Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this .
Exodus 14:1-4
Map of the Sinai Peninsula
On day 4 of our first scout trip to Egypt, we left Goshen heading out on the Exodus route. It was amazing how quickly the green turned to stark desert. We crossed the Suez Canal and turned SE down towards the Sinai. We began to read and try to figure out where they might have camped. In Exodus 13:20 it says “After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.” This is where the pillar of cloud and fire began to lead them.
Then we read in chapter 14, verses 1-4 that God told Moses to turn back and camp at Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the Sea. He said camp right by the Sea, the one that they were going to cross later. As we studied this and put it on a map, we realized that God set the Israelite people up where they are stuck next to the sea. There were several places that they could have gone around the body of water and kept on going, but he purposely put them with their back to the sea and the Egyptians coming after them. He put them in a position where they couldn’t do anything but cry out for help. This was the first time that the children of Israel put their trust completely in God and Moses. And one of the most major miracles in the Bible follows.
The metaphor is clear and obvious; God puts us in situations that are out of our control; no way can we fix it. We add very little, if anything, to the equation. And this is when God comes in power, if we completely put our trust in Him.
Amen.
About the author:
Bob is the creator of this site and a disciple of Ray Vander Laan. Along with his wife of 50 years, he teaches a Bible study at Christ’s Church in Roswell, NM. He is also an avid hunter and fisher.
Our God is truly amazing. He knows how to bait us up for the enemy, and He uses the very difficulty that we face as a road-way to our victory. How amazing! Awesome is our God!
Hello I Thank God for right now I am preparing to teach the children at Kingdom Life Fellowship in Richlands NC & God Is speaking to me through this bible study. Even Pastor suggested looking thru the images & came upon this : ) Thank you I am seeing how He Is Truely Soverign and He has So Much Clearly purpose and direction & I need to Keep Seeking Him!
Thank you for your posting, I was reading Exodos 14 and a thought to look up were this place is in a map came to mind so I looked it up and came across your posting. God is in charge and the trials that we go through are to help us grow spiritually and see how things can be easy in our daily life if we would truly trust in our Father above.
If the Israelites had found another way around the sea they would have been overrun by the Egyptians with no way to defend themselves. This was not only God’s way of giving opportunity for them to trust him, but also to get this Pharaoh off their tail once and for all. Father truly is the best General in a battle, not only does He have tactics we would never think of, but he lost NO Israelites and EVERY Egyptian in this confrontation! Awesome!!
God truly got the glory as he said he would. There is nothing to hard for the Lord. If God be for us, who can be against us.