While I’ve always loved the story of the Exodus, I’ve come to appreciate it now more than ever. This story resembles our current crisis in so many ways that we’re able to identify with it thousands of years later. For anyone who says that the Bible is an ancient book that is irrelevant to us today, they need to read it, believe it and live out in order to understand its relevance and value to their daily life. So here are some of the lessons I’m taking away from this story that I hope you will too.
A Reason to Exit Like the Israelites who grew somewhat comfortable living as slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, we can become so accustomed to discomfort that we no longer feel the need to leave whatever it is that has been holding us captive. It took a series of plagues for them to finally be set free and for many today, COVID-19 has become the plague that has set us free from anything and anyone that has held us hostage (e.g., toxic environments, relationships, habits, etc.). I’ve heard it said that anything that drives us to God is good and I couldn’t agree more.
God Fights for Us One of the main themes that runs like a common thread throughout the Exodus narrative – and that I’ve come to personally experience – is that God is fighting for His people! Moses, their leader, reassured them of it, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14 NIV). Even the Egyptian army acknowledged it. When the Lord “jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving…the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt” (v. 25). And my favourite part of the story, “That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore” (v.30). The Lord is fighting for you, are you seeing His deliverance?
Deliverance Drives Worship “And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant” (v.31). In the following chapter, we see Moses, his sister Miriam and the Israelites erupt in worship. While we’re encouraged to worship God daily, I’ve come to realize that seeing Him deliver me time and time again has driven me to worship Him more and more. Because the God who cares and fights for us is worthy of our trust, reverence and worship.
Walk in Freedom For many years the Israelites cried for deliverance and when the Lord finally stepped in and set them free, they wanted to go back to Egypt whenever they were afraid or discontent. Even though there was nothing good about those old days, they were eager and ready to return back to the land of slavery. When God sets you free from your terrible past, don’t ever ask to go back to it. The new and unfamiliar may seem hard at first, but if we stick around long enough, we will see that it was worth the wait. Enjoy your newfound freedom. The Promised Land is so much better and beautiful. Don’t ever go back to your Egypt!
Mighty to Save As we celebrate the salvation that was won for us at the Cross, let’s also remember that now that we are saved from sin, God is still mighty to save us from other things that we can’t see and control. As long as we continue to live on earth, we’re engaged in a constant battle and we’re in constant need of salvation. I’m grateful for the salvation from sin that Jesus provided for me thousands of years ago, but I’m also thankful that His salvation extends beyond the Cross. He continues to save me from people and things that are not good for me, allowing me to live in freedom. As we mature in our walk with Him, we need to see and apply the truths of what we’ve been taught to all areas of our lives.
I pray that this Easter, the Lord will lead you from slavery to freedom, from Egypt to the Promised Land and from death to life. God bless you!
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
Rising with the Son 