A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
Verſ. 1. ANd the Lord ſpake unto Moſes, ſaying, &c.]
That is, before their removall from Succoth, though it be here ſet down after it: for there they began to turn aſide towards theſe ſtraights. That we may know that Moſes did not ignorantly bring them into ſuch a place of danger, where they had the ſea before them, the mountains on one hand, and the tower or city Migdol, a garriſon of the Egyptians, on the other, and ſo no place to paſſe out, but to return upon the face of the enemy; I ſay, that we might not misjudge of this action, Moſes tells us that it was done by Gods ſpeciall direction, and that to theſe ends: 1. To avoyd warre with the Philiſtines; 2. To harden Pharaohs heart, and to draw him forth upon a ſuppoſed advantage gotten; 3. To try the faith of the Iſraelites.
Verſ. 3. For Pharaoh will ſay of the children of Iſrael, They are entangled in the land, &c.]
That is, when Pharaoh ſhall begin to think, that by reaſon of the difficulties of the wilderneſſe you know not how to ſcape away, this ſhall embolden him to purſue you to his own diſtruction.
Verſ. 5. And it was told the King of Egypt that the people fled.]
That is, that they were making away as faſt as they could, and went not onelyonly to ſacrifice unto the Lord. It is not meant of flying for fear (for it is afterward ſaid, ver. 8. that they went out with a high hand, that is, boldly powerfully in good array of battel as in chap. 13. 18. The children of Iſrael went up harneſſed, &c.) but it is meant of their marching away with a purpoſe to get out of his ſervice.
Verſ. 8. The children of Iſrael went out with a high hand.]
Not like fugitives, but like a free people reſcued out of their bondage by the mighty power of God (ſo to ſinne with a high hand, is to do it boldly and openly, Numb. 15. 30.) and as men that now thought themſelves ſecure and out of danger of the Egyptians.
Verſ. 10. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Iſrael lift up their eyes, &c.]
Implying that they were the more terrified becauſe they never feared this danger, till unexpectedly looking forth they ſaw the Egyptians cloſe at their heels.
And the children of Iſrael cryed out unto the Lord.]
That is, in the ſuddenneſſe of the danger they cryed out for help, but without faith, as men that knew not what they did.
Verſ. 13. And Moſes ſaid unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, &c.]
Implying that they ſhould not need to ſtirre in the buſineſſe: if they would onelyonly be quiet, and with a ſettled mind wait upon the Lord for help, he would deliver them without their help.
Verſ. 14. The Lord ſhall fight for you, and ye ſhall hold your peace.]
That is, be ſtill, not be put to any trouble in the leaſt reſiſtance of them: for this phraſe, of holding the peace, is often applyed to actions, and then it ſignifieth being ſtill, and not moving to do any thing, Pſal. 50. 3. Our God ſhall come, and ſhall not keep ſilence. and Pſal. 83. 1. Keep not thou ſilence, O God; hold not thy peace, and be not ſtill. Eſa. 42. 14. I have long time holden my peace, I have been ſtill, and refrained my ſelf.
Verſ. 15. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Wherefore criest thou unto me?]
This may be meant of the time before Moſes had ſo encouraged the people, as is expreſſed in the former verſes; and then it is here related as the ground of that his confident promiſe, ver. 13. As for thoſe words of God to Moſes, Wherefore criest thou unto me? they imply that he did call upon God, though it were not before mentioned. Neither doth God miſlike or reprove him for this, but onelyonly haſtens him to do what was to be done, and to ſtrike the ſea with his rod that it might be divided, and ſo give way to the Iſraelites to paſſe over.
Verſ. 19. And the Angel of the Lord which went before the camp, &c.]
That is, Chriſt, called Jehovah, Exod. 13. 21. And the Lord went before them by day, &c. and he is ſaid to remove, onelyonly becauſe the ſignes of his preſence went to another place.
Verſ. 22. And the children of Iſrael went into the midſt of the ſea upon the dry ground.]
