Devotional Readings 2 (eBook)

Chapter 1

God's Grace in Redemption

September 1912

WE WANT TO take up the history of Israel as a king of moving picture of our own experience. Paul said these things were written for our example, and I believe we will get some blessing by looking them over.

The redemption of Israel was wholly of God. God said to Moses in the burning bush:

“I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

“And I am come down to deliver them out of the band of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land.”

The redemption of Israel was all born and planned in the heart of God. The redemption of every soul of man was first born in the heart of God.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

He is a God of redemption — in His heart He is a Redeemer, One who is able to redeem. He hates bondage and slavery of all kinds. He hates everything that is not liberty and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Notice, too, that salvation in the case of Israel was by a Person, Moses, and our salvation is by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then this deliverance was first by blood, and then by power.

By Blood.

You remember how Moses first made his announcement of deliverance to Israel, and then he and Aaron went to Pharaoh and made their tremendous demand. Of course he refused for it meant much of the wealth of Egypt to let that great body of slaves go free. Pharaoh would not consider the demand for a moment but made their bondage far worse, and they cried out in anguish of soul. When the Lord begins to deliver us on any line conditions immediately get worse, the enemy comes up to strengthen his hold, but that does not mean God had not risen up for deliverance. Even Moses was stumbled by it, and he went with complaint to God as we have many times done when relief did not come as we expected. God knew what He was going to do. He was planning the humbling of Egypt, one of the mightiest nations then living, as well as to deliver His people from their sufferings and bring them out of wretched bondage. His purpose was so much larger than Israel’s, or even Moses’ thought about it. God dealt in repeated manifestations of divine power on the gods of Egypt so that at last Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said:

“I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now, therefore, forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.”

The Pharaohs ruled at a time when Egypt was at its height, and for a Pharaoh to say, “I have sinned, ask your God to forgive me,” was marvelous. What a mighty God they had to wring such a confession from the lips of Pharaoh? Moses had not anticipated anything like that; he knew God was going to deliver Israel, but that He was going to do this might thing as well he had not dreamed, and even after the blood was put on the door God was not through with Egypt. We read in the twelfth chapter:

“The Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.”

First, the blood — before God could touch Israel for deliverance the blood had to be over them. He could begin to humble Pharaoh, but up to that time there had been no deliverance of His people, and so it is with us, we get nowhere until we come under the blood: all the morality and good works are as nothing. We must be brought under the shelter of the blood of Christ. We have come to days where the blood is discounted both in the church and out of it. I heard of a conference of orthodox (?) ministers in Boston last winter where twenty-three were gathered at a banquet, and they took a vote as to how many of them believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ; they took this by ballot, and there were but three out of the twenty-three who believed in the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to see that there was no deliverance for Israel until they came under the blood.

By Power.

The deliverance after the blood was by power. There is a teaching these days about one work of grace — you get saved and you have all there is. Well, they were saved in their houses in Egypt that night. They were saved from the avenger absolutely as they stayed in their houses, but they needed a further deliverance by power. The blood was the foundation of everything that followed, it brought them safety, like it brings to the sinner deliverance from his guilt of sin and is the foundation of the new birth. All along God had been dealing in His mighty power with Egypt but there came a time when God got through with having any more refusals from Pharaoh.

“And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

“And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go serve the Lord, as ye have said.

“Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

“And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said: We be all dead men.”

That was the hand of power of God. He knew He had a stroke for Pharaoh that could bring deliverance, as He has for every child of His who is in any trouble. I praise Him. Notice God’s marvelous thought of their physical and temporal needs as they were leaving Egypt. In this version it says He told them to “borrow” jewels of gold and silver, and raiment. It does not mean they were obligated to return them, as we understand it. They were told to “ask” the Egyptians to give them certain things, and they did it, and God, therefore, spoiled the Egyptians.

“And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required; and they spoiled the Egyptians.”

They had been slaves for many years, and their labor had not been properly rewarded, so that Egypt probably owed Israel far more than they gave at that time. We are told God put it upon the hearts of the Egyptians to give to them, they knew they would get nothing back; I expect the Israelites went out laden with the wealth which properly belonged to them, so God in His tender love provided for every need.

Then notice how He met them Himself with the pillar of fire and cloud.

“And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.”

He would not let them go alone. He came Himself to go with them.

We go back to the sixth chapter of Exodus where the Lord in speaking to Moses in the beginning said:

“I have also heard the groanings of the children of Israel…

“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 bring you in unto the land….and I will give it you for an heritage.”

From the first to the last, these judgments upon the Pharaohs, His provision for their journey in the spoiling of the Egyptians, His meeting them with the pillar of fire and cloud, was all God, and they had but to fall in line and follow. I wish we could begin to see this — that it is not by works of righteousness that we shall do God is going to deliver His people. He has begun it by the blood upon us, by giving us a new creation life, and He is able to carry the weakest child of His through to every last victory he will need in this life until He brings him to the other side. He said, “I will redeem, and break the bondage, and give you the land,” and He did it. The same eternal God is bringing us out of bondage and through to the other side in victory. I want you to see that it is victory God has for His people; we go defeated so often, while all God’s arrangements are for victories, and all the power of God is behind you for it. The difficulty is we look at the things seen and the power of the enemy, which obscures the face of God, and forget that He proposes to take weak and broken humanity and bring them out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son. God’s people are no more in the kingdom of darkness, and Satan has no power to oppress them unless they give him the right through unbelief. Israel was delivered from Egypt, and out from under the hand of Pharaoh. The Christian is separated from the world and delivered from Satan’s power by the cross of Calvary. Let us act and walk like free men and women.

God gave such a marvelous picture, in all this deliverance, of the helplessness of man. They were not to move until the cloud moved, and when the cloud moved they must...