As the children of Israel left Egypt, they were pursued by the Egyptians and feared for their lives. Moses, having learned to trust God, told them to not fear and to witness salvation by the hand of God. These chapters tell of the Israelites’ continuing struggle to trust and obey God.
“The Path of Angels: A Biblical Pattern for the Role of Angels in Physical Salvation,” Taylor Halverson, The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, BYU Religious Studies Center
In Exodus 14, the angel of God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians by causing a cloud of darkness for the Egyptians and a light for the Israelites. This event may be the foundational event of Israelite identity: the Israelites are physically tested to their limit and saved while the Egyptians drown; they must trust Moses and God.
“Exodus 11-19: The Passover and the Exodus,” Old Testament Student Manual, Genesis-2 Samuel, Church Educational System
Topics discussed include the Red Sea (Exodus 14); murmuring (Exodus 15:24); the meaning of manna and water in the desert (Exodus 16:1-35; 17:1-7); and the battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16).
“The Exodus: Seeing It as a Test, a Testimony, and a Type,” S. Kent Brown, Ensign February 1990
The Israelites’ experiences at the Red Sea and other events in Exodus served as central symbols of their relationship with God.
“Old Testament Types and Symbols,” Gerald N. Lund, Literature of Belief: Sacred Scripture and Religious Experience, BYU Religious Studies Center
The actions of the angel of God (Exodus 13, 14) are symbolic of disciples receiving not only baptism by water but also baptism by fire.
