In order to be deeply impressed
with the significance of the exodus from Egypt,
we need
both the picture in the Old Testament
and the words in the New Testament:
In Exodus 12:29-42 and 51
we have a number of details
regarding Israel’s exodus from Egypt:
The children of Israel
did not make their exodus from Egypt
of their own accord
or by their own power;
rather,
the exodus was accomplished
by the saving God:
The exodus
required
a thorough subduing of the environment;
God first subdued Pharaoh,
the one who had usurped the children of Israel,
and then
He subdued the Egyptians.
“By strength of hand”
the Lord brought the children of Israel
out of Egypt;
the hand of the Lord
saved them
from Pharaoh’s usurpation.
Pharaoh and the Egyptians
were subdued
to such an extent
that they drove the children of Israel
out of Egypt.
The children of Israel
plundered the Egyptians
of their silver, gold, and clothing.
“It was
for Jehovah
a night of watching,
to bring them out
from the land of Egypt” (12:42):
During the night of the passover
God was watching over His people
to bring them out of the world,
and they cooperated with Him
by watching with Him and to Him.
In order to make an exodus
from the world,
we should be
watchful, vigilant, and alert.
God’s people left Egypt
as an army
arrayed for battle;
God’s complete redemption
produces an army
to fight for His interests on earth.
Israel’s exodus from Egypt
typifies the believers’ breaking away
from the world:
The children of Israel’s being severed
from Egypt
typifies the believers’ being severed
from the world.
The children of Israel’s
being able to go on a journey
to sacrifice to God
typifies the believers’
being able to follow the Lord
to worship God.
The children of Israel’s
being able to enter the good land
to enjoy its riches
typifies the believers’
being put into Christ
to enjoy all His riches.
In Exodus 13:1-22
the crucial points regarding the exodus
are related to spiritual experience:
The children of Israel
were sanctified to Jehovah:
The purpose
of the exodus of God’s people from the world
is to be sanctified to the Lord.
Sanctification is based on redemption:
According to the divine requirement,
all who are redeemed
must also be sanctified.
Redemption
is for the security of God’s people;
sanctification
is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
The children of Israel
went out of Egypt
in the month of Abib:
Abib means “sprouting,” “budding,”
and denotes a new beginning of life.
A new beginning of life
is required
for God’s people
to be sanctified to Him
for His satisfaction;
in this new beginning
there must be no leaven.
The bones of Joseph
were brought out of Egypt
with the children of Israel:
A bone
signifies an unbreakable life,
a life in resurrection;
thus,
the bringing of Joseph’s bones
out of Egypt
into the good land
signifies resurrection.
In the eyes of God
all the children of Israel
had been dead
and buried in Egypt;
the exodus from Egypt, therefore,
was actually a resurrection.
The exodus from the world,
the genuine sanctification to the Lord,
and a new beginning of a sinless life
can be accomplished
only by the resurrection life.
“Jehovah went before them
by day
in a pillar of cloud
to lead them on the way
and by night
in a pillar of fire
to give them light,
that they might go
by day and by night” (Exo. 13:21):
In typology
the cloud
signifies the Spirit,
and the fire, for enlightening,
signifies the Word of God;
the instant, living leading from God
comes through either the Spirit or the Word.
The two pillars
symbolize God Himself,
for He is
both the Spirit and the Word,
and the Word
is also the Spirit:
God, the Word, and the Spirit
are one
to lead and guide us continually,
whether by day or by night.
In the Christian life
there is
no difference between day and night,
for the light from the pillar of fire
causes the night to become day.
Exodus 14:1-31
describes Pharaoh’s last struggle
and Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea:
God used Pharaoh
to glorify Himself
and to carry out His salvation
for His chosen people:
Pharaoh’s opposition
created an environment
that made
the passover, the exodus,
and the crossing of the Red Sea
possible.
In the same principle,
God uses Satan’s opposition
for the accomplishing
of His people’s salvation.
The children of Israel
crossed the Red Sea by faith:
After God spoke to Moses,
spontaneously they had the faith
to walk into the sea.
At their baptism
new believers should be encouraged
to exercise faith in God
as the One
who operates in baptism.
