“WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER!”

 Exodus 14:19-20                      (ESV)

“[19] Then the angel of GOD who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, [20] coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night “WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER” all night.”

When reading “….without one coming near the other all night” previously, the inclination of this Biblical novice was to accept what I didn’t know as TOO DEEP for me to understand.  The Egyptian army was considered the most feared of the time.  There were few who escaped their wrath and cruelty. Upon researching, an explanation by Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary made all of the sense in the world. 

“Moses' silent prayers of faith prevailed more with God than Israel's loud outcries of fear. The pillar of cloud and fire came behind them, where they needed a guard, and it was a wall between them and their enemies. The word and providence of God have a black and dark side toward sin and sinners, but a bright and pleasant side toward the people of the Lord. He, who divided between light and darkness, Genesis 1:4, ALLOTTED DARKNESS TO THE EGYPTIANS, and LIGHT TO THE ISRAELITES. Such a difference there will be between the inheritance of the saints in light, and that utter darkness which will be the portion of hypocrites for ever.” One angel performed different things to THE CHOSEN OF GOD and those rejected by GOD all at the same time “WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER”!

The Egyptians and the Israelites were both exposed to the same angel, but one saw the angel as darkness and the other saw it as LIGHT.  Neither could SEE what the other was seeing, only what their EYES were meant to SEE!  In Exodus 14:10 these same Israelites “feared greatly”, but now they didn’t?  Scripture states “And there was the cloud and the darkness.”  WHO do you think was the Cloud (Exodus 13:20-21) and who was “the darkness (John 1:5)???

LIGHT and darkness CANNOT mix, it is not possible!  JESUS IS LIGHT and the devil is darkness.  James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. Resist the devil, and HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.”  It is really quite understandable that we who follow CHRIST are separate from “this world”, as they DON’T mix!  “WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER” is a lot easier to grasp when you IDENTIFY the CHRIST versus the enemy!!!