The Hebrews’ life was literally changed overnight. For generations they had been slaves in Egypt—born as slaves, raised as slaves, and died as slaves. It was beyond their wildest imagination that they would ever be set free.
Now 2 million of them were traversing out of Egypt to a new land. But the exhilaration of their newfound freedom and status didn’t last long. Soon they faced the threat of genocide. Behind them were Pharaoh’s much-feared troops; in front of them a watery grave. They were trapped! The idioms “hot on the heels” and “trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea” fit their predicament perfectly.
Instead of trusting God, who had demonstrated His power so overwhelmingly to save them, the Israelites turned on their rescuer. Essentially, they cried: “Give us the security of slavery rather than the risk of faith.”
But, once again, God displayed His patience and power. He created a path through the Red Sea. This miracle of deliverance is an event that the prophets of Israel would look back on and mention often (see Psalm 106:7-12). It was a milestone event reminding the people that God remembered His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:1-8), and He intended to keep it.
How about us? Are we faithful to His covenant? Like ancient Israel, all of us have the same need to be set free from bondage (Exodus 1–15), to know who God is and what He is like through the covenant at Sinai (chapters 16–24), and to experience fellowship with God through His presence (chapters 25–40). The book of Exodus tells us that God will meet those needs. Our part is simply to trust and obey His Word and worship Him alone.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Kings 21:1-29
More:
Read Galatians 5:1,13 to see what we should and should not do as a result of the freedom that Jesus, God’s Son, has provided.
Next:
How have we been set free from the bondage of sin to experience fellowship with God? In what ways are you living out this freedom?
tom felten on April 21, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Great thoughts, Poh Fang! I love what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19. We can trust God to provide what we truly need. He knows what’s best for us.
winn collier on April 21, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Particularly compelling when we remember the Exodus as the guiding image for God’s ultimate renewal of Israel – and the whole earth. Thanks.
daisymarygoldr on April 23, 2012 at 10:11 pm
“Are we faithful to His covenant?” is the one question all God’s people should ask today. The covenant between God and His people is like a marriage contract. Both parties are required to remain faithful to the covenant. There are some who think God is faithful to us even if we are faithless and quote 2 Timothy 2:13 to support this belief.
This is not what the verse means. The meaning is: if we are unfaithful, yet He remains faithful to His word. In the case of Israel, after experiencing the exodus from the slavery of Egypt, they entered into a covenant with God at Mt. Sinai. An entire unfaithful generation including their leader Moses died in the wilderness. But God remained faithful to His covenant that He had made with Abraham—to bring the faithful remnant into the Promised Land.
Just as Moses was sent to bring Israel out of bondage, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to set us free from the bondage of sin (John 8:34). In Hebrews 3:14, the writer is reminding believers not to follow Israel’s example of disobedience but be faithful until the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed. As the Church, we no longer approach the fiery blaze of Mt Sinai but have been brought to enter into a New covenant at Mt. Zion, to come face to face with the grace of God.
Peter says those who have been saved from slavery by grace through faith in Christ and are enslaved by sin again, are worse off than before (2 Peter 2:20). Our God is faithful and keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and—obey His commands (Deuteronomy 7:9). And on our part we must also remain faithful unto death to be saved (Hebrews 10:39). Thanks Poh Fang for the reminder to trust and obey His Word and worship Him alone!