Pharaoh and his army
were terminated
and buried in the Red Sea;
this signifies
that Satan and the world
were judged
and buried in baptism.
The crossing of the Red Sea
is a type of baptism:
The waters of the Red Sea
were used by God
to save His people
and separate them
from Pharaoh and Egypt:
The children of Israel
were saved
through the Red Sea
into the wilderness,
a realm of resurrection and separation,
where they were free
from all bondage and slavery
to fulfill God’s purpose
by building the tabernacle
as God’s dwelling place on earth.
Through baptism
the New Testament believers
are saved from Satan and the world
into a realm of resurrection and separation,
in which they are free
to accomplish God’s purpose
by building up the church
as the dwelling place of God.
God’s complete salvation
of His chosen people
included
the passover,
the exodus from Egypt,
and the crossing of the Red Sea:
The passover,
typifying Christ with His redemption,
was sufficient
to save God’s people
from God’s righteous judgment.
In order to be saved absolutely
from the tyranny of Pharaoh
and the enslavement in Egypt,
the children of Israel
needed the exodus
and the crossing of the Red Sea.
After enjoying Christ’s redemption
to be saved from God’s judgment,
the New Testament believers
need to leave the world
and be baptized.
At the end of Exodus 15:27
we are told
that the children of Israel
“encamped there by the waters”:
The word encamped
indicates that God’s people
had been formed into an army;
the flowing and growing life
supplies God’s people
as His army.
At Elim
God’s people
were full of the enjoyment of life
that made them
qualified and equipped for fighting;
this enabled them
to fight
to carry out God’s purpose
to build His habitation.
The result of the flowing and growing life
is an army
strengthened to fight
for God’s purpose.
In our experience
the waters that have been changed
from bitter to sweet
must become the flowing waters
in which, by which, and with which
we grow like palm trees
to express
God’s rich life and full victory
for praising the Lord.
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6 replies on “The Exodus from Egypt and the Crossing of the Red Sea”
Day 6
By crossing the Red Sea,
the children of Israel
were saved from Egypt
and also brought into a realm of freedom.
What a salvation!
In principle,
baptism is the same
for us today.
It saves us from bondage
and brings us into absolute freedom in Christ.
As Colossians 2:12 makes clear,
this is accomplished
“through the faith of the operation of God.”
Therefore,
as we baptize people,
we must encourage them
to exercise faith in God
as the One who operates.
There is no doubt
that the crossing of the Red Sea
was accomplished through God’s operation.
As we baptize new believers,
we ourselves need faith,
and we need to help those
who are being baptized
to have faith as well.
The new converts
need to realize
what is happening to them
at the time of baptism.
They need faith
to enter into the water of baptism
and to pass through it.
What a difference
it makes
when everyone participating in a baptism
is full of faith!
Pharaoh and the Egyptian army
were buried in the sea.
This is a clear picture
that in baptism
Satan and the power of the world
are buried.
It is a fact
that the Egyptians were terminated
in the Red Sea.
But the significance of this fact
is that when we were baptized,
Satan and the world with its tyranny
were terminated.
When we baptize others,
we must tell them
that as they are buried in baptism,
Satan and the world
will be buried also.
How impressive
is the crossing of the Red Sea
as a picture of baptism!
When we consider this picture
in the light of the New Testament,
we have a clear view
of the significance of baptism.
In His creation
God prepared the Red Sea
to serve as a baptistery
for His chosen people.
Then
during the exodus
He led the people
to this baptistery.
This was no accident;
it was
according to the plan of God.
God wanted to bring His people
into a situation
where it was impossible
for them
to go back to Egypt.
In 1 Corinthians 10:1 and 2
Paul says
that “our fathers
were under the cloud,
and all passed through the sea;
and all were baptized unto Moses
in the cloud and in the sea.”
This indicates
that the crossing of the Red Sea
was a type of baptism.
The cloud here
refers to the pillar,
which was the Lord Himself
as the One leading the people.
Like the passing of Noah’s ark
through the waters of the flood,
the crossing of the Red Sea
was a type of baptism.
The waters of the Red Sea
were used by God
to save His people
and separate them from Pharaoh and Egypt.
