What is the meaning of Exodus 14:21? Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea • Obedient faith in action: Moses responds exactly as instructed (Exodus 14:16; cf. Exodus 7:19; 9:22). • A visible act that invites Israel to look beyond the man to the God who empowers him (Exodus 4:17). • God often chooses simple gestures—staff raised, hand extended—to display His might (Numbers 20:11; 2 Kings 2:14). and all that night the LORD drove back the sea • The miracle unfolds over hours, reminding us God’s timing can be gradual yet unstoppable (Exodus 14:24; Psalm 77:19). • Nighttime deliverance underscores God’s protection when His people are most vulnerable (Psalm 121:3-4). • The text credits the LORD, not wind alone, preserving the truth that nature serves its Creator (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 78:13). with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land • Wind is God’s chosen instrument, as in drying the post-Flood earth (Genesis 8:1) and scattering locusts (Exodus 10:19). • “Dry land” signals a complete, walkable path—no mud, no sinkholes—highlighting total provision (Psalm 106:9). • The detail answers skeptics: this is not a marshy trickle but a seabed transformed by divine power (Exodus 15:8). So the waters were divided • A literal split: walls of water on both sides (Exodus 14:22), foreshadowing the Jordan’s parting (Joshua 3:13-17) and Elijah’s miracle (2 Kings 2:8). • Judgment and salvation meet—Israel passes through, Egypt is later swallowed (Hebrews 11:29; Exodus 15:4-5). • God reveals Himself as sovereign over chaos, echoing creation’s separation of waters (Genesis 1:6-9; Psalm 114:3-5). summary Exodus 14:21 records a historical, supernatural event in which God answers obedient faith with a mighty deliverance. Moses lifts his hand, the LORD works through an all-night east wind, the seabed becomes firm ground, and the waters stand apart. Every detail underscores God’s faithfulness, power, and purposeful timing, inviting believers to trust Him to make a way where none appears. |
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