Deliverance
The Bible is filled with stories and symbols. The term story does not imply that an event is not true or historical. God uses stories—many times recounting historical events to relate to us. A story is a vehicle by which we learn.
There are so many marvelous events related in the Bible that we could highlight. But a survey of the Bible is not complete without the story of how the Israelites got to Egypt and then escaped back to Palestine. This is a tremendous story about people and personalities, especially Joseph and Moses. But it is more about God’s hand in history.
The story begins with a shepherd boy by the name of Joseph. Joseph was the next-to-the-youngest son of Jacob (also called Israel). Jacob was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish nation:
Read Genesis 37, then Genesis 39-50, and Exodus 1-14
There are many points that can be made about this sequence of events. But let us just comment on the persons of Joseph and Moses. Joseph was a man of tremendous moral character. He was a model for people in leadership roles today. Moses, on the other hand was more flawed. He was, in fact, a murderer (Exodus 2:12)! He was not a man of great confidence and doubted his own ability (Exodus 3:11, 4:10). Yet God chose to use this very imperfect man to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh.
The Bible often displays in vivid detail the imperfections of the people God raises up to accomplish his purposes. We can see from these people that heroic events can emanate from lowly folk. We should never underestimate what any one life can do with the power of God in it.
Exodus 12:1-14 is another famous and significant passage. Here we read that it is the blood of the perfect lamb that will allow the Israelites to avoid God's wrath. This passage is an example of how important the Old Testament is in understanding the New Testament. With this we have such a clear foreshadowing of how the blood of the perfect human lamb, Jesus—the Lamb of God, will save all of mankind from God's wrath.
The final paragraph in this sequence, i.e. Exodus 14:31, is also worth noting. Make no mistake. The power of God is awesome. We are making a great mistake if we fail to appreciate this. The Bible makes it clear that failing to respect the power of God can be a fatal mistake. To fear God is to appreciate who he is. It is the first step in trusting God. As it says in Psalm 111:10,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.”
The exodus from Egypt, in which God delivers his people from the bondage of slavery, is referred to throughout the rest of the Bible. It is a key event in history. It stands as a prophetic event of how God will ultimately rescue the whole world by sending his only son to deliver all mankind from the bondage of sin.
There are so many marvelous events related in the Bible that we could highlight. But a survey of the Bible is not complete without the story of how the Israelites got to Egypt and then escaped back to Palestine. This is a tremendous story about people and personalities, especially Joseph and Moses. But it is more about God’s hand in history.
The story begins with a shepherd boy by the name of Joseph. Joseph was the next-to-the-youngest son of Jacob (also called Israel). Jacob was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish nation:
Read Genesis 37, then Genesis 39-50, and Exodus 1-14
There are many points that can be made about this sequence of events. But let us just comment on the persons of Joseph and Moses. Joseph was a man of tremendous moral character. He was a model for people in leadership roles today. Moses, on the other hand was more flawed. He was, in fact, a murderer (Exodus 2:12)! He was not a man of great confidence and doubted his own ability (Exodus 3:11, 4:10). Yet God chose to use this very imperfect man to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh.
The Bible often displays in vivid detail the imperfections of the people God raises up to accomplish his purposes. We can see from these people that heroic events can emanate from lowly folk. We should never underestimate what any one life can do with the power of God in it.
Exodus 12:1-14 is another famous and significant passage. Here we read that it is the blood of the perfect lamb that will allow the Israelites to avoid God's wrath. This passage is an example of how important the Old Testament is in understanding the New Testament. With this we have such a clear foreshadowing of how the blood of the perfect human lamb, Jesus—the Lamb of God, will save all of mankind from God's wrath.
The final paragraph in this sequence, i.e. Exodus 14:31, is also worth noting. Make no mistake. The power of God is awesome. We are making a great mistake if we fail to appreciate this. The Bible makes it clear that failing to respect the power of God can be a fatal mistake. To fear God is to appreciate who he is. It is the first step in trusting God. As it says in Psalm 111:10,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.”
The exodus from Egypt, in which God delivers his people from the bondage of slavery, is referred to throughout the rest of the Bible. It is a key event in history. It stands as a prophetic event of how God will ultimately rescue the whole world by sending his only son to deliver all mankind from the bondage of sin.
