Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Exodus 14:19-22
These are dramatic verses, not only in the miracle of the sea being divided, but also in the interposition of the angel of God to protect His people. The pillar was no mere natural phenomenon but, as we see in 19, the dwelling place of the angel of the Lord, and it would seem that the movement of the angel from the front of the camp to the rear was the beginning of the fulfilment of 14. There is something very wonderful about that gesture, and one almost visualises the angelic sentinel towering between Egypt and Israel and saying, 'Touch them if you dare'. Nor is it difficult to see here an illustration of the protection that Christ, the great Angel of the Covenant, gives to His people from the wrath that would otherwise engulf them. Did Israel but realise it that night (20) they were as safe from Pharaoh as if they had been on the other side of the Red Sea or in the Promised Land itself! As to the miracle of the parting of the waters, compare 21 with 16, to see that it was the rod of power and authority, symbolising the divine enduement that wrought the amazing deliverance. Nor should we be over-concerned to seek explanations on the natural level which might make this miraculous happening seem a little more feasible to the modern mind. The God of nature, Who in the beginning divided the waters in creation (Genesis 1:7) is not so inept that He cannot on occasion manipulate them to suit His purposes and serve His people's safety. As we know from the Gospels (Mark 4:39) He is good at giving orders to the seas that He has made!