Celebrating Our Deliverance

 Exodus 12:41 records the day when the children of Israel left Egypt after 430 years of slavery. After that many years the people felt 'comfortable' in their habitat, and life droned on year after year. Not until God sent Moses to lead them out of bondage, did they see any hope for the future. After that many years of slavery their understanding of who they were was nonexistent. Egypt didn't just control their labor - it shaped their identity. They were born into slavery, raised in opposition and conditioned to believe they were nothing more than slaves. For generations, they had belonged to Pharaoh.

So, when scripture says "on this very day" all the people of God went out from Egypt, it recorded more than a historical date it recorded a divine intervention. God was now beginning to fulfill His promise of a Promised Land. (There are at least 170 references to this Promised Land in the Bible) Genesis 14: 11-12 also records that while their bodies walked out of Egypt, their hearts were still in Egypt. God's work has always been-will always be with the heart of man. While their leaving Egypt was a physical deliverance, the people would never really be free until their hearts and minds belonged to God, just as it is for us today. The wilderness wandering was not just about reaching a new land - it was about learning to become a new people. Egypt had to be left behind - its foods-its lifestyle and yes, its gods. The people would carry the identity of Egypt 'within' themselves until they learned to trust and depend upon God and follow His ways. (Can you see the spiritual application here?)

The Exodus was not just a change in geography - it was the beginning of a change in identity. For centuries, the people of Israel had been defined by their chains. Slavery shaped how they saw themselves, how they saw others and even how they imagined God. So, when God led His people out of Egypt, He began the process of restoring who they were and what they were meant to be. (Again, note the spiritual application)

new We often celebrate the moment of our deliverance. (a memorial) And we certainly should do this, but if we are honest with ourselves, we can often see hints of "Egypt" in our lives. We wrestle with fear, shame, habits, Insecurity or doubt. The patterns of the past life don't change overnight! But our journey of faith produces new lives new thoughts attitudes; all developed by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Some call this 'progressive sanctification,' a theological term that describes the ongoing process of Christians becoming more conformed to the image of Christ; empowered to live a life pleasing to God. It's a lifelong journey. a continuous work of the Holy Spirit. We must allow Him to reshape our thoughts, our hearts and our lives, reminding ourselves continually, that we belong to Him. A life of continual surrender is certainly in order! Have a blessed week! - Pastor Bruce