The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-08-16
Crossing the Red Sea
The Story.

Israel made no nasty or claHQe-
slime departure from Egypt. Theirs
was no attempted escape of fugi-
tives from justice. They had a
royal firman. The Egyptians fairly
loaded them with gifts in hopes OF
placating the wrath of their often
ded Deity. The store of raw ma
terials and metals they carried with
them enabled them to make in the
wilderness the tabernacle and its
furniture and all their armor, often
sive and defensive. Theirs was an
orderly march. They advanced in
tribes, each under it's respective
commander, Moses in the van, Won
der-working rod in hand. In the
midst, as a veritable palladium, Jo-
seph's mummied form, inclosed in
it's ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS casket, was
carried according to his dying re-
quest. For sake of pasturage by
the way for the myraid flocks and
herds, the advancing hosts must
needs deploy widely to right and
left. To direct a general course
for these somewhat widely-sundered
detachments, God unfurled his pen
non in the sky. That banner ser
we'd three-fold purpose signal,
shield, and lantern. To Israel's
dismay, Jehovah's ensign moved in
the very opposite direction from
that which would have been expec-
ted. Instead of indicating a course
toward Suez, the bridge between the
continents, it moved southwark,
along the western shore of the Red
Sea, thus placing an ever widen
ing barrier between the pilgrim
caravan and the country which they
sought. When the ever alert Pha-
raoh saw this tactic blunder, this
march into a cul de sac, the hope OF
recovering lost power revived in
the despot's heart. Or possibly it
was the hope of revenge for the
death of his son and heir, whose
recently discovered epitaph ca he
was even then coming. He believ-
ed that the hapless Hebrews had
unwittingly strayed beyond the jul
risdiction of their God, who at best
was only a local divinity and would
fall an easy prey. At sight and
sound of pursuing chariots Israel
was completely panic stricken. They
raised a querulous cry about there
being plenty of graveyards in Egypt
and no need of coming to the viii
derness to find one. On the dark
background of this faithless and
irascible conduct of the multitude
the noble bearing of Moses shines
with augmented luster. His "Stand
still and see the salvation of God"
is an Incompatible, inspiring bugle
note that has kept ringing through
the ages. A moment later and the
captain of the Lords hosts stands
on the edge of the comparatively
shallow western arm of the sea. He
waves his oft-tried rod. In re-
spouse there comes from the east a
violent wind which, in conjunction
with an ebbing tide, leaves the bed
of the sea uncovered. Deep pools
to right and left formed perfect
defense (walD, rendering flnak
movement on the part of the enemy
impracticable. In the meantime the
pillar of cloud went to the rear,
and spreading out and hanging low
like a curtain, completely screened
Israel from the observation of their
foes. The same cloud cast it's pow
erful searchlight forward, revealing
the way through the sea in its en-
tire length. Forward, march,"
was now the inspiring command that
rang along the whole column. Across
the bridge which Jehovah had pro-
vided, the host, a thousand abreast,
marched, and no little child, not
even a lamb, was lost. The temeri-
ty of sinners has no more striking
illustration than the rash boldness
with which the Egyptians assyead