articlesforchristians

The Exodus-The Plan of Redemption

• Nearly four centuries passed after the Israelites came to Egypt in the days of Joseph. “And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:7-8). The new king set harsh taskmasters over the Israelites and set them at hard labor in the fields and in constructing cities and walls. This story is rich in typology, for the deliverance of Israel from bondage illustrates God’s plan of redemption for fallen humanity. I Corinthians 10:1-11 teaches that we can use the flight from Egypt as an example for us today.
• Forty Years in Egypt
  • The Birth of Moses
    • Pharaoh became fearful that the Hebrews would rise up and overthrow the Egyptians, so he commanded the midwives to kill every newborn male Hebrew at the time of birth.
    • “But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive” (Exodus 1:17).
    • Then Pharaoh commanded all his people to destroy the baby boys by throwing them into a river (Exodus 1:22). After Moses was born, he was hid three months by his parents, Jochebed and Amram. When they could no longer hide him in their home, his mother made an ark of bulrushes and waterproofed it with slime and pitch. She hid him each day in the reeds along the river. His sister, Miriam, watched the baby Moses from the shore.
    • One day while on her way to wash herself at the river, Pharaoh’s daughter chanced to find the ark there among the reeds. She had the ark brought to her, and when she opened it, Moses wept and Pharaoh’s daughter had compassion on the small baby. She determined to take the child and bring him up in the palace. Miriam offered to contact a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for the daughter of Pharaoh. “And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it” (Exodus 2:9). The woman, who was Jochebed, took the child to her home, nursed him, and received wages for nursing her own baby. “And the child grew, and she brought him [Moses] unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son” (Exodus 2:10). The same river that could have been the means of destruction of Moses became his salvation, just as Jesus becomes our Savior instead of our Judge if we follow His plan of salvation for us.
  • Moses’ Choice
    • When Moses was grown, he went out one day among his brethren and saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. He killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he saw two Hebrews fighting and attempted to separate them. One of them said, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14). Because Moses had acted out of God’s will, his efforts to lead were rejected by the people. He was unprepared at this stage for the task that he would later perform. (See also Hebrews 11:23-29.)
• Forty Years in Midian
  • Moses realized that his deed was known, and fearing revenge by Pharaoh, he fled to the land of Midian. There he met and married Zipporah, a daughter of the Midianite priest Jethro.
  • Moses’ Call
    • One day as Moses was tending sheep, he beheld a bush burning. Upon closer examination, he was amazed when he saw it was not consumed with the fire. God called to him out of the midst of the bush, giving him his call for his life’s work. God told Moses that He had heard the cries of the people and that He would use him to deliver them from bondage and lead them to their promised land.
  • God Proves Himself to Moses
    • Moses expressed doubts that he could do the job, so God had him to cast down the rod he held in his hand. When he did so, the rod changed into a serpent. God had him pick it up by the tail, and it turned back into the rod. God then told Moses to put his hand into his bosom. Moses obeyed, and when he took his hand out it was white with leprosy. Then Moses was told to thrust his hand back into his garment. When he removed his hand, this time it was healed. Thus he was shown that God could make him victorious over everything that would confront him. Likewise God’s people today can totally trust in the Lord, knowing that He will bring triumph over the devil, the world, and the flesh.
• Moses the Deliverer
  • Moses Before Pharaoh-Ten Plagues
    • Moses obeyed the Lord, returned to Egypt, went to Pharaoh, and told him that God had said, “Let my people go.” Pharaoh desired to keep the Hebrews in bondage and rebelled against God’s will. Disaster came to Egypt in the form of ten plagues from God. Significantly, God used the things the Egyptians worshiped-frogs, cattle, the sun, and the Nile river-to demonstrate His great power. After each of the first nine plagues, Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go, but in each instance, he later had a change of heart. His deceit set the stage for the most dreadul plague yet to come.
  • Passover-Deliverance by the Blood
    • The Lord told Moses to speak to the congregation and tell them to take a male lamb of the first year without blemish for each household. He instructed them to kill the lamb and to apply its blood to the two doorposts and the lintel of each house. They were then to roast the lamb and eat it that night, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They were to eat in haste with shoes on their feet, belts on their waist, and a staff in their hand, because it was time to leave Egypt. At midnight the Lord passed through the land of Egypt and killed the firstborn of every household that did not have blood upon the doorpost. When he saw blood on the doorpost, He passed by that house and the inhabitants inside were safe.
    • Salvation in this age is dependent upon the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood of Jesus must be applied through obedience to the gospel. If the Lord did not find blood applied to the doorpost, instant death resulted. The blood of the innocent lamb is symbolic of the blood of the Lamb of God that delivers from spiritual bondage.
  • Deliverance through the Red Sea
    • Pharaoh at last agreed to let the Hebrews go. The Lord led them out of Egypt with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day (Exodus 13:21). After the people left Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind again and sent his army after the Israelites. God led the Israelites to the Red Sea. When the people saw Pharaoh’s chariots closing in on them, they cried out against Moses. Moses told the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever’ (Exodus 14:13). Moses lifted his rod, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night (Exodus 14:7-21). The people miraculously crossed over upon dry ground with the waters as a great wall on either side. In every situation the Lord will always make a way of escape for His people. (See I Corinthians 10:13.) The Egyptians were in pursuit, but as soon as the Israelites got across, the Lord had Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea. The waters fell on the Egyptians and they were all drowned. “And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore” (Exodus 14:30). Salvation is the whole process by which Christ rescues a person from sin and makes him a child of God.
• Jesus Christ rescues from sin and death; He restores the soul, and He puts a new song into the heart.
• In typology, Egypt represents bondage, or sin. The Red Sea is a type of baptism for “all our fathers.. baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (I Corinthians 10:1-2). A future lesson will show that entering the promised land is a type of receiving God’s promise. There were battles to be fought, giants to face, and walls to bring down. Thus we see God’s plan of salvation: repentance (leaving Egypt), baptism (crossing the Red Sea), and moving into the promise of God (the Holy Spirit).