The Salvation of the Lord
Table of Contents
The Salvation of the Lord: No. 1
" And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." The redemption and deliverance of Israel out of Egypt is God's own type, or picture, of the redemption and deliverance of a soul. We propose, then, to trace in the history of their deliverance how completely salvation is of the Lord.
Let us commence with their condition in Egypt. They were slaves of Pharaoh, in bitter bondage. They felt it, and " sighed by reason of the bondage." (Exod. 2:23, 24.) There was deep, real misery, " and God heard their groaning." This is God's starting-point. In a few words we have man's real condition brought before us. Was it not so with the poor miserable prodigal when he came to himself? Did you ever come to yourself? Have you ever discovered and felt that you are, or were, in the bitter bondage of Satan, the present Pharaoh of this world? Did God ever hear you cry and groan by reason of the bondage?
This is man's condition, though he does not know it, and will not believe it. He talks of progress and freedom, and is all the while held in the grip of Satan. It may be Satan holds him in pleasant golden chains, or cruel iron ones, or sad and heavy leaden ones. Such is man, conceived in sin, shapen in iniquity; the slave of lust, passion, or fashion, and utterly unable to deliver himself.
" Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Eph. 2:2, 3.) Thus are all men in the power and bondage of Satan, just as Israel were under the cruel bondage of Pharaoh.
Now it is generally thought that, if man will give up sin, and deliver himself from the bondage of Satan, then he may hope that God will save him. This is a great mistake. God did not send Moses to tell them, that if they would deliver themselves from Egypt's bondage He would save them. This was just what they could not do. This was just what God said He would do. " And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows: and I am come down to deliver them.....Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (Exod. 3:1-10.) Mark well that God thus commended His love to them, that whilst they were slaves to Pharaoh, without power to deliver themselves, God sent Moses to bring them forth out of Egypt. It is just so God hath commended His love to us, in sending His only-begotten Son. " For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
Truly God is love. He loved Israel when they were poor miserable slaves; He heard their groans, He knew their sorrows; He came down to deliver. Did God hear that deep groan of yours? Did you say, " What a fool I am—what a slave of sin and the devil! I am no better; I have sinned again. What will be the end of it? Oh, the power of these evil habits!—the cruel yoke of sin! I cannot give it up, I cannot deliver myself; worse and worse/' "I am come down to deliver," says the Lord. What a surprise this is to many, to see God intervening in richest grace to save the guilty and the lost. He did not come down to condemn, but to save. God is not thus known. The other gospel, which is not another, sets man trying all his life long to deliver himself. We hope our readers see the difference between God sending Moses to tell Israel to do their best to deliver themselves, and telling them that He was come down to deliver them. Then we trust you will also see the difference between that no-gospel, which is ever telling you to do your best to deliver yourselves from the slavery of sin and Satan, and the true gospel of God, which reveals His righteousness in sending His own Son, through whose precious blood we have eternal redemption.
If you do not know your wretched condition as a miserable slave of Satan, the cruel god of this world, how can you know the amazing kindness of God in sending His Son to deliver? How true it is that "the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." What a pitiable sight is a poor blind slave of Satan, dreaming that he is free, and needs no deliverer.
But this paper will be put in the hands of some who know they are helpless slaves, who cannot deliver themselves. And to such it is good news that God has sent His Son to deliver. Now the first effect of the message coming home to the heart and conscience, is to give a loathing of sin and its slavery, and a desire to escape from it, and to worship God. It was just so with Israel. " And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped." Thus it is with a quickened soul. There is faith that God has looked upon our misery, and now there is an earnest desire to escape from the slavery of sin and Satan, and go forth a worshipper of God.
The next step of a quickened soul is to delight in the law of God after the inward man, but not being yet delivered. The way of deliverance is presented by keeping the law. Then commences a dreadful struggle, and often a long one.
We have a most striking illustration of this in chapter vii.
