Facing the Enemy

Facing the Enemy Ex 14: 5-9

Problem with Your Enemy 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" Behind the rage of Pharaoh and his hosts who were pursuing the Israelites, we are to see the enmity of Satan against those whom Divine grace has delivered from his toils. It is not until a sinner is saved that the spite of the Devil is directed against him who till recently was his captive. It is now that he goes forth as a roaring lion seeing to devour Christ’s lamb. (Pink) Satan tempts under three forms. Here he was not a sly and stealthy serpent, (2 Cor 11:3; Rev 20:2) nor disguised as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14); but he was a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) elevated in the person of Pharaoh and thundering his decrees of death and destruction, like a roaring lion! (Coffman) No doubt their situation, as to all human appearance, was utterly hopeless. Before them was the Red Sea; behind them the enemy; on either side mountains. And is not this the very case of the believer? Apparent destruction before: the accursed enemy, the accuser of the brethren, behind; and mountains of sin on every side? 2 Cor 4:8. (Hawker) Satan envies our condition that we should enjoy that paradise that he left, the comforts he once had. Hence he disturbs us, and is restless out of his infinite hatred of God and goodness; Satan is not lazy at his business, but ever in motion for some mischief to us. If you throw him out at the street door, he will creep in again at the backdoor. Watch him therefore (Trapp)

Power of Your Enemy 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 9 . . . all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon The Devil isn’t merely God’s opponent, he is also “your “opponent. He doesn’t like you, he hates you, he wants you to be miserable forever! (Dunagan) Satan’s power is great but limited (Job 1-2). Pharaoh is manipulated by Satan to come against the people of God. He used the greatest power of the time to exert his power. Lucifer who was the greatest angel. He was the anointed cherub, the one who sparkled with all the jewels of heaven, the highest being God ever made (Is 14:12-15, Ezek 28:1-10). This anointed angelic being wanted to be like God and in the sin of pride he was thrown out of heaven (Luke 10:18, Rev 12) Lucifer leads a host of one third of all the angels (literally millions of them) God ever created to become the demonic enemy. This is the devil, Lucifer and his vast host of demon beings are wily, clever, subtle, cunning, invisible, super human and they are our enemy. He is a liar and the father of it. He is a deceiver. His whole system deceives subtly, supernaturally, cleverly, powerfully. (Mac Arthur) God’s people have always faced the power of the enemy motivating and manipulating world powers and they have prevailed by the power of God. During great persecution by the powerful Romans, John says, “greater is he that is in you then he that is the world” (1 Jn 4:4). When the Israelites are surrounded by the powerful Assyrian army, Hezekiah says to the

people, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of the flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles”. (2 Chron 32:7-8 Is 37 He prayed and 185,000 troops were defeated by an angel). Elisha when surrounded by the massive Syrian Army was asked by his servant, “What shall we do?’ Elisha said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more then those who are with them”. (2Kgs 6:8-23) Hebrews 11:32-40 speaks of multitudes of nameless people who encountered Satan’s full fury but did not waver in their faith.

