The Dividing Line of God's Presence Text: Exodus 14:19-20
Introduction: Two Kinds of People
The world wants you to believe that all conflicts are ultimately misunderstandings. They want you to think that if we could just sit down, talk it out, find some common ground, and be reasonable, then all our troubles would melt away. The modern secular mind is allergic to sharp distinctions, to absolute antithesis. It wants to blur every line that God has drawn in creation and in redemption. It wants a world of gray, a world of compromise, a world where everyone is a little bit right and no one is entirely wrong.
But the Bible will have none of it. From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God is a sharp, two-edged sword, and its primary function is to divide. It divides light from darkness, truth from falsehood, life from death. And in our text today, we see this divine division in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. God does not broker a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. He does not arrange a summit between Moses and Pharaoh. He draws a line in the sand, or rather, a line in the air. He inserts Himself, His very presence, as the absolute, unbridgeable dividing wall between His chosen people and their implacable enemies.
This event is not just a clever military maneuver. It is a theological declaration. It teaches us that there are, ultimately, only two camps in this world: the camp of Israel and the camp of Egypt. There is the camp of those who are covenanted with God, and the camp of those who are in rebellion against Him. There is no neutral territory. There is no Switzerland. You are either sheltered by the presence of God, or you are blinded by it. You are either walking in the light He provides, or you are stumbling in the darkness He imposes. The same presence of God that is salvation and deliverance for His people is judgment and confusion for His enemies. This is a truth our mushy, therapeutic, inclusive age cannot stand. But it is the bedrock of reality.
As we stand with Israel at the edge of the Red Sea, with the fury of Pharaoh's army thundering behind us and an impossible expanse of water before us, we are confronted with the central question of all existence: on which side of the divine line do you stand? Because where you stand in relation to the presence of God determines everything.
The Text
Then the angel of God, 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. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
(Exodus 14:19-20 LSB)
The Rearguard of God (v. 19)
We begin with the divine repositioning in verse 19:
"Then the angel of God, 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." (Exodus 14:19)
Up to this point, God's presence, manifested in the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, had been leading Israel. He was their guide, their vanguard, showing them the way to go. But now, the tactical situation has changed. The threat is no longer in front of them, in the unknown wilderness. The threat is now behind them, in the form of the most powerful army on earth, bent on their destruction. And so, God, in His tender, covenantal care, repositions Himself. He moves from being their guide to being their guard. He becomes their rearguard.
Notice who this is. It is "the angel of God." This is no ordinary, created angel. Throughout the Old Testament, the Angel of the LORD, or the Angel of God, is a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the divine Logos, the Word of God, who would one day take on flesh and dwell among us. It is Christ Himself who is shepherding His people. He led them out, and now He protects them from behind. The good shepherd does not just point the way; He places Himself between the sheep and the wolves.
This is a profound comfort. When God leads you into what appears to be a trap, as He explicitly did with Israel here (Exodus 14:1-4), He does not abandon you there. He has a purpose in it, and part of that purpose is to display His glory by showing that He is your all-sufficient protector. When you are obediently following Him and the enemy comes raging after you, you must remember that the enemy has to go through God to get to you. The pillar of cloud, the very presence of the Almighty, moved. It stood as a divine shield. This is what Isaiah would later celebrate: "For you will not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rearguard" (Isaiah 52:12).
Our confidence in the face of overwhelming opposition is not in our own strength or cleverness. Our confidence is in the strategic positioning of our covenant-keeping God. He knows where the threat is coming from, and He places Himself precisely where He needs to be for our defense.
The Two-Sided Cloud (v. 20)
Verse 20 gives us the stunning result of this divine repositioning. It is one of the clearest pictures of the great antithesis in all of Scripture.
"So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night." (Exodus 14:20 LSB)
Here we have one cloud, one pillar, one manifestation of the presence of God. But it has two entirely different effects, depending on which side you are on. For the Egyptians, the rebellious enemies of God, it was a cloud of profound darkness. It brought confusion, frustration, and paralysis. It was a manifestation of God's judicial blinding. They could not see, they could not advance, they could not touch God's people. All their military might, their chariots and their horsemen, were rendered impotent by a fog.
But for Israel, the redeemed people of God, that very same cloud was a source of brilliant light throughout the night. While their enemies were enveloped in a supernatural gloom, Israel was bathed in a supernatural glow. This light was not just for comfort; it was practical. It allowed them to see as they prepared for the miraculous crossing that was about to take place. God's presence was their illumination and their salvation.
This is a fixed principle of the universe. The gospel itself is a two-sided reality. The apostle Paul says the same thing in his second letter to the Corinthians. He says that to God, we are the aroma of Christ, "to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life" (2 Corinthians 2:16). The very same message, the very same truth, the very same Christ, is a savor of life to those who are being saved, and a stench of death to those who are perishing. The cross of Christ is either the greatest wisdom and power of God, or it is the greatest foolishness and stumbling block. There is no middle ground.
The sovereignty of God is either your greatest comfort or your greatest terror. The holiness of God is either beautiful or horrifying. The Word of God is either a lamp to your feet or a testimony against you that will judge you on the last day. It all depends on which side of the pillar you are on. Are you in the camp of Israel, redeemed by the blood of the lamb? Or are you in the camp of Egypt, shaking your fist at the God you refuse to obey?
And notice the result: "Thus the one did not come near the other all night." God's separation is absolute. When He decides to protect His people, they are perfectly safe. The enemy cannot lay a finger on them. All night long, the most powerful army in the world was held at bay, not by a wall of stone, but by a wall of God's own presence. This is the doctrine of preservation. Those whom God has redeemed, He will protect. Those who are in Christ are hidden in Him, and the evil one cannot touch them.
Conclusion: The Light of the World
This dramatic scene at the Red Sea is not just a historical curiosity. It is a paradigm for God's dealing with His people throughout all of history. We are a people pursued. The world, the flesh, and the devil are our Pharaoh. They chase after us, seeking to drag us back into the bondage from which we have been freed. And often, God leads us to our own Red Sea moments, where we feel trapped, with no way of escape.
It is in those moments that we must remember the two-sided cloud. The Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, has promised to be with us always, to the end of the age. He is our rearguard. He has placed Himself between us and all that would destroy us.
When Jesus came into the world, He declared, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). For those who follow Him, who are part of His redeemed camp, He is a pillar of fire, illuminating our path, giving us hope, and guiding us safely home. His presence is our salvation.
But for those who reject Him, who remain in the camp of Egypt, that same Jesus is a source of profound darkness and judgment. His very presence exposes their sin and blinds them in their rebellion. As Simeon prophesied over the infant Jesus, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed" (Luke 2:34). Jesus is the great dividing line of humanity. He is the stone that the builders rejected, who has become the cornerstone. You either build your life upon Him and are secure, or you stumble over Him and are broken to pieces.
The question this text forces upon us is simple and stark. When the pressures of this world close in, when the enemy is at your back and the sea is before you, what is the presence of God to you? Is it a terrifying darkness that paralyzes you in fear and judgment? Or is it a glorious light that illumines your darkest night and guarantees your safe passage? There is no third option. You are either an Israelite or an Egyptian. Flee from the darkness of Egypt, trust in the blood of the Lamb, and take your stand in the camp that is forever lit by the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.