600 Chariots

Often familiar stories have strands of information that are overlooked.  Pieces that make a contribution to meaning, but never surface due to the familiar.  That is what struck me about the "600 chariots" mentioned in the liberation account of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  Many stand and debate the historicity of the "exodus," and this is not to be minimized, but in the midst of the story is a teaching that is potent.

Pharaoh had given the go ahead for the Israelites to leave Egypt: at last the weak and seemingly insignificant group of people with a "new God" had won the battles with Pharaoh.  Yet, it did not take Pharaoh long to realize the consequence of his declaration: a loss of human resource to build his state.  With that, Pharaoh had a change of mind (Exodus 14:5), and he deployed some 600 chariots to bring the Israelites back to Egypt (14:6).

Amidst the story, the reader asks: why include a data strand like 600 chariots?  There may be several good interpretations, but in the end it becomes a sign of "power."  The ongoing power of Egypt verses the nascent power of God's people.  Pharaoh was going to bring the might of his military machine down on the Israelites, and this will lead to one last battle.

At times, today we face similar cultural clashes as we live for God.  There is the power of the "world," that seems to have endless resources at its disposal.  Then there is the church, which is trying to take a stand amidst the culture of the day to be salt and light.  I think many can become insecure and frustrated at the cultural battles of today.  How can the church become a voice of hope and righteousness today?  The balances of power are too heavily tilted toward the world and its ways.

So what is the church to do?  How should we position ourselves amidst cultural struggles?

We can either throw our hands in the air, and say "there is no hope."  Or, we can take confidence that we serve a bigger God than that of the culture around us.  God fought on the behalf of His people in the exodus story...and He has not changed!

600 chariots.  That was then.

We know the rest of the story.  We know that God dealt with the powers of the Egyptians...

He can do it for us today.