Our Great Defender

I've heard it said there's none fiercer than a mama hen who's defending her chicks. Can you relate? One day while parked in the middle school pick-up line, I watched my nephew purposely tripped by a student. Unfortunately, after Blake climbed into the van, he realized he needed to retrieve forgotten homework. On the walk back to his locker, the student tripped him again. I felt my blood pressure rising as my sons walking the same path weren't bothered. On Blake's last trip, the kid tripped him once again, and this time my sweet nephew fell to the ground and was hurt. My heart broke as he confessed in a flood of tears and humiliation that the boy had been harassing him for months.

I was one angry mama hen as I slapped that minivan into gear and wheeled up to the student. I remember asking God to help me as I calmly waited and told the parent about his child's poor behavior. The father assured me it wouldn't happen again. It's been 20 years since that event, but God has used that memory countless times to remind me that He will always be my defender when bullies attack.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see God defending the Israelites against numerous bullies. In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham many blessings, including countless heirs, protection, provision, and land. In Exodus 6, God reminds Moses of His Covenant. He assured him that He saw the Israelites burden under the Egyptians, and He promised again that He would deliver them from bondage. (Exodus 6:1-9)

Our key scripture, Exodus 15:2, is part of the first twenty-one verses making up a song that scholars call the Song of the Sea or the Song of Moses. This holy song penned by Moses exalts God's name while celebrating His power at the parting of the Red Sea. Behind the descriptive phrasings referring to the horse and riders cast into the sea is the faithfulness of a promise-keeping God. (Exodus 15:1, 4-5, 10) Because of the Covenant that God made with Abraham, we, too, can depend on God to defend us when enemies attack. Like Moses, we can take comfort that God sees every detail of what we experience at the hands of our oppressors.

In Exodus 23:22, God specifically told the Israelites that if they obeyed Him, He would be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries. Today, we have the blessing of living under the New Covenant that operates in grace. The Mosaic covenant was based somewhat on Israel's obedience. But the glorious truth for us to grasp is that when we trust Jesus as our Savior, we have all the unconditional blessings of our promise-keeping God. That means God's character is still faithful to defend us against our enemies. And He always has good intentions toward His children. (Psalm 34:8, 19)

When I experience the enemy's oppression, I imagine God's anger like mine when my nephew was mistreated. Blake is like one of my sons, and I love him the same. God's love far exceeds our human parental love. In fact, He loves us with such a perfect love that Deuteronomy 32:10 says that we are the apple of his eye. The Hebrew meaning behind this verse is that the eye's pupil is the most essential and delicate part of our bodies and must be protected. Because Israel is so precious to God, He will defend and bring great judgment against any who oppress His children. (Psalm 17:8, Zechariah 2:8) What a defender!

Like Israel, we are precious to God. He cares about all that hurts or afflicts us. He longs to see us living in freedom and grace. After the Red Sea deliverance, Moses said that the Lord was his strength, song, and salvation. We, too, can take heart because He is our strong song. He is our reason for singing, and He will take on our enemies as though they are His.

Blessings Soul Friends, 

Read more from Melanie in her 4-part fiction series Love, Peace and Second Chances, featured in issues 1 - 4 of Sweet To The Soul FAITH.

Melanie Davis Porter is a simple girl who loves Jesus, the Arts, and good books.  She is an experienced playwright for the church and writes for Proverbs 31 Ministries First 5 App.  To connect with Melanie, visit www.melaniedavisporter.com