Many things can be said about the night the Israelites were “driven” out of Egypt. We may go more in-depth at another time about how the Passover Feast was being celebrated at the time of Jesus and what it represented to the Jews. Now, we are instructed to continue this celebration as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. It continues to represent our transition from one life to another. Every time we celebrate, we should remember that we came out of slavery to follow God on this journey. There are many other symbolic elements in the Passover that can be discussed some other time.
One other notable item to remember about that night is the fact that the Jews were instructed to ask the Egyptians for gold, silver, and clothing. The Bible says in Exodus 12.36, “ The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.” They also took “large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” So, the Jews left Egypt a rich people. These are also items to remember for later discussion.
As they left Egypt God began to lead them by the cloud in the day and the fire at night. God led them to the Red Sea (the long way around) instead of through Philistine country (the short way and they would have to fight). As the Jews came to the Red Sea, everyone knew this was a place that God would have to intervene, or they would be killed or taken back as slaves. Did God lead them out of Egypt only to let them be captured again? In one of the greatest acts of salvation, God split the water and allowed them to walk across on dry ground and devoured the enemy in the water as they tried to follow. Now the Children of Israel had a place that they could stand (on the other side of the Red Sea) and say that we decided to follow God while still in Egypt, and God miraculously brought us out of slavery and provided a final way of escape through the water. Then, they praised, worshiped and celebrated.
He did the same for us! As the Holy Spirit led, we decided to follow God and leave the slavery of the world. And in one of the greatest acts of salvation, God provided water baptism, so we could go through water and have a place to stand on the other side with assurance that He provided that final escape from slavery. He did not lead us out of the world without a plan of escape. Even if there seems to be a shorter way, there are no shortcuts to salvation. You must go through Jesus and the water. Not one of the Israelites went back to Egypt after crossing the Red Sea. We should not forget to praise and worship God, like the Jews, for the miracle of salvation. We should also remember to celebrate Communion, as Jesus said, in remembrance of Him and salvation that He brought to us.
Now let’s set up the discussion for next time.
The Jews were out of slavery and were being led in the wilderness (desert) by a cloud in the day and fire by night. They were headed to a place that “flowed with milk and honey” and they traveled for three days without finding water. They came out of Egypt rich in gold and silver, but they had no water. They also came rich in livestock and no water. What was God doing? He was leading them. They had plenty of water in Egypt. Next time we will talk about the real reason for the wilderness and how that relates to our journey.
Bill
Please join me in this discussion – FROM EGYPT TO THE PROMISED LAND, A journey from religion to life – as we compare our walk in life to the Children of Israel and discover the true Gospel of the Kingdom. Make sure that you never miss a post. Sign up to have my my free blog delivered directly to your email.