A God Who Divides the Sea

 

A college professor, an avowed Atheist, was teaching his class. He shocked several of his students when he flatly stated he was going to prove there was no God. Addressing the ceiling he shouted:  "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!" The lecture room fell silent. You could have heard a pin fall. Ten minutes went by. Again he taunted God, saying, "Here I am, God.  I'm still waiting." His countdown got down to the last couple of minutes when a Marine, just released from active duty and newly registered in the class, walked up to the professor.

He hit him full force and sent him tumbling from his lofty platform. The professor was out cold! At first, the students were shocked and babbled on in confusion.  The young Marine took a seat in the front row and sat silently.  The class fell silent waiting.  Eventually, the professor came to, shaken. He looked at the young Marine in the front row. When the professor regained his senses and could speak he asked: "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?" "God was busy so he sent me."

Psalm 136 is a song of gratitude for the great things the God of Israel had done for them in three main areas: Creation, Redemption and Providence. Every stanza concludes with the powerful, repetitive refrain: "His love endures forever”. The history of His dealings with them, in spite of their repeated rebellion and idolatry, displays that His love is truly everlasting. Verses 10-24 give thanks for God’s power and enduring love displayed in delivering His people from Egypt.

Ps.136:10 says “to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt”. God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt is one of the strongest examples of his authority over men and creation. He told Moses to say to Pharaoh, ‘Israel is my firstborn son and I told you, “Let my son go... But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son” (Exod. 4:21-23). Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh... to the firstborn of the prisoner ..., as well as all the firstborn among the livestock” (Exod. 12:29-30). God struck the first fruits of all their vigor (Ps. 105:36).

The plague was universal; it impacted the entire Egyptian society, affecting all social classes equally. God's judgment is impartial; status and position offer no protection. No one, not even the most powerful ruler is beyond the reach of God's judgment. His judgments are true and just and ultimately bring about praise. The psalmist says ” though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law. At midnight I rise to give you thanks for Your righteous judgments” (Ps. 119:62).

The wicked will get what they justly deserve. God is not done with Pharaoh yet, there is still one more judgment awaiting him and every other wicked oppressors of men. Revelation 20:11-15 records the final judgment as seen by Apostle John in a vision. He says “I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.

Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire”.

God brought Israel out from among them; His love endures forever (Ps.136:11). Scattered as the tribes were up and down the country and apparently held in a grasp which would never be relaxed, the Lord brought their deliverance and severed them from their idolatrous task masters. He “brought out Israel and from among their tribes no one faltered” (Ps.105:37). Despite their being mingled among the Egyptians, none of them remained in bondage. He brought them out never to return.

He brought them out with a mighty hand and outstretched arm (Ps.136:12) . In Deuteronomy 4:34 Moses asked the Israelites “has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?”

He divided the Red Sea asunder and brought Israel through the midst of it (Ps.136:13- 14; Exod.14:13-29).  After the Israelites left, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them intending to bring them back to Egypt.  The Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. Moses answered the people, “do not be afraid, stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground... The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord”Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side.

 All that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The Israelites went through the sea on dry ground (Exod.14:13-22). God made a road across the sea bottom by his infinite power. He who causes the waters of the sea ordinarily to remain as one mass can with equal readiness divide them. His can make a way in the sea. His people marched dry shod through the heart of the sea.  His love encompassed them all the way and still does to this day.

God swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever. (Ps.136:15; Exod.14:23-31). Pharaoh’s army followed the Israelites into the sea. God threw the Egyptian army into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. At daybreak God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea. The water flowed back and covered the entire army of Pharaoh. Broken was the power and conquered was the pride of Egypt.

After crossing the sea, Moses and the Israelites sang a song of praise and gratitude to God for the great deliverance. Miriam , Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. Taken like a lamb from between the teeth of the lion, Israel justly praised her deliverer and chanted aloud . “The Lord is my strength and my defence;  he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him...

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. The nations will hear and tremble... By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone—until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you bought pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance. The Lord reigns forever and ever” (Exodus 15:1-19).

God led his people through the wilderness (Ps.136:16). They were "his people", and yet they must go into the wilderness. The wilderness must remain as “the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry” (Deut.8:15. For forty years they walked through a desert land but their feet did not swell, neither did their garments wax old (Duet.29:5).Their conduct severely tested God’s love, but the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, the visible proof of his presence and immutable love, never left its place.

God struck down great kings and killed mighty kings. (Ps. 136:16-20; Deut 2: 24-36;3:1-11; Num. 21:21-35). Within sight of their inheritance Israel, Kings judged to be great blocked up their road. Sihon king of the Amorites was valiant and powerful (Num.21:26). When he dared to attack Israel, his fall was speedy and final. The Israelites were so struck with it that they sang of his overthrow (Num.21:27-31). Og the king of Bashan was a giant (deut.3:11), but he was routed like a pygmy when he entered the lists with Israel's God.

Pharaoh came after defenceless Israel with his powerful army and Og was a giant. Pharaoh, Sihon, and Og were all impressive kings; but none of them could thwart in the slightest God’s covenant promises to His people. No one can stand against His “strong hand and outstretched arm”, which can divide the Red Sea, sustain several million people in the barren, scorching desert for 40 years, and give them the Promised Land.

He who delivers his children out of one trouble will rescue them out of another, for his love endures forever. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil.1:6). Although enemies will assail you and you may lose a few battles, the overall victory is secure. Your saviour “is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 24).

He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever (Ps.136:25). As the psalm moves toward its close, it returns to a reflection on God’s goodness as the Creator. Psalm 145:15-16 says “the eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing”. Psalms 104:27-28 says “when you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things”.

Think about what is done every day in the providence of God to meet the needs of the countless multitudes thus dependent on him. The needs of each insect, fowl, animal; fish, is to be provided for as an individual. Consider the care, the wisdom, the benevolence of what is done every day by the Father of all in providing for their needs. This has been continued without ceasing from the foundation of the world, and will be continue until its close.

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever (Ps.136:26). The Lord is God in the highest realms. His throne is set in glory, above all, out of reach of foes, in the place of universal oversight. To know the measure of the praise due to him it would be necessary to know all that he does in heaven and on earth. That will not be known in this life. Enough, however, is known to show the propriety of repeating again and again, as in this psalm, the phrase, “his love endures forever;”