Exodus 14:19-20 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. NKJV
Of Changing Chains To Liquorice
God, like some great war General, had given very specific instructions to these fleeing slaves about precisely where they would pitch their camp. The positioning of that place looked like nothing short of stupidity. Moses, known at court, known for being a trained and practised military leader amongst the Egyptians, would have looked like a foolish old man to this Pharaoh for the leader of Israel had obviously been confused by the landscape and had inadvertently led the fleeing and frantic, fledgling of a nation into a giant and inescapable killing zone. On the morrow, Egypt would cut them to pieces.
Egypt did not realize that Moses was not the leader! No, God was Israel’s leader and God Himself had instructed precisely where Israel should position themselves. It was God who had in fact laid a trap for Egypt and the killing zone, yet to be revealed, was to bring them on in such a way that in the end, they would utterly disappear from before the face of Israel forever. Those that Israel saw and worried about that day, they would after tomorrow, see no more. Forever!
Now, this fiery pillar, this viewing war chariot of the Most High God, moved from the front of the Israelite ranks to their rear. What happened that night, the very picture of that position of God, is instructive to us concerning the setting of hearts by God. You see, the position of this cloud set the Egyptians heart forever hard and kept the Israelite hearts, quivering in softness. Even though the hard hearts of Egypt were resolute, determined, courageous cruel and confident, and the soft hearts of Israel were in panic, disarray and quivering in cowardly custard yellow, it was they who were in His light!You see, once Pharaoh had made the choice to thoroughly come against God, the Lord changes His position. This change is done during the night, even at the beginning of the night. The change takes place when all appears lost to those who earnestly look for their salvation. This change of position, separates forever the enemies of God from the friends of God. This positioning maintains a cold dark night over the hearts of the hardened, yet provides a strange light, even an eerie warmth and comfort to quiverers and shiverers who never the less are about to cross into the Promised Land. Our text tonight points very clearly to a God arranged separation between darkness and light and once the die is cast, God Himself appears to maintain that darkness on the one and the soft light on the other. Forever!
It is important to see that the end of the courageously resolute, determinedly cruel and confident bullies of hard-hearted darkness, was total devastation and utter destruction. They were like many fallen angels kept in the darkness of their hearts in chains of hardness until the appointed time of judgement and destruction. We all know many on the earth tonight, which are kept in exactly the same way. May God have mercy upon them and shine His light once more.
We must pray for a new enlightenment to shine in the hearts of the hardened. We must ask for a rising softening and a marvellous melting that will change into a running river of sweet and milky chocolate within them. Until that time, until the heart is softened and changed, until the chains of hardness are softened to liquorice black, every word and every work toward them, is to no avail at all. So then, our prayers must be focused and centred around the fortress of their heart, and pleading on their behalf for the light of God to shine once more. If not, then they like Pharaoh’s army shall be lost beneath the waves of judgement. Forever.
Listen: - Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord God. Ezekiel 11:19-21 NKJV
Pray:- Relent Lord. As you did with us, so do with them whose hard and unchanged hearts sadden and make heavy our way. Relent Lord and be gracious to them, as You were to us. Yes, smile upon them and soften their chains to melted liquorice black, yes, set Your blazing Son in their dark dungeon O Lord and bring them from their dreadful night, into Your glorious day, in His great redemptive name we pray, amen
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