“For more than 400 years the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. God’s time for deliverance had come. Moses, his servant, is sent as ambassador to the court of Egypt with divine credentials to represent the court of heaven. Pharaoh refuses to obey the mandates of the mighty God, and ten or more plagues are sent upon the land. The cruel ruler decides to let Israel go. The mighty host, about three million strong, began their march. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night led them; they start out on the wilderness route, a distance of over four hundred miles. They rallied at Rameses, and marched out in wide columns.
“The Israelites were on foot. They were pursued by Pharaoh with 600 chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over each of them. The very flower of the Egyptian army hotly pursued the people of God; and, as Israel came to the Red Sea, at a point where it was probably ten miles wide, they saw mountains on either side, the sea in front of them, and the Egyptian army behind them. Many of the Israelites became faint-hearted and murmured against Moses. He said unto them: ‘Stand still, see the salvation of God, for the Egyptians you have seen to-day you will see no more forever.’ Moses seemed to have been praying to God secretly, for there is no record of his public prayer. Yet the Lord said unto him, ‘Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children that they go forward.’ Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. The last of man is the first of God--God takes up where man leaves off. Prayer, diligence and effort go together. There is a time to pray, and then a time to act, to move. God seemed to say, ‘You have prayed--now obey orders. Go forward.’ The leaders moved off to the edge of the sea; the mighty waters divided--the Eternal God cut a pathway for the moving caravan. It was in the morning watch, or between 2 o’clock in the morning and sunrise. The king of day soon dispelled the darkness, and all day long the tramp, tramp of the footsteps of the Israelites was heard passing between the giant mountains of water. The angel, who had guarded them and led them, changed his position from front to rear, and got between the Israelites and the Egyptians. The Eternal God fully protects his people. As the last column of Israel passed, the Egyptian host came in. They traveled for a while as safely as did the Israelites, until the last chariot had left the bank, and when they were all out in the sea, and all Israel on the other side, Moses stretched out his rod over the sea, the waters came together and deluged the Egyptian army, while the Israelites saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians washed against the banks.