With all that is going on in the world, have you ever asked, “How long before the Lord sets us free from our enemies?” As humans, we don’t see the big picture of what God is working out and become impatient when things are not wrapped up like a 30-minute TV program.
The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years and had cried out to the Lord to overcome their enemies. At the time the Lord called Moses, they had no idea God was putting His plan into action to free them from slavery.
Exodus 3:18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you (Moses) and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’ 19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go.[1]
Jesus Came to Set the Captives Free
Failure can produce chronic hopelessness, to the point where you give up trying. Broken and crushed, Israel cried out to the Lord, and He responded. Exodus 3:7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.[2]
Notice how God extended compassion toward them: Exodus 3:8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.[3] God came down to bring them up and He can do the same for you today.
The Lamb Sets Free
Israel’s deliverance called for the slaying of a spotless Passover lamb. They applied its blood to their doorposts and the death angel passed over them.
Generations later Jesus would come as our Lamb. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29) 1 Corinthians 5:7Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.[4]Jesus Christ is our sacrificial lamb who shed His blood to set us free from the sin that enslaves us.
What are you struggling with today? You can be released from captivity. Not by your own futile efforts, but by trusting in the God who answers the cries of His people. On the cross Jesus defeated sin, death and the devil. Jesus has defeated our enemies! The Lord sets us free from our enemies, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/god-has-a-call-for-moses
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.