The children of Israel
were saved through the Red Sea
into the wilderness,
a realm of resurrection and separation,
where they were free
from all bondage and slavery
to fulfill God’s purpose
by building the tabernacle
as God’s dwelling place on earth.
Likewise,
through baptism
the New Testament believers
are saved from Satan and the world
into a realm of resurrection and separation,
in which they are free
to accomplish God’s purpose
by building up the church
as the dwelling place of God.
This marked the completion
of the first stage of God’s complete salvation
of His chosen people,
a stage
that included
the passover,
the exodus from Egypt,
and the crossing of the Red Sea.
The passover,
typifying Christ with His redemption,
was sufficient to save God’s people
from God’s righteous judgment.
However,
in order to be saved absolutely
from the tyranny of Pharaoh
and the enslavement in Egypt,
the children of Israel
needed
the exodus
and the crossing of the Red Sea.
Likewise,
after enjoying Christ’s redemption
to be saved from God’s judgment,
the New Testament believers
need to leave the world
and be baptized.
Day 5
Pharaoh’s last struggle
was a type
of the struggle of Satan and his world
over the believers
who are to be baptized.
When Satan and the world
struggle over a new convert,
we should not be disappointed.
Rather,
we should realize
that this struggle
will prepare the environment
for the converts
to have a thorough baptism.
God used Pharaoh
to glorify Himself
and to carry out His salvation
for His chosen people.
Pharaoh’s opposition
created an environment
that made
the passover, the exodus,
and the crossing of the Red Sea
possible.
In the same principle,
God uses Satan’s opposition
for the accomplishing
of His people’s salvation.
God’s complete salvation
for His chosen people
includes the passover,
the exodus from Egypt,
and the crossing of the Red Sea.
It was necessary
for God
to have such a person as Pharaoh
for the accomplishing
of these three aspects of salvation.
Without him
there would not have been
the necessary environment,
circumstances,
and situations.
If we see this matter,
we shall praise the Lord
for His sovereignty.
Pharaoh’s opposition
created an environment
that made the passover possible.
In a similar way,
it was with the help of Pharaoh
that God’s people
made their exodus from Egypt.
If Pharaoh and the Egyptians
had been kind to them,
they would have had no desire
to leave Egypt.
But Pharaoh’s oppression
of the children of Israel
created the environment
for their exodus from Egypt
and then made it necessary
for them
to go.
Eventually,
Pharaoh drove God’s people
out of Egypt.
Hence,
Pharaoh was used by God
to accomplish
the exodus of His people.
In the crossing of the Red Sea,
God used Pharaoh once again,
this time to create a situation
to bring about
the baptism of His people.
By means of the pillar of cloud
and the pillar of fire,
God led them
to take a detour.
As they marched behind the pillar
that guided them,
they were led to camp
by the sea.
Although we hate Satan,
God continues to use him.
We see from such portions of the Word
as Revelation 12 and the book of Job
that Satan has access
to God’s presence in heaven.
If we were God,
we would use our power
to immediately cast Satan
into the lake of fire.
At the very least,
we would force him
to stay out of heaven.
God’s way, however,
is higher than ours.
According to His way,
He uses Satan
for the accomplishment
of His own purpose.
In the same principle,
God used Pharaoh for His glory,
hardening his heart
and the hearts of the Egyptians.
Baptism requires faith.
The children of Israel
needed faith
in order to cross the Red Sea.
At first, however,
they had no faith at all.
Seeing a mass of water
in front of them
and the Egyptian army
behind them,
they cried out to the Lord
and complained to Moses:
“Is it because there were no graves in Egypt
that you have taken us away
to die in the wilderness?
Why have you done this to us,
bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exo. 14:11).
Although the people had no faith,
faith came
when God came in
to speak a word.
The Lord was not angry with the people
for their lack of faith,
even though they had just witnessed
His mighty and miraculous acts in Egypt.
To Moses,
who as a human was no doubt troubled
by the situation,
the Lord said,
“Why do you cry out to Me?
Tell the children of Israel
to move forward.
And you,
lift up your staff,
and stretch out your hand
over the sea,
and divide it;
and the children of Israel
shall go into the midst of the sea
on dry ground” (14:15-16).
