Mountains To The Left Of Me, Desert To The Right; Here I Am...

...stuck in the middle with you."

Exodus 12:41 has to be one of the most amazing verses of the Bible. Listen to that verse, and see if you can catch why I would say that.

“And it came about at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”

Did you hear it? Do you think I am referring to the fact that prophecy was fulfilled and it was 430 years to the day after coming to Egypt that the Children of Israel were delivered?

Nope. What I’m referring to is the fact that it says “ALL” of them went out.

Because, you see, if all of them went out, that means all of them obeyed the instructions for the Passover and stayed inside obediently until it was time to come out.

That has to be the only time in the history of God’s people that they all, with one accord, obeyed in unity.

Think about it. They whined and grumbled against Moses when he first came to them out of the desert, and here in our text verses we see them whining and grumbling against him again. And they never stop. (kinda sounds like the church, huh?)

But when it came to the first Passover, they obeyed to the letter and were delivered.

Now I happen to think that’s very significant. In fact, I think it was a miracle.

That, I mean literally. I really do believe that God, by His Spirit, brought about the obedience of faith in the entire congregation of Israel so that none would be left behind. I think God did this, so that the type of His deliverance of repentant men from the ’Egypt’ of sin would be fulfilled; and we know that all who believe in Him will be saved.

At this point in their history the congregation of Israel is a type (a foreshadowing) of the New Testament Church, in being delivered out of sin into newness of life, behind a new leader, toward the Promised Land (Heaven).

Unfortunately, it is a perfect type also in that so many believers, rather than entering into God’s intended rest, (that is, resting from their works and resting in His rest -Heb 4:10) wander in a wilderness of testings and failings, legalism, condemnation of self and others, provoking God with their evil unbelief throughout their Christian walk, constantly seeing Him work in their lives; because they are His and He cares for them; but never understanding His ways.

But I want to sharpen the focus today, just to this moment in Israel’s history; one that also typifies the relationship between Christ and His Church; and see what lessons are there for us.

(Read Exodus 14:5-14)

So let’s set the scene. The Israelites are delivered by God’s mighty hand out of Egypt. They don’t come crawling out, or sneaking out at night, or fighting their way valiantly through the Egyptian army, leaving many of their dead behind as they go... ...no; they are delivered by God as they place their faith and trust in His word, and in the shed blood of the Passover lamb which is on their doors. When they leave, they leave in peace, carrying much plunder from Egypt, as the Egyptians themselves come out in the morning to meet them and give them gifts as they go.

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

-Rom 8:37

It must have been only a matter of days, going by the information that is given to us in verses 17-20 of Exodus 14, before the entire congregation stood by the waters of the Red Sea.

They have had time to contemplate the recent events that led up to their deliverance, as they walk on the way with the cloud to guide them by day; and with the pillar of fire to guide at night.

They’ve had time to talk about the plagues and how Egypt was devastated by them while they, in the land of Goshen, were not touched.

They’ve had time to reflect on how, true to His word as always, God passed His mighty wing over them when He saw the blood on their doors, and protected them all from the destroying angel as he moved over the land to kill the firstborn.

They’ve had days, and by the estimates of some scholars, more than a week, to breathe the air of freedom. To turn and study the horizon and marvel at a world with no pyramids and no angry taskmasters with whips; and their legs, now clean of the mud and straw, moving one step at a time toward the land God had promised Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph.