Promise 36 from Exodus 14:19-20

Ex. 14:19-20 - "The angel of God, who had 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... and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night." - What a great picture of God, our Protector and Guide. Not only does He go before us, providing light and direction through the obstacles and the darkness [no matter what time of the day it is], but He also comes behind to protect us on the backside. The great thing about this "cloud" was, even though it was night time, during the darkest hour, when normally clouds make things even darker at night, this cloud provided light for the Israelites. Can you just imagine how scary that would be, to be trapped between the sea and the enemy with nowhere to go, and it be night time, the time when they were most vulnerable for attack? Talk about that "monster under the bed" fear. But look what the loving Heavenly Father did; He gave them a night light so they didn't need to fear the darkness. He pushed the darkness away toward the Egyptians so that they couldn't see. He was their light that penetrated their darkness. God is the same today as He was on that very frightful day for the Israelites. He penetrates our darkness and sheds light on our fears, that bridges peace, comfort, it erases the dangers and brings guidance. I'm sure it brought warmth as well as they lay on the sea coast. We can also wrap ourselves in the warmth of His presence.

Promise 35 from Exodus 14:15

Ex. 14:15 - "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward'." - Moses was in such a terrible place. Here he was being obedient and was doing what God asked him to do [a job he certainly didn't want in the first place] and then here he was sandwiched in between a roaring sea and a roaring crowd, who was frightened to death that the approaching Egyptians were going to slaughter them, and they were blaming it all on Moses. If that wasn't enough, God says to poor Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me?" I can just imagine what was running through Moses's head at that moment, "But, but, but, YOU are the One who lead us here!" What Moses didn't realize is that God wasn't punishing Him or yelling at Him for joining the crowd in their cries out to Him, He was teaching Moses that, Moses already had what it takes to save the people right in his hands. God wanted Moses to know that He had already given Moses the power to do all that was necessary to bring the people to the promised land, so it wasn't necessary to be fearful, nor frustrated. Then God showed him, "all you have to do Moses is simply lift up your staff and stretch your hand out over the sea. The sea will obey because I've given you the authority to command it to part." Each of us who are in Christ are empowered with everything that is necessary for bringing the kingdom of God to the earth. Jesus said in John 14:12-15 [paraphrased], "Whatever I can do, you can do even more. Whatever you need, our Daddy will give it to you, just ask Him. All this will happen out of the love He has for you." We don't have to beg God for His presence and for Him to "take over." He is already in us, therefore, through faith and love we too can part the seas, heal the blind, the deaf, the crippled, raise the dead and we too can lead the people to the promised land, His kingdom!

Promise 34 from Exodus 14:14

Ex. 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent." - I would venture to guess that most people who turn or cry out to God, cry out to Him while in a panic. He is usually the last card played when all other options within man's power and wisdom is exhausted, at this point, people are begging God for intervention and salvation from whatever is causing the grief. But Moses had it right when he said that the Lord will fight for us while we keep silent. When we are close enough in our relationship to God that we have peace in just hanging out with Him quietly, which means we don't feel we need to ask Him for something or beg Him for anything, He still will engage in our lives, yet even more. To sit quietly before Him indicates that you trust Him, whole heartedly, to take care of that which is going on around you, so much so that you don't even need to really discuss it with Him. That doesn't mean we don't pray or intercede. It just means we don't have to try to strive, beg, demand or manipulate His attention. He already has it and because He wants the best for His people, He'll take care of the environment around them so that each day will be experienced as a day of salvation.

Promise 33 from Exodus 14:4

Ex. 14:4 - "Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honoured through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.' and they did so." - How many people do you know receive honour through the enemy? I don't know of any, but God declares that He will be honoured through the Pharaoh and ALL his army. God is setting the stage to receive honour. The sons of Israel are not going to like what that scene looks like. In verse 11, Israel becomes frightened and they complain out of fear, and blame Moses for leading them to their death at the hands of the Egyptians. Now one would think that it was God's priority for His people to know and understand that He is the Sovereign Lord, but God tells Moses that it will be the Egyptians who will know that He is Lord, [granted many of them perish as they realise the truth]. Why doesn't He tell Moses that both the Egyptians and the Israelites will know that He is Lord? Could it be that God is also setting a scene for much further down the line? When Jesus came to the earth, He came, was born and died for both Jews and Gentiles. Just as God desired that the Egyptians know He is Lord, He desires that all nations, equally know that truth; that He cares for them enough to want them to know who He is, to have a relationship with Him. God will continue working on the hearts of the Israelites, but in the meantime, HE will draw all nations into the awareness that He is the One true God.

Promise 32 from Exodus 13:21-22

Ex. 13:21-22 - "The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." - Growing up in the desert, I know that it is not common to see clouds in the sky, nor is it common to see light at night, unless it is the moon and stars. God provided what is the opposite of the norm for His people. He travelled with them in a cloud [it had to be a huge cloud for it to be a pillar cloud] by day, which provided some shade from the hot sun, and He provided light at night so that the people can see where they are going. God made sure the people knew that He was travelling with them. He was leading the way in a very visual way, all they needed to do is look up to see Him. I think of how often I hang my head in dispair or frustration, in disappointment, in insecurity, etc. when life gets difficult. I praise God for friends who tell me to 'look up!" When we lift our eyes to Him, He is there very evidently. If your head is hung low today, "look up!"

Promise 31 from Exodus 13:17

Ex. 13:17 - "Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, 'The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.'" - God is such a great God! He knows the thoughts of man. If He would have allowed Moses to lead the people the shorter distance, they would have probably had enough food and water for the journey, they would have held on to the excitement and had the adrenaline to walk faster in expectation. They would have held on to their respect for Moses. But none of that happened. Although the journey would have been easier, the outcome would have ended in tragedy. For some strange reason we tend to follow paths that look shorter and easier and that makes sense in life. We have an automatic aversion to pain or striving or walking into the unknowns of life. We like to keep things simple and within our control. But often times those short, easy paths are the most dangerous. This verse says that God was the one who was leading them, not Moses. The people saw and thought it was Moses, by God's direction, but it was truly God who lead. If we allow God to lead us, fully understanding that He just may lead us through the longer, more challenging path, then we'll know that the outcome will be good. We have that assurance that we will win! God will lead us to success, abundance and rest at the other end of the journey. Let's keep listening to Him and watching where He leads us.

Promise 30 from Exodus 12:41, 42, 51

Ex. 12:41, 42, 51 - "And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations... and on that same day the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts." - In Ex. 3:8 God says, "So I have come down to deliver them." It was at this time, I believe, that the hosts of God or should I say God and all His hosts, entered Egypt, for the purpose of extracting the Israelites from that land, from slavery, from bondage. Verse 41 says, "all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." They came out because their mission was done. Verse 51 says something more, from my perspective, about the hosts. Many translations define "hosts" as armies or divisions, but I believe God assigned "hosts"; members of His army [heavenly] to each person, who then escorted them out of the city so as to bring them to safety and to protect them. I believe it was the Lord's army that is unseen who are the hosts who came, who delivered, who escorted the Israelites out. Verse 4c. says that the Lord brought them, Israelites, out of the land of Egypt. So not only was it 600,000 men plus their wives and children, but I believe there was also, intertwined with them, the Heavenly hosts of God walking with them and surrounding them, literally bringing them out of Egypt. Why is this important for us to understand? Because I believe God assigns members of His heavenly hosts to walk with us and to surround us and protect us as He carries out His mission for our lives. We are not alone as God works in us and through us for His glory!