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No.37.
Israel's passage through the Red Sea (Exod. 14:).
"Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously:
the horse and his rider He hath thrown into the sea" (Exod. 15: 1).
pp. 196 - 199
The various references to Israel's passage through the Red Sea show that it was not
only an experience which was necessary for Israel; a parallel may be found in the
experience of the believer, and also in the future restoration of Israel. An appreciation of
its place and meaning will give encouragement to the downcast, stimulus to the one who
is seeking the crown or the prize, and an explanation of some of the baffling providences
which make up the purpose of the ages.
As we learn in the Revelation, that the Beast, the False Prophet and Satan must be
removed before the millennial kingdom can be set up, so Israel must see Pharaoh and
his host dead on the sea shore before the kingdom can be inherited. This is emphasized
in the prophecy of Israel's restoration recorded in Isa. 51: 9, 10:
"Awake, awake, put on Thy strength, O arm of the Lord, awake as in the ancient days,
in the generations of old. Art Thou not it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the dragon?
Art Thou not it which hath dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made
the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?"
There is another interesting reference to Isa. 11:
Here again the theme is that of
Israel's restoration:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand a second time
to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt
. . . . . and the Lord shall utterly destroy the gulf of the Egyptian sea; and shall shake His
hand against the river (Euphrates) in the full force of His spirit, and shall smite it in the
seven streams thereof, and make men go over dryshod. So shall there be an highway for
a remnant of His people, who shall be left, out of Assyria: LIKE AS IT WAS TO
ISRAEL IN THE DAY THAT HE CAME OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT"
(Isa. 11: 11-16).
When the ransomed Israelites stood upon the sea shore and realized the deliverance
that had been accomplished, together with the overthrow of their enemies they took up a
song of triumphant thanksgiving. After speaking of the way the Lord had `triumphed
gloriously' they continued:
"The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation" (Exod. 15: 2).
This is exactly what follows the parallel of Exod. 14: already quoted above. After
speaking of the turning away of the Lord's anger Israel will continue:
"The Lord Jehovah is my strength and song: He also is become my salvation" (Isa. 12: 2).