That is, they went into the channel of the red ſea upon the dry-ground, and ſo were in the midſt of the ſea, having the ſea both on their right hand and on their left. So farre were the people now encouraged, that had ere while with much bitterneſſe murmured againſt Moſes and Aaron, partly by the removing of the cloud betwixt them and the Egyptians, partly by the miraculous dividing of the ſea upon Moſes lifting up his hand over it, but chiefly by the working of Gods Spirit in their hearts, that Moſes leading the way, they were not afraid to follow him, notwithſtanding the terrour of the waters ſtanding up on each ſide as they went; whence it is that the Apoſtle ſaith, that by faith they paſſed through the ſea, Heb. 11. 29. and therefore it is alſo that the Apoſtle ſaith, 1. Cor. 10. 2. that they were all baptized unto Moſes in the cloud and in the ſea; to wit, becauſe the condition wherein they were, as they were led by the miniſtry of Moſes under the cloud and through the ſea, was a notable figure or repreſentation of our Baptiſme, to wit, in that as they by the cloud were covered from the heat of the ſunne, and were enlightned in the way they ſhould go; ſo thoſe that are baptized by the water and the Spirit of Chriſt, are covered from the burning wrath of God, and enlightned to the ſaving knowledge of the way of life: and as they in the red ſea paſſed as it were through death to life, the red ſea being the means of ſaving them, and of the deſtruction of the Egyptians; ſo Chriſt by the waters of Baptiſme, as the outward ſigne, doth ſave us, our enemies, ſinne and death, being utterly deſtroyed.
And the waters were a wall unto them, &c.]
That is ſtanding up as a heap. Pſal. 78. 13. He made the waters to ſtand as an heap; and ſo as a wall of defence to them, on their right hand and on their left.
Verſ. 24. The Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians, through the pillar, &c.]
That is, whereas hitherto the Lord had ſuffered them to go on, and ſeemed not to regard them▪ now he began to ſhew himſelf in his diſpleaſure againſt them.
And troubled the hoſt of the Egyptians.]
That is, the Lord cauſed grievous tempeſts and ſtorms to fall upon them, thunder and lightnings, and hail and rain: See Pſal. 77. 17, 18. The clouds poured out water, the skies ſent out a ſound: thine arrows alſo went abroad. The voyce of thy thunder was in the heaven, the lightnings lightned the world, the earth trembled and ſhook. Hereby he ſtruck them with an apprehenſion of Gods wrath, overthrew their tents, put them all into diſorder, and made ſuch a tumult in their hoſt, that flying in this diſorder they runne one againſt another, and were troubled in their flight.
Verſ. 25. And took off their chariot-wheels, that they drave them heavily, &c.]
That is, the Lord by his rain and tempeſts had ſo ſoftned the ground that their wheels were clogged, and ſunk into the ground, whereby ſome might be broken and taken off; all drove heavily, and had much adoe to get forward.
Verſ. 30. And Iſrael ſaw the Egyptians dead upon the ſeaſhore.]
The Iſraelites, being gotten over to the other ſide, ſaw, no doubt, how upon Moſes ſtretching forth his hand again over the read ſea the waters, that ſtood before up on heaps, came rowling in upon the Egyptians, who had followed the Iſraelites cloſe behind them, and ſo drowned them; and ſo it is ſaid in the following verſe, that Iſrael ſaw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians. But afterwards they ſaw alſo the dead bodies of the Egyptians upon the ſhore; and if they waited not ſome time for this, it was doubtleſſe an extraordinary work of Gods power, ſince dead bodies that ſink under water do not uſually flote upon the water, that ſo they may be driven upon the ſhore, till they have been ſome few dayes under water. But happely indeed the Iſraelites might wait ſo long by the ſea ſide, expecting to furniſh themſelves with the ſpoyl both of the dead bodies and their carriages. Nor did the ſight of the Egyptians, being now but dead carcaſes, croſſe the truth of that which Moſes had ſaid, ver. 13. The Egyptians whom ye have ſeen to day, ye ſhall ſee them again no more for ever.