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Faith in the Stiller of Waters
Exodus 13:17–14:31
Many of us are functional moralists. It’s the default position of all people. We expect good things to happen to good people. If bad things happen, then God’s judging us for sin. But this kind of thinking results in bitterness. We’re overcome by unfairness if good things don’t happen as expected. We despair if bad things don’t stop, or bad people aren’t punished. This caused David much lament. The psalms described his complaints - “God, how long will my enemies attack me?” Same with Job - “God why have you afflicted me so long; why lead me on some loopy detour.” But when David remembered God’s justice and goodness, he started rejoicing. When God proclaimed his character, Job regained hope. They surrendered and gained peace. Why? They knew God was sovereign. They knew it was his detour.
Many of us struggle. Why? The struggle is long and hard, yes. But maybe for some, we haven’t surrendered to God’s sovereign plan. In this life, we’re led through trial - choppy and chaotic waters. But God authors those trials for his sovereign purposes. While we may not understand why, we learn to take good and evil from his hands. He’s our loving heavenly Father. So we surrender. We have faith in the bringer and tamer of chaotic waters. He’s with us. And ultimately, he’ll deliver us at the end of time. These are themes we’ll explore in our passage in 3 points. First, God shepherds us on a sovereign detour. Second, man responds with severe dread. Third, God responds with spectacular deliverance.
First, God shepherds us on a sovereign detour. Our text opens with a wonderful detail. Verse 17 - “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go.” The plagues have accomplished their work. Israel is free. And so the obvious thing was to return to Canaan by the shortest route. That was called the Way of the Philistines, which would’ve taken them by the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza. It was the quickest and most direct path, the path any military strategist or travel planner would’ve chosen. But God didn’t lead them that way! Instead, he sent them on a detour. Why? “Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” We see here that God knew their hearts. They were not yet ready for battle. It was to spare them. And so, he led them on a detour - the long way around, toward the Red Sea. The detour was an act of mercy. He knew their frailty. If they went that way, the Philistines would’ve met them in battle and they’d have returned and run back to Egypt. Or else, the Egyptians would’ve easily caught up with them. And they’d have been forced back into Egypt. And so this detour was mercy. But the detour wouldn’t be easy. It was a trial. It would also lead them to the Red Sea. But this trial would still be better than facing the Philistines in battle.
Many times we don’t get it. The severe trial we’re going through is better than what it could otherwise have been. The seemingly short route, the seemingly easier way - could be the harder way. So this loopy detour, though inconvenient, leading them to a greater test, was God’s better way. This is the shepherd heart of God. He doesn’t lead his people into temptation beyond their capacity, even though it seems so. He knows our frame - that we’re dust. And so, he chooses the route that protects us, even when it seems to be the wrong way to us. And this route would protect them, even though many other troubles came.
But there’s more. God chose this route to demonstrate his power to them - to wean them from Egypt. The fact was this - there was a chance they’d return to Egypt if they encountered the Philistines. Many weeks later, there was even a contingent that wanted to return. But God wanted to wean them. He’d shown them the plagues, that Egypt was not that great, and their gods were powerless. And the text also reminds us of Joseph’s instructions. Verse 19 says Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Hundreds of years earlier, Joseph commanded his bones to be buried in the Promised Land, at the time of God’s deliverance. This record was to impress on them that they weren’t supposed to stay permanently in Egypt. It reminded them of God’s promise to rescue them. So this detour and promise were all to wean them from Egypt. If their future wasn’t Egypt, then it was time to go.
And God would be with them. Verse 21 - “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” The pillar represented the immediate, visible, and unmistakable presence of God. It was a gift of grace. Notice that the pillar didn’t take them out of the wilderness. It didn’t remove the difficulty of being pilgrims. It didn’t straighten the path. But it assured them that God was there. In Egypt - the plague of darkness! But in the wilderness - a pillar of fire and light! And God was in the fire. And it also reminded them to trust. The pillar led them. It forced them not to trust their navigational skills, nor their maps, but in the God who went before them. Just as God was the one who led them out of Egypt; they couldn’t move unless he moved. They couldn’t see, unless he shone. So this pillar weaned them from self-reliance and taught them to walk by faith.
