There is a familiar story in the Old Testament about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years due to their lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver on His commitment to give them the Promised Land. Even though we may have read this story many times, there are lesser studied details in these cherished verses we will focus on.

In prior weeks, we looked at the cloud by day and the pillar of fire. In chapter 14 of Exodus, starting in verse 5, we read, “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” ⁶ So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. . . . ⁹ The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them . . . ¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. . .  . ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. . . .²² and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”

“²⁹ But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰ That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.”

Notice how many times the Scriptures say that the Israelites walked across the sea on ‘dry ground’. If you have ever had the pleasure of walking along the edge of a sea, you know that the ground is not dry. Even though the waves may not reach where you are walking, there is still moisture in the ground. Certainly within the sea itself, the bottom is muddy and you can easily sink in as you walk. Consider that the Israelites would have had wagons and livestock to get through the sea. The weight of some of these items would certainly have sunk in the wet ground that only a few hours earlier was covered by the sea. Our God is a God of details, not only does He protect His children but He also consistently shows us that He is here and with us every single step of the way.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You so much for loving us and for always protecting us. You are involved in our lives, down to the very last detail to include ensuring that Your children walked on dry ground. We praise You for Your love! In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.