The Red Sea

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people. The children of Israel moved as one, a tide of humanity, surging into the unknown wilderness. For days, they traveled, their spirits buoyed by the knowledge that they had left Egypt behind. 00:00:17 Speaker 2: Step with hope. 00:00:18 Speaker 3: Children of Israel march to freedom. 00:00:24 Speaker 4: My forefathers all fought in the wars. 00:00:26 Speaker 5: To expand this mighty kingdom. Some battles were won and some were lost. But the might of Rah and the brightness of his sons never dulled. I am Pharaoh. The image of Rah, their unnamed god, may have bested me at a battle, but. 00:00:48 Speaker 4: He will not win the war. 00:00:51 Speaker 5: Commander's cards Ready, my best charioteers. 00:00:56 Speaker 1: The attendants and soldiers hiding in the throne rooms shadows leaped into action. Pharaoh's orders sent ripples through the palace, and the sound of armor and weapons clashing filled the air. 00:01:10 Speaker 5: Ready the six hundred Chosen chariots armed them with spears, spurs and swords. 00:01:18 Speaker 6: Tell the people of Israel to turn back and camp in front of pie Harthioth, between Bigdoo and the sea, in front of Bay Alzavonnor you shall camp facing it by the sea. 00:01:32 Speaker 4: Why would I have em facing the sea. 00:01:34 Speaker 6: My works have hardened Pharaoh's heart. He will perceive you are vulnerable and pursue you. 00:01:42 Speaker 7: You bring us to him on purpose. 00:01:44 Speaker 1: Why I will have my glory of a pharaoh. 00:01:49 Speaker 8: He will know that I am the Lord. I will not be bested by the culof slaves. This will not be my legacy. 00:02:00 Speaker 4: I will return the Israelites, either bounding or rope, or with their heads on bikes, the desert will drink their blood and the name of Ramses. You'll be feed for generation. 00:02:25 Speaker 7: With chariots thundering behind and waves crashing ahead, faith and fear collided in a display of God's unfathomable power. Sello, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel. I'mya l estein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen People. Do you remember a time when you felt trapped, really and truly trapped, and then, as all hope seemed lost as you stood on the precipice of despair, maybe you witnessed a miracle in full before your eyes. This week we see this happen and one of the most iconic stories ever told, the Parting of the Red Sea, a tale not just a physical deliverance, but of profound spiritual significance, And we ask, what does it mean to be chosen, to be lad, and yet to feel abandoned and at the brink of annihilation? 00:03:28 Speaker 1: The sky above churned like a boiling cauldron, dark clouds swirling and rolling in an ominous dance. Thunder growled low and long, like the roar of some great beast roused from slumber. The air itself seemed to tremble in anticipation of what was to come. Moses stood at the edge of the encampment, his gaze sweeping across the sea's surface. Behind him, the jagged hills loomed like the teeth of a great predator. There was no escape. They were trapped in the distance. Beneath the rumble of thunder, The sound of war drums began to throb, faint at first, but growing louder with each passing moment. The steady thump reverberated through the ground, climbing up moses legs and settling in his chest like the pounding of a second heartbeat. Pharaoh was coming. The vase chariots of Egypt rolled toward them like. 00:04:34 Speaker 6: A tidal wave. 00:04:35 Speaker 1: Of iron and death, driven by wrath, driven by the hubris of a broken king. Moses, standing alone atop a rise, should have been panicking, But instead of terror, his mind drifted elsewhere, far from the impending clash of steel and flesh. He thought of Zipporah. He thought of the sweet, simple peace of media, where the wind whispered through the shrubs, and the only sounds were the soft bleating of the lambs and the laughter of children. Oh, how he longed for it now, to be by her side again, to feel the warmth of her hand in his, to smell the faint trace of frankincense in her hair. He could almost see her, standing at the entrance of their tent, her face lighting up as she saw him approach. Her smile was always the same, gentle and warm, with that dimple on her left cheek, the deeper when she laughed. He missed the simplicity of those days, the way the world had seemed so small, so manageable. There were no empires to defy, no gods to answer, no seas to cross, just him, his wife and their children, living in the desert its embrace. His heart ached with the thought of them. He had given up everything to answer the call of God. But now, at this moment, he felt the sting of that sacrifice more acutely than ever before. 