Zhi Qian Dong Feng

Red Cliff Part 1 was boring. Perhaps I watched it on DVD and so the panoramic effects of the battle formations were lost on the TV screen, albeit a wide-screen plasma TV. Part 2 of the movie was much more impressive as I watched it in the cinema and the military ploys and ruses were more evident.

What struck me most in Red Cliff Part 2 were the words "zhi qian dong feng" (literally translated as "only lacking the east wind"). This of course refers to the plan of the Commander-in-Chief, Zhou Yu, to use fire to destroy the fleet of his protagonist, Tsao Tsao. However, the prevailing winds in the winter conditions then were west winds which would blow in the direction of Zhou Yu's boats and destroy them instead. To cut a long story short, the movie climazed in a change in wind to southeasterly direction and Zhou Yu won the battle.

In the Old Testament days, the east wind played an instrumental part in the dividing of the Red Sea, saving the fleeing Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians. As Creator of the world, God has absolute command over the elements and all things are within His control.

"21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,
22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."
(Exodus 14 : 21 - 22)

The warring commanders and their advisers in ancient China's Three Kingdoms exerted great human efforts as they racked their brains to out-manoeuvre each other in guise after guise. Even then, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang had to depend on the east wind for their plan at the Red Cliff to succeed.

For the Israelites who were commanded to take possession of the promised land Caanan and had to contend with opposing armies more numerous and better-built, human efforts were in vain. It was only when the Lord God was with the Israelites that they were able to vanquish their enemies. Indeed, the battle is the Lord's.

"1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky.
2 The people are strong and tall--Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?"
3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you."
(Deuteronomy 9 : 1 - 3)

That the battle is the Lord's gives me great solace when I face difficulties and problems. Humanly, I have the tendency to seek the help of this or that person. But when I remain perplexed with a problem, I remind myself that the good God will fight the battle for me. My prayer is for the Lord Jesus to be my Advocate, to resolve whatever difficult issue that I am facing. Amen.