When the battle becomes the Lord's battle, His people will not lift a finger. One of such examples of God undertaking for His own is an incident that occurred in 2 Chronicles 20:1-24. Three kings came together to fight against Judah. Jehoshaphat, the king sought the face of God on behalf of Judah and he was instructed by God's prophet to sing praises. He needed not to fight at all and his enemies eventually helped to destroy one another, no one escaped. The matter of believing is crucial (2 Chronicles 20:20) and that's why God needed to reassure prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 43:3 that "I am the LORD your God, The Holy one of Israel, your saviour; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place." Again, He reminded him that He is the LORD his God who divided the red sea, whose waves roared. The LORD of hosts is his name (Isaiah 51:15). God must arise and lift up His arm for the redemption of His people but someone need to call upon Him before He does (Psalm 10:2) just as David cried for God's help and intervention (Psalm 17:13, 7:6). It is necessary that man should entreat God to arise and several instances when people pleaded for God to arise on their behalf littered the bible (Psalm 83:17-18, 94:1-3). Just like Hannah who was mistaken for a drunkard told Eli that she was pouring out her heart to God in prayer. Little did the old prophet know that the woman was filled with sorrow and grieve. He knew nothing about the misery, taunting and trouble she faced from her rival who constantly and reproachfully challenged God in her life (1 Samuel 1:1-17). But Hannah turned the battle to the Lord and made a vow unto the God of Israel. Even a small child knows that the best way to get sympathy and gain attention is by crying. The persistent crying of the children of God, their groaning and yearning will surely bring their LORD (the sovereign one) who is both the Lamb (gentle and kind) and the Lion of the tribe of Judah (fierce and terrible) speedily into their situation. He will show up and come to aid His defenceless ones, for He, the LORD is their ever present help in the time of trouble.
Besides, God Himself promised to arise for the sake of the oppressed, the poor and prisoners whom the agents of darkness have detained (Psalm 12:5). Then will the redeemed sing joyfully as David sang after God arose and judged his enemies (Psalm 55:17-19, 58:10-11, 107:41-43). When God arises in judgment to deliver His people and the battle becomes the Lord's battle, He will both be their defender and their defence (Psalm 76:1-9). Also, whenever He arises, certainly there will be judgment on the enemies of His people (Exodus 7:4). Zion was still lamenting the havoc wreaked by Babylon when God responded in Jeremiah 51:35-36 and He promised to fight for His people because He is a God of recompense (Jeremiah 51:56b). Solomon also affirm that God will surely rise and defend the oppressed (Proverbs 22:22-23) for when He speaks, no one can contend against Him in battle. However, before He will arise and fight at all for anyone, the Lord must be God in the life of such a person, people or a nation. Every one knows even the heathen kings-Darius and Nebuchadnezzar to mention a few that God is above all the people. God is great in Zion (among His righteous people) to demonstrate His power, might and glory and show Himself strong amidst them (Psalm 99:2). David emphatically told Goliath that the battle is the Lord's: "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands" (1 Samuel 17:47b), though Goliath disdained him and cursed him by his gods.
Satan and his agents in their evil hearts scheme to always deal shrewdly with the people of God. For no just cause to hinder their progress and expansion (Exodus 1:7, 9-10), and it is not a surprise because this has been his theme from the foundation of the earth (John 10:10). The Egyptians plotted against the children of Israel, yet, the children of Israel grew as if potent energy was supplied to them in their affliction (verses 11-14) despite the fact that the enemy made their lives bitter with hard bondages. This affliction from the enemy will not last forever, when God looks upon His people and remembers them, the enemy should know that it is over (Exodus 2:23b-25, Jeremiah 50:33-34). Unfortunately for the Egyptians, they have helped to raise the deliverer of the children of Israel, Moses, who was nursed by his own mother at Egypt expense by divine arrangement Exodus 2:1-10. In Exodus 3:8, God told Moses that He has come down to defend His people, then the battle became real and fierce. As He wanted to deliver His people from the tyranny of Pharaoh and Egypt, the battle became more intense. God sees, hears, knows, so, in verse 9, He came down to deliver them because of their cry caused by oppression. God is set to bring His people out but Pharaoh would not easily agree (Exodus 7:4): "But Pharaoh will not heed you so that I may lay my hand on Egypt and bring out my armies and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgment." In Exodus 8:18-19, his magicians admitted that it was the finger of God fighting them because they could not bring forth lice, yet, Pharaoh's heart was hardened because of the destruction determined against him by God. Other version renders it like this: "The magicians could not stand before Pharaoh (Exodus 9:11) because they were carrying the plagues of the almighty, yet, Pharaoh's heart was hardened because God has raised him up for that purpose (Exodus 9:16, 35).
