Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
The Hebrew language contains numerous words that have the same root yet vast differences in meaning. On deeper examination however, these words can be related in illuminating ways. For example, the three Hebrew letters --"Lamed", "Chet", and "Mem"-- which spell, "lechem", or "bread" in English, are also the root letters for "fight" (lehilachem) and "war" (milchama). For centuries Rabbis have discussed and debated the connection between these three words.
Some Rabbis wrote that ancient wars were primarily fought over bread (economic/sustenance). Others wrote that in order to make bread, you have to beat or kneed the dough. Still others suggested that man first has to sweat and struggle for his daily bread from the ground [Genesis 3:19], and then again, struggle with his fellow man to keep it. These explanations begin to establish a possible connection...
Interestingly, the book of Exodus contains these root-related words within a span of three chapters. As the children of Israel were leaving Egypt they found themselves surrounded, with the Red Sea before them and the army of Egypt behind. At this critical point Exodus 14:14 declares, "YHVH will fight for you (yilachem lachem); and you will be silent."
Then, Moses and Miriam's victory song in chapter 15 exults, "YHVH is a man of war", "YHVH Milchama."
Further on in Exodus 16, we read that God provided bread (lechem) from heaven!
We can begin to observe that the root letters of words in the Hebrew language are not haphazard or accidental. And while it may seem obscure, what we find in these chapters in Exodus, words derived from the the same root, ("lamed", "chet", "mem") actually foreshadow a New Testament reality in the life, identity and work of Yeshua the Messiah, who is the perfect image and expression of YHVH. John 6:48 reveals Yeshua's (Jesus') identity as our bread ("lechem") of life; then, Revelation 19:11 reveals a "rider... called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war (milchama").
Know that the Lord has you covered in every way! He is the one who FIGHTS for you, and the one who PROVIDES for your every need. The "root connection" between these two words can be no accident when we realize that the Living Word Himself gave them as a testimony to these essential aspects of His love and care for us.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]In the year 1920, young Oswald Smith stood before the examining board for the selection of missionaries. He had wanted to be a missionary for as long as he could remember, and for all that time had been crying out to God that He might open a door for him to do so. Finally, his time had come. There he stood awaiting his destiny. His long-awaited was about to come…”No.”
When God called Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness.
Let me tell you a funny little story. An old mountaineer and his wife were sitting by the fireplace one evening, passing the time in silence. After a while, the wife broke the stillness and said, “Jed, I think it’s raining. Go outside and check, will ya?”
During his reign, King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in a bind. Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. After careful reflection, he decided to ask the women of Prussia if they would bring their jewelry of gold and silver to be melted down for their country. Each piece of jewelry he received, he would exchange for a decoration of bronze or iron as a symbol of his gratitude. These decorations would be inscribed, ‘I gave gold for iron, 18l3’.
In connection with the Hebrew Word “Amen”, meaning “faith”, “truth”, “belief”, and “trust”, consider this revealing passage in Isaiah which further amplifies the dimensions of the word in the most wonderful and comforting promise:
“He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth [“Amen” in Hebrew]. …
After spending forty years in the wilderness, the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land arriving to immediately face what seemed an impregnable fortress and an impossible task. Imagine receiving the instruction to march around the fortified city seven times, then finally be commanded to shout with all your might and sound shofars!
What is it about salt? And how do I season speech with it? Gracious speech is sweet, yet Paul says to season it with salt.