Beloved, this is the way God shepherds all his people. He doesn’t take us by the short road, nor the broad path - which leads to destruction; but the narrow and circuitous path - that leads to life. It’s a long detour, that winds through the wilderness, even through the valley of the shadow of death. And he does this to spare us from sin and to wean us from the world - to break our dependence on the things of the world. To teach us to lean on him.
But despite God’s presence, promise, and deliverance, man responds with severe dread. That’s the second point. The people still didn’t trust the pillar. They didn’t rest in the power of God. Here we see their panic. Verse 10 says they were sore afraid. Why? Now, the scene shifted quickly. After leaving and making their way out, God told Moses in Exodus 14:1-4, to turn back and camp near Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Now, by this time, they were some distance away. If they’d gone on further, they could’ve made it to Canaan. But God told them to stop in their tracks. They were to backtrack to Pihahiroth. Why? Why go back when forward was Canaan? It’s where they were going, after they reached Sinai. But just because it was their final destination, God didn’t plan to get them there as quickly as possible. He wanted something else for them. He wanted them to camp and wait, so Pharaoh would think they were confused and trapped by the wilderness. So that, verse 4, Pharaoh would pursue them! God would harden Pharaoh’s heart so he’d think how ridiculous it was to let them go. And he’d chase after them. And the reason? So God would be glorified over Pharaoh and his armies, that they’d know he’s Jehovah. Beloved, God is concerned for his glory. It’s the same for us. He redeems us and sanctifies us from our idolatry. This sometimes requires a longer and slower route. So essentially, God didn’t let Israel get to where they were going yet. He stalled them to orchestrate something spectacular.
And Pharaoh took the bait. He mustered up 600 of his best chariots, with all other chariots of Egypt, driven by his officers. This was a huge army. We learn in verse 9 that Pharaoh chased the Israelites and overtook them as the camped by the sea. What does this mean? It means that Israel couldn’t proceed. Their path to the Promised Land was blocked. And the people panicked. Verse 10 says they were sore afraid. The dust of the chariots and the sea ahead caused them to cry out. Now, notice the words in verse 10 - “the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.” Sounds spiritual right? Wrong. They actually turned on Moses in verse 11 - “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you’ve taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us?” Now, this is the language of severe dread. They accused God of leading them out to kill them. They forgot the plagues, the Passover, the silver and gold lavished on them; and they forgot the pillar of cloud and fire, and Joseph’s bones. All they could see were the chariots. Now, certainly, there’s some truth - they knew it was God who led them there. But instead of trusting him, they blamed him. Why?
Their panic showed unbelief. It shrank their vision of God. They forgot his faithfulness and caused them to interpret the trial as evidence of God’s abandonment. They couldn’t see that it was God’s arrangement of the very stage upon which he’d demonstrate his glory. The detour, the wilderness, the trial wasn’t a sign God left them; rather it was the classroom where God taught them to trust him. And this is the same with us. We constantly want what we want - deliverance, success, order. But we don’t want the holiness that comes with surrender and trust. We don’t want the experience of trials that strengthens us in faith. We want what is easy. But God is less interested in what we think our comfort is as he is our holiness. Because our holiness leads to real comfort in life and in death. Now, should they have panicked? Let us remember how Israel were coming up out of Egypt. Exodus 13:18 says, “the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.” The NKJV reads - “And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” The NASB reads - “the sons of Israel went up in battle formation from the land of Egypt.” They were God’s army. He was their pillar of cloud and fire. He’d just delivered them victoriously by subduing the first born of Egypt. They were his army, but they panicked.
