Let My People Go

Well, brethren, there is a particular phrase in the biblical account of the deliverance of the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt that has always stood out to me. It's made an impression. It's listed nine times in the book of Exodus. It's a very meaningful phrase, and perhaps it could even be thought of as the battle cry of the Exodus. So, I think you know what phrase that is if you were paying attention earlier to what Mr. Melere said in your announcement bulletin. It's the title of my sermon today, Let My People Go. Nine times this phrase was used in the book of Exodus. Why did God want Pharaoh to let his people go? In what manner did God let Israel go? What does the Passover have to do with Pharaoh letting God's people go? How did the children of Israel react to being let go from Egypt? Is God still in the process of telling an evil spiritual Pharaoh, Let my people go? And what were the children of Israel to do upon being let go from Egypt? Believe it or not, we're going to answer all those questions in the short time we have here today. So, why did God want Pharaoh to let his people go?

Well, we know that Israel was in bondage to the Egyptians. They were harsh taskmasters, the Egyptians. They treated the Israelites very badly. They had forgotten how an Israelite, Joseph, had brought them out of famine and despair and had saved their country. They began to really make it difficult for the Israelites, making them serve with rigor.

They were harsh toward them. So, the Israelites began to call out to God for deliverance from the bondage. God heard and God acknowledged them. He remembered the covenant. Not that he had ever forgotten it, but that's how it's related in the Bible. He remembered the covenant that he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, it was God's desire to deliver the children of Israel from the land of Egypt and give them the promised land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, he began to move mightily and he started to use Moses and Aaron in being able to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt. Let's go to Exodus 5, where we find the first time this phrase is used in the book of Exodus and in the Bible. Exodus 5, verse 1.

Afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus says the Eternal, the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Eternal, who is this Lord, this Yahweh, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Eternal, I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go. So, here we find a very defiant response to this phrase of letting God's people go.

This is the first time this phrase is used. As I mentioned, it's used eight more times in the Bible. You can go look them all up. I'm not going to go through all of them today, but I believe there are nine. God wanted Pharaoh to let his children go. Why?

Well, first of all, because he loved his children. He loved the children of Israel. He loves all people. We know that for God so loved the entire world that eventually he gave his only son. And we know that his son was slain from the very foundations of the material world. So, we know that it was a part of God's plan. He loved his children. His plan was to deliver them all along. They had suffered long enough at the hand of the Egyptians. God wanted Pharaoh to let his children go also to fulfill prophecy. And we talked about that some in a sermon I've started on the fundamentals of Bible prophecy. This was a prophecy that had been made. And God was fulfilling the prophecy by delivering the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt.

So, we know God loves us. We know that God wants us to turn to him, to have that close relationship that Mr. Maler was talking about. So, let's ask the question, what does this mean to us today from a spiritual perspective, given what I've just mentioned about God bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt? What does it mean from a spiritual perspective? Well, again, we know that God loves us. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not want us to be in bondage to sin. Egypt is symbolic of sin. God wants us to come out of sin, because sin is like a shackles upon us. It's like being in chains in bondage. When we give in to sin, we are shackled by sin. It's very hurtful. It's something that we need to come out of. In the Days of Unleavened Bread picture, coming out of sin. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are referred to as the blessing and the cursing chapters. Sin causes suffering. There is a consequence. Many consequences for sin. You can read about those consequences in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. There are many curses that have come upon people because of sin, that have come upon this earth. Many diseases and all kinds of cause and effect from sin. Sin causes suffering. And, ultimately, it causes destruction and death. God wants His people to be free from sin. He wants us to come out of Egypt. He sent His son to make that possible. He grants us repentance to make that possible. He forgives our sins. So, it's very important that we understand, again, the answer to this first question. Why did God want Pharaoh to let His people go? Because He loves them. And He wants them to be free. Free from sin, free from bondage. So, there are, obviously, spiritual implications. Let's ask another question. In what manner, how and in what way did God let Israel go?

Well, we know that He led them out by miraculous intervention.

He had to intervene miraculously to make this happen. And so, last time in the sermon I gave in regard to prophecy, I know I mentioned the different plagues. Remember the frogs?

So, I remember that's the noise that they could hear throughout the land of Egypt. From many, many frogs, it was much worse than that, believe me. There were all kinds of frogs. That was one of the plagues. That was the second plague.

