Whenever I blog on a chapter in the bible, I read up ahead through the next chapter and let it stay with me a while before I blog on the next chapter. As I read, I underline words and verses that seem to ‘jump out at me’ off of the page. I reread each chapter several times before I blog anything on it.
This morning, I couldn’t help but be drawn to these words that hadn’t underlined the first time around…words that didn’t ‘jump out at me’ before.
“The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. ~~Exodus 15:3
The American Heritage Dictionary defines warrior as,
“one who is engaged in or experienced in battle; one who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict.”
To be honest, I don’t really want to think about war, conflict or battles. I don’t want to think about lives being lost and people suffering. I don’t want to think about the atrocities that inevitably accompany wars.
But here in Exodus 15, the Israelites are singing praises to God as a warrior. They have witnessed God as a warrior right before their eyes as they’re delivered from oppression under the Egyptians. Just as the Egyptians were catching up to the Israelites, God uses Moses to part the Red Sea ensuring safe passage for the Israelites. They’re seeing the battle play out. God is victorious.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners–Isaiah 61:1
Then a little further on in the story, the Israelites move into the wilderness and have trouble finding drinkable water. They’re not happy. So, they complain to Moses. This prompts Moses to call out to God who instructs Moses to toss a piece of wood into the water that wasn’t fit to drink. This simple act of tossing the wood into the undrinkable water purifies it so the Israelites can drink. After this, He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.” ~~Exodus 15:26
God is a Warrior. God engaged in the battle with the Egyptians and won. But what about the Israelites? In Exodus 15:26, the Israelites have something to think about…they can do what is right in the sight of God and follow His commandments…if they do, they will not be subject to the same diseases that had such an impact on Egypt. God is also the Healer.
The reality is that a war was raging then, and a war is raging now, God is continually engaged in the battle for our hearts–and He’s engaged aggressively and energetically.
God as the Warrior fights for our hearts.
John Eldredge in his book, Waking the Dead, says it this way…
“The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it…If we are in an epic battle, then the language of the Bible fits perfectly. Things are not what they seem. We are at war. That war is against your heart, your glory…”
God as the Healer, wants to purify our hearts.
When the piece of wood was tossed into the water, the water was purified. And when we allow the reality of Jesus’ ultimate act of love on the wooden cross into our life, we open the door for the Great Healer to purify and mend our broken hearts.
©2005 ginny rogers
Yes, God is a warrior, but to me – the most important revelation is he moves all things… and I praise Him! He can wipe out all things at any moment… he comes alongside me to reveal a glimpse of that and requests that I step one step forward with him.. and he develops me into a warrior for him. Sal
2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
“Your right hand, O LORD,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, O LORD,
shattered the enemy.
8 By the blast of your nostrils
the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood firm like a wall;
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.