The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 321

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1--.:.--.The command to encamp by the sea. These verses introduce the narra- tive of what tne Lord "did in the Red Sea" (Num. xxL 14), when his people" passed through . . . as by dry land ; which the Egyptians, assaying to do, were drowned " (Reh. ::tl. 2S). This crossing of the Red Sea was no after-thought. God had it in view when he turned aside the path of the children of Israel from the direct route, and ordered them to encamp before Pi-hahiroth, near the northern end of the gulf. His design in this event was to give a new e.nd signal display of his Jehovah attributes, in the destruction of Pharaoh's host (ver. 4), and in working a great salvation for his Church. By the events of the Red Sea, he would be shown to be at once a God of mercy and judgment (Is. xxx. 18) ; Supreme Ruler in heaven and in .m1th (Ps. cxxxv. ti); disposing events, great and small, according to his good pleasure, °'nd for the glory of his name; making even the wrath of man instrumental to the a.ccom• plishment of his purposes (Ps. lxxvi. 10). Consider- I. THE HYBTEBIOUB TURN IN THE ROUTE. The command was to turn to the south, and encamp between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-Zephon (ver. 2). This route was-1. Not necessarily an arbitrary one. We need not suppose that God brought the Israelites into this perplexity-shutting them up between the sea and the mountains, simply for the purpose of showing how easily he could again extricate them. 'l'he choice of routes was not great. (1) The way of the Philistines was blocked (eh. xiii. 17). (2) The way by the north of the Red Sea-between it and the Bitter Lakes-probably did not then exist. The Red Sea seems at that time to have ex- tended. much further north than it does at present. (3) To go round by the upper end of the Lakes would have been to take the host far out of its way, besides exposing it to the risk of collision with outlying tribes. (4) The remaining alternative wast? mare!) southwards, and ford the Red Sea. The route was, nevertheless-2. A mysterwus anc., perpkxing one. Pharaoh at once _pronounced it a strategic blunder (ve:· 3). Sup- po~i.ng the intention to be to cross the Red Sea, no one could hazard a conJecture as t.o CB, XIV, 1-5,] THE BOOK OF EXODUS. 317