Exodus 14:15–29

Or do you not hear how Moses, although he said nothing but met the Lord with his inexpressible groanings, was heard by the Lord, who said, "Why do you cry to me?" God knows how to hear even the blood of a just man, to which no tongue is attached and of which no voice pierces the air. The presence of good works is a loud voice before God.

The heart reveals its silent longing, to which the Godhead listens more than to the most thundering voices of nations. He said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me?" although we do not read that Moses had said anything. So the faithful man said that his heart was speaking to the Lord, since he seemed to offer his thoughts by this means.

The word cry in Scripture does not refer to the cry of the voice but to the cry of the heart. In fact, the Lord says to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?" when Moses had not muttered any cry at all.

But if the mental voice of those who pray should not be extremely loud, though it is not weak, and should they not raise a cry and shout, God still hears those who pray thus. For it is he who says to Moses, "Why do you cry out to me?" when he had not cried out audibly (for this is not recorded in Exodus), but through prayer he had cried out loudly in that voice which is heard by God alone.

But meanwhile Moses cries out to the Lord. How does he cry out? No voice of his crying is heard, and yet God says to him: "why do you cry out to me?" I would like to know how the saints cry out to God without a voice. The Apostle teaches that: "God gave the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying: Abba, Father!" And he adds: "the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unutterable groanings." And again: "but he who searches the hearts knows what the Spirit desires, because he asks for the saints according to God." Thus, then, when the Holy Spirit intercedes with God, through the silence of the saints a cry is heard.

Moses prayed the whole night with much crying out and suffering, and at the morning watch the Lord said to him, "Why criest thou before Me? Incline thy hand over the sea, and divide it, and the Hebrews shall pass over it, but the Egyptians shall be drowned therein." Now all the things which happened at that time are a type of those which shall be done unto thee. And enemies, that is, evil devils, shall gather together and crowd against thy soul, even as the Egyptians who pursued after the Jews were gathered together and crowded upon them; but as Moses forsook the fear of the Egyptians and turned himself unto prayer and unto crying out to God, do thou also forsake the anxieties and thoughts which devilish enemies make to rise up in thee. And stand thou up in earnest prayer, and cry out with deep feeling from the heart, and from the depth of the thoughts of the soul let the voice of thy cry rise up, and straightway that answer which was returned unto Moses shall also be spoken unto thee, "Why dost thou cry out before Me? Incline thy hand over the sea, and divide it"; and straightway thy afflictions will give way, and the covering which was set before thy face will be rolled up, and the terrible depths of affliction will give way, and the things which thou didst think could not be crossed over with the foot, thou shalt tread upon, and thou shalt pass over the depth thereof. And difficult things shall become easy for thee, and that wall, which is built in such a manner that thou didst think it could not be broken through, shall be immediately swept away from before thee, and thy prayer shall rend and pass over the abyss of all the wickedness which is gathered together and laid before thee.

Whoever looks upon this mercy seat with full turning of the countenance, gazing upon him who hangs upon the cross through faith, hope, and charity, devotion, admiration, exultation, appreciation, praise, and jubilation, makes the Passover, that is, the passing over, with him, so as to pass through the Red Sea by the rod of the cross, entering the desert from Egypt, where he may taste the hidden manna, and may rest with Christ in the tomb as though outwardly dead, yet sensing, insofar as is possible according to the state of wayfaring, what was said on the cross to the thief clinging to Christ: Today you shall be with me in paradise.

Moses performed no sign without the mysterious wood, for he received from the Lord a rod to work wonders and prodigies in Egypt. Moreover, as a sign that he had heard things divinely, it was said to him, "Lift up your staff." God, of course, did not need the assistance of a staff. But it was raised so that we might know how great was the mystery of that future wood which was prefigured by the shadow of this staff.

But if, following Moses—that is, the Law of God—you make this journey, the Egyptian indeed pursues and hounds you, but see what happens: "the angel of the Lord," it says, "who went before the camp of Israel, raised himself up and went behind them. And the pillar of cloud also lifted itself from before their face, and stood behind them, and entered between the camp of the Egyptians and of the Israelites." This "pillar of cloud" is made a wall for the people of God, but upon the Egyptians it imposes obscurity and darkness. For the pillar of fire is not transferred to the Egyptians, that they may see the light, but they remain in darkness, because "they loved darkness rather than light."

And it is written also in Exodus that when the ruler of the land of the Egyptians with his warriors was pursuing after the Israelites and was already upon the point of engaging with them in battle, the angel of God stood between the camp of the Israelites and of the Egyptians, and the one came not near the other all the night. There is therefore nothing unbefitting in supposing here also that the holy angel who was the guardian of the synagogue offered supplications in its behalf and prayed for a respite, if perchance yielding to better influence it might yet bring forth fruit.

Therefore this darkness of the body has been placed between us and God, like the cloud of old between the Egyptians and the Hebrews. This is perhaps what is meant by "He made darkness his separate place," namely, our dullness, through which few can see even a little.

The Jews under the guidance of Moses passed over the Red Sea, but that case is widely different from this. He did all with prayer and as a servant, but Christ with absolute power. There when the south wind blew, the water yielded so as to make them pass over on dry land, but here the miracle was greater. For the sea retaining its proper nature so bare its Lord upon its surface, thus testifying to the Scripture which saith, "Who walketh upon the sea as upon a pavement."

We find that arms have always needed faith, but faith has never needed arms. The rod of faith parted the sea which submerged the army bereft of faith together with its wicked leader.

