The parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14 is probably one of the most famous stories in the Bible. When you think of this moment in the Bible, with Moses lifting his staff and parting the sea, how do you envision it? Do you see it like this clip from The Ten Commandments?

Let’s examine the text of Exodus and see how it compares to this film clip.

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Exodus 14:19-22 (NIV)

Aside from the dramatics of Hollywood, is there anything about the setting that’s different? That’s right. In the film clip, it’s daytime, while the actual events take place at night. We get insight into what time the events ended through these verses from Exodus.

During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.

Exodus 14:24 (NIV)

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.

Exodus 14:27 (NIV)

The last watch of the night is between three and six am, and daybreak, when light first appears in the sky, is when the sea returned to its previous state, and the Egyptians are swept away. We might not expect a Hollywood film to capture all of the details of something from the Bible. However, if you do an image search for “Moses parting the Red Sea,” you’ll find that most of the images show Moses parting the sea during the day. Some of them have dark clouds with lightning, but it’s clearly daytime. In fact, if you filter the search for “children,” I don’t see anywhere that shows it was nighttime.

While listening to my Bible reading today, I realized I had taken hold of the popular idea that Moses parted the Red Sea during the day. Therefore, I was surprised when I heard that this event occurred at night. Although it may not seem like a big deal, I’m reminded how much the things we read and see impact our world and Biblical view.

When teaching our kids, we need to ensure that the Biblical teaching they receive is truthful and accurate to what the Bible teaches us. In fact, something like this, where the images for children show the parting happening during the day, is a great moment to connect with our kids about the Bible since we can tell them “what really happened.”

I don’t know about you, but as I lean back and picture the events in my mind, they are far more striking and awe-inspiring, having happened during the night than in the light of day.

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, freed from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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