The Exodus
Opening Song:
Psalm 13 Song
Call to Worship:
Pastor Andrew Loginow
Jude 5
Historical Reading:
Pastor Michael Champoux
Apostles' Creed
Song:
How Firm A Foundation
Confession & Pardon:
Pastor Brett Eckel
Song:
Doxology
Song:
Lord I need You
Sermon:
Dr. Alex Loginow
Exodus 12.33-51
"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State…shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”
Those are the opening words of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. And even though there was still a long and painful process to complete the abolition of slavery in America, the Emancipation Proclamation was the beginning of the end for American slavery. Our Scripture passage this morning tells us of the end of Israel’s slavery in Egypt. And even though the entire book is called Exodus, Exodus 12.33-51 is the actual account of Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
As we have been preaching through Exodus we have witnessed key redemptive historical events leading us to the Exodus, like the burning bush and the 10 plagues. We still await other key events like the crossing of the Red Sea, the golden calf, and the giving of the 10 Commandments but this text speaks of the actual exodus from Egypt. In this narrative Scripture emphasizes three important themes of the Exodus: (1) plunder; (2) providence; and (3) Passover. As we survey these three points in the passage we will once again see how the story of the Exodus connects to our story through the story of Jesus Christ.
Plunder
The first important theme to notice about the Exodus narrative is that Israel plundered the Egyptians. Don't forget that YHWH promised Moses this was going to happen. When YHWH spoke to Moses through the burning bush he said:
21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians (Exod 3.21-22).
As he promised, when YHWH delivered his old covenant people from slavery he did not send them out empty handed. No, he plundered their enemies. God is the creator. All of creation is rightfully his and here he decides to plunder his enemies and to give the plunder to his people.
Not only did Israel plunder Egypt’s property but also some of their people. Verse 38 says that a mixed multitude also went up with them. That means that it wasn’t merely ethnic Jews who left Egypt but also some of the Egyptians converted. After seeing YHWH’s judgment some of these Gentiles repented and believed the promise.
Later in verses 43-51 YHWH gives instruction about Gentiles participating in the Passover. This was necessary not only because there would be Gentiles who converted in the future but because they had some of the nations in their midst already. Even before Israel is officially a nation there are some in their midst who are not of ethnic Israel. This goes to show that from the very inception of their national and covenantal identity that true Israel was not simply made up of ethnic Jews, but Israel was always made up of everyone who believed the promise by faith.
This plundering of God’s enemies was a shadow pointing us to what the true Israel – Jesus Christ – would do through his life, death, and resurrection. In Mark 3 Jesus is answering a charge against him that he exercises demons by the power of Satan. Jesus’ response reveals that Jesus had actually come to plunder Satan: But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house (Mark 3.27). Jesus has come to bind Satan and then plunder his house of God’s people.
We see this truth from another angle in Revelation 20:
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended (Rev 20.1-3).
Mark 3 and Revelation 20 both talk about Satan being bound. Both pericopes use the same Greek word for binding: δέω. There is strong evidence that these two passages are talking about the same event. When Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead he bound Satan so that Satan might not deceive the nations any longer. Israel’s plundering of Egypt foreshadows what Jesus Christ came to do. Egypt is a type of Satan – Egypt is the seed of the serpent. Jesus Christ is both YHWH and the true Israel. Jesus is both covenant maker and covenant keeper. He is truly God and truly man. Jesus is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2.5).
I wrote my dissertation on Christ-centered preaching, using the Book of Haggai as my test case of how to apply Christ-centered preaching. In the book of Haggai Israel returned from the Exile and were commanded to rebuild the temple. In Haggai 2.7 YHWH prophesies about the final temple:
7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says YHWH of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares YHWH of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says YHWH of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares YHWH of hosts (Hag 2.7-9).
The writer of Hebrews interprets this passage to refer to the unshakable kingdom of Christ. Through his life, death, and resurrection Jesus Christ has plundered all of the treasures of the nations, namely, his elect people for whom he died. Church, this should give us confidence and hope to follow Christ even in the midst of sin and suffering. Jesus Christ is the victorious one – Christus Victor!
Jesus crushed the serpent’s head through his death and resurrection. And Jesus continues to crush Satan’s head as people place their faith in Jesus even today (Rom 16.20). Jesus will finally and fully destroy that evil dragon when he returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. We’re on the winning team! Christ is victorious! He has plundered his enemy!
Providence
Israel’s plundering of Egypt is not the only theme of the Exodus narrative that leads us to the gospel. We also see the divine providence of the first exodus carrying us to the true and final exodus. Verses 40-41 say: The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. Israel’s exit from Egypt was 430 years to the day that Israel first entered Egypt.
This timing was not a coincidence. God was in control of this situation from start to finish. Long before Israel even went to Egypt YHWH told Abraham exactly what was going to happen. As YHWH made his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 YHWH said:
Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions (Gen 15.13-14).
God meticulously and sovereignly managed Israel’s sojourn in Egypt. The KJV and NKJV of Exodus 12.41 both begin: And it came to pass at the end of 430 years…. I love that phrase: it came to pass. Modern translations don’t use it because people don’t speak that way anymore. But I love it because it’s a way to say, “what a coincidence” with a wink. It’s a way of saying this is no coincidence at all. The sovereign covenant God is directing all of history to a very specific moment.
And that specific moment is the Christ event. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law (Gal 4.4). You see all of history is providentially teleological. All of history is about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Jesus tells us that God is our holy creator. In Adam we sinned against God and because we’re born with a sin nature we sin in thought, word, and deed. Pastor Brett led us earlier in our confession and pardon where we weekly confess this truth. For us and for our salvation the Father sent his Son to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. His name is Jesus and he lived a truly human life yet without sin (Heb 4.15). Jesus died on the cross bearing God’s wrath against sin, he was buried, and on the third day Jesus resurrected from the dead.
