- Egypt … the House of Bondage - As we go through this study we will encounter God’s Law (or Word), man’s rebellion, and God’s inexplicable grace in redeeming a people for Himself through various metaphors, or types and figures. In Exo 3:7 we learn that the intense agony of the Hebrew slaves under their Egyptian masters is a portrait of being in spiritual bondage to sin and Satan. Heb 11:24-26 helps us to understand the spiritual significance and to see how God figuratively associates Egypt with sin. The Bible only knows of two great kingdoms that have opposed each other throughout history – the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. The world is characterized by slavery to sin and to Satan, the spiritual father of all who are unsaved. Every human being is born spiritually dead in “bondage” and begins his life as a servant of sin in Satan’s kingdom as one of the Devil’s unwitting dupes as Eph 2:12 states. Rom 6:16 states, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”. In accounts in John 8:32-36, we see the Pharisees’ blindness to their own sinfulness. Such hard-heartedness is evidenced in many places in the Bible and is a characteristic of everyone who is not saved. Those who remain in Satan’s dominion are likened to prisoners, according to 2 Tim 2:26b, “… who are taken captive by him at his will”. Satan loves religion because he uses it to keep unsaved people in spiritual bondage, as we read in 2 Cor 4:3-4, whatever a person believes about God and spiritual matters is his “religion”: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”. As we approach the Last Day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return, Satan will be actively deceiving many unsaved churchgoers who profess to have a relationship with Jesus Christ: “While they [religious leaders] promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage” (2 Pet 2:19). Eventually, all the unsaved will end up in the Lake of Fire, along with Satan and all his demons, according to Rev 20:10.
Exo 3:7 “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”
Heb 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”
Eph 2:1-3 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
John 8:32-36 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Isa 14:16-17 “They that see thee [Satan] shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?”
Rev 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
- Out of Egypt … Out of the House of Bondage - “which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt…” in Exo 20:2, is a reference to the historical deliverance of the Israelites from their Egyptian masters that ended a period of 430 years of slavery, according to Exo 12:41. The “iron furnace” in Deu 4:20 provides additional information for us to take into account. In Psa 105:17-19, we see Joseph being “laid in iron”. Keep in mind that Joseph in prison is a type, or figure, of the Lord Jesus Christ in that Christ was spiritually imprisoned when He suffered the wrath of God. Although He had become sin for the elect, He was without any sin of His own, even as Joseph was innocent of any crime according to Gen 40:15: “For indeed I [Joseph] was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon”. Yes, the Lord Jesus is altogether identified with Egypt (a picture of bondage to sin) as Mat 2:15 teaches, “And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son”. We would do well to recollect the words of Isa 61:1, which outline the Savior’s mission, “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound”. Moses was God’s chosen instrument to free the Israelites from 430 years of bondage typifying Christ. In Mat 1:21, we learn, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”. The only way that He could save His people from their sins, was to become sin on their behalf and He forfeited His own life in order to ransom His people from slavery to Satan and bondage to sin, as 2 Cor 5:21 teaches: “For he [LORD] hath made him [Lord Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. Indeed Christ came to set men free from their terrible bondage to sin and to Satan , as Isa 58:6-7 so beautifully acknowledges: “Is not this the fast [or “Gospel”] that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”. God declares in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” and in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. Christ’s death served to free the true believers from their bondage to sin, the world, and Satan as Heb 2:14 declares, “… that through death he [Christ] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”.
Exo 12:41 “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.”
Jos 24:17 “For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:”
Deu 4:20 “But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.”
Psa 105:17-19 “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: 19Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.”
Isa 53:3-4 “He [Lord Jesus] is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
Isa 42:6-7 “I the LORD have called thee [Lord Jesus] in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”
Heb 2:14-15 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
- Saved to Serve as Servant of Christ - Our spiritual bondage to sin and subsequent salvation by the work of Christ is illustrated by the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years until God delivered them out of Pharaoh’s hand using Moses as chosen instrument. The Christian, by God’s grace, has been set free from that bondage as Col 1:13 declares: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”. Acts 26:18 pictures the transfer of power and spiritual metamorphosis that occurs when one experiences birth from above to become a servant of Christ: “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”. In the incisive passage, Rom 8:5-8, God is making the distinction between the two kingdoms we have been discussing. The phrases “after the flesh” and “carnally minded” describe the nature of one who is unsaved and in the kingdom of Satan. On the other hand, the language “after the Spirit” and “spiritually minded” illustrate the nature of a true Christian – one who has become a citizen of God’s kingdom. The words of 2 Cor 5:17-21 depict the wonderful salvation that God has provided by His infinite mercy and grace. Those who have been redeemed are the servants of God, and they live to do His divine bidding, to be “ambassadors for Christ”. True believers have been raised from spiritual death to life and have an insatiable desire to be obedient to the Word of God. Rom 6:12-13 becomes part of the new “marching orders” (the whole Bible) the believer now follows. We discover the terrible plight of the Israelite slaves during their sojourn in Egypt, according to Exo 1:13, “And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:” During this same time frame we find this statement in Exo 3:12: “...When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain”. Perhaps you will recollect the setting between the Lord Jesus and the woman of Samaria who came to draw water from “Jacob’s well” at mid-day as John 4:20-24 asserts, to “worship the Father in spirit and in truth”. Psa 40:3 says, “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD”. Rev 15:3 declares, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints”. What is this “song” that God has placed on the lips of all Christians? Rev 5:9 affirms, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation…”. God is a very jealous God, and we see in Exo 20:1-6 and Rev 5:9-12, that He alone is God and He alone is supremely worthy of the worship of His creatures.
Rom 8:5-8 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
2 Cor 5:17-21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Rom 6:12-13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Exo 20:1-6 “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
Rev 5:9-12 “And they sung a new song [the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb], saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
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