Psalm 136: 13-15 NKJV
To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever;
And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever;
But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever;
Courage Through Chaos
MY NOTES
“To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever; And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever; But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever;” — Psalm 136:13–15 (NKJV)
Have you ever felt “pinched” between a literal wall and a hard place? That was Israel at the shore of the Red Sea. Behind them: the most elite military force on the planet. In front of them: a deep, impassable abyss. To the human eye, this wasn’t a transition; it was a trap. But Psalm 136 reminds us that when God’s mercy is on the line, He doesn’t just look for a way around the obstacle—He cuts right through it.
The Divine Strike The Hebrew word used here for “divided” is fascinating. It’s the word gazar, which literally means to “hew in pieces.” It’s the same word used when Solomon proposed cutting a child in two or when Abraham sliced the covenant sacrifices in half.
Think about that imagery: God didn’t just blow the water back with a gentle breeze. As if wielding a massive sword, He hewed the sea in two. He carved a canyon through the depths. By doing this, He created a covenant path. Just as Abraham walked between the pieces of the sacrifice in Genesis 15, Israel walked between the “halves” of the sea. God was saying, “I am cutting a covenant in the water to get you to the other side.”
Courage for the Road It’s one thing for the sea to open; it’s quite another to actually walk into it. Imagine being in that group of elderly people, children, and livestock, looking up at walls of water held back by an invisible hand.
God didn’t just open the door; He gave them the courage to walk through a “way they had not known.” Sometimes, God’s mercy looks like an “untrodden road”—a path that feels dangerous and new. But notice that He led them “down into the deep and up again… in perfect order.” His mercy isn’t just a rescue; it’s a guided tour through the impossible.
The Great “Shake-Off” Then comes the “thunderclap” of verse 15. The Hebrew says God “shook off” Pharaoh and his army. It’s the same word used for a tree shaking off dead leaves. To Israel, Pharaoh was a nightmare; to God, he was a leaf to be flicked away.
When we say, “For his mercy endureth for ever,” we’re remembering that God’s mercy doesn’t just hover over peaceful moments—it steps into the thick of things. Mercy protected His people so faithfully that it even called on justice to deal with those who rose up in open rebellion. Their downfall wasn’t a strike against mercy; in fact, what makes their fate so tragic is that they pushed back against a mercy that would have gladly received them. And that same enduring mercy doesn’t stop at the shoreline, it carries through the sea just as surely as over dry land. God will do something entirely new if that’s what it takes to keep His promise. His path may run through the waves, but He always makes a way for His people. Mercy cleared that path, encouraged the people, led them down into the depths, and brought them safely out again. There’s no place too deep, no obstacle too great, no danger too fierce for the mercy of Jehovah. So like Israel of old, we move forward with confidence, knowing that His mercy still surrounds us on every side.
This is a beautiful “miracle of justice.” The same sea that was a lane for the trustful was a grave for the proud. For us, this is a picture of the Cross. In the “Red Sea” of Christ’s atoning blood, our “Egypt”—our old sins and the “Pharaoh” of our shame—are drowned and shaken off. They can’t follow you to the other side. God’s mercy clears the path and then closes the door on your past.
Key Takeaways
- God Cuts the Path: If the road is blocked, God is willing to do something entirely “new” (like hewing a sea in two) to keep His promise to you.
- Courage is a Gift: Mercy doesn’t just remove the obstacle; it empowers you with the heart to walk through the “abyss” without fear.
- The “Shake-Off”: Your past sins and enemies are like dead leaves to God. He can “shake them off” in a moment, leaving you to walk in “perfect order” into your future.
- Justice Serves Mercy: The downfall of the oppressor is the liberation of the oppressed. God’s “mercies” often speak confusion to our fears so we can finally be free.
Cross References (NKJV)
Exodus 14:27
“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew [shook off] the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.”
Genesis 15:17
“And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.”
Psalm 78:53
“And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.”
Micah 7:19
“He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
A Closing Prayer
Abba, I thank You that there is no place too deep and no obstacle too great for Your mercy. Thank You for being the “Sea-Splitter.” When I feel trapped between my past and an impossible future, remind me of Your “strong hand.” Give me the courage to walk the “untrodden road” You have carved for me. I thank You that my sins have been “shaken off” and drowned in the depths of Your grace. I choose to move forward today, knowing that Your mercy surrounds me on every side. I thank You for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Some Things to Think About:
- The “Hewn” Path: What “Red Sea” is currently standing in your way? How does it change your perspective to think of God “hewing” a path through it rather than just making you wait for it to dry up?
