{"id":19608,"date":"2022-01-02T22:00:11","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T05:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/exodus-13_11-22-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-01-03T00:28:23","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T07:28:23","slug":"exodus-14_1-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/exodus-14_1-14\/","title":{"rendered":"The One Who Fights For You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exodus 14:1-14\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Exodus 14:1-14.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Exodus 14:1-4 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said to Moses,
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the\u00a0LORD.” So the Israelites did this.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-4:\u00a0\u00a0At first the fleeing Israelites were heading southeast (according to some historians), and now Moses\u2019 GPS (the LORD) tells Moses to lead the Israelites in a new direction, which is north toward the sea.\u00a0\u00a0Knowing that Moses and the Israelites would question this move, God tells Moses the reason why: He was making the Israelites look like they were lost and confused in order to bait Pharaoh to go out and pursue them (v3-4a).\u00a0\u00a0God reassures Moses, \u201cI will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.\u201d<\/p>\n

If I were Moses hearing this last phrase, which is admittedly vague and unspecific, I might be tempted to think, \u201cWhat does the LORD mean by \u2018gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army\u2019 or that \u2018the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD\u2019?\u00a0\u00a0Is God now siding with the Egyptians?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0But Moses knew the LORD better than that.\u00a0\u00a0Though Moses didn\u2019t know the particulars of God\u2019s plan, he knew the commitment of God\u2019s character.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0He knew the LORD would not forsake His people.\u00a0\u00a0So Moses leads the Israelites just as God directs and the Israelites follow.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0When God leads you one way and then suddenly leads you in a different direction, it\u2019s not because God is confused, or is against you, or is making things up as He goes along.\u00a0\u00a0No, God is writing a greater story than you could write by yourself.\u00a0\u00a0He is considering factors that you would not consider.\u00a0\u00a0In the end He will gain glory for Himself through the confusing situation.\u00a0\u00a0But you need to trust Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exodus 14:5-14 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!”
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Egyptians–all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops–pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the\u00a0LORD.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0will fight for you; you need only to be still.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 5-14:\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes people wrongly assume that if you follow God’s call on your life, everything should always go smoothly for you.\u00a0\u00a0But the reality is that when you step out in faith to do what God has called you to do, God’s peace and provision will be there, but you will also face challenges, criticism and complaints.<\/p>\n

That’s what happened to Moses in Exodus 14:5-14. After Pharaoh had agreed to let the Israelites leave Egypt, Pharaoh changes his mind and sends his entire chariot force to pursue the Israelites (v5-9). The Israelites themselves panic and begin to complain and grumble against Moses (v10-12).<\/p>\n

But I love Moses’ response.\u00a0 He says to the\u00a0Israelites:\u00a0“Don’t be afraid.\u00a0\u00a0Stand 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.” (v13-14)<\/p>\n

It reminds me of Psalm 46:10 where it says:<\/p>\n

Psalm 46:10-11 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah<\/em><\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0When you face challenges, complaints or problems beyond your control, don’t be afraid.\u00a0\u00a0Be still and rest in God’s presence and promises. The LORD will fight for you.\u00a0 He will give you strength to stand. He will protect you and defend you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus fought for you when He died on a cross to cancel our sin debt.\u00a0\u00a0Risen again, He will continue to fight for you.<\/p>\n

The problems you face today may seem great, but God’s grace and protection are always greater.\u00a0\u00a0Just be still and know that God will fight for you and will gain glory for Himself through this situation in the end.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, I praise You for being the One who fights for me.\u00a0\u00a0You are my rock, my fortress, my shield and my defender.\u00a0\u00a0I place my trust in You today.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Exodus 14:1-14.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Exodus 14:1-4 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Then the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said to Moses,
\n2\u00a0\u00a0“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’
\n4\u00a0\u00a0And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the\u00a0LORD.” So the Israelites did this.<\/p>\n

On verses 1-4:\u00a0\u00a0At first the fleeing Israelites were heading southeast (according to some historians), and now Moses\u2019 GPS (the LORD) tells Moses to lead the Israelites in a new direction, which is north toward the sea.\u00a0\u00a0Knowing that Moses and the Israelites would question this move, God tells Moses the reason why: He was making the Israelites look like they were lost and confused in order to bait Pharaoh to go out and pursue them (v3-4a).\u00a0\u00a0God reassures Moses, \u201cI will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19608"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19609,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19608\/revisions\/19609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}