00:06:15 Speaker 4: He was no God. 00:06:18 Speaker 1: Though the Egyptians trembled before him and his people revered him as the Chosen Prophet, he was only a man, a man who missed his home and longed for peace. His hands now trembled slightly at his sides, his knees weakened beneath him, and he drew a slow, steadying breath. Moses, the Deliverer, the chosen vessel of the Most High, was as human as any of them. And yet, even with his heart yearning for the comfort of his past, his eyes turned back to the people. They were his people, a nation formed not by borders or kings, but by a shared promise. He saw their faces now a sea of fear and desperation. The older ones who had felt the lash of the taskmasters, their eyes hollow and worn from decades of suffering. The younger ones, wide eyed and uncertain, not yet fully understanding the peril they were in. Mothers clutched their infants to their chests, shielding. 00:07:27 Speaker 6: Them from the growing storm. 00:07:29 Speaker 1: Fathers gripped whatever makeshift weapons they could find staffs, axes, stones, knowing in their hearts that they were no match for the war machines of Egypt. More than anything, Moses longed for them to have what he had once tasted, a home, a land where they would be free from the chains of their oppressors, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord had promised. But that promise now seemed so distant, so in possible. All they could see was the sea before them and death behind them. Moses tilted his head back, his eyes closing. As he lifted his face toward the heavens. The wind tugged at his robes, whipping the fabric around him as if it too was caught in the brewing storm. He sighed a deep, weary sound. 00:08:27 Speaker 8: I believe THEE. 00:08:30 Speaker 4: I believe THEE world deliver us. 00:08:32 Speaker 1: The words were not loud, but they carried the weight of a man who had seen the impossible, made reel. But the response came not from the heavens but from the earth below. A voice, deep and filled with rage, cut through the canyons, bellowing downward to the people like the roar of a wild beast. Pharaoh faster, sick, hundred chariots churned up dust and stone behind Pharaoh and his armies. They rode with hardened rage deep in their stomachs. The air was thick with the scent of iron and hatred. Pharaoh's scepter rose above his head, poised to strike the first Hebrew he saw. 00:09:19 Speaker 3: I am eh God, I am Lord of the Nile. 00:09:26 Speaker 4: Heavy travel. 00:09:29 Speaker 8: I. 00:09:31 Speaker 1: Suddenly the heavens responded. The chariots were halted by a pillar of fire falling from the sky. The heavenly inferno raged before them with white heart intensity. The horses reared in a panicked frenzy, and the soldiers cowered, shielding their faces. The heat singed their brows, but Pharaoh wouldn't relent. His fury burned just as fierce as the heavenly flames. Violent rage stripped out of him like sweat. He knew the Lord had challenged him, but even after all the plagues and destruction, Pharaoh refused to benderneath. 00:10:11 Speaker 4: You will not rule over me. 00:10:15 Speaker 3: If I can't hid them bic, I'll kill him. 00:10:21 Speaker 5: Dear blood shall consecrate my brain. 00:10:26 Speaker 4: They will know that I am foul. 00:10:31 Speaker 1: The children of Israel stood in front of the sea, the waters churned violently, a dark and chaotic symbol of death. 00:10:40 Speaker 4: Terror carved deep. 00:10:42 Speaker 1: Lines into their weary faces as they stood paralyzed, the sounds of Pharaoh's approaching fury growing louder behind them. They were trapped between their oppressors and the abyss. They had no way out and no way forward. 00:10:58 Speaker 4: Wid You is not what he wants? 00:11:03 Speaker 6: Is this what you wanted? 00:11:05 Speaker 4: Moses? 