The Egyptian stance says that there’s no way 2 million people, with all of their animals, could have been organized to cross a 150-200 mile stretch of desert in a matter of days. The food and water needs for that many people and all their animals would have been immense.
The Hebrew view maintains that the Bible states that God provided water (Psalm 68:7-10) and God provided food. God prepared Moses to lead the people - what was he doing in Egypt for the first third of his life?! And if it was only 20,000 Hebrews, why were the Egyptians afraid of them? (Ex 1:10-12) Why were the nations who heard of the events afraid of the Israelites? (Josh 2:9)
The Egyptian position states that it’s much more likely that a natural phenomenon, like wind, would have blown a path through the relatively shallow ancient Sea of Reeds and provided a way for the Israelites to cross. Anything deeper would have required a very heavy wind - too strong to stand up in.
The Hebrew view states that God is more than able to open a path through the Red Sea and to miraculously prepare a place for the Israelites to walk across dry-shod. Furthermore, it’s much more likely that all of Pharaoh’s army would be drowned in a deep sea rather than in a shallow lake, like the Sea of Reeds.
Remarkable, indeed, is the contrast between the Egyptian position and the Hebrew position. The Egyptian view looks for something easily explainable. The Hebrew stand affirms the miraculous power required by Almighty God to bring His people out of Egypt.
Looking out over the expanse of the Red Sea (specifically the Gulf of Aqaba) and knowing that at its deepest point it’s 6070 feet deep, it is inconceivable that a strong wind could have possibly parted that huge amount of water and dried out the sea bed overnight - unless it was a miracle of God.
But our God is in the business of miracles. And He had just shown the land of Egypt ten of them! Why not continued miracles - like providing food, water, and deliverance for a 150-mile desert crossing for over two million people and their animals? Does it take a mighty hand to accomplish the Egyptian position? No, but the Hebrew view definitely fits the Biblical description in Deuteronomy 26:8: And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.
The visual panorama at the edge of the Red Sea emphasizes the incredible power and majesty of our Great God and the lengths to which He went in redeeming His people.
Let’s replace the subject of the preceding sentence. We know that God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt is a type of bringing each of us out of slavery to sin. So let’s state it this way: The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ emphasizes the incredible power and majesty of our Great God and the lengths to which He went in redeeming His people.
Sometimes I think we become so used to thinking of Jesus as our Savior that we lose some of our awe. We forget that there is no other religion whose God is willing to die for His people. We become hardened to the phenomenal price paid on our behalf by our Savior.
So, in my mind’s eye, I stand on the edge of a shallow Sea of Reeds. Then I stand on the edge of a mammoth Gulf of Aqaba. Which of these two is a fitting type for what our Great God has done to redeem us from slavery to sin, to pay our penalty of death, to reconcile us to the Father?
We’re just a month from the New Year, six weeks from Passover. We’re in the preparation month for God’s spring holy days. I know I will take some time to contemplate the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. I will thank God for the powerful visual object lesson He provided. And I will revel in the majesty and love of my God, who with His mighty hand and outstretched arm, redeemed me to Himself, to be part of the Bride of Christ.