I’ve got your back

And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. – Exodus 14v19

I find this account fascinating. Just at the time you might think God would stand out front and lead Israel across the Red Sea He does just the opposite!

As they get ready to move through the Red Sea the Angel of God (probably a pre-incarnate Jesus) and the pillar of cloud that guided them moved from the front of the people to the back. That doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense at first. Why would He move to the back when it seemed they needed His leadership the most?

One of the great lines from police or military films is the phrase, ‘I’ve got your back.’ It means ‘As you move out I am watching out for you. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.’

You would really want to trust the guy who says, ‘I’ve got your back.' Before you headed out you would want to be sure that he was on your side and he was going to watch out for you. When you head out like that you are vulnerable and need someone you can trust.

As Israel moved forward they had to do so by faith. God moved to the back to protect them from the Egyptians. He in effect said, ‘Go ahead folks, I’ve got your back.’

We are not always going to see God leading out in front. In fact it seems to me that most of the time we just have to step out and trust God to guard our back.

The old King James mentions the word ‘rereward’ especially in relation to God’s presence in the book if Isaiah. I like old words so I always remember that one. A ‘rereward’ is like a modern day rearguard.

When we, like Israel, have to move out by faith we can trust that God is our rereward!