Exodus 14 – The Red Sea Crossing and God’s Deliverance
Exodus 14 tells the story of God’s miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea. Israel is trapped, but the Lord fights for them—opening a path through the sea and defeating Pharaoh’s army.
When There’s No Way Out, God Makes One
Israel’s freedom is quickly tested. God leads them to a dead end—on purpose. Pharaoh’s army is closing in. The Red Sea is before them. But the God who leads is the God who delivers. What looks like a trap is actually the stage for one of the greatest acts of divine power in human history.
✔ Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues Israel.
✔ Israel fears and complains—but Moses declares faith.
✔ God parts the Red Sea.
✔ Pharaoh’s army is drowned, and Israel walks free.
📖 Key Verse: “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” – Exodus 14:14
🔎 Sometimes God brings you to the edge—not to abandon you, but to show you His glory.
Exodus Chapter 14 Overview
Exodus 14:1–14 – Trapped but Not Forsaken
📖 Exodus 14:1–4 – “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart… that I may be honoured upon Pharaoh.”
🔎 God leads them into a trap—on purpose:
🔹 God chooses a camp near the sea, knowing it appears vulnerable.
🔹 He hardens Pharaoh’s heart again—not by forcing evil, but by allowing it to manifest.
🔹 This setup isn’t for Israel’s defeat, but for God’s glory over Egypt’s pride.
➡️ Faith Insight: God sometimes allows pressure to fall—not to crush us, but to defeat His enemies in front of us.
📖 Exodus 14:5–9 – “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go?”
🔎 Egypt regrets its decision:
🔹 Pharaoh’s pride is wounded—he wants his slaves back.
🔹 He sends 600 chosen chariots—the elite force of the empire.
🔹 Israel is unarmed, cornered, and outmatched—exactly how God wants them.
➡️ Prophetic Pattern: The remnant will face overwhelming opposition in the last days—so that only God gets the credit for the deliverance.
📖 Exodus 14:10–12 – “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?”
🔎 Israel responds with fear and sarcasm:
🔹 In crisis, faith is tested and often collapses into complaint.
🔹 They romanticize their bondage: “It was better in Egypt!”
🔹 But God had not abandoned them—they just couldn’t see His plan yet.
➡️ Spiritual Caution: Be careful not to curse the deliverance just because you can’t yet see the miracle.
📖 Exodus 14:13–14 – “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord… The Lord shall fight for you.”
🔎 Moses responds with faith and boldness:
🔹 “Stand still” doesn’t mean do nothing—it means don’t panic. Let God act first.
🔹 “See the salvation” — this is the first time the word “salvation” is used in the Bible (Hebrew: yeshua).
🔹 “The Lord shall fight for you” – this becomes a foundational promise throughout Scripture.
➡️ Final Thoughts: You are not forsaken. When you can’t fight, stand still—and watch God move.
Exodus 14:15–31 – The Sea Parts and the Enemy Falls
📖 Exodus 14:15–18 – “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”
🔎 God calls them to move in faith:
🔹 “Why criest thou unto me?” – God expects movement after the promise.
🔹 Moses is to lift his rod—a symbol of divine authority—to part the sea.
🔹 God reveals the purpose: He will gain honor upon Pharaoh through this miracle.
➡️ Obedience Insight: There comes a time when prayer must give way to faithful action.
📖 Exodus 14:19–20 – “The angel of God… went behind them… between the camp of the Egyptians and Israel.”
🔎 God Himself becomes their shield:
🔹 The pillar of cloud and fire moves from front to rear—God adjusts His presence to meet their need.
🔹 It brings darkness to the enemy and light to the faithful—a divine separation.
🔹 God defends His people even before the miracle manifests.
➡️ Protection Promise: God’s presence will stand between you and your enemy until the path is revealed.
📖 Exodus 14:21–22 – “The Lord caused the sea to go back… and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.”
🔎 The sea parts by divine command:
🔹 Moses stretches his hand—and God sends a strong east wind.
🔹 The sea becomes dry ground, not muddy—a clear, walkable miracle.
🔹 Israel walks forward through walls of water, surrounded by power, but untouched.
➡️ Faith Lesson: God doesn’t just rescue—He creates a path where none exists.
📖 Exodus 14:23–25 – “God troubled the host of the Egyptians… and took off their chariot wheels.”
🔎 Egypt follows—and is undone:
🔹 God allows the Egyptians in, but then acts in judgment.
🔹 The wheels fall off, and confusion spreads. The Egyptians finally admit: “The Lord fighteth for them!”
🔹 Too late, they recognize the battle was never theirs to win.
➡️ Judgment Truth: The same path that saves the righteous destroys the rebellious.
📖 Exodus 14:26–28 – “The waters returned… there remained not so much as one of them.”
🔎 Final justice is delivered:
🔹 At God’s command, Moses stretches out his hand again. The waters return with force.
🔹 Not one Egyptian soldier survives—the strongest army on earth is no match for heaven’s decree.
🔹 What was dry ground becomes a burial ground.
➡️ Prophetic Echo: Just as God crushed Egypt’s pride, He will defeat every power that opposes His people in the last days.
📖 Exodus 14:29–31 – “Israel saw the great work… and believed the Lord.”
🔎 Deliverance changes everything:
🔹 Israel walks safely through—and sees the evidence of God’s hand.
🔹 Their fear turns to reverence, and they believe God and His servant Moses.
🔹 Faith is now built not just on promises—but on visible power and deliverance.
➡️ Spiritual Turning Point: What began in fear ends in faith. The Red Sea becomes a symbol of trust, salvation, and testimony.
Exodus Chapter 14 - Deeper Study
Overview: Power in the Midst of Panic
🔹 Timeframe: Shortly after Israel’s departure from Egypt.
