likely occurred in March 1450 b.c., according to the best calculations by conservative scholars, which means that the 430 years would go back to 1880 b.c. How are we to understand this period of time? There are two views among conservative scholars: (1) 430 years, counted from the time of Joseph to the Exodus, and (2) 430 years, beginning with Abraham until the Exodus. (For a discussion about these two main positions regarding the long or short sojourn in Egypt [either only “in the land of Egypt,” according to the Hebrew Masoretic text, or both “in the land of Egypt” and “in the land of Canaan,” according to the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek translation of the Septuagint], and for the evidence preferring a short stay in Egypt, see The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, pp. 183–187, 313–315, 557.)
The Lord Will Fight for You; Be Still!
The Lord Will Fight for You; Be Still!
The Israelites were geographically cornered: Before them was the Red Sea. On one side were mountains, and behind them was Pharaoh’s well-trained and powerful army (for details see Ellen G. White, “The Exodus,” pp. 284, 287, in Patriarchs and Prophets). From this situation, humanly speaking, it was impossible to escape. The people were terrified. No wonder God, through Moses, encouraged them with, “ ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm [in your trust in the Lord] and you will see the deliverance’ ” (Exod. 14:13, NIV). We do not naturally know how to be still and wait for God’s intervention. We want to fight when instead we should wait for God, be silent, and advance by His grace and power.
Great tension was in the air. How would the people react? The flow of events is outstanding: God gives the command to move forward. The pillar of cloud, representing God’s invisible presence, transfers from the front to the back of the column, “coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel” (Exod. 14:20, NIV). Moses raises his staff. An east wind divides the water and forms dry land. The Israelites march through the sea’s water corridor. The Egyptians attempt to pursue them. But the Lord confuses Pharaoh’s army, and the entire army is drowned while the Israelites are safe on the other side of the Red Sea. Thus, they experience God’s spectacular victory in saving them.
Egypt stands for those who oppose and reject God. The Egyptians failed on two grounds: (1) they stubbornly resisted the living Lord, and (2) they desired to capture and enslave the Israelites. Greed and violence led them to destruction. There is a huge difference between serving the Lord, who gives grace, freedom, and salvation, and serving Pharaoh, which leads to blind obedience, terrifying commands, slavery, and, ultimately, to death.
The Lord Saves
The Lord Saves
At the very center of the book of Exodus is the crucial phrase: “The Lord saved Israel” (Exod. 14:30), which is the theological magnet, nucleus, and spring of the entire book because everything flows to it and from it. This incidence is the only time when this sentence is used in Exodus. Salvation came from the Lord. The theologically pregnant Hebrew verb yasha' means “save,” “rescue,” “redeem,” and appears in the name of Jesus (as well, e.g., in the names of Joshua and Isaiah), which means “the Lord saves” (see Matt. 1:21). God saved all the Israelites; not one was missing. In contrast, “not one” of Pharaoh’s army “survived” (Exod. 14:28, NIV); all died in the Red Sea. The Lord’s victory was triumphant and complete.
The Israelites reacted to their mighty deliverance by fearing the Lord and trusting in Him (Exod. 14:31, NIV). The text mentions that this positive response happened when they saw the display of the Lord’s great power against the Egyptians. The goal of Pharaoh and his army was probably to kill many of the Israelites as a display of their power and to bitterly enslave the rest of them again. This outcome did not happen because of God’s loving and just intervention. Israel’s response was to break into praises that were expressed in the form of a song.
The Songs of Moses and Miriam
The Songs of Moses and Miriam
In a climactic finale to the Exodus miracle, Moses directs the Israelites to praise the Lord through exquisite poetry, which uses rich imagery (the background of this activity is explained in Exodus 15:19). The songs of Moses and Miriam were songs of victory and thankfulness. The Lord is presented as the mighty Warrior. The culminating phrase is “ ‘the Lord will reign forever’ ” (Exod. 15:18, ESV), and because He is the highly exalted and eternal King, Moses declares that He is his strength, song, salvation, and God; so he will praise and exalt Him (Exod. 15:1, 2). No one is like Him: He is “majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders” (Exod. 15:11, NIV). Moses addresses the Lord and glorifies Him: “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you” (Exod. 15:7, NIV) and continues: “ ‘In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling’ ” (Exod. 15:13, NIV). This place, referred to in Exodus 15:17, is called the “sanctuary,” located “ ‘on the mountain of your inheritance.’ ” The poem is a prophetic song, having in view the temple in Jerusalem.
The song has seven thematic stanzas: (1) verses 1–3, the Lord’s exaltation; (2) verses 4, 5, the Lord’s victory over Pharaoh; (3) verses 6, 7, the Lord’s majestic greatness; (4) verses 8–10, the Lord’s creative power and judgment; (5) verse 11, the Lord’s uniqueness; (6) verses 12–16a, the Lord’s love and redemption from enemies; and (7) verses 16b–18, the Lord is the King and gives rest to His people in the Promised Land. In Exodus 15:6, 11, and 16, two phrases are always repeated for emphasis. The poem echoes the Creation account of Genesis 1 and 2, and thus marks a new beginning for God’s people, the creation of the liberated nation of Israel.
Miriam was regarded as a prophet. Her short song (Exod. 15:21) repeats many of the motifs of Moses’ song (Exod. 15:1). But one important detail is different. Miriam emphatically leads all the women to sing (grammatical imperative!) to the Lord, accompanied by tambourines. Her heart overflows with thankfulness, and she leads others to express the same emotion. Most likely they also sang the whole song, which was abbreviated in the written account, with the opening lines serving as the title.
On the sea of glass, the redeemed will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Rev. 15:2–4). These hymns are songs of deliverance and victory, and they reflect God’s love, justice, and power.
Later, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul will employ the imagery of passing through the waters of the Red Sea as a metaphor for Israel’s baptism in Christ (see 1 Cor. 10:2).
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
To trust the Lord and His promises is often difficult, especially in perilous times when His help is not visible and does not come immediately. What does it mean to “stay still” in order to see God’s deliverance?
The Lord told Moses not only to pray but to move forward. Does God fight for us in all situations of life, or does He expect us to do things in response to His guidance? How do you know when to wait and when to take action?
Why does God very often need to remind, and encourage, us with the command “Do not fear”? Why are we so easily discouraged?
How could the Lord gain glory through the defeat of Pharaoh and his army? What is the glory of God? How could the Egyptians know that the Lord God was in the midst of all the calamities that befell their land?