The first plague was water turning to blood. And you probably have heard that all of these plagues were reminiscent of Egyptian gods. They had something to do with Egyptian gods. Now, I've heard that many times in various sermons, but I never really looked it up. So, I Googled it this week. And I can actually tell you, according to this website anyway, which is stat.rice.edu. Stat.rice.edu, if you want to look it up. According to this, the first plague, water turning to blood, was reminiscent of the Egyptian god of the Nile, Happy. H-A-P-I. Not H-A-P-P-Y, but H-A-P-I, an Egyptian god of the Nile River. The second plague of frogs was reminiscent of the Egyptian goddess of fertility, of water, and renewal, and just happened to have a head of a frog, Hecate. H-E-K-E-T, Hecate. The third plague was lice. Remember, the magicians could not duplicate the lice. This was reminiscent of the Egyptian god of the earth. Remember, the air instruct the dust of the earth with his rod, and it became lice throughout the country. So, G-E-B, Geb, is the Egyptian god of the earth, and over the dust of the earth. So, that's the plague of lice. The fourth plague, the plague of flies, reminiscent of the Egyptian god of creation, movement of the sun, rebirth, who also had the head of a fly. And that's the god Kepri, K-H-E-P-R-I. The fifth plague was pestilence on the livestock, reminiscent of the Egyptian goddess of love and protection, usually depicted with a head of a cow, the god Hathor, H-A-T-H-O-R. The sixth plague boils on Egyptians and their beasts. This was symbolic of Isis, the Egyptian goddess of medicine and peace. It's showing that God, the true God of heaven and earth, the God of creation has power over all of these gods of Egypt. The land of Egypt was totally decimated by these plagues. One after another, God would pour these plagues out upon Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth was decimated for a time because of these plagues that hit the land of Egypt. So Isis was the Egyptian goddess of medicine and peace. The sixth plague was where the Egyptians were struck with boils all over their bodies.

By the way, we might ask at this point the question, why did God harden pharaoh's heart? Remember almost after every single one of the plagues, not every single one, but after many of them, it says God hardened his heart because he had been thinking about letting the children of Israel go, but God hardened his heart. I've been wondering about that for 30 or 40 years, and I don't know. I've heard some explanations, but I thought of another one this week that might have some credence, and that is, we know that the pharaoh is symbolic of Satan the devil. Satan is a very determined being, probably more so than any human being.

So perhaps God hardened his heart, or God hardened the heart of pharaoh, to show just how committed Satan is. He's our adversary. He is our enemy. He wants to destroy us. So I don't know. It doesn't say in the Bible it's speculation on my part, but it does seem to make sense to me, anyway, that this could be part of the reason, anyway, why God hardened pharaoh's heart. Satan is more stubborn and determined than human beings, and we know we can be very stubborn and determined. The seventh plague, the plague of hail, was reminiscent of the Egyptian goddess of the sky, Nut. I don't know if you pronounce it that way, but that's what the website says, Nut. Those who feared God were spared because they came out of the fields, if they feared God, even some of the Egyptians were starting to listen at this point.

The eighth plague was the plague of locusts, and it's reminiscent of the Egyptian god of storms and disorder, Seth. So there were locusts, and there was also, well, locusts was the main plague, the eighth plague. So storms and disorder is what they say, the Egyptian god Seth. The ninth plague was three days of complete darkness. Now, the main god in Egypt was the god Ra, the sun god.

So the sun was darkened for three full days.

Then the last plague, the tenth plague, was actually reminiscent of Pharaoh himself, the king of Egypt, who was the ultimate god or power of Egypt. They looked to the Pharaoh as though he were a divine god. And also, they considered him the son of Ra, which I guess was even supposedly more powerful than Ra. And of course, the tenth plague was the death of the firstborn of Egypt, the death of the firstborn. So I found that interesting whether or not it's totally accurate.

You be the judge. You know, study further if you'd like, but that's what I found.

Now, obviously, God was acting miraculously. He was sending signs and wonders throughout the land of Egypt. All these different plagues, he prophesied the plague, and then he made it happen. He brought it to pass. Only the god of Israel has such power and such might, and that was one of the main things that he wanted everyone to understand. Only God could do this. Only God had this tremendous power over the most powerful person, the Pharaoh, and over the most powerful nation on earth at the time.

In Exodus 13, we see that God miraculously leads the children of Israel out of Egypt. He took them out with a high hand. They were even able to spoil the Egyptians, come out with a high hand. That's how God delivered them miraculously. He was with them.