🔹 Setting: Camped by the Red Sea, facing the Egyptian army.
🔹 Theme: God turns hopeless moments into platforms for His glory.
What Does It Mean That God Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart?
The phrase appears multiple times in Exodus:
📖 “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” – Exodus 4:21, 7:3
📖 “Pharaoh hardened his heart” – Exodus 8:15, 8:32
📖 “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” – Exodus 9:12, 10:1
At first glance, it can sound like God forced Pharaoh to be evil, but the full biblical picture shows something much deeper and more consistent with God’s character.
Two Key Truths: Free Will + Divine Purpose
1️⃣ God Didn’t Create Pharaoh’s Evil—He Revealed It
Pharaoh was already prideful, rebellious, and self-exalting. God didn’t implant evil into him—He simply withdrew the restraining influence of His Spirit, and Pharaoh’s true character fully manifested.
📖 Romans 1:24 – “God gave them up…”
📖 Psalm 81:12 – “So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust…”
➡️ In other words, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by letting go, not by puppeteering.
2️⃣ God Used Pharaoh’s Choice for a Greater Purpose
Pharaoh was not a helpless victim of divine manipulation. The Scriptures say he hardened his own heart multiple times before it ever says God did.
But eventually, when Pharaoh repeatedly rejected the Word of God, the Lord confirmed him in that path—not violating his will, but solidifying it.
📖 Exodus 9:12 – “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh.” (after many rejections)
📖 Romans 9:17 – “For this very purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee…”
➡️ God did not cause Pharaoh’s rebellion, but He did use it to reveal His glory and power to the world.
A Biblical Parallel: The End-Time Hardened Heart
Pharaoh’s experience is a warning for us today. When truth is persistently resisted:
✅ Light becomes darkness
✅ Mercy becomes judgment
✅ Grace withdrawn reveals what’s inside
📖 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12 – “…they received not the love of the truth… God shall send them strong delusion…”
This is not because God desires anyone to be lost (2 Peter 3:9), but because truth rejected becomes judgment.
In Summary
Did God force Pharaoh to sin?
❌ No. Pharaoh chose rebellion.
✅ God simply allowed his heart to follow its natural course.
Did God use Pharaoh’s stubbornness for His glory?
✅ Yes. The deliverance of Israel became a global testimony to God’s justice and mercy.
The Exodus as a Symbol of the Christian Walk
Israel’s journey out of Egypt is a powerful blueprint of the Christian life.
1️⃣ Bondage in Egypt = Bondage to Sin
🔹 Just as Israel was enslaved under Pharaoh, humanity is enslaved under sin and Satan (Romans 6:17).
🔹 Egypt represents the world and its false gods, where God’s people are oppressed.
2️⃣ The Blood of the Lamb = Justification by Faith
🔹 The Passover lamb’s blood delivered Israel from death (Exodus 12:13).
🔹 Christ, our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7), redeems us from judgment.
🔹 This marks the moment of salvation—the blood applied.
3️⃣ Crossing the Red Sea = Baptism & Deliverance
🔹 Israel’s passage through the sea symbolizes baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1–2).
🔹 It’s the moment of leaving Egypt behind, permanently.
4️⃣ Wilderness Journey = Sanctification
🔹 In the wilderness, Israel learned trust, obedience, and dependence on God.
🔹 Like the believer, they battled doubt, compromise, and needed daily manna (the Word).
🔹 The journey was about preparing them for the Promised Land.
5️⃣ The Cloud & Fire = The Holy Spirit’s Leading
🔹 God visibly led them day and night—never leaving them (Exodus 13:21–22).
🔹 Believers today are led by the Holy Spirit, even in trials and delays.
6️⃣ The Promised Land = Eternal Life / Heaven
🔹 The goal wasn’t just escape from Egypt—but arrival in Canaan.
🔹 Our journey ends in the heavenly Promised Land (Hebrews 11:10).
Key Takeaways
🔑 God sometimes leads us to impossible places—on purpose.
🔑 Fear must give way to faith.
🔑 God fights for those who cannot fight for themselves.
🔑 Deliverance comes through obedience, not panic.
🔑 God gets the glory when the enemy is defeated His way.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Red Sea crossing – Symbol of baptism and new life (1 Corinthians 10:1–2).
🔮 Egypt’s defeat – Foreshadowing the final defeat of sin and Satan.
🔮 God’s deliverance – Parallel to Revelation’s theme of rescue from end-time oppression.
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Pharaoh’s change of heart – Typical of hardened rulers unwilling to yield to God’s sovereignty.
📜 Sea crossings – Culturally feared in the ancient Near East—God turns fear into triumph.
📜 Egyptian chariots – The height of military power—yet no match for the Lord.
💡 Final Reflection: When the Sea Is Before You
God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. Even when escape seems impossible, He already has a path prepared.
📌 Are you staring at the waves—or lifting your eyes to heaven?
📌 Are you trying to fix it—or waiting for God to fight?
📌 Are you still or striving?
🚀 The sea will part. The enemy will fall. And you will walk forward—on dry ground.
Crossing the Red Sea
Exo 14:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 14:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
Exo 14:3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
Exo 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
Exo 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?
Exo 14:6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
Exo 14:7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
Exo 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
Exo 14:9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
Exo 14:10 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.
Exo 14:11 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?
Exo 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.
Exo 14:13 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.
Exo 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exo 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
Exo 14:16 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.
Exo 14:17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
Exo 14:18 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.
Exo 14:19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exo 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
Exo 14:21 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.
Exo 14:22 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.
Exo 14:23 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.
Exo 14:24 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,
Exo 14:25 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.
Exo 14:26 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.
Exo 14:27 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.
Exo 14:28 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.
Exo 14:29 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.
Exo 14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
Exo 14:31 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.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
31