15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Exodus 13:15-20
How’s that for encouragement. You can do this, Moses, so do it!
Before he actually did it, though, the angel of God had to change positions. He would now be guarding them from the rear, and they wouldn’t be able to see what was going on ahead of them. I imagine that sent a wave of confusion among the rank and file Egyptians. The Israelites had perfect light but the Egyptians were in darkness. It also gave the Israelites a false sense of security, but fortunately Moses knew what was going on so he didn’t need to worry the masses.
In military terms, it’s called checking your six. It’s the six o’clock position on a clock, and it essentially means watching your back for your vulnerabilities you may not be able to see because of your circumstances.
God has our six. He watches our back. He knows the pitfalls. Most of the pitfalls are in the lists of sins and temptations in the Bible we are to avoid: greed, love of money, sexual impurity, pride, gossip, impure thoughts, covetousness, dishonesty, murder, stealing, and a whole lot more. Righteous, moral living helps prevent unexpected revelations. For example, if your standard is being honest in every situation no matter how much it may hurt, nobody will be able to confront you about being dishonest. That’s how the Word of God itself is able to watch your six.
Asking God to help with your blind spots when you’re involved in ministry is another fantastic way of watching your six. In ministry as in life, God is looking out for you, but even praying that helps keep you aware of the threats the enemy can blind side you with.