“ The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent”-Exodus 14:14
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One of the greatest of all Old Testament events is the exodus from Egypt.There is simply no way one could overstate its importance for the Bible’s story of redemption. This one historical event is used by both the Old and New Covenant Scriptures as a foreshadowing, or picture, of our salvation which has been once for all accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ (for a NT reference see 1 Corinthians 10:2).
For example, you’ll notice as you read through the Psalms, that there are frequent references (both explicit and implied) to the liberation of the Israelites and the defeat of the Egyptians as the Lord’s greatest act of deliverance and power.
Perhaps none is more memorable than the words of Psalm 136: 1-16–
“ Give thanks to the Lord. . . .
to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
In Exodus 14, of course, we find the historical account of the day that the Israelites finally departed Egypt, and then were immediately pursued by Pharaoh and his vast infantry, including six hundred of his chariots and choicest officers.As the Covenant people fled, fiercely chased by the Egyptians, they finally came to a dead end, literally! The Red Sea.
At that instant, humanly speaking, they were indeed as good as dead. And every Israelite who could think and speak out loud knew it! Unimaginable fear gripped their hearts. In unison they cried out desperately to the Lord, knowing full well that they were ill-equipped to do battle with such a vast army of professional soldiers, or survive a swim in the sea ahead of them.
Then, fear turned into accusations and bitter ‘death-bed’ complaints, both against Moses and against the Lord Himself. And as the army of the enemy approached, the Israelites longed for Egypt again where, despite their horrible enslavement to the pagan king and his many gods, they were at least alive!
It is at that very instant that Moses, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, uttered one of the most encouraging commands in the Word of God:
“ Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (vv.13-14).
You know the rest of the story. Let’s just say that things did not turn out so well for Pharaoh and his troops! It was, we might say, a ‘slam dunk,’ pun intended!!
A Little Help for Today
On this new Monday, all of this gets me to wondering about the silence and stillness that the Lord commanded through Moses.
We can certainly assume that the Lord was not happy with their complaints, or the bitter charges and accusations that came flying out of the mouths of His people like a firehose gushing poison. But there is something else here too. The silence that the Lord ordered must be understood in the light of what comes before it–the initial command to “ stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.”
In this context, the people’s silence will indicate several things:
First, they are powerless to prevent their own demise. Humanly speaking, they are doomed. The Lord has put them in a place from which there is no escape, and He has done so in order to glorify His own omnipotence and to tangibly display His steadfast love for those He has redeemed.
Secondly, their faith in the power and love of God will be displayed by remaining in place and doing nothing in terms of effecting their own escape. They must “ Stand by” (NASB), and relax even, while the Lord goes to work! Beyond this, there is nothing for them to ‘do.’
Third, the act of faithfully standing still in the place where the Lord has directed them will result in the ultimate conquest of their fears and anxieties. This is why Moses ordered them to “ Fear not” (v. 13). The longer they obey the Lord–standing still, resisting the urge to panic, and being silent–the more their fears will subside!
While this amazing episode is a picture of our salvation through Christ our Lord, there is also a great measure of encouragement to be found here regarding our every-day-lives as His disciples.
How often it is that we seem to find ourselves ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’! My personal perception of things is that we are there now. Once again, as has been the case countless times in Church history, the Covenant people are surrounded, boxed in, and cornered. Perhaps you feel it too. Frankly, there are some moments in my days, and maybe yours as well, that might be accurately labeled as ‘panicky’ or ‘unnerving,’ and the temptation to long for the relative ease of my former enslavement in ‘Egypt’ is strong. After all, there are much easier ways to live than to live by faith in Christ! And with this temptation comes the tendency to allow my mouth to betray my heart’s disappointment with the Lord and His plan.
But here we are . . . again! And we are here . . . together!
Behind us, nipping at our heels, is the enemy of our Lord and the host of agents that the devil employs. In front of us is a future that hauntingly looms over us like towering waves that will surely crush us to smithereens.
So what now?
“ Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today”!
We might say that today, like our Israelite forefathers at the Red Sea so long ago, we should just relax, trust our Father, and rejoice in His goodness, power, and love because He has us right where He wants us! For His glory!
He has deliberately led us to a place where we can do nothing but “ stand firm” and watch His salvation as it unfolds before our awestruck eyes! When He delivers us, and save us He will, He alone will be glorified for all the world the see. For then, “ the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD” (v. 18).
So, let us be still, let us hold our tongues, releasing them only in praise of our Father for His mercy and our freedom, and let us watch for our Lord’s deliverance!
“ Stand by,” for there is much, much more to come!!
I love you all,
Mike