Note how the teachers of the Old and New Testaments differ in their deeds but are paired in glory, for the one Wisdom issued twin laws in the two Testaments, so equal distinction gives the same weight to differing powers. Peter did not divide the sea with a rod, but then Moses did not walk on the waters. However, both have the same bright glory, for the one Creator inspired both the cleavage of the waters with a rod and the treading of the waves underfoot.

This people of God, freed from a great and broad Egypt, is led, as through the Red Sea, that in baptism it may make an end of its enemies. For by the sacrament as it were of the Red Sea, that is by baptism consecrated with the blood of Christ, the pursuing Egyptians, the sins, are washed away.

Again, according to the view of the inspired Paul, the people itself, by passing through the Red Sea, proclaimed the good tidings of salvation by water. The people passed over, and the Egyptian king with his host was engulfed, and by these actions this Sacrament was foretold. For even now, whensoever the people is in the water of regeneration, fleeing from Egypt, from the burden of sin, it is set free and saved; but the devil with his own servants (I mean, of course, the spirits of evil), is choked with grief, and perishes, deeming the salvation of men to be his own misfortune.

How troublesome a trial it is to pass through the midst of the sea, to see the waves rising up in a heap, to hear the roar and crash of the raging billows; but nevertheless, if you follow Moses, that is, the law of God, the waters will become for you a wall on the right hand and on the left, and you will find a path through dry ground in the midst of the sea. But that heavenly journey too, which we have said the soul makes, may perhaps have some waters as well; it may be that there too waves are found; for there is a certain portion of waters above the heaven and a certain portion beneath the heaven, and we for the present endure the waves and billows of these waters that are beneath the heaven.

And what after this? Moses is commanded to strike the sea with his rod, so that it may split apart and give way to the people of God as they enter, and so that the obedient service of the elements may serve the divine will, and that the waters, which were feared, being made "a wall on the right hand and on the left" for the servants of God, may not only know no ruin, but may even present a defense. The wave, therefore, is forced into a heap, and the surge, checked upon itself, is curved. The liquid takes on solidity, and the floor of the sea is dried into dust. Understand the goodness of God the Creator; if you obey His will, if you follow His Law, He compels the very elements to serve you even against their own nature. I have heard it handed down by the elders that in that parting of the sea individual divisions of the waters were made for each and every tribe of the children of Israel, and that a way was opened in the sea proper to each tribe, and that this is shown from that which is written in the Psalms: "who divided the Red Sea into divisions." By which it is taught that many divisions were made, not one. But also by that which is said: "there is Benjamin the younger in amazement, the princes of Judah their leaders, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali," no less does a proper entrance seem to be enumerated for each tribe. These things, observed by the elders in the divine Scriptures, I have thought it a religious duty not to pass over in silence. What, then, are we taught through these things? We have already said above what the Apostle's meaning is in these matters. This he names "a baptism accomplished in Moses in the cloud and in the sea," so that you too, who are baptized in Christ, in water and in the Holy Spirit, may know that the Egyptians indeed pursue after you and wish to recall you to their servitude—namely "the rulers" of this "world" and the "spiritual wickednesses," to which formerly you were enslaved. These indeed try to pursue, but you go down into the water and come out unharmed, and, the filth of your sins being washed away, you ascend "a new man" ready "to sing a new song." But the Egyptians, pursuing after you, are drowned in the abyss, even though they seem to beg Jesus not to send them meanwhile into the abyss.

The Egyptians pursued the Hebrews with no fear of the darkness that separated them from the Hebrews and without being disturbed by the sea that was divided. During the night, through a sea that was divided, they went rushing forward to do battle with the people who were led by the column of fire. During the morning watch, the Lord appeared to the Egyptians and threw them into confusion. He clogged the wheels of their chariots so that they could neither pursue the people nor escape from the sea. But they did not fear the Lord who appeared to them, and they were not deterred by their wheels that were clogged. They boldly drove their chariots with full force.

But after that the surface of the sea became one again, and the temporary gap was flooded over. So this remains a unique event which occurred in such a way that the marvel did not lose credibility because of the passage of time, since it continues to be testified to by visible traces. That is the way the affair of the marshy lake is both described and shown.

The Hebrews proceeded safely over the dry passage, and the masses of stationary water collapsed behind them. The entire Egyptian multitude with their king was overwhelmed and killed, and the entire province, which had previously been tortured by plagues, became empty by this last slaughter. Even today there exists most reliable evidence of these events. For the tracks of chariots and the ruts made by the wheels are visible not only on the shore but also in the deep, as far as sight can reach. And if perchance for the moment they are disturbed either accidentally or purposely, they are immediately restored through divine providence by winds and waves to their original appearances, so that whoever is not taught to fear God by the study of revealed religion may be terrified by his anger through this example of his accomplished vengeance.

The waters of the sea were held back yet at the same time surrounding the Hebrews. They then poured back and brought death upon the Egyptians, so that they destroyed one people and saved the other. What too do we find in the Gospel itself? Did not our Lord show there that the sea grew calm at his word, that the storm clouds of heaven were scattered, that the blasts of the winds subsided and that the dumb elements obeyed him and the shores were quieted?

Pharaoh and his army and all the leaders of Egypt, "the chariots and their riders," were drowned in the Red Sea and perished for no other reason than that their foolish hearts were hardened, after the working of signs and wonders in the land of Egypt by God's servant Moses.