YHWH the Vainglorious

July 3, 2009, 8:08 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 13:17-14:31

This is a long section, but has only one main topic.  This is the crossing of the Red Sea.  Except that it is not the Red Sea…it was most likely a tidal swamp or river entrance to the Red Sea.  The Red Sea, itself, would not have been suitable.  At its shallowest point it is still over 1000m deep.

If YHWH was worried about the people turning back because of the Philistines:

Exodus 13:17 When the Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though it was shorter.  For God said, “If they face war, they might return to Egypt.”

Two walls of water 3000ft tall, wouldn’t change the Israelite’s mind?  The Gulf of Aqaba is no better.  Only the Gulf of Suez is shallow enough to “part” and not freak out the Israelites.  The average depth is 40m but some of it is less than 10m.  It is also the shortest distance to cross.  The Gulf of Suez is 12 miles at its minimum width.  Whereas the Gulf of Aqaba is 15 miles and the Red Sea itself is at a minimum of 16 miles in width at its southern tip!  More likely are the Greater Bitter Lake or Lake Timsah.  No one knows the exact location, or even if it happened, of the crossing, but The two gulfs that connect to the Red Sea is certainly not probable.   With new evidence that the Red Sea translation is incorrect and that it should have been the Reed Sea, the story becomes more plausible. 

The Book of Exodus is packed with examples of YHWH controlling the Pharaoh by hardening his heart.  The Word of God also claims that YHWH influenced the Egyptians perception of the Israelites.  Fewer times does it claim that YHWH hardened the hearts of a group of people.  But in this chapter YHWH does exactly that:

Exodus 14:17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.  And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.

I hate to break to YHWH, but he gained no glory for the massacre of the Egyptian army.  We are still looking for any evidence that this story took place.  Believe me, lots of people have looked for the signs of this event.  What I find most disturbing of this story is that while the Egyptians under the control of YHWH followed the Israelites into the Reed Sea:

Exodus 14:17 He made the wheels of their Chariots fall off so they had difficulty driving.  And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites!  The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

The Egyptians were forced into the Sea by YHWH, when they were free to think on their own they attempted to escape.  Yet YHWH continued to manipulate them, just to for a vainglorious purpose.  In the end, he murdered innocent people that he forced into a situation that he controlled. 

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