Brought Out

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son”—Hosea 11:1.

One of the great mysteries in Scripture concerns Jesus’ relationship to the nation of Israel. As Israel was considered God’s Son (Hosea 11:1), so, too, is Christ (Matthew 17:5; cf. Hebrews 1:5). Jesus accomplished what Israel did not. He was the embodiment of the promises of God and the hope of the nations (2 Corinthians 1:20). Israel was to be a light to the nations, but failed, and Jesus came as the light of the world and succeeded (Isaiah 42:6; Romans 9:30-33). Like Israel, He was called out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15). Israel passed through the Red Sea, which was a type of baptism for them (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). Christ stepped into the waters by His baptism to identify with us (Matthew 3:1). And we, through Him, pass through the waters of baptism as a sign of passing out of slavery into freedom (Romans 6:3-4). Israel was tempted in the wilderness, but failed (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, and succeeded (Matthew 4:1-11).

Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:16-19). While in the wilderness Israel continually tempted God by not trusting in His provision or promises. Jesus, in a similar manner, was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, but did not give in, continually revealing His trust in God’s plan and provision.

When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt, God used Moses to speak to Pharaoh. Pharaoh turned his back on God and God brought plagues against Egypt in order to get glory for Himself and free the Israelites. Each plague showed the power of God, but it was the last plague, known as the death of the firstborn that came upon the Egyptians, that truly points to Christ. The Israelites were instructed to take the blood of a perfect lamb and place it over the doorposts over their homes, so that when death came upon Egypt, all of those with the blood of the lamb covering their doorposts would be “passed over” before there was to be freedom. The blood of the lamb in Egypt is a foreshadowing of the blood of Christ, for it is the blood of the Perfect Lamb, Christ Jesus, who was without sin and perfect, who gave His life for us (John 1:29; cf. Isaiah 53:7). He shed His blood for us, and it is His blood that must be applied to the doorposts of our hearts before we pass from death to life (Hebrews 9:12-14, 26).

The story of Israel and our story are remarkably similar. Israel was in slavery in Egypt and we were slaves to sin. God called Israel out of slavery and Christ calls us out of sin. The difficulty that most of us face is that although we have trusted in Christ and been freed from sin, we want to go back to the slavery of our sin just like Israel wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt (Numbers 14:3-4). But, we cannot! We have been freed! We have been freed from the terrible tyrant of slavery that kept us in bondage! Don’t go back to Egypt! You have been freed and now live in freedom! Recognize that Christ has brought us out, and we don’t ever have to go back to our old way of life! We have been set free (cf. John 8:32; 14:6)!

My brother or sister, I pray that you may live free from sin in the knowledge that Christ gave His life, that by faith in Him, you might be set free. Do not submit again to the yoke of slavery, but life in the newness of life that comes from fully trusting in His atoning death on the cross for your sins. Amen.