Exodus 14:1-9

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

Why does God permit evil?

It is the question of existence. And, the Bible never really answers that question, though the implication is that without the freedom to turn aside from God, love would not be possible for God’s rational creatures. That is, we have to be free to say “No” if we are to be free to say “Yes.” But, these are just suggestions and speculations—the answer to the question of evil is still a mystery.

What is not a mystery, however, is how evil is defeated. In the biblical story, the Lord allows evil to fall into the pit of its own digging, so to speak. The account of Pharaoh in Exodus is a good example of how this plays out: Pharaoh’s stubborn, rebellious heart and murderous rage lead him right into the heart of the sea and to his own destruction.

Israel is here the bait, and the Lord sets the trap. And Pharaoh, who has refused every possible opportunity to repent, is about to choose his own destruction.

Lord, save us from such a fate.