He Sets Us Free / Exodus 12:33-14:31
Well, church, it is good to see you again this week. I hope you are doing well. Do me a favor: if you have a Bible with you, turn to the book of Exodus. We are going to be in chapters 13 and 14 this week. We are about ten weeks into this journey through Exodus. If you were with us last week on Easter, you know you just cannot get a more beautiful picture of salvation than what we saw in that text.
The entire book of Exodus is really about redemption, salvation, and deliverance. It is meant to make our hearts race toward Christ. Last week, when we looked at chapters 11 and 12, we saw two profound realities. In chapter 11, we saw that death surely comes for us all. All of us, both the Egyptians and the Israelites, deserved the wrath and condemnation of God because of our sin and rebellion. But the good news in chapter 12 is that through a substituted sacrifice, God came to rescue His children through the shed blood of the lamb. Through Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and His resurrection, we have been redeemed. Like Israel of old, legally declared free when Pharaoh said, “Go,” God purchased our salvation.
As we head into chapters 13 and 14—which contain the pinnacle Old Testament account of God parting the Red Sea—I want to show you three distinct things that God does for the Israelites immediately after He saves them. These three movements serve as a shadow pointing directly to Jesus Christ and what He does for us after our salvation:
- He sets apart His people for Himself.
- He sets direction through His abiding presence.
- He sets His people free.
1. God Sets Us Apart
Starting in Exodus 13, the first thing God does after redeeming Israel by the blood of the lamb is set them apart. The biblical terms here are consecrate and sanctify.
Exodus 13:1-2 (NASB)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.’
God says, “Sanctify to Me every firstborn… it belongs to Me.” He frames this out further in the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Exodus 13:11-14 (NASB)
’Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. ’But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem [it], then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ’And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ’With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
Right out of the gate after Passover, God establishes, “From this point forward, you are Mine. I have purchased you. Everything you are belongs to Me.” He sets aside the firstborn because that is who should have died under judgment, but a lamb was sacrificed in their place. God says, “I sacrificed unto death for you; now you are to be set apart in your life for Me.”
This setting apart has two distinct aspects. First, God sets apart their entire lives. This was God’s intention all along. When Moses went before Pharaoh, he never merely said, “Let my people go.” He said, “Let My people go so that they may worship Me.”
From the beginning, God’s goal was to free them out of bondage and bring them into a relationship. True freedom is not just the absence of chains; it is the presence of God. Freedom is not just the removal of an oppressive master; it is entering into a righteous relationship with a holy Master. Worldly freedom says, “You are free to do whatever you want.” Biblical freedom says, “You are free to serve God as you were created to serve Him, with all the joy that accompanies it.”
That is what Jesus Christ did for us.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB)
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Peter 2:9 (NASB)
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God’s] OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
God did not save us so we could do whatever we want; He saved us so we would belong to Him.
Second, God sets apart their affections. He establishes rhythms of remembrance to keep their hearts continually propelled toward Him.
Exodus 13:3-10 (NASB)
Moses said to the people, ’Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. ’On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. ’It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. ’For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. ’Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders. ’You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ’And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. ’Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
God institutes not only the Passover meal, but an annual seven-day feast immediately following it. He weaves these festivals into Israel’s calendar so their entire year would be marked by reminders of His saving power. These rhythms were designed to keep their affections centered on God and prevent them from drifting toward lesser things.
We can learn from this in our Western culture. If we are honest, our calendars are often hijacked by cultural routines, sporting events, school activities, and hobbies. None of those things are inherently bad, but they frequently define our celebrations more than theological remembrances of God’s saving power.
I say this as a personal confession. I grew up in a non-believing home, celebrating cultural holidays apart from Christ. After the Lord saved me, got married, and had kids, I caught myself simply copy-and-pasting those same cultural rhythms into my family schedule. I noticed our affections beginning to drift toward lesser things. Jesus became background wallpaper rather than the object that propelled our lives.
