The Lord Saved Israel

The Children of Israel witnessed all of the plagues of Egypt. They saw the mighty power of God. They saw and believed to the point that when the destroyer came through Egypt and killed the firstborn of the Egyptians that they believed God would protect them. Through the passover they were all healed. All 2-3 million people we healthy when they walked out of Egypt.

Psalms 105
:37 He [God] brought them forth also with silver and gold:
    and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

These are great and mighty acts of God. Yet the Children of Israel have had their believing so diluted by the Egyptian's culture and beliefs that they didn't hold onto the Word of God in their minds and hearts. They did not remember God's promises which were supposed to be told to them throughout their generations. Here it is repeated to them again (before the plagues begin).

Exodus 6
:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him,
    I am the Lord:
:3 And I appeared unto Abraham,
        unto Isaac,
        and unto Jacob,
    by the name of God Almighty,
    but by my name Jehovah [Yhwh] was I not known to them.
:4 And I have also established my covenant with them,
    to give them the land of Canaan,
        the land of their pilgrimage,
    wherein they were strangers.
:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel,
        whom the Egyptians keep in bondage;
    and I have remembered my covenant.
:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel,
    I am the Lord,
        and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
        and I will rid you out of their bondage,
        and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm,
        and with great judgments:
:7     And I will take you to me for a people,
        and I will be to you a God:
        and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God,
            which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
:8     And I will bring you in unto the land,
            concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham,
                to Isaac,
                and to Jacob;
        and I will give it you for an heritage:
        I am the Lord.

Moses told the leaders of the Children of Israel and the leaders told their people. These promises are nothing new, I am sure many had been told them before. However, they had stopped believing. Fortunately Moses and Aaron were taught about God to the point that they walked and talked with Him.

After leaving Egypt it didn't take long before the Israelites experienced some tribulation that tested their faith in God's ability to deliver. After the Israelites left Egypt Pharoah was overcome with evil once more and commanded that the Children of Israel be returned. Pharaoh had changed his mind, after all they were cheap labor, they were slaves. Who is going to build the monuments and cities? So he decides to follow them. Consider the army he amasses to go bring them back with. Remember they are about 2-3 million people.

Exodus 14
:5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled:
    and the heart of Pharaoh
    and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said,
        Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
:6 And he made ready his chariot,
    and took his people with him:
:7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots,
    and all the chariots of Egypt,
    and captains over every one of them.

This is the remaining strength of Egypt. Egypt was the greatest nation on earth at this time so this army is not meager.

Now God has done some pretty incredible things getting the Children of Israel out of Egypt. You would think that after all of those miracles that nothing would faze them. Look at their reaction when they are followed.

:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes,
    and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them;
    and they were sore afraid:
    and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
:11 And they said unto Moses,
    Because there were no graves in Egypt,
        hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?
    wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us,
        to carry us forth out of Egypt?

They make it sound like it was Moses' fault that they had been delivered from Egypt, yet who had cried unto the Lord? Who had asked for help, who wanted deliverance? Who was glad and delighted when Moses showed up with Aaron and did the great miracles? Without weapons they left Egypt and they left loaded with jewels and gold. After all they had witnessed they still could not believe that God would deliver them out of the hand of Pharaoh's army. They forgot why they cried out originally--they were sore afraid.

At this time no one had been killed or hurt by the Egyptian army, they were merely marching after them. The people tell Moses:

Exodus 14
:12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying,
    Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?
        For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians,
        than that we should die in the wilderness

What had God told them? He told them that He was going to deliver them from the burdens of the Egyptians, rid them out their bondage, redeem them with a stretched out arm and with great judgments, take them as His people, be their God, and they were to live in Canaan; the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They couldn't take God at His Word. When adversity struck they always want to be where they were before. They had been so oppressed and had no time to worship God; they were brain washed. They failed to consider that the Egyptians had killed their children, made them make bricks without straw and oppressed them to a hand-to-mouth survival existence so there was no time for God, no time to meditate on His Word. God needed them out of Egypt into a land of milk and honey so they would be able to live His Word.

:13 And Moses said unto the people,
        Fear ye not,
        stand still,
        and see the salvation of the Lord,
            which he will shew to you to day:
        for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day,
        ye shall see them again no more for ever.
:14 The Lord shall fight for you,
    and ye shall hold your peace.

:15 And the Lord said unto Moses,
        Wherefore criest thou unto me?
    speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
:16 but lift thou up thy rod,
    and stretch out thine hand over the sea,
    and divide it,
    and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground
        through the midst of the sea.
:17 And I,
    behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians,
    and they will follow them:
    and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh,
    And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord,
        when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh,
        upon his chariots,
        and upon his horsemen.
:19 And the angel of God,
        which went before the camp of Israel,
    removed and went behind him;
    and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face.
    and stood behind them:
:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel;
    and it was a cloud and darkness to them, [the Egyptians]
    but it gave light by night to these: [what a nightlight]
        so that the one came not near the other all the night.
            [picture this, it had to have been awesome]
:21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea;
    and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night,
    and made the sea dry land,
    and the waters were divided.
:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground:
    and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
:23 And the Egyptians pursued,
    and went in after them to the midst of the sea,
        even all Pharaoh's horses,
        his chariots,
        and his horsemen.
:24 And it came to pass,
    that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians
        through the pillar of fire and of the cloud,
    and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
:25 And took off their chariot wheels,
        that they drave them heavily:
    so that the Egyptians said,
        Let us flee from the face of Israel;
        for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 
                [the Egyptians recognized this]
:26 And the Lord said unto Moses,
    Stretch out thine hand over the sea,
    that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians,
    upon their chariots, and
    upon their horsemen.
:27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea,
    and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared;
    and the Egyptians fled against it;
    and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
:28 And the waters returned,
    and covered the chariots
    and the horsemen,
    and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them;
    there remained not so much as one of them.
:29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea;
    and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
:30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians;
    and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
:31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians:
    and the people feared the Lord,
    and believed the Lord,
    and his servant Moses.

Here they are finally believing. All Israel saw the great work God did upon the Egyptians then they believed God and Moses. We are to believe first and then see.

We have more than what the Old Testament Believers had.

II Peter 1
:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
    that pertain unto life and godliness,
        through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

We have been given the Word of God and we should study an be diligent

II Timothy 2
:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
    a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
    rightly dividing the word of truth.

We have been given the rights and privileges of heirs to the throne of grace

Romans 8
:17 And if children, then heirs;
        heirs of God,
        and joint-heirs with Christ;
    if so be that we suffer with him,
    that we may be also glorified together.

Galatians 3
:29 And if ye be Christ's,
    then are ye Abraham's seed,
    and heirs according to the promise.

We have been given power from on high

Acts 1
:8 But ye shall receive power,
        after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
    and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
    and in all Judaea,
    and in Samaria,
    and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

II Corinthians 4
:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
    that the excellency of the power may be of God,
        and not of us.

I Corinthians 2
:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
    but in the power of God.

We have been given the responsibility to manifest the Christ in us that has been given to us by grace and not of works.

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known
    what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
        which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Ephesians 2
:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
    and that not of yourselves:
    it is the gift of God:
:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
:10 For we are his workmanship,
    created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
    which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.