And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.
Nehemiah 9:11
Last time we saw how God acted against Pharaoh with appearing signs and conspicuous wonders, making a Name for Himself that continues to this day. Today we see His final act in this historical redemption story being remembered by our returned exiles.
You divided (baqa – to cleave, break open or through, breach, tear open, split) the sea before them (paneh – before their face)
“You broke open the sea before the face of Your people…”
Been thinking about how the Red Sea wasn’t a sin. Not a mistake, put there by Creator God, giving life to all who lived nearby. But God divided it, broke it, tore it open for the sake of His people and against the sin of their pursuers. And He did it before their very eyes.
Sometimes the biggest movements of God are the small, daily miracles of perseverance. And that’s where transformation happens. But for the Israelites, who had just seen God move on their behalf and against their oppressors, this movement of God before their bewildered faces surely was to prepare them for what was ahead. Filling them with faith when they needed it most.
“…so they passed through in the middle of the sea and the dry ground…”
It struck me the word for dry in dry ground has roots in synonyms like “withered, ashamed, disappointed.” (yabbashah – dry ground, land from yabesh – to be dried up, withered, ashamed, disappointed). And yet, in this scene, the dryness of the ground was the miracle. The answered prayer and road to freedom.
Ever happened to you? Ever looked at something dry that should be full of waves and movement and life-giving saturation, and realized the gift of disappointment? That the wonder came from what was withered?
If God Himself is drying up certain areas in His Church, we can rest in the road to freedom it will lead to. If something disappoints us, we can find appointing in Him. And if there is anything coming to light which brings shame, we can joyfully turn our faces to His and trust that He has a way to transformation, if only we’ll let Him.
“…so they went through (abar – alienate, alter, carry over) the midst (tavek – among, home, interior, middle, midst, within) of the sea…”
Surrounding the bug-eyed Israelites was this crushing body of water. I picture either side like a mile-high aquarium, yet without the protective glass. They were in the midst of this sea – smack in the middle, within the life teeming around them. And yet they passed through: were carried over by the Unseen Hand altering the waves.
Do you think it took some courage to take those first few steps? How did they know the water walls would hold? Surely they wondered if they would crash down upon them and their new home would require gills they did not have.
Instead the only thing crashing down in this verse were their pursuers:
“…you cast (shalak – to throw, fling, bring down, hurl) their pursuers (radaph – chase, persecute, hunt, press, put to flight) into the deep (metsolah – bottom, depth, from tsulah – oceans deep, abyss, to sink).
The dramatic conclusion of our story does end in those walls of water crashing down. But only upon those hunting God’s obeying people.
Can we agree to stop chasing those who are seeking to obey God’s call on their life? Could we no longer persecute any fellow image bearer? Shall we stop putting to flight others from our tribes because they don’t toe the correct line?
Instead, could we throw out all self-righteousness and pride? Fling far away from ourselves evil in prayer and repentance? Let’s hurl down together anything that blocks others from knowing an all-satisfying God Who has finished it all to restore relationship with us.
“…[you cast] like a stone (eben – charm, cornerstone, slingstones, weight; from banah – to build) into the mighty (az – strong, fierce, raging, insolent, greedy, powerful…from azaz – to be strong, bold, prevail, fixed, to harden, stout) waters.”
Love-destroying, life-killing sin will be hurled down once and for all by our Precious Cornerstone one day. It has to be judged. Never arbitrarily or without mercy. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? But so the imagery in Isaiah will be our forever reality once again and forever:
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God…
A voice cries:
In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:1, 3-5
Anything hardening your heart, keeping you from bowing before the Rock in repentance, will suffocate you. Oh, but how He will flip it in your life if you let Him. How strong, stout, fixed we become in our hearts tendered and emboldened by Him. Remember, that mighty, raging sea referred to in this passage was not the sin in question. It was fulfilling its purpose by design.
Covenant Yahweh will show us, too, how to wield just power for His glory in our day.