When Moses received this word from the Lord,
the children of Israel
spontaneously had the faith
to cross the Red Sea.
Day 4
Exodus 13 reveals
that the Lord’s guidance and leading
come only when certain conditions are met.
His leading and guidance
are not unconditional.
The first condition
is sanctification.
If we are not sanctified,
we cannot have the Lord’s leading.
We also need to experience
the new beginning of an unleavened life.
To be sanctified
and to have
the new beginning of a sinless life
are the first two requirements
to be able to receive the Lord’s guidance.
Another condition
is resurrection.
To be led of the Lord,
we must not be in the natural man.
Our bones
must be resurrected and moving.
Then,
when we are
no longer in the natural man,
we shall have
the Lord’s leading and guidance.
The moving of Joseph’s bones
signifies resurrection.
Although these bones were dry,
they were still able to move.
This is
a picture of a man in resurrection.
Such a person
can be guided by the Lord
and led by Him.
When we are in resurrection,
we are qualified
to receive the Lord’s guidance and leading.
The portrait of the children of Israel
marching out of Egypt
according to the Lord’s guidance
reveals that the Lord’s leading is given
only when we have fulfilled His conditions.
We need to be sanctified,
we need to have
the new beginning of a sinless life,
and we need to be in resurrection.
Then
we shall be guided by the Lord
and led by Him.
Exodus 13:21 and 22 say,
“And Jehovah went before them
by day
in a pillar of cloud
to lead them on the way
and by night
in a pillar of fire
to give them light,
that they might go
by day and by night.
Neither the pillar of cloud by day
nor the pillar of fire by night
departed from before the people.”
The two pillars
actually are one.
When night comes,
the cloud becomes the fire.
But when day dawns,
the fire becomes the cloud.
Nevertheless,
the fire and the cloud
are one.
In typology,
the cloud signifies the Spirit.
As He reaches us,
the Spirit of God
is like a cloud.
The fire here
signifies the Word of God,
which is a light to us.
Hence,
the instant, living guidance
that God gives us
comes either through the Spirit or the Word.
When the sky is clear,
He is the cloud.
But when the sky is dark,
He is the fire.
When the Lord leads
as a pillar of fire
by night,
the light from this pillar
causes the night to become day.
In this way
the children of Israel
could journey day and night.
In the Christian life
there should be
no difference between day and night.
Actually,
we Christians
should not have any night
in our life with the Lord.
Instead,
our night
should turn into day.
If we have a night
that does not turn into day,
we are defeated.
Whenever we are in darkness
and are sleeping,
we experience a night
in our life as Christians.
But when we call on the name of the Lord,
we are enlightened,
and our night becomes day.
Both the cloud and the fire
are symbols of God,
for He is
both the Spirit and the Word.
Furthermore,
the Word is also the Spirit.
The Lord, the Spirit, and the Word
are one
to lead us and guide us continually.
When we are clear,
God guides us
through the Spirit.
But when we are not clear,
He guides us
through the Word.
As the Word is made clear to us,
it becomes the Spirit
in our experience.
Whether as the cloud or the fire,
God’s guidance is always a pillar.
In the Bible
a pillar denotes strength.
Hence,
God’s guidance is strong;
it stands upright
and supports weight.
By means of such definite guidance
God led the children of Israel.
Day 3
All the points in Exodus 13
relate to spiritual experience
on the positive side.
For example,
Exodus 13:2
speaks of the sanctification of the firstborn.
Certainly
this signifies a particular aspect
of the spiritual experience of God’s people
in coming out of Egypt.
It indicates
that the purpose of our exodus from the world
is to be sanctified to the Lord.
Sanctification is based on redemption.
The Lord required only the firstborn
to be sanctified
because they were the redeemed ones.
This indicates
that whatever or whoever is redeemed
must also be sanctified.
This principle
applies to us as believers in Christ.
Because we have been redeemed,
we must also be sanctified.
Otherwise,
we shall remain
in Egypt, in the world.
If we desire to experience
a genuine exodus from Egypt,
we must be both redeemed and sanctified.
No one can come out of Egypt
without being sanctified unto the Lord.
Redemption is for our security,
whereas sanctification
is for God’s purpose.
