God told Moses, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)
What an incredible promise from the Lord to Moses and to the people of Israel, whom he was leading out of bondage from Egypt to the Promised Land.
But no miracle of God's goodness to fight for His people is ever devoid of a circumstance that seems dire, desperate, dark and maybe even full of potential death, like Israel's circumstances in Exodus 14.
Pharaoh's Pursuit and Israel's Fear
Pharaoh had let the children of Israel go from Egypt, but as soon as they left, he changed his mind, saddled his horse and chariot, and headed in hot pursuit to rid the earth of the Israelites. "Enemies" are a hard concept to accept in life. However, an even more challenging concept is to allow God to fight our enemies.
Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance of the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again." (Exodus 14:13)
The Egyptians were barreling down on the children of Israel. They had to choose to trust the God of the Angel Armies. They were not privileged to see what was going on in the heavens, like Joshua and Israel were allowed to in the book of Kings.
The First Mention of Angel Armies
The first mention of the Angel Armies of God is in Joshua 5:14.
The Commander of the Angel Armies of God comes to Joshua. Joshua was by Jericho, and he lifted his eyes and looked. He saw a man standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:13)
This is a fair question when one is amid a war or a great battle in their lives.
The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, "NO!"
Curious answer to an either/or question.
The Commander of the Angel Armies is first and foremost for God. That is his description!
He reports to the boss and represents God Himself.
The Commander's Role and Allegiance
However, the Commander of the Angel Armies does not exist solely to represent the boss. He also exists to protect those the boss represents.
2 Kings 6:8-17 demonstrates this Divine protection.
The King of Syria was going to war against Israel, but the man of God, Elisha, warned them of Syria's attack. The King of Syria was troubled in his mind about how this could have happened. He concluded that someone in his army was "for" Israel, but one of them explained to him that Elisha the prophet had told the King of Israel the words he had spoken in his own bedroom.
How could this be? How could another human being know what someone else speaks in the privacy of their own home?
The King of Syria went to attack Elisha because of the extraordinary knowledge Elisha had about his military plan to attack Israel. The King came with horses and chariots and a great army, much like the circumstances surrounding Moses in Exodus 14:13, when Pharaoh pursued the people of God to destroy them.
When the King of Syria arrived to attack Elisha, a servant of Elisha's went out and saw this vast army coming against the entire city of God's people. The servant became afraid. But Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of the servant and allow him to see the source by which Elisha could know the King's words in his own bedroom.
The Lord answered Elisha's prayer and opened the servant's eyes, and he saw the angel armies of God. The Bible says, "The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (2 Kings 6:17)
Divine Protection Revealed
This army was the angel armies of God. God had surrounded Elisha with the angel armies of God to protect him and to reveal to the servant the source by which Elisha could know the private conversation of the King of Syria in his own bedroom.
The eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to strengthen those who are fully His. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
God is for those who are for Him, and He sends his angel armies to fight for them.
Psalm 118:16 says, "God is for you."
The Apostle Paul says it best to the Romans, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) Of course, the answer is, "Everyone who is not for God," which can be a lot of people from time to time, and even people one may never expect.
The opposition that comes against God is never a match for the calling God has on His people.
Isaiah the prophet says, "No weapon formed against us will prosper." (Isaiah 54:17)
God promises divine protection and assurance of victory for those who are faithful.
This does not mean the weapons formed against God's people will have no impact on their lives. War comes with a cost. Jesus determines the cost of following Jesus.
A real relationship with Jesus begins with realizing the cost. The cost will be determined over time in one's life by the discretion of Jesus and the purpose for which that person lives for Jesus.
Throughout the Bible, following God is costly at times. Hebrews 11 states a series of sacrifices and costs that giants of the Christian faith paid with their lives. However, the enemy of God's people does not determine the cost; rather, God determines the calling He has placed on that person's life for Him.
The Cost of Following God
The Commander of God's Armies is sent to fight the battles of God's people so they can fulfill God's purpose for their lives. The cost exacted may be greater than the follower of Jesus ever intended to pay, but it is exactly what God intended for them.
The tension of living out one's calling from God and wanting to be protected by God is always the place of trust for the followers of Jesus Christ.
Do the temporary earthly outcomes and results one sees in their life dictate the effectiveness or lack thereof regarding the God of the Angel Armies' ability to protect His people? The Psalmist answered this question, "God of the Angel Armies, who is like you, powerful and faithful from every angle?" (Psalm 89:8)
Where does such trust originate for the God of the Angel Armies? It comes from trusting in who God is. Isaiah said it best, "O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth". (Isaiah 37:16)
The God of the Angel Armies is sovereign over everyone and everything.
This declaration of trust enables one to live with great confidence in God's character. He is good and, in the end, He brings good out of bad. (Romans 8:28)
Dreaming brings excitement. Leave Egypt.
Pain brings confusion. Walk through the sea.
Fulfillment brings wonder. Behold the miracles of God's angel army!
Those who wait on God's "angel armies" will not be put to shame. (Psalm 25:3 and Isaiah 49:23)
