Chapter 9
Exodus 15
“I was telling you last evening,” continued Mother, “of how God brought His people safely across the Red Sea. Now what would you say was more wonderful—the way God saved Israel or the way He destroyed the Egyptians?”
Both the children thought for a moment, then Sophy suggested the way God saved Israel; but the way the Egyptians were all drowned appealed more to Arthur.
“Well,” said Mother, “I think His salvation was more wonderful, because it showed His love as well as His holiness. God had made the Red Sea and put it there, and He brought the children of Israel right up to it on purpose so that He might save His own people by the very thing which was judgment to His enemies. The children of Israel were now a people set free to go on with God; all that had kept them back before were sunk like lead in the mighty waters.”
“God had first shown His love by saving them by the blood of the lamb which they sacrificed in Egypt, and then by making a way through death and judgment at the Red Sea. But this same way was death and judgment for the enemy.
“And this is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb who takes away our sins and also makes a way through death and judgment by His work on the cross.
“As they stood upon the shore, and thought of all that the Lord had done for them, Moses and the people sang a song of joy and praise: ‘I will sing unto the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider has He thrown into the sea!’ They praised the Lord for the way He had led them, and that He would lead them on still to the place where He would dwell with them.
“And the Lord accepted the song of praise which Moses and the people, both men and women, sang as they stood on the shore. Also Aaron’s sister, Miriam, led a procession of women with timbrels and dances, singing: ‘Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.’
“What a great day that was for the children of Israel! I am sure the Lord was pleased with their praises and you would think they never could be afraid or unhappy anymore. Well, they should have been content. But there were trials for them in this great wilderness and they often murmured against their leader. They traveled three days over miles and miles of sandy desert — no trees, plants, rivers, lakes — perhaps not seeing a house nor a person and they became very hot, tired and thirsty.
“The cloud went before them but they seemed to forget it was God who was in that cloud. And He did lead them to water after three days but it was bitter. They called the place Marah for Marah means bitter. When the children of Israel blamed Moses because of the bitter water, the Lord showed him a tree which he cast into the water. And the water was made sweet, so the people drank it.
“This miracle was to teach the children of Israel that though there was bitterness and death in this world, as the tree floated over the bitter water and made it sweet, so God Himself would be life and sweetness to them for He said, ‘I am the Lord that healeth thee.’
“He promised to not allow any of the diseases to come upon them which had afflicted the Egyptians if they would keep His commandments and do what was right in His sight. This was a wonderful promise indeed; but we are going to learn some things about man’s unfaithfulness, as we get on with our story. Nevertheless, we shall see how faithful God is in all His dealings with His people.
“He now led them to a lovely spot in the desert called Elim. We would call it an oasis. Here they found twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; and they set up their tents there. How nice it must have been to sit under the trees again; and how refreshing that clear, cold water must have tasted out there in the hot, thirsty desert!
“But you are both getting sleepy, and this will be a good stopping-place for tonight,” said Mother at last; and her two tired children slipped off to bed.