Exodus and Salvation - Lesson 5

Exodus 14:13-14
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

The Israelites were standing between a mighty enemy that wanted to slaughter them and place the survivors back in bondage and an impassable sea at their back. You too were pinned between the enemy of your soul and a sea of sin that separated you from God. As scripture says, you were without hope. There was no way for you to deal with your sins except the justice and wrath of God, which would have resulted in your death. The enemy of your soul was far stronger than you and you cooperated with him in your bondage. You were justly and truly by nature a child of wrath.

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

His blood did it. It crushed the enemy of our soul who sought to keep us in bondage and parted the ocean of our sins so that we could pass through and be forgiven.

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

So the bondage was broken but the people still had hearts of stone. They worshipped idols before Moses could get back down Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments.

Numbers 14:20-23
Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord— because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.

Right after this decision by God the Israelites attempted to enter the Promised Land their own way and were defeated. The people had hearts of stone and they needed to be born again and they were; the Israelites were literally born again in the wilderness. The older generation died and another was born. You were born again too.

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Peter 1:22-25
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Is the Gospel alive in you? I think we have heard the quote from Isaiah pretty often. “All flesh is grass” is a good scripture especially if you work with pastures, however, notice the context here. Peter is saying that once you are born again it is permanent. Your body may grow old and die but the Word endures forever. A believer must necessarily live forever because the Work of God lives forever and He can’t be unfaithful to Himself. It is alive in you and your flesh is as grass but that word lives and abides forever.

There is yet another problem for the Israelites and an additional portion of your salvation too. They have been forgiven for their sins, they have been literally born again in the wilderness but they have no merit or righteousness for entering the Promised Land. Once again God acts to complete His promise and fulfill His covenant. And He does it in a way that patterns your salvation. The Israelites follow a man called Joshua (Yeshua or Jesus).

Joshua 3:14-16
So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away

It is mentioned in verse 15 that the river was at flood stage. God wanted to make it clear that the river didn’t just happen to dry up. Once again there was no way to move forward. They didn’t deserve to enter into the Promised Land. They were simply a bunch who were born in the wilderness, didn’t know who to cook anything except manna which they picked up off the
ground every morning, and they didn’t know how to make shoes or clothes. They would have been a pretty useless bunch. But Yeshua was leading and he knew that God would fight for them and make a way where there was no way as they followed along behind the Arc of the Covenant.

Joshua 5:8-9
So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.

Well this was not a strategic military move that would make sense apart from simply obeying
the command of God. Here they were, they finally entered the Promised Land and the inhabitants knew they were there and would fight for the land so they incapacitated themselves for a while. In their history they would have known that this was what Simeon and Levi used to avenge Dinah their sister by killing the Shechemites. But the Israelites were obeying God and he protected them.

Joshua 5:10-12
Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.

The manna stopped because they were now in the land that God had promised them and they could eat the produce there because He gave it to them. It was all an act of Grace from Egypt to the Promised Land.

To briefly cover this sequence again:

1) Israel came out of Egypt after the death of the first-born and Death passed over each Israelite because of the Blood of the Lamb.

2) They were without hope with the Enemy in front of them and the Sea at their backs but God made a way where there was no way and their bondage was broken.

3) Israel was reborn in the wilderness (literally) since all who came out of Egypt died and a new generation was born.

4) Israel, after being reborn, willingly followed Joshua, Yeshua, or Jesus in the Promised
Land.

5) They had no way of entering into the Promised Land. They were helpless to get there and yet God made a way when there was no way. His Arc of the Covenant went before them. We enter in by the New Covenant of Jesus’ Blood and there is no way apart from that way.

6) After entering into the Promised Land they participated in two sacraments. The first is circumcision, which is the Old Testament mirror of our New Testament Baptism. The second is Passover, which is mirrored in the New Testament by the Lord’s Supper.

7) And even the 12 disciples like the 12 stones became a testimony to the faithfulness and ability of God to all the following generations.

Just like you, the selection of Israel for the Promised Land was based on grace and not of works.

Now one big difference is that, today, a person’s deliverance from bondage, new birth, and
citizenship as one eligible to claim the promises of God can happen in a few moments.

As we continue the parallel into our sanctification we can see God’s work in Israel as a picture of God’s work of sanctification in your life.

