Walls of water

Exodus 14:5-19

         Many of the readings of the Old Testament convey stories of God taking sides and using His power to strike down enemy by the thousand. There is treachery, deceit, murder and battles royal. This is the logic that religions have used and use today, to justify crusades and jihad! Is this the message of scripture? Is organized rape, polygamy and slavery, all of which appears frequently in scripture a sanction for the such practices?

        I prefer to believe that they are stories of people living real and dangerous lives in a hostile territory and all the while trying to integrate and appreciate God in their lives; a God who loves them as he loves us.

       So what to make of a story where the Egyptians are trapped and drown in the walls of water that inundates them as they chase after the Israelites?  If nothing else it is a strong allegorical device. When we do something wrong, take people hostage, literally or figuratively by our actions or lies, we run the risk of being drowned. Perhaps not literally but we will be in a quagmire none the less. We will wind up being consumed by our own words or treachery.  Perhaps there was no real vertical wall of water that separated to let the Israelites pass through. Perhaps it was a shallow tidal bridge or channel. When the Egyptians came through in their heavy chariots and horses they were caught in the mud and the returning tide simply finished them off. That is as likely a scenario, perhaps more likely and more believable. The 'evil forces' though were still caught in a quagmire, still caught from their own evil actions, still drowned. 

           When we act against our own good nature and against the God that loves us so deeply, we cannot help but get caught in a web of lies and deceit. Eventually this kind of life will consume you. Some of course will be particularly unlucky and pay a higher price than others but a fast death or a lingering one is still death. The death of a soul is a horrific thing.

           To avoid the quagmires of life it seems apparent the best method is to live an upstanding life with good intent filled with love of God, self and others. With honesty and love we may still make mistakes, Lord knows I do, but our consciences will be clear and will not fall into the all consuming muck and mire that consumed the Egyptians of old.

         

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed towards the people, and they said, ‘What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?’ So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him; he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’ But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.’

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.’

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them.