Paul didn’t know it at the time but he spent two years of his life in jail thanks to the false accusations of the Sanhedrin, yet as he is called to defend himself, his demeanor remains calm and sanctified. Paul remains in jail as the Romans exchange Felix for Festus.
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The people of Israel had cried out from the burden of overwork but they didn’t want God to remove them from Goshen forever. Yet, that’s what God did in a miraculous way. As we have reached the fifth week leading up to Sinai, the people are becoming very homesick for Egypt as they are traveling further and further from Egypt. God brings the people of Israel to the wilderness of Sin where they murmur against God for the second time. God responds by making a surprising provision and another test of their willingness to listen and obey God.
We see a pattern of preparation and deliverance throughout the Bible. The book of Judges is one example but the pattern is even more obvious in 1st Samuel. God prepares the people of Israel to move from leadership of judges and priests to the leadership of monarchy.
Moses takes the time to sing God’s praises after they all went through the Red Sea in safety. They also faced their first test at Marah: Would Israel trust God completely or be bitter toward Him?
After Paul appeared before the Roman authorities in Jerusalem and found not guilty of violating Roman law, the Roman commander allows the Sanhedrin to convene and subject Paul to inquisition. Paul gets to the heart of the hatred against him, Peter, Stephen and Messiah Yeshua Himself. Without resurrection of the dead — only possible by God’s power — all our efforts at being pious are “pitiful.” The differences between Pharisees and Sadducees are reviewed.
We are continuing our “Journey to the 10 (commandments)” as our ancestors of old went the first time. We see God’s “high hand” redeem our ancestors from the Egyptians once and for all. Then they continue for three more days until they reached Marah on the 24th of Aviv.
The people of Israel arrive at the edge of the Red Sea. They have walked day and night for 7 days to reach this point. As they set their eyes on the Red Sea in front of them, they see the Egyptians coming behind. God has one last “elohim” of Egypt to judge before he takes the Israelites away from Egypt for good.
After a temporary lack of faith, God guides them through the water and they walk in “martial array” to the other side. The Egyptians, blindly follow them in and God creates havoc and it is the Egyptians who start to panic just before the sea swallows them whole. They are never a threat to Israel again.