Remember Your Redemption
Notes
Transcript
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.” 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. 4 “On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. 5 “It shall be when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. 6 “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 “Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders. 8 “You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 “And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 “Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year. 11 “Now when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord. 13 “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 “And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 ‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 “So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” 17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 20 Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Introduction
When was the last time you purchased something at great cost? It’s not every day, but there are times when we need to make a significant purchase. When it’s time for a new car very often there’s a reasonable cost to that purchase. Should we ever move, that down payment on a house is no small expense. No matter what season of life we’re in there’s very often something valuable we need or want that comes at a cost. Even as children we begin to understand what it’s like to empty the piggy bank and incur the cost for something new!
After we’ve taken on that great cost and received what we’ve purchased, how do we tend to care for that new car, the new house, or the new bicycle? We take extra effort to care for those things don’t we? It’s still fresh in our memory how much we had to spend for that new bicycle or that new car and so we’re faithful to care for it! We wash it, clean it, protect it because of what it cost us to attain it.
The opposite is also true isn’t it? If it didn’t cost us anything we don’t tend to care for it in the same way. While I was in seminary I bought a 1996 GMC Sierra pickup truck for next to nothing. It was rusty, the AC didn’t work, the engine would shutter when you got it up to 55 miles an hour. It was a work truck. Not exactly the kind of thing you’d take your date to a nice restaurant in. Now I put some work into it, but I’ll be honest I didn’t really care if the paint got scratched. I didn’t take it through the car wash. I wasn’t scrubbing the upholstery on the interior. The care I had for it was reflective of what it cost me.
I’d like us to ask ourselves this morning, "What hope do we have that God will care for us?” We can rightfully answer, “Because we are His!” Amen! We’re not strangers to God. We’re not mere associates of His. We are His! He’s made us His own, but is this belonging to God like that of an old rusty 1996 GMC Sierra? We may wonder at times, “Does God really care for me?” I’m a bit rusty and dented and weak. We should ask, “At what cost were we purchased?” … We can be assured of God’s faithful, devoted care for us because we were purchased at the extraordinary cost of the blood of Christ the lamb.
Our main point:
God will faithfully shepherd those he has delivered and redeemed by the blood of the lamb.
God will faithfully shepherd those he has delivered and redeemed by the blood of the lamb.
We’ve been talking about the spotless lamb for a few weeks now, but I hope this repetition would emphasize just how important this is going to be in the life of Israel. We’ve addressed the character of the lamb itself. The character of the people as they remember the lamb, and now we really look to the character of God as the people are about to enter the wilderness. Three points this morning, each of them an aspect of God’s character toward His people.
Gracious Redeemer
Powerful Deliverer
Caring Shepherd
Gracious Redeemer
Gracious Redeemer
You may have noticed from our reading this morning that we’re covering some similar ground. We talked about the feast of unleavened bread last week. Why is Moses bringing it up again? For one, what we covered last week was God’s instructions to Moses. This week, we see Moses conveying those instructions to Israel, but in addition to that, there’s a bit of a different emphasis to our text this week. Same instructions, same meaning, but from a different angle if you will.
We begin to recognize that different angle even verse 2.
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”
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The feast of unleavened bread is all about the holiness of the people of Israel. In Exodus 12, the clear instructions provided alongside the description of the feast are to remove anyone who disregards the lamb and eats the leavened bread - they are to be cut off. This week the theme of holiness is the same, but the instructions are for the sanctification of the firstborn. You could put it this way, rather than asking, who is unholy and guilty? We’re asking, “How do we become holy?”
When God calls a people to Himself it’s always accompanied by a call to holiness. Why? For one, God is holy! Holy God is incapable of dwelling with an unholy people. Adam and Eve could no longer dwell in the garden with God because they were no longer holy, they were no longer sinless.
Furthermore, man cannot glorify God unless they are holy. What is worship without holy hearts and holy mouths to honor him?
Sin puts man in a desperate state such that man is deprived of ability to fellowship and worship apart from holiness.
The entire trajectory of Exodus is towards these two things: Fellowship and worship. God among man and man glorifying God. Knowing this we ought to expect this call of God.
Sanctify to Me every firstborn: by focusing on the firstborn God is addressing the whole nation. These are the eldest, the representatives of households, the laborers, providers, and inheritors for all of Israel. God says, sanctify to Me the lifeblood and livelihood of Israel... your firstborn.
There’s a third reason however for this call, even more fundamental. What does God say?
“It belongs to Me.”
The very reason God desires Israel’s fellowship, desires their worship is because God has laid claim to this people. In truth everything belongs to God. He is God! He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He made all things and has a right over all things, yet he exercises his dominion uniquely among Israel. He reveals Himself to them. He pursues them, delivers them, desires to fellowship with them as His own, and so He calls them to holiness - to sanctify the firstborn.
