Of all the decisions that Pharaoh makes during his relationship with Moses, perhaps none are as much of a head scratcher as the one to follow the nation of Israel into the middle of the Red Sea.
The danger should’ve been obvious. Not only are the waters swept back, creating a literal wall on both sides of a path, but the land in between is dry. If it was some kind of natural phenomenon that occurs semi-regularly, wouldn’t the land still have been wet?
Then there’s his own personal history with Jehovah. He’s sat back and watched as God has sent a total of ten plagues to his land, each one more devastating and more personal than the last. Each one of them carried an understanding of divinity; no natural event could’ve created those plagues.
So why then did he decide to send his army right into the middle of a miracle, when the God who held the waters up was not on his side?
Unfortunately, I don’t have an explanation for you because the Text doesn’t give us one. We’ll never know what went through Pharaoh’s mind when he gave that command, but we do know that it was pride that took him to the edge of the Sea in the first place. And it’s a reasonable assumption that pride is what took him into the waters.
Our egos are fickle beasts. They convince us of things that are simply not tenable—not reasonable, even under the best circumstances. Pharaoh’s convinced that he could stand up to God, despite ten plagues to the contrary. Pride in reclaiming his “lost property” destroyed his army in the Red Sea. Pride will destroy us, too, if we’re not careful.
Pride wasn’t the only factor, though. After all, each individual soldier was in charge of their own life and chariot. They saw the plagues just like Pharaoh. They saw the wall of water. They could have very well refused Pharaoh’s command to go into the Sea. It might’ve cost them their life, but given God’s track record with people who oppose Him, I would say that’s a risk worth taking.
Unfortunately for those soldiers, they waited too long to make the right decision. It was in the middle of the Red Sea, when they looked down and saw their chariot wheels swerve, that they realized they were fighting against God. But by then, it was too late.
No matter what your pride tells you, anyone who opposes God will lose. God has never lost a battle with anyone. He has an undefeated record against all who oppose Him. Don’t wait until you see the wobbly chariot wheels to make the right decision.
