The Afflictions of the Righteous: Through the Sea of Suffering
“For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea” Exodus 15: 19.
This is the account of God’s ancient people, the Israelites, being pursued by Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. And how God delivered them. They had just fled Egypt after being enslaved there for over 400 years.
You don’t need context for this idea since it is more figurative than literal, but if you would like to read the whole passage click here.
What Does the Sea Represent?
I believe the sea represents sorrows and suffering in scripture. The reason I believe this is two-fold.
- It’s composed of salt water, just like tears
- There will be no seas in heaven. They will be done away with, as will sorrow and suffering.
A third argument could be made for the fact that the majority of the earth’s surface is water. And who would refute the idea that much of life on this planet is fraught with sorrow and suffering.
Anyway, if the sea represents suffering, then this verse tells us the Israelites walked through suffering. But God’s enemies- those who bow down to Satan (which is everyone who doesn’t fear God) are drowned by it.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous. . . ” Psalm 34: 19, but “Many are the sorrows of the wicked. . . ” Psalm 33: 10. Why is this? “. . . the Lord delivers him [the righteous] out of them all[afflictions] Psalm 34: 19.
But the wicked trust in idols that are unable to save them. So, because there is no deliverance for them, their afflictions become sorrows. “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply. . . ” Psalm 16: 4.
It must be understood, however, that a righteous person is one who isn’t walking in sin. A Christian who is excusing, justifying and rationalizing their sin will be subject to the same type of consequences as a wicked person.
The Lord brings His people through afflictions. But He doesn’t allow them to be overwhelmed and overcome, as is the case for the wicked. Psalm 91: 15 tells us “. . . I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him”.
The Afflictions of the Righteous: Through the Sea of Suffering
So, when God’s people go through the sea of suffering, He will be with us in it and deliver us out of it. The parable of the two foundations Jesus told is a good example of the difference in outcomes of the righteous and the wicked.
Both houses endured the identical storm. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew . . . ” Mathew 7: 25, 27 in an identical way on both houses. The only difference between the experience of the wicked verses the righteous is the outcome.
The storm destroys the house of the wicked but leaves the house of the righteous intact (Mathew 7: 24-27). In a similar way, the righteous and wicked went through the same sea in our passage. It provided deliverance for the righteous, but the destroyed the wicked.
The suffering that brings about deliverance from bondage and captivity for the righteous destroys the wicked.
Faith Is Required to Benefit from Suffering
The same idea is seen in the account of the three Hebrew men in the furnace. The flames “unbound” them but destroyed their captors (Daniel 3: 8-30).
You cannot benefit from suffering and pain without faith. If you don’t believe that God can use it to transform you, and that there’s hope for your future, you will drown in the sea of suffering.
This idea is also seen in the flood of Noah’s day. The same flood that destroyed the wicked kept the righteous afloat. You could say the wicked were in the flood, but the righteous we on it (Genesis 7: 1-24).
To read another post related to The Afflictions of the Righteous: Through the Sea of Suffering, see God will Fight for You, but You Still Have to Go to Battle.