- Unconventional Courage: When has God asked you to follow a “apparently dangerous” track? Looking back, how did He provide the path and lead you through it?
- The Leaf Metaphor: Think of a fear or a sin that feels “massive” like Pharaoh’s army. Now, picture God “shaking it off” like a leaf from a tree. How does that visual shift your level of anxiety?
- Covenant Walk: In Genesis, Abraham walked between the pieces of the sacrifice. In Exodus, Israel walked between the pieces of the sea. How is God using your current “deep” situation to bring you into a closer relationship with Him?
Proverb for Today
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 NKJV
Daily Scripture
But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”. Luke 18:27 NKJV
Bill
Please enter your email and click subscribe to be notified whenever I submit a new post.
Summary of Commentaries:
God’s mercy “hewed” the Red Sea into a covenant path, granting Israel courage to navigate the abyss. Commentators note that “overthrew” signifies God “shaking off” Pharaoh’s army like dead leaves from a tree. This act of judgment was a “loud-mouthed mercy” for the oppressed, proving that no obstacle—natural or spiritual—can block God’s deliverance. The sea became a lane for the trustful and a grave for the proud, typifying Christ’s ultimate victory over sin.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“To him which divided the Red sea into parts.” He made a road across the sea-bottom, causing the divided waters to stand like walls on either side. Men deny miracles; but, granted that there is a God, they become easy of belief. Since it requires me to be an atheist that I may logically reject miracles, I prefer the far smaller difficulty of believing in the infinite power of God. He who causes the waters of the sea ordinarily to remain as one mass can with equal readiness divide them. He who can throw a stone in one direction can with the same force throw it another way: the Lord can do precisely what he wills, and he wills to do anything which is ten the deliverance of his people.
“For his mercy endureth for ever,” and therefore it endures through the sea as well as over the dry land. He will do a new thing to keep his old promise. His way is in the sea, and he will make a way for his people in the same pathless region.
“And made Israel to pass through the midst of it.” HE gave the people courage to follow the predestined track through the yawning abyss, which might well have terrified a veteran host. It needed no little generalship to conduct so vast and motley a company along a way so novel and apparently so dangerous. He made them to pass, by the untrodden road; he led them down into the deep and up again on the further shore in perfect order, keeping their enemies back by the thick darkness of the cloudy pillar. Herein is the glory of God set forth, as all his people see it in their own deliverance from sin. By faith we also give up all reliance upon works and trust ourselves to pass by a way which we have not known, even by the way of reliance upon the atoning blood: thus are we effectually sundered from the Egypt of our former estate, and our sins themselves are drowned. The people marched dry shod through the heart of the sea. Hallelujah!
“For his mercy endureth for ever.” Mercy cleared the road, mercy cheered the host, mercy led them down, and mercy brought them up again. Even to the depth of the sea mercy reaches,—there is no end to it, no obstacle in the way of it, no danger to believers in it, while Jehovah is all around. “Forward!” be our watchword as it was that of Israel of old, for mercy doth compass us about;
“But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea“ Here comes the thunder clap. Though we hear them sounding peal upon peal, yet the judgments of the Lord were only loud mouthed mercies speaking confusion to the foe, that the chosen might tremble before him no longer. The chariots were thrown over, the horses were overthrown. The King and his warriors were alike overwhelmed; they were hurled from their chariots as locusts are tossed to and fro in the wind. Broken was the power and conquered was the pride of Egypt. Jehovah had vanquished the enemy. “Art thou not it which cut Rahab and wounded crocodile?” None are too great for the Lord to subdue, none too high for Lord to abase. The enemy in his fury drove after Israel into the sea, but his wrath found a terrible recompense beneath the waves.
“For his mercy endureth for ever.” Yes, mercy continued to protect its children, and therefore called in the aid of justice to fulfill the capital sentence on their foes. Taken red handed, in the very act of rebellion against their sovereign Lord, the adversaries met the fate which they had themselves invited. He that goes into the midst of the sea asks to be drowned. Sin is self-damnation. The sinner goes downward of his own choice, and if he finds out too late that he return, is not his blood upon his own head? The finally impenitent, terrible their doom, will not be witnesses against mercy; but rather this shall aggravate their misery, that they went on in defiance of mercy, and would yield themselves to him whose mercy endureth for ever. To the Israelites as they sung this song their one thought would be of the rescue of their fathers from fierce oppressor. Taken like a lamb from between the teeth of the lion, justly praises her Deliverer.
