The Red Sea Crossing: Salvation through the Waters

Bible Believing Christian
Sep 12
3 min read

Updated: Sep 12

The Red Sea Crossing: Salvation through the Waters

Standing between a sea and a furious army, Israel faced certain death. Then God split the waters. The crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) is one of the Bible’s most dramatic rescues and a decisive revelation of God’s power to save. For Christians, it is a rich picture of deliverance through Jesus Christ.

Biblical Foundation

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Exodus 14:21–22, NASB)

Pharaoh’s chariots plunged in after them, but “the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army… not even one of them remained” (Exodus 14:28, NASB). The result: “Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians; so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31, NASB).

Historical & Contextual Notes

Geography and Miracle: Whether at the Gulf of Suez or the Gulf of Aqaba, the focus is theological. The Hebrew text uses יַם־סוּף (Yam Suph, Sea of Reeds), but the account insists on miraculous walls of water (cf. Psalm 78:13).

Cosmic Warfare: The imagery recalls creation itself, when God separated waters to make dry land (Genesis 1:9). The same Creator now carves a path of life through chaos.

Misconceptions & Objections

“It was just a marsh or shallow lake.”
The narrative describes towering walls of water and the drowning of an entire army—hardly a marsh trickle.

“God is violent.”
Pharaoh enslaved, oppressed, and pursued a people God had already commanded him to release. This is divine justice and covenant protection.

Theological Reflection

The Red Sea crossing demonstrates God’s power to save where no human strategy can succeed. The Hebrew verb יָשַׁע (yasha, to save or deliver) echoes through Israel’s praise song in Exodus 15 and points forward to the very name of Jesus (Yeshua, “Yahweh saves”).

Connection to Christ – Baptism and the Greater Exodus

The New Testament reads this event as a preview of the gospel:

Baptismal Typology: “All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2, NASB). Passing through water signifies death to the old life and resurrection into freedom.

Victory over Death: Hebrews 11:29 highlights faith: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned” (NASB).

Christ the Deliverer: Jesus’ own words “I am the way” (John 14:6, NASB) resonate here—He is the dry path through the chaos of sin and death.

The early church sang of Christ as the true Moses who leads His people through the ultimate sea of judgment into eternal life.

Christ-Centered Conclusion

At the Red Sea, God transformed an impossible barrier into the very path of salvation. In Jesus, He does the same on a cosmic scale, turning death itself into the doorway to life.