Well, let's go to Exodus 14 and look at a few verses here. Exodus 14. Exodus 14, verse 4, he says, "'Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart.'" This is after they've left, after they're on their way. "'Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will pursue them. And I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all of his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord, the Eternal, and they did so.' Now it was told to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people.

And they said, Why have we done this, that we've let Israel go from serving us? They liked being served by the Israelites. So he made ready his chariots and took his people with him. He took 600 chariots, and we don't need to read all of this, but he went after them with vigor, and he was out to bring them back, to bring them back into bondage, to bring them back into slavery.

And I would say that Satan the devil is, you know, he's of the same mind. He would like to bring you back into slavery. He would like to bring you back into bondage. God delivered you from Satan, but Satan is not content. He would love to have you back on his side, back in his fold. So we have to always be on guard for for Pharaoh, because, or Satan, because he's going to come after us.

That's exactly what Pharaoh did. If we read verse 13, Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand still, because they saw Pharaoh coming. And Moses is reassuring them. He has faith in God. He trusts God. He says, don't worry. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians, which you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The eternal will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

So God, so Moses told him to stand still and not do anything. But it's interesting that God doesn't hold to that. You know, God doesn't want us to stand still. He doesn't just want us to rely on him to do everything. He wants us to also be involved. And that's what I get from his response. Look what he says. Yes, God will fight for us. But the eternal said to Moses, why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. Get moving. Don't just stand around.

Get moving. You can do that. And of course, that's what happened. They started moving into the Red Sea once it was opened up on both sides. They were able to go across on dry land. It was miraculous. God was protecting them. God was delivering them. Pharaoh and the chariots and the army of Pharaoh came after them, even came into the water. Now, you would have thought that maybe they would have had better sense after 10 plagues, after God showing his power and then opening up the sea for the Israelites to escape.

But, you know, Satan is blinded. And Satan has blinded the world, hasn't he? He's blind himself. So, he's not content to give up. He's not giving up. So, he came in after them, even though he should have had much better sense than to send in. Now, he was watching, but he sent his army in to do the dirty work. Well, I think we know the rest of the story. The sea did come in. It did cover up the chariots. They got caught in the mud and the mire. Even though the Israelites were going across on dry ground, it was no longer dry when the Egyptians got there.

They all drowned in the sea, is what the Scripture tells us. God delivered the children of Israel miraculously. He's the same yesterday as he is today. He'll do the same thing for us. He will deliver us miraculously if we trust him, if we have faith, and if we move forward. If we do what we can do, knowing that God will do the rest, believing that God will take care of everything else that we can't handle ourselves, that we need not fear.

We know that John 6 44 says that God must call and draw a person to Christ. God must open their minds through the power of his Spirit. He must impart spiritual understanding.

Again, Satan doesn't give up easily. He will persistently pursue those who try to escape from him. Those who try to escape from his bondage, he's going to pursue them. But God will give us the victory and will continue to give us the victory. Another question. What does the Passover have to do with Pharaoh letting God's people go? Well, I think we know it has everything to do with the Pharaoh letting God's people go. It was only after the 10th plague, only after the plague that was in conjunction with the Passover. Remember, the Passover lamb had to be slain, a sacrifice had to be given, and that blood had to be put on the lintels and the doorposts of the Israelite homes. Only then would the death angel pass over. Only then would they escape alive.

So the Passover sacrifice is all about forgiveness of sin. We know that there's no forgiveness of sin without acceptance of Jesus Christ, without acceptance of His shed blood on our behalf.

So the Passover is all about forgiveness of sin. It's all about letting the sins of the people be forgiven. It's all about letting God's people go and allowing their sins to be forgiven. Also, the Passover blood delivered Israel's firstborn from death, and Christ's blood delivers the firstfruits today. God isn't calling everyone right now. Not everyone is being delivered. In fact, there's going to be some very difficult times upon this earth because of the sins of mankind. But those who are firstfruits, who are truly trusting in God and have faith in God and rely upon Him, many will be protected in a place of safety. At least, that's what I believe. I believe there is a literal place of safety that God will protect some of His people for sure. Others will have to prove their faithfulness in martyrdom. The Scriptures talk about that. Those are things that are going to happen in the future.

But the Passover blood is what's going to deliver us. Accepting Christ as our Savior, repenting of our sins, coming out of our sins, and accepting the sacrifice of Christ, and having a repentant heart and a repentant mind. That's what is going to save us. God is going to save us miraculously. So, Christ is our Passover lamb. Acts 4. Let's go there for a moment and read a few verses. Acts 4, verses 9-12. Of course, this is right after the day of Pentecost. The early church or the New Testament church has begun now. Miraculous things are happening. Peter and John, they heal a man who had been crippled from birth. He's healed miraculously. Of course, they're arrested for doing such a wonderful deed. It goes to show what Satan and his cohorts will try to do to us if we do something good and if we have faith and trust God and believe in God. But notice Acts 4, verse 9.

