The book of Exodus begins with Israel in bondage under Pharaoh King of Egypt. God’s purpose is unfolded in chapter 6:6-8.
“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will bring you in unto the land.”
Their slavery pictures the slavery of men who are trying with great anxiety to deliver themselves from the power of sin (Rom. 7:7-257What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:7‑25)).
Being quickened, they desire the good, but the evil in them is stronger. They have not yet seen that the Lord Jesus on the cross finished the work, and satisfied God about the question of sin and sins.
How simple the type! The man took a little bunch of hyssop and sprinkled the blood on the side posts, and on the lintel of the door, and God said, “When I see the blood I will pass over you.” They fed on the lamb roast with fire inside the house. The blood marked them out as Jehovah’s people.
The houses of all who sprinkled the blood were protected from the judgment of the slaying of the first-born.
That was not all; they started their journey out of Egypt that night. There was no singing; they left in haste, and Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, between them and the Egyptians who followed them, so that they could not come near them; and the Israelites could not go back even if they wished to.
At Pi-hahiroth (the opening of liberty) there was another miracle. The Lord divided the Red Sea. “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.” Thus the Lord saved Israel. They saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore, and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses. Then they sang,
“The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation.” Afterward they took upon themselves to keep His law. But it was mixed with mercy in the Tabernacle God ordered them to build, His habitation in their midst.
In Leviticus the Lord speaks out of the Tabernacle, and ordered everything suitable to His presence among them.
In Numbers we have their journeying and camping, and there we have their failures, and the Lord’s faithful provision despite all their murmurings. The glory cloud and the trumpets guided them (chaps. 9 and 10). The living priest maintained them by sacrifice (ch. 17). The red heifer burnt to ashes, which was kept to cleanse their defilements (ch. 19). The wicked prophet Balaam was compelled to tell
God’s purposes of blessing which could not be altered.
Deuteronomy rehearses the Lord’s dealings with them, and gives instructions to them for when they were to be in the Land. Moses could not bring them in, the law could not do it. But Joshua (the Saviour) is charged to bring them in, and that is what the book of Joshua gives us.
It begins with the Lord charging Joshua to bring them in to their inheritance. It is not a place for rest and peace, for the enemies of God possess it. These must be met and overcome in the strength of the Lord, and this lesson must be taught them before they are in a condition to fight His battles. The whole land is given them, but they must claim it (1:3). There is every encouragement to Joshua to obedience and victory in chapter 1. The two spies bring encouraging news to Joshua (2:24), and Rahab receives the promise of deliverance for all her relatives by faith.
In chapters 3 and 4 is another type of the death of Christ, and our death with Him. The Ark borne by the priests, goes down into the bed of the river. The water is cut off; on the one side it rose up on a heap, on the other, the bed of the river went dry, and the people passed over two thousand cubits away from the Ark.
Twelve men, one of each tribe, took a stone out of the bed of the river, and they put the twelve stones in Gilgal (4:20). Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan where the feet of the priests, which carried the Ark, stood; and when the priests brought the Ark unto the dry land, the waters flowed down as before. It was full up to the top of its banks at that time of year (3:15).
Here we see the death of Christ to sin, and so our death with Him. Our old man is gone under the waters of the Jordan, and the twelve stones at Gilgal are the memorial of Christ’s death.
Then comes in circumcision, and that is applying death, the death of Christ, to ourselves. We have put off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; we are now to mortify our members which are upon the earth (Col. 3:88But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (Colossians 3:8)).
In the Red Sea we had Christ’s death for us. That took us out of Egypt, and from under the power of the enemy. In the Jordan, we are dead, with Christ, so we are entering into the land, but before we begin the conflict with the enemy, we must realize that the flesh profiteth nothing. Naturally speaking, this circumcision unfitted them for fighting for a time. Nature’s strength is not to be used in fighting God’s battles.
Gilgal is the place of self-judgment; it rolls away the reproach of Egypt. They are now to go in the strength of the Lord. We go on with our wilderness journey, and for that we have armor (also 1 Thess. 5:88But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)), with faith, love and hope, more or less active in us as we seek faithfulness; but this is a spiritual warfare for the enjoyment of the promises, and of heavenly privileges, as men already dead and risen, refusing Satan’s power, as those not of the world, though in it still.
We need to put on the armor of Ephesians 6:10-1810Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:10‑18) to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Circumcision is therefore the putting into the practical effect, which the stones put in the river, taught us—that we are dead with Christ; and those on the banks at Gilgal, that we have a new life as risen with Him. We are to reckon ourselves dead unto sin. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” We are to camp there, and from there to fight God’s battles.
They fed on the Passover there also. The remembrance of the Lord in His death, is ever precious; and the manna, and the old corn of the land all have their place. The manna is our wilderness food still. Here it ceases the next day; for in our heavenly life, we feed upon the glorified Christ. As another writes,
“We feed on heavenly things, on Christ humbled and dying, indeed as a sweet remembrance, but as Christ living as the present power of life and grace. We feed on the remembrance of Christ on the cross; this is the passover. But we keep the feast with a Christ who is the center of heavenly things, and feed upon them all (Col. 3:1, 21If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1‑2)). It is the old corn of the land into which we have entered, for He belongs to heaven.
In this heavenly warfare, we, as they, need to learn that our blessed Lord is our Captain and Guide. In the taking of Jericho, nothing was left to themselves; the orders were given for march and for action, and the Lord gave them the victory.
“The almighty power of God is with the church with its warfare. But His infinite holiness is there also, and He will not make good His power in their conflicts, if His holiness is compromised by the defilement, the negligence, the heedless levity, of His people; or by their failure in those feelings and affections, which become the presence of God, for it is God Himself who is there.”