No one can pacify God when He arises, for He will roar like a lion robbed of His whelp and prevail against His enemies. He will lay waste the mountain and hills because they cannot withstand Him, He said that He would pant and gasp at once. In Isaiah 42:12, He told the children of Israel to praise Him, then (He) God will act and not man, "He shall go forth like a mighty man, He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war (no negotiation with the enemy), no bending, no retreat, no succumbing but He will cry out, yes, shout aloud, because He is not afraid of the enemy. He shall prevail against His enemies." The enemies of His children are His enemies, so when human effort, skill, strength and ability fails, God takes over (Isaiah 42:13-15). And so when it was exactly 430 years of the children of Israel's captivity in Egypt, on the very day, God stepped in and intervened for them (Exodus 12:41, 51). God consummated His acts on the Egyptians with the death of their first born. One may begin to wonder how God knew and could identify the first born of animals and humans in Egypt. He could easily distinguish them because He created them (Exodus 12:29, Job 12:10).
And with this last blow, at least Pharaoh and his people will take God serious for once, and will let go the children of Israel from their bondage. Now, their enemy knows assuredly that God is at work, the Egyptians need not be told. So, the children of Israel were completely delivered from their long time enemy and freed from slavery (Exodus 13:30). Pharaoh eventually allowed the children of Israel to go when he saw the vengeance of their God (Exodus 13:31). The Egyptians realized that the release of the children of Israel is a must and it has to be done urgently, again, God gained for Himself honour. And later when the children of Israel will recount their experience, they would say: "for by strength of the hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, orderly rank out of Egypt led in the way of wilderness." However, Pharaoh and his army still stubbornly pursued them. When the enemy hardened himself, it is for his utter destruction without remedy (Exodus 14:23-25). It must indeed be an interesting scene to behold when God arises to fight for His people in the middle of the red sea. The bible comment in Exodus chapter 14 verses 25b, "for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians" God's final judgment was unleashed on the Egyptians. Now, they can on longer contend with or trouble the children of Israel again forever.
Usually, God is not disposed to fight anyone because He is loving and kind, but if anyone decides to contend with Him in battle, if he is still fortunate to be alive, he will live to have untold regrets, and troubling experiences that will leave indelible mark in his life (Isaiah 27:4) because God's judgment is righteous (Psalm 19:9b). Though the enemy may find a justifiable cause for plundering, fighting and devouring the people of God (Jeremiah 50:7), but God said in the same chapter (Jeremiah 50:20) that His people will be pardoned and their iniquity will no longer be found. The observance of Passover by the children of Israel before their exit from Egypt symbolizes their redemption, and it was God own way of spiritually setting them apart from the evils about to befall the Egyptians. Everyone partakes in it and this sets a seal of God upon them. In order to receive blessings or deliverance from the Lord, one must be pure, having clean hands and a pure heart. The hands not soiled with sins nor the heart defiled. It implies that one must be holy and totally belong to the Lord. And when God-the creator of the ends of the earth becomes the LORD over and in our lives, the battle become easy for Him to fight, win and conquer for us. For His promised deliverance is for those who know Him and put their trust and confidence in Him.