00:11:06 Speaker 6: We have no graves in Egypt, so you've decided to bury us out here. You should have left us alone. 00:11:14 Speaker 3: Better to live as slaves than die out here. 00:11:18 Speaker 1: Moses' eyes widened with similar panic, but he had to remain calm. His gaze shifted from the menacing chariots to the swirling chaos of the sea. He didn't know how long the chariots. 00:11:30 Speaker 4: Would be kept at bay. 00:11:32 Speaker 1: They had to act quickly. 00:11:34 Speaker 6: Moses, we can't remain here. 00:11:36 Speaker 2: We either surrendered a pharaoh or start running around the shoreline. 00:11:40 Speaker 1: He's got must this war. 00:11:42 Speaker 4: Why down now? 00:11:44 Speaker 6: Are you listening to me? Surrender around the coast. 00:11:47 Speaker 5: We can't remain here. 00:11:48 Speaker 6: We're running out of time. 00:11:50 Speaker 4: Have you learned nothing here? 00:11:53 Speaker 6: Remember how we got here? 00:11:56 Speaker 1: Moses left his brother's side and ascended a jagged out. He looked over the flock of Israel. He saw their fear, He felt it. He wasn't immune to terror, yet he knew deliverance was at hand someway. Somehow, Moses knew the Lord would respond. He wouldn't have freed them from slavery to abandon them. 00:12:20 Speaker 4: Now. 00:12:21 Speaker 1: The same God who rained fire from the sky and turned the Nile to blood would not forsake them. Moses wasn't an eloquent man, a motivator, or an orator like his brother, but he trusted God. He wanted the children of Israel to move with the same faith. His faith burned like a furnace. Moses pointed toward the chariots, illuminated by flames. Pharaoh's bloodthirsty screams resounded over the sound of the waves and inferno. But Moses saw him for who he truly was, a false God and a defeat man. 00:13:01 Speaker 3: Look at them, Look at the Egyptians hungry for your flesh. After this day you will never see them again. Stand firm, reject the fear gripping your hearts. Stand firm and behold the salvation of the Lord. 00:13:19 Speaker 4: He will fight for you. 00:13:23 Speaker 1: A mighty Eastern wind blew through the canyons, churning the water's edge. The breath of God was near. Moses looked back at the raging sea. The waters were dark and untamed, just as they were in the very beginning. But the wind of God was present, the Rua, the spirit. Everything went silent for Moses, as if he were suspended from space and time. The clamor of the crowd faded into a distant echo. He gripped his staff tightly, brow furrowed with righteous resolve. He closed his eyes, hearing the voice of the Almighty resounding in his mind. 00:14:06 Speaker 6: Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to advance. Stretch forth your hand over the sea, and behold my wonders. I will triumph over Pharaoh and his armies. My glory will be revealed, and my name will be exalted among the nations. They will know that I am the Lord. 00:14:34 Speaker 1: Moses opened his eyes, planted his foot firmly on the rock below, and raised his staff. The breath of God blew from behind his chosen people. The wind cut through the sea like a razin, dividing the waters into two great walls, with try land between them. The people fell back and beheld the red sea yield to the will of God. The voice of the Creator tamed the dark and chaotic abyss. Moses turned his voice, thundering over the stunned. 00:15:11 Speaker 3: Crowd ran steppity of freedom. 00:15:14 Speaker 1: Aaron and Miriam rallied the people. Women with children ran in first, with the men in the back. The waters were held at bay by the breath of the Creator, and the chosen people ran through unharmed. They leaped over stones and helped each other up jagged slopes. Moses remained there with his staff held high. 00:15:36 Speaker 4: He looked back. 00:15:37 Speaker 1: The pillar of fire rose into a dark plume of smoke, enveloping Pharaoh's army in darkness. The six hundred chariots burst through with rage. Soot covered their faces, mirroring the darkness in their hearts. 