“ENTANGLED!”

 

Exodus 14:1-4                      (KJV)

“1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, THEY ARE “ENTANGLED” in the land, the wilderness HATH SHUT THEM IN. 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may KNOW that I AM THE LORD. And they did so.”

Most days I prefer using the English Standard Version of the HOLY BIBLE as it is the closest translation of the original text that I have found.  Some days, however, the King James Version SPEAKS precisely what GOD has laid on my heart to be shared.  The Children of Israel had just been FREED from 430 years of bondage to the Egyptians.  ALMIGHTY GOD “spoke” to Moses and explained to him that Pharaoh and the Egyptians would SEE that the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL were trapped by their surroundings and didn’t know how to FREE themselves.  

Of course, we know that the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL were being LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT and HE was directing Moses to have them “turn and encamp” at the Red Sea.  The CREATOR instructed Moses to “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp” near the Red Sea, and “And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel” (Exodus 14:8)!  

GOD not only was preparing the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL for their Red Sea experience, HE had to harden the heart of Pharaoh as well!  Just as GOD used the throwing of Joseph in the well before Israel was in captivity, HE would use the Red Sea for HIS GLORY!  Just because we experience trying times, that doesn’t indicate that GOD has left us to figure the best way out by ourselves.   HIS SPIRIT is ready and able, but will we recognize our need for HIS assistance with everything, including breathing??? (Isaiah 42:5). 

One night recently I awoke around 2:30 and could NOT immediately get back to sleep.  The “cares” I was currently dealing with in life were weighing heavy on my heart and mind.  As I begin to search Scriptures for an answer from GOD ABOVE, I was reminded that the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL were in a position where they were THOUGHT to be “ENTANGLED”?  However, “the enemy” was only seeing what GOD allowed them to see?  What GOD ALLOWS our enemy to see and the actual TRUTH is probably different?  We mustn’t allow the TRUTH in our lives to appear as though we are “ENTANGLED”!  ALMIGHTY GOD could be just making “the enemy” THINK we are “ENTANGLED”???