Making a Spectacle....

“[The Lord's instructions to Moses]: ‘Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.’”’” ~ Exodus 4:22-23, NKJV

Had He so chosen, the Lord could have delivered Israel from the Egyptians in a minute. He didn’t need to deal with Pharaoh. He certainly didn’t need Pharaoh’s consent. But the Lord’s plan in the exodus was not just to deliver His people, but also to judge Egypt (for all the years they practiced slavery, abuse, and mass infanticide); to glorify His name (so that the world know that He is God, and have a chance to believe in Him and be saved); to foreshadow Messiah (through the Lord’s Passover); to work in His people’s hearts (as a father might labor to teach his children those things that will benefit their character); and to demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, His love for His people Israel. The way in which He delivered Israel was perhaps as importance as their deliverance itself. God calls Israel His firstborn. He went to great lengths to ensure that not only Egypt, but also the world would know how much His firstborn meant to Him. He warned a hard-hearted Pharaoh that for His firstborn He was willing to kill Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s firstborn. When Pharaoh remained obstinate and that final, devastating plague struck Egypt, did it leave any room to doubt God’s word? There was not a household without one dead! The Lord reduced Egypt - a world power - to chaos and destruction, all for the sake of its slaves! What message did that send to anyone who heard about Egypt’s plagues? What did it say about how much God cared about Israel? A great deal. Much more than mere words could ever say. Egypt became a spectacle, as a Man on a Roman cross would also become a spectacle, thousands of years later. For Israel, His firstborn, God sacrificed all the firstborn of Egypt. For mankind - including Israel - He sacrificed His only begotten Son, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The Exodus, and the death of the firstborn, was a graphic demonstration of God’s love for His children. He fights for His children; He defends them; He protects them; He delivers them; He avenges them. Jesus’ death was another, even more graphic, demonstration of God’s love. When believers lose sight of who they are in Christ - when they forget or struggle to believe that they are God’s sons and daughters, precious and beloved - they can look to the cross. There, also, God left no room for doubt.

by Rebecca....