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| Volume 20 Number 12 December 2018 | Page 3 |
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| Volume 20 Number 12 December 2018 | Page 3 |
Gary C. Hampton
Exodus begins with, “And these are the names,” indicating Moses was continuing the story of Genesis. A list of the sons of Jacob who entered Egypt with their father, some seventy people not counting Joseph and his family, followed (Exodus 1:1-5).
The population of the children of Israel grew rapidly, to the point that Moses could say the land was filled with them. A Pharaoh ascended to the throne who did not know Joseph. Fear of the rapidly multiplying Hebrews led him to deal craftily with them by placing them in slavery. The Hebrews continued to grow in numbers, despite the hard work (Exodus 1:6-14).
Pharaoh told the two women in charge of the Hebrew midwives to kill all the boy babies at birth. They feared God more than any human authority, so they refused to be a part of such cruelty. When they did not follow Pharaoh’s instructions, the number of the people continued to grow. When questioned by Pharaoh, they explained that the Hebrew women were sturdier than the Egyptian women, and the children were born before midwives could even arrive on the scene. God blessed these women with homes and families, not because they lied to Pharaoh, but because they feared Him more than man (Exodus 1:15-21).
The failure of his first two plans caused Pharaoh to tell all his Hebrew subjects to cast every male child into the river. Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, had a baby boy. Their faith in God motivated them to hide him for three months (Exodus 1:22-2:2; Acts 7:19-20; Hebrews 11:23).
When he could no longer be safely hidden, Jochebed put the baby in the river in an ark of bulrushes. Pharaoh’s daughter saw the ark and took him out of the water. Miriam, the baby’s sister, offered to get a wet nurse, which resulted in him being returned to the care of his own mother. Pharaoh’s daughter adopted the child, naming him Moses, which means “drawn out,” because she had drawn him out of the water (Exodus 2:3‑10). Moses, thus, came to know all about God and His people while also being educated in all the Egyptians' wisdom (Acts 7:21‑22).
[Editor’s Note: Certainly, God is in control and works behind the scenes in conjunction with the activities of His enemies as well as with the efforts put forth by His faithful children (Genesis 45:5-7; 50:20). God’s providence is far-reaching, to include affecting nations (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32; 5:21). In the case of Moses, God determined that His deliverer—Moses—would live and prosper, afterward, delivering Israel from Egyptian captivity. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
Parting the Red Sea
Robert Johnson
A recent Reuters news report states, “Moses might not have parted the Red Sea, but a strong east wind that blew through the night could have pushed the waters in the way described in Biblical writings.” Using computer simulations, U.S. researchers said wind could push water back at a point where a river bent to merge with a coastal lagoon. “The wind moves the water in a way that’s in accordance with physical laws, creating safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in.”
Skeptics have always shown an interest in trying to turn miraculous events in Scripture into ordinary occurrences governed by natural law. In reality, this is testimony to the historical accuracy of the accounts themselves. If they were myths, there would be no need to try to debunk what Scripture says happened through divine intervention. That critics of Scripture offer natural explanations is evidence of their historical accuracy.
Regarding the parting of the Red Sea, Scripture makes clear it was indeed a strong wind that separated the waters. “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21). After the Israelites were across the sea, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.’ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:26-27).
What these scientists do not recognize is not just the wind factor, but also the timing of the event. The miracle is not just God using natural forces to part the waters, but when it occurred. God did not sweep the water of the Red Sea back until Moses stretched his hand over it, and the water did not return to its place until Moses again stretched out his hand over the sea. Is it coincidence that the water parted when the Israelites could pass through to the other side? Is it chance the water came back when the Egyptians were in the midst of the waters, where it would cover all their chariots and horsemen? Not only this, but it had been foretold by God to Moses (Exodus 14:15-18), so that “the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen” (14:18). The miracle is not just the wind, but also the timing of the wind, in that it had been determined beforehand by God and revealed to Moses.
This is similar to a miracle Jesus performed with Peter in the New Testament. Those who collected the annual half-shekel temple tax, which every Jewish male was to pay for the maintenance of the temple service, questioned Peter. Jesus told Peter, “However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me” (Matthew 17:27). It was a miracle, but not just because there was a shekel in the mouth of the fish. People catch fish with all sorts of items in them that they have swallowed. It was that Jesus had foretold this, and the exact manner in which it would happen.
Scientists, then, have not disproved the parting of the Red Sea. They have collaborated to show how God used a strong wind to accomplish it. What they have missed in all their efforts is how it happened in God’s time, exactly when God said it would (by Moses stretching out his hand), accomplishing exactly what God said it would (the destruction of the Egyptians). Perhaps they need to spend more time reading the entire account of Scripture. They would discover, as anyone with a good and honest heart, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).