The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. (Exodus 14:14)
We don’t like to be silent. But sometimes silence is golden.
My high school band, The Jam Town Blue Mountain Kids, had a great singer. He was Mike (and was the “M” in the weird name…) He had instant perfect pitch, confidence, style, and no shame. And when the rest of us took our occasional turn at vocal solo, we weren’t as scared as we should have been. Because if a terror-causing moment of fear-silence occurred… Mike would step in and SING. It actually gave us confidence the rest of the time.
So here are the Israelites… fleeing Egypt. The superpower of the era. Chariots, horses, armor, weapons, and thousands of angry, greedy, revenge-motivated soldiers gaining on the untrained, hungry, tired, mass of Israelites.
Put yourself in their sandals.
What would you want to do? Some of them probably wanted to turn and make a last desperate stand. No more slavery. No more hiding. It’s time to draw the line and FIGHT! God didn’t give us these hoes and pitchforks for nothing! Probably fight to the death, but not to the victory. To say those words, “ARRRGHH, freedom or death!”
Some of them probably wanted to turn around and surrender. To go back to the comfort of the familiar. To admit they shouldn’t have followed Moses and this strange unknown God. To say those words, “Don’t kill us! We surrender!”
Some of them probably wanted to send Moses and Aaron once more to negotiate. Discussions with Pharaoh really hadn’t gone too badly. The threat of another plague, worse than the death of all the first born, might be enough to turn the chariots around. Maybe Goshen could be purchased with promises. To say those words, “Back to the table! Let’s talk!”
Probably ALL of them were beyond panic. And panic usually makes us want to DO something.
But God says, “Trust me. Sit back and do NOTHING. Sit back and be SILENT. Sit back and watch me save you again… and again… and again… “
Being silent means submission.
Being silent means full trust.
Being silent means GOD.
Already this morning I have tried to solve four problems… and THEN remembered to be silent. Already this morning I have acted, or spoke, or wrote, or DONE something. Because I am an American. Because I am edumacated. Because I KNOW things. Because God wants (I am sure of it… really!) me to DO something for Him, on His behalf, because He really really really really must need me to act or speak or do on HIS behalf.
But God says that He will fight for me. All I need to do is be silent.
Maybe among the hardest commands in Scripture. But oh, the wonder when I find myself doing it.
Fear not…. Be silent.