Brick-making without Straw, or, law-keeping without strength (Exod. 5),was to Israel what Rom. 7 is to a quickened soul under law. Look at the poor Hebrews, now that the commandment comes to make the full tale of bricks without straw. Straw, or no straw, bricks must be made. They wander all over Egypt, seeking stubble instead of straw. The taskmasters beat them. Rest there is none. " Go, therefore, now and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks." Was their case any better? Nay, it was worse and worse. The effect was to put a sword in the hands of Pharaoh to slay them. Even Moses said to the Lord, u Wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since 1 came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." Have you ever been at Pharaoh's brick-kiln? Ah, you may be there now. Do you say, This is exactly my condition—far more miserable than I was before the commandment came with awful power to my conscience? Sin has revived. Strength or no strength, I feel I ought to keep all the commands of a holy God.
I do not want to do this evil, yet I do it. I want to love God, and fail. Yet still a slave; no rest, no peace, no strength. Like the poor Hebrews, I have run all over Egypt, seeking a little stubble, a little strength to keep the law. I have been to book after book, to preacher after preacher; often I find, instead of a little strength, a taskmaster ready to beat me. " I am carnal, sold under sin." I am told to work, work, and not to listen to vain words of grace. All this puts a sword into the hand of Satan to slay me. Dear reader, is it so? Are you doing the things you most hate? And then, does Satan rush at you, and say, What, you hypocrite, do you pretend to be a Christian? Look at your works—nay, look at your sins. You are idle! you are idle! And now, if you are really in earnest, you will feel as if eternity depends on your fulfilling the tale of works. Yet you have no straw, no strength, and the works will not hang together.
There is still lust, and lust is sin; and the state of the soul is now terrible. "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Brick-making without straw, or law-keeping without strength, brings no deliverance. " I am carnal, sold under sin." How terrible this is! and the lesson must be learned. " For 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." Yes, law-keeping, instead of bringing deliverance, ends in the discovery of the truth—that there is not one bit of good in me, that is, in my flesh. Poor Moses sank in despair, when he said, "Neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."
And now another striking fact is brought out. When a soul is under the bondage and slavery of sin, and further, under the bondage of law, the very promises of God fail to give relief. See how graciously the Lord reveals Himself as the God of promise. In chapter vi. He says, " I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm," &c. (Read Exod. 6:1-8.) These are precious promises; it is God who thus speaks, " I will take you to me for a people." But is it not most remarkable that for the present these promises fail to give the least relief? "And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses, for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage." How often this is the case, after utter failure to find peace and rest by works of law, the soul seeks to find deliverance by, as they say, acting faith in the promises! You read the promises. Yes, you say, it is God that speaks; but I get no relief for anguish of spirit and cruel bondage. Of course, the children of this world know nothing of this deep soul exercise; no, they sail smoothly on to everlasting woe, deceiving and being deceived. Is it not strange, though, for a sincere soul to find no deliverance by the promises? There is a distinct sense that there is some great question still unsettled. You try to keep the law, and have no strength: you try to believe the promises, but say, How can they apply to me while still a slave to Satan, led after wealth or pleasure, fashion or sin? Then thoughts of death and judgment give great anguish of spirit. We hear a reader say, " Yes, that is just my experience, but I thought no one passed through what I have."
Now we come to another class, another step. Having failed to get deliverance by works of law, and by trying to lay hold of the promises, providences are looked to for deliverance. There is great danger at this point. We have met with cases where persons practicing known sin tried to persuade themselves it was all right, because of the earthly temporal providences of God which they enjoyed. Now read Exod. 7 to 11. Did God ever interfere in providence for any people in so remarkable a way as for Israel in the land of Goshen? The most dreadful plagues fell upon their enemies, and they were spared. But did these providences give deliverance to them? Not in the least—not a yard did they escape. At the very end of chapter 11 we read of Pharaoh, " he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land." Something was yet needed; some great question had yet to be settled. The Lord direct both us and our readers to His word, that we may see in our next paper what that something is -what is that question that must be settled—before there can be deliverance and rest to an anxious soul.
