Exodus 13:17 – 14:31
WHERE: The Terrain
God has His reasons as to why He chooses a particular place or environment as the location of your battle. For the Israelites His reasons included:
- Their mental disposition and inexperience in warfare, or lack thereof – Exodus 13:17
- His strategy for the Egyptians needed that location (it would lure the Egyptian army into a false sense of having the advantage) – Exodus 14;1-3
- Going the way of the wilderness instead of the way of the Philistines would provide the time and privacy needed for the Lord to meet with the Israelites, teach them His ways, prove them, and for them to worship Him – Deuteronomy 8: 1-4
WHEN: Day or Night?
I am reminded of an account of a battle the Israelites had against Syria (1 Kings 20). The servants of Syria thought that God’s strength was limited to one place or terrain, but they soon discovered that He was both God of the hills and the valleys.
Similarly, God’s strength is not limited to any one time or season. He is still God whether it is daytime or nighttime, whether it is summer or winter. As such, He can lead us into battle and victory, whether it be day or night in our lives. He visibly leads by day and provides light in the darkness of night so that we can still travel and fight (Exodus 14:19-27). He never leaves us at any TIME in the battle.
HOW: Intercession
Intercession comes from the Latin word intercedere
Inter = between
Cedere = to go
Intercession = to go between
God will come between the enemies’ hosts and you – Exodus 13:20. For the enemy, God appears as darkness/obscurity, confusing his path and making it difficult for him to see his way; impeding his progress in the battle.
God’s intercession allows you to be given (have) light in the night (dark times) so that you can see your way and that your progress can be facilitated, causing you to advance beyond the enemies’ grasp. God’s intercession ensures that the enemy does not come near you throughout the night season. God will hold the enemy at bay, all through the night – Exodus 14:21.
WHERE:
God will choose the most unlikely place as the site for a battle. In this account, He chose in the midst of the sea. THE SEA: a place where only He has the control. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, but it was the Lord who caused the sea to roll back and be divided. It was the Lord who used a strong east wind to blow upon the sea all that night, transforming the wet sea bed into dry ground – a solid road for feet, hoofs, and vehicles to easily, quickly, and safely pass through. In a matter of hours, what was impassable became passable. (SEE Isaiah 51:10 – NKJV)
HOW:
Notice the tactic/strategy that God chose: lead us to a place where the enemy appears to have the advantage and lure him there. Then delay the enemy to give us room to progress and advance. When we have advanced to a place of safety, when we have covered enough ground in the night, then God changes from covert tactics to overtly attacking the enemy. – Exodus 14:25
WHEN:
In the morning watch, the last watch of the night, the Lord will fight for us – Exodus 14:24.
Victory is assured in the morning – Psalms 30:5. However, this choice of battle was not in which the nighttime was about weeping. This was one in which nighttime, the impression of a dark time in our lives, was actually a cover for our advancement. This was the superiority of the strategy that God chose for this battle. Use the season, the time, the lack of light, to our advantage.
DIG DEEPER:
- Blog Post – God’s Choice: Custom-made Battles
- Devotional – All For His Glory!