In recent years, my wife and I started re-shifting our calendar. Every New Year’s Eve, we pull out a large sheet of paper, stick it on the wall, and storyboard our year. We plan how to intentionally herald the gospel and cultivate our family’s affections for Christ. After reading Psalm 90, where Moses writes after forty years in the wilderness, “Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom,” I created a document called Number My Days.
Psalms 90:12 (NASB)
So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
I asked: If the Lord gives us seventy or eighty years, how many spring breaks or summers do I have left with my kids? What markers must we establish right now to anchor our affections to Christ? We are prone to drift, which is why scripture urges us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts.
1 Peter 3:15 (NASB)
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always [being] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
What is dominating the narrative of your calendar? Are those things pulling your heart toward Christ or toward lesser things? If they are pulling you away, consider this an invitation to realign your rhythms around Him.
2. God Sets Our Direction
Next, God provides guidance for His redeemed people through His abiding presence.
Exodus 13:17-18 (NASB)
Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, ‘The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.
Notice the kindness of God in taking them the long way. From Egypt to the Promised Land, the shortest route went straight through the coastal region near Gaza. It would have been geographically easier. But God knew the Philistine army was stationed there, and though the Israelites were equipped, they were not ready for war. Seeing battle would have caused them to panic and run back to Egypt.
In His omniscience, God saw what they could not see. As a loving Father, He rerouted them. We live in an instant culture and prefer the shortest path. Yet God in His sovereignty redirects our steps for our good. When you find yourself on the long route wondering why God led you there, remember that He is sovereign, good, and loving. If we view His guidance through that lens, our complaining turns into praise.
Look at how the Lord guides them.
Exodus 13:21-22 (NASB)
The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
For 430 years in Egypt, Israel did not have this visible, abiding presence. Now, redeemed by the lamb, God’s presence guides them continuously by day and night. We might think, I would love a visible pillar of cloud and fire to show me where to go, who to date, or what decision to make! Yet what God gave us after our salvation is even greater: the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus explained that having the Holy Spirit within us is better than His physical presence beside us. The Holy Spirit seals, comforts, convicts, and guides us into all truth through the Word of God. Our calling is to yield to His leading, quiet the cultural noise, and follow the counsel of His Word.
3. God Sets Us Free
This brings us to chapter 14: God setting His people completely free. As we look at this chapter, there are two crucial observations to make.
First, Israel was judicially free, yet they still faced the power of bondage. Legally, Pharaoh had let them go. The penalty had been paid through the Passover lamb. However, residual fear and the threat of their former master still remained.
Exodus 14:5-12 (NASB)
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, ‘What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?’ So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the [other] chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly. Then the Egyptians chased after them [with] all the horses [and] chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, ’Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? ’Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ’Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians ‘? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’
In verse 8, they walked out of Egypt boldly, celebrating their liberation. Three verses later, when they look back and see Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them, they are paralyzed by fear. We would be too. An army of grieving, vengeful soldiers was pursuing them.
They had been delivered from the penalty of slavery, but they still needed deliverance from its power. This mirrors our Christian walk. In Romans 3 through 5, Paul explains that the legal penalty of sin was dealt with at the cross for everyone who trusts in Christ. But in Romans 6 through 8, Paul shows that sin’s power still wages war against us.
When you come to Christ, King Grace reigns over you rather than King Sin. The old master no longer owns you. Yet that old master still tries to call you up and appeal to your flesh. We have been delivered from the penalty of sin, but day by day, we still need ongoing deliverance from its power.
The second observation is this: just as God alone saved them from the penalty of sin in chapter 12, God alone delivers them from the power of sin in chapter 14.
Exodus 14:3-4 (NASB)
’For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ‘Thus I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.’ And they did so.
Pharaoh’s heart was already rebellious against God. In hardening Pharaoh’s heart, God simply took him off the leash and handed him over to his own desires, leading to Pharaoh’s ultimate defeat. Look at how Moses responds to the people’s fear.
