he's got your back -- part 1

The Word for today:
Exodus 14:1-15:21

mark this: Exodus 14:19
Then the Angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp.

and this: Exodus 15:3-4
The LORD is a warrior;
Pharaoh's chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.

Today is the longest day of the year. I never miss it, but Daisy always did.

Two of the great passages in American literature have to do with the brightest and darkest days of the year.

In "The Great Gatsby," Daisy Buchanan notes an unrequited longing:

"Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!"

In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," Robert Frost is drawn to the unfathomable:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year...

June 21 and December 21 are six months apart on the calendar. But for Israel, their darkest day and their brightest day were one and the same…

They were caught between the devil and the deep Red Sea. Pharaoh's matchless forces had pursued them to the edge of doom. Hemmed in, they could not advance or retreat. They were about to be slaughtered. But wait!

Then the Angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. (Exodus 14:19)

(An angel is a messenger or envoy, bringing God’s message and representing God to others. Jesus is the Angel of God in this sense: God didn’t send just another messenger, he sent the Messenger who is the Message--the Word of God Himself.)

The Angel physically positioned himself between Israel and their demise, turning their darkest day into their shining hour:
The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. (Exodus 14:19-20)

The Angel had their backs:
The LORD is a warrior;
Pharaoh's chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea. (Exodus 15:3-4)

It would not be the last time. Tomorrow we'll see him standing, alone, to defend the defenseless again and again.

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