Moses is going to continue on this line of sanctifying and devoting the firstborn but first he does a sort of flash forward. As Moses is about to recount the feast of unleavened bread to Israel, providing instructions for years to come, he does so with a new emphasis which we can see in verse 3.
3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
Four times through our text, Moses uses this statement in some form, “for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place.”
We’ll talk in greater depth shortly about God our powerful deliverer, but for the moment, let’s simply recognize Moses’ focus on Holy God Himself.
As Moses recounts the feast of unleavened there’s a persistent reminder of God’s actions toward his people.
In verse 5 it is the LORD who bring Israel into the land. Later in verse 5 he recalls the promise which God gave to their forefathers to give them the land.
The seven days of unleavened bread is summarized in this explanation in verse 8, “It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.”
And again Moses returns to the powerful hand of the LORD - vs 9.
9 “And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.
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It may seem plain to us as we read of these rites, ordinances, and even the sanctification of the firstborn that they would be God oriented, but Moses doesn’t take that for granted, and God doesn’t either. In all of these instructions to Israel, there’s absolutely no way you can remove God from any part of it. The ongoing practice of the feast of unleavened bread and the gathering of a holy assembly has God right at the center of it. The LORD swore to our forefathers, The LORD brought us out of Egypt, The LORD brought us into the land in accord with promise, therefore we are to be holy.
The same reasoning applies to the firstborn. Everything is God oriented. Even in verse 2 there’s an orientation to the sanctification, a direction. Sanctify to Me. They belong to Me.
Moses returns to the firstborn in verse 11 and 12
11 “Now when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord.
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The LORD is the one who brings them into the land. The LORD is the one who fulfilled His promise, therefore what is the orientation of this devotion or sanctification?
“you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. After all, they belong to the LORD.
Why is it so important that we maintain our view of the LORD in our pursuit of sanctification, devotion, and holiness? It seems like an impossible category when you first mention it? What is a godless holiness? What is a godless devotion? What is a godless sanctification?
I think if we consider that possibility for a moment it’s not too hard to imagine. I might put it this way, “What does the pursuit of holiness look like if all we ever do is look horizontally at other people and never look at God?”
Very quickly the holy standard is reduced to something attainable by man’s efforts. I think you’ll find the new standard is actually attainable my most, but just difficult enough to weed out the really bad ones. We see it in Scripture as the Pharisees try to keep out all those people who are “real sinners”. We see it in our culture today as the relative moral standard shifts to include some and exclude others. The issue with this blind pursuit of holiness is that we’re ultimately blind to how sinful we really are before God, and we’re blind to our desperate need for God Himself.
The reality is that the God who reveals to us the depth of our sin in calling us to holiness is the only one who can redeem us from those sins! God must be at the center of our sanctification because He is the one redeemed us! When God is at the center of our devotion we stop looking around for someone to cast out and realize we are unworthy because we can’t live up to the perfect standard of God. The appropriate response to God’s call to be devoted to Him is, “How?” How is a sinner supposed to be sanctified to the LORD for holy worship? It’s not a matter of being better than the rest like the world would think. It’s a matter of God redeeming us and making us His own for this holy calling.
Vs. 13 summarizes the point.
13 “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.
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It’s pretty humbling to be in the same position as a donkey isn’t it? Doesn’t mankind get a category of their own? Nope. We’re counted among the unclean animals apart from a Redeemer.
There’s no waiting to see what the child will become either. Maybe if he grows up and sets himself apart from the worst of the sinners then he can be holy and devoted to the LORD. No, from the moment of birth God recognizes this child is unclean, as unclean as a donkey, and needs to be redeemed by the blood of the lamb.
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So we’ve come to understand that God needs to be at the center of our pursuit of holiness, but we realize, how can I a sinner be holy? We’ve come to a point of helplessness really. So we look for a redeemer! We look to Christ our Redeemer. Only in belonging to God through Christ our Redeemer can we hope to be made a pure and holy people worthy to worship our Lord.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
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This salvation, this redemption which we have in Christ is the only means by which we can be free from lawless deeds and pursue godliness. It’s through this redemption that God intends to purify us for His own possession and for good works.
Perhaps you’re here this morning recognizing in yourself the difficulty in denying ungodliness, the perpetual temptation of worldly desires. In that difficulty and in that pursuit of holiness there’s a temptation to entertain the devil’s questions, “Maybe you don’t belong.” “Maybe God doesn’t want you.” In those moments of temptation we must remember, our belonging to God is not rooted in our holiness. Our belonging to God is rooted in the blood of Christ which purchased us! It’s in that firm footing of His redemption and our belonging to Him that God does His work of purification and sanctification. It’s in that firm footing of Christ’s redemption do we zealously pursue good deeds and deny ungodliness.