The Salvation of the Lord: No. 2
We have seen the amazing grace of God in coming down, in the person of the Son, to deliver the poor lost sinner whilst a slave of Satan and sin. We have seen the effect of this message being believed to lead the sinner to seek deliverance by works of law without strength, like Israel making bricks without straw. After the struggle, which almost ends in despair, the soul seeking deliverance by the promises, and then by the providences of God, yet still groaning for deliverance, still in the grip of Pharaoh.
Something altogether different must be done; a deep, unsettled question must be settled. The eyes of all Israel must be now fastened on a Lamb without blemish. Every man must have a lamb -a lamb for every house. " And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month." For four days the lamb was thus before them. Has your eye ever been thus fixed on the Lamb of God? And mark, God not only sent the Lamb without blemish, but He must be lifted up—He must needs suffer. So the lamb for every man must not only be put up, but it must be killed. " And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." The deep question of sins must be settled. The Israelites were sinners as well as the Egyptians. You are a sinner as well as the wicked around. Sin must be judged, either in the Lamb without spot or blemish, or on every house in Egypt. " And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the upper door-posts, of the houses wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it."
The dreadful night of judgment on Egypt was come. " And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." All this is a different matter from our law-keeping when guilty sinners—a different matter from even promises and providences. It is the Son of God set forth crucified before us. We beg the reader to answer this solemn question: Have you taken shelter from judgment beneath the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God? Have you learned the judgment of God on sin in the cross of Christ? And, whilst you take shelter beneath this precious blood, have you by faith fed on, received the whole Lamb as your salvation of God? Have you there seen the exceeding dreadfulness of sin? Have you had to do with it, with bitterness of soul—with bitter herbs? Do you believe God, * When I see the blood, I will pass over you"? All who trusted God's testimony to that blood were saved from the judgment of that dreadful night. He passed over wherever He saw the blood.
Beware of trusting in anything else. There was no judgment on a single family that believed God about the blood. The death of the lamb -the blood—was the all-sufficient token, the all-sufficient shelter from divine judgment. Do you believe God? Can you say you have redemption through the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins? Egypt was smitten with judgment. Judgment also hangs over this doomed world. God hath appointed a day in which He will judge it. And there is no shelter from God's judgment on sin but the blood of the Lamb. That one sacrifice, once offered, forever shelters—forever cleanses from all sin. God is satisfied. Divine wrath against sin is satisfied. And the love of God to the sinner is fully manifested in the death of Jesus. Yes, Jesus appeared once to put sin away by that one sacrifice. He bore the sins of many.
If you have, then, been brought, just as you are, to rest beneath the shelter of the blood of Jesus, you may now rise up, and turn your back forever on Egypt. Israel arose, and marched out of Egypt. But mark, not a step did they take before the lamb was killed. What a night to be remembered by them, and surely no less so by us, when we have learned the delivering power of the blood of Jesus. Thus they marched for four or five days. Some souls seem to never get beyond this. They have taken shelter beneath the cross, and may be they have taken a little march heavenwards; but they are still in Egypt, still in the world, and of it to a sad extent. Satan feels he has lost hold of them, but, whilst they are still in Egypt, they are within reach. Now must be learned the lesson of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Up to this point we have only learned the blood of the Lamb shed for us; and, as to fact, we are still alive in these bodies in the world. At such a time we are very liable to look back. Now what did Israel see behind them? Pharaoh, and the whole power of Egypt, pursuing them, and dead against them. And what do they see before them? Death—the Red Sea. The inward thought of the heart is, Shall we now fall into the hands of Pharaoh, or perish in the sea? Terrible doubts beset the soul at Pi-hahiroth. "And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord." Very bitter was their cry. Their case was now desperate -worse, they said, than if they had never left Egypt, There was the most powerful army, and greatest king, on earth close upon them, and the sea before them. Against such a force they were helpless.
How often is the case similar, when a soul finds himself without strength, helpless; Satan bringing the whole power of the world, its temptations and snares, and then the sins of a past life come rushing behind, like the armies of Egypt. Satan would then persuade the child of God that it would have been far better to have remained in the world, and have made no profession of leaving it.
