We are in chapter fifteen of Exodus with our word for today. רָעַץ destroy, shatter, destroy completely. It is used 2 times in the Old Testament. The one other time our word is used is after God’s people were involved in great evil He allowed an enemy to destroy them. Judges 10:7-9 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, וַֽיִּרְעֲצ֤וּ and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
In our chapter God’s power is turned against the enemy of God’s people. The sense of the word is to destroy completely as a brittle object is shattered completely. Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, תִּרְעַ֥ץ shatters the enemy. This reminds me of how Psalm 29 portrays God’s awesome power. Psalm 29:5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. Can you just picture an enormous tree that is so big you can’t even put your arms around half of it? And then God shatters this massive tree with just his voice. That’s power. The Holy Spirit identifies God’s power that is made available to us from our being in Christ. Ephesians 1:19-21 His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And these amazing passage emphasizing God’s power in us. Ephesians 3:16-17 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. We just can’t lose being in Christ. I’ll close with this great reminder of just how good we have it. Ephesians1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
