Are You Stuck in Egypt?
It was one of my favorite movies as a kid.
But, having had the opportunity to watch the motion picture The Ten Commandments numerous times again over the years, and after verifying certain parts of the Bible with it, I’ve come to understand the real significance of this carefully documented account of ancient Israel’s exodus out of Egypt.
It wasn’t just about the stone tablets.
And it wasn’t just about setting people free who were held against their will.
This was the story of the journey of God’s original chosen family of people who, having been delivered out of bondage, remained utterly dependent upon their Lord in a foreign, unfamiliar land, with the hope of eventually reaching the place He had promised to take them.
So, what makes this story so special for Jesus Christ’s disciples is that it’s a paradigm for all men and women whom He has chosen for Himself to apply to their own lives today.
The Lord continues to this day to rescue whom He chooses from the bondage of sin. And, if they’re willing to read, He also provides guidelines and directs their journey through life about how to overcome the temptations that are always present.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Consider the apostle Paul’s words confirming his ancestors’ struggles with disobedience to the church of God which [was] at Corinth, that is, to those who [had] been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place [called] on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was the Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased, for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.” [1Cor.10:1-6] [my emphasis]
What I want to remember about the Israelite’s journey out of the land of Egypt is that I’m every bit as much a whiner as they were. I complain too much about the struggle I have setting myself apart in my journey through this wilderness of life as well. [see: Exodus 17:1-7; 32]
Just like them, I also miss Egypt sometimes too. I’ve even been know to melt down my idols to make new ones. But I thank God that He’s given me the encouragement through Jesus Christ to persevere along the way.
He’s the rock that sustains my spiritual thirst too.
I’m not goin” back.
“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” [Rom.15:4]
“Now I desire to remind you, you all having once known [this], that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.” [Jude 1:5]
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“…remained utterly dependent upon their Lord in a foreign, unfamiliar land, with the hope of eventually reaching the place He had promised to take them.”
My favorite part….