day no. 15,782: calling upon the armies to march

Exodus 6:26
These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, "Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies."

While reading Toby Sumpter's Blood-Bought World, he commented on the passage above by saying,

"The word for 'armies' or 'hosts' is tsabaoth. It's used six time in the book of Exodus, and it never refers to soldiers of Pharaoh. It always refers to the children of Israel. Let that sink in. The story of the Exodus is not merely a rescue story. It is not merely an emancipation story. It's a conquest story. We tend to think the king of Egypt as a paranoid despot, greedy and consolidating. But his fear that 'there falleth out any war' and they might 'join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.' (Exod. 1:10) actually turns out to have been ironic prescience. Yahweh is the 'enemy' whom the Pharaoh chose to pick a fight with, and He did declare war on Egypt. And Israel was drawn into the fight, joined this enemy of Egypt, and did get them up out of the land."

The children of Israel were organized by military divisions. They were perceived to be a threat to Egypt because they would all fight for the same team, under the same banner, and Pharaoh suspected that banner would not be the jersey of his franchise. He was right. He produced his very fear by poking the bear when he provoked the Lord of hosts to march His hosts out of Egypt. God led them through the sea and into the promised land and Pharaoh and his men, for their part, were left vanquished and underwater. God called His armies to march and as they obeyed by faith, putting one foot in front of the other, they stepped into freedom.

Later Sumpter goes on to say,

"But what about Pharaoh's armies? As Pharaoh's heart completely hardens and he realized what he has done in allowing Israel to leave, he assembles his chariots and captains. 'But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea' (14:9). Only Pharaoh does not actually have an 'army.' The Hebrews says that he has 'strength.' Or again the Lord say, 'And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them; and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen' (14:17).  And yet, the Hebrew actually says that Pharaoh has chariots and horsemen, but strictly speaking he has no 'host.' Again, the word is 'strength.' Only Yahweh has a host. Only the Lord has armies. Pharaoh has chariots and captains and horsemen and his own strength. But Pharaoh has no armies."

The world relies upon its own strength and wields it wildly in response to its disorganized cravings and desires. The children of Israel, the armies of God, march according to their military divisions, in an orderly fashion, under control, under authority, under God. Chaos cannot march, it can only riot; but the meek follow footsteps into the well-ordered and established land of promise.