The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:15-18 ESV

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 ESV

From time to time, I reflect on past writings I published online that were viewed as “prophetic words”, and I test them against Scripture. It is rather ironic when thinking about it. I do this in hopes of helping others and in offering some insight into areas of the modern prophetic movement so that maybe the fear of testing words against Scripture is eradicated from fellow sheep. I also do it in hopes that those who have trusted in these past words would read these current words and go back to the written Word of God, back to the more certain Word of prophecy.

Proclaiming a “Red Sea moment” is nothing new. Currently, there are numerous references to such a moment whether in prophesying to individuals and personal struggles or in talking about political issues over the past few years. However, when writing what I did in 2017, I was convinced I had heard the voice of God in writing, “God Is Setting You Up for a Red Sea Moment.” What is even more bothersome is that this word was published around that time on a well-known charismatic media site, only to be recycled by them right before the election of 2020.

Reading it now, I see the undertones of narcigesis spilling out onto the pages. I have heard this relatively new term within the past few years. Rather than pulling out the interpretation of the passage of Scripture based on the facts pertaining to it (exegesis), you and I are inserted into the passage, making it centered upon self rather than on Christ. True prophecy testifies of Jesus Christ. Here is an excerpt from what was written several years ago to give an example of narcigesis based on Exodus 14:

What comes out of you in the midst of adversity? If what comes out of you are words that partner with the enemy, you will never hear the wind of God coming to blow on your situation. There are times when silence is golden before the Lord. Our willingness to get quiet in His presence drowns out fear and doubt trying to surface. The people of God stood in a prophetic moment. They had been set up at the mouth of water, and God was getting ready to make a way through the Red Sea with a blast of His nostrils. He wanted their location to speak for them because their mouths were full of defeat.

It can be embarrassing sharing things like this because now when reading Scripture in context, I missed the far greater meaning to this passage that is Biblically sound as opposed to being egocentric. No, God did not want their location to speak for them because their mouths were full of defeat. God is neither adversely affected nor hindered by human weakness. He is God. Rather, He displayed who He was both to the Israelites and to the Egyptians. It was already clear Israel needed to be delivered, and this is where proper Biblical exegesis is invaluable.

The Real Red Sea Moment

There seems to be two key things going on in this account found in Exodus 14. There are some important things to understand with regards to God and His dealing with the Egyptians. First, when looking at the plagues that afflicted the Egyptians, it helps to understand that every plague occurred to address the false gods they worshiped, displaying the power and the judgment of the true God. For instance, the plague of frogs addressed the frog goddess Egypt worshiped. Each plague was intentional, and the final defeat at the Red Sea would be no different.

In Exodus 14, God directed Moses to redirect the people in encamping before Baal Zephon, which was a mountain named by the Egyptians after, you guessed it, another false god. The name means, “lord of the north”. It is said that the Egyptians believed the sea was under the control of this god. Proverbs 8:29 tells us that God assigned limits to the sea so that the waters would not transgress His command. This move appears to be intentional as showing the Egyptians once again that God is the true God. We read in Exodus 14:4, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.” Exodus 14:25 tells us the Egyptians fled from before Israel saying, “The LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” The Living God was exalted in this moment to show all other gods do not exist.

The second great take away we can see in this account is the typology and the Christology even found in the New Testament related to the Red Sea parting. This is a story of redemption and salvation. As Moses led the people out of physical slavery and into physical salvation, Jesus Christ leads His sheep out of spiritual slavery and death and into spiritual salvation. Passing through the Red Sea is a beautiful symbol of our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We find Paul comparing the people of Israel being baptized into Moses in 1 Corinthians 10:2. We find Paul speaking of them drinking from the spiritual Rock that followed them, which was Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Romans 6:3-4 tells us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” This is so much more beautiful than any narcigetical reading of a Biblical passage. When it is centered upon what Christ has done and that we are only redeemed and brought back to spiritual life because of His finished work on the cross and His resurrection, then He is glorified as He should be.

Abiding in the truth of the Word of God is critical for believers in Christ. It will bring you freedom. It will bring you understanding, and it will keep you from deception and wandering. For those who were affected by my older words, I ask for you to forgive me and to test everything in accordance with Scripture. The fact that a word contains the slightest bit of truth does not justify gross error and misrepresenting God. It is possible to be encouraged by a descriptive account in the Bible without inserting ourselves into the story line. And if you feel compelled to do such a thing, remember God’s plan and purpose does not change. We are always the ones in need of salvation.