God’s Creative Battle Plans – The Pillar and the Wind
God’s Creative Battle Plans – The Pillar and the Wind.
“Yahweh is a warrior! Yahweh is His Name! (Exodus 15:3).
Moses and Miriam in their famous Song at the Red Sea, were the first ones to describe the Lord as a warrior. And throughout Scripture, God was identified as a warrior ever since. The Hebrew word for warrior in this passage is “ish milhamah,” which means man of war, warrior, champion, hero, fighter, mighty man. God’s stature as a fighter was taken up later by the prophets, like David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zephaniah:
The Fierce Warrior with a Vivid Imagination. Lord Yahweh, as we would expect, was not just any common fighter. He was a warrior with the divine imagination that created completely unpredictable battle plans for every conflict between an enemy of God and His Chosen People. In Scripture, the Warrior-King was the master of unconventional warfare, unexpected schemes that would leave people scratching their heads in surprise or shaking their heads in amazement. God’s strategies were so diverse that they might appear to be random, but of course they were not. His battle strategies to victory were well outside the human imagination, in such a way that the faith of His fighters on the ground was tested. It became obvious to His fighting men, though, that His ways are not our ways, and if they were wise, they trusted in Him.
Stand Still and Watch God Fight! “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 see today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord Yahweh will fight for you while you keep silent’… And the Angel of God who has been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, and yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night there at the shore of the Red Sea.” (Exodus 4:13-20).
Watch Me Work. God provided a tangible sign of His fighting presence to the Hebrews right from the start of their escape from Egypt, as they were attempting to escape from the Egyptian army. Yahweh told the people to stay still and be silent as He did all the heavy work for them. God gave His people a pillar of cloud and fire to protect them when the Israelites found themselves at a dead end at the Red Sea. The heavenly pillar was placed between the army and the runaway slaves and kept the Egyptians from attacking them. The fire gave light to the Hebrews, but somehow the pillar of cloud kept the Egyptians in the dark (Ex. 14:20). Sometimes the Lord wants us to participate in the fight, and other times to refrain from fighting and trust in Him to lead the combat. The fearsome pillar allowed the Hebrews to cross the Red Sea into freedom. That wasn’t the last they would see of that pillar… that was only the beginning of the celestial pillar of cloud and fire. “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire did not depart from before the people.” (Ex. 13:21-22). This pillar that seemed to change when day gave way to night, from cloud to fire, was a gift of Almighty God. The pillar was a constant reminder of God’s presence with them, His direct aid to guide and to reassure them of His help in the wilderness.
The Wind and the Sea! “Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid! Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.’ Moses then reached out over the Sea, and Yahweh caused the Sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two. Then the people of Israel went into the sea on the dry ground, with the water walled up for them on their right and on their left.” (Exodus 14:13-22).
Deliverance. So after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites have been released by the Pharaoh to worship the Lord elsewhere in freedom. They got as far as the Red Sea, and by this time Pharaoh had changed his mind. He sent his horses, chariots and soldiers to pursue the Israelites and overtake them as they walked through the Egyptian desert. And soon the Israelites were trapped. On the one side they have the impassable Red Sea. On the other side is the fearsome Egyptian army. The people were terrified and started complaining to Moses and Yahweh. They said that they might as well have stayed in Egypt, that they would rather be slaves in Egypt than die in the wilderness. Moses tried to calm their fears. Instead of fighting for their survival, Moses told them to stand still. Stand still! That piece of advice is the last thing the people expected. As they voiced their fears, Moses told them to be quiet and watch God work. Moses assured them that Yahweh will do the fighting for them, and they will be delivered from the Egyptians once and for all. The rest is history… Moses lifted his staff over the Red Sea, strong winds blew over the Sea all night, the waters of the Sea parted, and the Israelites walked to the other side on dry ground.
Horse and Rider Thrown into the Sea. “The Egyptians continued their pursuit, going after them into the Sea – all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and cavalry. Just before dawn, Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the column of fire and cloud and threw them into panic. He caused the wheels of their chariots to break off, so that they could move only with difficulty. The Lord then said to Moses, ‘Reach out your hand over the Sea, and the water will return and cover the Egyptians with their chariots and their troops…the Egyptians tried to flee, but Yahweh swept them into the Sea. The water came back and covered all the chariots and soldiers of Pharoah’s army who had followed them into the Sea – not even one of them was left.” (Ex. 14:23-28).
Complete Victory. As the Egyptian forces pursued the Israelites into the parted waters, Moses stretched out his arms once again over the Red Sea, and the waters returned to their full depth, drowning the entire Egyptian army. In the coming days and years, sometimes the Israelites fought to overcome a fearsome challenge, and sometimes they stood still and let God do the fighting. Most of the time, though, the Israelites still had a part to play. Back at the Red Sea, God didn’t magically pick them all up and transport them to the other side of the Sea. They had to trust that God would hold those waters back as they walked across. They had to gather their courage and walk themselves to the other side through walls of water. Certainly this miracle revealed the Warrior-God to the rescue, but the people needed to cooperate to complete their deliverance.