There are few Biblical events that have been as hotly debated and subjected to rigorous scholarly research than the splitting of the Red Sea at the hand of God as depicted in the Book of Exodus.
Much faith has been required by Bible believers to stand strong against the onslaught of many famous archeologists and scholars who specialize in the study of ancient Egypt who say this event is just a myth that never really happened.
Nevertheless, contrary to what many renowned Egyptologists and archaeologists may believe and promote, the truth is…
…there is a ton of archeological evidence that the Exodus did occur as the Bible describes it.
First of all, there was a huge population of Israelites and we know they did live in a city that was big enough to support their 3 million plus population.
The starting point of this debate begins with the well established fact that the Israelites mainly lived in a city called Goshen in ancient Egypt.
This was there departure point when they left Egypt.
We also know that the Lord did NOT have the Israelites take the most direct route to the land of Canaan (a road called the Way of the Philistines).
Instead, the Lord led them “through the Wilderness” which was a very indirect route although the final destination was going to be the Land of Canaan.
Earlier, the Lord told Moses that as soon as the people were outside of Egyptian territory, they were to go to the “Mountain of God” which today we call Mount Sinai.
However, and this is the point where the heated debate begins, where exactly is the mountain of God?
Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss the next time we meet.
Why did God not take them through the direct route ? Does it mean that God wanted to do a screen test for 40 years before allowing them to enter Canaan ? Or was it God trying to prove to the world that He is God?
The 40 years in wilderness were not part of God’s original plan for them. It happened as a punishment, because they did not trust and obey God when He deemed it the right timing to enter and conquer the land of Canaan. It was as if God had been preparing them for doing so all the while, but at that critical moment, the majority felt it was too much and they even tried to head back to Egypt! So God used another 40 years to bring up a new generation whose hearts would be prepared to take on the challenge.
As for the indirectness of the route, I’d like to think that their route was far better than heading straight to the land of Canaan. It has already been occupied by different people who were way stronger than they were (see again how they chickened out when it was time). Plus it was also in the wilderness that God gave them His Law on how they could keep their covenant and continue to live in His presence, a necessary step to make them a holy nation.