Exodus 14:13-14 (NASB)
But Moses said to the people, ’Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. ‘The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.’
Moses tells them, “Stand still. The Lord will fight for you.” Deliverance does not come by human strength; it comes by divine power. The same grace that granted life over the penalty of death in chapter 12 is the grace that delivers from the power of the enemy in chapter 14.
Why does God work this way? For His glory. When He saves by His power alone, all boasting belongs to Him.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Early in my Christian life, I readily believed God’s grace saved me from hell without my works. But I struggled to apply that same truth to my daily battles with anxiety, sin, and addiction. I assumed God saved me initially, but now I had to conquer my struggles through my own grit. Trying to defeat sin on a self-reliance hamster wheel is exhausting and fruitless. Self-help only leads to more self-help. We need a power outside ourselves.
2 Peter 1:3 (NASB)
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
When you find yourself cornered and afraid, it is an invitation to transfer your trust back to the Lord. God is a warrior who fights for His people.
The Parting of the Red Sea
Notice how God displays His delivering power in verses 15 through 31.
Exodus 14:15-18 (NASB)
Then the LORD said to Moses, ’Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. ’As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. ’As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ‘Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.’
God tells Moses to move forward toward the sea, raising his staff. Then God steps in to protect His people.
Exodus 14:19-20 (NASB)
The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
The angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud move behind Israel, standing as a barrier of protection between them and the Egyptian army.
Exodus 14:21-22 (NASB)
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea [back] by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters [were like] a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Moses stretches out his hand, and the Lord drives the sea back with a strong east wind all night, turning the seabed into dry ground with walls of water on either side. Then Pharaoh makes a disastrous decision.
Exodus 14:23 (NASB)
Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.
After enduring ten plagues and witnessing the parted sea, Pharaoh pursues them into the seabed. The Lord acts decisively on Israel’s behalf.
Exodus 14:24-31 (NASB)
At the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians.’ Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.’ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters [were like] a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.
God threw the Egyptian army into confusion, bound their chariot wheels, and brought the waters back over them. That day, Israel saw the great power of the Lord, feared Him, and trusted in Him.
This event became the definitive act of redemption in the Old Testament. From this moment on, God identifies Himself throughout scripture as the God who brought His people up out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea. News of this deliverance spread across nations, even reaching Jericho decades later.
Yet fifteen hundred years later, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus explained that everything Moses wrote pointed forward to Him. The Exodus is a shadow of an even greater redemption. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 10, these events were written to teach us about Christ.
Deliverance was not finished at the Red Sea. It took God one night to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took forty years in the wilderness to get Egypt out of Israel. In the same way, our redemption is an “already and not yet” reality. We have been delivered from the penalty of sin, we are currently being delivered from the power of sin, and one day we will be completely delivered from the presence of sin when Christ ushers us into our eternal home.
Walking in Freedom
Whatever struggle, addiction, or burden you are carrying in the shadows, hear this: God delights in rescuing His people. You do not have to live in fear, guilt, or shame.
Romans 8:1 (NASB)
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Transfer your trust to Him. He is faithful to deliver you.
To help you take practical steps in this journey, I want to recommend two resources. First, the book Redemption by Mike Wilkerson, which walks through our salvation in Christ through the lens of the Exodus narrative. Second, we host Regeneration Groups here at our church every Monday night at 6:30 PM at the North Campus. These groups provide a safe, grace-filled community to bring struggles into the light, understand repentance and faith through the gospel, and experience Christ’s healing. You do not need to register in advance; you can simply show up. We are just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.
Let’s pray together.
Father, thank You for the great hope given to us through the Exodus. Thank You for sending the true Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for our complete redemption. Though we are legally free, we confess that sin’s power still entangles our hearts. We need Your continuous deliverance, renewal, and grace. Remind every person here that the same God who saved them through the Lamb has the power to sustain them today. Lead us into true freedom for the glory of Your name and the good of Your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.