The Exodus is a great historical event that reminds the Jews of their deliverance from a life of tyranny and oppression in Egypt into a life of freedom and progress in the Promised Land. Without such mighty deliverance, there was no way for the Jews of Moses' time to become a great nation as promised by God to Abraham. And so such deliverance is a prerequisite for Israel to accomplish their destiny according to God's plan.
The story of Exodus is relevant for us simply because the same God who worked such a mighty deliverance for Moses' generation is the same God who delivered us from the power of sin through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Many Bible commentators draw a parallel between the Exodus and our redemption in Christ Jesus. Taking this as the case, I would like to share with you in this article the lessons we can learn from this story about Christian life.
What does the Exodus story teach us about our Christian life or our salvation in Christ?
If you are a Christian, you confess that you have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness simply because Satan's power has been crushed. During Moses' time, this would mean that the Jews were delivered out of Egypt because Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of that period recognized his defeat, vs. 31-33.
Let us compare two passages. In Exodus 5:2, we read a very arrogant and conceited king saying:
Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.
And then in chapter 12:31-32, Pharaoh acknowledged his defeat, saying:
Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds as you have said, and go. And also bless me.
That last statement, "And also bless me" is a recognition of Pharaoh's helplessness and impotence as one of the gods of Egypt. We learned in the previous article that through the death of all firstborns in Egypt, God executed his judgment upon all of the nation's gods including Pharaoh. This would mean that during that time the power of God's kingdom broke out into the kingdom of Egypt in judgment.
In the New Testament, through the person and ministry of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, the power of the kingdom of the darkness has been destroyed. By dying on the cross and rising back to life, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent. And the fact that he is sitting right now at the right hand of the Father tells us that the battle has already been won. And that is why God expects every Christian to live in victory.
The destruction of evil therefore in all spheres of life should be part of our task as God's people. We should press the crown rights of our King in all aspects of life. You can do this most efficiently in the specific field where you are right now. By doing so, we anticipate the advancement of God's kingdom in human history. However, by saying this we do not claim that such a vision will be completed in this life. The ultimate accomplishment of such a vision will be sometime in the future with the Second Coming of Christ.
Before the night of the Exodus from Egypt, Moses gave the Israelites instructions on how to prepare themselves for departure and their march into the Promised Land. And this instruction was given directly by God to Moses to deliver to the people. The good thing is that the Jews did as Moses instructed them. This is to say that despite shortcomings, the Jews believed Moses' message coming from God concerning their preparation to leave Egypt.
Observe that Moses' instruction has something to do with the people's economic preparation. They took their dough with them even before the yeast was added to it. They carried it on their shoulders. Not only that, they also asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and clothing. They need all of this preparation in their journey back to Canaan and in the establishment of their nation.
In our time, we cannot underestimate the importance of economics in our lives particularly in a situation where nations' economies are still struggling. However, God does not tell us to leave our nation when we find it oppressive and build our own country. There is no such command in the Bible. What God is telling us in our time to live a victorious life is to believe His word and to repent of our sins. This is the same requirement God asks from everyone to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness, to believe the gospel, and to repent. This is a very clear command throughout the Bible. By doing so, people will experience the saving power of God. In continually living the Christian life, the same attitude is expected from us. Relying on our strength, we cannot do this, and that is exactly why we need the grace of God.
We heard that the Jews were delivered from Egyptian tyranny simply because God defeated the power of the gods of Egypt and that the Israelites themselves obeyed His instruction through Moses. The destruction of the gods of Egypt of course is already God's mighty act in itself. But I am not referring to that action as the ultimate cause of our deliverance. It is more of a result of a greater act of God. And what was that greater act? The Bible says:
Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt. Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt.
I think this is the ultimate explanation for the mighty deliverance of the Jews from Pharaoh's power: because the Lord kept vigil that night.
What is the meaning of this act of God? At least two to three commentators say that this expression is unparalleled in the Bible. This text is unique. You can only find such expression of God keeping vigil here in Exodus 12:42.
Perhaps the practice of the church called "prayer vigil" is taken from this text. Anyway, this expression tells us that God himself stayed awake that night to protect his people from destruction and to bring them safely out of Egypt.
In the Bible particularly in the book of Psalms, we can find expressions as if God is either sleeping or rising. In the eyes of the Jews, He appears sleeping amid their suffering, and their prayers are not answered. And that's why you can read in the Bible calling God to rise.
But in reality, God is always awake and He keeps watching over His people. However, this expression of God keeping vigil that night is something unique that points to the reality of God protecting His people especially. One commentator describes the word "vigil" this way:
It denotes a special watch or guarding like a sentry would guard. It also expresses preparedness or caution.
So that night of deliverance was "a night to be on guard, to be prepared."
The Exodus story teaches us that the destruction of Satan's kingdom should be our goal in Christian life, that to be delivered from the power of darkness we need to follow the word of God, and that our deliverance from the kingdom of darkness is a result of God's might act.
