ON THE VANGUARD

HE WILL ACCOMPLISH
“’Adonai will do battle for you. Just calm yourselves down!’”
Exodus 14:14

I am standing before a huge mountain. Well let me rephrase that. I am standing before what seems to me is a huge mountain. Some of you who know me well may know what this mountain is. The truth of the matter is that I feel like the Israelites who, after leaving Egypt, were chased by Pharaoh’s army to the banks of the Red Sea. I now find myself with a force encroaching in the rear and a massive sea of an issue blocking my path. So what am I supposed to do? If I turn back I am defeated by the army. If I try to swim I will not make it all the way across. I lack additional choices. But I refuse to give up faith that deliverance will come.
When the Hebrews who lived this experience in the physical saw the army of Pharaoh coming after them, they began to fear. Fear can cause us to say and do some pretty stupid things. For the Israelites this was the case. Because of fear they blamed Moses (Ex 14:11). They questioned why he brought them out, why they couldn’t have just remained slaves, and why they should die here as opposed to in Egypt. But what they did not know is what we also fail to see in our moments of fear. Freedom was knocking on their door, and Adonai was about to fight for them. Adonai was their man of war, their ISYH MILCHAMAH (Ex 15:3), and He was about to prove Himself. It was following this that the word of the LORD came to Moses who then told the people the same words He is now telling me.
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still’” (Ex 14:13-14). Without going into great depth at this time as to what I am facing, I feel in my spirit that God is telling me to stand firm in Him. Instead of running around in fear, I am being told to stand still. Instead of looking back behind me or out in front of me, I am being told to look to Him. This encroaching army that wants to have its revenge on me has to go first through God, but God is promising me deliverance. Just as Moses worked to calm the people’s fears by announcing that this would be the last day the Egyptians would ever be seen, so God is telling me the same concerning my foe. God once again is about to roll up His sleeves and do battle on my behalf. And this same truth is true for you in your hard place.
We read the remainder of Exodus 14 and we find that God parted the Red Sea for His chosen people. When Pharaoh’s army pursued Israel, the waters were released and swallowed the army up. Adonai’s word was true; the Egyptians were never seen again. Will He not do the same for us?
In closing I want to share with you another, maybe more exact translation of these verses found in Exodus 14:13-14. You know me; I love to look at the words in Hebrew and Greek when I study the Bible. This passage is no exception. I encourage you to look these words up for yourself, but here are the meanings from the Hebrew that I have found. “And Moses said unto the people, ‘Be afraid not, no more, but stand set in your station, and have vision for the victory and deliverance of Adonai, which He will accomplish for you in this period; for the inhabitants of Egypt whom you have had vision of in this period, you shall have vision of them in increase no more for a long duration of time. Adonai will do battle for you. Just calm yourselves down!’”