Destruction or Deliverance

[Ex. 14:L20] And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
20 being the description of Israel’s movements as they leave the land of Egypt towards Canaan, there was 2 possible land routes to Canaan:
1. The shortest, direct route was the Via Mans ‘the way of the sea’, through the way of the Philistines. But it would mean war and it was heavily guarded by Egypt.
2. The way of Shur which crossed the Sinai Peninsula.
3. The pilgrim’s way’ ran across the peninsula from the head of the Gulf of Suez to Ezion-geber which was located at the land of the Gulf of Agabe the isthmus of Suez at the narrowest is about 70 miles covered by lakes and the rest was dry land.

Pharaoh’s heart (sometimes his officials or his army’s heart) occurs 14 times in Ex. Of
these 14 instances, 6 refer to G-d hardening the heart. (9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8)
3 refer to Pharaoh hardening his own heart, (8:15, 32; 9:34)
5 are indefinite (7:13, 22; 8:19; 9:7, 35)

7 CHARACTERISTICS OF HARDENING:
1. The hardening the heart is a process, done repeatedly.
2. The hardening of the heart involves both divine and human initiative. When G-d hardens a man’s heart, He does not cause a man to think and do other than what that individual is incline to do3f Men often harden their heart at crucial decision points. The New Covent speaks of hardening as the product of the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13) Thus, men not only harden their hearts, which results in sin, they also sin, which results in a hardened heart.
4. The hardening of a person’s heart dulls and deadens their perception of danger and judgment.
5. The hardening of the heart can occur both to believers and unbelievers alike. (2 Cor.3:13-14; Heb. 3:7-9; Mark 6:52; 8; 17) Believers have made wrong choices but their fate will not be that the unbeliever, but surely severe consequences will follow (1 Cor. 5:5).
6. The hardening of man’s heart is for the purpose of achieving what is good. The releasing oft Israel from Egyptian bondage, to glorify G-d, to show that G-d alone is the L-rd, possible that because of this disaster, some Egyptians came to faith in the G-d of Israel since many “strangers” left with them.
7. The final judgment of G-d comes suddenly and unexpectedly upon those whose hearts have been harden by sin, dulls their sensitivity, and seals the fate of those who are destined for judgment.

The ultimate issue, which determined the destruction or deliverance of G-d, was this:
ON WHICH SIDE OF THE CLOUD SO YOU STAND?
The cloud is a foreshadow of the cross.