Verse 19 says, “And the Angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them.” The Angel of God in this verse is the very Angel of Jehovah who called Moses in chapter three (vv. 2, 4, Heb.). God called Moses in the person of the Angel of Jehovah. The Angel of Jehovah was simply Jehovah God Himself. In the words of 3:6, the Angel of Jehovah identified Himself, saying, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This indicates that He was the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. The Angel of Jehovah, who is the very Triune God, is Christ as God’s sent One. The fact that God’s sent One went before the camp of Israel indicates that Christ was the One who was leading the people. However, according to 14:19, the Angel of God moved from the front of the people to the rear. This verse goes on to say, “And the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.” When the Angel of God moved, the pillar moved also. This shows that He and the pillar were one.
Verse 20 continues, “And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.” The pillar was a wall separating these two camps. On the Egyptian side of the wall there was darkness, but on the side facing God’s people there was light. This pillar of light protected God’s people from the Egyptians.
We can apply this to our experience in the Lord today. When we began to follow the Lord, the Lord’s guidance became a pillar of light to us. From the time we first believed in the Lord Jesus, we have had the light within us. This light is the guiding light. But when opposition rises up against us, the guiding light spontaneously becomes the protecting light. The light that was once in front of us moves behind us to protect us from opposition and attack. However, to the opposers the protecting light becomes darkness.
I can testify from my experience that whenever I have been opposed, the guiding light has moved behind me to become the protecting light. Otherwise, due to the opposition, I may have been tempted to go backward. I may have doubted the truth of what I had seen. But because the guiding light becomes the protecting light, I have no way to return. The light behind me is so bright that it is impossible to go backward. Furthermore, this protecting light becomes darkness to the opposers. On the one hand, I am protected by the light; on the other hand, the opposers are wholly in darkness. This is the principle seen in 14:19 and 20.
If we are faithful to the Lord, His guiding light will become our protecting light whenever we face opposition. This light will also spontaneously become darkness to those who oppose us. Because the opposers are in darkness and we are in the light, we are protected. The fact that this light is Christ as the Angel of Jehovah indicates that the very Christ who is light to us may cause darkness to come upon the opposers. For those who follow the will of God, the guiding light becomes the protecting light. But to those who oppose God’s people, the light becomes darkness. Be assured that whenever you are attacked by such opposers, the opposing ones will be full of darkness. In such a way the Lord protects His people.
The pillar of cloud stood between the children of Israel and the Egyptians as a separating wall. On the side of God’s people, there was light. But on the side of the Egyptians, there was darkness. Whether we are in light or in darkness depends on whether we follow the Lord or attack His people. If we are among the opposers, the pillar will be darkness to us. But if we follow the Lord, the pillar will give us light.
We have pointed out that the light we receive from the Lord firstly guides us. Then when opposition comes, it protects us. If we do not have the guiding light, we cannot have the protecting light. Many of us can testify that after we have received light, we are protected by this light, no matter how intense the opposition may be. When we are attacked, we may be tempted by the enemy to doubt our way or our standing. But during such times of doubt, the light we have received is our confirmation. This is the protecting light.
Often the light grows brighter in times of opposition and persecution. As the light becomes brighter for us, the opposers sink further and further into darkness. Eventually, the opposers may be in such great darkness that they themselves no longer understand what they are talking about. Because they attack these who are following the Lord, they are fully in darkness. As a result, they may suffer death in some form. I have seen this take place many times. Firstly the opposers were in darkness, but eventually they suffered death.
The more the opposers attack God’s people, the more they themselves are in darkness. Not only may they be in ignorance or blindness; they may also become illogical and unreasonable. They may be in such thick darkness that they lose their reason. Suppose a friend or relative opposes you because you follow the Lord. The more this one opposes you, the more he is in darkness. Eventually, he may lose his senses and begin to act unreasonably. His words and behavior may be not only against the light and truth of God; they may also be against reason. Nevertheless, while the attackers are in such thick darkness, you enjoy the shining of the protecting light.
Consider the situation among the religionists when the Lord Jesus was on earth. To the disciples, the Lord was light. But to the religionists, He was a cause of darkness. Because the religionists were in darkness, they spread evil rumors about the Lord and even twisted His words. For example, they twisted His word about destroying the temple and raising it up in three days (Matt. 26:61). On the side of the religionists, there was darkness. But on the side of the Lord and His disciples, there was light. For this reason, the Lord Jesus told the religionists that they were blind (Matt. 23:16).
Furthermore, when Saul of Tarsus was converted, the Lord charged him to turn others from darkness to light (Acts 26:18). The darkness the Lord was talking about here was particularly the darkness of Judaism. At the time of Paul, Judaism was altogether in darkness. The same is true of Catholicism, Protestantism, and the independent religious groups today. The more those in these groups oppose the truth, the more they are in darkness. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He Himself was the testing stone. Then in the book of Acts the apostles and later the churches became the testing stone. Today we in the Lord’s recovery have become the testing stone.
We have pointed out that the children of Israel were led by the Angel of God. He was the One who took the lead to bring them out of Egypt and to guide them through the wilderness into the good land. Before chapter fourteen, He was present among the people, but His name was not mentioned. As we shall see, in 23:20 the Lord said, “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” Furthermore, in the book of Zechariah we once again see the Angel of God (3:5). This Angel, the sent One of God, the very One who led the children of Israel and protected them from the Egyptians, was still taking care of God’s people. When the Angel of God moved from the front of the people to the rear, the pillar moved also, for the Angel and the pillar were one. It is the same in our experience today. In our experience we cannot separate the Lord from the guiding Spirit.
After Pharaoh served the purpose God had for him, he became a sacrifice. I have often issued a warning not to become a sacrifice by opposing the church. Nevertheless, some have not taken heed to this warning and have become sacrifices. The more they opposed the church, the more illogical and unreasonable they became. Their unreasonable behavior was a sign that they were in darkness.
The more we are attacked and opposed as we follow the Lord, the brighter the guiding and protecting light becomes. Nevertheless, the opposers may continue their attack in spite of the darkness that envelopes them. Surely Pharaoh must have seen the pillar that separated the children of Israel from the Egyptians. But still he did not call back his chariots. Instead, having lost his reason, he continued his pursuit of God’s people and became a sacrifice.