Peter, it says in verse 8, "...filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man. By what means he has been made well, let it be known to you and all, to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands here before you whole." Okay, this is Peter who denied Christ three times, less than two months before this, or probably around that time. And now, he has the tremendous power of God's Holy Spirit. He stands up faithfully, tells it like it is, and is a tremendous apostle for God. He says, this is the stone which was rejected by you builders, Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Not all roads lead to heaven. Certainly, that's what some people would have you believe. The Buddhists, the different ones might have you believe that, or various religions. But the truth is, there's only one name given under heaven whereby a person may be saved. And that's the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God delivers and makes us whole, just as that crippled man was delivered and made whole, was healed, could now walk, could leap. We are also being made whole, spiritually, by the wonderful sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our Passover Lamb.

1 Corinthians chapter 5 or 7.

1 Corinthians chapter 5 or 7. Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened, for indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Jesus Christ was sacrificed for each of us, that we might be delivered from bondage, that we might be delivered from our sins. We're all sinners, aren't we? Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God. We're all sinners. We all need a sacrifice that will cover our sins.

That is the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let's go on to another question. How did the children of Israel react to being let go from Egypt? Well, many of them were afraid, weren't they? They were very afraid. Exodus chapter 14 verses 10 through 12. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 14 and let's see how many of them, most of them reacted upon being delivered.

Even though God had performed many miracles, all those plagues and deliverance from those plagues, clearly showing His almighty power, notice Exodus chapter 14 verse 10.

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes. They saw Pharaoh coming after them. They lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Well, you know, they did cry out to the Lord. So when you're afraid, that's what we all need to do. Cry out to the Eternal. Look to Him.

But notice also, some didn't just cry out to the Lord. Some of them said to Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt. Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? A bit of a critical spirit here. You know, they're not really trusting in God. They're pointing the finger at Moses and blaming him. Why have you so dealt with us to bring us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? They wanted to stay in bondage. They liked it. It was okay. They were comfortable. And some people are that way. But that's not the way you and I need to be. We need to come out with all of our heart and soul and might. Come out of the Babylon of today's world, just as there was a Babylon of confusion throughout history, since the Tower of Babel was created. And even before that. So we have to come out of this world, and we have to trust God. And when we're afraid, we should call on God. Let's not start blaming everyone and everything. Let's just trust God.

So many of them complained about not having adequate food and water. Remember when they were in the wilderness, things looked bleak. So they started to think that, you know, we better go back to Egypt. This God isn't able to deliver us, evidently, because He's making us... He's not jotting on the spot in every case. He's actually making us trust Him. He's actually making us have faith in Him. But those who didn't have faith started to complain. They started to grumble.

Rather than start to complain and grumble, why not try having faith and patience in the future, when God's testing you? Because they were being tested, and God continues to test His people in many, many ways. So they were complainers. In Exodus 32, Mr. Mollire mentioned the golden calf incident. They went back to idolatry, claiming that this God was leading them out. You know, ridiculous stuff like that. So they didn't have the best reaction. Many of them didn't. Of course, there were a few, like Joshua and Caleb, who did have faith and who did trust in God. And those are the men we need to follow. Joshua and Caleb, men of faith, those who trust and believe in God. Let's ask another question. How have you been reacting from your deliverance from sin? How have you personally been reacting? Are there times when you are showing signs of returning to Egypt? Are there signs when you are doubting your calling? When you are becoming discouraged?

When you are allowing Satan to get the better of you? And you are beginning to doubt many, many things? That's the time to realize that Satan is alive. He is not well, but he is alive. And he is out to hurt you. He is very determined, but you have to fight back.

We'll get to a scripture. Actually, let's just mention it now. It says, resist Satan and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. That's in the book of James, chapter 4, I think, 7 and 8. So that's when we need to draw near to God, when Satan is tempting us, when he is trying to destroy us and hurt us spiritually. That's when we need to turn to God with our heart and soul, with our might, and trust God. So you can react with fear, and you can react with doubt, or you can act with courage. You can find the courage. It's there. Now, there are courage in each and every one of us, and we can find the courage if we look deep enough for it. So find the courage and find the faith.

