The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. (Psalm 18:13-15)
I think it is important to keep in mind that David originally wrote this psalm, as a young man, after he was delivered from the hand of Saul. Tradition says that, toward the end of his life, he revised this song somewhat with the idea that it was to be a song representing all of Israel and their deliverance from future enemies. It is this point that amplifies how David describes God’s deliverance of His people — he connects it with themes that are prevalent in the Exodus account and Israel’s redemption from Egypt. Think of all the great and mighty wonders He displayed in Egypt culminating with the crossing of the sea. Moses described that scene this way:
“You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; it consumed them like stubble. And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.” (Exodus 15:7-8)
As we know, this provided Israel safe passage through the waters on a heretofore unseen ocean bed. It had to be a fascinating and frightful experience for the people of God, not to mention what it must have done to the once arrogant Egyptians. Prior to their descent into the sea, God had held them at bay with the pillar of cloud which cast Pharaoh’s army into darkness, and at the same time, provided light for Israel. When they were finally permitted to ride into the sea bed, God caused confusion to come upon them; their chariot wheels came off as fear began to take hold of them. They had only minutes to live. Now here is the point: to bring all of this to pass, God had only to breathe.
Think of how easy and natural it is for us to breathe: most of us do it without thinking about it. And while I understand that God is Spirit, not human, still the breath in our lungs comes from Him, and so — with a blast of His nostrils, an easy task, God vanquished the enemies of Israel. And so David’s psalm reminds us that, when we find ourselves in what seems to be an impossible situation — standing at a dead end with Pharaoh’s chariots closing in and no possible way of escape in sight — all God has to do is breathe. With a single breath from on High, the difficult and hopeless situation becomes an avenue that leads to freedom, deliverance and redemption. May this be the day He breathes into our lives and provides that way of escape we’ve been longing for.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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