Moses III: The People Are Free

Commentator for the Moses Study is Rev. Matt Wolfington.

Unique: Being without equal. Distinct.

Here we have more evidence of God’s divine gifts of “Proclamation” and “Knowledge” to Moses. God is giving Moses and Aaron a direct structure to pass along to the people of Israel to not make them unique, but rather remind them that they are unique. Moses is offering information about coming events or “prophesying.” The Passover, protecting the Israelites from the plague of the firstborn in Egypt, was about to take place. God wanted future generations of the Israelites to be reminded for of what He had done for them and why.

26 And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' 27 then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.' " Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. Exodus 12:26-30 (NIV)

The Passover story also represents the gift of “Shepherding” in Moses. He gathered the people together, demonstrated concern for their struggles and protected them from harm. God was again setting Moses up to be more relied upon as a Shepherd in the coming days. Think about it: If Moses comes to you and tells you how to save your family from the death of God’s wrath, and it works; are you not going to turn to him again for answers later down the road?

A theological note here: The Passover represents a theme throughout the Bible as a whole. God redeemed an entire collection of people while individuals perished. The people of Israel shared a meal as families during the Passover and were delivered from Pharaoh together, not individually. Today, we are individualistic, but there is no denying God’s power in collective intervention and redemption.

So it the Passover happened and the people were freed. Then they crossed the Red Sea. Again, Moses’ gifts were used. While the faith of the people of Israel waivered, Moses turned to God. The seas parted and they were delivered out of Egypt.

Exodus 14:31 “And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”

God wanted Moses to be the leader of the Israelites and deliver them from the Egyptians. Mission Accomplished.

The people, along with Moses, praised God through song. Yahweh is praised for his greatness and strength and then his holiness. They praise his acts of power and redemption. They say that he is God alone, for all other gods are worthless against Him. Now, God is king of the world. I think you can see a few gifts here as well: While this song is written and sung to God, it is certainly an encouragement to the people to remember the deliverance. Also, the song is a bit prophetic.

Tomorrow’s reading: “Turn out the lights. The party’s over.”