Follow the example of Joshua and Caleb, not the 10 spies who are unfaithful.

Let's ask another question. Is God still in the process of telling a spiritual pharaoh, let my people go? Is God still involved in all of that? Yes, of course. God is very involved. He does not want Satan to bring you back into bondage. He wants you to be victorious against Satan. Again, Pharaoh is clearly symbolic of Satan the devil, and God is still in the process of calling people. God isn't done. He still calls people. New people come in these doors. They're being called. Now, what they do with their calling, largely up to them, isn't it? They have to decide they're going to stick with it. They're going to respond. They're going to be baptized. They're going to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, and they're willing to do anything and everything to show their faithfulness and to turn to God and to Christ. So God is still calling people. God is still working with people. And we need to do our part in making that happen and encouraging people, being here for them, being brothers and sisters in Christ. So again, we need to resist Satan. It says he will flee from us.

Satan doesn't like it when we turn to God. God has all power. Satan is powerless when we turn to God. When we're truly at one with God, Satan has no power over us. So resist the devil. He will flee from you, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. In John 10, verse 28, Christ says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. Satan cannot snatch anyone from God's hand. God has you in his hands, and you'll stay there if you desire to stay there. If you have the heart to stay there, you will stay there. Satan cannot snatch you away. It's only when you allow Satan. It's only when you make that choice to let Satan get the upper hand. Only you can give in, and only you can give up. Only you can give in, and only you can give up. Satan can't make you do that. That's up to you. In Romans chapter 7, verse 23, after Paul talks about the things that I don't want to do, or the things I do, and the things that I should do, I don't do, and he sees that there's weakness in him. Many years after conversion, he says, Who will deliver me from this body of death, O wretched man that I am? Who's going to deliver me?

He says, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, our Passover Lamb. That's how we're going to be delivered. That's how you'll be delivered. That's how I will be delivered if we rely on Christ and if he looked to the Father for strength and deliverance. And what were the children of Israel to do upon being let go from Egypt? One final question. What were they to continue to do after being let go from Egypt? They were to go and serve God. They were to keep on going. Remember, he said, move forward. Don't stand still. Go forward. One last scripture, Romans 6. You know, we're going to be slaves to someone. We're going to be slaves to Satan, the devil, or we're going to be slaves to God. It's your choice. It's my choice. We cannot serve God and mammon. We have to make a choice. And we have to be faithful to that choice. Romans 6.

Romans 6. We'll start reading in verse 16. Romans 6. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were entrusted, God gives us this wonderful doctrine of truth. He's given us the scriptures to follow.

And having been set free from sin, we are set free from sin because we've accepted Christ as our Savior. And we are willing to be that living sacrifice as well. And that we are turning to God with everything, every ounce of our being. Having been set free from sin, you become slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and we've all done that, and sometimes we want to go back to Egypt because we make bad choices, bad decisions, sinful choices, and sinful decisions that will bring us back to Egypt if we continue down that path. Of course, that's where repentance comes in. And God grants repentance as He looks at our heart and sees what's truly there.

For when we were slaves of sin, verse 20, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? We should be ashamed of our sins. We should come out of our sins. For the end of those things is death. But now, having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness. You're producing the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. That's how you are known by the love that you have, by the joy that you have, by the peace and the patience and the kindness and the goodness, the gentleness, the meekness, the self-control, the faithfulness. That's how we should all be known by our fruits. So, have you gone from being a slave to Satan to being a true servant and slave to God, one who has surrendered to God? That's what Passover is all about. Learning to surrender.

Fully and totally and truly becoming a slave of God in the most proper sense. Loving God with all of our heart and yielding to God with everything that we have. So, brethren, one last question. Are you worthy to keep the Passover?

Are you worthy? Well, we talked about that. I think I gave three sermons on that topic last year. If you didn't get to hear those or if you want to be reminded of that, you can go back and listen to them. They're online. Are you worthy to keep the Passover? You know, in one sense, none of us are worthy to keep the Passover, are we? But if we don't see that, then we're in trouble.

None of us are worthy, but God will deem us worthy if we truly yield to Him and have become His slaves. Then we will be counted worthy. So, brethren, we ought to rejoice that we are now slaves of God, not slaves of sin. We've come out of real bondage to Satan the Devil.

By being a slave of God, we are truly set free. The truth will make us free. We are free indeed. God has surely made the prevailing battle cry of the Exodus come true. God has, indeed, let my people go. Now, be sure that you keep going.