The account of God’s parting the waters of the sea is challenging, even for some Bible scholars. Over the years, some have claimed that the sea in question wasn’t the Red Sea as Scripture states, but a ‘Reed Sea’ – meaning a series of shallow, reed-filled lakes north of the Red Sea which would have been possible to cross on foot.

Scripture calls this sea ‘yam sup’. Doubters have claimed that ‘sup’ is from an Egyptian word, meaning ‘reed’. But ‘yam’ is a Hebrew word that means ‘sea’. It seems likely that both words would be from the same language. The word ‘sup’ is also close to a Hebrew word meaning ‘end’, so ‘yam sup’ would have meant ‘sea at the end’ – the sea marking the end of the farthest lands known to a people who had never left Egypt.

Arguments about language aside, it seems that either the Lord parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the people could pass through, or he managed to sweep away the entire Egyptian army with the waters of the Reed Sea that were only ankle deep. Either way, a miracle has taken place!

Accounts of God’s supernatural deeds are outside of our understanding of the world. They cannot be explained by or with science. They defy our logic and reason. This is why they are miracles. We can try to squeeze a wonder-working God down into a human-logic-sized box but when we do that we create for ourselves a completely different god.

Our God is mighty. Our God can do miracles. Our God bends nature to his will and purposes. The one who created all things has ultimate mastery over all things. If that blows our human minds, then that’s because our human minds are not at all like God’s mind. If we are to give our worship to something, then let it be to a mighty, sovereign Lord who is worthy of it!

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH