Siblings
What has our Lord and Saviour, Y’shua done for us lately? It’s very important that we count every blessing that God has bestowed on us, because it will help us see how far we’ve come by God’s grace. As we hear what ensued with the Egyptians, might we pause to count our own blessings? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Exodus 14:24-25 AFV
[24] And in the morning watch it came to pass that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and the army of the Egyptians was thrown into confusion.
[25] And He loosened their chariot wheels, and made them go heavily, so that the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Throughout the Night
Siblings, this drama, or should we say this saga, was unfolding all through the night in real time. In preceding verses, we’re told that all night God’s warrior angel and God’s Spirit stood behind the Children of Israel. The reference to total darkness and light further serves as confirmation that whatever God was doing was most likely happening during the night.
Point to Ponder
Why was God, Who is Light, fight any battle in the darkness?
Digging Deeper
Now, however, we’re told that things shifted during the morning watch. Hmmn, time shifted, and it seems like the battle also shifted.
Before discussing what actually happened, let’s revise one key fact: the Children of Israel were actually descended from Jacob, Isaac’s son. Jacob was renamed Israel by God after a nighttime wrestling match as Jacob fought to overcome his fear of his own twin, Esau (See Genesis 32) seeking revenge. Can you see the issue of fear being repeated in both situations? My theory is that fear was a tangible and perhaps hidden issue, which needed to be removed. So the light of God’s mercy was applied.
The other, more pressing theory I have regarding the timing of both battles is that God went to the enemy’s turf (timeline) to secure our victory. So what if the enemy’s actions are done under the cover of darkness?, is what God seems to say, NEVER FEAR. I will secure the victory, because IAM God.
We recall that in the heat of the day, when Y’shua hung on that Cross, darkness also descended for three long hours (see Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; and Luke 23:44-45 for an account of that occurrence). This is absolutely encouraging, as it assures us there’s no battle that God will shy away from on our behalf.
Not a single one. Not then, not now! Whether night or day, God’s still in control.
The morning watch occurs during the night, but it indicates how long God worked and fought on behalf. The term itself, ashumurah, speaks to a set period of vigilance during the night. Strongs Concordance tells us: in the Hebrew Scriptures, it marks either a military guard, the time itself, or a devotional interval in which one remains alert before God.
Strong’s further states, Ancient Israel originally divided the night into three equal watches … reflected in all seven [scriptural references used for ashumurah]’. Based on the additional notes, we realize that the morning watch would have occurred between 2 and 6 AM. With night in those days beginning at sunset, we can surmise that the battle lasted between 9 and 12 hours.
Now please, don’t hear me saying this was a totally visible fight. Lots of what occurred was happening in the spiritual realm. But, the outcome was manifested in the physical.
Siblings, I don’t doubt God’s ability to do, ‘and suddenly’ – it has happened in my life. However, the prolonged, all-night battle royal, punctuated by commentary – God’s prediction of what would happen next as well as the Egyptians’ dawning realisation that they bit of more than they could chew – invites our recognition that God can and will go the distance for us.
Our God, YHWH, is a sure bet in any battle.
Self-Check
In the situations we face, are we willing to recognize that with God on our side, it is well? Whose report do we believe?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