All of our holiness begins with looking to our Gracious Redeemer!
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You may have noticed that these first two aspects of God’s character (Gracious Redeemer and Powerful Deliverer) which Moses conveys to Israel in these instructions are rather intertwined. He doesn’t move on from one to address the other. As much as that’s what I’m going to do this morning, let’s recognize the close relationship these two have, and it’s impossible to separate one from another.
Powerful Deliverer
Powerful Deliverer
Twice already we’ve seen Moses address the powerful hand of the LORD that brought the people out of Egypt, but he’s not done.
14 “And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
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Put yourself in the shoes of an Israelite child again for a moment. Maybe you’ve heard that one of your neighbors recently had a baby: a firstborn son. After a while you see them making their way to the temple or the tabernacle with the baby and a lamb, a spotless lamb. You know what the Passover is at this point, but you know it’s not Passover. Why are they going to the temple with a lamb? So you ask your dad, “Dad, what are they doing?”
The response is the same as you’ve heard already when you asked about the Passover. “With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.”
… but Moses goes further.. vs 15
15 ‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
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Inseparable from the Passover and the sacrifice of the spotless lamb is God the powerful deliverer. Intertwined with the redemption of the firstborn by the lamb is God the powerful deliverer. Even when they go to redeem the newborn donkey there’s this reminder, “God in all His power is your deliverer.”
If you’ll notice, this simple reminder accompanies all these moments of greatest blessing in the history and life Israel.
Back in verse 5 Moses describes the promised land as this land flowing with milk and honey, but when they come to enjoy all of that greatness and blessing, Moses says, don’t forget the Powerful Deliverance which God accomplished so you could be here.
In an agrarian society the birth of even a donkey is a great blessing! If you consider all the work that can be done with an additional donkey, that’s a blessing with great worth. It’s hard to make a parallel, but every farm today has a tractor or a truck of some kind. Farming is nearly impossible today without tractors to work the ground and trucks to haul the material needed to plant and harvest. A donkey would have functioned as that ‘work horse’ of an ancient farm. Plowing and hauling would have centered around a working animal like a donkey and if you didn’t have one you were breaking your own back doing the work. The birth of a donkey is an extraordinary blessing to an Israelite family and in that moment of blessing they were reminded, God is your deliver for by His power you brought out of Egypt.
More than anything else, the birth of a child is a blessing beyond measure. We know today what it is to have the blessing of children, but the birth of a son in that time would have been a moment of great security and relief to a young family. They would have known they have someone to care for them when they get old. When dad’s back starts going out he knows there’s going to be another man in the house to help work the fields, help take care of the house, and help care for the family.
Notice the pattern? In all the moments when Israel would have been tempted to take comfort in the tangible blessing, a new land which bears fruit, a new donkey which assists in the work, a new son to sustain the family, God reminds His people, “All of this is mine!” “I am your redeemer.” “I am Your powerful deliverer which brought you out of the hands of the Egyptians.”
If we were to ask ourselves, who needs this reminder most? Who needs to be reminded that God is their powerful deliver? We might naturally think, well surely those who are destitute, those who are poor and needy, no land, no one to help them in their work, no one to carry on the family name.
I believe that may be an appropriate conclusion, but this reminder is not relegated to those with real needs and real longings. In fact, God begins with those who have experienced the fullness of blessing. God knows what the human heart is capable of in seasons of blessing.
Have you ever seen a young child receive a gift during Christmas or on a birthday. There’s a moment of awe and wonder as they wonder what under that wrapping paper. There might be a card, but it’s opened up with a brief glance and tossed aside. In that moment all attention is given to this gift! The wrapping paper is torn away, and that’s when the fun begins. It’s all so innocent of course, but very often mom and dad have to remind them, “Don’t forget to say thank you!”
Isn’t that true of us many times? We’re running out the door with God’s blessings ready to enjoy these new gifts and we’ve forgotten the giver. All our happiness and comfort is in the things we’ve been given forgetting momentarily that our joy and comfort are found in God, our powerful deliverer, not any material blessing he provides.
Keep in mind, Israel hasn’t even crossed the Red Sea yet. This is the definition of counting the chickens before they hatch, but God will ensure from the very beginning that they know and they don’t forget: I am your powerful deliverer!
As Moses closes these instructions there’s an interesting word picture he uses that we should notice.
16 “So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
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Over the course of Israel’s history, this passage and similar passages like it in Deuteronomy would be taken very literally such that the Jews would literally tie sections of the law with leather straps onto their foreheads and their forearms. Should we take it too literally we miss the simple point, these truths are so fundamental and essential to the lives of God’s people that they’re deserving of being tied around their arms and foreheads so they don’t forget.
If it was so important for Israel’s material blessing, isn’t the same true of our spiritual blessing? In our moments of prosperity and blessing both materially and spiritually we too need that simple reminder and it’s never too soon to hear that reminder.