Pursuit of your Enemy 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, Two things to consider He that will escape out of a sinful world, must expect a hot pursuit from the devil and his servants. He that brings us out with a high hand, can bear us up with everlasting strength. (Coke) Peter suggests the continual pursuit of believers by Satan: Be sober minded your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour 1 Peter 5:8-----This is the reason why ye should be sober and vigilant; you have an ever active, implacable, subtle enemy to contend with. He walks about - he has access to you everywhere; he knows your feelings and your propensities and informs himself of all your circumstances; only God can know more and do more than he, therefore your care must be cast upon God. Nothing short of the total destruction of a Believer will ever satisfy our adversary. Nothing less than the perfection, and complete salvation of a Christian, is the heart’s desire of our Savior. He will never see the full fruition of the travail of His soul till all His people are completely saved. The reverse is true of Satan. He can never be content till he sees the Believer utterly devoured. He would tear him in pieces, and break his bones, and utterly destroy him if he could. Do not, therefore, indulge the thought that the main purpose of Satan is to make you miserable. He is pleased with that, but that is not his ultimate end. Sometimes he may even make you happy, for he has dainty poisons sweet to the taste which he administers to God’s people. If he feels that our destruction can be more readily achieved by sweets than by bitters, he certainly would prefer that which would best effect his end Satan will be glad enough, no doubt, to see your faith weakened, but his aim is to destroy that faith so that you may not believe in God to the saving of your soul! The Children of Israel had by the power of the Lord's gracious hand, escaped out of the bondage of sin. They had gotten clean away from their old master. With a high hand and an outstretched arm has God brought them forth into liberty. They remember the sprinkling of the blood and the eating of the Passover Lamb, and they are now on your way to Canaan. But their former master and his friends have not forgotten them. Like them, you were once a valuable servant to Satan, and he will not willingly lose you. Some of you whom God has saved by grace could drink for Satan, and lie for him, and swear for him, and lead others into evil ways, and you could do cheerfully other things which I need not mention, which he always desires to have done in his kingdom. You were a trained servant and knew your master's way so as to answer his purpose better than most. Servants of Satan usually serve him greedily, and you were very eager. Nothing is too hot or too heavy for men who are thoroughly enthusiastic for evil. Sins that should be thought degrading are followed by men under the notion of pleasure and fun. "A short life and a merry one," is too often the cry of persons who are preferring death to life. The devil has the knack of making his bondsmen boast of their freedom; and they follow with eagerness that which is to their own loss and ruin. Poor slaves! their slavery has blinded their minds. Thanks be unto God, certain of you have lately fled from your former bondage; but . . . the great tyrant has not forgotten you, and he designs in his heart your capture and re-enslavement. He and his are continually looking for opportunities by which they may bring you again into the confinement of evil, fastening the shackles of habit upon your hands. By the grace of God I hope that the Prince of evil, and his helpers, will be disappointed; but they will leave no stone unturned to effect their purposes. One of their hopes of driving you back is the belief that you are entangled by your circumstances and surroundings. They conceive that you have got into serious difficulty through your conversion, and that you cannot find your way out of your perplexity. No, the enemy says, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil." The Pharaoh of the infernal regions thinks to drive the fugitives back again like a flock of sheep; and, notwithstanding all that God has done for them, he hopes again to bring them under his yoke. If Jehovah has brought you out, his work will never be undone; but the enemy's hope lies in his belief that you are hopelessly entangled by your present environment. Satan has less hope of getting back those who have escaped from his tyranny for many years. If he can trip them up or worry them, even now, he will take a delight in doing it, but he begins to see that the older pilgrims are really the Lord’s and cannot fall into his hands. Of those who have only lately escaped from his power he has greater hope, for they have not yet proved by the test of experience that the work within them is divine. He hopes that possibly theirs is only temporary reformation; and if so, he can soon make them slip back into the mire of sin, from which he hopes they have only half escaped. The early period of Christian faith, like the infancy of life, is crowded with dangers. Literally, new-born life is so precarious that it is a wonder that any infant survives; and infant spiritual life is so full of weaknesses and diseases that none would survive were it not for Almighty grace. Hence the need of the special precept: "Feed my lambs." It is our bounden duty to look well after beginners in the ways of God. If they survive the first years of temptation, they is great hope for them to continue in the faith. Our Lord desires followers who will cling to him at all risks, for no other reason but their value of himself and his truth. He would have servants who, having counted the cost, would lose possessions and reputation, yes, and life itself, sooner than turn aside from the way of their Lord. The path to heaven lies by the dens of the leopards, and the haunts of the young lions. You have come up out of Egypt, O young believer, but the taskmasters are at your heels! (Spurgeon)

Presence over the Enemy 8 the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly How often it occurs that as soon as a sinner has fled to Christ for refuge, Satan it once lets fly his fiery darts. The young believer is tempted now as he never was in his unregenerate days; his mind is filled with evil thoughts and doubts, and he is terrified by the roaring of the "lion," until he wonders who is really going to gain possession of his soul—God or Satan. This was precisely the issue raised here at the Red Sea. It Looked as though Jehovah had deserted His people. It seemed as though they must fall victims to their powerful and merciless foes. But how deceptive are appearances? How quickly and how easily the Lord Almighty reversed the situation? The sequel shows us all Israel safe on the other side of the Red Sea, and all the Egyptians drowned therein (Pink) “Christ is called 'a lion' (Rev 5:5) because of his courage: the devil, because of his ferocity. The one lion comes to conquer, the other to hurt. (Augustine) Let us take this for our comfort; if it is Satan’s desire that we may be utterly destroyed, in that at least he is certain to be defeated! When it comes to a question who shall have the victory, Christ, the Eternal Son of God, or Satan, the prince of the power of the air, we need have no doubt as to which shall succeed! The devil is but a creature, finite in his nature, and limits are laid upon his prowess. If the battle were between Satan and man, then, indeed, woe the day to us! We might quit ourselves like men, and be strong, but before this giant all the host of Israel must flee. But the battle is not ours, It is the mighty God’s! He who once broke this serpent’s head still wages war with him! Yes, and Christ Himself must be defeated, the glory of His Cross must be dimmed; His arm must be broken, the crown of Sovereignty must be snatched from His head, and His Throne must crumble beneath Him, before one of those for whom He died, and on whom He set his love, should ever be cast away or be given up to the power of His adversary In this, then, tried Believer, count it your joy that Satan may worry, but he cannot shred! He may wound, but he cannot kill! Trust Jesus! Trust Jesus!. . . . Now, this moment, cast yourself on Him. Look to His agony and bloody sweat, His Cross, His Passion, His death, His burial, His Resurrection, His Ascension, and you shall find a balm for every fear, a joy for every distress! All that you need, and all that your heart can ever desire is most surely to be found in Christ Jesus your Lord! (Spurgeon) Our normal, ordinary view of salvation is hopelessly and ridiculously inadequate. Our trouble is that we always start with ourselves instead of starting with God. Instead of going to the Bible and looking at its revelation and discovering there what salvation means, I start with myself and certain things that I want and desire, certain benefits that I always want to enjoy in this life and in this world. I want forgiveness of sins; I want peace of conscience and of mind; I want enjoyment and happiness; I want to be delivered from certain sins; I want guidance; I want this and that; and my whole conception of salvation is reduced to that level. ... The most wonderful thing of all is not that my sins have been forgiven, nor that I may enjoy certain experiences and blessing as a Christian. The thing that should astound me ... is that I am a child of God, one of God's people. You are a child of God and he protects, provides for and preserves his children