Sing a Song: Our Exodus Experience

The following article is part of a continuing series on “Ah-Ha Moments in the Bible.”

 

The Song of the Angels
Magnificent angels — messengers of God — were sent to a nondescript field, to common shepherds keeping watch over their flock outside the walls of Bethlehem on an ordinary night that would change the history of the world. As if it were not enough that they had come, they came with a song, declaring that He had come. The Messiah, born to the very earth and people He had created. A babe who would grow to be a man who would spread His arms wide in love and sacrifice. A man who was and is and shall always be God Himself and who would — by His own power — raise Himself from the dead and ascend to the Father whom He loved and who loves us more than we can comprehend.

 

The shepherds heard the news first but certainly not last. Every time a man, woman, or child hears the Good News, the angels metaphorically proclaim it again. Every time that same man, woman, or child asks the Savior into their heart, the angels sing so thunderously, all of Heaven quakes.

 

God’s Promised People Enslaved to Egypt
When did you hear the Good News? When you heard, what was going on in your life? Were you, like God’s chosen people, enslaved?

 

Joseph (1915 - 1805 BC) was the 11^th of the 12 sons of Jacob. At the ripe old age of 17, Joseph had become too sure of himself, cocky at times. His older brothers, who were grazing sheep near Dothan, dropped Joseph into a well and sold him to a group of Midianite merchants. These merchants then sold Joseph to one of Pharaoh’s officials, Potiphar. Over the years, Joseph prospered in the home of this man but was then the victim of sexual harassment. However, rather than his abuser (Potiphar’s wife) going to jail, Joseph did. In time, Joseph again rose in favor and became second-in-command to Pharaoh, having initiated a method by which Egypt would have plenty in time of famine.[1]

 

The land back home where his father and brothers were living, however, was in food crisis. Jacob sent his oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain so they would not starve. Unbeknownst to the boys, they were about to come face-to-face with their little brother. Rather than extending bitterness, Joseph extended grace (so much like Jesus!) and welcomed his father and brothers and their entire families into Egypt. Their descendents were born and lived there for the next four hundred years.

 

A Little Time Travel
Ah, but they didn’t live free. The descendants became slaves to Egyptian rulers. Then, in 1526 BC a boy named Moses was born, supposedly to die, as Pharaoh had every baby boy born of the Israelites thrown into the Nile River.

 

But Moses lived. He was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter until he reached manhood. One day he saw an Egyptian beating one of his own people and he killed the abuser. When his sin was discovered he fled to Midian (located in Southeastern Sinai), married a young woman named Zipporah, had children, and worked as a shepherd. In time he stood before God Almighty who ordered him back to Egypt for the purpose of freeing His chosen race from slavery. He returned and the story we know as “The Exodus” occurred.

 

The Long Way Home
Eventually Pharaoh allowed his slaves to go free. With Moses in the lead (although directly behind the Lord), those who had just been in bondage began on what would be a 40-year trek toward the Promised Land.

 

Moses and the Lord had a “leadership meeting” of sorts. The Lord said to Moses, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.[2] This was most definitely an unlikely route and the long way home.

 

The Scriptures tell us that God’s people were led by the Lord as a pillar of cloud during the day and as a pillar of fire at night, which enabled them to travel both day and night. And though it took those hard forty years, arrival in the Promised Land eventually came for God’s chosen ones.

 

The Ah-ha Moment
When the freed slaves came upon the Red Sea, Pharaoh’s army was right behind them, Pharaoh having changed his mind on the whole freedom idea. Though the people were afraid and quite grumbly, God used that which seemed to have them up against a wall (of water, if you will) as the very thing that gave them passage to safety, and took the lives of their enemy.[3]

 

When the Chosen of God had reached safety, the people sang a song!

 

I will sing to the Lord for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea…Who among the gods is like You, O Lord? Who is like You — majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? ...In your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.[4]

 

There are so many ah-ha moments within this passage; it would take article after article to address them all. So, let’s jump ahead to what may be the most obvious.

 

At one time — if you are a believer — you most likely were enslaved by sin. In all my years of ministry, I have had but one person walk up to me and say, “I have lived a life solely unto the Lord and have nothing to give a testimony on. Boring, but blessed, I am.”

 

Most of us have lived lives enslaved by our enemy, the devil. He is our Pharaoh and a lifestyle of sin is our Egypt. Try hard as we may, and even though we want freedom more than anything imaginable, we can’t break the bondages of slavery on our own. We need a leader who commands our release. We need Jesus!

 

When we are ready to pack up and go, however, we may find that the Lord leads us in some unlikely directions. We may also find that the enemy isn’t too thrilled with our departure, and so he will pursue us. But our God will enable us if we trust His guidance. He will be — by the power of his Holy Spirit — our cloud by day and our fire by night so that whether life’s road is clear or dark, we can move forward.

 

If you missed the first installment of Sing a Song, titled “Peace to Men on Whom His Favor Rests,” you can read it here.

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Award-winning national speaker Eva Marie Everson is a graduate of Andersonville Theological Seminary. Her most sought after conference topic is “Arise, My Soul, Arise” in which she explores the songs of the Bible. She can be contacted for comments or for speaking engagement bookings at www.evamarieeverson.com.

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