The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-05-31
SUNDAY MEDITATION,

l. \
| A Study of the International Sunday
! School Lessen Appointed for June
i 10, 1894 n1
Subject: The Israelites Crossing the Red Sea.
Ex. 14.19-3I.
lone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
/ INTRODUCTION.
We now come to grand turning point in
the history of the Hebrews. The Crossing
of the Red Sea has been called their birth
into National existence, their baptism. 1t
certainly became a great memory-point. All
through the centuries they kept that miracle
in mind. 1t made them believe they in q
certain way monopolized God. Having done
for them so marvellous deed, God could be
depended on in all future emergencies AL
lusions are made time and again in the
Bible to the experiences at, in, and across
| the Red Sea.
The 10th plague brought Pharaoh to terms
and he permitted the Israelites TO depart.
No sooner were they gone than he was mad
at himself for having yielded 10 their de-
| mand. He resolved TO overtake them and
bring them to terms.
The Hebrews probably imagined they had
gotten safely out of reach of their old task
masters. They had good start on the way
toward Canaan.
Shem and Ham were brothers. The He
| brews descended from Shem and the Egyp-
tians from Ham. 1t is quite singular to
see the two sides in such deadly opposition.
The Exodus was the startpoint of new
dispensation-the dividing line between the
Patriarchal and the Mosaic.
Date
The Exodus occurred 430 years after the
Call of Abraham to 60 from Haran to Ca
man. The Call was addressed to Abraham
(Gen., 12:1 in the year 2083 A. M. Add
430 Eek, II Al; Gal, 3: ~, and we have
2513 A. NJ, the date of the Exodus.
The Israelites.
The children of Israel at the time of our
lesson were about-sOme estimate-3,000 900
in number. Ex., 1921; 80: %; Nu., 1 :46;
II: 81, show there were 100000 men, evil
IDENTIFY adults. Add 100000 women. Esti-
mate three children TO each couple, and we
have 100000 children. The aggregate is
100000. Five abreast, these would make
procession 800 miles long. They could
cover an area of about three square miles.
OF the 100000, we know by name only the
following: Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Joshua,
Caleb, Bezaleel, Aholiab, Hur, Nadab, Abihu,
Eliazar, Ithamar-viz., II. OF these, only
one was woman.
Place.
They set out for Rameses. ~: 37.) That
was one of the treasure cities built by the
Israelites. 1:11D There must have been
great generalship on the part of Moses to
organize the people of an entire region so
that they could concentrate at given point
at designated time ready to march.
The first station out was Succoth. az:
81 That was not probably the name of
settled place. The word means booths,
tents, etc 1t was given to the spot because
the Israelites spent the night there, sleeping
in booths made from tamarisk and palm
branches, or in tents Succoth was the end
of the first days journey-place of rest for
the first night out-about Is miles from
Rameses. There Moses rehearsed to the
people the account of the Passover night.
Next they reached Ethan. That was at
the head of the Gulf of Suez, the beginning
of the wilderness END of the second days
journey-place of rest for the second night
is miles from Succoth. 1t was at Ethan
the cloud of shadow by day and light by
night first appeared That cloud continued
to guide the pilgrims until they reached the
Jordan, when the Ark was substituted.
The fourth station was Pihahiroth-tbe
end of the third days journey-about 10
miles from Ethan. Notice the condition of
the Israelites at Pihahiroth. On their right
was Mt. Attaka, which could not be scaled.
At the left was the Gulf of Suez. They
were crowded down into the apex of tri-
angle. The Egyptians, having repented CIV
ing permission to the Hebrews to go, and
maddened at the predicament into which
they had gotten themselves, were in hot pur-
suit. just at the nick of time, when the
Hebrews were encamping, hemmed in at the
right hand and the left, the forces of Pha-
raoh were heard in the rear 14:7, 81 Jo-
sephus states the Egyptians consisted of
100000 footmen, $4,000 horsemen, and 600
chariots.
The Red Sea is before them. It is thought
by some the water between Pihahiroth and
Boalzephon was about 10 miles wide and "a
feet deep.
Several reasons are given why the sea is
called Red.
a. Pliny and Strabo say it was named
from monarch of Arabia known as Erythrus,
which Is the Greek word for red.
b. The word Edom means red. The sea
stretches up into the land of Edom. Edom
got its name from Esau. 1t is said Esau
was so named because of his skin being so
red at birth. Others think his name has
reference TO his selling his birthright for
some red pottage.
c. The more scientific and accepted reason
is the fact that microscopic vegetation or
animalcule dye the water red. This is par
ticularly so in the Spring of the year. The
Red Sea takes name from minute thread
like oscillatoria or alga, which Ehrenberg
observed when sailing over it, and which
gives red color to the water"
d. Capt. Newbold says that on approach
ing the sea, "The waters of this sacred gulf
burst upon our view, the surface marked
with annular, crescent-shaped and irregular
blotches of a purplsh red, extending as far
as the eye could reach. This red color
found to be caused by the adjacent red sand
stone and red coral reefs."--JournGJ of the
Royal Asiatic Society.
There is much difference of opinion as to
the exact spot where the crossing was made
At the time it occurred it was regarded as
grand event. Its consequences were tre-
mendous All things considered, it is quite
absurd to attempt to rob the incident of the
| miraculous element. Waters acere divided
stood up, ON either side of an immense path
way, as if CONCEALED, for the time seeming
great walls of crvsfoI.J after the lsraeliteS