Psalm 105:37-38, 42-45 NLT The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled. 38 Egypt was glad when they were gone, for they feared them greatly. … 42 For He remembered His sacred promise to His servant Abraham. 43 So He brought His people out of Egypt with joy, His chosen ones with rejoicing. 44 He gave his people the lands of pagan nations, and they harvested crops that others had planted. 45 All this happened so they would follow His decrees and obey His instructions. Praise the Lord!
EGYPT (Bethel Music)
I won’t forget the wonder of how You brought deliverance, the exodus of my heart. ‘Cause You found me, You freed me, held back the waters for my release – O Yahweh!
You stepped into my Egypt and You took me by the hand And You marched me out in freedom into the promised land. And now I will not forget You, no, I’ll sing of all You’ve done. Death is swallowed up forever by the fury of Your love!
Observation
“Egypt was glad when they were gone, for they feared them greatly.” I have been a Sunday School teacher for over 30 years. This story is very familiar. It is a story of victory and deliverance for the Israelites, but also one of ignominious defeat for the Egyptians and their gods (each plague defied and defeated them one by one). After the ultimate plague of death of the firstborn, Egyptians were terrified and wanted the Israelites gone.
Egypt for us is a representation of our sinful state before we embrace the deliverance of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Book of Exodus is about redemption from sin and our journey toward complete reconciliation, harmony, reunion with who and what we can be in Christ. “So He brought His people out of Egypt with joy, His chosen ones with rejoicing.” Do you remember this joy? There is nothing else like it.
However, the story of the Israelites in the wilderness is our story. We can easily allow our first joy to be blunted as we struggle to allow redemption through the work of the Holy Spirit to:
- expose and give us victory over the habits of Egypt,
- quiet the nagging whine of our flesh,
- clean up and clear out the muck of our souls,
- teach us to love mercy, do justly and walk humbly before our God,
- give us Jesus’ eyes to see and heart to understand as we respond to the difficulties of our personal and ministry lives.
In all of the journey, let us never forget that first joy of deliverance, that first experience of the fury of His love. “And now I will not forget You, no, I’ll sing of all You’ve done. Death is swallowed up forever by the fury of Your love.”
Impact On Me
My salvation experience was one of wonder and joyful deliverance. I had grown up in church but had no knowledge of a personal relationship with Jesus. I lived with the continual guilt of feeling inadequate and a disappointment to God. My life was high responsibility and low emotion. We lived down a dirt road in a rural area with very poor television reception.
One morning, I turned on the TV and a preacher gave an invitation to accept Christ. I put my hand on the screen and prayed with him. My life was recharged from deep down inside as I experienced the fury of His love as the Holy Spirit flooded me with salvation. I experienced joy – indescribable and glorious. I want my gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice to be ever increasing, my response to His love ever more intense, so that I can revisit that joy again and again. That is what praise, worship, study and service are all about – remembering and sharing the joy of deliverance with everyone He brings across my path.
Prayer
Almighty and eternal Father, Provider, Redeemer, I present myself to You in gratitude for all You have done in and for me. Let me live in the wonder of Your love for me, always present in that experience of the fury of Your love. May I allow Your Holy Spirit to work without reservation in me to generate joy and hope constantly bubbling up to overflow me. Mold me, make me, use me as You see fit to fulfill Your will and purpose in my life and the lives of those around me. On the Day I stand before You, may I be like the servant who received 10 talents and brought back 20 – deemed a good and faithful servant. I pray it all in Jesus’ name. Make it so.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 