Exodus 14:14—“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
Israel stood at the edge of the Red Sea. Before them stretched an impassable sea; behind them thundered Pharaoh’s advancing army. Humanly speaking, there was no escape. Fear rose quickly, and murmuring followed. Yet into that panic came a word from God through Moses: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (vv. 13–14).
The first command is against fear. Faith does not deny danger, but it refuses to enthrone it. The second command is striking: “stand still”. When the heart wants to flee, fix, or fight, God sometimes calls His people to stillness, resting in His covenant faithfulness. Deliverance here would not come by Israel’s strategy, but by divine intervention.
The words, “The LORD shall fight for you”, promise divine intervention to deliver His people. The covenant-keeping God would take up their cause and act on their behalf. The battle belonged to the LORD. Israel’s part was obedience and quiet confidence, so He instructed, “ye shall hold your peace”. Their silence would testify that deliverance was wholly of God.
Brethren, just as Israel contributed nothing to the dividing of the sea, so we, sinners, contribute nothing to our salvation and victory over temptations and trials. The LORD fights, the LORD delivers; the LORD triumphs.
When circumstances trap you between sea and sword, remember this: God often brings His people into impossibilities to reveal His glory. Stand still. Trust His promise. The God who opens seas still fights for His own.
