Battle Strategies Out of the Hebrew Bible
The children of Israel were engaged in many battles, and when they were doing things right (following God and keeping their hearts pure before Him), the strategies were effective 100% of the time. God uses a variety of battle plans and strategies, almost appearing to loathe repeating Himself.
Crossing the Red Sea
A favorite story in the book of Exodus is when the children of Israel are crossing the Red Sea which is found in Exodus chapter 14.
In the prior chapters, Pharaoh hardened his heart against Israel in response to the various plagues God visited on Egypt. Even after the last plague, the death of all the firstborn of Egypt, as he watches the children of Israel leave, Pharaoh has a change of heart, regretting his decision to let them go, and wants to chase after them and bring them back.
In the opening verses of Chapter 14, the tension is building: it is the Egyptian chase scene. Pharaoh and the Egyptian army have come to hunt down the children of Israel. The Israelites are petrified with fear. They cry out to God, but then they turn on Moses, saying “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:11-12.
Read Exodus 14
1. Where does the LORD tell them to camp at the beginning of Exodus 14? Why?
2. What does God say He will do in Exodus 14:4? Why?
3. What do you learn from Exodus 14:8?
4. What happens to the children of Israel according to Exodus 14:10?
5. What do the children of Israel say to Moses according to exodus 14:11-12?
6. Have you ever had a similar conversation with the LORD when you were facing a battle or struggle? Explain.
7. In Exodus 14:13-14, Moses lays out the battle strategy. Copy Exodus 14:13-14 here.
8. What is the first thing that Moses tells them to do in Exodus 14:13?
9. What do you learn from the following verses?
Deuteronomy 7:18
Deuteronomy 31:6
Isaiah 41:10
Luke 12:32
10. What do you learn about fear from 1 John 4:18?
11. How can fear factor into spiritual warfare?
12. What do these verses teach about why we don’t need to fear?
Psalm 46:1-3
Psalm 56:3-13
Isaiah 43:1
13. What do you learn from Psalm 78:52-53 about how God dealt with the fear that his people felt?
