THE rod of God’s power, meanwhile in the hand of Moses, was the witness and earnest to the people of Israel, that Jehovah had heard their cry, because of the oppression of the enemy, and had come down to deliver them. In the midst of the judgments, which as the “I am” He brought upon the land of Egypt by the plagues, He protected His people and hid them in the hollow of His hand, till at last Pharaoh’s enmity and hardness of heart were judicially met, by the destroying angel and the death of their first-born. It was on that fearful night God sheltered His people under the blood of the slain lamb sprinkled on their doorposts, and passed over them throughout all their habitations―the witness and earnest of “Christ our Passover sacrificed for us,” in the world where we (as knowing salvation) feed upon His body and blood as the Lamb slain, showing forth “His death till He come.”
Israel thus brought nigh to God was commanded to leave Egypt, and learn their next lesson, viz., redemption by power (as well as by blood) on their journeying towards the land which God had given them. Pursued by all the hosts of Pharaoh (their enemy and God’s), Moses stretched out his hand with “the rod of Jehovah” in it, over the Red Sea, and the Children of Israel passed over dry-shod; which the Egyptians essaying to do, were drowned. The Red Sea thus became a farther witness and earnest of the righteous judgment of God upon the great opposing foe (Satan), and of the Cross of Christ, where the full power of the holy judgment of God against sin in the people, spent itself upon Jesus, as the Substitute and Victim. What proved to be destruction to Pharaoh and his captains, was salvation to the people of God, who were taught their own deliverance by death and resurrection, which has been since accomplished in Christ Himself. “He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.” Thus the Red Sea teaches the destruction of our enemies, who all sank as lead to the bottom―the righteous judgment of God which Christ bore in our stead―our consequent deliverance from the flesh, the world, and Satan― and our complete justification from all things before God. “He is just, and the justifier of the ungodly, that believeth in Jesus.” The Lord hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea; so that all Israel celebrated, his victory, and sang their song of redemption on the other side of death and judgment. The Red Sea thus takes as out from Egypt, and puts us into the wilderness as pilgrims and strangers to walk with God on the way to Canaan―His land, and ours.
It is now that other witnesses and earnests are to be introduced; and we, like they, have to prove ourselves, and discover what is in our own hearts, in this acquaintance with God, Who goes along with the people whom He has redeemed out of Egypt, and brought to Himself. The manna (bread of heaven) and the water from the smitten rock (Christ) which God in grace had provided for their sustainment, are loathed, and the quails demanded. The murmurings of the people turn the wilderness into “a provocation,” notwithstanding they bad in their midst the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, the visible tokens of Jehovah’s presence, as well as Moses with the rod of God’s power in his hand against their new enemy, Amalek.