BEFORE, BEHIND!
"But you will not go out in haste, nor will you go as a fugitive; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:12.
What a promise to His people! God promises that He will lead the way much like special forces precede our military when they encounter new territory and proceed to move forwrd. As believers, we don't blaze the trail. God already moves in ahead of us to rout the enemy and set up the battle ground for victory.
We may count on Him to be our leader in battle whenever He calls us to do warfare for Him. Clothed in the armor that is God Himself, we can rely on Jesus to lead the way and to be there as our protection and shield.
Likewise, He promises to bring up the rear. He ALWAYS has our backs! No sneak attack of the enemy can drive a spear into our spine, because God is already there to protect our hind parts. No enemy can get past Him to surprise us in a blind spot when God is guarding our most vulnerable parts.
However, the Bible warns us in other places about the danger of not relying on God's protection. Joshua 1:7 says:
"Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go."
Isaiah described protection by God before and behind us, but our sides, left and right, are not covered. God told Joshua obedience to ALL the law of God is the secret to assuring His protection is ours, even our flanks. God specified to Joshua: Do not turn from obedience to the right or to the left.
In tight spots the human inclination is to resort in desperation to reasoning our way out of a problem rather than continuing to rely on God and His words of promise for our success. If and when we step out of the path God lays before us, either to the left or right, we leave His protection to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). We make wrong decisions based on feelings or emotions or just plain bad advice from others and we grieve God's heart with that disobedience. We remove ourself from His protection.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
In a nutshell, God guards our going both front and rear as long as we walk in complete obedience to Him. It's that simple. It's a matter of our will choosing to obey Him no matter what we face or how it appears. But when He is our leader and we walk by faith in His promise to protect us, we are totally safe.
Hear how complete His protection is:
"'For I,' declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'" Zechariah 2:5.
What a glorious protection! Inside and out, the fire of God burns in the one who is solely dependent on God's Spirit for everything. Fire is hot; it burns waste and purifies! Fire is light; it gives vision and understanding. Fire is protection within and without from enemies who fear both its heat and its light!
Total, complete and instant obedience is the way into that protection. Know the Word of God by feeding on it to know what God's commandments are and how to obey them. Meet often with God in prayer, so that He can transform you more and more according to His Word. Walk in all the fullness of God and enjoy His immediate, continuing protection from evil and all your enemies. Obey, obey, obey!