Stand Still & See the Salvation of YAH

The article was originally published in RESTORATION Magazine.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Exodus 14:13

The beginning of the deliverance of the children of Israel did not start in Exodus; it started in Genesis. The promises of YAH stand forever; His faithfulness is without measure and yet we act in disobedience and unfaithfulness to Him. We roll around in fear and worry and forget that His promises are sure. When Moses questioned why he was sent and why deliverance had not yet happened, YAH responded with authority.

And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel who the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am YHWH; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your Elohim. Then you shall know that I am YHWH your Elohim who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am YHWH’” (Exodus 6:2-8 NKJV).

The Passover

In Exodus 12, we read more about the institution of Passover as Moses delivers YAH’s instructions to the elders.

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorpost with the blood that is in the basin. And none of your shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For YHWH will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, YHWH will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the YAH will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of YHWH, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshipped.

Not only did the people worship, they obeyed. They went and did just as YAH commanded Moses; they responded with obedience. The blood on the two doorposts and the lintel reminds us that our obedience to YAH must be visible to all. It’s not enough to hear and not do. Their lack of obedience would have brought death to all the firstborn among their people. Today, our lack of obedience has brought iniquity, willful sin (lawlessness), error and death within in homes.

The Egyptians were not given the opportunity to be passed over. YAH addressed Moses, and Moses gave instructions to the elders. If we choose Egypt, or the bondage of sin and the nothingness of this world, we will miss the voice and the call to return. We will miss the opportunity to be passed over. We will miss being spared, and we will leave ourselves open to the destroyer. There will be no exodus for us.

We come to the place every year—introspection, self-evaluation, confession, and repentance. While YAH has hovered over us in love, there are still issues of the heart that need to be addressed. In our brokenness, Father, allow us to say that we choose You, and please give us the strength to walk like it. There is deliverance, redemptive and saving power in this season. This is the beginning of months for us—new life and renewal. YAH saw; He judged and He chose to set us free.

The Exodus

We can no longer choose to remain in the places that hold us in bondage, places that keep us from the freedom and peace that YAH has promised. In our obedience to YAH, we have to leave behind the weight and stain of sin. There has to be a mass departure from the things and cares of this world. We draw others to Christ when we stand for righteousness. We increase our faith and hope in Him when we can stand still and watch Him move on our behalf. It was the power of YAH that called to Moses from the burning bush. It was His outstretched arm that showed forth great signs and wonders in Egypt. YAH has always wanted to spare us from death. He has always wanted life for us.

Encamped by the sea with Pharaoh and his army in sight, Israel deemed it better to serve the Egyptians than be free.

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14: 10-14).

When we’re fearful, we say things that we do not mean, and we shy away from opportunities that are meant to grow us. The children of Israel did not see YAH as their salvation until after they had crossed the Sea of Reeds. As they sang, “The LORD is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation” (Exodus 15:2). We too will have a song of praise when we choose to cross over, but I pray that we see His hand working in our lives even before that point. I also pray we see Him in the trials and obstacles that are sent to better our character.

His Salvation

YAH’s salvation is available today, and He is full of grace and truth. Consider who YAH choose as the Lamb offered to spare the people and take away the sins of the world. Perfect in all His ways is our Elohim. The God of righteousness and truth. Yahshua, the image of the invisible God, whose blood cleanses our conscious and can truly get to the root of the matter. Apart from Him we can do nothing; He who is able to save to the upmost has called us to live righteously and to be willing, living offerings every day. This plan of salvation has existed since the foundation of the world, and every year at Passover we make the choice to humbly choose the Lamb of YAH. Has He made His mark on the doorposts and lintel of your heart and mind? Take time to see the salvation of YAH. Accept Him and walk anew.

Kelly Vonner is the co-founder of Restoring the Branches Ministry. She is the wife of Jeremy Vonner and mother of three sons—Jeremiah, Joshua and Josiah. Her and her family live in West Tennessee. She desires to see people committed to following YAH and loving Him with all their heart, mind , soul and strength. Jeremy & Kelly have a congregation in Humboldt, TN that meets every Shabbat @12:30p.