Thoughts on the Crossing of the Sea

This week's topic is a familiar one: the Israelites crossing the sea on dry ground.  The specific passage to read is Exodus 14:1-15:21.

I found some pictures of the area to help visualize the story:
The Land of Goshen (where the Israelites lived in Egypt)
Ancient Ruins which many archaeologists believe to be Pithom
   (one of the cities the enslaved Israelites built according to Exodus 1:11)
Desert East of the Red Sea
Possible site of Elim, springs visited after crossing the sea (15:27)
   (The Red Sea is in the background)
The Wilderness where the Israelites wandered.

14:1-2 The beginning of this chapter finds the Israelites encamped "near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea".  This sea is traditionally identified with the Red Sea.  Indeed the New International Version, in deference to tradition, translates it "Red Sea" (for example, in 13:18 and 15:4).  However, the actual Hebrew text says "Sea of Reeds" rather than "Red Sea." ("Red Sea" is found in an ancient translation from Hebrew into Greek called the Septuagint).  Most scholars believe the crossing took place at some other body of water in the area.  There is no way to know for sure.  Does this matter?  The claim of the Bible is that God has shown His love for humanity by intervening in history.  Thus, it is worthwhile to study the history of the Biblical events.  In this case, it doesn't matter too much, though.  Wherever it happened, Exodus presents a miraculous story of Israel passing through the waters.

14:3-4 Once again, the rebellion of Pharaoh is part of God's plan.  In this case, God deliberately leads the Hebrews on a path that will provoke Pharaoh to attack them.

14:11-12 On Sunday, I discussed the importance of remembering what God has done in the past in order to have hope in the present.  Here, it seems that the Israelites did not remember.  When Pharaoh attacks, they accuse Moses of bringing them to the desert to die.  After the way the Lord showed His power in setting them free, how could they not have faith that He would save them now?  Let this be a warning to us of how easy it is to forget what God has done in our lives.

14:19-20 In a detail of the story that is not usually noticed, the angel of the Lord stands between Pharaoh's army and the Israelites, preventing Pharaoh from harming them.  What a wonderful image of the way God protects us from those who would harm us.

14:21-30 In the familiar heart of the story, the Israelites pass through the sea, while the Egyptian army drowns.

14:31 Now the people put their trust in God--at least until they face the next hardship.

15:1-19 Now the entire story is retold in the form of a song.  This is an example of ancient Hebrew poetry, similar to the Book of Psalms.  When read in Hebrew, this poetry doesn't exactly rhyme, but it has a certain rhythm to it.  Also, puns based on similar-sounding words are frequently used.  These features are lost in the translation.  One feature of Hebrew poetry that does come through in English is parallelism: two lines that repeat the same meaning in a slightly different way.  For example:

He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Or, here is another one:

Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power.
Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

If you pay attention, you will find this kind of repetition all through the Psalms.  When we use Psalms for calls to worship, often the Liturgist reads the first line and the people respond with the second.

It is interesting to compare the account of Exodus 14 to the poetic retelling in Exodus 15.  What are some differences?