If we are shortsighted,
we may see only redemption,
which is for our benefit.
But if we have the proper discernment,
we shall see
that redemption
must be followed by sanctification,
which is
for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
If we would be sanctified to God
by taking Christ as our substitute,
we need to experience
the month of Abib,
a period of time
that signifies our whole Christian life,
a time during which we enjoy new life.
The word Abib
means “sprouting,” “budding.”
Hence,
it denotes
a new beginning of life.
In order to be sanctified to the Lord
for His satisfaction,
we need such a new beginning of life.
We need to be a green ear of wheat
sprouting with new life.
In this new beginning of life
there must be no leaven.
In the Bible
leaven signifies sinfulness or corruption.
We need to deal with all sin
that is exposed.
We must not tolerate any sin
after it has been exposed.
To eat unleavened bread in this way
is to have a true memorial to the Lord,
a genuine remembrance.
Those who are sanctified
by having Christ as their substitute
and who have
a new beginning of life without sin
will have a daily living
that is worthy of being a memorial.
If we have
a proper experience of God’s salvation,
we shall have
a marvelous spiritual history.
After our Passover,
we shall be sanctified to the Lord
by taking Christ as our substitute
to live in us.
Then
we shall have
a new beginning of life,
and all exposed sin
will be dealt with.
Such a living
will be a memorial, a remembrance.
Exodus 13:19
indicates that Joseph’s bones
were brought out of Egypt
with the children of Israel.
It may seem strange
that these bones
are mentioned in the same chapter
that speaks of the month of Abib.
Apparently,
there is
no relationship between these two things.
Green ears of wheat,
signified by Abib,
are full of life.
But dead bones
have no life.
We should remember, however,
that in the Bible
bone signifies an unbreakable life,
a life in resurrection.
Therefore,
the bones in Exodus 13:19
have something to do with
resurrection life.
In the eyes of God
all the children of Israel
had been dead
and buried in graves in Egypt.
That was their situation
before the passover.
The land of Egypt
was a huge cemetery
in which God’s people
had been buried.
Hence,
from God’s point of view,
His people in Egypt
were dry bones.
The picture of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37
illustrates the condition
of the children of Israel in Egypt:
they were dry bones
that needed to be resurrected
and formed into an army.
The exodus from Egypt, therefore,
was actually a resurrection.
Day 2
Exodus 12:35 and 36 say,
“And the children of Israel
did according to the word of Moses,
and they asked the Egyptians
for articles of silver and gold
and for clothing.
And Jehovah gave the people favor
in the sight of the Egyptians,
so that they let them have
what they asked.
Thus
they plundered the Egyptians.”
Although the children of Israel
had no time
to prepare leavened bread,
they did have time
to plunder the Egyptians
of their silver, gold, and raiment.
This indicates
that in God’s salvation
He desires
that we plunder the world
of its wealth.
The tabernacle
was the testimony of God,
which typifies Christ with the church.
The church today
is God’s tabernacle
constituted of Christ and the saints.
Such a testimony
is built with
the offerings of God’s people.
Therefore,
the riches of the Egyptians
came through the labor of God’s people
and were spent for God’s testimony.
This is
what it means
to plunder the world
of its wealth.
During the night of the passover,
the children of Israel
had satisfaction, rest, and joy,
but they did not sleep.
As Exodus 12:42 indicates,
it was
a night of observation,
a night of watching.
This implies that God
was observing, watching, the situation.
Actually,
both God and the children of Israel
were watching.
As God was observing and watching,
His people were observing and watching also.
Hence,
that night
was a night of observation.
Exodus 12:42 says
that this night
was a night of watching
to Jehovah.
The children of Israel
were watching unto the Lord.
This means
that they were cooperating with Him.
God was doing everything
necessary to rescue them from Egypt.
He was watching,
and His people were watching unto Him.
God was watching and observing
in order to bring His people
out of the world.
His people had to cooperate with Him
by watching unto Him.
They had to be watchful
because they did not know
at what time they would march
out of Egypt.
By this
we see that no sleepy ones or loose ones
can have an adequate exodus.
If you want to make an exodus from the world,
you need to be watchful, observant, and vigilant.