So God gave them his rebuke - through Moses. Verse 13 - “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” To be clear, Moses wasn’t naive about the danger. He also saw the chariots. He also saw the sea before them and the armies surrounding them. But he also saw the God who was greater than the chariots. So he commanded the people to stand still. Stop panicking! Stop your accusations! Stop murmuring! Watch God work!
Now, when the Lord replied, his first words were startling. He said to Moses, verse 15 - “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.” Meaning, there’s a time to pray, and there’s a time to move forward. The prayer of panic must give way to the obedience of faith. God isn’t merely a God who comforts the grieving - he tells the grieving to get up and move on - to advance. And where he was telling to advance on was toward the sea. They’re to go forward, not away from danger, but into it, trusting that God would make a way. That if Moses would only lift up his rod, stretch his hand over the sea and divide it, then the children of Israel can cross through on dry land.
But God didn’t only rebuke them. He showed them why the rebuke was warranted. In verses 19-20, we see that the Angel of God and the pillar of cloud, moved from the front to the back, to stand between the camp of Israel and the camp of Egypt. This cloud brought darkness to the Egyptians, but it brought light to Israel. This Angel of God was the pre-incarnate Christ. He is the light of the World, the light of hope to the redeemed, but men love darkness rather than the light. Why would they fear the Egyptians if they had Christ with them? Why would they not move forward with Christ leading them and protecting them? Why do we fear our detours? Why do we fear our trials when Christ is the one who has not only ordained them but promised to help us through them? Beloved, this scene captures the whole Christian life. The people of God were in between powerful soldiers of an ancient kingdom led by a wicked ruler who wanted to enslave them; and a seemingly uncrossable sea. We’re often between two things - our slavery to sin and idolatry and our fears and unwillingness to let go. But who stands with us between those two realities? A pillar of cloud and fire - the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And he would act.
Third, God responded with a spectacular deliverance. This is why he led them on the detour, to face chaotic waters and his glorious deliverance. We learn in verse 21 that Moses stretched his hand over the sea, as God commanded, and the Lord drove the seas back with a strong east wind all night, turning it into dry land. Christ stilled the waters. And Israel crossed over. We see their deliverance. And it’s interesting how God did it. He did it with a strong east wind all night blowing on the Red Sea. Now, in the ancient world, the sea was the symbol of chaos, disorder and death. In Genesis, the Spirit of God separated the waters above from the waters below, and drove back chaotic waters to form land so Adam - God’s first born son - could live. Here too! God also sent a wind to split the sea, so Israel - the first born son of God - could live. The Exodus is like a new creation. The redemption from Egypt is a new Genesis. God is doing what only God can do. He’s bringing order out of chaos, light out of darkness, salvation out of death. And interestingly, the agent he used was an east wind. And that’s significant. It’s not just a description of weather.
In the ancient near east, the east wind, or sirocco, was a hot, violent, and scorching wind that blew in from the desert regions. It was known for its destructive power - it could wither crops, wreck ships, and bring great discomfort. It was the wind in Pharaoh’s dream that blighted the thin grains. It was the wind in Jonah that destroyed the vine. It was the east wind that brought the plague of locusts. It was a sign of judgment. Like how the people came from the east to Shinar to build the tower of Babel. Like where Cain traveled to after his judgment. Like where Adam and Eve went after their banishment from Eden. The east wind was a dangerous wind. And God used it to show his judgment against that chaotic sea. So get this. He sent them on a detour, where they’d panic; but he wasn’t judging them by the detour. Rather, he was delivering them by that very trial. The trial was not something they needed to be delivered from. The trial was the very means to wean them from Egypt. Just as he uses trials to deliver us from our sins and idolatries. Trials are our friends to break our idolatries. To wean us. And with that spectacular deliverance, Israel crossed over on dry land into Sinai. The water was stilled, like walls on their right and left. The sea that should’ve been their tombs became their highway. And the result? Verses 30-31 tell us that the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians…and Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so that the people feared the LORD, and believed in him and his servant Moses. They were saved. From spiritual blindness to sight. From unbelief to faith. From panic to praise.
