The Bible is a book of spiritual warfare. As a nation, Israel can be linkeo to a war-like tribe. Since they are children and favourites of God, the enemy hated them with perfect hatred. Hence, their history was punctuated by repeated wars. By the time it got to the time of David, the shepherd king, warfare had become entrenched in the lives of the children of Israel. By the time David gave his testimony, he made mention of the fact that he had been trained in the art of spiritual warfare:
Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. Ps 144:1.
GOD IS A WARRIOR
We can go through series of instances in the Bible when Israel performed gallantly in warfare. In this chapter we shall focus our attention on the war that took place at the instance of the crossing of the Red Sea. The Bible tells us that God Himself is a man of war.
The LORD is a man of war : the LORD is his name. Ex 15:3.
Pharaoh was the captain of the army of the kingdom of darkness.
And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the
horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. Ex 14:23-30.
In this instance, God stood as the captain of the host. As it was characteristic of the army of the enemy, it had frightening credentials, while the children of Israel were ordinary people, neither did they have sophisticated weapons.
THE CONTEST
Pharaoh went to war with his best men of war riding on war-tested horses. The kind of weapons the enemies set in array showed that they were ready to fight until they wiped out the race of the children of Israel. Unknown to Pharaoh and his hosts they were trying to confront the Lord who is a Man of war. Unfortunately for them, the battle was fought on a hallowed ground. God used Moses to part the Red Sea into two. The children of Israel rushed into the express way that God created for them. Unfortunately, the hosts of the enemy ran along foolishly. They did not know how God created a highway across the Red Sea. They did not know that what God created in the form of a passage for the deliverance of His people would be used to disgrace and destroy the enemies of His people.
THE SONG
In a classic battle the Lord stood gallantly and performed gloriously at the end of the day. The horses and its riders perished on the battle field. The enemies of God’s people were buried in watery graves. It is interesting to note that at the beginning of the battle the enemies demonstrated demonic prowess. Their horses and the riders were chanting war songs as they pursued the children of Israel.
They came with a wicked intention. The stubborn pursuers vowed not to turn back until they completely eliminated every living soul. Pharaoh and his hosts
could be tagged the most stubborn pursuers that history has recorded. They must have proclaimed that it was a do or die matter.
“He who laughs last, laughs best,” they say. Israel laughed last and came up with a song of victory.
A COLLOSSAL LOSS
Pharaoh must have forgotten the fact that as far as God is concerned those who touch His people are playing with the eyeballs of the Almighty. Such people never live to tell the story. Both the horses and the riders received deadly blows from the Almighty. Pharaoh lost his life, lost his best men of war and lost his chariots and horses.
As long as you remain on God’s side, whenever the enemy challenges you, he is getting ready for instant burial in the Red Sea. God takes delight in disgracing the enemy and his weapons. Witches and wizards, who are bent on seeing your end, will surely experience sudden destruction.
WHEN GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU
The Lord is a man of war who will always fight your battles. When He fights your battles, the result will be announced in your favour. An interesting feature of the battle in the Red Sea, was that the enemy came into the battle and lost everything. Through that battle God made a bold statement. He proved to the world that the judgement of instant burial inside the Red Sea was the lot of all stubborn pursuers of His children. The devil is a blind fighter. The battle actually started when signs and wonders were done after God decreed, “Let my people go.”
The first-borns of Egypt died massively, the waters of Egypt were turned to blood, the plague of boils was one of the divine weapons used against them. But they were too stubborn to take note of the fact that they were rubbing their hands on the sharp saw of the Almighty. The saw did not only cut their hands, it grinded their bones to powder.
God may not stop the devil from waging war against your destiny. He will only
wait until the battle commences, then He would waste the enemies and their weapons.
The burial of Pharaoh’s armies and his weapons in the Red Sea is an example of what God is set to do with your enemies. He will not only bury your enemies, He will also subject their weapons to mass burial. So, let the enemies come against you in the form of household witchcraft. They are getting set for burial after the order of Pharaoh.
Pharaoh is the grandfather of all stubborn pursuers. But the Power that disgraced and destroyed the armies of the greatest nation at that time has not changed. That same Power will give you victory today.
The riders and the horses shall be captured by the God who fights our battles.
They shall all fall down and die.
Prayer points
Where is the God of Elijah? Arise and pursue my pursuers.
Let the Lord God of Elijah arise with a strong hand against every spirit or power of sexual perversion, in the name of Jesus.
Let every spirit of Egypt fall after the order of Pharaoh, in the name of Jesus.
Let every spirit of Herod be disgraced, in the name of Jesus.
Let every spirit of Goliath receive the stones of fire, in the name of Jesus.
Let every spirit of Pharaoh fall into the Red Sea of their own’ making, in the name of Jesus.
