“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today… The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13a, 14, NIV).
Who spoke those words and under what circumstances? Moses was addressing the people of Israel who had just been delivered out of Egypt by the mighty hand of God. Now they found themselves trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s approaching army. But having seen the plagues God sent on the Egyptians for refusing to release them from slavery, they were cool as cucumbers, right? Wrong.
They’d just told Moses: “What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11b). Doesn’t sound like overly confident people, does it? Not in themselves; not in their leaders Moses and Aaron; and certainly not in Jehovah.
What plaque had finally brought about the Israelites’ release? The death of the first-born. Every first-born child and animal died when the death angel passed through Egypt. But what of the Israelite households? They were protected against this plague, having been told to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts so that the death angel would “pass over” the houses covered by the blood – see Exodus 12. Thus the celebration of “Passover.”
Covered by the blood. The death of the first-born. Throughout the Bible we see God painting the picture of Jesus. It took the death of Egypt’s first-born for Pharaoh to release the Israelites. It took the blood of a lamb to save the Israelites from the death angel’s reaping. And though they’d seen these miracles, the people of Israel huddled in terror as the Egyptian army marched toward them.
Sometimes we, too, find ourselves in situations so terrifying that we forget the many other times we’ve seen God work wonders on our behalves. We feel helpless. It’s not that we don’t know where to turn, as we sometimes say; it’s that we forget where to turn – which is to Jesus.
You may find yourself in the midst of a battle right now. Pray. Pray fervently. Seek the Lord’s guidance. And when you’ve done all you can, stand still. And “stand firm.” Don’t let the devil hoodwink you into thinking you’ve got to face this all on your own. “The Lord will fight for you.”
No comments:
Post a Comment