Must not Israel fight now? Must we not now put forth all our energy and strength, in determined effort to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil? No; quite another lesson must be learned at Pi-hahiroth. " And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you this day: for the Egyptians which ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more forever." Now, standing still is not fighting; no, "the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace/י No doubt this is foolishness to the natural man, but it was the power of God to salvation. What a display of that power, as to the Red Sea as a figure of death. That sea, that death, was their deliverance. All who had taken shelter beneath the blood, they and their households were now " baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." (1 Cor. 10:2.) "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground.יי
It is important to notice the difference between the Lord coming down in grace to Israel, when slaves in Egypt, and their being brought out in complete deliverance. We have seen that neither God's intervention in love alone, in Exod. 3, their earnest desire to escape, and worship, and all the efforts to make bricks without straw of chapter v., or all the promises of chapter vi., or all the special providences of chapters 7- 11 were able to deliver. The lamb must be slain and its blood sprinkled, as the basis, by sheltering them from judgment, of their deliverance. Still another lesson had to be learned. The passage of the Red Sea—the figure of the death of Christ for us. That lesson also, not complete in itself. The lesson of the Jordan or our death, and resurrection with Christ. Then indeed Israel was not only out of Egypt but in the land.
The wilderness came in as a parenthesis to prove them, to show them what they were. From Egypt to Sinai all was pure grace. As the Lord said unto them, "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself." (Exod. 19:4.) They then placed themselves under law, and, from that day, their proper wilderness experience commenced. These distinctions will be found to make the whole history extremely instructive.
We now turn to the glad tidings of God, and see how distinctly this past history of Israel's deliverance helps us to understand the dealings of God with a soul.
In the New Testament epistles we find man is found morally in the very condition of Israel—a slave of Satan, dead in trespasses and sins, far from God in guilt and misery, without strength. (Eph. ii.; Rom. ii., iii.) How truly an awakened sinner finds this to be so. He reads of the love of God, but it alone fails to give relief. He desires to worship, he is a slave of Satan. He tries to keep the law, he has no strength. He tries to get comfort from the promises, but he is filled with anguish at the fuller discovery of what he is in himself. He says, The promises cannot be for me. He seeks comfort from the providences of God; all fail to deliver and bring him from Satan to God.
Oh, how painful, and how blessed, when all fails, and the Lamb is brought before the soul! Jesus must needs suffer. He must be lifted up. Without shedding of blood there is no remission. The amazing truth is revealed to the soul also of the death of Jesus for us. He believes God that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, " Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Yes, the death of Jesus for us, as our substitute, is learned, bearing our sins, raised from the dead for our justification. Thus as Israel saw the Egyptians no more, so, as to our sins, what we have done, all are gone. We are justified from all things. Thus, as to sins, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. But having thus peace with God as to all we have done, there is then another question, not what we have done, but what we are, as children of the first Adam. Here the further lesson of the Jordan comes in. Not only the death of Christ for us, but our death with Him, and resurrection with Him. Dead to sin and alive to God, is now the position we are to reckon ourselves to be in. Do we so reckon? Have we accepted this wondrous place in Christ? Alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord, the deliverance from sin is complete. Not only justified by His blood from sins, what we have done, but when sin is taken up as it came in by Adam, how much more has grace abounded.
The wilderness came in by the bye, so to speak, a needed experience to prove them, and show them what was in their hearts. In like manner we must know, it may be by bitter experience, what we are. The apostle could say, " For I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." And this experience lies between the Red Sea and the Jordan, beginning at that very point, where we, like Israel, slip from grace to put ourselves on the principle of law as they did at Sinai. The moment it is the question of what we are to God, Rom. 7 describes our experience.
Have we practically learned these solemn lessons? When all else failed, have we taken shelter from deserved wrath beneath the blood of Jesus? Have we rejoiced in our justification from sins by His death for us? Have we learned the utter ruin of our old man? and that we are crucified with Christ, brought through death with Him, one with Him in resurrection, as He is, and loved as He is loved? How complete then is our deliverance. How great His glory? To Him be everlasting praise.