In everything we do
we should be strict, straight, and corporate.
Only by being in the army corporately
can we be in martial array.
The fact that we
are to march out of the world
as God’s army
indicates that it is
not an easy matter
to make our exodus out of Egypt.
In Exodus 3:8
God said to Moses,
“I have come down
to deliver them
out of the hand of the Egyptians
and to bring them up
out of that land
to a good and spacious land,
to a land
flowing with milk and honey.”
When God led the children of Israel
out of Egypt,
He severed their relationship with the world
and enabled them to go on the journey
to sacrifice to God.
Furthermore,
He enabled them
to enter the good land
to enjoy the riches there
that He
might establish His kingdom on the earth
and build His dwelling place.
The enjoyment of the children of Israel
was of three stages.
The first stage
was the enjoyment of
the passover lamb
in Egypt;
the second,
the enjoyment of
the manna and the living water
in the wilderness;
and the third,
the enjoyment of
the rich produce of the good land.
After their exodus from Egypt,
the children of Israel
were able,
eventually,
to enter the good land
to enjoy its riches.
This typifies
that after our breaking away from the world,
eventually we are put in Christ
to enjoy all His riches.
Day 1
The points we shall cover
concerning the exodus from Egypt
are all to be found
in the New Testament.
However,
if we read the words of the New Testament
without considering the picture of the exodus
presented in the Old Testament,
we shall not be impressed
very deeply.
Hence,
we need to consider
both the words in the New Testament
and the picture in the Old Testament.
Often
we are able to grasp
spiritual things
more adequately
through pictures
than through words.
In New Testament terms,
to have an exodus
is to get out of the world.
However,
without the picture in the book of Exodus,
it is difficult to say
just how we
are able to get out of the world.
To talk about this matter
without consulting the picture
may lead only to confusion.
The children of Israel
did not make their exodus from Egypt
of their own accord
or by their own power.
If they had been left to themselves,
they never could have come out of Egypt.
The exodus was accomplished
by the saving God.
Firstly,
God subdued Pharaoh,
the one who had usurped the children of Israel,
and then
He subdued all the Egyptians.
As we apply this principle
to our experience,
we see
that God comes in
to subdue Satan,
everything and everyone
that stands with Satan,
and also our environment.
When the children of Israel
made their exodus from Egypt,
the whole environment
was subdued by God.
Everything was set
for the children of Israel
to leave Egypt.
Even if they
had wanted to remain in Egypt,
the environment
would not have allowed them
to remain.
They had no choice
except to leave.
The exodus required
a thorough subduing of the environment.
Israel’s exodus
was the result of a long struggle
between Moses and Pharaoh.
It was preceded
by twelve negotiations
with ten plagues.
This indicates
that it is
not easy
for God
to deliver His chosen people
from the usurping hand of Satan
and from the world.
All genuine Christians
have experienced the Passover,
but only a small minority of believers
have experienced the exodus.
The reason for this
is that certain aspects of their environment
have not yet been subdued.
In this record
we are told twice
that “by strength of hand”
the Lord brought the children of Israel
out of Egypt.
God’s people
were saved
not only by the blood of the Passover lamb
but also by the hand of God.
The blood saved them
from God’s righteous judgment,
but the hand saved them
from Pharaoh’s usurpation.
It is the same with us today.
Through Christ as our Passover
we are saved from God’s judgment,
but by God’s subduing hand
we are saved
from Satan and the world.
Pharaoh and the Egyptians
were subdued
to such an extent
that they actually drove the children of Israel
out of Egypt.
The Egyptians could not tolerate
the presence of God’s people
in their country
any longer.
This is
not only a story in the Bible,
but a principle
that applies to our Christian experience.
Sooner or later,
our environment will encourage us,
even compel us,
to make our exodus
from the world.
If we are not willing to go,
the world will drive us away.
As long as we
remain in the world,
those in the world
have no peace.
Eventually
they realize
that only when we leave the world
will they have peace
and will we have joy.
I can testify
that this has been my experience.
If I were to try
to go back to the world,
the world would beg me
not to return.
As far as the world is concerned,
the farther away I am,
the better it is.
It is
the result of the Lord’s strong hand
that the world
wants us to leave.