The Passover.
Exodus xii. 3.
On the evening before the Passover God commanded that every family of Israel should slay a lamb, and sprinkle the door-posts before the houses with the blood of the lamb; that so, when the angel of the Lord came down to destroy the first-born of Egypt, he might know the houses of Israel from those of Egypt, and pass over them, and save those that dwelt in them from death. This lamb was to be called the Passover, because God should pass over those houses whose doors were sprinkled with its blood. This was the last supper which the children of Israel were ever to eat in Egypt, even the feast of the Passover. They kept up this feast every year, in order that they might remember the night when the Lord smote the Egyptians.
The passage of Israel through the Red Sea.
Exodus xiv. 15.
We now see the children of Israel, delivered by the almighty power of God from Egypt and from Pharaoh, travelling towards the land that God had promised to their fathers. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light. When they had thus got as far as Pi-hahiroth, which borders on the Red Sea, they lifted up their eyes, and behold the Egyptians marched after them. So hardened was king Pharaoh’s heart, that scarcely had the Israelites gone out of Egypt before he was sorry that he had let them go. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them, and passed after the children of Israel, and overtook them by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth. Then the children of Israel were sore afraid, and cried unto the Lord. The Red Sea before them, the Egyptians behind, they saw no hope of safety; and they were full of anger against Moses, for having brought them out of Egypt. But the Lord said unto Moses, “Lift up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” And the angel of the Lord, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. But that foolish and wicked man Pharaoh, still set himself against God, and madly pursued the Israelites into the midst of the sea. But so soon as the Israelites had passed over on dry land, and safely reached the shore, the Lord said unto Moses, “Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared, and the Egyptians fled against it; but the Lord overthrew them in the midst of the sea, and the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them: and Israel saw their dead bodies upon the sea shore. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians.