God Delivers His People

GOLDEN TEXT: “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.” —Exodus 6:6

EXODUS 6:2-7

MOSES’ first effort to obtain Pharaoh’s consent for the release of the Israelites ended in defeat. Indeed, for the Israelites it seemed worse than defeat, for because of it their burdens were increased. They said to Moses, “The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.”—ch. 5:21

Moses then went to the Lord and said, “Wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” (ch. 5:22,23) In his reply to Moses God reassured him that he would deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians. “With a strong hand shall he let them go,” the Lord told Moses, “and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of the land.”—ch. 6:1

God then informed Moses concerning his name, Jehovah. He explained that when he had appeared unto Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, he was known to them only as God Almighty, “but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.” The name Jehovah signifies self-existent, or eternal one. Apparently there was something about this name which the Lord believed would reassure Moses.

God then reminded Moses of the covenant he had established with the fathers to give this people the land of Canaan. The name Jehovah might well have emphasized to Moses that God was not changeable; and, being Almighty, he could be depended upon to fulfill his promises.

Besides, Jehovah was a sympathetic God. He said to Moses, “I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.” Yes, Jehovah had continued to remember his covenant with respect to the Promised Land. It was not that he had overlooked it for a few hundred years and now had suddenly recalled it, and would do something about it.

So, instead of permitting him to give up the effort, the Lord asked Moses to reaffirm his intention to deliver the people: “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

EXODUS 12:29-33

Ten “judgments,” or plagues, were inflicted upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh actually consented to allow the Hebrew people to leave Egypt. At the conclusion of each plague Pharaoh said he would grant their freedom, but each time he changed his mind when the plague was lifted. But the death of the firstborn of Egypt overwhelmed him, particularly, no doubt, because his own firstborn son lost his life. This plague was heartbreaking for all the Egyptians, and knowing the significance of it they all joined with Pharaoh in demanding that the Israelites leave at once. God had gained the victory, and his prophecy of Exodus 6:1 was fulfilled.

The firstborn of the Israelites would also have been destroyed that night had they not followed the Lord’s instructions in the slaying of the passover lamb, and sprinkling its blood on the lintels and doorposts of their houses. God intended this to teach a typical lesson. In Hebrews 12:23 the followers of the Master are referred to as the “church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven.” Jesus is the antitypical Passover Lamb, and under the protection of his blood his followers are by faith saved from death, and, after being resurrected to glory and honor and immortality, in the next age will be associated with Jesus in the deliverance of all mankind from the bondage of sin and death.—Romans 2:7

In the plan of God, the antitypical firstborn will be exalted to a heavenly nature, but the remainder of mankind will be restored to life on earth as humans. It is reasonable to conclude that their deliverance from the bondage of sin and death was foreshadowed by the deliverance of the nation of Israel as a whole from their bondage in Egypt.

QUESTIONS

What was the reaction of the Israelites at Moses’ first attempt to secure freedom for them?

How did the Lord reassure Moses?

How many plagues were visited upon the Egyptians, and what was the plague which secured their release?

What antitypical lessons may be derived from the experiences associated with the Exodus?

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