June 13

13. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15. And the LORD said unto Moses Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them; and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.

19 And the Angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.

20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to them; so that the one came not near the other all the night.

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And it came so pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.

25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it, and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians; and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

The two hosts were encamped near to each other. Only a cloud intervened between them—but such a cloud! "And just such a cloud, though unseen, now separates those who are in the camp of the Lord from those who are in the camp of the enemy. It is black toward the defiant foes of God—glorious toward those who are His true Israelites. On the one side it is threatening with God's wrath—on the other, beaming with God's favor. There is stumbling on the one side—clearness of vision upon the other. To those who are willing to acknowledge Him, God reveals a path of safety that shines more and more unto the perfect day—to those who make war against Him, there is a path of trouble, of uncertainty, and of final, irremediable anguish. It makes a great difference upon which side of the cloud one chooses to be!"

"We have the same divine guidance, if we will; in sober reality we have God's presence; and waiting hearts which have ceased from self-will may receive leading as real as ever the pillar gave to Israel. God's providence does still shape our paths, and God's Spirit will direct us within, and God's word will counsel us. If we will wait and watch we shall not be left undirected. It is wonderful how much practical wisdom about the smallest perplexities of daily life comes to men who keep both their feet and their wishes still until providence—or as the world prefers to call it, 'circumstances'—clears a path for them. No doubt in all our lives there come times when we seem to have been brought into a blind alley, and cannot see where we are to get out; but it is very rare indeed that we do not see one step in advance, the duty which lies next to us. And be sure of this, that if we are content to see but one step at a time, and take it, we shall find our way made plain. The river winds, and often we seem on a lake without an exit. Then is the time to go half-speed, and doubtless, when we get a little farther, the overlapping hills on either bank will part, and the gorge will open out. We do not need to see it a mile off; enough if we see it when we are close upon it.

"Do not seek to outrun God's guidance, to see what you are to do a year hence, or to act before you are sure what is His will. Do not let your wishes get in advance of the pillar and the ark, and you will be kept from many a mistake, and led into a region of deep peace. Our blunders mostly come from letting our wishes interpret our duties, or hide from us plain indications of unwelcome tasks. No doubt sometimes even docile hearts make mistakes, but no man who has not tried it would conceive how many of the highest results of practical wisdom are secured by the simple in heart, whose only skill is to wait on the Lord and be guided by him."—Alexander Maclaren, D.D.

Closet Promise.—The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.—Psalm xviii, 28.

The following piece of poetry is entitled "In The Tunnel:"

My little son Was troubled in the darkness, and he cried; As we sped on I felt him nestle nearer to my side; Soon, hushed and calm, his hand in mine he laid. And whispered softly, "Now I'm not afraid" I sat and thought, I had been troubled in the dark—had cried— Not trusted as I ought, Yet had not I long since drawn near His side?

Was not my hand within my Saviour's laid? Why had I been so troubled and afraid? We flashed into the light; My little son, his fright and trouble o'er, His countenance all bright, Cried gayly, "It is lighter than before!" And I smiled back, my fear and trouble o'er; "Yes, yes," I cried, "much lighter than before!" —E. H. Moore.