The Israelites, on foot, were able to walk across the river bed. But, the wheels of the army's chariots were mired in the mud. Sometimes, what we thought was protection turns out to be hindrance.
Moses stretches out his hand again, and the sea returns to its normal depth. Pharaoh's entire army is destroyed.
When the Israelites saw that they themselves were alive and safe and that the Egyptians were dead, they feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and the Lord's servant Moses.
The notes in the New Interpreters Bible point out that there's a play on words in verse 31. The Hebrew word that we translate as "see" (ra'ah) sounds like the word for "fear" (yare').
As we read ahead in the story of the trek through the wilderness, we'll hear how when they saw something else--like their thirst or hunger--they would lose their trust in Moses and in the Lord's protection, and they will complain. If seeing is believing, what happens when we see something else?
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