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| Exodus 14:1-4 |
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Lesson # Exodus 14:1-4 Study Material - Exodus 14:1-4 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Ex. 14:1-4 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 'Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, 'They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.' 4 'Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.' And they did so. Two things are happening now. The Israelites are turning back, or retracing their steps in an apparent status of indecision. Second, Pharaoh is getting reports from his scouts as to the movements of the Israelites. There are three locations mentioned - Pi-hahiroth, Migdol, and Baal-zephon. Actually there is a fourth location mentioned - the sea, which most believe is the Red Sea, since they did not move any further before crossing. None of these places have been identified in archeology, so the exact location is not known. If you look at a map of Egypt and locate Succoth, then look south and a little east, you'll see a couple of lakes named Bitter Lakes. There is a large lake and a small lake in a system of lots of little lakes. These flow into the Red Sea or the Gulf of Suez. Strategically this is not a good place to be, since the Sea would be on the East, the lakes would be on the north, the desert would be on the south, and Pharaoh could come in from Memphis to the west. A trap in other words. And that is exactly what Pharaoh thinks. He sees the Israelites wandering aimlessly, apparently not knowing where they are going. Why did they not go by way of the trade routes along the Mediterranean? Or so this is probably what Pharaoh would be thinking. And to his pleasure, they seem to be trapped and an easy prey for his fast moving chariot corps. And it is really a trap, but not for the Israelites. The Egyptians will lose their power when they fall into Gods trap. God leads Pharaoh to believe this very thing. God is not limited by anything in creation. Pharaoh should have learned this by now. What of those ten plagues that have recently tormented Egypt? Who caused them? Who took them away? Who brought grief to every household in Egypt? Is God now lost in the desert? Does God not know the way to Canaan? Is God finally in over His head, with so many people and so little battle experience? These are probably the thoughts and counsel that Pharaoh received. Therefore, Pharaoh is led by his senses only. He believes only what he sees and hears and is confined to the content of his soul, which excludes anything and everything spiritual. He is thinking only in terms of two dimensional, when God is the third dimension so to speak. The opportunity is too good to be true in Pharaoh's thoughts, so God will lure him into the trap. Now remember that we have just completed ten very dramatic plagues, which ended in a very costly loss to Egypt. Also, the scouts surely would have mentioned that pillar of fire and smoke like none other that they had ever seen. This pillar was permanent, not just some temporary whirlwind of dust. Not some unusual cloud formation with intermittent lightning, but a pillar that moved forward and the Israelites followed, and stopped and the Israelites camped. The pillar certainly could have been seen for miles, probably in an otherwise clear sky, and was, we assume, very high as far as altitude goes. So the evidence of Gods presence was clear. Wicked people lacking clear knowledge of life, presume incorrectly about free peoples. They think highly of themselves, elevated by their own arrogance, but the brilliance of their arrogance only blinds themselves to reality. 
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
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