The Red Sea, at this place, had a very smooth bottom of sand, as has
been discovered since, although it is very deep, and perhaps twenty
miles across. The water stood like a wall on both sides of this
passage. Some of you may think this could not be. I will here relate
the substance of a conversation, which is said to have really taken
place between the first English minister to Siam, and the king of that
country. Siam is a very hot country in the south part of Asia. There
is never any winter, or even cool weather, in that country. So the
people there know nothing of ice, and even the king himself had never
heard of any such thing. The English minister told him many things
about England and other countries, and among other things referred to
the effect of cold upon water, that it makes it hard.
"You do not say," said the king, "that water gets _hard_ in your
country!" "Indeed I do," said the minister. "It sometimes gets so hard
all over the surface of broad rivers and lakes that men, and even
heavy beasts, may walk upon it with dry feet; and if your heavy
elephants were there, even _they_ could walk upon the hard water too."
"I have, thus far," replied the king, "been willing to listen to you,
and believe what you say; but now I _know you lie_."
So it may be with some who read or hear the story of the children of
Israel. They may think it all reasonable and fair enough, until they
come to the passage through the Red Sea: there faith stumbles and
falls. But we must never forget that all things, not self-contradictory,
are possible with God. It is just as possible and easy for him to
crystallize the billows of an ocean as to freeze a drop of dew on a
blade of grass. At the command of Moses they enter this avenue through
the deep, walled by the waves, and roofed by the sky. Surely no eyes
but theirs ever witnessed so sublime a sight.
"Water to right of them;
Water to left of them;
Water in front of them;"
while over their heads passed the cloud of Jehovah's presence and
glory to follow in their rear; at once to hide them from the sight,
and to shield them from the attack of the enemy that was pursuing
them. I can hardly ever read this simple statement without a tear. The
kindness, the _love_ of the Lord in thus placing himself between
his children and their enemies, like as a tender father would shield
his offsprings from danger, always melts my heart. But this is just
the way the Lord always does. If his own dear people will but shelter
under his wings, the devil will never be able to get one of them.
Some of you may wonder why the Lord did not close up the way behind
them, after they were all in, so that Pharaoh and his hosts would be
compelled to stay back. But God knew best. He is wiser than men. He
allowed the Egyptian army to enter. They followed just as close behind
the Israelites as the Lord would let them come. The way was still
open, and Pharaoh, no doubt, thought the way as free for him, and
quite as safe too, as for Moses. His intention was to slaughter the
whole camp of Israel as soon as his army got through. But see how he
failed! The salvation of Moses was the destruction of Pharaoh. When
the children of Israel had all reached the land in safety they
ascended the hills on the shore to look back at the long train of
Pharaoh's host. But what did their eyes behold! All at once the walls
of water broke down; and the sea closed over them.
It seems strange to us now that Pharaoh would venture to follow the
Israelites. We now think he might have known it would prove his own
destruction. But this is one example of the folly of which Satan is
always guilty. At the very time he thinks victory is within his grasp
disappointment and defeat overtake him. Let me show you another
instance of this.
For some time he had been plotting the destruction of our Lord Jesus
Christ. One time he tried to have him cast down a very steep place on
the side of a hill. But he failed. At another time he tried to have
him stoned to death. But the Lord escaped out of his hands. At last,
however, he succeeded in having him put to death. He entered into the
heart of a man by the name of Judas, and made arrangements with him to
betray our Lord into the hands of his enemies. The plot was successful,
and when Satan saw our Lord expiring on the cross he felt jubilant
over the victory he had gained, in the belief that he had now rid the
world of its most dangerous foe to his kingdom. But you see how it
turned out. The resurrection and glorification of our Lord have given
such a deathblow to Satan's power that, after awhile, the eyes of all
heaven will see that old Serpent, the devil, and Satan cast into the
lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
After the children of Israel all got through the Red Sea they formed a
camp on its eastern shore, and each family prepared the food they had
brought with them to eat. But the supply soon gave out, and as there
was none to be had in the desert where they were encamped they began
to fear that they must all starve. They complained to Moses, and he
carried their complaints to the Lord. Very soon the manna began to
fall in abundance.