Exodus 14:4b "But I will gain glory for Myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." (The Lord has just given Moses instructions for His people to turn south, the opposite direction of the Promised Land that lay northward, a very curious and puzzling directive. Because the Lord knew Pharaoh's evil intentions to pursue and recapture the people he still viewed as his slaves, the Lord was setting up a plan whereby He would use Pharaoh's rebellious plans to defeat him and would also show Himself strong on behalf of His people. At this point, the Israelites were still in Egyptian territory and could easily decide they would rather return to Egypt instead of continuing to the destination that the Lord had chosen for them, so He wanted to show them they were safe in His protection and power. To further solidify His special relationship with them, the Lord decided to demonstrate for them what would be a dramatic and extraordinary display of His power that would unequivocally express both His supremacy and sovereignty over the forces that might come against them, both in the present situation as well as in the future. Still today, the Lord turns the plans of our enemies and the forces of darkness back on themselves and shows us His mighty interventions in our lives. He still shows Himself strong on our behalf and carefully plans ahead to intercept and redirect what we don't even know is coming toward us. His purpose is always to show us His glory and for us to know that He is the Lord.)