Should the Lord bless us with kingdom advancement and spiritual fruitfulness, we too need to hear: Christ is our powerful deliverer. He is the one who builds His church.
Should the Lord bless us with the gifts and means to do the work of ministry, we need to hear that same reminder: Christ is our powerful deliver. As Paul said to the church at Corinth,
7 For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
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Should the Lord bless us with new converts, should our children come to faith… let’s not forget the giver who in His sovereign grace draws the lost to Himself.
In our moments of greatest triumphs and fruitfulness, we can’t be reminded enough that Christ is our powerful deliverer. He is our redeemer
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You might be thinking in this moment, life isn’t exactly a land flowing with milk and honey right now. Perhaps that thought is just too far off to even imagine at this point... The reality is that we are sojourners and strangers in a foreign land on our way to glory, and very often we are sheep in a wilderness in need of a shepherd. Exodus gives us hope for the wilderness as well as we look to our Caring Shepherd.
Caring Shepherd
Caring Shepherd
God has not provided a lamb to redeem His people so they could wander in the wilderness alone. God didn’t deliver His people with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm so they could fend for themselves on their way to the promised land. In the very moment that Pharoah let’s go of Israel, God is considering the weaknesses of His people and shepherding them faithfully.
17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.
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God knows His people in the same way a good shepherd know his sheep. He knows their weaknesses and the things that might spark fear in their hearts. As much there is a direct route to the promised land that would be feasible with some boldness and a fighting spirit, God patiently leads the people of Israel the long way around.
Do you see the contrast already between Pharaoh and God? How did Pharaoh treat the people of Israel when he was their master?
There was a complete disregard for what they were capable of. He demanded the bricks be made without straw even though they were already burdened.
8 “But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 “Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”
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There was no understanding of their heart. There's no patience with their weaknesses. “I don’t care how it gets done, as long as it’s done when I want it done!”
God is not a taskmaster!
There’s a very clear trajectory to God’s leadership, but there’s an understanding of His people. He knows their weaknesses, and he’s willing to take the long road with them to see them through to the end.
That’s a comfort to us this morning isn’t it? Should we honestly examine ourselves and see our weaknesses, our fears, our limitations, the sins we battle with, we can say with confidence, God knows!
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
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The truth is that God our maker and Savior knows us better than we know ourselves. When we sin, he is not surprised, When we are tired and weak he is not surprised. And to those who are redeemed by the blood of the lamb, He is patient and kind. He is faithful to lead us to the end.
We need realize however, that as much as God knows our weaknesses, that doesn’t mean he will not lead us through adversity. Should we look ahead just a bit, God may be leading Israel away from war, but He is leading them to a wilderness which will test their faith. There are trials ahead. There’s a sea to cross for beginners, an army on their tail, hunger and thirst to come, but what is Israel’s hope in all of this? Moses recalls the words of Joseph, words of faith and assurance for Israel from over 400 years prior.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.”
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Joseph knew in his dying that God was faithful to His Word - that God was faithful to His covenant people and that one day they would be brought into the promised land like God had promised. After all that Joseph accomplished and after so many blessings in Egypt, he was still certain, I don’t belong here. He told his sons, don’t leave my bones here. Take them with you, why? “God will surely take care of you!” Joseph knew even then that God was a caring Shepherd and would faithfully lead His people to the land which He promised.
Just as Joseph foretold, God cares for His people as they wander the wilderness:
20 Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
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With a simple glance, no matter where you were in that mass of millions of people and livestock there would have been the assurance, God is with us! In the midst of the heat of that forsaken wilderness there was always before them the pillar of cloud! I can only imagine how solitary the Middle Eastern desert might feel in the middle of the night, but if you think about it, Israel would never know the fullness of the darkness of that wilderness! God was with them every night in a pillar of fire - a faithful shepherd who truly cares for His sheep keeping watch through every dark and fearful night.
If I had to guess, I’d imagine everyone in this room has had a taste of that wilderness. Some of us are camped just on the edge and have only begun to reckon with the brokenness of this sinful world. Some of us are in the middle of it right now! No matter where we are or our experiences, we will at one time or another need to reckon with the question, “Is God for me?” Does God understand where I am? Will he be patient with me? Will He deliver me to the end? It may be a season of asking. It may be a lifetime of asking? Whenever that question arises in whatever form, we need be reminded of our redemption.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
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God sent His own son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us! We were bought at a truly precious price... not to be used as slaves by a taskmaster, but to be led to with a mighty hand and outstretched arm in patience and understanding to the place which he has prepared for us. By His Grace, Power, and Care He will bring us to the end.
Until that day, the price of our redemption, the blood of Christ the lamb, is our comfort in the wilderness.
Let’s Pray.