00:15:53 Speaker 3: Af Da them DoD stop, but on the sea run sad with their god. 00:16:01 Speaker 1: They were the cries of a man watching his godhood melt away under the intensity of a more extraordinary being. Moses turned to Pharaoh, seeing the man he once knew as a kinsman and friend. Images of their childhood flashed in his mind. He didn't see a bloodthirsty tyrant. He saw Ramses, the boy, the brother before the throne, and delusions of divinity. He was a boy playing by the stream, pretending to be a sea monster. He had become a monster indeed, and it broke Moses' heart. Ramses relents, you all. 00:16:46 Speaker 4: Come back and fike cod. 00:16:51 Speaker 1: Moses was frozen, staring into Pharaoh's darkened eyes. Just then an arm grabbed him from behind. 00:17:00 Speaker 3: Just snap out of it. 00:17:01 Speaker 4: You have to run. 00:17:02 Speaker 1: Aaron took Moses by the arm and dragged him back. The brothers ran down the path cut through the sea. The MUDs slowed their pace, and the sounds of horse hoofs and bronze wheels weren't far behind. Moses didn't look back until he reached the other side. The chariots were stalled from the muck of the sea's floor. Frustrated, Pharaoh sent spears and arrows. They broke against the rocks, right past Moses. Aaron launched himself up a stone and crawled up. He extended his hand to Moses. 00:17:35 Speaker 2: Everyone who's on the other side, we have to move before they catch up. 00:17:39 Speaker 6: Miriam is already taking them to the hills. 00:17:42 Speaker 2: No command them to stay. 00:17:45 Speaker 3: Don't be foolish, Moses, Let's flee now before it's too late. 00:17:49 Speaker 6: We finally have a chance to be free. 00:17:52 Speaker 2: We don't understand, Aaron, The Lord doesn't want us to run. For the rest of our lives. As long as Pharaoh lives, we'll never be free. Lord promised that we'd never see them again. 00:18:06 Speaker 1: Moses turned back to the chariots. Another arrow flew past him, barely grazing his cheek. The renowned chariots of Egypt were rendered useless in the mud. They dismounted, trudging through the muck with spears in hand, moses jaw quivered. The mighty armies of Egypt were about to crumble. 00:18:27 Speaker 6: Stretch out your hand again, Moses. Stretch out your hand and behold, Pharaoh will know that I am the Lord. 00:18:40 Speaker 1: With an onslaught of arrows and spears flying toward him. Moses raised his staff in the air. 00:18:46 Speaker 4: You he'll feel the tip of my spear. 00:18:50 Speaker 5: Morses, you and your unnamed god, we'll bow at my feet unborder side. 00:19:03 Speaker 6: He has an aide, and now all of Egypts will remember. 00:19:10 Speaker 1: Moses lowered his staff and the waters fell like mountains. Pharaoh was crushed under the weight of the sea. The chariots splintered, the swords disappeared, and the rushing waters. 00:19:24 Speaker 4: Drowned out their screams. 00:19:26 Speaker 1: The oppressors of God's chosen people were buried in darkness. The waves subsided, and the hot eastern wind quieted its rage. Moses stood at the shore, overlooking the dark waters that had just swallowed up the god of Egypt. The Lord had indeed won. He did what he said he would do. He prevailed over the gods of Egypt. He made them bow and bleed before them. He made a way when there seemed to be no other way. Moses's throat clenched and he fell to his knees. Finally, and euphorically, Moses released a loud cry that soared through the air and across the sea. Its echoes were piercing, inviting the ears of all who had just witnessed Pharaoh's defeat. Moses cried tears of relief, sorrow, and joy. His past was buried beneath the sea. He felt the tight embrace of Miriam come from behind. She held him tightly as a mother would to her hurting child. Shortly after was Aaron. He wrapped both of them in his long arms, squad with quivering arms. They looked at the sea, then back at the people. That past was behind them, buried in the abyss, But as they stared into the eyes of the Chosen People, they knew the future was before them. 00:21:24 Speaker 7: What a breath taking tail, the tension, the fear, the miraculous escape. It's impossible not to be moved by the sheer intensity of that moment, the cries of our ancestors, the pounding of their hearts, the towering walls of water. Let's talk about water. Water is completely formless. It's shaped by whatever vessel contains it. What happened at the Red Sea not only represented the final stage in the Chosen People's departure from Egypt, but it also contained