Chapter 9: From Slavery to Salvation

Tracing God's Promise through Exodus

We have now finished our study of Genesis in the Garden to Garden City series. To refresh your memory, we have been tracing the development of God's promise to save the world and deal with sin through the Bible.

This promise was first made to Adam and Eve, stating that the solution to sin and the world's problems will involve their seed, their offspring. As the story unfolds, we learn that the promise broadens to include Abram and his descendants. The promise is further clarified when God tells Abram that his promise has three aspects: Land - the Promised Land of Canaan, People - the growth of Israel into a great nation, and Blessing - the bestowal of blessings upon all nations through Israel.

As Genesis concludes, Israel is a burgeoning nation. In many ways, the promise of God is realized throughout Genesis, particularly through Joseph's actions. As Egypt's second-in-command, Joseph provides blessings for the entire world by organizing and distributing food. Genesis ends with a glimpse of the promise's fulfillment: Israel the man is buried in the Promised Land, surrounded by his children. Although they have yet to become a great nation, the promises of land and blessing seem to have been fulfilled.

With two parts of the three-fold promise accomplished - Land and Blessing - and progress towards becoming a great nation, we now turn to the book of Exodus. Let's explore what happens next.

Promise Lost

Before delving into the details, it is crucial to understand the significance of the book of Exodus. After Genesis, this book is essential for comprehending the Bible's overarching narrative. The term "Exodus" denotes a way out, and the book recounts Israel's escape from Egypt. However, its importance extends far beyond that. For the Jewish people, Exodus defines their identity and establishes the fundamental elements that characterize them. For Christians, the book holds even greater significance.

Exodus is the Old Testament's Gospel message. It does more than merely narrate Israel's journey out of Egypt; it establishes the pattern of God's salvation. We will explore that theme further as we work our way through Exodus.

Exodus is also the continuation of the story that began with Genesis. The opening lines of Exodus echo previous passages in Genesis, emphasising that this is not a new story but rather an extension of the one that started with Abraham. So it is interesting that as Exodus begins, Israel seems to have gone backwards; they are no longer living in the promised land. Israel's people now find themselves in the land of slavery, Egypt.

Despite this, they have managed to multiply and become a great nation, thanks to God's miraculous intervention. Their fertility and incredible rate of multiplication are directly attributable to God Himself. Initially, the Israelites are a small and unimpressive group, with Joseph being their only notable member. But Joseph's high position in Egypt is only temporary and non-hereditary; the Israelites are left to fend for themselves once he dies. God, however, is on their side, and as a result over the span of 400 years, they multiply into a nation of over a million people. In fact, this was God's plan from the beginning, as He had revealed to Abraham that his people would be held captive for 400 years.

When you read Exodus 1, the Hebrew text makes it clear that Israel's remarkable fertility is a result of God's work. In verse 7, there are five separate statements describing the rapid multiplication of the Israelites:

Exodus 1:7 CSB

7 But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them.

The phrase "increased rapidly" employs the word for swarming, like frogs or fish. This word is used in Genesis to describe the massive multiplication of fish and birds that filled the vast expanses of water and air created by God. In fact, this word is only used for humans twice in the entire Bible – here and when Noah and his children emerged from the ark.

In both instances, God was doing something extraordinary. After the flood, He was repopulating the world. Here, He was creating the chosen nation that He would miraculously save. God was the driving force behind this, working behind the scenes to fulfill His promises and make Israel a great nation. This incredible fertility was something only God could orchestrate.

But what does this mean for us?

We must remember that Israel's multiplication is part of a bigger picture. Throughout the Bible, Israel often serves as an analogy for the church today. As Israel was God's chosen and elect people in the Old Testament, so too is the church today.

The Israelites, a small group of nobodies in a hostile world, faced the same dangers that confront the church today. Israel was at risk of being assimilated into the world – would they simply become Egyptians or blend into the culture around them? Would this religious minority group fade into obscurity? These were legitimate concerns for Israel, and they remain relevant for us today. Scripture offers a clear principle in response: God will provide, protect, and fulfill His promises.

God miraculously ensured that Israel not only retained their identity as the children of the promise but also rapidly and miraculously increased in number. They became so numerous that they posed a threat to the Egyptians' worldview. Rather than being assimilated into Egypt, the Egyptians felt threatened by the Israelites. God not only protected His chosen elect but also rapidly and miraculously multiplied them, which is highly relevant for us today.

In the face of the church's shrinking numbers in our nation, how can we remain encouraged? We can remember Israel in Egypt, where against all odds, amidst the might, power, and influence of a world superpower, in a pluralistic society filled with various gods, God protected His chosen people.

And why did God protect His chosen people? Because He made a promise. He promised to bless Abraham with offspring, give them land, transform them into a nation, and bless the whole world through them. Likewise, God made a promise to the church. Jesus assured His people that He would be with them, granting them authority to make disciples of all nations and promising to remain with them until the end of the age.

Just as God had a plan for Israel to be a light to the nations, He has a plan for the church to fulfill the same role. In our efforts to disciple the nations and be that light, we must remember that Israel did not dwindle, and neither will we if we commit to the mission He has given us.

Israel multiplied miraculously because God had a plan and God ensures his plans come to fruition.

So now Israel is a nation of over a million people, but they are under the yoke of slavery in Egypt. How will God save them out of this land, and restore them to the land of promise? Exodus 2 tells us that God will save by raising up a deliverer. In this case the deliverer was Moses.

In the story we meet Moses’ parents, an unnamed man and an unnamed woman who get married and have a baby. This happens during a time when it was unsafe to be a baby boy because Pharaoh had proclaimed an edict that all Israelite baby boys needed to be killed. He did this to quell the amazing growth and fertility of the Israelites - something that God had orchestrated. But God’s plan would not be thwarted by a wicked regime, because Moses parents feared God more than they feared the king. So they hide Moses and protect him, until God again orchestrates things so that Moses would be brought up in the courts of the Pharoah, in a position of power.

Moses was born and raised as a deliverer. He would ultimately lead Israel out of Egypt and away from the land of slavery. He was abnormally saved, placed in a unique but unusual location among the reeds and miraculously saved in Egypt.

Why is this important? Because Exodus is a book that establishes a pattern for salvation. If Moses’ story sounds familiar, it should because Moses' birth foreshadows the true salvation we have in Jesus.

When Jesus is born, we also encounter a young couple about to get married, and the young mother gives birth to a son against the backdrop of King Herod's order that all babies under the age of two should be murdered. As Moses was saved from Pharaoh's decree in Egypt, so too was Jesus saved from Herod's decree in Egypt.

We should not be surprised that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape Herod. It is meant to remind us of Moses, Israel, and Egypt. Just as Moses was raised up to deliver Israel from slavery, Jesus came not only to save the Israelites from Rome but also to save the world from sin.

God had promised Abraham that He would give him land, people, and a blessing. Through Moses, God protected the people and ultimately led them to the Promised Land. But through Jesus, the whole world is blessed by His sacrifice on the cross.

Moses came to save Israel from Egypt. Jesus came to save us from sin. Exodus prepares us for a greater Moses, who delivers us from a greater Egypt.