14:5-18 Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with chariots and horsemen and overtook them where they were camped near the sea. The Israelites were terrified when they saw the Egyptians coming and thought they were all going to die. They complained to Moses that he should have left them in Egypt rather than bringing them out to the desert to die. Moses told them not to be afraid because the Lord would fight for them. They would never see these Egyptians again. The Lord told Moses to raise his staff over the sea and divide the water so the Israelites could cross on dry land. Once again the Lord would harden  Pharaoh's heart and his army would go in after the Israelites and be destroyed. "The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

v. 19-31 The angel of God and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of the Israelites and stood behind them, separating them from the Egyptians so that neither side could see each other all night. The cloud was light on the Israelite side and dark on the Egyptian side. All that night there was a strong east wind that divided the sea and more than one million Israelites walked across on dry land. But when the Egyptians pursued them the Lord threw them into confusion and made their chariot wheels fall off. The Egyptians tried to flee because they could see that the Lord was fighting for the Israelites but Moses stretched out his hand again and the water came over them-- drowning all of them. The Lord miraculously saved Israel. When they saw His great power they feared Him and put their trust in Him and in Moses, His servant.

15:1-12 Moses and the people celebrated by singing and praising the Lord. In class we talked about how their song is different than the ones we typically sing in a church service. Our songs rarely mention the Lord's anger. But Moses' song praises the Lord for being a great warrior who hurled an entire army into the sea and killed them. The song goes on to say how the Lord "unleashed His burning anger," piled up the waters with "the blast of His nostrils," and drowned men when He "blew with His breath." The Lord is like no other god. He is "majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders."

v. 13-21 The previous verses of the song told what the Lord had already done for them. The rest of the song looks forward to what He will do when they enter the Promised Land. It's interesting that after describing the Lord's anger Moses immediately speaks of His "unfailing love." He will lead the Israelites and guide them to His "holy dwelling." Other nations "will hear and tremble." The people of the land of the Philistines, and those living in Edom, Moab and Canaan "will be still as a stone until your people pass by." The inhabitants of the Promised Land will be terrified when the Israelites come to take possession of it because they heard about what the Lord had done to Pharaoh's army. The Lord Himself will bring His people into Canaan and "plant them on the mountain," the place the Lord made for His dwelling and the sanctuary He established. "The Lord will reign forever and ever." Miriam, Moses' older sister, picked up a tambourine and led the women in praising the Lord for killing the Egyptian army.

v. 22-27 Next they traveled to the Desert of Shur. Three days later they came to Marah where the water was too bitter to drink. The people grumbled against Moses. The Lord told Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water to make it sweet. The Lord made "a decree and a law" for them and He tested them there. He told them that if they listen to His voice and do what is right in His eyes, keeping all His decrees, then He would not bring upon them the diseases He brought on the Egyptians. He is the Lord who heals them. They came to Elim and camped near 12 springs and 70 palm trees. Notice the numbers 12 and 70. There were 12 tribes of Israel and 70 descendants of Jacob who moved from Canaan to Egypt when Joseph was ruler (Genesis 46:27).

16:1-5 The Israelites traveled from Elim to the Desert of Sin. This was on the 15th day of the second month, exactly 30 days after they left Egypt. In the desert they grumbled against Moses because they were hungry and groaned that it would have been better to die in Egypt. Keep in mind that there were more than a million people who needed to be fed every day. The Lord said He would give them "bread from heaven" that they could go out and gather each day. He intended to test them to see if they would follow His instructions about gathering a double portion on the sixth day (Friday) and resting on the seventh (Saturday).

v. 6-21 Moses and Aaron told the people that the Lord heard their grumbling against Him. He would give them meat in the evening and bread in the morning so they would know that He is the Lord their God. Moses scolded them for grumbling against the Lord. The people saw "the glory of the Lord" appear in the cloud. That same evening a large flock of quail covered the camp and in the morning there was manna on the ground. The manna was white flakes that tasted like wafers made with honey and it could be boiled or baked. It appeared early in the morning and melted away later in the hot sun. They were told to gather about 2 liters per person per day and not save any of it overnight. However, some people disobeyed and discovered that their leftover manna was filled with maggots. Moses was angry with them for their disobedience.

v. 22-36 Only on Friday could they gather extra manna and prepare it for the next day. They were told there would be no manna on the 7th day but some people didn't believe it and went out to gather it anyway. The Lord said, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?" He expected them to rest on the Sabbath. Moses told Aaron to put some manna in a clay jar and keep it so that future generations would be able to see the bread the Lord had provided for them. Aaron put the manna in front of "the Testimony" (the tablets on which the Law was written). We'll see later that it was kept in the ark of the covenant. The people ate manna forty years until they came to the border of Canaan.

 There will be no class for the next two weeks. See you in December!