Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-08-11
Lesson I
THE RED S % A /.

opens n saie pathway tuTouEu seas ol
difficulty and danger.
When the last judgment fell upon
Egypt, in the death OF all the first.born,
Pharaoh hastily called for Moses and
Aaron. But one feeling seemed to pos.
sess him, and that was terror. Trem.
bling with a sense of helplessness, he
ordered them to take the people and
abe gone The Egyptians were equally
terrified and urgent, "for they said, We
be all dead men," Before daybreak the
Israelites were actually on their way.
But they did not go out empty handed
and crouching. They went as victors,
not as captives. They demanded a por.
tion OF the treasures of which they had
been robbed. They did not borrow"
as our version renders the word they
asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver
and jewels of gold and raiment, as men
that had a right so to do. And the
Egyptians were glad TO give what they
asked.
The whole number OF those who went
out could not have been less than two
or three millions, counting, as we must,
six hundred thousand men able to bear
arms, together with their families, and
the mixed multitude that went with
them. As has been often and abun.
dsntly shown, this, by no means, repre-.
sents an incredible increase during their
sojourn in Egypt.
Many attempts have been made to
trace their path, but great differences OF
opinion with respect TO it still prevail.
The stations named are Succoth, "the
tents" Ethan, 1.-the fortress" and
Pihahiroth, "the place where the reeds
grow" But neither of these places can
certainly be identified, nor can any
theory respecting their exact course be
constructed which shall be free from
difficulty. The straight road would
have taken them through the land of
the Philistines: warlike people, with
whom they were by no means prepared
to cope. God therefore led them by
another and more winding way. But
while they pursued their Journey. Pha.
raoh repented that he had let so valua
ble portion OF his subjects go, and set
out in pursuit.
Two things are here To be noted. The
children of Israel were in great peril.
and their faith quite forsook them.
The Egyptians, with horses and char.
lots and horsemen, overlook them at
Pihahiroth, between Miedol and the
sea. There is view recently put for.
ward with great confidence and learn.
ing which locates this far 10 the north,
on the edge Of the Mediterranean Sea
But the majority of scholars still hole
to the older view. II is quite possibI
that the "Weedy Sea- rendered Re
in
tenn Of lagoons aud marshes in IT, 4
north of Egypt. But the theory is mt
established. There is no sufficient re-
son for doubling that Pihahiroth was
near the poiut where Suez lies. Into
this place OF peril God had brought his
people. And from it escape seemed im.
possible. Behind them on the north
was the Egyptian army. West and
south were precipitous cliffs. Eastward
was the sea. Surely they were "entan
gled." And their faith forsook them.
They forgot all the wonders God had
done in their presence the merciful
deliveranees he had wrought for them.
They were sore afraid. They bitterly
complained against Moses. They did az
Gods people so often do when brought
into straits where no human arm can
save. But their fears were groundless
as their want of faith was wicked
The key of this whole narrative is in
the thirteenth verse of this chapter !:
Fear not stand thou still and see the
salvation of the Lord which will show
to you to-day" IL was that they might
see his salvation that they had been
brought hither. God would prove to
them by one final and most glorious
act the greatness OF his power and his
faithfulness to his people. BY one
crowning interposition he would teach
them to obey in the face of difficulties,
and to trust in times of darkness and
peril.
The pillar Of the cloud which went
before Israel on their march and came
between them and the Egyptians when
they went into the midst Of the sea,
was the visible sign Of Gods presence.
BY means of il God was the leader and
protector OF his people. 1t was the
Schechinab. which afterwards rested
upon the Most Holy Place.
II we accept the common view with
respect to the place where the waters
divided, its breadth was from three to
four miles. Here the water Is not deep.
The place Is used as a ford. Through
it Robinson was told people waded at
low water. Niebuhr crossed il in 1862
on a dromedary. Bonaparte crossed at
this point on his way through the des-
ert. A strong east wind. like that spok
en- of in the lesson, would drive the
waters far back, leaving firm and level
bed OF rocky soil. And IL at the head
Of the gulf there were any depression
in the bed OF the sea, the effect would
be as If broad pathway had been sud
denly lifted, leaving water on either
side. We are not TO think OF any such
marvel as the waters standing in alb
rupt or perpendicular walls, nothing
like this being at ell indicated by the
language employed. AS the parting oi
the sea vas caused by the east wind, O
sudden change to the opposite quarter
would drive the waters rapidly back.
The miraculous element in this grand
avanf v~aa not IN any vinlaiion of ma