The Lord Is His Name - Part I
May 2023
|
“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” —Exodus 15:1-3
The Lord is a man of war in every capacity. He had just defeated the mightiest field army on the face of the earth, and He did so without using a single human soldier. But, to be frank, His capacity in the realm of spiritual warfare is of even greater magnitude.
At the cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus totally and completely defeated Satan. He did it not through mortal combat, as would be obvious, but rather by taking away Satan’s authority. Sin gives Satan the authority to do what he does, but with all sin atoned, as it was at the cross, his authority has been removed. If it seems as if he presently has authority, we must remember that it is a pseudo-authority. This refers to an authority that Christians allow Satan to have simply because they do not know their place and position in Christ. The reason they don’t know that place and position is simply because they do not understand the cross. While most Christians do understand the cross as it refers to salvation, they have little knowledge at all as it refers to sanctification. This is the tragedy.
The Lord is the man of war, not us. When we try to place ourselves in that position, we get defeated every time. In fact, the only fight that we are called upon to fight is the good fight of faith (I Tim. 6:12).
In Exodus 15:3 , the phrase, “the LORD is his name,” could be translated, “Jehovah, the alone-existing one.” Before Him, all other existence fades and falls into nothingness.
In looking through the various notes of this song that Moses and the children of Israel sang, we don’t find a single note about self—its doings, its sayings, its feelings, or its fruits. From beginning to end, this song is all about Jehovah, and that’s the way it ought to be.
PHARAOH
“Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea” (Ex. 15:4).
The exact percentage of Pharaoh’s army is not included here. Irrespective, the ones who did come after Israel were seemingly the best. For sure, his finest charioteers were lost, as well as his chosen captains. Another thing is for sure—it would be some time before Egypt’s army was back up to its full potential.
THEY SANK
“The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone” (Ex. 15:5).
The warriors who fought in chariots commonly wore coats of mail, composed of bronze plates sewn onto a linen base and overlapping one another. These coats covered the arms to the elbow and descended nearly to the knee. Consequently, being as heavy as they were, these warriors would have immediately sunk, even without a struggle, like a stone or a lump of lead, as the waters cascaded down upon them.
THE RIGHT HAND OF THE LORD
“Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.” (Ex. 15:6).
The right hand, as it refers to the Lord, is used as a figure of speech. It signifies power. Consequently, when it is said that Christ is now seated “on the right hand of the Majesty on high,” though that is literally true, it also signifies power.
That right hand of power, as it refers to the Lord, can and will be used on our behalf, as well, providing our faith is placed 100 percent in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the cross. Then the Holy Spirit, who is God, and who can do all things, will saturate the believer with power. What kind of power? This is not power or authority over other people, but rather over the spirits of darkness (Luke 10:19; Eph. 6:11-18).
While all Christians fight the devil, we must understand that it’s always indirectly. Christ has already defeated him, and we fight him simply by fighting the good fight of faith, which refers to faith in Christ and His cross.
THE WRATH OF GOD
“And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble” (Ex. 15:7).
The verbs in this verse are future. Consequently, it should read, “You will overthrow them who rise up against You.” Then, “You will send forth Your wrath.” The last phrase, “Which consumed them as stubble,” is present tense and concerns the victory over the Egyptians. So, in this verse, we have an account not only of what the Lord has done regarding the Egyptians, but the promise that He will fight for us as well!
The first song in the Bible was sung on a shore heaped with dead men—an appalling scene of divine wrath—and the last song in the Bible will be sung in a scene of greater wrath and destruction (Rev. 19). These inspired records of God’s ways on earth and of His actions toward sin anger the self-righteous heart but thrill the soul of the one dependent on the righteousness of Christ.
GOD’S USE OF THE ELEMENTS
“And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea” (Ex. 15:8).
Moses described the east wind, which God set in motion, as “the blast” or “breath of His nostrils.” He then represented the waters as “standing in a heap” on either side and the depths as “congealed.” Concerning the word congealed, some have taken this phrase to mean that the waters froze, but considering the climate of Egypt, that is unlikely, although it definitely could have happened.
Still others have asked the question, “Are we justified in taking literally the strong expressions of a highly wrought poetic description?” The answer is yes, we are justified. It is the Holy Spirit who gave Moses these very words, and, as highly poetic as they might be, the description in no way stretches the truth as it regards what God has done or what He can do. In fact, with Him, all things are possible.
THE ENEMY SAID
“The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them” (Ex. 15:9).
This verse is very important because it shows the thoughts of the soldiers who flocked to Pharaoh’s standard, in regard to the pursuit of the children of Israel. The words, “I will divide the spoil,” proclaim the fact that Israel had gone out of Egypt laden with ornaments of silver and gold and also accompanied by flocks and herds of great value. Pharaoh probably told these soldiers that this plunder would be theirs, and they intended to appropriate it. They then boasted, “my hand shall destroy them.”
We must not forget that the Egyptians had also given the children of Israel the finest clothing that was available at that time, meaning that when they crossed the Red Sea, they did so dressed in the finest that the world had to offer of that particular day. In other words, they did not leave Egypt as beggars dressed in rags, as slaves generally wore, but they were dressed in the finest garments and loaded down with silver and gold.
What a mighty God we serve!
|
|
