Exodus 14:14

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Stefanie HutchesonWandering Through the Bible

July 9

 

Good morning! Are you ready to explore another verse with me this morning? Great! Take a moment and read these translations of EXODUS 14:14

New International Version (©2011)
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
New Living Translation (©2007)
The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."
English Standard Version (©2001)
The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
The LORD will fight for you; you must be quiet."
International Standard Version (©2012)
The LORD will fight for you while you keep still."
NET Bible (©2006)
The LORD will fight for you, and you can be still."
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
The LORD is fighting for you! So be still!"
King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
American King James Version
The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
American Standard Version
Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
Darby Bible Translation
Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall be still.
English Revised Version
The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
World English Bible
Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still."
Young's Literal Translation
Jehovah doth fight for you, and ye keep silent.'


That was quite a lot of different ways of saying the same thing. Or was it? Did you ever play that game "Gossip"? The premise is that somebody whispers a phrase or sentence into someone else's ear. Then that person repeats it to the next person's ear and so on and so on until the last person then recites what s/he heard. In most cases, it is not what the original verbiage was. Close? Mmn, maybe. Maybe not. Lots of things get misinterpreted in the translation.

So back to this verse. The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still. Hmn. How would you phrase it? Be still or be calm? Hold your peace? Keep silent? Looks like all of those Bible scholars differed a smidge in their latter part of the verse but the first part they seemed to be most agreeable in: it is the Lord Who does the fighting. Our part, however it is deemed, is basically to do nothing.

Do nothing? Let the Lord handle it? I surely have to add to it or voice my opinion or stand up and fight or…On and on it goes and it wearies me just thinking of all the ways I think I need to try to help my God fix things. Funny: I don't recall Him asking me where to hang the stars and galaxies. And the animals? He surely didn't ask my opinion or not on whether to make spiders, snakes, and mosquitoes. Don't even get me started on how I feel about the way He made man for surely I could have assisted Him better with that! Right?

Un, no, Stef. Wrong. Just as God needed no help from me in creating the world, He needs no help from me in the fights, the battles, the disputes with friends, coworkers, family, and such that I face. Truthfully, when I try to make things right within myself, don't I usually mess things up? I just have to have my say. It must be done my way or it just won't suffice. Oh yes, I am just so perfect that if things don't match my standards then they just need to be left alone. Kind of like me. I am alone. All of my master plans, my dictatorship way of thinking, my do-as-I-say attitude left me alone. I may have won a few battles but the war? The war is still being fought and I am on the sidelines, finally still, finally seeing what a mess I made, and wishing, oh how I wish that I had just left it all alone, left it in Your hands, God. Let You fight the misery of broken relationships instead of trying to force them into what I thought was best. I'm alone, on the sidelines, watching those family members, those former friends, those whom I used to work with go on with their lives, leaving me behind as collateral damage because I was too intent on having it my way. The hindsight is indeed 20/20.

So what now? The war still rages in my mind, in my heart. Obviously my battle plans didn't succeed. New thoughts and resolutions come to my mind on how to resolve these broken relationships but…Can they really be put back in place? Can they ever be the same? Are they beyond repair?

You be still, Stef. Just be calm. You only have to be silent, to hold your peace. You must be quiet. You must be still.

Sigh. Okay, Lord. Let's try it Your way. I'm being still. I'm listening. I'm waiting. My tongue is silent. Fight my battles, Father. Fight for me.

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