- Bring Out of Affliction
Exodus 3:17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
The call of Moses out of the Burning Bush contains a promise for the children of Israel stuck in slavery in the land of Egypt. God will bring them up out of the affliction of Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey. The “you” includes not only Moses but also all the people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This promise literally came true, although it took many miracles and a long time.
Spiritually, the Bible stories were written for our learning and edification, that by patience and comfort of the Holy Scriptures we might believe and have hope. Spiritually the promise is for us. We are in the “Egypt of affliction,” which is the world with it slavery to false gods, empty promises, lies, sins, evil, and death. While we live in the world we suffer much affliction (bad things happen) because of our own sin. God promises to bring us up from that world into a different land, a land of promise and paradise flowing with milk and honey. Spiritually that Promised Land is the Kingdom of God, eternal life. Jesus brings us up from the kingdom of darkness and death into the kingdom of light and life. He takes us from bondage to sin, death and Satan and sets us free to live under Him in His Land.
The Lord will make for us an Exodus of Deliverance from sin to forgiveness, from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven, and all the other metaphors of salvation. This “Exodus” happened at the cross. The Exodus happens to us personally when we are baptized and believe. It wasn’t an easy trip, hampered by sin, complaints, and rebellion, and after grace brought us into the “Land” we were faced with all the “-ites” still living there. All the false gods, pagan idols, evil, sin, demons and immorality are still resident living in their land, which God gave to us. The Kingdom in the heart isn’t as great as promised because of the unbelief that still fights to keep its hold on the soul. But Joshua (Jesus) leads us to victory with the help of the Holy Spirit of God. The affliction of Egypt may be a thing of the past (we are saved), but the devil, the world, and the flesh are still contesting the takeover of the Kingdom of God. In addition to deliverance and a new land God does also promise victory. We apply the Gospel and enjoy the new Kingdom, even though irritants remain to fight us.