The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
Some believers take this moment during the Red Sea crossing to mean that we should stay silent and let God fight our battles. And perhaps there are times when we should, but today’s Christian should be anything but quiet. The New Testament tells us repeatedly that we need to speak up when facing opposition, whether personally or circumstantially, and trust that God is with us. The Lord is indeed our protector. He is always helping us fight our battles, but we should never stay silent in the middle of them. When we face attacks from the enemy, God reminds us to speak up and speak out the name of Jesus without fear…for He promises He will give us the words to say through the power of His Holy Spirit. The Lord had rescued Israel from their slavery in Egypt and brought them out with much wealth, but when they saw the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, their hearts failed for fear. Instead of holding fast to the Word of God and remembering His promise to take them in safety into the land He promised to Abraham, they looked at the problems that were surrounding them. The surging waters of the Red Sea were ahead, mountains towered all around, and the chariots of Pharaoh’s army advanced menacingly, and so they cried out in fear and unbelief, for their confidence in God’s promised rescue had faltered. While Israel’s eye of faith was on the Lord’s fiery pillar, they were secure in God’s unfailing protection, but as soon as they took their eyes off Him in unbelief, they saw the surging waters, the mountainous problems, and the intimidating enemy. But Moses told the people: “Don’t be afraid, stand still and watch the LORD rescue you. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” As we read on, we see just how the Lord fought for His children. First: “The angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.” After this came the famous parting of the Red Sea, which allowed the Israelites to pass through safely, and which decimated Pharaoh’s army. God could have chosen any number of ways to accomplish this, but the reason He chose this way was for His glory as He told Moses: “I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Like Israel, we are to believe God’s Word. We are to have confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness, and we are to quietly trust in the God of our salvation, for He has promised to fight for us and to deliver us from all our enemies. Let us never forget that like Israel, the challenges we face in life are important opportunities for our faith in God to grow, and for God to receive all the glory and honor due to His name. When we discover ourselves to be surrounded by a whole host of menacing problems, let us not register unbelief in our hearts, nor let us stay quiet. Rather, let us trust in the faithful Word of God and speak out the name of Jesus without fear…for He will fight for us…while we need to rest in His love and trust His Word, for He Who had promised will do it, in His way, and to His glory.
Spiritual Steve 