We have seen how the forces of evil react to having one of their principalities shattered. Today, the minions of satan are full force running to and fro trying to regain their powers of darkness in Washington, DC. There are examples of spiritual strongholds throughout scripture. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Daniel 10 describes how an angel of the Lord was delayed because of the prince of Persia in the spirit world. But there is a clear real-world example where the LORD GOD honors obedience and dismantles entire principalities.
Exodus 13:17 says, “After Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide them to the highway that goes through the land of the Philistines, because it was close by—God thought that the people, upon seeing war, might change their minds and return to Egypt.” Jonatan Sacks in his book Covenant and Conversation, writes, “That is why He led the Israelites on a circuitous route, knowing that they could not face the full challenge of liberty immediately. There are no shortcuts on the long walk to freedom.” This would be a long journey for the Israelite people, one that would take a generation to complete. But the LORD also had his purpose of completing the judgment of the gods of Egypt to demonstrate that ADONAI is God!
ADONAI told Moses in Exodus 14:1-2, “Tell the people of Israel to turn around and set up camp in front of Pi-Hachirot, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Ba’al-Tz’fon; camp opposite it, by the sea.” The place God specifically tells Moses to camp is located at Ba’al-Tz’fon. Ba’al Tz’fon is the only god left in Egypt that hadn’t been judged and thrown down by the LORD during the plagues of Egypt. In Hebrew Ba’al is translated as “master,” “lord,” or “owner,” and is used to refer to various pagan gods, usually associated with a certain locality. Tz’fon is the Hebrew word for “north,” so a precise translation would be—“Master of the North.” In the Egyptian “Book of the Dead” a god known as the “Lord of the Northern sky,” has the Egyptian name of Set. Set is the patron deity of Northern Egypt, believed to control desert storms, chaos, and water.
The LORD knew that Pharaoh would come after the people thinking that the “desert had closed in” on the Israelites, believing that ADONAI was not able to protect them from Ba’al-Tz’fon. The stage was set for a final throw down of all Egyptian gods. By the Israelites camping right in front of Ba’al-Tz’fon, the Egyptian god of storms, chaos, and water, this deity was refuted by ADONAI’s complete control of the wind, chaos, and water— by miraculously dividing it into two walls, a path of escape from Pharaoh. Herein, this great miracle was not only to save the Israelites, but also to demonstrate God’s authority over principalities of spiritual darkness. Even today these principalities rage against righteousness in their time left, but our GOD is above all. Like the Israelites of old, we have a role to play. Having done all, to stand. For GOD will deliver.
