Fight for Faith: pondering Exodus

How often do we look at a situation that is arising and predict “doom” as the outcome? Or how often are we presented with an opportunity to either believe good about a person or believe bad about a person… and then when that person lets us down, we think ,”I knew that this was going to happen”. How often do we not trust God to work all things for good, even though we have seen Him do it a hundred times before?

Today reading Exodus 14, I came across this passage and was convicted over a recurring sense of hopelessness and despondency that I have been struggling with. In this passage the Israelites have just left Egypt (after witnessing all the huge things that God did to show His might, power and majesty to them and the Egyptians).They find out that the Egyptians have changed their mind about letting them go and are in hot pursuit with the armies of Pharaoh. Here’s how they respond.

Exodus 14:10-12 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? "Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians '? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

Wow… does that sound familiar? They didn’t believe in God’s faithfulness, in His power or in His promises to deliver them and bring them to a new land filled with His wonders. They immediately forget how God has already delivered them from Egypt and they forget their nation’s history… (the whole Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thing… not to mention the big famine and Joseph which brought them to Egypt in the first place and saved them from certain death which would have kept this whole generation from being born!) So now they are frightened and rebellious. But here is how God (through Moses) responds.

Exodus 14:13-14 But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."

Moses tells them to trust in the Lord because He will fight for them. This is noteworthy to me. The Israelites were facing a potential battle; a real battle. But when I am lacking faith and feeling hopeless and desperate; I am facing a battle, too! Whenever I am tempted to not believe God and sin (whether in attitude, thought or deed) I am in a battle. And the source of my victory is this: God will fight for me. Just like He did for the Israelites who were lacking faith, God will intercede with His great power on our behalf if we are His children. But should I sit down and wait to see what God is going to do? Do I become paralyzed until I am able to see how God will resolve either the fearful situation or my sinful unbelief? No… Here’s what He tells the Israelites:

Exodus 14:15-16 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. "As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.”

At this point I was wondering what the deal was with God’s response. John Mac Arthur says (in my study bible) that “, The Lord’s promise of deliverance overruled all despair and sense of hopelessness.” It sounds to me like God’s promise of deliverance should be overruling all despair, but it wasn’t because they weren’t focused on it. So God is telling them to look for His deliverance and pursue it. He tells them to act by faith. Moses is told to divide the sea and the people of Israel are told to walk on in! ? ! That takes faith.

And similarly we are told to get a-move-on. God has shown His faithfulness… He has promised to fight for us… now go out and walk by faith… act; obey; walk into the sea. Stop complaining and lamenting things not going the way you desired and see that God is doing good, through it all. See that God might bring forth a situation that is difficult so that He can bring a wonderful victory through it and as such, show forth His glory! Just like in the case of the Israelites:

Exodus 14:31 When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.

The greatest victory that I can see is not in the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and Pharaoh’s army. God could have done that without so much trouble. The biggest victory is that God worked in such a way as to cause His people to see Him… I mean to really see Him and fear Him and believe in Him! He strengthened their faith so that they would glorify Him. This is what God is doing in the lives of His children. He (through the Holy Spirit) is fighting to strengthen our faith so that we will show forth His glory to all of those around us. It so gracious and merciful that God would care for us, and it shows forth His love and faithfulness that He continues to be faithful when we are not and that He fights the good fight of faith on our behalf when we are lost in our sin and pride (despair and unbelief). And let’s don’t forget that His purpose in doing all of this is for His glory! We don’t properly testify of His beauty and surpassing value if we are full of ourselves, despondent, despairing or paralyzed with fear. So He strengthens our faith as a means to testify of His glory.

Here are some verses from my Sunday school class on the Faithfulness of God to keep His promises, specifically regarding His promise to fight for His people.

Hebrews 13:6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Isaiah 64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.