"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." - Exodus 14:14
This phrase of “The LORD will fight” has been true throughout the history of Israel (1 Samuel 17:47; 2 Chronicles 14:10-11; 20:15; Psalm 24:8; Zechariah 14:3).
When reading this verse, be sure to also read the previous verse, 13, along with it. So both together read, “And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. With these two verses Moses issued three commands to the Israelites:
1. Do Not Be Afraid
2. Stand Firm
3. Be Silent (or in some translations, “Stand Still”)
“Do not be afraid…” this is what grammarians call a negative imperative. Currid tells us that this is “the strongest possible form of expressing negation in the Hebrew language.” This is important to realize the tone of the original language because it lets us know the entire context and tone in which Moses was speaking, and therefore how we can interpret and apply his same emphasis to our own lives. With this phrase being the strongest form of expressing negation, we see that Moses was not comforting the Israelites whatsoever, instead he was rebuking them. What he is telling them is true for us as well, he’s telling all to not be afraid because there is no reason to fear – for all we need to do is “stand (our) ground, quietly waiting to see what God (will) do” (Ryken).
This scripture is very much true today as well. We know from the Bible that there is a spiritual war waging (Ephesians 6:2; 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 10:3). The Devil pursues us constantly and in every circumstance wants us to fall. Yet, like Moses told the Israelites, we needn’t run, for all we need to do is stand firm without fee and see the salvation of our God.
Consider this: the Bible is not about what you or I can do to become better people. No, the entirety of the Bible is framed around what Jesus Christ accomplished – his complete atonement for sin, which turned asides God’s wrath, and now offers this atonement through the gift of grace for our faith. It is through Jesus that we are able to enter the kingdom of Heaven and into the resurrection of life.
What do you need to do to be saved? Nothing. Jesus already did it, and to think that in some way you can earn any part of it is to lessen what Jesus did on the cross.
Once you’ve accepted Jesus, you need to stand your ground. Spiritual warfare is being constantly waged, and we’re told a similar thing in Ephesians to what the Israelites were told by Moses: “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…” (Ephesians 6:13).
This is far easier
