In our study of the war between Satan and the "seed of the woman" Gen 3:15; last time we saw God's promises to Abram in Gen 12:1-3; and the implications of one's attitude toward the Jews.
We saw that because of God's promises to Abram, those nations who seek friendly relationships with the Jewish race are placed under a blessing, but those who are hostile to the Jewish are placed under a curse.
This curse is God's condemnation of anti-Semitism and places on any and all who engage in this evil a curse that brings misfortune, affliction, and disaster upon themselves as well as those associated with them.
This is why nations have fallen throughout history. When enough people in a given nation become anti-Semitic the personal cursing often grows into in collective discipline upon the entire country.
Since human history is the prosecution of the appeal trial of Satan and the central figure in its resolution is Jesus Christ, "the seed of the woman", the Bible contains a chronicle of the efforts by Satan to prevent the Lord's birth, His incarnation, and His work on the cross.
The miraculous birth of Isaac fulfilled God's promise of an heir to Abram and Sarai that would come from them. Isaac's birth perpetuated the line to the "seed of the woman" Isaac and his wife Rachel had twin sons and the younger son Jacob became part of the genetic line to the "seed of the woman" Gen 25:23;
Jacob's name was later changed to Israel in: Gen 32:28;a - And he said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel."
Years later when there is another famine in Canaan Israel moved his large extended family to Egypt. Gen 46:6,27; after God prepositioned Joseph in Egypt to prepare the way and Israel's family became very prosperous there Gen 47:26; Exod 1:6-7;
Years later as recorded in Exod 1:8; a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power over Egypt.
Approximately 350 years had passed from the time that Israel had moved into Egypt and this new king comes to power. What we have here is the failure to communicate Bible doctrine as it was revealed through Israel to the subsequent generations in Egypt regarding who Israel was and what Joseph had done for the Egyptians and why the Israelites had a haven in Egypt.
Exod 1:9-17; This king becomes anti-Semitic and enslaves the Jewish race and eventually orders the murder of every male child born to the Jewish race. Net note 60 God begins to prepare an exit strategy for the Jewish race with the birth of Moses during this time Exod 2:1-2;
This tyranny continued for more 80 years under two consecutive Egyptian pharaohs while God prepares Moses to lead Israel from Egypt. Exod 7:7; Exod 12:41;
Their satanic anti-Semitic assault on the "seed of the woman" is an attempt to destroy the entire Jewish race at what is referred to as the Red Sea in most English translations of the Bible is most likely a large lake that is referred to as the sea. Exod 13:18; Net note 70
During the Exodus the Israelites are continuously led, protected, and delivered by the Lord. The people don't see it but Moses does because of his training in the wilderness.
The Lord knows that the Israelites are incapable of defending themselves so he must protect them. They do not have any weapons because they have been slaves and even if they did, they haven't been free long enough to create an army.
The Lord's military tactics are designed to lure Pharaoh into a death trap in the "sea". By feinting toward Etham on the edge of the wilderness, and then swinging southwestward to the west side of the lake, the Lord is able to make Pharaoh think that the Jews are lost and wandering aimlessly.
Exod 13:20; Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the desert.
Exod 14:3; "For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, 'They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the desert has shut them in.'"
Encamped with the sea to their east places Egypt to the west, and the desert to the south, Pharaoh advances toward them with his army of chariots and horsemen from the north.
Exod 14:9; Then the Egyptians pursued them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his cavalry and his forces and they overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi-hahiroth facing Baal-zephon.
The Israelites were trapped. They face a hopeless situation and are helpless to do anything about it and rather then casting their faith upon the Lord, who performed the ten miracles that won their freedom, they collectively enter into doubt, uncertainty, fear, worry, and panic.
Their lack of faith does not stop the Lord from executing His plan because of His unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: "I will make of you a great nation" and "I will give you all the land between the Nile and the Euphrates Rivers."
The Lord is in complete control of the situation. His tactics were designed to bring Pharaoh's army to a place where he could destroy it thereby permanently eliminating it as a threat to His incipient client nation.
The Lord performs a miracle that simultaneously provides a way of escape for His chosen people and becomes a death trap for Pharaoh's army that plays out in three phases.
The first phase is the cloud and the fire. Exod 14:19; And the angel of God (Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory), who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.
v20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was a cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
The second phase is the parting of the water. Exod 14:21; Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind which blew all night, turning the sea into dry land and the waters were divided.
v22 The Israelites went through the midst of the sea on dry land and the waters were a wall on their right and on their left.
Exod 14:23; Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit and all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the middle of the sea.
The third phase is Pharaoh's Army getting bogged down and then drowned. Exod 14:24; And it came about at the morning watch that the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.
v25 And He caused the chariot wheels to swerve and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians."
v26 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians over their chariots and their horsemen."
Exod 14:27; So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing from it then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
v28 the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh's entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them survived.
We see here another failed attack on the "seed of the woman" We also see that God gave the Egyptians 80 years or four generations to change their mind about Israel before He destroyed their nation through the 10 plagues followed by the destruction of their army because of their arrogant locked in negative volition that resulted in implacability.
This leads us to a discussion of the four- generation curse that is the basis for God disciplining nations especially client nations that is an important principle in the interpretation of history from the divine viewpoint.
I believe that client nation USA is half way into the third generation of the four-generation curse. 1 (1960-1980), 2 (1980-2000), 3 (2000-2020), 4 (2020-2040)
The four-generation curse explains any future national suffering, and the reason for the administration of the cycles of discipline to a client nation.
After at least 80 years of slavery in Egypt, Israel was destined to become the first client nation to God under the leadership of Moses. To warn them against making bad decisions as a free people, God gave Moses information regarding the four-generation curse. This information explains why problems continue and become worse from one generation to another.