Now everyone who will repent and believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. When the Holy Spirit changes your heart you turn from your sin and toward Jesus. You place your faith in Jesus. You have the knowledge of who Jesus is and what Jesus did; you ascent that these things are true; and you transfer your trust to Jesus alone.
This is what Jesus Christ came to do: he came to lead the true and final Exodus. And Jesus knew what he was doing because this wasn’t his first time. In our call to worship Pastor Andrew read from Jude 5. Listen to it again: Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe (Jude 5). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Jude reveals to us that Jesus himself led Israel out of Egypt in the Exodus.
Jesus led the Exodus because he is YHWH (John 8.58). Jesus also led the Exodus by type or shadow. Moses was a type of Christ as he led God’s people out of slavery. Jesus is the true and better Moses who leads his people out of the slave market of sin and death and into the promised land of the new creation. The events of the Exodus were providential pictures given by God in time and space to prepare his people for the person and work of his Son Jesus Christ.
Once again, the most important application here is for you to repent and believe the gospel. Don’t stay in slavery. Embrace the good news that God adopts all those who place their faith in his Son. You don’t have to remain enslaved to the world, the flesh, and the devil. Take Christ by faith.
For those who do believe we must trust the providence of God. Nothing ever happens by accident. Nothing is out of God’s control. That means wherever you are right now, God has you there for a reason. Trust and obey him with your marriage, your family, your singleness, your education, your work, your empty nest, your grandchildren, your retirement, your sickness, your health, your money, your everything.
We should be content wherever God has us. People talk about contentment like it’s a bad thing, like you should always be trying to make more money, get a bigger house, a nicer car, etc. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those things but they can become idols. Contentment is never sin. Laziness can be a sin. Not providing for one’s family is a sin but contentment is never a sin. In fact, lack of contentment is a sin.
The Apostle Paul wrote, I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (Phil 4.11). Later in 1st Timothy Paul wrote:
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1 Tim 6.6-12).
Be content with where God has you even while you strive toward different goals.
There were people in Israel who lived during the time that Israel first came to Egypt with Joseph. There are other Israelites who lived during the Exodus. And there were some Israelites who lived their entire lives enslaved in Egypt. They weren't there for Joseph’s reign and they never saw the Exodus and yet by their faith they were also the people of God. They lived where God had them. Whenever you are in life right now, if you belong to Jesus, God has you there for a reason. Trust and obey him and his providence.
Passover
The third noteworthy theme in this Exodus pericope is more instruction given on the Passover. In fact, this section describing in actual exodus in verses 33-42 is sandwiched by instructions concerning the Passover in Exodus 12.1-32 and Exodus 12.43-51. The Exodus and the Passover are obviously and undeniably united to each other. In these verses YHWH gives direction concerning who may and may not participate in the Passover meal. Our sermon last week gave careful attention to the meaning of the Passover event and ceremony so I’m not going to rehearse that. If you missed the sermon last week you can check it out on our church website, Facebook, or YouTube channel.
That being said, I want to draw attention to the unique point made about the Passover in Exodus 12.43-51, namely that the Passover meal was for those in the covenant. No one was to practice the feast of Passover unless they took the sign of the Abrahamic covenant – circumcision. The Passover was not to be taken lightly. It was for those in covenant with YHWH to remember and relive their salvation. Those who did not have faith in the promises of YHWH were disqualified from observing Passover. Positively, the Passover was for the people of God. It was for those who had faith in YHWH and took the sign of the covenant.
Christians have always seen a degree of continuity between the old and new covenants. Just as God’s old covenant people took the sign of circumcision by faith as a prerequisite for the Passover meal, Christians of all denominations have believed, taught, and practiced that God’s new covenant people – the church – take the sign of baptism as a prerequisite for the Lord’s Supper. Scripture teaches that we are justified before God on the basis of faith in Christ alone. The two signs of the new covenant are the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.
Baptism is our initiatory rite into the new covenant; it is the first act of obedience after one places his or her faith in Jesus Christ. It is the doorway into membership into the local church. That is why last week after we baptized Haddon, Dylan, and Christian they covenanted to become members of Christ Community Church. We are baptized into the local church. Just as converts became part of God’s old covenant people when they took the sign of circumcision, so now new Christians become a part of the church through baptism.
Baptism is the initiatory rite into the new covenant and Holy Communion is the ongoing rite of the new covenant. Baptism is administered once. The Lord’s Supper is administered every week. It is the fulfillment of the Passover meal. And it is only for those who have taken Christ by faith and received the initiatory sign of the new covenant: holy baptism.
Even now as we prepare for the Eucharist you should self-reflect. Have you taken Christ by faith? Have you repented and believed the gospel? If so, have you been baptized? If your answer is, “no” to either of those questions, please come talk to one of the Elders who have led in the liturgy this morning. We would love to talk to you about the gospel and baptism. If you are a baptized Christian then you are welcome to the Lord’s Table to remember and proclaim that Christ has died; Christ is risen; and Christ will come again.
Conclusion
Even though President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was effective January 1, 1863, it was still a long and painful process to actually abolish slavery in the United States. The same is true with God’s people. They were physically freed from Egyptian slavery at the Exodus but their hearts were still enslaved to sin. But when the time was right the Father sent his Son, the true and final Passover lamb, to plunder Satan’s house and free us from our slavery to sin. John 8.36 says, so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Everyone who trusts in Jesus alone “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”