Exodus: Moses and the Red Sea

This passage is from the second book of the Torah, Exodus. Exodus is translated from Hebrew to the word ‘names.’ The book often referred to as the book of names, discusses the different names God takes and the various ways God reveals himself to the Israelites.

Exodus tells the story of Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt and forty years they spent in the desert on their way to the land God had promised them (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004)1. Through the strength of Yahweh and being guided by Moses, the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea and were led to the Promised Land. Exodus was intended to exist as a continuation of a narrative that began in Genesis and was completed in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The first five books of the Bible are together known as the Pentateuch. Exodus also contains the Ten Commandments, which were handed down by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and the laws that were to rule the people (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004).

Jewish and Christian tradition viewed Moses as being the author of Exodus referenced in Exodus 17:14 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”But by the end of the 19th century the increasing awareness of the discrepancies, inconsistencies, repetitions and other features of the Pentateuch had led Biblical scholars to move away from this idea (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992)2.

Exodus 14 Crossing the Read sea is a passage from the second book of the Torah, following the book of Genesis, focused on creation, relationships between God and his people and God’s promise to bless Abraham and his descendants (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004)3. The passage commences after the people of Israel have escaped from slavery in Egypt and are being led by Moses to the Promised Land. The structure of Exodus is divided into two parts including the Deliverance from Slavery (1-12:36) and the Deliverance of Sin (12-37:40) the overall message of the Book of Exodus is referred to in the (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004) “Redemption by grace is redemption for relationship with YHWH, a relationship which includes both privilege and responsibility.”

The literary form of Exodus 14 is an account. The passage is describing the factual happenings of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea (Hayes & Hollday, 1987)4. It also contains the covenant between God and Moses. Covenants involve people and stem from Latin meaning ‘to come together’ or ‘to agree.’ God establishes a covenant with Moses and gives Moses the role of liberator of Israel. God promises that Israel will be God’s precious and chosen people and the people must promise the uphold God’s Law and Commandments (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004).

The main themes within the book of Exodus include salvation, covenant and faith. It is evident that salvation is a recurring component in the book of Exodus as God’s saving action allows identity to be given to Israel. God provides salvation through the freedom from slavery in Egypt, the promise of offspring, land to the ancestors and the hope for future life in the Promised Land (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004)5. Another significant theme is the covenant. The centre of this passage is the covenant between God and the Israelite people.
God mad a promise with his people that ensured he would lead them away from slavery and lead the way to a new life in the Promised Land. Faith is another important theme throughout this passage. The Israelites had to place their faith and trust in Moses to lead them to the land, promised by God. They had to have faith in the Lord to lead them from adversity to a new life, free from slavery.

The literal meaning of this passage describes Moses leading the people out of Egypt after years of slavery and suffering. The Egyptians pursue the Israelites with hundreds of men and chariots chasing after them. At the edge of the Red Sea, Moses cries out to God and God tells him to stretch out his hand and divide the Red Sea. The sea parts and the Israelites pass through. The sea drowns the Pharaoh and the Egyptians and the Israelites are free to move forward on their expedition. The passage is intended to be a factual recount of how God called upon Moses to lead the people of Israel away from slavery in Egypt to begin a new journey to the Promised Land (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004)6.

The allegorical meaning of this text involves the metaphorical image of the Israelites passing through the Red Sea as a form of baptism (Shea, 1999)7. Our washing of water is an end to the power of Satan, just as it caused the fall of Pharaoh. In baptism our hostility with God is eliminated. All our sins are forgiven and washed away. The Israelite people appeared unharmed and from baptism the Christian is saved by God’s love and grace. This image of baptism symbolises that the Israelites have been blessed and amalgamated in a sacred union with God to continue onto their new life in the Promised Land. (Shea, 1999) Moses can also be seen in this text as a type of Christ, sent by God to save the people of Israel from slavery and hardship. Later on in the book of Exodus, Moses is gone from the people. He then comes into the sight of the Israelites three days later. This indicates that Moses was a type of Christ that was sent to look after the people of Israel (Shea, 1999)8.

The moral meaning behind the text focuses on placing our faith and trust in the Lord to guide us through times of difficulty (Shea, 1999)9. As the Egyptians were coming after the Israelites, the people of Israel were anxious and did not trust in Moses leading them out of Egypt. The people murmur and grumble about the plan Moses has been given by God and begin to doubt their Lord. When Moses parts the Red Sea, their faith is restored as they realise they are safe and able to move forward to the land God has promised (Catholic Youth Bible, 2004)10. The moral meaning of this text highlights that one must display faith, trust and love for God as we sometimes allow ourselves to become caught up in complaining and ungratefulness.

The scripture has been used in many ways by the church including Easter and Church Masses. It is often used during the Easter Vigil as one of the core scripture readings of the Old Testament. This scripture contains the main themes of faith, salvation and covenant, all of which are the main underlying themes of the Bible. The passage is also used in church as one of the seven Old Testament readings during mass and liturgies.

The main themed present in this passage are eternally present in the Church community and our beliefs. Keeping the themes of salvation, faith and covenant existing in our every day life and tasks will lead us into a life followed in footsteps by God. Believing and trusting in God to deliver us from evil will bring salvation and everlasting life. Our faith in God and our religion will shape whom we are as people and allow us to become and strive forward. This passage provides an eternal meaning within our faith, our spiritualties and us. It reassures us that God is always present in our lives even through hardships, having faith will help us strive and prosper from a hard problem in our lives therefore promoting the importance of faith in our religion. Faith provides us with the strength to move past struggles as proven by our God. The text applies to our faith in every day life because without trusting our God, we may struggle to overcome any hardships.