God used a symbol of judgment and destructive power to rescue His people. But the east wind and chaotic waters also had a dual purpose. For the Israelites, it was the means of salvation. For the Egyptians, the same wind and return of the waters became the instrument of their destruction. In verse 23, they pursued Israel into the Red Sea. But look at verse 24, we see a great delicious irony. God looked down from the pillar of cloud and fire, and he threw the Egyptian army into a panic - he “troubled the armies of the Egyptians.” How? By making their chariot wheels get stuck. 600 and more of them. And they were in such panic that they themselves cried out - “Let’s get out of here - away from these Israelites! The LORD’s fighting for them against us!” But at God’s command, Moses stretched out his hand, and the stilled waters returned to their chaotic state - and covered the chariots and horsemen. Verse 28 said - not one of them remained.
Now, many people may question - how do we reconcile the destruction of Egypt with the God of love? How was it just for God to drown thousands of soldiers? The text makes no apology. The waters that saved Israel, judged Egypt. The same cloud that gave light to God’s people, brought darkness to their enemies. And why shouldn’t Pharaoh’s army be judged for their infanticide of children? Why shouldn’t the serpent’s head be crushed? And why shouldn’t those energized by Satan receive judgment?
But here’s the amazing thing. Shouldn’t Israel have been judged for her unbelief? Why save a people who’d so easily return to Egypt? Why bother weaning them? Because God is a covenant keeping God. He loves his people and will at all costs deliver them. He will at all costs, even send them trials, to wean them from this wicked world. And notice - as they went through the trial, the rejoiced for their deliverance and acknowledged God. And this is a reminder to us, who too have been redeemed. We don’t deserve it. We cry out when we go through trials, in unbelief, in proclamations of unfairness; when we should rejoice in the weaning of our hearts from our idolatries and the world - from our Egypt. And God can be so gracious to us to give us such detours in our lives because he’s with us. Christ is in us by his Spirit! Why and how is that possible? Why such love? Because our judgment has been placed on God’s first born. The judgment of God didn’t only fall on Egypt. It fell on Christ. At Calvary, the waters of God’s wrath did not cover a chariot army; they covered the Lamb. The cross is where the justice of God and the mercy of God meet. The sea that buried Pharaoh points to the grave that could not hold Christ. He arose and destroyed sin and the grave. That’s why when we are in him, as our vessel, he stills the waters of judgment for us.
Beloved, this account here instructs us. 1 Corinthians 10 says that our fathers - meaning Israel - were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. We’re baptized into Christ - rescued from slavery to freedom. Israel began the chapter in a panic, but because they crossed that sea, everything changed. Because of Christ, every trial is a joyful moment to die to self. Trials are not meant to inhibit our comfort. Yes, certainly to break our earthly comfort to show us a true comfort. But that’s the gospel. Do we believe the gospel? If we surrender, we experience the joys and comforts of a new heart. We’re weaned from this world, from Egypt - to yearn for that land, where we will get to, going beyond that sea of glass to worship God before his throne. That’s why we count it all joy when we fall into various trials. That’s why we glory in tribulations - knowing that tribulation works patience, experience, and hope - which leads to maturity. Some of us are going through great detours. The feelings of grief and panic are there. But these are not meant to destroy us, but to wean us, to make us know that God is with us. Where you’re at is not a trap. God didn’t lead you here so that you’d die. It’s so that you’d die to self. May this gospel fill you with hope, as you move from panic to praise. Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD and go forward.
1. God Shepherds Us on a Sovereign Detour (13:17-22)
A. To spare them (17-18)
B. To wean them (19-22)
2. Man Responds with Severe Dread (14:1-20)
A. Their panic (1-12)
B. His rebuke (13-20)
3. God Responds with Spectacular Deliverance (14:21-31)
A. Their deliverance (22-23, 29-31)
B. Their destruction (24-28)
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2026, Rev. Mark Chen
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