After salvation you may experience a rapid change in lifestyle. Often some real victories are won early in a Christians walk with God. In fact, in John’s epistles he makes it clear that a change in
lifestyle necessarily accompanies salvation. However, during the lifelong process of sanctification you may find yourself working with God, and under his direction, on sinful traits that you thought were already dealt with. For me that can be a disappointing because it really makes it apparent that I still have some problem that I thought I had dealt with.

How would you like for God to tell you that you are old? That is what happened to Joshua.

Joshua 13:1
Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.

Not a great thing for God to tell you but you might hear the same thing with regard to your sanctification. You’ve been saved for a while but there is lots of territory in your heart yet
to be possessed by God.

Attitude can make a tremendous difference. Caleb was a man who remembered Egypt and all the heartbreak and waiting of the wilderness. He was 85 and he had obeyed the Lord. He should have been given the prime real estate along with Joshua. Anything he wanted was his. He got what he asked for. Did he ask for retirement? No he asked for the land of the giants that kept the children of Israel in the wilderness for all those years. The Anakites were the ones who were so fearful that the rest of the spies went back and said no way can we take these guys. He believed in God.

Yet scripture makes it plain that all the Israelites were not completely effective at taking
the land.

Joshua 15:63
Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.

Joshua 16:10
They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.

Joshua 17:12
Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when the Israelites grew
stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

Joshua 17:15-18
“If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.” The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” But Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”

Because of a blend of fear and half hearted obedience the Israelites never really finished driving out the original inhabitants of the land.

Joshua 21:43-45
So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

God did His part and then it was up to the Israelites to do their part. Just as the Israelites didn’t contribute to the move from bondage to the Promised Land (God did it all – Monergistic) you
brought nothing to salvation it was completely of Grace. Just as the Israelites found themselves in a battle in the Promised Land you find yourself in a battle and in need of armor to sanctify your life (synergism).

God told the Israelites to be ruthless and thorough in driving out the inhabitants of the Promised Land. They all need to be gone. However, the Israelites figured that out of sight out of mind was all they needed. Then as they soon found out the enemy didn’t know they were supposed to stay hidden from the rest of the world.

Matthew 5:29-30
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

The context of this scripture is lust and adultery and Jesus is saying in a very strong way to not only avoid the sin but also avoid the situation that leads you to it. What sets up the cycle
of temptation and sin? Figure it out, and you probably know it, and avoid it. What was your ritual of sin? Be ruthless in eliminating things that cause you to stubble.

Matthew 18:7-9
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

The context here is sin in general. Think of how desperately we hold on to things that lead to sin. We look at addicts who claim they can handle their addiction and they look really stupid to us but we cling to things in our lives that set up patterns of sin. I’m not talking about the sin itself. I’m talking about live style choices that put you in a position to sin. Even things that would be fine for many people to partake of might position you for sin and need to be eliminated from your life. Before salvation, if you listened to country music while you got drunk you may need to eliminate the music too. Before salvation, if you listened to rock music while you did drugs you may need to eliminate rock music from your life. Before salvation, if you sinned with pornography then you
might now need to throw parts of the newspaper advertisements out before you read the paper. You might have to stop TV altogether or severely limit your viewing. Oh yeah you can handle it you aren’t doing the sin yet your just dancing on the edge and you are a strong enough Christian and anyway lots of Christians do it.

What pagan strongholds exist in your heart? Do you have a sin that repeatedly gives you problems? Maybe you need to claim territory for God in a ruthless way. Ask God what areas of your life still need to be dealt with and how to do it.

2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

God is on your side just as he was on the side of the Israelites. He’ll help you claim you
inheritance. He fights with you:

Ephesians 6:13-18
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

You’re in a battle so act like it and work with God to claim every part of your heart for Him

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

We can’t just grab our spiritual swords and see sanctification in our lives. It isn’t even a profitable pursuit. You’ll just come up with a bunch of rules and regulations.

Colossians 2:23
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

You must seek holiness on your knees seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit or you’ll be
moving backwards away from God into legalism. Especially as you find the areas in your life that lead you to sin and seek to eliminate them you can’t assume that they produce righteousness in your life. Jesus is your only righteousness plain and simple. We are trying to live lives pleasing to God and to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit as God commands us. This warfare is for obedience’s sake and not for righteousness sake. You already have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to you by grace. Righteousness is already my breastplate freely given to me by God to equip me for the fight. Why would I start fighting naked and try to earn my armor as I go.