The Lord Is His Name - Part II
June 2023
|
“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.” —Exodus 15:9
There is much to be learned from the statement in this verse, “my hand shall destroy them.”
The enemy declared fully as to what they intended to do and meant every word, but they were not able to do anything. In fact, as the next verse proclaims, they were destroyed themselves.
Here’s the point I wish to make—countless times, the devil has told you that he is going to destroy you, that your children are going to be eternally lost, that you’re going to die from some terrible disease, that you’re going to go bankrupt, etc. But have you ever stopped to think that none of that has ever come to pass?
To be sure, if Satan could do all these things, or any part of these things, he would have done them a long time ago. He hasn’t done them simply because he can’t do them; he doesn’t have the power. The truth is this: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he [the Holy Spirit] that is in you, than he [Satan] that is in the world” (I John 4:4).
CAMP MEETING
I was preaching a service in one of our Camp Meetings and brought out this point about Satan not being able to do what he claims he’s going to do. The power of God swept through the congregation as every single Christian in the place understood what was being said. Even though my message was not yet concluded, they could not contain themselves and began to praise God. The entire service erupted in praise!
I want you to fully understand what is being said. The enemy has said a lot to you, hoping to strike fear into your heart. But remember, if he could do all the things that he claims he’s going to do, he would have done them a long time ago. He hasn’t done them because he can’t do them, and he can’t do them because the power that is in you is greater than that which is in him.
So, the next time he tries to feed you his negative line, just shout the praises of God because whatever he says, you know better.
THE LORD’S ANSWER
“Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters” (Ex. 15:10).
Here we have another fact that is not mentioned in the account, but it’s implied. The immediate cause of the return of the waters was a wind. As a strong east wind had caused the waters to part, now this new wind—that which had been devised by the Lord—must have arisen contrary to the former one, blowing from the north or northwest. This would have driven the water of the bitter lakes southward and produced this effect.
WHO IS LIKE UNTO YOU?
“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Ex. 15:11).
The gods mentioned in this verse pertain to the gods worshipped by the Egyptians. They were pitiful up beside Jehovah. They were no gods at all, but rather figments of the imagination of evil men. If there was any power at all (and there was some power), it would have been in the realm of demon spirits.
In this setting, all the gods of Egypt—and the Egyptians worshipped many gods—we find the whole series of miraculous visitations, which proclaim the fact that the true God, Jehovah, should be exalted far above all the gods of the heathen.
THE THREE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
Moses made all of this the foundation of his praise. He pointed to the three attributes of God, which cannot be equaled elsewhere:
- Holiness. God is thrice-holy, hence, the cherubim saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).
- Fearful. This word in the Hebrew is yare, and it means “to revere, dreadful, reverence, terrible.” The Lord is fearful because of His holiness. He deserves praise—all the praise that humanity can give Him because He is our Creator and has delivered us from the powers of darkness.
- Miraculous power. He is to be viewed with awe even when we praise Him.
How entirely different is the Lord—omnipotent, immutable, sovereign, triumphant—from the feeble, changeable, disappointed, and defeated “god” that is the object of “worship” in thousands of churches! How few today glory in God’s holiness! How few praise Him for His fearfulness! How few are acquainted with His wonders!
THE LORD’S RIGHT HAND
“Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them” (Ex. 15:12).
The idea is, all the Lord had to do to defeat the Egyptians, even though this was one of the mightiest armies in the world, was to simply stretch out His right hand. This means to exert His power, which was done at His Word. As a result, the “earth swallowed them,” which refers to the sea, a part of the earth.
THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD
“Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation” (Ex. 15:13).
Several things are said in this verse. Six times the pronoun thou or thy is used, signifying that salvation and everything that pertains to that word is found totally in God and not at all in man. As the Holy Spirit gave this song to Moses, and the Holy Spirit was most definitely the author, He emphasized the fact that the Lord had done all of this. This means that man could not receive any credit simply because man was not due any credit.
Perhaps the greatest bone of contention between God and man is this: God gives His way, and man attempts to change it to something else. God has one way for the sinner to be saved, and that is by simple faith and trust in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the cross (John 3:16). He also has one way of sanctification, and that is by simple faith and trust in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the cross (Rom. 6:3-14; 8:1-11; I Cor. 1:17-18, 21, 23; 2:2, 5; Eph. 2:13-18; Col. 2:10-15).
Regrettably, most in the world try to change God’s way of salvation and, sadder still, most Christians attempt to change His way of sanctification. Both parties, the unredeemed and the redeemed, revert to works. It’s ironic that the redeemed will shake their heads at the world and tell them that they cannot earn their salvation, which is correct, but then turn right around and try to earn their sanctification by the same method as the world.
REDEEMED
In Hebrew, the word redeemed is gaal, and it means “to deliver, to purchase, to ransom.” It also means to “set free,” which is the same meaning as its Greek derivative, “to purchase the slave out of the marketplace.” God’s redeemed are a people whom He has purchased for Himself to be with Him forever — “that where I am, there you may be also.” We are redeemed to be placed into His “holy habitation.”
This article series continues in the next issue of The Evangelist.
|
|
