God's kind of Peace

This morning I was pondering on the Bible story about when Israel was at the Red sea. I was reminded of some details I hadn't thought of for a while.

I wouldn't call the situation in which the Israelites were in as 'peaceful' in the usual definition of the word. In front of them there was a formidable body of water. On either side of them mountains loomed as a rather effective barrier, especially for about 1 million or so people. And now, for those who wished to look that way, behind them could be seen the flashing armor and moving chariots of Pharaoh and his army in hot pursuit of them.

Remember that these people had been in slavery for 'many years' previous to God's miraculous deliverance of them from slavery in Egypt. During this forced slavery, they had been pretty much immersed in a superstitious culture. They had also purposefully been kept in as much ignorance as possible by their slavemasters, the Egyptians.

With that in mind, what might the Israelites been thinking about this 'massive' cloud that supposedly was 'leading them'? Some probably looked upon it with wonder while some regarded it with fear and others declared it was a favorable omen. Nevertheless they had all followed it, even when, to their minds, it began to go 'in a wrong direction' - away from the 'main road' and off into a tractless wilderness and then, even worse, directly toward the Red sea in a rather narrow ravine, between two impassible mountains. How much worse can things get? To those minds it did get worse for the word was passed through the ranks that Pharaoh's army was coming in hot pursuit of them.

Lacking discipline and self-control, some became violent and unreasonable. But the Creator God did not 'leave them', even though they began to think so. As they watched that majestic cloud rose from before them and went to the rear of the encampment. To the Egyptian army the cloud became an intense wall of darkness and they were forced to halt. But as night settled in, the cloud became a great light to the Hebrews.

Exodus 14 gives more Biblical details. In verse 21 it says God commanded an 'east wind' to blow which opened a path through the sea. I hadn't thought about it before but the wind was blowing into their faces if it was blowing from the east. (They were traveling east.)

As I have thought about that (walking into a seemingly 'strong' wind) I began to wonder how many times I have misinterpreted God's actions in my life in the wrong way. Has God been sending an 'east wind' - even strong at times - to enable me to move in the way of His leading, yet I became 'unreasonable' or worse?

Thank God, the story doesn't stop there. Even though the above attitudes were demonstrated in some of the people, they all responded to the call to "Go Forward".

There are many more lessons in this story (which I may explore later,) but the 'rest of the story' was that by the next morning, a million or so people were safely on the eastern shore of the Red sea while Pharaoh with all his Egyptian army were drowned - in the Red sea.

That is a wonderful 'peace' Israel experienced that morning, even if I do say so myself.

I may share more on this later but for now may I encourage anyone who is reading this to keep your eyes on the God who loves you so much that He will do whatever it takes to set you free and give you His Peace, so long as you keep your eyes on Him and 'go forward' at His time and in His way.

Bringer of Peace