The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, ‘Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’

‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still’ (14).

Alec Motyer explains in his commentary on ‘Exodus’ that in chapters 1-12 God comes down to the Israelites, to redeem them from slavery in Egypt; then in chapters 13-18 He accompanies them on their journey: leading, guiding, providing, protecting. This is something we see in today’s passage. It illustrates the great truth articulated by the apostle Paul in Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Motyer also points out that this was a battle over who owned the Israelites (5). The Egyptians wanted their slaves back. But in truth, they were the Lord’s people, and He would not allow the Egyptians to make off with them.

When I was at secondary school, I was small for my age, and skinny, and looked incredibly young. I was regularly a target for bullying. But if I was out and about with my good friend David Butler, I did not fear anyone. He was big, very tall, and looked much older than his age. In my eyes he was like a fully grown-up man. I knew he would not let anyone intimidate me, and probably no-one would try while I was in his company.

Isn’t it so good to know that we walk through this hostile world with ‘Somebody bigger than you or I’?