______________________________________________________
Enduring Word
To Him who divided the Red Sea in two: God did not only bring the Israelites out of Egypt, but He also delivered them from Pharaoh’s attempt to re-capture them. In mercy to Israel, God overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. (Guzik)
i. God’s use of history in this psalm is important. As in countless other places in the Scriptures, God used His work in the past to give hope, faith, and confidence to His people both for the moment and for the future. (Guzik)
ii. “The word for dividing the Red Sea is peculiar. It means to hew in pieces or in two, and is used for cutting in halves the child in Solomon’s judgment [1 Kings 3:25]; while the word ‘parts’ [two] is a noun from the same root, and is found in Genesis 15:17, to describe the two portions into which Abraham clave the carcasses. Thus, as with a sword, Jehovah hewed the sea in two, and His people passed between the parts, as between the halves of the covenant sacrifice.” (Maclaren)
iii. Overthrew Pharaoh and his army: “…as in Hebrew, shaked off. The word is applicable to a tree shaking off its foliage, Isaiah. 33:9. The same word is used in Exodus 14:27: ‘And the Lord overthrew (shook off) the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.’” (Barnes, cited in Spurgeon)
______________________________________________________
Albert Barnes
To him which divided the Red sea into parts – More literally, “Parted it into parts;” made parts of that which before was unbroken and a whole. It was actually divided into two parts, so that the Hebrews passed between them: Exodus 14:21-22.
For his mercy … – This, too, was an exercise of mercy, or a manifestation of benevolence toward them and toward the world, to be measured by all the good which would result from it in itself, and by all the power which was put forth to effect it.
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea – Margin, as in Hebrew, shaked off. The word is applicable to a tree shaking off its foliage. Isaiah 33:9. The same word is used in Exodus 14:27 : “And the Lord overthrew (Margin, shook off) the Egyptians in the midst of the sea,” He shook them off as if he would no longer protect them. He left them to perish.
For his mercy … – Their destruction was done in mercy to his people and to the world, for it was the means of deliverance to Israel. The death of a wicked man is a benefit to the world, and the act of removing him may be really an act of the highest benevolence to mankind. No wrong is done to such people, for they deserve to die; and the only service which can be rendered to the world through them is by their removal from the earth.
______________________________________________________
John Gill
The sea is an emblem of this world, which is like a tempestuous troubled sea; where everything is restless, fluctuating, and passing away; where the people of God are tossed with tempests; and where afflictions, like the waves and billows of the sea, come over them one after another; and through which they must pass and enter the kingdom: and God, that wills, orders, and appoints them, sets these proud waves of the sea their bounds, or makes them a calm; and, sooner or later, makes a way through them and out of them, which is owing to his enduring mercy, 1 Corinthians 10:13.
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it,…. Willingly, without reluctance; with great spirit and courage, fearless of danger, and with the utmost safety, so that not one was lost in the passage; see Psalm 78:53; and thus the Lord makes his people willing to pass through afflictions, he being with them; and able to bear them, he putting underneath the everlasting arms, even when in the valley of the shadow of death; and carries safely through them, so that they are not hurt by them; the waters do not overflow them, nor the fire kindle upon them; nor are any suffered to be lost, but all come safe to land;
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea,…. In the same sea which was parted for the Israelites, and through which they passed safely as on dry land; into which Pharaoh and his army entering in pursuit of them in their chariots, the Lord “shook” him and them out of them, as the word signifies; and causing the waters to return and cover them; they were drowned in them, Exodus 14:28. This was an emblem of the destruction of Satan, and of his principalities and powers, by Christ, who thereby has saved his spiritual Israel out of their hands; and of the casting of the sins of God’s people into the depths of the sea, never to be seen more, or to appear any more against them to their condemnation; and of the everlasting ruin and perdition of ungodly men;
______________________________________________________
Matthew Henry
He forced them a way through the Red Sea, which obstructed them at their first setting out. By the power he has to control the common course of nature he divided the sea into two parts, between which he opened a path, and made Israel to pass between the parts, now that they were to enter into covenant with him; see Jer. 34:18. He not only divided the sea, but gave his people courage to go through it when it was divided, which was an instance of God’s power over men’s hearts, as the former of his power over the waters. And, to make it a miracle of justice as well as mercy, the same Red Sea that was a lane to the Israelites was a grave to their pursuers. There he shook off Pharaoh and his host.
- Exploring the Beauty of Psalms: Insights and Commentaries
- Monthly Breakdown of Our Blog Content
- Psalms Commentary: Faith and Inspiration
Leave a Reply