With a Mighty Hand

Brian Orchard encourages the saints of God to continue their spiritual journey using the example of the nation of ancient Israel. Like them, He is leading us with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. We live in a difficult age, striving to live godly in a godless world. Moving forward from the spiritual Exodus, pictured by the Days of Unleavened Bread, we must keep the right perspective of the saving hand of God the Father, unlike the Israelites who lost their perspective of God in Egypt. Crying out in hopelessness for help, they were heard by God and He answered. God’s commands to Moses on Mt. Sinai seemed contrary to human logic. As the irrational dynamic continued, God constantly gave directions that did not align with human reasoning. God led them into a trap at the Red Sea. It appeared that the Egyptians had an easy advantage by which to defeat the Israelites.

Our Walk

Our walk with God will often involve experiences seemingly outside our control and do not make sense to us. God allows and even designs these experiences to develop our reliance upon Him. Satan seeks to close us in and destroy us. We may experience persecution and oppression, and some will lose confidence and faith, ultimately giving up.

In the fragmented and messy history of the Church of God, and particularly in this modern era, we might become tempted to attribute our individual path to our own decision making. This logic seeds doubt. We can take confidence in our presence before God on the Sabbath day, which is a sign of His people. He has placed His people where he wants them. Always call to mind that it is God who orders life. He orchestrates the master plan for our individual salvation, and for all mankind.

God Almighty

When God sent Moses to demand release of Israel from Pharaoh, Moses expected God to clear the path. However, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and the oppression of the Israelites intensified. Their situation deteriorated, even as they did what God told them. They were forced to ask “Where is this mighty God?” and “Is our distress invisible to God?” He answered by revealing Himself to Moses in the statement “I am Yahweh.” This name He carefully distinguishes from “El Shaddai,” which means “God Almighty,” highlighting God’s power and source of all blessings, and was the name known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “Yahweh” references “Savior,” and emphasizes God’s saving grace. It references the spiritual relationship into which God drew Israel, to save and deliver them.

Kept Through Power

That spiritual covenant, which supersedes the physical and accomplishes our salvation in the ultimate sense, is what we have entered into. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart to clarify that God alone delivered them. So it will be with us. He engineers circumstances to reveal Himself as the Author of our salvation, and to accomplish His awesome plan. The encouraging revelation of His mighty hand and outstretched arm is granted to those who accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through this, we have His life in us. We are kept through the power of God by faith unto salvation.

Keywords:
Deliverance – Deuteronomy 5:15; 7:18; 10:17; 11:1-3; 26:6 – Exodus 3:7-12; 4; 5:1; 6:1-4, 6; 7:3; 14:1, 30; 15:2, 12 – I Peter 1:3 – Genesis 17:1, 7; 49:25 – Isaiah 40:1, 25; 41:8; 45:11, 21; 12; 52:10, 53:1 – Jeremiah 32:16 – Loving kindness – Mighty God – Mighty hand – Miracles Nature of God – Oppression – Outstretched arm – Persecution – Power of God – Psalm 136 Rescue shall come – Revelation 1:8, 18 – Salvation – II Chronicles 32:1-4 – Stand still and see the salvation of the Eternal – Trust in God