Sabbath: Through the Red Sea
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 2nd of August 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 12:31-36, James 2:17-20, Exodus 13:1-22; Exodus 14:1-31, Hebrews 11:22, Exodus 15:1-21, Revelation 15:2-4.
Memory Text:
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace’ ” (Exodus 14:13-14, NKJV).
The Exodus is the most dramatic and glorious experience of God’s people in the Old Testament. This event is the divine model of how God defeated the Hebrews’ enemies and brought the Israelites victoriously into the Promised Land. It’s also a symbol of salvation and redemption in Christ.
From a human standpoint, the children of Israel were in a desperate, even impossible, situation—one that they, in and of themselves, could not save themselves from. If they were to be delivered, it would have to be by a divine act. It’s the same with us and sin: in and of ourselves, we are in a hopeless situation. We need something even more dramatic than the Exodus. And we’ve got it: the cross of Christ and what Christ did there for us all.
The events of Israel’s departure from the land of Goshen, mentioned in Exodus 12:1-51—until the song of Moses, joyously sung in Exodus 15:1-27—are breathtaking and incredible. God’s signs, wonders, and miraculous redeeming works are at their peak.
But even these do not compare to what Christ did for us at the cross, of which the drama of the Exodus was a mere foreshadowing.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 9.
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“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace’ (Exodus 14:14, NKJV).
The dramatic story of the Exodus has some of the most comforting and reassuring passages in the Bible. The above text says that God will fight our battles and gives us peace. How many battles are we engaged in right now? How many battles do we fight in this life? How much sadness, sorrow, pain, and distress do we suffer while engaged in our battles? Dear Jesus, please come and fight my battles and give me peace. Amen.
May all those who are right now engaged in any battle (addiction, relationship, spiritual, legal, workplace, sickness, debts, emotional, immigration, joblessness, and any other) receive God’s victory and His peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7,NLT).
Exodus 14, involves a scene where Israel faces one of its greatest tests of their faith in God. Trapped between Pharaoh’s approaching army and the Red Sea, the people panicked and longed to return to slavery in Egypt. At this point the Israelites were poorly trained, unequipped and not ready for battle, they see no way out. But in the midst of their fear, God tells Moses an ordinary man with extraordinary trust to speak words of courage: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today” (Exodus 14:13, NKJV). God’s power is not limited by human weakness. He often chooses those who feel inadequate to reveal His strength and faithfulness.
When Moses cries out to God, the Lord responds, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15, NKJV). God had already made His will clear it was time to act. Sometimes we, too, stay stuck in prayer when God is calling us to move in faith. It is in taking that first step forward, even when we don’t see the full picture, that we witness God’s deliverance. We must learn to combine prayer with action, faith with obedience, so that we can truly experience the miraculous ways God leads His people.
Everytime I hear or read these words "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" (Exodus 14:14), my heart skips a beat as confidence and joy fills me. It takes me back to when I was an attention-seeking young lad, when being told "good boy" was such an enormous sweet thing.
God mentioned these words to a liberated people but.....
"From a human standpoint, the children of Israel were in a desperate, even impossible, situation—one that they, in and of themselves, could not save themselves from. If they were to be delivered, it would have to be by a divine act."
The words from this study's author above, speak volumes about the real situation. Yes, God had liberated Israel from Egypt, but Israel as yet had not emancipated themselves from Egypt - neither spiritually nor mentally; only physically. All Israel including Aaron and Miriam. Unfortunately, in search a mental entrapment we never know until something makes it show.
Like the title of song by Ray Charles "Georgia in my mind", Egypt was still in Israel's minds, and wasn't leaving soon. Israel's mind had been acclimatized into Egypt. 400 yrs in Egypt meant the existing generation then, were Israel in origin but Egyptian in citizenship and thought-process. Israel had a lot to unlearn as well as a lot to re-learn, and this explains the fear and why Moses needed to reassure Israel that the same God they had seen stand for them was always going to be with them. Moses doing God's mission had a bigger journey to free Israel ahead, we begin this journey this week.
Today, - we are not different - we are not yet free without Christ and its beautiful to see how this Exodus' story points us to Christ. Christ is working on a formula for our mental and spiritual emancipation that is why it is my prayer that the words "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" will be a greatest gift to all of you who read it or hear it - just like it does me.