a foundational message for where we are headed. Before their eyes and at God's command, the formless water attained form and definition. The sea split and water formed a wall on both sides, creating a path for the Israelites to cross the sea. This was also a signal and a symbol from God to the Chosen People. He gave us the Torah in order to impose form and higher meaning on an otherwise formless physical world. Since that dramatic moment of the splitting of the Sere mission has been to impart form on ourselves and the world around us by leading godly lives. And isn't that the mission that Jews and Christians share to bring spiritual form to a world that so often sadly lacks. Here in Israel, everything seems to circle back to the Torah everyday moments infused with ancient wisdom. One time, after my family enjoyed a day rafting down the Jordan River, my children decided to ride the zipline at the end of the route. The zipline began high up on the shore and ended in the water below, and when my daughter's turn arrived, she hesitated. She looked down and it was scary for her, and the zipline operator, who was trying to encourage her, yelled out, come on, be like Nashoni. My daughter actually smiled, took the leap, and enjoyed the ride. Now what was it that he said which boosted her confidence? The term Nashoni comes from this Bible story and it refers to Nashon from the tribe of Judah. According to Jewish tradition, as the Israelite stood at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army, closing in, they panicked, and while Moses prayed and everyone else was paralyzed with fear, it was Nachon who walked straight into the sea with complete faith. Tradition teaches that when the water reached Nashon's nose, God told Moses stop praying, stretch out your staff, and now you can split the sea. That's exactly what happened. Nachon walked in the water with faith until it reached his nose, and that's when Moses stretched out his staff and the sea split for the Israelites to walk through. One person, Nachon stepped out in faith, and that led to everyone being able to walk through the sea and be saved. What an incredible lesson about faith. Sometimes we sit and deliberate and pray about an action that we might take. We may even know in our hearts that it's the right thing to do, but still we hesitate. Should I or sho and die? Will I succeed or will I fail? Is the timing right? We hesitate and ask so many questions, like we're waiting for the seed to part so we can easily walk through. But the story of Nachon teaches us, if we wait for the conditions to be just right, we might actually miss our chance or wait forever. Instead, we are called to be like Nahshoni, to step out in faith even in the stormy waters. We have to act knowing that God will help us, and we must believe that when we follow God and faith, he will faithfully lead us through as we follow the chosen people across the Red Sea. I want to leave you with one more teaching from Jewish tradition. The Jewish sages illuminate this moment with a very profound truth. Until the children of Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore, they didn't actually believe that they were really free. Although they had escaped Egypt physically, they were still enslaved mentally. The specter of their former masters loomed large in their minds, haunting their steps and shackling their hearts. The Israelites carried unnecessary baggage. They lugged around the fear of recapture, the dread of their past reclaiming them. And we in our lives do the same. We fret over our incomes, don't we. We worry about our homes, our children, our futures, things that are not in our control, and we shoulder burdens that are not ours to bear. In the fifty fifth thumb, David tells us to cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you. God, the one who brought our ancestors for the sea and dry ground, who conquered Pharaoh and his chariots, as the same one who carries us. Now, God who carries us and all of our burdens too, is here with us. So let go of your imaginary shackles, place your worries into God's hands, and step out into freedom. Today God is carrying you, just as He carried the Chosen People across the sea. 00:27:24 Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,