Exodus 14:15-20 (NKJV)

And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

Don’t miss how big this miracle is. The Egyptian army is in chariots – the state of the art in high mobility warfare. The Israelites are on foot, and slow even for that.

Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock. – Ex. 12:37-38 (NKJV)

That’s an enormous caravan. On average, at any given time, there should be dozens of women in labor. If Washington had to cross the Delaware with this gang, he would have never made it.

But these folks will. We aren’t given a lot of details about this miracle, but somehow the difference in the light kept the two groups apart. It may have been as simple as the Egyptians turning in because it was dark while the Israelis kept going in the light.

In any case, the Israelis put some distance between themselves and the Egyptian army. That’s significant. The Egyptian charioteers would have cut through the fleeing Israelis like a knife through butter.

But notice that this miracle only helps the Israelites get across the Red Sea. They aren’t magically teleported over; they still have to walk.

That’s God’s style. He’s always teaching and pushing his people to grow.

That’s why His answers to prayer often go in unexpected directions. We ask for one thing and get something else.

Sometimes, when we pray for help with a difficult decision, we hear only crickets. Totally bailing us out of a tight spot can defeat the purpose of the tight spot.

God is refusing to take away an important learning experience.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies