February 2023 English
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
(Exodus 14:13-14)
Don’t get all bent out of shape. Don’t have a cow. Don’t get your shorts in a wad. Don’t sweat it. Don’t get your bloomers in a knot. I got your back. Don’t get your tights in a twist. Don’t get all worked up. Don’t worry about it. Keep your composure “Pose up”. Cool it. Simmer. Hold your peace!
You’ve heard them all, and you have silently spoken them to yourself. I’m certain you have consoled or encouraged someone with these words. Maybe the Holy Spirit has spoken it to you, He has to me many times. Israel was on the move; they were moving with a motive. They were on the run, but they were running with a promise. The promise, however, was getting lost in the problem. The problem overshadowed the promise.
There was no way open to Israel but upward, at this point, forward was not an option. God brought about their deliverance with a lesson for all of us. While serving the Lord and doing our best to follow Him, it is possible to be troubled on every side. Often, we are unable to see a likely solution.
In Israel some cried out unto the Lord; it was their fear that led them to pray, and that was well, but it was also their fear that caused them to lash out and blame someone else for their situation. If God brings us into dire straits, that he may bring us to our knees, then God will hear our cries and reveal His glory. Those who cried out against Moses were actually saying that they did not believe that God would or could deliverer them.
All of the circumstantial evidence pointed to disaster. What would you have done? I’m thinking the same thing. Wouldn’t it have been better to live in slavery and still have life, than to die at the hand of the angry Pharaoh, running like cowards with no hope?
The powerful word from Moses is also a word for us. Stand still! Don’t be afraid, stand still. Hold your peace. Don’t do anything, Don’t say anything. Be still, be quiet. I got this!
I like the King James words “Hold your peace.” Many times it is important to hang on to peace! Sometimes it requires more effort to hold your peace than to release it. Grip it tightly. Stand still. Be silent. Depend upon. Stand, having done all to stand, Stand.
How? Why? The Lord shall fight for you.
Stand! And be still. God had spoken to Moses and Moses had spoken it to them…the Israelites responsibility now was to stand still and be quiet. Hold your peace!
There are times that we must trust God’s Word. This was one of those times. There are times when you know in your heart that God will fight for you, times when you know that you do not have answers or solutions, but also know with confidence that if God is for you who can be against you. Knowing when to stand still and hold your peace, comes from an unmistakable voice in your spirit. Be still, be quiet. Hold your peace and see the salvation of the Lord. Don’t have a cow!
They did and God did. There is no story like this in the Bible! Nor anywhere else. Sometimes you just have to trust Him and shut your flesh down. You can scramble for answers and find none, perhaps you have already done this, and the possibilities are exhausted. You’ve already tied a knot in the end of the rope and held on.
In your despair you’ve already lashed out at everyone else. Each direction you look all you see is impossibilities … troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted. What do I do now? I believe many times the answer is to simply keep walking. But in this case, it was stand still. Be quiet. Hold your peace. Don’t have a cow, be still. Trust. Be quiet and see the salvation of the Lord.
It was time to get off the cell phone, shut down the computer, get rid of the video games, this was serious, they weren’t losing their jobs, they were about to lose their lives and families. Panic was sweeping thru the assembly. Frantic to say the least!
They needed a Word from God! So did Moses. He had faithfully obeyed the Lord and seen God’s faithfulness but now it seemed like his obedience had led to a dead-end. Responsibility is tough! Leadership is thankless. “What a fine mess you’ve gotten us into now.”
God told Moses what Moses told the people. Stand still and see me work. Be quiet. Hold your peace. We are about to be through this problem forever. You will see the Egyptians no more, forever. They were about to experience deliverance from a real but temporary enemy!
By commanding the wind of the heavens, and the waves of the sea, and employing the forces of heaven this is about to be over with! They were unarmed, and not in a condition to fight for themselves. Neither did they have any fight in their heart and spirit.
Moses says, hold your peace; be still, and quiet, and easy in your minds. Be still and don’t even express the fear and distress of your minds.
They were about to see the Hand of God as no one else ever has, they were to be participants in this vast miracle. Their job? Be still see the salvation of the Lord, be ready to start walking.
You think they didn’t make some noise later. You think they didn’t sing and rejoice. You think the song of Moses wasn’t a “praise break”. It wasn’t a morning Mass, I know that! They had been silent long enough. Now they had something to talk about! Your time is coming, hold your peace!
Just for Jesus,
Don