Exodus 14:10-31
From beginning to end, the focus is on Jesus. Yes, even throughout the Old Testament—it all points to Jesus! Today, we begin a week of seeing that the battle is the Lord's, from the perspective of the Old Covenant. As the days of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—came to a close, the people of God found themselves in 400 years of Egyptian bondage. Then, it was Moses' turn—a man empowered by God to call the Pharaoh to, "Let my people go." (Exodus 5:1) After ten devastating plagues—proving it is indeed God's battle—the king of Egypt finally obeyed and let them go. But it wasn't long until he changed his mind, and chased after them—right up to the Red Sea.
The sea to their backs, and Pharaoh's armies bearing down before them—looks like they were doomed, but, remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. As he stood on the cliff, Moses said, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace...Go forward." (Exodus 14:13-15) Right this moment, lay your Bible out across your hand, and look right down the binding—it looks like the opening of the Red Sea, doesn't it? Can you make it through to the other end, and all firmly planted in the Word of God? I think this has been the battle from the beginning—seeing, I mean really seeing—the salvation of the Lord. Many want to, in a sense, save themselves, but we could never actually earn it. It's a free gift! Stand still, and then go forward in Him. I think that is what Moses meant by holding our peace—not throwing in our own two cents and expecting God to do everything our way. The call for us today is to not get all consumed by our circumstances and become fearful of them. Instead, we must fear the Lord, surrendering and submitting to His leading, trusting that He alone knows best. After all, the battle is His! Jack Countryman put it this way—"It all begins and ends with Jesus. We need to consistently focus on Christ instead of our own circumstances. Christ has done everything necessary for us to endure in our faith. There will be trials, but we are to 'count it all joy.' (James 1:2) Step by step, He goes before us and leads us on. The best is always before us, and someday, we will meet Him face to face and reign with Him in glory. He is our example and model, for He has focused on the 'joy that was set before Him.' His attention was not on the agonies of the Cross, but on the Crown; not on the suffering, but on the reward." Seeing God's hand in it all is half the battle; the other half is a death to self and submitting to His Holy Word! Jesus said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:14) It is the battle of the ages, but it is a battle well worth winning—in the power and in the Spirit of our Almighty God!
~ Rev. Roy D. Warren, Jr.
