January 14, 2007

• Exodus 14:13-31

  The kids are off from school tomorrow, and we are down to one computer able to access the internet, hence my posts have been more infrequent. You are on my mind often and I can’t wait to spend some time at your sites.

  I think being in Exodus on Martin Luther King’s Birthday celebration is so fitting. Isn’t if funny how where you are in the Bible is where you are in the world? Never fails. But freedom, how hard we struggle to get free, and once free, how hard it can be not to fall back into bondage. Without God, we would never be free. I am going to repeat one verse because I love it so.

  Exodus 14:13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.

  Isn’t it awesome to realize that with God on our side, we don’t have to be afraid, just stand still and see the salvation. It reminds me of how much Jesus did for me by dying on the cross, He paid for my salvation, I did nothing but accept His great gift. He accomplished it for me. God will accomplish much for the nation Israel. And it is also poignant that they will see the Egyptians no more FOREVER. That is incredible. FOREVER has such a permanence about it. I suspect that that means forever in eternity too, for Pharaoh hardened his heart and God would not force him into His presence, and just like satan who is ever seeking to pull people down with him, Pharaoh pulled down his army with him. It is a good reminder of the eternal repercussions for our actions.

  Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

  THIS is something I forget so often, that God will fight for me. Sometimes I make things my battle that are better turned over to God, and letting God deal with them. Only God has that eternal perspective and can make things happen the right way. Sometimes my limited view will cause me to react and make a mountain out of a molehill. And when we turn problems over to God, then we have real peace, for God holds our peace in His hands as He deals with the tough situation. It has sort of a double meaning, our peace is held, but also God will keep peace by protecting the Israelites.

  Exodus 14:15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”

  Guess there is a time to stand still and a time to move forward. Now remember, the Egyptians are at their back, the Red Sea is in their forward path, and they are boxed in by Pi Hahiroth and Migdol. Where is forward to them? I can imagine looking at the dust from the chariot wheels, and the seemingly impassable Red Sea and panic would set in. Instead of crying to God, God wanted Moses to take a step in faith. To trust that God had things under control. So far God has scored a perfect score, he had them in Egypt 400 years as prophesied, they were allowed to leave with riches as prophesied, Abraham’s bones are with them as prophesied, and God has led them with a pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire, why would God fail now? I can so easily forget how much God has delivered me from and what miracles God has done in my life when I am faced with a tough situation. That is why thanksgiving is so important, when we thank God for what He has done in our past, we then build up our faith for the current and future challenges in our lives.

  Exodus 14:16 “But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”

  This is an incredible miracle, anyone who has seen the movie, The Ten Commandments has the image. Of course today there are people trying to find a natural reason for this miracle, silly things like a place where the water was six inches deep – of course I wonder how Pharaoh’s army was drowned in six inches of water. But there were more miracles with this deliverance.

  Exodus 14:17-18 “And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

  Oh the hardening of hearts was always a puzzlement for me, but if you think about it, God gave Pharaoh ample chances to make the right choice and inevitably he chose to do harm to Israel. He ended up hardening his heart so many times that God honored that choice. Pharaoh made many empty promises to let the Israelites go and then took back his word. This culminated with the death of the firstborn sons, and Pharaoh finally gave in. He allowed them to go in obedience to God whom he recognized as more powerful than himself, and all the people in his kingdom acknowledged that God was God. Then Pharaoh had a change of heart, and he chose to go after the Israelites in chariots (the major weapon of the day), and the people who had acknowledged that God was God, all of a sudden followed Pharaoh, and decided to confront the Israelites. Had they listened to what they knew was truth there would not be this outcome. How many times did we struggle with who was going to be Lord of our lives, ourselves or God, others or God, idols or God. Ultimately, hopefully, we make the right choice and obey God, not hardening our hearts against Him.

  Here is an interesting appearance of “The Angel of God.” When we see this phrase we know it is a pre-incarnate form of Jesus before He was born in the flesh. He has been leading the people and now will take a guarding role for them.

  Exodus 14:19-20 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

  What an incredible miracle – what was darkness to one camp (the Egyptians) protected and provided light and safety for the Israelites. This is the same thing that happens to those who reject Jesus today. They read His words (The Bible) and they do not understand or see the truth in the words, they are blinded by the things of this world, they see as in a mirror darkly. Once we make the decision to accept Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit begins to open up our understanding to things that we were blind about before. He protects us in ways that the world does not understand. And what the world sees as foolish, we know is wise.

  Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

  Remember, water is also a symbol for the Word of God, so God rightly divided the Word, the water with the wind (Holy Spirit). And provided solid ground for the people to walk through. What a miracle!

  Exodus 14:22-23 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

  This is interesting, and something that happens today. Christians learn so much from the Bible, from God, from the Holy Spirit, and when they rightly divide the Word of God, they have solid results. Then the world tries to copy and follow after what the Christians have done, and imitate the results, and ultimately- because it is not based on solid truth – the results are shaky and come crashing down on the people. Here the Israelites are going where God told them to God. God did not tell the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites, so they were in open rebelion to God. God will not permit this, and will use this rebelion to teach a powerful lesson about the destruction of disobedience.

  Now we can see part of the reason of why God boxed in the Israelites and sometimes allows tough situations in our lives.:

  1. So that we can see the power of God in seemingly impossible circumstances.
  2. So that we can sense His presence.
  3. We can see God’s glory.
  4. The Egyptians (flesh) will realize that God is in charge.

  Exodus 14:24-25 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”

  The morning watch would have been between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. I find it funny that the most powerful weapon of the day was nothing to God – he took off the chariot wheels – not much distance could be made by chariots dragging on the ground. The Egyptians were given yet another chance to have a change of heart – they realized that God was fighting for the Egyptians – something abundantly clear to them with the plagues and the death of the firstborn, but we so often overlook what is happening and continue to pursue what God has shown so clearly is against His wishes. Their outcome was their own choice to disobey God.

  Exodus 14:26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots and on their horsemen.”

  Truly the Egyptians were out of their depth when they disobeyed God.

  Exodus 14:27-28 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.

  Praise God for this wonderful deliverance. This is a good warning to the world today to touch not the beloved of God, the Israelites. We may think that in our own power, with our own might that we might come against Israel, but the truth is that God will prevail.

  Exodus 14:29-31  But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.

  Yes, for now they believed, but just like us, over time the fear (awe and respect) of God will fade, idols will creep in, and the people will question Moses and God. I often wonder how, in the face of so many mighty miracles, the people would begin to disobey God, but if we are honest with ourselves, we also disobey God. We lose our focus, and stray. I pray that I always keep God and his wonderful works in my mind so that my thanksgiving and prayers remain. I pray that as I walk in His path, that I grow more and more in my relationship with Him and learn that obedience and freedom and joy and love go hand in hand. Let me never forget what wonders He has done in my life.

  Praying you have a blessed week.

  Heather

  • 10:04 pm
  • 10 Comments