July 2010

"The angel of God... moved and went behind them." Exodus 14:22

“The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”  Exodus 14:14

Great faith speaks words of faith.  Little faith should simply be quiet.

The sons of Israel had been delivered from Egypt but not from their grumbling tongues and faithless hearts.  Their faithlessness was legendary and was carried away from Egypt like fine china when they left for the wilderness.

Faithlessness is the term but caustic and cynical are descriptors of the language and attitude.  Remember, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Certainly,  the abundant faithlessness of that multitude spoke volumes.

“Is it because there was not enough graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness?”

“It would be better for us to serve them than to die in the wilderness.”

“Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians!”

“Why have you dealt with us in this way?”

Faithlessness fills an empty heart like a tumor.  It is poison to the soul and crawls like a creeping vine through the rank and file of the saints.  But here is the problem…. every person at one point or another has been faithless. Every Christian has suffered the silent questions and entertained the lies of Egypt’s slavery.  So what to do?

When the Isrealites were pressed into the sea by the Egyptian chariots, Moses stood above them with staff in hand and declared,

“The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Stop complaining.  Stop murmuring.  Stop rehearsing your fear.  The words are strong… SHUT UP.   Do you get the point? The best thing that the faithless can do is be quiet.  It is then that the Word promises “the Lord will fight for you.”

In the midst of 1st century persecution, a hymn was sung often enough to be known by all.  One of the lines was recorded by Paul in his letter to Timothy.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.

The psalmist said,

For He Himself knows our frame ; He is mindful that we are but dust.

He has an answer for the weak and faithless and it is this.  Be still, be quiet, stop the overflow of caustic and cynical chatter and “the Lord will fight for you.” God always… always… solicits our participation in His plans.  For the faithless it means to stop.

• Stop complaining… it wearies everyone around you.

• Stop murmuring… it is the sin of faithless Israel.

• Stop casting fear… it yields a crop of thorny thoughts.

Spurgeon wrote,

“Who told thee that night would never end in day?  Who told thee that the sea of circumstances would ebb out till there should be nothing left, but long leagues of the mud of horrible poverty?  Who told thee that the winter of thy discontent would proceed from frost to frost, from snow, and ice, and hail, to deeper snow, and yet more heavy tempest of despair?  Knowest thou not that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer succeed to winter?  Hope thou then!  Hope thou ever! For God fails thee not.”

Has your anchor of hope broken loose and thrown you against the shoals of murmur and the caustic rocks of faithless chatter?  You always have a choice, friend.  When all is lost and no hope of self-deliverance is left, throw your rope to the heavens and then keep silent, for the Lord will fight for you.

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