The Exodus

We concluded yesterday’s receiving with these assured words of faith, readily available and accessible to all who will believe them and live them. 

• Jesus, God in human flesh, did buy us from sin, our previous owner.

• Jesus, God Incarnate, did buy us, but not with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with His unblemished, spotless, uncorrupted, precious Blood.

Buy! What a curiously suspicious and mesmerizing word for believers. We are drawn to silver and gold in the exodus of His people, a command given by God. So what is the Exodus, as it comes to us in this receiving? It is the exodus of the children of God, all of them and others, who left Egypt to go to the place which God had chosen for them. Receive some interesting and pertinent facts, which relate to what we are receiving in this week.

Here’s the first pertinent fact of interest.

The Exodus refers to the liberation and the redemption of God’s enslaved people from the hands of Egypt. They were all led out of Egypt, driven out, as it were, because of the terrible hand of the Lord God upon Pharaoh and his people. Due to the Exodus, the children of God were no longer slaves to Pharaoh and no longer were obligated to him, to serve him or his people as slaves. In a similar, but even more divinely blessed, and sacred way, is this not our story?  You and I were in the Egypt of our sins and through our Redeemer and Liberator, Jesus Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, the tyrant ruler of our lives.

Here’s the second pertinent fact of interest.

Now there is something which God commanded of His people, about which I have become extremely curious. He required them to do this, as they prepared for the Exodus. Listen to this command of God. And the LORD said to Moses, I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold. Exodus 11:  1 – 2. 

Here are God’s people, embarking on a journey of no return, a journey with a one-way ticket, in that they will never ever again return to be slaves to Pharaoh and his people, going around collecting that which is corruptible. Every Israelite, both man and woman, is to ask for gold and silver items to take with them on their exodus journey. Remember, their neighbours would have been their enemies, the Egyptians, the people who had them enslaved for years. In Egypt, this place of slavery, the Israelites had no wealth, such as silver and gold. Such wealth belonged to the Egyptians, no doubt gained at the hands of their slaves, the Israelites.

This supposition is most feasible, since the Israelites, the Hebrew children, were their slaves and they worked them like beasts of burden. Interesting it is, isn’t it, to say the least, when one gazes upon scenes and scenes of droves of Egyptians giving over silver and gold articles and items to the poor Israelites. Remember and keep ever in mind that the Israelites have absolutely nothing of the kind, in any measurable abundance. The fact remains that these Israelites could have worked for themselves and acquired silver and gold treasures, but as slaves, they were greatly hindered, blocked and even forbidden to acquire any such wealth. That’s not uncommon, strange or unusual today either, in our day and time. How many servants still work slavishly and religiously for people who own cars, and houses, and lands, and tons more, when the servant is not even able to do anything to help purchase even the simplest of houses? This can go on and on. However, let’s return to our business at hand. 

Here’s the third pertinent fact of interest.

The Hebrews, or Israelites, asking the Egyptians for their silver and gold is one thing, but seeing them accede to those brazen requests, is totally unusual, no! Highly unusual and suspicious. Why would masters and mistresses so easily, readily and willingly give over their gold and silver to their slaves? Perhaps, the first question we ought to ask should be this. What would make slaves so brazenly bold, to even think of approaching their masters and mistresses, asking them for their gold and silver? These are no armed, masked, well-planned raiders and attackers. The slaves just ask, and their masters and mistresses just give.

Here’s the fourth pertinent fact of interest.

Have a look at this openly vivid picture, as painted in Exodus 12: 36b, of the Hebrew children. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Is this for real?  We know the meaning of the word plunder as that of taking the property of others by intimidation, bullying and force, on most occasions. Often, when armies would go against other armies, there would always be plundering and pillaging of the defeated place. One can also read of raiding bands or renegade bands who would go around plundering other countries, taking all their valuables.

Perhaps, before we continue, we should have a look at some occasions in the Bible, when places were plundered.

This of course, will be pursued tomorrow.